Phoenix
and Dragon by Suz de Mello
Dunster
Way Books, 2017
San Francisco Police detective
Eliza Bowen is a tough gal. Raised by her black mom after being
abandoned by her white father, she belonged to a street gang before
she went straight. First in the Vice Squad, now in the Major Crimes
Unit, she’s known as a hard-working, even driven, officer who
doesn’t quit until she sees the perps get what they deserve.
Her current case has her
stumped, though. A young paralegal has disappeared without a trace.
There’s no sign of a struggle, no clues at all, until Liza unearths
a secret diary kept by the victim, Sindie Keller. The sexually
explicit journal reveals that on the night she vanished, Sindie’s
boss, with whom she was having a kinky affair, sent her to a
particular bar dressed in red leather, carrying a copy of The
Story of O. Liza decides to mimic the vic’s actions, figuring
whoever picked up the victim might try the same trick with her.
Sure enough, a man appears,
binds her, and whisks her away in a fancy sports-car. Liza is
disturbed to find that her captor is James Li, notorious owner of
several brothels around the city. When she was in Vice, she’d tried
to bring him down, but had never been able to make any charges stick.
His infuriating ability to get away with his crimes is only part of
what disturbs her, though. Li is charming, intelligent and
breathtakingly good looking. Liza knows he should be off-limits for a
cop like her, but it’s difficult to resist temptation. When he
takes charge, demanding her total obedience for a weekend in return
for the full truth about Sindie, it’s not just professional
interest that makes her consent.
James “makes” Liza into
his slave. He shares her with other men. He dresses her in shamefully
revealing clothing and parades her around his fancy whorehouses. He
teases her mercilessly and punishes her when she fails to follow his
orders. Most of all, he uses her sexually, in every way imaginable.
Liza finds the experience of submission simultaneously thrilling and
horrifying, give how it challenges her self-image as a tough and
independent woman. Still, there’s something about James that
satisfies her, in ways no previous lover has ever been able to do.
Phoenix and Dragon is
subtitled “Romantic Suspense”, but there’s a lot more romance
than suspense in this novel. The setup with the missing paralegal
provides a mechanism to get Liza and James together. From that point
on, the book focuses entirely on their interaction, their sexual
games, and their growing relationship. The end of the book ties up
the loose threads regarding the Sindie Keller case, but this feels
like an after-thought.
Not that this is necessarily a
complaint. Phoenix and Dragon is erotic romance with an
emphasis on erotic. The sex scenes (of which there are many) are
well-written, varied and intense. As a dominant, James is both
creative and considerate. As a lover, he’s astoundingly virile and
predictably enormous. Liza meets him halfway, rising to his every
challenge, discovering the paradoxical strength to be found in
submission. As the story unfolds, she learns that he’s not the
manipulative, exploitative villain she had believed, but a self-made
entrepreneur with strong family ties, who has wanted her for a long
time.
Some of the Amazon reviews of
this book warn that the sex might be too extreme for some readers. I
presume they’re referring to the BDSM content in some of the
scenes. One review referred to “disturbing elements”, another to
“dark themes”. I found this surprising because I actually felt
that Ms. de Mello too often pulled her punches with regard to the
kink. Li isn’t a true Dom, just a rich, good-looking guy who’s
used to getting what he wants. When the novel takes his point of
view, he’s clear on the fact that he really doesn’t feel all that
comfortable inflicting pain on his partner. He enjoys having Liza in
his power, sexually, but to be honest, the psychological dynamic is a
far cry from serious BDSM.
My other (relatively minor)
complaint about this book was that it was all too easy. There aren’t
any obstacles to Liza and James falling in love. Indeed, it feels
inevitable. Hence, there’s no real conflict to be resolved.
It’s still satisfying to see
Liza lowering her guard and letting James into her heart. That is,
after all, what romance is about.
If you’re looking for an
appealing heroine and a seductive hero, who share amazing sexual
chemistry, you can’t go wrong with Phoenix and Dragon. Just
don’t expect a taut thriller –
or push-your-limits, make-you-squirm kink.
