Accidental
Submission by Claire Thompson
Romance
Unbound 2009
Accidental
Submission opens in a dungeon. A Dom named Gary ferociously whips a
bound and gagged submissive while ruminating on his anger towards his
boss Elizabeth. He transfers that rage to his flogging, continuing
to lash at the slave even after she executes the gesture they've
agreed upon as a signal for him to stop. He even calls the poor woman
Elizabeth.
I'll
be honest. I nearly stopped reading right there. The scene set all my
red lights flashing. If I had not committed myself to reviewing the
book, I probably would have tossed it out, assuming (incorrectly)
that this was an example of the kind of crude non-consensual smut
that gets some people off.
As
it turns out, that would have been a huge mistake. In fact, Claire
Thompson's novel revolves around the sort of ethical, tender and
romantic D/s relationship that pushes all my buttons. The individual
introduced in this first scene is the villain in Ms. Thompson's saga.
Passed up for a promotion to vice-president when his company decides
to hire the eminently qualified Elizabeth Martin, Gary Dobbins plans
a devious revenge on the woman he sees as his nemesis. Accompanying
her to a company-sponsored charity function, he spikes her drink with
a date rape drug and leads her to a BDSM club, where he offers her
for sale at a slave auction. Handsome, wealthy dominant Cole Pearson
purchases twenty-four hours of play with the gorgeous brunette, only
to have her pass out on him when he gets her home.
From
this point, the book focuses mostly on the relationship between
Elizabeth and Cole. They are irresistibly attracted to one another,
but Cole wants more than just sex or even love. He seeks a true D/s
partnership with a woman who is as serious and committed to exploring
the boundaries of power exchange as he is. His first marriage fell
apart because he couldn't be honest about his real needs. He is
determined that this is not going to happen again.
Ambitious,
intelligent, and work-obsessed, Elizabeth initially seems like an
unlikely submissive. However, Cole sparks her curiosity with his
talk, and his demonstrations of the seductive nature of erotic power.
Gradually Cole leads her deeper into submission, to the point where
she agrees to spend two weeks (her long delayed vacation time) in
24/7 slave training. This is a make-or-break experiment for both
protagonists. Although Cole has the typical confidence of a Dom, he
really doesn't know if Elizabeth is capable of the sort of surrender
he requires.
The
book includes a subplot in which the evil Gary attempts to blackmail
and disgrace Elizabeth, while she and Cole struggle to unmask his
deceptions. For the most part, however, Ms. Thompson is concerned
with the growing attraction and trust between Elizabeth and Cole.
Elizabeth's work is a serious obstacle to their deepening bond. She
uses it as a shield to keep Cole from getting too close, as an excuse
for lateness and even disobedience. Cole's patience is tested again
and again, but unlike Gary he understands that anger has no place
when punishing a slave.
Accidental
Submission is smoothly written and professionally edited. And of
course it involves my personal favorite erotic scenario: initiation
of a new submissive by a caring yet authoritative dominant. By the
time I reached the chapters detailing Elizabeth's training (which are
relatively hard-core BDSM, not merely a few bonds and spanks), the
book was pushing my buttons and influencing my dreams.
Somehow,
however, I found the end of the book less satisfying. As the two week
training period nears its end, Elizabeth's resistance has melted
away. She has been transformed into the willing and skillful slave of
whom Cole has dreamed. The two look forward to an idyllic future
together. In short, the book concludes with a happily-ever-after
(except for Gary, who is subjected to a particularly appropriate
revenge).
In
trying to analyze why this conclusion felt like a let-down, I came up
with two theories. First, it was too easy. Elizabeth is not going to
abandon her work, and there are bound to be conflicts with her
relationship, committed as she is. Second, although the book includes
many climaxes with a lower case 'c', there is no real Climax, no
single transcendent interaction that pushes the D/s connection to a
higher level. A collaring, a branding, some ritual in which Cole
seriously took possession of Elizabeth, would have helped. After the
emotional intensity of the earlier parts of the book, the ending was
surprisingly bland.
I
debated for a long time how to rate this book. Starting the book
with the villain's scene was, I think, a mistake on Ms. Thompson's
part. Readers with tastes similar to mine will be turned off and not
continue. Ending the book with a ho-hum HEA also detracts from what,
overall, is an arousing and competently written BDSM tale. However,
I ultimately recognized that very few erotic books manage to engage
my personal fantasies the way Accidental Submission managed to
do for much of its length. For this accomplishment, the book deserves
a thumbs-up.
