Monday 20 May 2013

Book Review - Coming to Terms


I was thrilled and honoured to have been given an advanced copy of Coming to Terms and to have been asked by Renee Rose to review the book on my blog.

As I sit down to write this review I am somewhat nervous as I have not written a book review before.  I  am also embarrassed to admit to the lovely authors that I haven't really read much in the way of DD fiction books, other than the stories published on blogs.  Mostly, I am anxious to ensure I do proper justice to the review and give the book the credit it so richly deserves.

Coming to Terms is an anthology.  A collection of seven short stories written by seven very talented authors.  Each story tells of a couple coming to terms with their domestic discipline relationship.

I thought about providing a short synopsis of each story here.  However, the authors have each given us snippets of their story on their blogs.  Also, as they are short stories I didn't want to give too much away :)

Here are the links to their blogs so that you can check them out:
Cara BristolJade CareyAlta HensleyCeleste JonesSue LyndonRenee RoseAnastasia Vitsky

Instead, I thought I would write about how I found the book as a whole.  How the stories work together and how they speak to me as a woman in a DD relationship.

There were a number of things that stood out for me.  Although each story is about a couple in a DD relationship, they are each unique and very different from each other.  This to me is testament to the fact that (as those of us in this type of relationship know) it is very personal to each couple.  We each make it our own and no two couples practice DD the same way.  As a collection of stories the book truly conveys the individualism of the lifestyle well.

The stories range from couples who have been practicing DD for a number of years to a couple just starting out, both in their relationship and in the lifestyle.

Another thing that stood out for me was how well I was able to relate to the stories on an emotional level.  The stories give us a glimpse of the characters as they work through important issues that are common in DD relationships, including defining DD, bringing DD back in focus when life gets in the way and balancing erotic and disciplinary spanking.

The authors have done an excellent job of conveying the feelings and emotions involved in a DD relationship from the perspective of both partners.  In particular I found the discipline scenes realistic and easy to relate to. The authors convey the depth of feeling associated with discipline from the perspectives of both giving and receiving discipline extremely well.  The feelings of guilt, remorse and forgiveness as well as the intimacy and connection between the couples.

The characters in each story are strong.  I particularly enjoyed the fact that each story portrays strong, independent women who discover just what strength it takes to trust you partner to lead your relationship and to submit to your partner.

Each author has brought their own unique writing style and talent to the table and as a collection of stories it is fun and entertaining to read.  The stories compliment each other beautifully and are, in my opinion, an excellent portrayal of the DD dynamic.

Although Coming to Terms is a anthology of DD related stories and while those of us in DD/ttwd relationships can so easily relate to the characters and their stories, they are written in such as way that the book also holds appeal for a wider audience as well.  Readers, whether in a DD/ttwd relationship or not will enjoy the interaction between the characters as well as the eroticism and , of course, spanking scenes ... Oh did I mention the stories contain erotic scenes? :)


Coming to Terms is available on Amazon now.  If you haven't got your copy yet I highly recommend it.  I thoroughly enjoyed each story on its own and think that they are superb as a collection of stories that compliment each other extremely well.

 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CS7XLNQ/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00CS7XLNQ&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwreneeroser-20

35 comments:

  1. Good stories all. I hated for some of them to end.

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    1. Hi Sunny,

      I enjoyed all of the stories and felt the same way.

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  2. Thanks for the review...another book to add to my wish list...perhaps for summer reading... :-)

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    1. Hi Terps,

      I would definitely put this on your summer reading list. I think you'll enjoy it.

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  3. Thanks!!! I'm excited to read it.

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    1. Hi Sarah,

      You're welcome. It is definitely a great read!

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  4. Thank you Roz! So glad you enjoyed the book. We sure had fun creating it.

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    1. Hi Celeste,

      You are so welcome! I was thrilled to be asked. I really enjoyed all the stories and how they worked so well together. Thank you for writing!

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  5. Thank you, Roz.
    Maybe something fo me? Roz are the punishment spanking scenes severe, will I handle them mentally?

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    1. I think they are not severe, more loving discipline and also some erotic play. Sorry for jumping in!

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    2. Hi Mona Lisa,

      You're welcome! That is a great question, one I should perhaps have covered in the review. I agree entirely with Minelle. I don't think the scenes are severe and they are well written and show the connection, love and intimacy surrounding the spanking. I think you will enjoy the book.

      Thank you Minelle for jumping in. You said it much better than me :)

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  6. Awesome review for a wonderful book. I think you expressed some of my own feelings about the book in a much better way than I ever could have. I just finished it last night and would have to agree with your assessment. :)

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    1. Hi Mischief,

      Thank you so much. It's great to know you felt the same way about the book. They are such great stories aren't they?

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  7. Roz, this was better than a review. It was a very insightful critique of the book as a whole, without getting bogged down in the details. You don't sound like a novice reviewer to me. Good job!

    Irishey

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    1. Hi Irishey,

      Thank you so much for your lovely comment. I truly appreciate it. I was concerned as to whether I would do enough justice to the review and give the book the full credit it deserves.

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  8. Yay Roz...you are way more on top of things than I am. I hope to get on with finishing my review as well. I absolutely loved this anthology! You did a great job of describing the feel of the stories!!!

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    1. Hi Minelle,

      Thank you so much! .. now hurry up will ya! I can't wait to read your review LoL

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  9. Thank you so much for the great review!

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    1. Hi Renee,

      You are so welcome! I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Both the stories as individual stories and how they worked together as an anthology.

      Thank you so much for asking me to review the book. It was an honour and a pleasure.

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  10. Yay! You did it. More than just did it, you did a great job too! I love how you tied in your lifestyle into your review. Saying that the stories are believable to you is a resoundingly good review if I ever heard one.

    Good work lady!

    love, willie

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    Replies
    1. Hi Willie,

      Awe, thank you so much for your lovely and supportive words. It means a lot to me. You knew I was nervous about giving the book the credit it deserves in my review.

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  11. Hey Roz...excellent review of an awesome book. Each of the stories touched me in different ways but all were wonderful!

    Blessings,
    Cat

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    1. Hi Cat,

      Thank you so much! Each of the stories touched me in different ways too. Gosh, I'm thinking now of things I could have added to the review! LoL

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  12. Wonderfully done my friend and I will check out the book :-)

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    1. Hi Tiffany,

      Thank you so much! This should definitely be on your summer reading list!

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  13. Thank you so much for such a thoughtful review. I'm glad you enjoyed Coming to Terms. I had so much fun writing my story.

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    1. Hi Cara,

      You are so welcome. It was a pleasure and an honour. I thoroughly enjoyed each story and how they worked so well together as an anthology.

      Thank you for writing!

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  14. Great review, Roz, made even better by the personal touches you added. I've already got my copy, but if I hadn't I would have purchased one with your recommendation. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Hi Kathryn,

      Thank you so much for reading and for your lovely comment. I truly appreciate it, especially given that you are also an author as I was nervous about giving the book the full credit it deserves.

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  15. Thank you so much for this post, Roz. It's wonderful to have your perspective, and it's thrilling to hear this book was useful to you as a practicer of DD. Thank you for taking the time to write this. :)

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    1. Hi Ana,

      You are so welcome. As I said to the other authors, it really was such a pleasure and an honour to have been asked to review the book. I related to each story on so many levels. Every emotion in the stories felt familiar to me.

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  16. Fabulous review roz. You have made the book sound very tempting. Now if only I had one of those electronic reader thingy majigs lol.

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    1. Thank you Kiwi :)

      If you can get hold of the book it is a great read. You will enjoy it!

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  17. Thanks for the review, Roz. We all appreciate it very much. Great job, by the way. Very informative and concise.

    xo

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    1. Thank you so much Jade,

      You are most welcome, it truly was an honour and a pleasure. Thank you and your co-authors for writing!

      Hugs,
      Roz

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