Title: Tempering Steele
Series: Black Velvet Society, #1
Author: Mychael Black
Genre: Erotic Romance / Kinks & Fetishes
Length: Novelette (42 pages)
ISBN: 06842-02203
Publisher: Changeling Press (February 28th 2014)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥3.5-4Hearts
Reviewer: Thommie
Blurb:Dr. Alex Greene and his best friend, Dr. Darren Webb, have known one another for several years. They’ve danced around an unspoken attraction for most of that time, but since they’re both Masters in the BDSM lifestyle, they’ve never attempted anything more than friendship. That’s all about to change when Darren suggests they both sign up at the Black Velvet Society website.
Alex is, at heart, a submissive, but he swore off all chances of submitting after a bad experience years ago. He harbors an intense crush on his best friend, Darren, but acting on it would mean submitting. When a Master named LaCroix at a BDSM website suggests a weeklong, online-only session, Alex takes the plunge.
But LaCroix has a secret all his own, and when Alex discovers it, everything changes.
Purchase Link: http://changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=2203
Review: I disliked the cover with a passion. I really don’t pay much attention to them when I pick a book, but this one nearly put me off. If I wasn’t a “don’t judge the book by its cover” kind of person, I’d definitely have passed this one.
Now that said I loved the story. It was short but to the point and very well written. The characters made sense and their interaction was hot as hell. The plot was pretty simple; Alex has been crushing on Darren for years, the share kinks and fetishes, they are both Doms, but Alex started as a sub. Deep down he is a sub or would have been if his first experience hadn’t put him off for good.
Now the attraction between the characters is not merely told here, you can actually feel floating through the text. As I said, the story is extremely well written and all emotions/feelings are near tangible making the read highly sensual and erotic. Alex’s want and longing, his fear and apprehension, everything is delivered beautifully, loading the text with intensity and anticipation.
Darren decides to take the plunge and approach Alex in a sneaky way, hoping he’ll feel safer in a more controlled environment, thus he takes them both in an online site with the pretence of finding a sub online. When Alex is approached by a Dom on this site he submits to him for a week in order to discover if he’s still capable of submitting, and realises that he can’t keep circling around what eats him the most; his longing for his best friend, even if he’ll have to face all his fears once and for all.
There is the dilemma of how ethical was it for Darren to play Alex like that. Didn’t it hurt the trust between them in the end? Shouldn’t Alex have felt betrayed by the way it happened? Does the end justify the means? Is everything allowed in the name of love? Weird isn’t it that such a short story would raise so many profound questions. I’d like to have the opportunity to have this conversation with this particular author, and it’s a rare thing for me to feel this way, especially from a short story. I’m baffled with myself!
Moving on to the erotic part, well it was the cherry on top for as it revolved around my favourite kinks. Edging and fisting with a rough treatment from the Dom and dear starts upon the sky, it was a highly tense and erotic read. At least it had me hanging from every word and panting in tandem with the characters, so kudos to the author, you’ve intrigued me into searching and reading more of what you have to offer.
Summing it up: kinks and fetishes the genre, middle-aged men characters (and I kept forgetting it), friends-to-lovers as well and if you’re so inclined take the chance for it was one wild ride. Strongly recommended!