Slave, by Sherri Hayes
Slave, by Sherri Hayes, is marketed as BDSM erotica, but that's not really what this is at all. It's more of a damsel-in-distress romance whose hero happens to be a dominant. Once I realized this, I gave it a shot anyway, but I'm left feeling pretty conflicted about the book.
The good: The writing is pretty decent. It's a short and easy read that mostly kept my interest, though I kept hoping it would go down avenues it steered clear from. Still, I was surprised when I learned that it started as a Twilight fanfic much like the Book-Which-Shall-Not-Be-Named-Around-BDSMers. From what excerpts I've read of those other two books, this is written with much more skill, at least.
The bad: Rather than showing healthy, consensual BDSM, this book centers around an 18 yr old victim of sex trafficking whose knight in shining armor (a much older philanthropist who should know better) decides to forgo professional help for the healing power of “Let me just show her how a Real Dom™ does it!”
Are you into the lifestyle and looking for a steaming hot BDSM read? Do you maybe dislike women protagonists without agency who break down in panic attacks all the time? I'd strongly suggest seeking elsewhere.
Are you into Damsel in Distress or the power of well-meaning love conquering all, even really, really traumatic stuff which should not actually be explored in any BDSM context? This is your book!
Don't really care and want a quick and easy read that's not actually dripping in sex? Give it a shot, but take it with a hefty dose of suspension-of-disbelief.