Dom with a Safeword #review

Title: Dom with a Safeword
Authors: Cari Silverwood, Leia Shaw and Sorcha Black
Publisher: Wicked Cucumber, 2012

I’ll come clean from the start and say that I was a beta-reader for this novel, and loved every minute of it. Three authors might seem like a bit of a handful when it comes to writing one story, but Leia Shaw, Cari Silverwood and Sorcha Black certainly have chemistry and sparks in all the right places.

Although there were a few times where I did notice a bit of an unevenness in style, the ladies hold everything together masterfully. What I especially appreciated was the authenticity of the characters' voices. Each has a history, has hopes, aspirations. As readers, we walk with them on a path of self-discovery.

Jude must decide whether to follow in the footsteps of his father, and study medicine – and put an end to his somewhat bohemian lifestyle of renovating houses. Sabrina learns to step beyond her somewhat conservative upbringing and taste forbidden pleasures. Q’s dark past casts a shadow on her future happiness.

If you thought a couple had its complications, try a threesome – but this combination also tantalises the senses, and Jude, Sabrina and Q create a beautiful dynamic as they explore the boundaries of their relationship. Their interaction is an absolute treat to experience, and this is tempered also by a touching romantic subplot. The ladies have paid attention to detail to their setting and the support characters – and these small details help to cast their world into three dimensions.

I must make mention of the dialogue, and the instances where the characters to-and-fro comments made me smile. Another added quirk was Sabrina’s obsession with paranormal investigating, which added a fun, light-hearted angle, especially in the séance scene. I almost wanted there to be more of a mystery theme to the story, and further development of a narrative, but that would have driven this into the realms of a doorstopper, and not the hot, tasty bite this novel is.

The Dom with a Safeword is a sweet yet kinky read, and if this sort of stuff blows your hair back then I recommend this title whole-heartedly. Scorching hot at times, yet with a gentle touch. Perhaps what I appreciated about the novel in its totality is that the ladies kept it real. Jude, Sabrina and Q could be that curious trio living next door to you, while you had absolutely no idea what goes on behind closed doors.