‘Power Exchange’ by @_AJRose #Review #LGBT #BDSM

Dana and Bethany review Power Exchange by AJ Rose (Voodoo Lily Press; First Edition November 15, 2013)

Why Dana read this: After hearing many good things about this series, I have wanted to read it. So, of course I jumped at the chance when I we received an rc in exchange for an honest review.

Why Bethany read this: I admit I was intrigued by the cover alone and when I read the blurb I knew I needed to see what happened between these two.

We were offered a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

And check out AJs interview here: Power Exchange Series Postmortem and the review for book 2 here: Safeword and the review for book 3 here: Consent

Blurb:

From the moment Detective Gavin DeGrassi steps into the world of BDSM to solve the brutal slaying of Dom George Kaiser, his course is not his own. Mesmerized by the context in which the victim lived and the images seared into his soul, Gavin has to find a way to navigate these unknown waters. With his personal life in upheaval due to a marital split, and his professional life uncertain with the assignment of a new partner, Gavin needs all the help he can get understanding the case.

Enter Ben Haverson, a psychologist and a well known Dom. With Ben’s help as a consultant on the case and attention to Gavin himself, Gavin delves deeper than he ever thought he would into the world of restraints and paddles. Forced to take a closer look at himself, his true nature, and his innermost desires, Gavin has a choice: keep the fear of submitting at bay, or dive in and solve the case with the knowledge he gains? When another victim is discovered, Gavin’s choice is made for him, and he’s pulled headlong into the deepest, most emotional journey of his life.

Unfortunately for him and Ben, a killer has noticed, has taken stock, and has set his sights on the D/s pair. Can Gavin outwit him, or will his first exchange of power be his last?

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Dana:

The cover is stunning with the red rope and black background. Not to mention the man wrapped up by the ropes. Stunning.

This book is very involved and covers several different themes all in one set up. First there is the BDSM scene that this story takes place in. It’s not my first BDSM read, but it feels like the most detailed. The club Collared is an important feature and the descriptions are vivid. I could picture it in my mind perfectly. From the very public stage scenes to the semi public and private rooms upstairs. The bartender/owner and the dungeon master who makes sure the players never go too far. It’s all about the community that takes care of each other, helping new members, being a safety net, and watching each other’s backs. The author does an excellent job explaining the rules that responsible subs and doms play by and the way that an individual can feel while “playing.” Sub-space, full body orgasms… I have to admit this book made me feel more than a little curiosity about what being a sub or submissive would feel like. (I don’t think I have it in me to be a dom or dominant.)

The second theme running through this book is the mystery/cop drama factor. With the main character Gavin being a detective solving a homicide of a member of the BDSM community and Ben being a psychologist who consults on the investigation. Through talking to members of the community and exploring the club awakens something in Gavin that he didn’t know existed at least not to the extent it does. The mystery itself is good, the murders gruesome and piling up. The murders saddened me, because whether you understand a lifestyle or not, the victims are human and the humiliation dealt out before the kill was just awful. Upon meeting the what would be murderer in the story, I had strong suspicions of the guilt but not enough conviction to be positive, so it was interesting to wade through the suspects and the possible motives for the crime.

The part I enjoyed most of the book was the romance. What can I say? Love makes me happy. I can read a story without but even a hint of romance in a story makes it all the better to me. Luckily this was more than a fleeting mention of attraction between the two mc’s. Though Gavin was married to a woman at the start of this book, he has always locked away his real attraction to men. It would hardly do, to be gay in the police force, or in a family of cops. After a betrayal he finally feels free to explore the side of himself that wants men, that wants to submit, with Ben. The trust that Gavin has to place in Ben creates strong feelings in both of them. Not only does Gavin have to put his safety and submit his will to Ben, Ben has to be trust that Gavin will do those things and must cherish the gift Gavin gives through submission. The love that enfolds is beautiful.

Overall, I thought it was a great depiction of the BDSM world. The trust and sometimes love shared between partners, be they two men, two women, or man and woman was intoxicating to read. I felt immersed in the world through reading the author’s descriptions. The ending of the book did make me want to thump Gavin on the head in a “What were you thinking?” way. And there was relief that the killer was caught. The secondary characters were great, especially Gavin’s new work partner Myah and his brother Cole who works along with them as a CSI officer. Ben and Gavin have definitely become one of my favorite couples in a m/m romance series and I can’t wait to read book 2, Safeword.

Bethany:

Like I said the cover is what pulled me in from the beginning.  Before I started reading M/M books I read a LOT of BDSM M/F books. Yes I read Fifty Shades of Grey and everything in between, if it was BDSM I read it.  So many so that I got burned out on them, and when I started reading M/M if it had BDSM as the main theme in the book I usually avoided them.  I didn’t totally avoid them, but they were never my go to reads.  But when I came across this cover, and after reading the blurb, I just had to know what would happen to Ben and Gavin.  I must admit that it did things to my insides to see a tough detective relinquish control to his Dom.  Total control.

That right there is the beauty of BDSM, total control.  To trust someone enough to know that they know what you need and they are the only one that can give it to you.  I love watching that exchange between Ben and Gavin.  I will admit that at the beginning knowing Ben was married to a woman I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue.  Why?  Cause I was afraid Gavin would have a hard time admitting he was gay and push Ben away.  Well that never happened, I was so proud when Gavin admitted what he had known for a very long time.

Watching Gavin submit to Ben was like watching a light turn on, a light that had been dark for far to long.  The chemistry was instant and you could see how drawn they were to each other.  And while I was somewhat worried about the level of BDSM I would see, I was pleasantly surprised to see how Ben “taught” Gavin safety was rule number one.  Trust and communication, as well as knowing limits, are an absolute must in their lifestyle.  That was something I appreciate when I read a BDSM book.

I loved Gavin’s family especially Cole, you just know he is going to be the one to have Gavin’s back when the stuff hits the fan.  I also adored Myah and how well they worked together.  I do love a good mystery and this is a good one.  While I did figure out who the killer was pretty early on it was still so much fun to read and see how things where going to play out.  There were times when I wanted to scream at Gavin to “OPEN YOUR EYES”, cause its right there in front of you, but I’m not sure he heard me. HEHE

This is a nice start to this series and my biggest issue with it was to me the ending felt rushed.  But that could just be me not wanting it to end and wanting more of Gavin and Ben.  Lucky for me I don’t have to wait and will start the second book right away.

About the author: It began with a Halloween themed short story assignment from a second grade teacher, and from then on, AJ Rose fell head over heels in love with writing. Even an active social life through school, learning to play the piano in a passable imitation of proficient, and a daring cross country move couldn’t stop the tall tales about imaginary people that refused to be ignored. With college experiences came a change in perspective to romance and passion. A propensity to slash favorite TV characters brought AJ to today, writing mostly M/M for publication. But don’t be surprised if the occasional ghost still pops up. AJ tweets as @_AJRose and blogs at https://ajrosewrites.wordpress.com/