I usually don't read BDSM books but I was curious about this one so I wanted to give it a try.

It was a good start where we get to know the two MC's, Kell and Taylor, get to know each other and establish a bond. There was a lot of info about BDSM and although it was interesting, I would have like to feel more of the relationship developing once the contract was signed.

The ending was pretty quickly and left me wanting more of their journey into the dynamic.

3,5 stars for me.

An ARC was provided to me via Netgalley in return of an honest review.

Not what I was expecting this book to be. Much heavier on the informative side of how to start a Dom-sub relationship versus the relationship itself. There was a good amount of character development for a story as short as this one was. Loved that they started off wanting one thing and it developed to something so much more.
There was room for a lot more, but what was there was pleasant to read.

*Possible spoilers ahead.

Please bear in mind, this is but one person's review, and you may very well enjoy this book significantly more than I did. In fact, I hope you do.

At the start of this book, it says the author did her research, and it shows, but not in a good way. This reads like an essay due to be handed in for marks. There is no depth to the plot or characters. The story is shallow at best.

Taylor goes to pains to explain a D/s relationship. She is heavy-handed in her thinking, and rubbed me the wrong way more times than I can count. In the beginning, she makes a big deal of no touching without permission. I get that in a scene, but come on, Kell only brushed her hand. To then go and grab her by the throat in a fit of rage! I wanted to punch her in the Cu*t, and I don't use that word lightly.
Anger in a scene could be useful to a certain degree, but in the work world it would spell disaster.

Sorry, but I strongly disagree with the above statement. But that was Taylor's character - giving out absolutes. And the contract signing screamed of ... that trilogy.
"I would likely tell you that I was going to play (with someone else) but we wouldn't discuss it."

"A dominant doesn't answer to her submissive. They answer to her, or him."

What Kell saw in her, beyond her curiosity into the kink world, something she states herself she still doesn't understand, was beyond me. The first time they play, Taylor crosses her own lines after waxing poetic forever in a day about the importance of SSC - safe, sane, and consensual.

This type of book is why readers shy away from lesfic with BDSM. I love the genre, and it turned me off. It was all so... clinical.

At the beginning of the book, Taylor states she goes by the pronouns she/they/them. Not sure why as she is referred to she throughout. She/they/them is fond of calling her submissives sluts and goes by the title Sir. She also refers to herself as Daddy Dom - a vibe I never got.

Last, but not least, and believe me, I could go on forever, there is a suicide in this book so be warned if that is a trigger. It is brief, and there is no point to it, other than for a rant about Covid to follow. Something I actively avoid in fiction.

***

Ramblings while fresh in my mind

Although told from both point-of-views, I never felt I got to know Kell. By the 60% mark, the small amount of respect I had for Taylor took a rapid downward spiral. By the end of the book I couldn't stand her.

Contains:
Contracts
Absolutes
Name-calling (slut)
No sex until the 70% mark - and that was lacklustre at best.
Contracts
Daddy Dom (female)
Contracts

Taylor
*identifies as she/they/them.
*Insists on being addressed as Sir
*also identifies as a Daddy Dom, although the Daddy/Little dynamic never plays out on page.
The word dynamic used 65+ times, so the reader can never forget it is a dynamic, not a relationship.

Trigger warning - suicide. (Brief and served no purpose other than to have a rant about COVID - neither seemed necessary)

Spicy! The kind of book that keeps you on your toes. That will hit all that you love. A long with spicy you get a nice story and it’s worth every minute of it.

Renee Roman has a brilliant ability to create well-rounded, genuine and authentic characters and doesn’t let us down with ‘Desires Unleashed’. The chemistry between the two main characters is undeniable and makes all the steamy scenes more sensual and captivating. Additionally, the plot of this book is well-paced and engaging, leaving you desperate to discover what happens next. Renee Roman is brilliant at crafting vivid descriptions which transport the reader into the world of the book. Overall, ‘Desires Unleashed’ is a well-written romance novel that is extremely easy to enjoy.

I usually do not read BDSM novels, but I enjoyed some other books by this author and decided to give this one a go when I saw it was available for reviewers.
It is a well-written book, but there is more BDSM education than the act per se. I did not really feel the romance and it was not what I was expecting.

Interesting story, not something that I'm into but thought I would give it a read. Like most of the reviews I thought the first chapters of this book were really well written and the story was flowing very nicely, but the BDSM aspects were introduced it didn't flow as well. I initially thought the relationship between Kell and Taylor was a good one, but after a bit I got kind of confused about what the relationship was all about, because at times it felt like Taylor was to much of a mommy or daddy figure and not a romantic partner. I'm not saying I didn't like the story, because I did, but I feel that there should be more to this story. I hope to read more in the future from this author and I would definitely recommend her other books.

If BDSM is not your shot of whisky, crawl to another bar as this book ain't your watering hole. Yowza!

The beginning and middle of this book are so well-written you are almost a fly on the wall as the MC's organically find one another and begin exploring many facets of a D/s commitment. It's hot- it's steamy- though it gets confusing. The last 25% of the book oscillated far too much. The Dom would assert her views and needs, say she'd never act on baser instincts, then act on baser instincts, be scared of her actions and partners perceptions, doubt her abilities, issue a very untoward apology, leave her sub perplexed...... as a reader I was left confused, too.

The three pillars are mentioned (safe, sane, consensual), yet many of the scenes were NOT discussed prior to play they were just primal. If the Dom was into primal/prey play- awesome, but that's not what was written. A contract is illegal, but a conversation about hard and soft limits is more part of The Life.

All in all, it's an ok read. Just wish the MC was more tenable as the Dom she was being written to be.

The story of Taylor and Kell gives a back drop to an introduction to BDSM. It is very informative but the storyline feels very bland because of it and doesn't really flow. It is a bit inconsistent and ends very abruptly. Great if you want to know more about the topic in an easy to read format, not so good if you just want a great novel..

I had a hard time getting into the story. It wasn’t as attention grabbing as I would have liked. It was still a good read once I was able to get into it. As others have stated, it did seem more like a handbook for BDSM than a fictional book. I love Dual POV’s and was glad to see the story from both perspectives.

When I saw this was a sapphic BDSM themed novella I immediately requested it, because I'm interested in exploring BDSM themed romance books. After finishing it I find myself having conflicting feelings and am unsure how to review it.

For a novella it took me long to finish it so the story wasn't fully grabbing my attention. I think the main cause for this is that it sometimes reads more as an introduction guide to BDSM than as a fiction book. The representation of BDSM was good, but if someone wants to read an introduction then they will pick up a non-fiction book on the topic. The tone of the novel was confusing because the romance plot felt forced and in function of introducing us to the world of BDSM. The writing was also sometimes confusing because I had a hard time differentiating between the two main characters in the beginning and it wasn't always clear to me which POV I was reading.

That being said, I still enjoyed reading this when I did pick it up and will explore this subgenre more. I guess I just expected something more/different from this novella.

Thank you to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Desires Unleashed is available on Valentine's day 2023.

Desires Unleashed is an LGBTQ2+ novel that features kink. The book was easy and quick to read. However, it left me wanting more as I felt it ended suddenly. The descriptions of the underground kink clubs made me feel that I was there with Kell and Taylor. For someone unfamiliar with the D/s dynamic, I felt like the book did a great job of educating the character and the reader.

Steamy, hot romance that includes well written BDSM.
This story brings Kell is introduced to this subculture of consensual restraint during sex. Her Dom is Taylor who prides herself on always being in control to protect her submissive until she meets Kell.

Great, fast paced read.

Thank you #NetGalley #BoldStrokesBooks for this ARC

I’m a big fan of the author and being a kinkster myself I was very excited to read this book. Unfortunately I had a number of issues with it. It had a how-to manual feel that made it impossible for me to see how the two characters could have fallen in love, especially because some key scenes, for example a scene which was described as having gone too far, happened behind the scenes. Despite the technical guide feel, some key elements of BDSM like consent were repeatedly violated by Taylor, who came off as a manipulative and predatory character who would say she’s looking for a life partner one minute and the next she would tell Kell the opposite. That she kept making assumptions about Kell being a sub but not realising it, that she took her to a play party without any sort of discussion, that contracts were being signed without even limits were discussed, that she actually bought her business and became her boss etc all felt a little iffy from a consent perspective. As well as what happened during that scene where Kell was closing up the bar and she asked Taylor whether she’d been with someone else. I think the premise had great promise but some further editing would benefit this book. It’s great that us kinky folk are represented in the romance genre and I hope the author does more of that, but this just didn’t work for me.

Thank you to Renee Roman, Bold Strokes Books, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Deires Unleashed comes out February 14, 2023.

Desires Unleashed is a LGBTQ novel featuring a BDSM dynamic. Taylor is a business owner who is looking for her fantasy submissive, Kell is a operation manager and bartender who is looking to let go. Through the persistence of Taylor the two embark on a D/s dynamic to try and explore their own secret desires. Will their relationship stick within their contract our will they be lead by theirs hearts into something more.

Honestly I was really excited about this book when I first read the premise of it, unfortunately it was not exactly what I was looking for. The writing was simple and easy to read, plus it was a quick read. That being said I think that it could have been longer just so that we could have had more details about the characters. I was excited to read about the D/s dynamic but honestly it kind of read like a BDSM handbook, again that being said I do think the author di her research and gave the topic a good amount of respect. Even though it wasn't exactly what I was hoping for, if you are curious about BDSM this could be a source of information.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Erotic/BDSM romance about two women Kell and Taylor who wants to unleash their desires didn’t count on finding love in each other. I always find BDSM intriguing will I ever try it I don’t know but it’s was good read to see it from both main characters pov.

This was a book that I read. The premise was very promising but it ended up reading like an informational pamphlet about bdsm than an actual romance. The author also had one of the characters go by she/they pronouns but then only used she which was weird. It felt like the characters had no personality, they only existed to give the readers information about bdsm.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This book is smoking hot. Probably don't want to read it on the train or other public transit because *fans self*

Well written, well-researched, and very accessible for non BDSM folks.

Enjoyable read but fell short for me. Didn’t get much from the characters. Taylor is a Dominant who has her eyes set on getting to know Kell. It was nice to read a book that explores the BDSM world but was more textbook and enjoyable. I enjoyed the details it gave and how it could be knowledgeable for someone interested in the lifestyle.

Desires Unleashed is an erotic/BDSM romance involving Kell (operations manager/bartender) and Taylor (events coordinator/part owner of a business). I have mixed feelings about this book. Felt pretty cut and dry without much depth. There’s potential that it could be a good novel, however I felt that the characters were not well developed. I felt some parts were quite repetitive.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.