Firstly, this is the first full-length lesbian, bondage, dom/sub novel that I’ve read. It started out a bit slow and a bit stilted but soon the characters and situations were flowing easily. I did quite enjoy this book. Not overly descriptive. A very comfortable read.

I don't know what I was expecting when I read this book, but whatever it was, it delivered. The story of Cassandra and L is intriguing and reinforces the fact that you never know what's going on behind closed doors. It's a great peek into the D/s world without being campy or unrealistic. It was a quick, enjoyable read.

I found the setting of the first chapter interesting and well laid out but I didn't find the rest of the chapter too intriguing. I felt like a lot wasn't explained or made understandable so I decided to stop reading after the first chapter.

3 <b> L </b> Stars
This book is a wild book for FF and BDSM coming together. I am not a fan of FF romance but I like to check out a wide variety of romance books to see. It is easy to see how this is the FF retelling of the story of O. I feel the BDSM/Romance aspects were very believable and play around with various emotional aspects. What doesn’t work here is there really isn’t a story outside of the naughty bits. So if you are a reader that is all about the naughty bits then you will love the book. I think the hot and cold vibe of the book is confusing and I super don’t understand the ending. I really didn’t connect to any of the main characters and there isn’t any lines in the book that just impress you. Its one of those books you can pick up and read in one sitting (besides the fact that its nearly 300pgs) but not one you would pick back up if you set it down.

I received an arc in exchange for an honest review. OMG. This book was awesome. I Loved every page. Characters were well written, and the plot was exciting. This is a definite must read book.

Sorry couldn't get into this book so put it down, didn;t hold my intrest

Not sure what I expected from this author but I found myself yelling at the characters in this book.

I really wanted to enjoy this book and I started to. I would have enjoyed a follow-up, if the author had taken time to truly flesh out the characters and make them likeable.

This is a good book, a little out of my comfort zone but it is well written. I'm not sure what to say except you need to read it. I do recommend it.

Overall I enjoyed this book. For a short read the plot and the characters are well developed. The representation of BDSM is more realistic than some of the mainstream reads out there. The writing flows. Well worth reading.

This is a modern day Story of O with a Lesbian twist and consent from the submissive. This is a well written bdsm novel that brings you into the world of sex clubs and submission. This isn't 50 Shades of Grey, the scenes are not watered down for the masses. But this book isn't just scene after scene there is an actual plot, and quite a few well developed characters. This is a short book, you can fly through it in a few hours. I wasn't sure what to expect but this book surprised me in both the way it told its story and the sensitive way it treated the bdsm community.

This book was interesting and informative. This is what 50 Shades of Grey should have been like! Most of the BDSM terminology was either explained, or could be understood through context, and the reader was shown just why some one might enjoy participating in these activities. Care was shown to get proper consent, map out how scenes should play and provide proper aftercare. I am not into BDSM in my own life, but I could really connect with the needs and feelings of the characters, and found the insight into that world more relatable than I anticipated.
The characters are all unique, and fall all along the LGBTQIA categories. I enjoyed the inclusion and acceptance of the trans characters, and while I personally found the main character a bit bi-phobic about her lover's past, her concerns and hard limits made sense for her own personality. The inclusion of the experience of aging out of a community, and the change experienced by different generations of women added depth to the development of the romance. I'm glad an older woman was still portrayed as a desirable, sexual person, with no mention of how she needed to look younger, or ignore her passions.
Overall, a fun read that gave me insight into a world I had knew little about.

This story has shown all the true meanings of love. Whether it be true love for another or ones self. I was truly moved by the self growth of L throughout the entore story of her going from Liv to L. She has truly grown so much between the beginning to the emd of the story. It was magnigicient. The way their friends and others are portrayed especially pertaining to the void, truly allowed you to see the true meaning of love for all in this story. I would love to read another if it ever becomes available continuing their story and love for one another.

This is a hardcore erotica book. Although Liv and Cassandra end up falling in love, there doesn't seem to be much interaction between them besides the sex scenes. There's not much of an understanding of their basic lives, and is just centered on their erotic encounters. Liv is supposed to trust Cassandra completely, yet doesn't know her. Just felt like there was a lot missing from their story.

ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review.
So this is the first book of its kind that I have read. Because of that it was a bit harder for me to follow (written very well I am just not very knowledgeable on some of the lingo) That being said it was still a very good read. I enjoy the character development and story line. I really appreciate that the author was very knowledgeable about what she was writing. I will definitely read more books by Debra Hyde in the future.

Very sexy. A little wordy at points and way farther into the kink scene than some of the other books I've read about the BDSM scene. The connection between L and her Domme was believable and excellent, but there were some scenes, subplots and characters that were just over the top. Plus when it gets that deep into the life style it's harder for me to connect with. The electroshock scene was really hot though. Overall, intriguing but ultimately overdone.

I am a very big fan of historical erotica, if that makes any sense. I avidly search out the classics and devour them. This had a similar title to The Story of O. A book I really enjoyed, but had an issue with the male gaze aspect of the novel. This book addressed my issues there. However this book raised some more issues for me. Mainly the issues I have with so many books that have a Female to Male transsexual character. First off the word is "transgender", not "transgendered". You don't say "girled" or "boyed", why would you use the past tense for transgender? That gets me EVERY time. Then there was the issue I had with a character that appeared to be one that was going to be important, but fettered off, Quinn. The way Quinn was described was almost enough to make me put the book down. You don't describe someone as having a "transgendered body". It is just rude and grammatically incorrect. Thankfully the author redeemed herself in my eyes when it came to her portrayal of transmen with her service submissive Reese. Huge fan of Reese!

The actual story wasn't as simple as the Story of O. There were more layers to the characters and to the plot than I am used to with erotica. The scene in L's bedroom alone would have made me love this book, I would say more, but I don't want to spoil it. It fit the world of D/s as I have always experienced it and how I want to experience it. I didn't like the permanent marking came so early in their relationship. That would have been a huge red flag if a Dom/Domme had asked that of me. The actual mark was described in such a gorgeous way that I liked the idea, but the timing was so sketchy. The second permanent mark made more sense, while not being my scene. I loved that marking idea and what it represented. The timing was also much better. 

Overall, the book was hot and intense in a very controlled way. The only major red flag was the permanent mark so early in the relationship. That is a huge plus for this book. The constant checking in and asking for consent (though it is not informed consent) really made this book so much better than the erotica I am used to finding. 



4 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this book.

I picked this book because I wanted to try and read more diversely. I have read lesbian romance in the past but never with a side of BDSM. I read about 15% of this book and found that I just didn't care about the characters. luv was annoying, I didn't care about Tara or Quinn and Cassandra really didn't do anything for me. I was really hoping to like this book, but unfortunately I didn't. I did not finish this book because I just couldn't care less how this ended and the steps to get there.

The interaction between Liv and Cassandra were enticing. The description of each scene was visual in reading each detail that I could picture everything that was happening. The dominant and submissive aspect had me on the edge wanting to read more.

I started reading this several weeks ago, became bored and put it down around the 25% mark and thought I'd just end up DNF'ing it - hearing about the "Void" for pages on end was a bit too much and melodramatic. I picked it back up this morning to finish the book and it improved somewhat, but not enough for me to really change my opinion. The writing style was too flowery and sounded like I was reading a historical romance rather than contemporary erotica, so I skimmed over a lot of the pages, but not so much that I didn't get the point. I avoid reading historical romances since it's just not my style, but for this book, I think 'less is more' would have been a better fit (the extended descriptions didn't add to the scenes) and perhaps made the read more enjoyable.

There was a lack of romance or plot to the book and that was a letdown. I could see the connection between Cassandra and Liv, saw how they provided each other with what they needed, but I couldn't connect with the characters. I didn't see how they grew to love each other outside of the sex and we didn't get to see how they lived their lives in the year they were together (before the book ends). There was some drama at one point, but even it was short-lived.

This book was more erotica than erotic romance and that perhaps is the biggest disappointment.