“Leather. It was its own heart note, a scent complex and rich, an intrigue.” -Liv Alderman

Yearning. Learning. Acceptance.

No hesitation. The author started the novel in a sex club and there was no question that I had booked a ticket on the steamy BDSM train. I did not know what to expect when I started reading this book. I knew it was inspired by the 1954 novel Story of O, by Anne Desclos; a novel that was “criticized by feminists as a glorification of the abuse of women” (Britannica).

Thankfully Debra Hyde wrote a novel that did not objectify or glorify the abuse of women. The women were in control and chose their sex roles. The progression of the dominant and submissive relationship was believable. I appreciated witnessing another form of falling in love. For some people, they do not want their first date/encounter to be dinner and a game of 20 questions. They want to start with sexual compatibility and let the rest filter in over time. To each their own!

Other topics in this book: aging, bisexual prejudices, transgender people’s transition within the queer community.

Anyone with an appetite for F/F BDSM would enjoy this book. There are some eyebrow raising moments and for those who are more vanilla (like myself) it’s an eye opener. I enjoyed that the book not only delivered intense sex scenes but threw romance into the mix.

I’ve only read maybe a couple of books in this genre so it was definitely a peek into a very alien world but it felt accessible and not too exclusive so was readable enough.
The main character is quite vulnerable yet headstrong so this made an interesting combination and you felt as though you are on a voyage of discovery with her. The dominant female seems multi layered and that there’s more than what initially meets the eye which we gradually discover some of throughout the story.
This is quite graphic in places so might put some off but the storyline is equally enough to balance that aspect.

I've never read a book quite like Story of L. This is modern retelling of The Story of O which I haven't read or watched the movie but I have heard about. In Story of L there are same sex BDSM relationships. This book was a really fast read and offered a hard glimpse at the lifestyle of dominate/submissive world.

Unfortunately for me, there was no emotional development or clear understanding why they joined into these relationships. I fully understand more intense sexual relationships within the bounds of real healthy, emotional limits but this felt a little forced to me.

There was a plot outside of sex scenes but that was limited. This is a great book for someone wanting to read purely about BDSM relationships. It is not a great book for someone wanting character driven epic novels. I wanted to keep reading it and found the book entertaining for a snowy afternoon so solid 3.5 stars from me!

While it was nice to read about a F/F BDSM relationship. It's well written. But, not too much like The Story of O. That book ended on a dismal note. This did not.. The characters were likable enough. The storyline and premise were good. The character arcs were believable. But there were certain points during the book where I didn't think a vivid enough picture was painted. A good book always makes you feel like you are in the scene.
All in all I would check out more of the authors work. This was a pretty solid read.

I’m definitely walked into the wrong classroom with this one! I was just a little in over my head with this book. I guess I am more vanilla that I realized. Two women meet at a club in a very unorthodox manner and are taken with each other. The story progresses smoothly through their strange relationship. There were a few jaw dropping moments but my interests were kept high through out. It’s also a romance, which was a little unconventional and odd, but surprisingly well received on my end. Overall, this book is really well written, very intelligent and quite enjoyable if your up for something a little different and extreme.

Fascinating look into the lesbian BDSM world. I found some of it to be a bit much, not because of the actual story but the verbiage was so redundant and cringe worthy at times. Over all I enjoyed but wouldn’t read again.

Promoted as a lesbian story version of Story of O, I believe I may have had the wrong expectations coming into this story. When I was in my late teens, I read the Story of O and thought, wow, this is really hawt sex. In my later years, I realized, it was a kind of BDSM erotica that no longer appealed to me, except as spank bank porn.

To say that this story pays homage to the Story of O is probably true. That is about as close as it gets. This erotic tale started out rough for me because the writing style doesn't appeal to me. I am not quite sure what it is that bothers me about it, but it isn't what I enjoy. It lacks a certain polish or finesse that I like in my story telling. Since I tend to be picky about stories if I don't like the characters, the first 25 to 30% of the book I nearly put it down as did not finish. I am glad I stuck through because I ended up linking Cassandra quite a bit.

First off, I enjoy lesbian stories and I love femdom. It is hard to find both femdom and Ff stories. Most of the time femdom is a caricature of a dominant who is extremely selfish and cruel to their submissive. Thankfully, Cassandra is not a cruel mistress. What she is, is an old guard that is a dying breed. At first, the hurdles aka tasks Cassandra forces Liv aka L to go through bothered me. It has been brought up that if this was a male dominant doing it to a female submissive, I would find it okay. That is not the case. If this was a male dominant putting a female dominant through the same hoops, I'd be just as creeped out and thinking that something skeevy is going on.

When L and Cassandra are finally able to be together in person, and Cassandra reveals her thoughts, sorrows and fears, it becomes clear, the hurdles are a self protecting measure. Seeing it from Cassandra's point of view is sad. There comes a time when even the most notorious will be replaced by the young who no longer care and find a "dinosaur" to be irrelevant. For those who love the spotlight and being in the edgy center of attention, it is difficult to age out and end up in the sidelines.

Second, when it comes to the kink part of this story, it is pretty accurate. Lesbians tend to not take well to bisexual women. Just like submissives and dominants tend to have issues with switches. For L who is a switch and Cassandra who dabbled with men, these two strikes against them have caused conflict in their Lesbian kink community. This is pretty realistic as I have been on the receiving end of such disgust. The kinky scenes are delicious and realistic. The fisting scene is notable and there is a certain intimacy that can only be experienced, not explained when it comes to this particular act. I enjoyed reading all about it here. Ms. Hyde does a lovely job in all the erotic scenes.

This erotica novel is recommended for femdom lovers who also like Ff.

Thanks Netgalley for copy of book in exchange for an honest review.

5 Stars

Gripping to say the least. Liv is experiencing a lull in her sexual desires. One night at the club, that all changes. A lucky, in the right place at the right time, she finally meets The Cassandra. There are some feelings there, maybe a longing desire. A desire that can be achieved if your eyes are open to it.

The Story of L is wonderfully written BDSM F/F erotica, yet I am not sure exactly how I feel about it.

I have been reading more and more BDSM novels lately, and I really appreciate ones that portray the lifestyle with respect. This book includes club scenes, private scenes, all of which are described in detail. While it's intense it's beautifully written, and you can feel all the pleasure, pain and release that L is feeling and how much her submission means to her. I also really appreciated the accurate portrayal of Reese as a transgender male during his on page intimate scenes.

While what I mention in the last paragraph are so important there were a few things that I was missing from the story for me to really love it. Some might say I'm being nit picky but in my version when in reference to the transgender side character Quinn the author miss labels their pronouns, which bothered me. I also feel like it might have been an editing oversight because the other transgender character Reese is never once referred to with the wrong pronouns. On another note, as the reader I had trouble connecting with Cassandra. I feel like we really knew nothing about her until way past the halfway mark and then was only able to form a surface level connection to her. I felt a stronger connection and care for Reese than Cassandra. The connection I want to feel with both Dom and Sub wasn't present in the novel for me. I understand that the story focus was L and her journey, but I just prefer more.

One of my first LGBTQ reads and i definitely enjoyed it. One of those books that makes you wish you explored that part of your life instead of leaving it as one of those things you live vicariously through books and others

Warning- this books is explicit in nature with many strong scenes, language and themes, and is not suitable for audiences under 18 years of age.

The story of L falls under erotica, yet it challenges the very premise and foundation of the genre. Don’t get me wrong, the book features very graphic and descriptive depictions of sex, I mean, LOTS of very graphic and descriptive depictions of sex, but it’s not just the sex that keeps the reader turning the page.

First of all, the relationship between Cassandra and L - for the lack of a better word - is intense, but I think when you really engage with the story itself, you realise that the relationship is no less stunning or lacking in any ounce of love than those in any romance novel. Hyde captures love and passion in such a raw and authentic way and I find it so incredibly beautiful.

Second, its not like the usual sex with a chance of a storyline. The book also contains such mundane but honest parts of every day life, and a smattering of well developed side characters. The inclusion of some of these moments makes the main characters seem that much more real and complex. Erotica isn’t often a genre that focuses on maintaining the integrity of these points in particular.

With an obvious loving devotion to how this book was delivered, Hyde gives the reader a space where they take a path of transformation, learn devotion and loving submission alongside L.

Something I didn’t expect was to have learnt so much during this book. Not only did I discover new terms and concepts, I also got a glance into a different community that I’ve had little to no involvement with in this sense.

The only reason I didn’t give the book five stars was because there was a scene involving knives that put me on edge. I don’t mean any ill will to those who enjoy it, I just think that at this book of the book it wasn’t really needed and there is so many other possible ‘scenes’ that could have been used in place of this when it comes to BDSM

I was given the opportunity to read this book thanks to Debra Hyde, Riverdale Avenue Books, and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and was surprised at how richly detailed and descriptive it was. I enjoyed it very much. It was a titillating emotional story of lesbian love and acceptance with a BDSM slant. I also really liked the characters. They were well fleshed out, showed vulnerability and depth. I highly recommend it.

*Thanks to Riverdale Avenue Books and NetGalley for this Ebook in exchange for my honest review

Thank you to #NetGalley for this book. I have never read this type of book before, erotica, submissiveness to a "slave" etc but it was interesting to say the least. Not to say I will be reading more but you never know. It was quite a different read for me. The author did a good job in describing the acts of play.

The Story of L is a work of lesbian erotica. It delivers us into the life of “L”, a switch, who becomes enthralled by Cassandra and learns deep submission.

This book was truly compelling. Debra Hyde does a fantastic job illustrating scene-setting; I could picture everything around me as if I were there. She also skillfully presents intimate connections within various types of relationships. This piece made me feel so much passion, desire, and longing, both sensual and deep.

*Disclaimer, I know nothing about BDSM

Wow is the first word that comes to mind with this story. I expected it to be a story filled with erotic dreaming or something akin to Fifty Shades. I did not expect to get a real story with real characters that aren't black and white and 2-dimensional. I love how the author introduces us to Liv and her submission. Then we meet Cassandra. Cassandra is something of a legend in the scene. I very much enjoyed how multi-faceted Cassandra is and how the author informs the reader that just because someone is a Dom/Domme, it doesn't mean they navigate that space all the time. They are still people with needs and emotions, just like the rest of us little submissives.

The Story of L is a dark romance/erotica by Debra Hyde about a lesbian named Liv, a submissive, and her relationship with Cassandra, a dominant. Liv and Cassandra meet at a BDSM club, Hippolyte’s where Cassandra dominates Liv. After meeting at the club, Cassandra’s personal assistant Reese reaches out to Liv to see if Liv is interested in pursuing a relationship with Cassandra. She is and must endure multiple trials to see if she is worthy of being Cassandra’s submissive.

What I liked about this book:
**I really enjoyed that this book featured power play that is inherent in a domination-submission relationship. This power element in these types of relationships are not always sexual and the author captured this well through Liv’s trials.
**The Story of L also did an excellent job showing some of the mental challenges and experience of submission in a thoughtful way. There was a lot of discussion of Liv’s void and what submission feels like.
**I found the story to be compelling and the pacing spot on. While Liv was going through her trials, you felt that sense of waiting along with. I read this book in two sittings – mostly because I wanted to see how the relationship unfolded and how the story ended.
**The sexual scenes were hawt!
**The ending felt appropriate for the story.

What I didn’t like about this book:
**I found the lack of discussion about consent during the first chapter (party at the BDSM club) to be very troubling. Before meeting Cassandra, Liv played with her friend and long-time play partner Quinn. They did a very intense scene that had no negotiation or indication that there was negotiation beforehand. This scene included audience participation. As they had a long-standing relationship, they may be aware of each other’s limits, preferences and needs. This could have been handled quickly by saying they had discussed the scene on text before the party.
**I was troubled by some of the language used about Reese. Reese is Cassandra’s personal assistant and is also a trans man. It was clear that the author was trying to honor the character’s gender but it came across poorly and transphobic. Some of the examples included a weird hyper-focus on how Reese’s body had changed during his transition. I’d really encourage future work to have members of the trans community review and give feedback on the writing if the author has trans characters.

Overall, this book has good pacing, a balanced view of the dominance and submissive relationship with hawt sexual scenes. I’d recommend it to individuals looking for a dark romance that features BDSM.

Thank you to Riverdale Avenue Books for providing this ebook in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book is very very VERY intense, I can’t stress it more. I have read books about BDSM, but never this intense. This book was pretty good, and its laid out through a whole different perspective, through the eyes of the LGBTQ community, there was so much diversity, that’s one thing I loved about this book. There is no character development, so I felt I didn’t know anything about the characters, the focus was more on BDSM. This book is not for the light hearted, you will walk out almost damn near blushing after every BDSM scene, I sure did, lol. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Really enjoyed reading this book, super intense though i couldn't put it down, must admit its one that I would happily pick up again and read,
Overall I would recommend to anyone to read it, can't wait to get it on my page and let my followers know what I think about it!

This was intense!
I'm not a big fan of erotica so maybe this wasn't for me. Still, I enjoyed it.

I think this is a book that must be read without big expectactions of character development. It is all about the submission and I believe if you're genuinely interested in the topic this will be a great read for you, it just wasn't my cup of tea.