The way Sabrina is instantly entranced by Delilah after they meet. When a single night of exploring being submissive with Delilah, Sabrina jumps at the chance.
This book portrayed a healthy BDSM relationship, the story flowed and nothing in the story or the characters felt forced.
The representation for trans women is refreshing to see in an exotic bdsm story and it was written well, and I loved how we were on the journey with Sabrina .

I requested this book because I enjoyed a couple of other novels by the author. But they were a different genre. Instead of shapeshifting fantasy this steps into the world of BDSM. Sabrina is a trans woman who gets asked by the woman at the store next door if she can demonstrate some rope work for a class she is teaching. Sabrina agrees and is surprised at how much she enjoys being submissive. Delilah Holte is the mistress who originally agrees to only one night together with Sabrina. I appreciated how carefully Sabrina’s trans character is handled. Delilah wants her submissive to have more confidence in who she is becoming. There is a good amount of consent and check-ins throughout the story. This isn’t my world and I won’t mark down my rating because of areas where I was less comfortable. The book is classified as erotica but it isn’t only intimate scenes. There is a full and complete story with both characters experiencing growth and sharing tenderness. (3.5 Stars)

This book took me by surprise (my fault for not reading the blurb). I thought the author did a fantastic job with the plot and characters. I recommend if you’re searching for a queer bdsm that also highlights issues related to identify/acceptance.

Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC.

3⭐️ read! Read your trigger warnings! It is a dark story but honestly - I’m used to spice! This is definitely a book that left me curious, however, I wanted more of the plot building.

📖 ARC Review | To Please Her by Elena Abbott
📚 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

I went into this book totally blind—drawn in by the cover and title, thinking, “Yep, this looks like a bit of me.” 👀 But once I started reading, I quickly realised this was something quite different from my usual picks. With themes of gender identity, trans experience, and elements like puppy play, this book took me by surprise.

That said, what really stood out was the heart of the story: diversity, acceptance, and connection. It challenged me, opened my perspective, and reminded me why stories outside our norm are so important. Even if it’s not my typical read, I’m glad I gave it a chance.

This has been a somewhat disappointing story; at least I was expecting something different. Even the title doesn't really match the content. I wouldn't want my opinion to be critical just because BDSM and trans themes aren't usually what I look for in stories. I have read some from time to time, and for the most part, I've liked them or at least not disliked them. But this time, I'm not sure if the author's intention was more to show an initiation into submission combined with the protagonist Sabrina' gender transition, rather than really addressing the topic of domination. However, there are scenes that are far too degrading, and I couldn't find a purpose for them within the context; in fact, they even seemed ridiculous to me. I also don't see Delilah's behavior as consistent, and in fact.

Expressive and Surprising!

Sabrina, a trans woman, bumps into Delilah on her way to work, and it’s an introduction neither of them can forget. With Delilah occupying her every thought, when a chance to explore being a submissive with Delilah comes along, Sabrina is excited, even if it is just the promise of one night.

I was really surprised with how fantastic this story was at not shying away from the BDSM theme it promises early on, and bravely exploring the topic with lots of different scenarios between Delilah and Sabrina. What I loved most was the connection they shared, and just how affected by meeting Sabrina Delilah really was. In different ways, they both had their lives turned upside down. The relationship that was forming between them was putting Delilah out of her comfort zone, while Sabrina was vulnerable to getting hurt emotionally if Delilah couldn’t be in her life more permanently.

There were a lot of themes and scenes that were not for the faint hearted, but so many as well that while they were uncomfortable for the characters, really helped to inject a bit of humour into the story. The passion flowed between these two at every moment, and we were really taken on the journey from Sabrina’s perspective. In a way she was sharing her experience and that excitement at the new and unknown, but also that wariness and hesitance sometimes turning up really came through.

I really enjoyed the story. Loved the uniqueness and the representation for trans women in a more erotic story, and anyone who like erotic fiction is likely to really enjoy this too.

First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.

this book was so good I absolutely loved it! I loved the characters the author did a great job with the writing on this book I read it in less than 24 hours.

This one just wasn't for me. I couldn't connect with the characters and I think it was mainly due to the writing style. It was a tad too casual for me.
There were also moments where I thought that some scenes went a tad too far on the degrading side of things.
Not my cup of tea but I'm sure lots of others will enjoy it.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it has since come out. This was a nice kinky trans inclusive sapphic romance that felt genuine. I like queer kink books just so much more than nonqueer kink. It gave space to the tenderness of bdsm.

Thank you to NetGalley, Elena Abbott and Bold Strokes Books, Inc. for the ARC. This was my first ARC read.

I went in blind with this book, it is not something I would usually read, however I did enjoy this book.

At first glance you expect to read a spicy, trans, romance with BDSM exploration. On a deeper level you find yourself reading a heart wrenching story about acceptance and belonging.

The meet was cute 😍

This is my second Abbott book )and also my second running-into-a-person-holding-coffee meet cute) and i was NOT disappointed. here are times where the messaging in the writing is a little ham-fisted, especially when talking about romance tropes and BDSM advice, but the overall messaging in this story is really important and the author is really talented at writing honest trans lives.

this story was extremely romantic for a high heat sexy BDSM novel, and it was my first experience with a puppy play novel which was so much fun. and just as a wee extra note — ‘Vibe Check’ is the best sex shop name i’ve ever seen

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✖️

A strong sapphic book with a trans fmc, kink and a heart wrenching story about acceptance and belonging. Really enjoyed this. As others have said, feel like the marketing needs to be adjusted slightly to make sure this book is received as well as it should be!

I'm sorry I previously submitted the wrong review to this book and now I can't fully deleted. I haven't read this book yet.

what a super fun read! as a queer woman, i really really felt the parts of not being "enough" in the community, and those really tugged at my heartstrings. overall the first half was a bit slow but i definitely couldn't put it down in the second half. i loved the blossoming of Sabrina's relationship, there were points i was angry with her for being angry with Delilah, but then she would reassess and understand certain decisions and i really liked that!! this is a wonderful BDSM book and i appreciate the amount of times consent was established. there is spice in this book but it's not overwhelming!

Honestly I'm not even sure what 2 say got 3 pages in and stop it felt like a script for a play not a book
This book is not for me and I personally wouldn't recommend it

As much as I appreciate the love that the LGBTQ community gets in this novel, I don’t think this genre is for me. I’m sure that’s more my fault than the book, but this one didn’t hit for me.

Sabrina and Delilah make a great couple. Their conflicts are mostly due to the internalized issues due to past experiences. I enjoyed watching them work together to overcome these voices, and to lean on each other for support when needed. While they come together through kink, their bond is more based on who they are and their support of each other.

I really enjoyed this book, and absolutely recommend to anyone looking for a kinky Sapphic romance.

I received a free advance review copy through from Bold Strokes Books through NetGalley and my review is voluntary.

I loved every minute of reading this,
And found there to still be enough of a plot to keep me engaged while also just being there for the ride.
I enjoyed the character development from both characters and look forward to more books from this author