Finding Sanctuary by D.C. Juris

[reviews_and_ramblings]

When I started reading this book I thought, “how strange, it’s a lot less erotica/naughty I was expecting”. Fanny Press is not releasing a lot of titles, but the titles it released are indeed more erotica than romance.

At the beginning Vincent and Eric’s story appeared to be a friends with benefits theme with a little touch of gay for you: best friends since high school, despite being Eric gay and Vincent straight, they managed to remain friends. Probably since Eric was there for Vincent when he was growing up with an abusive father, probably since Eric, even if in love with his friend, understood that he needed more a friend than a lover. As soon as Vincent was independent, and started to gain emotional stability, again it was not time for Eric to stake his claim, and then Vincent went and found a fiancé, Jenny, and he slowly but steadily led towards a 2.5 kids and suburb home life. It was simple, it was clean, it was what Eric thought Vincent needed after his youth. It was not what Eric needed, with his preferences for the BDSM world and co.

Really Eric was not demanding towards Vincent, there was no hints or regrets for what it could have been, but Vincent turns the table. Given the time to settle down and analyze his feelings, far from his abusive father, Vincent understands that he is in love with Eric. It’s a true and pure love, there is nothing of physical at the beginning, what I liked of this story is that Vincent was not having real problem with Jenny, not on a sexual than no-secual level, it was only that Vincent was not in love with Jenny, he was in love with Scott.

What I probably found a little too much convenient is that Vincent, out of the blue, discovered he had an not so veiled interest in BDSM; I found two explanation to that: or Eric, without realizing it, was transmitting by osmosis his interests to Vincent, or he, Eric, growing up with Vincent was the only one who really knew the guy and he taught himself beforehand how to be the man Vincent needed.

In any case my first impression that this was more a romance was confirmed, but the erotica side of the novel did indeed its appearance: the author lulled us with 3 days of blissful cohabitation during which Vincent and Eric knew each other as a lovers other than friends; after that the author plunged them, and the reader with them, into a full-time BDSM experience in an isolated country manor where everything you imagine, and something more, can happen. I’m true, without the lulling and the romance of the first part of the story, some of the experiences Vincent asks to make would have been a little too much for me; I’m not so into the BDSM world, and the author didn’t spare anything to the reader (watersports, blood-play, …), but I think that a true BDSM fan will find the novel well done and described. Me, I prefer the first part, that was a really nice romance, almost a high-school sweetheart story, only developed a little later after the end of their teenager years.

http://fannypress.com/2010/10/20/finding-sanctuary-a-gay-bdsm-romance/

Amazon: Finding Sanctuary
Amazon Kindle: Finding Sanctuary
Paperback: 148 pages
Publisher: Fanny Press (October 13, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1603814876
ISBN-13: 978-1603814874

Reading List:



http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle


Cover Art by Sabrina Sun

Comments

[naltariel.livejournal.com]

Seems like BDSM sells or something, which is why every author writes is, even though the theme has nothing to do with it at all.

Nowadays, when I read books, it sounds like being a submissive is good and if you are not submissive then something is wrong with you. And don't get me started on the dom (no, I am not going to use the capital D, he is not a God, get used to it). He always know what a sub needs from the first sight. A claim that not even the most experienced, professional, educated psychologist / psychiatrist can make.

Sorry, I rant. I am just fed up with it.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Don't worry for the rant ;-) As I said, BDSM is not really my cup of tea, I cannot really identify, but I understand this is me and there is a whole world out there. I read BDSM stories since, indeed, they are a good share of the Gay Romance / Gay Erotica I found out there. Some of them I like (truth be told not for the BDSM side) some of them I don't like.

[aileenfan.livejournal.com]

I like BDSM stories for a change. I don't know if they are believable or not because it's not really my cup of tea in the real life but they are fun to read;) Especially if the Dom (or dom;)) shows his human side.

However I do realize they're just "fairy tales" but what's wrong with that if there is a happy ending satisfying the protagonists and the reader;)

The one presented here has an amazing cover by the way;)

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

For sure here the Dom has an human side, since more or less he is in love with his sub since forever.

I love the cover as well.

[dcjuris.livejournal.com]

Hi! I keep forgetting to post a thank you comment here (I know I did one on Facebook, but that doesn't count! lol)

Thanks very much for the wonderful review! I'm truly thrilled you liked the story! I write BDSM because it's a way of life for me, and I really wanted to try and showcase the loving side that so often gets left out of stories. I'm glad that came through!

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

you are welcome, as I always say, BDSM is not my cup of tea, so I really enjoy it when there is a little more romance than erotica