Restraint by Teresa Noelle Roberts

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Even if the cover suggests something else, Restraint is a man on man story. So this is not the trouble I found reading it, my trouble was more on the nature of the story, a very deep intake in the BDSM world to its extreme. True, the publisher warned the "innocent" reader, since this short story is part of a collection called "Raw" (and so it's also explained the cover, that is common for all the stories in the collection).

My friends know that BDSM is not my cup of tea. A light BDSM I can read, but as a newbie in the world, I have always said, no blood please and no real pain... So yes, it was difficult for me to read this story since the main focus of it is the "blood sports", Luke, one of the main characters, is into pleasure/pain games brought one with the use of knife. He has always had a fascination with vampires, but more to the aesthetic idea of it than the real meaning of being a vampire. Luke likes to see the blood on white sheets, on pale skin. He has also dreams of having sex with a man who is bleeding to death, and this side of the book left me even more perplexed... I really don't know if I liked Luke so much, I think he is a bit to nut and crazy for my like.

I think the author pushed so much the boundaries for a reason, she wanted to prove that, if these "games" are done by people with a lot of "restraints", then it's possible to enjoy them without danger. She had to describe Luke as a crazy man, to prove that, for real, he isn't. More, she paired him with an innocent looking man, to give a bit the idea of the wolf with the innocent prey, but the innocent was more than willing. It's Evan, the white lamb, who neared Luke and proposed the game. Luke has always behaved in the right way, forcing Evan to face his decision, and being sure that he was 100% willing.

I think that, for a story of less than 20 pages, the author did a good job with the characters and their reason, and there is also space for an unexpected turn, something that reinforces even more the concept that Luke, all in all, is not as dangerous as he wants to appear. But, I still feel to have to warn my friends, if you are not into BDSM things, this one could be a little too far into the world for you.

http://www.king-cart.com/Phaze/product=Restraint/exact_match=exact

Amazon Kindle: Restraint

Reading List:

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

Comments

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

Oh, I might read this one - thanks! :)

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

I remember your short story. This one has a different background, as I said, Luke likes the blood games more like an artist with a paint; in a way, this intake of the story is lighter than yours. Elisa

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

It does sound like an interesting read, though, especially since there's not a whole lot of blood-play fiction out there. I wondered why a woman is depicted on the cover, do you have any idea?

I just remembered another thing - I wrote a review of Eric Jourdan's Wicked Angels, which is also on your Top 100 list. If you can use the review, you're welcome to take it. :)

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

> I wondered why a woman is depicted on the cover, do you have any idea?

It's part of a collection of BDSM stories all with the same cover, so that is the reason of the woman ;-)

> I wrote a review of Eric Jourdan's Wicked Angels, which is also on your Top 100 list

Yes I saw :-( as I said I compiled the list using the most shared gay novel books in LT and then limiting it to release after 2000. I didn't know that Wicked Angels was a recent translation of a book released so many time ago. Since I have that limit of 2000, I can't consider Eric Jourdan for the list (like I didn't consider Mary Renauld, E.M. Forster, Gordon Merrick and many other).

But I read the review and also the story beyond the author, it seems so interesting that I will probably consider it for my own reading material.

Thanks anyway for the offer! And sorry for the misunderstanding on the title, it was stupid of me not knowing the story of that book. Elisa

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

Since I have that limit of 2000, I can't consider Eric Jourdan for the list (like I didn't consider Mary Renauld, E.M. Forster, Gordon Merrick and many other).

Ah, okay! Yes, it was written some time ago and then banned for 30 years. No problem, though! :))

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Do you know that also for Maurice was something similar? I don't think it was banned, but the author never published it, and if I remember well it was released in the '70 after the author's death. But his friends and colleague all know of the existence of that novel. Elisa

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

That doesn't surprise me! I read it in high school and really liked it. Too bad Forester had to keep it under wraps during his lifetime. :(

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Maurice was the first Gay Novel I read, and I bought it with my money, I was a teenager with a weekly allowance very poor ;-) But I had to read it. Elisa

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

It was one of the first gay novels I read - that and Mishima's "Forbidden Colors" and James Baldwin's "Giovanni's Room". I borrowed everything from the library, luckily I had access to a good one. :)

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Even then I was too bookwhore to not own the book I wanted ;-) Elisa

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

LOL!! I can understand that. :D

Thank you for the review

[safirasilv.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the fine review. I know this story is extreme for many people's tastes, exploring some of the darker and scarier aspects of BDSM. I appreciate that you were able to review it on its own merits and like the theme and character development even though it's about a fetish that...well, I imagine if it's not something that sparks your own dark fantasies, it's a little creepy.

Best,
Teresa Noelle Roberts

Re: Thank you for the review

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

As you notice by the comments, there is among my friends people like Alex who are interesting and even surprise to finally find an author who dares to write of something that appeals them more than my usual cup of tea. That is the reason why I felt to read and review your book. And as I said, even if it's not my cup of tea, I think you did a very good job with the characters, especially Luke. And in only 20 pages, that is even more worthy. Elisa

Re: Thank you for the review

[safirasilv.livejournal.com]

Thank you again!

By the way, do you ever review MMF menage books? I have one coming out in September from Samhaim--Lions' Pride. (The cover is my icon.) Paranormal with lots of good boy-sex, not to mention het-sex and threesomes.

Re: Thank you for the review

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

LOL Teresa, you really want to push my boundaries! ;-) If BDSM is not my cup of tea, menages with a woman is even less. I read some of them, very few indeed, but again, I have always the feeling that I can't be right with them, since they are so far from my like. But maybe I can look out for your book and see if I'm in the mood for a threesome ;-) Elisa

[mightymaeve.livejournal.com]

Oh la la! I admire and greatly appreciate that you post books that are not your cup of tea and try to always remember other's perspectives. <3
As someone who most certainly does like blood and real pain (emotional: humiliation, fear and physical pain as well) in her reading journeys, I am eager to check this one out. I do like a relatively 'hopeful' or 'happy-ish' ending though! ^_^

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

It's a little short story, but I think the author has great potential. Elisa

[mightymaeve.livejournal.com]

LOL! The author should definitely lose the cover though! Very misleading. I would have totally flipped by this book. Should have hired Anne Cain!

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

This is the danger when the story is out in a common series with other not M/M stories... Hope to help a bit the reader to be better lead. Elisa