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In The Absence Of Monsters (2014)

by J.P. Barnaby(Favorite Author)

4.09 of 5 Votes: 1

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Wilde City Press

review 1: That this is two stories combined into one book is very clear. In many ways, I feel this would have worked best as a two-volume series, rather than one whole book.The first half of the book is from Jayden's perspective as a young submissive just learning about the BDSM world.This part of the story didn't appeal to me. I could not connect to Jayden at all. There is an aloofness that comes through in the narrative which left me feeling cold and unemotional about what goes on in Jayden's life. Jayden's story reminds me of the Working Boy series which left me with the same feeling, only this story is a little more interesting.I found it difficult to understand how a young man who doesn't seem to have much knowledge about the BDSM world could instinctively know all the right th... moreings to do with minimal prompting. I'm sure it could happen, but that along with Jayden's inner monologue just didn't sell it to me.The second half of the book which chronicles Ethan's journey of discovery was much more interesting to me. I liked that Ethan is a flawed person and that he had his own healing to do. There was a lot more emotion in this part of the story that I could relate to Ethan's anguish and torment.Those readers who prefer their Doms to be minimally flawed may have difficulty accepting this reality of Ethan. Seeing the man behind the Dom can be quite disillusioning for those readers who prefer the fantasy of a perfect Dom.I don't really buy the idea of omniscient Doms and I like that this aspect of the BDSM fantasy was explored in the whole book. While there is a strong romance aspect to this story, this book provides an interesting perspective of the BDSM lifestyle showcasing unconventional BDSM tropes in the romance genre. Overall, this was a unique BDSM romance that didn't quite pull me into the story successfully.
review 2: No rating for this, because this is usually an author I love. Jp Barnaby is an angst queen and usually checks all my boxes.Not this time. This book is overlong and poorly executed, more like a fan fiction. The editing is appalling and don't get me started on the dialogue.I'm no BDSM expert, but do all Doms talk like nineteenth century British aristocrats?A real shame, because without the ill conceived melodrama, I enjoyed Ethan's character and the lonely Dom concept. less

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