Book Tour for The Submission Gift by Solace Ames (Review & GIVEAWAY)

Those looking for a very sexually intense read will find just that with The Submission Gift by Solace Ames.  The author gives a very modern interpretation of marriage and relationships to create some very eye-opening encounters.  Keep reading to learn about heroines who cook along with my impressions of this book.  Make sure to fill out the form below for your chance to win a bracelet as well as copies of the previous book in this steamy series!

I love to cook, and although I’ve never been a professional chef, I’ve worked in a lot of restaurants when I was younger. So when I wrote the heroine of The Submission Gift and made her a chef, I could draw on plenty of real-life experience. I also did a lot of research, and much of what I found out was depressing. Restaurants are often really hostile environments for women—I knew that already—and women chefs at the most competitive level face terrible sexism. One chef even recounted her experiences of being stuffed into a garbage can as part of a hazing ritual.

Cooking is coded as feminine and nurturing, but being a professional chef is coded as hard and competitive and masculine. No matter how contradictory this set of assumptions is, it’s incredibly powerful in our culture.

Adriana, the heroine of The Submission Gift, loves being a chef but doesn’t have an easy job. Her restaurant is high ticket and intensely political, and she knows she has to work twice as hard for the same respect as other chefs while never showing the slightest glimpse of weakness. She’s tough and she’s up to the challenge. But in her private life, giving up control for a while is an intensely sensual pleasure that she yearns to experience. And then her husband helps make it happen for her…

Adriana has to balance her increasingly complicated love life with the harsh pressures of her job. I wanted to create a dynamic where what she does and who she loves (and how she loves) are equally important. But in the end, it all comes down to love, because being a chef is also a way to bring happiness into the world.

Newlyweds Jay and Adriana had a happy marriage and a spectacular sex life—until tragedy struck. Wounded in a car accident, Jay spent a year recuperating while Adriana worked overtime as a chef to pay their bills. Though he’s made nearly a full recovery, some aspects of their intimate play will never be the same. It’s a small price to pay, all things considered.

But when a long struggle with the insurance company results in an overdue payout, Jay has a plan. He’ll take some of it and hire a high-end rent boy who specializes in sexual dominance. Not for him, but as a gift for Adriana, for taking care of him for the past twelve months.
Paul is the handsome stranger they choose…and the one who changes everything. What starts out as a onetime session to fulfill a fantasy turns into something bigger than all of them. But when the money runs out and Paul’s dangerous past resurfaces, the sacrifices required to stay together may end up tearing them apart…

BUY LINKS:  Amazon  |  BN  |  ARe  |  Kobo  |  Google Play  |  iTunes

MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

Those looking for a steamy read will get exactly that in this atmospheric story where the BDSM scenes are intense and not for the faint of heart and the concept of marriage and commitment takes on a very modern meaning.  I've not read anything by Ms. Ames before and commend her on crafting a story that pulled me in against my will as the BDSM scenes were a bit too intense even for me at times.  That didn't keep me from finding this a compelling read though the story did go over the top occasionally with the numerous acts that befell the main characters from a crazed co-worker to a druggie client.

Adriana and Jay are very secure in their feelings for each other and this helped make their connection to Paul believable.  They were happy with each other but wanted someone to make their kinks acceptable.  Paul took aware their fears of acceptance by being their guide and giving them an outlet full of praise and adoration.  He made them stronger by pushing their limits.  Jay was a very caring person who took responsibility for everything and Paul taught him to let things go.  He gave strength to Adriana by giving her power in their sexual play though it doesn't seem that way to readers not in the BDSM world.  She started to stand up for herself and went after what she wanted.  They're a great couple who have had a lot of hardships befall them where true happiness is found only during their sexual encounters.

Paul is not your average hero and is a bit unlikable at times.  He's a BDSM master who takes on clients as a job while struggling to get through architecture school.  He has a murky past that still haunts him today and leaves him with few options while making amends.  His life fell apart because of a previous relationship with a couple and is leery of having that happen again, but can't help being drawn to Adriana and Jay.  Paul is desperate to start living as, until now, he's just been existing.  He cut off his emotions and had virtually no one to care about him until the fateful night he met this unconventional couple who saw him as someone worth caring about.

Theirs is a rocky journey to a mostly HEA.  The BDSM scenes range from mild to VERY INTENSE and were squirm-inducing once or twice.  These scenes didn't detract from the surprising emotional connections allowed to flourish during quieter moments.  Scenes not associated with their ménage were over the top and felt intrusive.  When devoted to just this trio it was easy to become immersed in their story with the dream-like feel of their couplings.  This is the second book in the LA Doms series but it can definitely be read on its own.  Though I had some issues with this story I ultimately found it a compelling read and highly recommend it to fans of the BDSM genre as it gives a very realistic portrayal of the lifestyle.

My rating for this is a C+

*I received this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

AUTHOR INFO:

Solace Ames has roots in the Southeast US, although her heart lives somewhere along the Pacific coast of Mexico. She's worked in restaurants, strip clubs, academia and the corporate world and studied everything from the philosophy of science to queer theory to medieval Spanish literature. Rejecting neat categories, her writing sprawls across genres and genders and swings from high art to low art, marching with the erotic avant-garde, tongue sometimes in cheek and at other times... well. Along with writing, education and political activism are her passions. Family takes up most of her time, but she loves to keep learning.

TWITTER:  http://www.twitter.com/solacewrites
FACEBOOK:  http://www.facebook.com/solace.ames
WEBSITE/BLOG:  www.solaceames.com
GOODREADS:  http://www.goodreads.com/solaceames

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