Title: The Dominant
Series: The Submissive Trilogy Book #2
Author: Tara Sue Me
Genre: Romance/Erotic
Blurb: Now comes The Dominant, the continuation of the tantalizing trilogy by Tara Sue Me, which has captivated millions…
Nathaniel West doesn’t lose control.
As the playboy CEO of West Industries, he governs the boardroom during the day; as a strict dominant with exacting rules, he commands the bedroom at night. He never takes on inexperienced submissives, but when Abigail King’s application comes across his desk, he breaks his own restrictions and decides to test her limits.
Abby’s combination of innocence and willingness is intoxicating, and Nathaniel is soon determined to collar her as his own. As long as she follows his orders and surrenders herself fully to him, no one will get hurt.
But when Nathaniel begins falling for Abby on a deeper level, he realizes that the trust must go both ways—and he has secrets which could bring the foundations of their entire relationship crashing down…
Thoughts: First off, let me say a couple of things here – number one, that for those of you unfamiliar with the series, the book focuses on a relationship between a dominant and his submissive (although you probably could hazard a guess on that based on the title). If you have a problem with that type of thing, you don’t want to delve into this book. Second, that this book is not really a “continuation” since it is the same story as The Submissive – only this time we get to read about things from Nathaniel’s point of view, rather than from Abby’s. I’ve never really read anything like that before – at least not broken up into two separate novels. I wasn’t sure how that was going to work for me, but after reading the first book I had confidence that if anyone could pull it off it just might be this author. Now I confess – after the first few pages I was thinking…’uh oh….not sure if this is going to work.’, but I shoved aside my doubts and thought about how much I liked the first one and kept going. And I’m so glad I did!
It does pick up speed, emotion, and intensity as things progress, but the first few chapters are a bit slow. Mostly because it’s the beginning that closest resembles the first book, and you keep having that eerie feeling of ‘haven’t I already read this?’ – which is to be expected of course, but you also want it stand out enough for it to warrant a second book. You didn’t feel that at first. Not to mention Nathaniel’s aloof persona and distant manner, which made the first few intimate scenes a bit of a cold coupling.
However, as you start to gain more and more insight into Nathaniel and watch as his feelings grow deeper and deeper for Abby, the book really begins to change. We see sides to Nathaniel that really adds a new depth to his character, for example his struggles with his own feelings when he disciplined Abby. And it also begins to feel more and more like a completely new story and not just a re-told story in a different POV. As Nathaniel begins to desperately start to do anything he can to keep Abby from leaving, it really takes on a sensitivity all its own. By the end your heart is just breaking for him as he tries to win Abby back. I absolutely loved it, but especially the ending.
If anything, I think I enjoyed this book even more than the first! Totally worth the re-telling. I stand by personal opinion that this series is way, way, WAY better than the 50 Shades series. I can’t wait to see what she manages to do with the third book, The Training, which is due out October 1st.
Rate: A+
