THE DEEP END is Kristen Ashley's first foray in the
world of BDSM. Book 1 in the The Honey series, this
book is set at the elite Honey Club, billed as "a decadent
sensual world where gorgeous alpha males are pleasure
slaves committed to fulfilling a woman's every desire. At
the elite Honey club, no boundary will be left untested,
and one's darkest desires will become a sensual
reality."
Amèlie is a domme who is searching for not only the
perfect submissive for the club, but also for someone who
can share her life and start a family with. She's a rich
woman who lives a somewhat unfulfilling life, unhappily
managing her money and volunteering at the local vet to
help out abused animals (meant to give her a softer side
for the story, I'm sure). Amèlie seems sort of like a
Dominant Lite, smoothed out for the purposes of appealing
to a more mainstream audience, as compared to other
authors' creations such as by Joey Hill or Emma Holly.
Olivier is a blue collar fireman who lies about his lack
of experience on his Honey Club application. He's still
dithering about his need for a D/s lifestyle. Despite
being a submissive, Ashley just can't help herself and
writes him as her typical alpha hero outside of his D/s
scenes. Olivier is repeatedly referred to as an alpha
submissive. I rolled my eyes at that designation, and once
I finished with the book, I set out to research this term,
since it seems ludicrous to me. It seems this is a new
term floating around the online BDXM world, and one that
some in the scene have disdain for. You decide if it works
for you as you read the book.
The first few chapters of the book have a lot of
disorganized thoughts and unusually poor sentence
structure, even for Kristen Ashley. Those of you who have
been longtime KA know what I'm talking about! Fortunately,
the writing evens out fairly quickly. If you are an
erotica fan, I think the sex scenes will definitely float
your boat. KA knows how to write the sizzle! Where this
book really shines is in the interpersonal interactions,
though. Outside of the bedroom (or dungeon, as it were),
Amèlie and Olivier are like any other couple, having their
misunderstandings and hurts as they stumble into love.
I find myself curious as to Ashley's motivations for
branching out into an unrelated genre from her other romance
books. However, she has written motorcycle club, fantasy,
and contemporary romances and to me, the BDSM is not too
much further on the continuum than her MC books. While
this book will not go on my KA Keeper shelf, I do believe I
will pick up the next book in the series to see where
Ashley takes us next. THE DEEP END by Kristen Ashley is
the kind of book that makes the reader want to track down
their significant other for some "quality time" after
reading, and that can be a marvelous thing!
Enter a decadent sensual world where gorgeous alpha males
are committed to fulfilling a woman's every desire…
Olivier isn’t sure what he’s gotten himself into when he
joins the Honey Club, only that a dark part of him hungers
for the lifestyle offered by this exclusive club. Here, no
boundary will be left untested…and one's deepest fantasies
will become an exquisite reality.
When Amélie invites Olivier to surrender, she gives the
alpha submissive what he craves. Soon they both find
themselves falling harder than they ever anticipated—but as
their connection deepens, the truth about Olivier’s past
could destroy everything…
Gripping and seductive, The Deep End is the first
book in a sensational new series from bestselling author
Kristen Ashley.