Title: Boundaries (Imago #1)
Author Name & Publisher: Anna Hedley (Dreamspinner Press)
Publication Date & Length: October 30, 2015 – 260 pgs
Ben Dean is afraid and ashamed of his tendencies. But after the end of a disastrous relationship, he decides to explore his outer limits, the part of himself that he’s never dared to examine too closely. The part that’s interested in dominating a willing sub.
Jacob Peers is an accomplished sculptor and lifelong switch. Growing jaded with the incessant issues of macho pretend doms, he needs someone who knows when and where to treat him like a sub. In Ben, he sees the perfect raw material.
This book was a hard one for me to get through. There was so much going on. You have three main characters, who on their own, I really liked, but when you mixed them together, they made this muddy, murky scenario.
At first, I was inclined to really dislike Karl. He seemed abrupt and annoying. However, when you learned more about him, I was more easily won over by his attitude and demeanor. I even really enjoyed the fact that he became this go-between. I do hope that we get to learn more about him in upcoming stories.
As for Jacob – I found him the most annoying character of them all. He lacked good communication skills, but claims to be a switch. Also, he was patient, with the exception for when he wasn’t. I found his attitude towards Karl to be almost mean at times and for someone who is supposed to be looking after their sub, I felt he did a very poor job. Then you come to his teaching ability – non-extent. He just let Ben fumble through and then was upset when things did not go how he wanted. Finally, you have his control issues, which just pushed me over the edge in to really disliking him.
Ben is learning to be a Dom and hoping to develop a relationship that does not make him feel so lost. You hear a lot about his previous relationship, Toby and even catch a glimpse of him in this story, but it’s a mish-mash of scenarios and flashbacks – there is really no comprehensive story for Ben. He’s learning to dominate, fulfill his desires and not be ashamed, but struggling to figure out what that type of relationship looks like, all while developing his business and taking verbal abuse from a co-worker…
All in all, this is probably a book you can skip. While the BDSM is light, it was very realistic in that you have to learn and take time to develop your skills.
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Anna Hedley hails from the North East of England, where the climate lends itself to indoor pursuits like writing. She’s self-employed, so splits her time between her business, drinking copious amounts of tea, and writing.