Guilty Pleasures

Guilty Pleasures by Kitty Thomas

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Ms. Thomas, you are a crazy woman and I fear for the people around you.  If you can come up with intense training and crazy ass punishments like in this book, then you are a sadistic if clever bitch.

Now that I've railed at Ms. Thomas, I'll try to put into words how I feel.  This book was intensely overwhelming for me.  I was warned I'd never like massage therapy again.  Fortunately, I go to females only so I won't have this issue.  This book was bad for me in many ways.  I was angry at Vivian at first.  She is such a dumb bitch.  She played the trophy wife.  She could have done so much more. 

Michael, ah, Michael - the loving dumbass husband.  Was I all surprised at the ending?  No, if the ending didn't go as I expected, I probably would have written a nasty email (okay, maybe several) to Ms. Thomas.  (BTW, I guessed the ending after the first chapter but my suspicion was confirmed by the locked door.)  FUCK!  This book messed up my mind badly.  I have to say this is so far the sweetest and most romantic book from Ms. Thomas.  (Hard to believe?  Then try her next two books and ) I guess that makes sense since it's her first book and every girl has romance in them until it's beaten out of them.  I digress.

I hated Michael.  I really did.  Even at the end, I'm not sure I could reconcile the entire story.  I understand why it happened and honestly, it's a pretty hot fantasy.  One that I've had many times myself.  My problem is how they forced her into it.  She didn't even know.  I think the most telling for me was the episode in the gym, after her workout with that bastard Brian.  Honestly, are all these men stupid?  Did they not realize that she had to make a choice, not be forced into a choice through blackmail?  Fucking neanderthals.  Maybe it works with some women, but it doesn't work with her.

I confess; I wish she had immediately gone to her husband at the first abuse.  I would have.  But then again, it wouldn't have gotten that far for me because I'd had broken every finger in that person's bones for touching me.  Then again, I'm not a repressed frigid cunt like Vivian.  The way she treated Michael at the beginning of the story horrified me.  She was mean and cruel in the most hurtful of ways.  Her lack of adequacy equated to her abusive behaviour to him.  How he loved her, I will never understand.  This once again goes back to the three things I tell anyone who is getting married. 

*** Warning lengthy preaching ***
1. Honestly discuss sexual desires and expectations before you get married.  If you don't match, don't get married.  It won't work.  I guarantee it. One of you will cheat and both of you will be miserable.

2. Figure out the finances.  If you can't agree on how money is spent, you will be fighting all the time. Many couples get angry and try to outspend each other.  Stupid much?

3. Decide if your child raising methods are the same.  If not, either get on the same page or don't have kids.  The last thing in a marriage needs is to have fighting parents due to kids playing one off the other.  You'll lose your spouse and the kids will be fucked up with separation anxiety or mommy/daddy desertion issues.

*** End of lengthy preaching ***

Anyway, the top two definitely show how it can all go wrong in Ms. Thomas's guilty pleasure.  Her book is named so right.  I'm still messed up over this book.  I don't know when I'll get over it.  I recommend this to all lovers of BDSM.  This is truly an emotionally riveting book.