Review: Fettered

Fettered by Lyn Gala

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



First impressions are important, especially in a BDSM scenario. Dylan, aka Dilly, first learned of BDSM by seeing his sadistic brother's tools on a news broadcast. His brother is being tried for raping and torturing women. Dilly isn't looking to torture women or wield the whip. Instead, he lusts after men flogging and spanking his ass until he squirts. A young eighteen year old, he's both innocent and completely naïve.

This book is much lauded among many BDSM m/m readers. In the BDSM book club in Goodreads, members are fawning over this book. They wax about hawt BDSM scenes and engaging characters. Can this book live up to the hype? Why yes it can.

Ms. Gala writes moving characters. Dilly may at first come across as a too stupid to live character. Dilly is bumbling boy and an all-around pussy who can't stand up for himself. This perception of Dilly is not that far off. Initially he is very frustrating and makes a reader want to grab him by the shoulders and shake him hard. Maybe slap him around a little bit so he will toughen up. However, it's more complicated than it initially appears. Dilly isn't stupid. What he is, is a survivor. My heart bleeds for Dilly. He's emotionally abused by his evil older brother, Gary. He's pushed around by his headstrong sister, Carmine. The only role Dilly knows and clings to is one who is passive and stays invisible. This one explanation of how Dilly sees himself breaks my heart.

Dylan searched for the right way to say what he was feeling without coming off totally in need of therapy.

“I’m good at fitting in the cracks, you know? I’m good at working around other people, and I don’t need to be seen.” (p. 200-201)

Dilly's relationship with Vin is summed up neatly with another poignant insight.

"I like that you do your own thing and don’t change for anyone. I like that you’re so unbending that maybe there’s room for me to fit myself in the cracks of your life because I like your cracks a lot more than the cracks I have been living in.” (p. 201)

Vin is a troubled Dom. He's young yet experienced in life a bit more than most. He is not socially awkward; instead he's someone who does his own thing. The best way to describe Vin is as an alpha sheepdog. There are three kinds of people in the world. There are sheep, sheepdog and wolves. Most people are sheep, like Dilly. Then there are dangerous predators like Dilly's brother who is a wolf. The sheep are protected by sheepdogs, like Vin. I'm a sheepdog so I completely ken Vin's mentality. His need to protect to the point of paranoid is understandable. As a sidenote, his desire to GPS and audio bug Dilly may seem overly possessive and borderline obsessive. However, as a submissive like me who loves to submit, this hit my kinks pretty hard and made me wet.

Ms. Gala creates fabulous characters in this story. Everyone character is unique and she painfully peels back the layers on them to expose their truths. How she can create such rich leads and secondary characters while adding in a great plot and hawt BDSM scenes is beyond me. She doesn't skimp on her secondary characters. We learn about stuffy Guard, scary Miss Dolphina, crazy Carmine, Dilly's oblivious parents and evil Gary. Each one of these characters are necessary to complete this Greek Tragedy tale.

The BDSM in this story is supernova hot arousing. It's not so much the scenes, but the fact that Vin is a Dom with a capital D. His specialty is D/s. He can and does enjoy doling out SM with the best of them, but he is amazing with his D/s. His dirty talking can cause spontaneous orgasms. Here is an example of his ability to make a submissive melt and weak the knees.

“So, you need build up? Should I tell you what I plan for you?” Vin asked with a teasing note in his voice. “Maybe I should tell you how I want to go get a chastity device. I could plug that beautiful ass of yours, lock that prick in plastic, and use leather and locks to put it all safely under my control. I can imag[in]e you squirming with need, your cock filling up and pressing against that plastic as you mewl and twist in my hands. Is that the sort of conversation you’re expecting?”
…
“I’m going to tie you down and run my fingers over your body. I’m going to pull at your nipples until they harden under my hands and then taste the salt-sweat as I kiss my way over your vulnerable chest. I’m going to explore every curve until I find that one spot that when I suck on it, you thrash and fight those cuffs until every muscle stands out. And then I’m going to keep sucking that spot. I’m going to mark you and listen to you beg as you squirm and strain.”
…
“I’m going to flip you over onto your stomach and chain your legs to the corners of the bed so that you’re open to me, spread wide open. Then I’ll run my fingernails over that beautiful ass, watch as the white lines pink up and get extra sensitive before I bring my hand down and smack you, and then I’ll taste that heated skin, nip it until you mewl and beg me to pound into you.” (p. 217)

Be still my rapidly beating heart! Where's a towel? I think I leaked all over my chair reading this little snippet. This isn't the only time Vin turns up his Dom-ness. Each time is hotter than the last and shows just how good Vin is at placing a submissive in subspace. Ms. Gala nails down the dream Dom with impeccable precision and it's so good to read. Too bad her Doms are into other males. This m/m novel is highly recommended to kinky readers who love angst and a Greek Tragedy turned upside.

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