Review: The Seduction Hypothesis
The Seduction Hypothesis by Delphine Dryden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Geekfest meets BDSM in this kinky erotic romance. This is a sweet quirky and amusing romance. The reader is taken on a tour of science-fiction slash comic convention through the eyes of a horny couple discovering BDSM.
Lindsey is still heartbroken over an abrupt breakup with her boyfriend, Ben. She's not exactly sure why Ben dumped her, but she suspects it's because of her newfound interest in BDSM. Lindsey figures out the missing piece in her life when she starts reading a BDSM comic, Balls N' Chains.
This story is above all, cute and pretty dead on for how some couples find themselves speeding forward into the BDSM lifestyle. It's not uncommon for one in the pairing finding this desire and dragging a sometimes unwilling partner into this freaky depraved fun. Lindsey is the aggressor in this scenario. She's actually pretty typical to find nowadays. I'm constantly meeting dissatisfied females in a relationship they want to spice up. These females sometimes spring it upon their lover in graphic detail or they try through subtle hints. Lindsey chooses the later method and it blows up in her face. Ben thinks it's some kind of test and goes overboard in what he believe Lindsay wants to hear. This is a key point - the lack of open communication in this relationship is already a problem which BDSM will only exacerbate if not addressed immediately.
What Lindsey goes through in this story is not too different from what we call "sub frenzy". She's learned this new thing and she wants to try it all. She dives in hard with very little research other than a smexy comic book. This sets her up for disappointment because she wants to be a sub. She needs a Dom and Ben falls woefully short. Ben is immediately competing against a fictional Dom from a comic book no less. With dominating not being Ben's natural inclination, it's already intimidating to try and meet up to Lindsey's desires.
This entire scenario is appalling accurate and something I see time and time again. I feel badly for these newbie dominants completely out of depth and with little guidance. Unless the male is already confident, this could crush them. Ms. Dryden does a great job showing this very realistic scenario down to Ben's concerns of fumbling and tripping.
The BDSM scenes in this story are light and erotic. There are more toys involved then actual D/s scenes going on. Even though there is constant mention of a dominant demeanor exhibited by several males in this story, I didn't feel it. There isn't a case of showing dominance. There is more kinky accoutrements to engage a BDSM feel. For a D/s situation to translate into actions in a story, isn't not easy.
The main characters Lindsey and Ben are sweet and consistent with those interested in science fiction and comic books. The supporting characters are interesting as I haven't read the first book. I'm now interested in reading the first one because Ivan intrigues me. He is what Sheldon from The Bing Bang Theory might be if he were to be a dominant.
The story is at times confusing because the point of view switches between Ben and Lindsey. I would recommend Ms. Dryden to stick to one point of view in each chapter. Several pieces of her dialog are quite memorable as she entwines it with geek-speak. My favourite from Ben -
"I always knew you were a pervert. I just needed to grow up enough to realize that was a feature, not a bug." (Location 1761)
This geekfest tale is recommended for kinky readers who also enjoy comic books.
*provided by NetGalley
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