Review: The Dom Project

The Dom Project by Heloise  Belleau

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


When friends become lovers, there is always the worry about potentially ruining a friendship.  When the friends embark on a kinky submissive journey, it could spell a lot of trouble, especially if no sex is allowed.  Robin is a "picky" submissive looking for the right dominant to "rock her world".  The way she goes about it isn't too different than many single curious females looking to hook up with their dream dom.  She goes through on-line fetish websites to find her play mates.  Little does she know, her best friend, John, is the sexual dominant who can show her the ropes. 

As a Chinese female, John is very attractive.  He actually reminds me of a best friend of mine who was also named John with similar "motivation" issues.  He too was quite kinky and over six feet tall.  My rating of this book may be bias because of how much of John reminds me of someone I adored.  John in this story is a sexy tall Chinese man with tattoo sleeves.  He's very appealing in both physique and mannerism.  He does hold a certain command which gives off a decent dominant vibe.  As a side note, there are many Chinese men who are over six feet tall.  Just visit Northern China and they will be in abundance. 

Robin on the other hand is a character I loathed.  Authors Belleau and Ames depicted her perfectly.  She is not only picky, but confused about submission.  This is to be expected because she's new and just learning about how this lifestyle could work or not work for her.  Some of her mistakes are excellent examples of newbie assumptions.  Honestly, John is too good for her.  Why he settles for her, I'm not sure, but they are best friends and he's lusted after her for years.  So it all works out.

An example of what irked me is Robin's misunderstanding of voyeurism.  To be a voyeur, the generally accepted definition is watching only.  No participation is expected and sometimes, it means the voyeur isn't even seen.  Instead, Robin thought she would be the center of attention.  This shows a self-centered side to her which is never appealing to me, no matter how realistic.  It makes me think less of her.  When I start disliking the main character, the book rating is going to take a hit.  John and his male submissive go through a scene.  Robin knows she's there to watch and learn.  Her response to John is befuddling to me.

“That wasn’t voyeurism though, John. That was—I don’t even know what to call whatever that was. You called me sweetheart.  You’ve never used a pet name with me since we started all this, and then you do, and it’s just to humiliate someone else? How’s that supposed to get me off? How’s that supposed to make me feel like —like you want me, and my submission?” loc. 2413-2417

I'd be okay with this scene if the duo authors brought some understanding to Robin.  Showed that she learned this is not what voyeurism represents.  Instead, they allow Robin to dictate to John and John somehow ends up the bad guy.  Then again, I don't understand why Robin is so upset.  I have been accused not to understand the complexity of a female mind so it may just be me.  Still, if Robin felt this is humiliation, then even light humiliation is a hard limit for her.  I didn't see anything humiliation in the scene.  In addition, she's there as a submissive.  Her pleasure should be tied with John's pleasure.  Otherwise, these two are just not on the same page.  Lastly, really, getting off?  Honey, many submissives don't get off.  It's called orgasm denial or control.  Perhaps Robin should be renamed to bratty submissive.  From my personal experience, Robin isn't willing to enter into an erotic power exchange with John.  She never really trusts him and without that power exchange, it's hard to have a D/s dynamic.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Top and bottoms have loads of fun too!

The BDSM scenes are fair.  The most memorable for me are the ones John interacts with his male submissive.  Robin's scenes with him are forgettable.  John as a bisexual is very desirable - panty wetting inducing.  The authors also give him better dialog and frequently humorous behaviour. 

John watched with reptilian anticipation as Robin squeezed her chopsticks too tightly…and there it went. The salty-sweet eel meat popped off the rice ball and fell down to her plate. He was lightning-fast. While she still fumbled with her own chopsticks, he snatched up the eel—he knew how much Robin loved eel—and swallowed it down with a grin. loc. 1014-1018

John also enjoys a better sexual experience.  Wish there is a back story prequel showing how John first started in the lifestyle.  Graphic details are a must, especially after this tiny reveal.

I thought I was going to have the typical straight porn fantasy threesome, and instead I ended up tied to the bed, blindfolded and ass-fucked with a strap-on.” loc. 2087-2088

Oh boy is this hawt!  Bound, blindfolded and butt-fucked - what more could a submissive want on a Friday night warm up?  From a voyeur perspective, another panty wetting scene, only it's only one sentence!  The images this conjures up make me bite my lips to hold back a moan.

Authors Belleau and Ames do have a good sense of humour.  It's injected in randomly which makes it quirky fun.  One of my favourite lines is below.

“That wasn’t me! I told you, it was a student assistant who pulled up the tentacle penis thing. They’re all sex- crazed maniacs, especially the anime fangirls. loc 171-173

As an anime fangirl, I confess to loving tentacle sex themes and I might be a bit sex-crazed.  Good observation on the authors' part. 

Overall, this is a good Gateway to BDSM book.  The BDSM is realistic.  The characters responses are believable and the erotic discovery journey is sweet.  Recommended for kinky readers who enjoy friends becoming lovers stories.  Also recommended to kinky readers who enjoy interracial relations.

*provided by BDSM Book Reviews



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