Review: Bounce Down - 1st Quarter: Start of Play

Bounce Down - 1st Quarter: Start of Play by Lorraine Loveit

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars


This is a 2.5 star book. It's more than just okay yet I can't say I enjoyed it completely. There are things to this story which puts me ill at ease and causes me to not like the overall message. Yet I still want to know what happens next. Suzie is a typist for the homicide squad. She possesses close friends and co-workers who like her. What she's missing is a man who excites her sexually. She wants to explore bondage and impact play. Is she submissive? She's not sure and she wants to find a dominant to play with and see if she enjoys it. Through a dating website, she meets Brendon. He's a famous footballer who doesn't want his sexual proclivities coming to light. He also doesn't want to deal with a girlfriend. He just wants a submissive to dominate, screw and then go back to his usual activities.

This story spends a lot of time with Suzie trying to justify why she's okay with being Brendon's dirty little secret. She's signed a nondisclosure contract to make sure she doesn't talk about Brendon to her friends. This is a first warning flag. Second, Brendon begins to isolate her from her friends. Suzie's friends intervene in a way which makes sense yet the story paints the friends as the bad guys for interfering. Third, there is a body modification ultimatum which is reprehensible. Suzie's decision for this ultimatum is what really killed the book for me.

I'm not a stranger to body modification stories. I love them. The dirty and nastier, the better. These stories also happen to be non-con, not a romantic erotic novel. This blurring of lines is what makes this story not work for me. The BDSM in this book is an excellent example of what to avoid. A dominant who does what Brendan does is not someone a new submissive should ever get involved with and in addition, not someone who is a good role model of the BDSM lifestyle. Are there dominants like this in real life? I am sure there are and they are the ones who give BDSM a bad name. They are the abusers manipulating and guilt tripping submissives into situations which are unhealthy. The lack of open communication and building of trust are issues for me in this book. BDSM aside, the characters were okay.

Brendon is not a bad guy. Suzie is not a too stupid to live character. The dynamic between the two characters is disastrous. They don't bring the best out of each other. Instead, it seems to be a toxic relationship where Brendon comes across as more evil and Suzie becomes more shallow. For me, it is difficult to read a story like this and enjoy it. The temptation to want to slap the characters upside the head is too great. And yet, it's like a train wreck. I can't look away. I want to know what happens next. Does Brendon redeem himself? Does Suzie learn more about being a submissive? These are all questions I ponder.

Ms. Loveit does a good job with her character building. Her writing style is smooth and her plot devices work. From a writing perspective, she's an author I'd read again. From a story message standpoint, it's difficult for me to enjoy and rubs me the wrong way. This book is for those who don't mind abusive behaviours posing as a romantic.

*I received this book as a review copy in return for an honest review


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