Review: Spring Training

Spring Training by Roz Lee

My rating: 3 of 5 stars





When a master submits to a dominatrix without his submissive's knowledge, does it mean he's cheating?

Full disclosure: I haven't read any of the previous books in this series. This book does fine as a standalone. Todd and Brooke's relationship is now past the honeymoon phase. Their D/s part is stalled and no matter what Todd does, he isn't able to get them back on track. Not sure what to do, he reaches out to a well-known master to help train Brooke to be the submissive she says she wants to be. This submissive training takes place while he is out of town, during his Spring Training (Todd is a baseball player).

There are so many things wrong for me on a BDSM level I don't even know where to start. To say the BDSM at the start of this story put me ill at ease is an understatement. Specifically, I didn't like how the training master, Frank, handled Brooke. It's clear to me that Brooke isn't a 24/7 submissive. She comes across as more a kinky slut who is into the sensation. She just wants to feel. Is she even into D/s? It's questionable. She bottoms quite well and easily associates the intense beatings with sexual feelings and love for the person delivering the rough pleasure. If a reader were to think Frank's training is a text book model of how to train a submissive, think again. It's not. It can be a way but it's definitely not suitable for Brooke. The training comes across as clumsy and arrogant. Frank keeps thinking Brooke is smart enough to understand her own desires. News flash: she's not. His method only makes her freak and rather than talk about it, she flips out and runs.

This entire premise on training is a complete cluster fuck from the get go. Any healthy relationship requires open communication and trust. Ms. Lee does an excellent job of showcasing a couple who profess to love and trust each other yet they are unable to demonstrate trust. They are both self-centered and characters I could care less about. From a character perspective, this book isn't engaging, except when it comes to the dominatrix.

The reason why this book doesn't end up as a two-star is Mistress Lola. She's a lovely switch who agrees to help Todd understand better how Brooke feels as a submissive. She does a great job of communicating and her BDSM scenes are deliciously sensual. When Brooke is mixed into Todd's training, it's fabulous. It's wet fantasy. Mistress Lola is fair and able to teach both Brook and Todd how to better understand each other. This is what makes the book good. The way it turns around and shows how two people who make an effort to work for something they both want, it can be so good. If Mistress Lola were to have a book with her featured as the main character, I'd read it.

This book is for kinky readers who enjoy erotic scenes infused with tough love and sweet pain.



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