Review: No Safeword Matte -- Happily Ever After

No Safeword Matte -- Happily Ever After by Candace Blevins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Happily ever after it is! Ethan and Sam come home from their honeymoon. The BDSM continues in intensity in this follow up book. Before they left Hawaii, Sam provided a list of fantasies for Ethan. Ethan takes Sam's wishes into consideration and brings it all to fruition. Sam wanted to be mastered, without a safeword and to experience extreme pain. Be careful of what you wish for… because Ethan's creative scenes make me cross my legs, curl up, cringe and whimper. Then again, I'm no pain masochist. As my kinkster friends say, I'm a wuss-ochist - low threshold for BDSM style pain.

Ms. Blevins is hands down one of the best BDSM writers when it comes to realistic SM. The BDSM scenes in this story are more than what most people can handle. I love it. The scenes are well designed with every precaution taken into consideration. It's nice to see how Ethan goes to a mentor to learn how to use a new equipment safely. In addition, he completes additional research to make sure Sam experiences exquisite pain not nerve damaging harm. This all works because of who the characters are - hard hitting physical athletes. As a fan of MMA, this book places me over the moon. The combination between sex and sparring is tailored for a specific type of reader.

The parallels between the BDSM and MMA training is well done. The fact that the training overlaps and benefits each other is clever. For example, in the bantam class, it is true the fighters are faster and usually more flexible. Watching these fights are always exciting to me because there is more punching, kicking and movement. One of Ethan's wishes is to have Sam in an armbinder. His training to bring her arms sexily together, behind her back help her with flexibility. This is key for fighting because it helps Sam slip out of holds easier than others.

Without giving spoilers, the BDSM I enjoyed are the fisting and the cabin scene. What I also like is the contract detailing Sam as Ethan's sexual property. He can take her any way at any time. This is quite the power exchange. Because it means Sam must trust Ethan to never push to far over her line. In addition, it means she must submit to Ethan because she wants to please him. Sam is not perfect. She struggles with this many times and it's always hard to watch. This is because Ethan will enforce their contract and Sam will be punished. These punishments are harsh and always frightening me a bit. It is because Ms. Blevins writes it so well I can experience it vicariously through Sam. As we established earlier, I don't like that much pain. All I want to do is yell at Sam to STOP. Stop fighting and stop trying to challenge Ethan's authority. Because when Ethan is forced to exert his dominance, there is no walking straight for days. While this is not my kink, I can appreciate it, even if it intimidates me.

The characters in this book are fabulous. The reader continues to see Ethan and Sam grow closer together. The secondary characters - Jerrod and Miguel, their respective trainers add fun to the book. These two help enhance the story. At times, the story may seem too serious due to unforeseen events. The secondary characters help break up it up with humour. Even the characters I may not like so much, without them, the story wouldn't have worked. This is an excellent contemporary BDSM erotic with all the ups and downs of real life. Highly recommended to readers who want to see how a BDSM couple can live the lifestyle and balance it with their work.


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