Review: The Gift: Pleasure Times Four

The Gift: Pleasure Times Four by Candace Blevins
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

If everyone is treated the same and there is no knowledge of other ways to live, how does it impact a person? In this erotic novel, we explore more than kinky sex. We explore a growth and awakening of two slaves. The different directions they go is intriguing. And this is why I eagerly look forward to Ms. Blevins' stories. The name of this book can be taken in several different ways. For most people reading the blurb they may consider it as simple as Ajax being the gift to two powerful vampires. For me, it is so much more.

The premise of this story is pretty straight forward. Slave is rescued from cruel master. Slave can't function in the "real" world. Slave finds a happy medium. End of story; happily ever after. What makes this story so good is the emotions Ajax goes through as he finds his new norm. He knows he hated being a slave. He suffered unspeakable acts and he doled out cruel acts at the behest of his master. Ajax is special because he is an Alpha werewolf beaten and trained in submission. The fact that he isn't a basket case is impressive. His entre into the world of being independent didn't work for him. Fortunately, in this magical world Ms. Blevins create, there are other options. Options that could never happen in our world. And this is where I'm hooked. The "what-ifs".

Ms. Blevins takes a problem that we can't seem to solve in the real world. Human problems which is increasingly worrisome in both degree of severity and quantity. She then applies how she would fix it, given a supernatural bent. In this one, it's the tackling of human sex trafficking. How does one recover? Ajax's journey to become a functioning and independent soul is a thing of beauty. Seeing his perspective and the missteps that cause him to regress at times is enlightening and touching. In contrast, his lovely swanling, Arabella finds her place in a totally different way. I'm not sure which former slave my heart bleeds for more. Arabella's existence and how she was raised is horrifying and yet, she is not bitter. The reasons why does make a reader step back and ponder the ramifications of how much information we receive of different people's socio-economic status.

Whilst I enjoy philosophizing Ms. Blevins' unique and creative solutions to social issues, I must also mention I love her brand of kink. This story with sex slaves definitely cranks up the sexual sadism in several scenes. These are balls to the walls sexual edging and forced orgasm which are delicious. With the flexibility of a supernatural world, there is so much more Ms. Blevins can do to her submissives that are dangerous in the real world. I happily lived vicariously through the tantalizing torments. When it comes to erotica sadism, Ms. Blevins is the Queen.

For me, this story is about the gift of childhood, the gift of purpose and the gift of family. All things I treasure. This erotic paranormal novel is highly recommended to readers who enjoy character building, kinky sex and warm fuzzies.

*I received an advanced copy