Axel's Pup by Kim Dare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's no secret that writing long books has always been physically demanding for Kim Dare. She's produced a couple in the past, but often we have had to be content with her shorter offerings.

When I saw the length of her latest release I nearly "creamed my jeans" to borrow a cliched phrase. I would even have been happy if she'd stopped at the halfway mark as already I'd got more than my money's worth. But then I would have missed out on so much more good stuff. Each added chapter served a purpose that once you read it you realized that it's absence would have been missed. So many books nowadays seem to have filler scenes (especially sex scenes) to get word count. Not here.

As I've said on many occasions, I'm not a fan of shifters, shedders and suckers. Yet in this book, the fact that Bayden is a werewolf is critical to the plot. Not because that makes him stronger than most. He is. Not that it makes him heal quickly. He does. But more important is what it means to be a pack animal in a world where they are denigrated, despised and disliked.

The politics behind the story is paramount. Even to the extent of not being able to have more than two adults living together.

In Queensland, the police have gone tough on bikie gangs, imposing similar stupid arbitary restrictions about riding together in public. Perhaps some have earned it, but for others this feeling they belonged to a 'family' is at the heart of their psyche. So denying them the right to show it hurts.

Much of the book is taken up with this world building, but it's not all about that. It's also about expressing your desires.

There were some lovely bits at the start when Axel struggled to get his sub to understand this and he only achieved it in a small way by depriving him of the things he enjoyed until he learned to admit these things.

Other aspects of punishing and penance were explored. Particularly difficult when it is almost impossible to punish someone physically when they can withstand pain so well and heal so quickly.

I felt for Axel as he had to throw the rule book aside and approach everything from a different angle.

There were a couple of typos such as "Whose" for "Who's" and a couple of other similar mistakes, but the writing, generally, was excellent. Kim has never been the type of author people will marvel about because of beautifully expressed emotions or elegant description. The words are just the tools to get the thoughts and emotions across.

It's the concepts behind her words that always makes more of an impression on me. Here's some examples

"What about what you want?
Bayden shook his head, rubbing his cheek against Axel in the process. "Not important."
"It's important to me."

So simply expressed, but in just a few words, she's targetted one of the aspects of "True Love".

Here's another one:

"Real submission isn't about faking how you feel. It's not about hiding things. It's about offering up your every thought, your every emotion and trusting me to use them wisely.

That concept is at the heart of this book as Axel slowly convinces Bayden to be honest about his wants and desires. So often he's held back by what he thought was expected, relying on lessons instilled in him by family, species history and conquering humans.

I loved the fact that Axel tried to understand what these were. Looked at the ones that were important and tried to teach him how so many others were not. Throughout this process, Bayden was fighting against the main rule he'd been taught:

Giving a human information to use against him was stupid, wasn't it?

So trust was very slowly earned.

And with that came love.

"I love you pup-every bit of you. You'll never need to lie to me abouth anything, or to hide anything from me.

But this isn't just true of a D/s relationship. It's true of any relationship. It's when you've found a person that this is true for that you've discovered your life's mate. Too often it's the opposite.

"Telling someone you'll accept them as long as they pretend to be someone they're not-that's not real acceptance.

To give the story flesh, there is a great cast of characters. No doubt they will feature in future books. We've already met Griz and Evan, but I look forward to hearing about the cop, Hale, the embodiment of everything Bayden and other werewolves hate. In the course of this story, his attitude changes as does that of others Bayden comes into contact with.

Given the decrease in output recently, I was concerned that Kim had burned herself out. It must have been much harder to write such a long story, but the wait was worth it. Sure some of the themes are present in all her D/s stories, but they came together beautifully balanced in this book.

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Turning the Tables by Kim Dare
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Check my stats. I read three times more books than I rate simply because I like to promote books I like, especially if I feel fellow readers might not come into contact with them or not read them because other people see them differently and rate them badly.

If I don't like a book, I usually don't rate or review it, recognising that it may be someone else's cup of tea and don't want to infuence them. Hence, I rarely write negative reviews, but I feel this book made some fundamental writing mistakes that I feel need to be stated. Of course, I may be in the minority here and that's fine.

Normally, I love Kim's books (see my last blog post!). But TTT not only didn't do it for me, the dynamics didn't ring true. The submissive Boss is a difficult character to pull off and make it feel real. There are only a few books that attempt to capture it and rarely do they make me believe it can happen and be healthy. "Uneven" is one that gets close, but it deals with a very specific type. I acknowledge the fact that there is no one "true" scenario in a BDSM relationship, nevertheless the writer has to sell me on the one they're trying to portray.

For starters, I feel the story should have started earlier. Then we could have seen how the other Doms treat their subs in the office atmosphere to get a better idea of why Jacob was so desperate not to be seen as being anything but in control. We were told he was afraid of being outed often enough, but we never saw why. Even if Jacob had considered the different pairings and the type of men in them more than just the "Peter Ingram is all Dom" being the only evidence offered. In any case, the latter just came across (in this story) as an insensitive brute who sensed something was going on but never talked about it.

Secondly, all the talk about being a Dom or a sub got stale after a while. Do guys think in those terms? Or would it be more in terms of being in control or losing control. Losing respect, being admired for being strong. Admitting to having unmet needs. The continual labelling of the relationship as Dom/sub made it seem like "play" rather than real.

Next, we were told repeatedly that Lee loved Jacob, but we were never told why or shown it. The story flips to his POV at times, but the only feeling I got was all centred around the Dom/sub label and nothing for Jacob as a person. His taste in food, clothing, what he drove, how he drove it. If Lee really loved Jacob as a person, we would see how he related to all these aspects of Jacob's life not just his submissiveness. I didn't see any reason for the younger man to love him. We're told he wanted to grab him and kiss him senseless, but why? I never saw Jacob do anything that would provoke this reaction.

I might have believed the story more if there had been a scene where Jacob secretly dreamed of having a collar around his neck. If he really is a submissive, wouldn't he have envied what Floyd and Carl had?

When he yelled at someone, did he secretly wish someone yelled at him just like that? If so, why? Excusing this as being just because he's submissive is a cop out. What was Mary like? Did she mother him? Protect him from everyone else.

Like with all Kim's writing, there were scenes that moved me. Usually when they were interacting in private and sex was involved... Lol.

But to reiterate, the main problem was that Jacob's fear of being "found out" didn't ring true. I can appreciate the fact that it's difficult to depict a situation where the person viewing the scene doesn't understand the scenario, and therefore doesn't get what dominance and submission is about beyond the labels, but by not showing the scenes at all, the reader has nothing to back up the premise that underpins the book.

Possibly the book is a victim of a restricted word count.

One book I feel where this issue could be explored more thoroughly is if Kim ever decides to write Hamilton's story in her avian shifter series.

From what I can gather about the submissive boss dynamic, the person needs an outlet outside of work where he can let go. In many vanilla heterosexual relationships this is the norm. Many men, even in they don't realize it, are under the control of their wives inside the house even if that never shows in public. They are happy with this setup. It doesn't mean they have to rant and rave as bosses or that they are pussy-whipped at home. Some are very good bosses, but by the time they get home, they have had enough. That's the psychological form.

Kim's Jacob exhibited the different dynamic where the boss felt he needed to be punished. This can get into a whole different mindset where his past must be explored. Unresolved guilt questioned. Early abuse checked for. Kim, being English, has possibly seen this dynamic with Members of Parliament being caught with their pants down being whipped by a Domme in high heels and scanty leather.

Is it because they have a true pain kink or are deeper psychological issues involved? Is it that after caring for other people at work they need to feel someone cares for them and they are the centre of someone else's attention? Some of Joey Hill's books explore this theme in an m/f environment. Translating this to m/m, with the Dom being younger, (possibly - but not in this case) physically weaker, holding a lesser rung on the corporate ladder is the tricky thing.

Dom/sub relationships are very much about the tight links that bind people together. During scenes, the total focus is on the other person. In an age where there may be thousands of virtual or fleeting relationships, having one that is one hundred percent focussed can be the true need.



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Magpie by Kim Dare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rarely have I received as much pleasure from $5.99 as I did when I read Kim Dare’s “Magpie”. Like one of the breed that starred in her latest avian shifter story, I had been eyeing off the bright, shiny offering as soon as it was released, not daring to get too close in case it wasn’t as glittering as the previous book, “Duck”.

I shouldn’t have worried. From the first page, she had me as enthralled with the story as Kane was by any coveted trinket. In fact, as I read, I could identify more and more with his cravings because my love for Kim Dare’s stories are the same.

Deep down, I know there are probably more worthwhile books on the market -- ones that offer deeper characterization, more elaborate plots, more meaningful relationships -- but I can’t resist them. I have them all squirreled away on my ebook reader so I can visit them from time to time, having read each so often that I only need to look at the title to recall exactly what went on. Yet, just like a magpie who can’t resist touching bright shiny things, I’ll re-read them to gain that instant gratification.

Kim Dare is a masterful story teller. True, a harsh critic might say her stories have a sameness to them, but it’s the reassuring kind of sameness that a Master gives to his submissives, giving them exactly what they expect, so they can take comfort from that knowledge. There must be some part of me that needs the kind of reassurance that Kim deals out in spades.

Like “Duck” though, the increased word count allows Kim to offer more than just the quick fix. This is the soup tureen or the magnificent epergne in the middle of the table, rather than the silver cutlery or goblets that grace the edges. Kim’s depiction of the way Kane suffers through his withdrawal, and the patience and steadfastness Everet exhibits as he demonstrates to the thieving magpie that nurture can overcome nature are magnificently crafted.

The scene as Everet accepts punishment on Kane’s behalf won’t be forgotten in a hurry.

A lot of psychology goes into Kim’s writing. Each person gets exactly what they need to make the partnership work. Yet, Everet and Kane’s needs bear little resemblance to Raynard and Ori’s which were all about pecking order. I’d love to discover whether this is just instinctive on Kim’s part, or if she has researched what makes people tick.

I even enjoy seeing minor characters behaving badly because I know that their flaws will be addressed in future stories. Her eagle, Hamilton's, pride will definitely come before a fall. I look forward to seeing what she does with him.

Kim has an understanding of people that is sometimes overlooked when discussing her books. Perhaps her characters are just stereotypes, but if so, she always has a wonderfully fresh way of presenting them to the reader.

The only niggle were the three or four typos that jumped out at me. These should have been found by a half-decent copy editor. But these were only minor blemishes on the surface and were easily brushed away. “Magpie” is still a super, shiny bauble.


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Duck! by Kim Dare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’m not into stories about shifters, shedders and suckers.

Too often writers just use the alternate form to allow the character to do things they can’t in real life. Be more powerful, more dominant, more macho.

I’m a big fan of Kim Dare’s writing. I love her GAY stories. Yes they’re short, but each one shows her understanding of her characters and how their very nature affects their coming together and their relationship.

In Duck!, Kim has done three things and done them very well.

First, she’s taken the standard 15,000 word relationship story she excels at and expanded it by creating a new world around the characters.

Then she’s done the next step. The step her stories have been lacking, by finding the one thing that could threaten their relationship, and exploring what happens when this conflict eventuates.

Finally, she's used the shifting, not so much to explore the form of the different being but to explore what that form means. This shifting could even be seen as allegorical and relate to real life. What happens to a relationship when one of the duo inherits something or changes.

K.A.Mitchell did it really well in A Regularly Scheduled Life when one of the couple becomes famous. In this case, there's a change of role when one is reluctantly forced to accept his birthright.

Being about dominance and submission, as all Kim’s stories are, this shift in hierarchy places stress on the relationship and needs to be dealt with.

This isn’t so much an ugly duckling story as a story about understanding the difference between submission and subservience. It also exlores the difference between domination and superiority. I have trouble stomaching this relationship sometimes, but when you read something like this:

I thought about what my submissive would want. I thought about what he'd need in order to be happy under my protection.

You start to see how dominance in a way can be a form of serving.

The saying that every great leader sees himself as the servant of his subjects isn’t that far away from the truth. It would be nice to think that every leader who filled that role had someone behind them who knew what they needed and made sure they got it.

I can just imagine how Ori's relationship with the world would and should change over time as he settled more into his birthright.

Oh, and on a more important front. I love the way the curve of the "U" on the cover so lovingly curls around the guy's arse....


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