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ameschreiber's review against another edition
2.0
Review posted at TRRC Reading http://trrcreading.blogspot.com/2012/10/destined-to-play-bloome-review.html?m=1
DESTINED TO PLAY - Bloome Review
DESTINED TO PLAY
Indigo Bloome
Avon
ISBN: 0-06-224347
October 2012
Erotic Romance
In DESTINED TO PLAY, psychologist Alexandra Blake travels away from her family to deliver a series of lectures; when she reconnects with old flame Jeremy Quinn, Alexandra spirals into an exploration of sexuality that surprises her. Told in first person, the novel flashes between the present and the past, showing the reader the depths of Alexandra’s attraction to Jeremy.
I want to make it clear that I am a huge fan of the Erotic Romance genre, and the BDSM sub-genre in particular; check out my Goodreads page, and you’ll see I keep myself stocked in erotic romance! With that said, I had a very difficult time getting through DESTINED TO PLAY. I had some real problems with the text, from the adultry that the main character seemed to have planned before she ever left home to the BDSM-style elements that are in no way true to those who live in the lifestyle. The concepts of safe, sane, and consensual are thrown out the door with this book. I also felt that while there was plenty of sex, there was a lack of romance; I think the author intended the romance between Alexandra and Jeremy to pick up from where it left off years ago, despite the fact that Alexandra is a married mother of two. The scientific elements of the story did spark my interest, though they made the sex act a little more clinical than I prefer. It also seemed that Alexandra resolved the problems in her marriage just a little too easily. DESTINED TO PLAY is the first in a trilogy, so perhaps the next book addresses some of these issues.
Reviewed by Angela Etheridge
Rating: 2
DESTINED TO PLAY - Bloome Review
DESTINED TO PLAY
Indigo Bloome
Avon
ISBN: 0-06-224347
October 2012
Erotic Romance
In DESTINED TO PLAY, psychologist Alexandra Blake travels away from her family to deliver a series of lectures; when she reconnects with old flame Jeremy Quinn, Alexandra spirals into an exploration of sexuality that surprises her. Told in first person, the novel flashes between the present and the past, showing the reader the depths of Alexandra’s attraction to Jeremy.
I want to make it clear that I am a huge fan of the Erotic Romance genre, and the BDSM sub-genre in particular; check out my Goodreads page, and you’ll see I keep myself stocked in erotic romance! With that said, I had a very difficult time getting through DESTINED TO PLAY. I had some real problems with the text, from the adultry that the main character seemed to have planned before she ever left home to the BDSM-style elements that are in no way true to those who live in the lifestyle. The concepts of safe, sane, and consensual are thrown out the door with this book. I also felt that while there was plenty of sex, there was a lack of romance; I think the author intended the romance between Alexandra and Jeremy to pick up from where it left off years ago, despite the fact that Alexandra is a married mother of two. The scientific elements of the story did spark my interest, though they made the sex act a little more clinical than I prefer. It also seemed that Alexandra resolved the problems in her marriage just a little too easily. DESTINED TO PLAY is the first in a trilogy, so perhaps the next book addresses some of these issues.
Reviewed by Angela Etheridge
Rating: 2
geo_ix's review
DNF 25%
Okay so I'm rather pissed that I literally can't read this. I tried, I really did because I absolutely hate not finishing things, but this just kills me to read. Firstly, she's married, and from the sound of it, acts like her relationship is normal and not like they argue, it's just that she's in love with this twat from college, and settled for someone she didn't love because he didn't want to settle down.
First chance she gets, she's jumping on him and agreeing to anything he says.
It wasn't just the story to this point that got to me, is was the writing and characters. Everything seemed a bit too formal or something... I don't know, it was stiff and I couldn't connect. As for the characters, Alex shit me to tears, and she was so self involved, saying she cared about her children (not so much her husband I noticed) but one touch and she was like goo and didn't care anymore.
Okay so I'm rather pissed that I literally can't read this. I tried, I really did because I absolutely hate not finishing things, but this just kills me to read. Firstly, she's married, and from the sound of it, acts like her relationship is normal and not like they argue, it's just that she's in love with this twat from college, and settled for someone she didn't love because he didn't want to settle down.
First chance she gets, she's jumping on him and agreeing to anything he says.
It wasn't just the story to this point that got to me, is was the writing and characters. Everything seemed a bit too formal or something... I don't know, it was stiff and I couldn't connect. As for the characters, Alex shit me to tears, and she was so self involved, saying she cared about her children (not so much her husband I noticed) but one touch and she was like goo and didn't care anymore.
lisamh68's review against another edition
3.0
I had a hard time getting into this story. It was more of a manual than a story.
atlantisblauw's review against another edition
1.0
I won this book in a Firstreads giveaway.
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I used to think that a negative review said more about the person writing it than about the book. In this case, I'm having a hard time coming up with positive aspects of this book.
The only positive thing I can come up with is that writing about the relation between depression, sensory stimulation and sex is original. Other than that, there's nothing I can think of.
The style of writing is terrible. When the main character was said to "literally drown in stimulation" I couldn't help wishing that were true. Indigo Bloome seems to be missing the point of the word 'literally' and she has demonstrated this on more than one occasion. Other than that the language is far from original. It lacks nearly every form of creativity. Also she mixes clinical terms with sex scenes, which for me at least is a turn off.
Saying that the characters are flat characters would be a compliment. And I got really fed up with the repetitive monologues of Alexandra, about Jeremy knowing her better than she knows herself.
The part about her ending her marriage just makes me laugh, it's so bad. "Hi honey, how was your trip?" 'Oh, it was great, but I cheated on you' "No problem, I'm gay anyway, let's drink wine and pretend nothing happened and we'll just get a divorce and never mind the kids...". After 200 pages of 'how can I do this, I'm a mother', she suddenly seems to forget she even has children who might have feelings about their parents separating.
One thing that makes the characters so superficial is that you never learn anything about them or about the world they live in. Alexandra only describes her own sensations, she hardly ever mentions how other people look, what her surroundings look like or anything else, other than vague terms like 'delicious', 'beautiful', etc.
To be honest, I don't understand why this book was published. Maybe the writer shows some promise in her choice of subject, but she clearly hasn't developed a 'voice' and could benefit from studying narratology.
-----------------------------
I used to think that a negative review said more about the person writing it than about the book. In this case, I'm having a hard time coming up with positive aspects of this book.
The only positive thing I can come up with is that writing about the relation between depression, sensory stimulation and sex is original. Other than that, there's nothing I can think of.
The style of writing is terrible. When the main character was said to "literally drown in stimulation" I couldn't help wishing that were true. Indigo Bloome seems to be missing the point of the word 'literally' and she has demonstrated this on more than one occasion. Other than that the language is far from original. It lacks nearly every form of creativity. Also she mixes clinical terms with sex scenes, which for me at least is a turn off.
Saying that the characters are flat characters would be a compliment. And I got really fed up with the repetitive monologues of Alexandra, about Jeremy knowing her better than she knows herself.
The part about her ending her marriage just makes me laugh, it's so bad. "Hi honey, how was your trip?" 'Oh, it was great, but I cheated on you' "No problem, I'm gay anyway, let's drink wine and pretend nothing happened and we'll just get a divorce and never mind the kids...". After 200 pages of 'how can I do this, I'm a mother', she suddenly seems to forget she even has children who might have feelings about their parents separating.
One thing that makes the characters so superficial is that you never learn anything about them or about the world they live in. Alexandra only describes her own sensations, she hardly ever mentions how other people look, what her surroundings look like or anything else, other than vague terms like 'delicious', 'beautiful', etc.
To be honest, I don't understand why this book was published. Maybe the writer shows some promise in her choice of subject, but she clearly hasn't developed a 'voice' and could benefit from studying narratology.
mandybrox's review against another edition
3.0
No sé qué pensar de este libro.
Más de una vez he estado fuera de mi zona de confort...
Más de una vez he estado fuera de mi zona de confort...
izzle17's review against another edition
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
shelleyrae's review against another edition
2.0
BDSM is not my thing so I have yet to read Fifty Shades of Grey despite the hype, however I was tempted by Destined to Play because the author is Australian and therefore the title fits neatly into my AWW Challenge tally. Rushed to print after the success of Fifty Shades of Grey it was released in Australia in July and was picked up by both the US and UK publishers when it performed well. Destined to Play is the first in the Avalon trilogy to feature Dr. Alexandra Blake and lover Jeremy Quinn in a series of erotic adventures.
Dr. Alexandra Blake is no shy naive virgin but a married mother of two with a doctorate in workplace psychology. While presenting a series of lectures in Sydney she is planning to catch up with her one time best friend and lover, eminent medical researcher, Jeremy Quinn. Even thinking about Jeremy generates excited anxiety in Alexandra, and she wonders if she will be able to resist him once they are together again.
As it happens, just a look is enough to reignite their lust and Alexandra decides to enjoy a single night in his arms. But Jeremy wants more and demands she give him 48 hours, promising an adventure like no other if she submits to his rules, to ask no questions, and to demonstrate her trust in him by remaining blindfolded for the entire time.
The pitch I received for Destined to Play led me to believe that I could expect relatively mild BDSM but it quickly became obvious when Jeremy blinds Alexandra with eyedrops that the interaction between the two is very much based on a master/slave dynamic. It's a position Alexandra agrees to, despite her tiring inner monologue of doubt, but it's Jeremy's insistence that he is doing it all for her own good that dampened my enjoyment of their erotic play. When Jeremy's ulterior motive - to use Alexandra as a subject in a (laughably serious) experiment into women's sexuality and depression (think hysteria cures of the 1800's) is revealed it all but destroyed my libido.
The sex is graphic, as expected, but some scenes are oddly vague in the way an imagined fantasy might be. The story is told in the first person so it is Alexandra's experience the reader is forced to identify with. Though I enjoyed the flashbacks to Alexandra and Jeremy's college interludes I got lost when Alexandra was being experimented on, she may have been overwhelmed by sensation, but I couldn't visualise the scene much at all.
The element of suspense is first sustained by Jeremy's undisclosed plans for Alexandra, blind and at times handcuffed, Alex has no idea what is expected to do until Jeremy tells her what he wants. However Alex's constant loop of questioning herself and Jeremy continually interrupts the build up of erotic tension. Near the end, Bloome hints at some possible espionage involving the research Jeremy has now involved Alexandra in as a lead in to the next book and a way to keep the tension going once Alexandra is in control again.
There were elements of Destined To Play that didn't appeal to me at all but a handful of scenes were erotic as intended. The writing is mediocre with instances of repetitive phrasing and stilted flow, but I wasn't expecting a high standard anyway. Destined to Play wasn't awful, I have read much worse, but neither did it rock my world. I can't speak as to what will appeal to you, so you will have to make your own mind up as to if you read this one.