Reviews

Above the Dungeon by S.M. Johnson

booklvrkat's review against another edition

5.0

This is not my typical fare. SM Johnson has just become a favorite author with this riveting story. M/M D/S romance. I could hardly tear my eyes from the pages of this story. Dare is hired as a bartender at a club. Through this he meets Dom Roman, his slave Jeff, and Jeff's interest Tristan. Dares cousin Doc gets into the story also (I'm very interested in meeting more of him). This romance is by far the best I've read this year. There is depth to the characters and there is a writing style that holds you even though you need to stop reading for something or the other. I was captured in all the characters, and was sad to see the story end. Recommended reading to anyone that has decided to move forward in a D/S relationship, or even pondered it. The "slave" mentality that Jeff has is amazing and opens a whole new world in the meaning of love. I could continue on and on, singing the praises of this story, but I think I'll let you find out how wonderful this story truly is on your own.

crtsjffrsn's review against another edition

2.0

Dare surprised his family when he ran off to New York City after his college graduation and took a job as a bartender. What's even more surprising, even to Dare, is that the bar he works in sits above a BDSM dungeon. And it's not just any dungeon--Master Roman is a legend in BDSM circles...and he appears open to giving Dare a glimpse into his world. And although Dare isn't gay, there's something about Roman that intrigues him...and maybe just enough to take a peek behind the curtain.

I found it difficult to stay focused on this one. The characters didn't grab me, and the change in narrators left me having to really think about who each of the people involved in the story were. Participants from scene to scene changed so much that it almost didn't have a good thread to pull the reader through.

wintergreyborn's review against another edition

3.0

So, I read this originally a long time ago but then I re-read it recently. I like this book because I really like Dare. I don't really like Jeff or Roman very much. with Jeff, it's just personal preference, he just kind of annoys me (although, if i remember correctly, i did start liking him better in the second book. I haven't re-read that one yet). But, Roman I didn't like because he's selfish and doesn't seem to take Dare's well being very seriously. For instance, he tells Dare that they aren't going to have real negotiations because Dare's a beginner and therefore doesn't know what he wants. He still should have had negotiations before jumping into something that Dare would find intense. A big part of negotiations is getting a feel for what the person is like and making sure the Dom knows about big issues that might come up. And an important part of being a newbie is learning how to do these negotiations. Also, what was up with him putting an experimental drug inside of Dare's body before even telling him what it was first? And Roman never really stops to actually discuss how Dare feels about being the third in their relationship or what kind of relationship Dare is even looking for before throwing him into it. He pretty much pushes Dare into a three person, intense power exchange relationship. It makes sense for Roman to treat Jeff as a slave because Jeff agreed to be his slave (and agreed to an open relationship too), but Dare was never really given any options, Roman just started treating him as his slave. Yeah, okay, Roman did tell Dare that they could have whatever kind of relationship (casual, friends, etc) that they wanted, but then Roman's actions didn't really reflect his words. Almost immediately after that conversation, Roman's back to treating Dare like he's already his slave. In practice, he didn't give Dare that much say in their relationship dynamic. Roman claimed to care about Dare but I felt like he just treated Dare as a new sex toy a lot of the time. Which would be fine, if they had agreed on that kind of dynamic, but they didn't and it was obvious that Dare was left pretty emotionally vulnerable by that. Roman really did a crap job with Dare.

betraya6789's review

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the characters where well developed and believable and I liked the fact there was some substance to this book. It wasn't all smut and sex there was an actually plot going on. Don't get me wrong some of those short smexy reads are great but typically the reason I pick up books like these is because I love to read about the emotional side of this particular lifestyle. I like to read about the different levels of dominance and submission each partnership has and how even though it is under the same genre the rules of the relationships vary from person to person. all and all it was a good read and I would defiantly pick up the second book.

suze_1624's review against another edition

4.0

Won this at the Anniversary Party this year - and I'm glad I did!  I wasnt sure I was going to like it, but I did - quite a hot, intense read. The story is of Dare (preppy straight guy), Roman (BDSM master) and Jeff (Roman's lover and 24/7 slave). It was Jeff that probably had me most worried pre read - if he was treated as less than human I would have stopped (dont like to read humiliation). The story is about Jeff and Roman's relationship and Roman's with Dare, pushing him in BDSM (light for him) and making Dare consider his sexuality. Jeff's view point is quite interesting - he and Roman have an agreement to have other partners but Jeff is not happy about Dare as he is Roman's obsession.  I thought it was very intense and whilst I have no experience of BDSM lifestyles and scenes, I thought this was very well portrayed (no ick factors for me). 

knutsoel's review

3.0

Well written, but it gave me shivers in a bad way.
I've read quite some books now with BDSM content
and basing on the knowledge I gleaned from them, I realy can't see Roman as a trustworthy dom.

calila's review

4.0

This close to being 5* but I just didn't like Jeff. At all. He was such a spoiled child. I don't understand why someone like Roman would be with him for 12+ years. He wants Roman all to himself, but wants to "fall in love" with whoever whenever, which would be fine if he wasn't a hypocrite. Once Roman starts being intrigued by Dare, Jeff turns into a jealous brat and not in the good way. Roman and Dare were so interesting to read about. Their dynamic blew away everything else. I want to read more of them....without Jeff. Which makes me unsure if I'll continue the series, since it seems like that doesn't happen. 5* for Roman and Dare, together and apart. -1* for Jeff.