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nightpeaches's review
This book had an dystopian premise that was interesting at the start, but then it went downhill from there. I didn't like David, I didn't understand why he should be with Connor when he couldn't fulfill Connor's needs, randomly turned from straight to gay on a dime when the plot needed him to, and ignored Connor's safeword, so it was hard for me to get on board with the ending.
scarlett__r90's review
3.0
Um...I liked elements of this, but not others. Luckily I liked more than I disliked!
Good?
Original idea - biological change across humanity? Very interesting to read :)
Characters - I loved Connor and David instantly, and grew to love Emmett over time as I understood him more.
Ending - Loved it :)
Not So Good
Personality changes due to the bioengineering - It's rationalised and explained, but I just didn't like it.
Considerable time skipping - So much is skimmed or skipped, and I think that lets it down a little
Anyway, I enjoyed it :)
Good?
Original idea - biological change across humanity? Very interesting to read :)
Characters - I loved Connor and David instantly, and grew to love Emmett over time as I understood him more.
Ending - Loved it :)
Not So Good
Spoiler
Sharing Connor, rather than a threesome - Not my favourite thing to read, but that's personal tastePersonality changes due to the bioengineering - It's rationalised and explained, but I just didn't like it.
Considerable time skipping - So much is skimmed or skipped, and I think that lets it down a little
Anyway, I enjoyed it :)
atheresa's review
5.0
4.5 stars - only because I wanted a menage scene at the end. Sci Fi world where a genetically engineered disease created Master/slave relationships amongst the general population. The disease stimulated the aggressive behavior part of the brain in the average person, or in the case of Connor, suppressed it.
The story started a year after the MCs contracted the disease, and they continued to change during the course of the book. David was a natural dominant being a CEO, but had a heart for his employees, especially Connor. The disease made straight David become so possessive that he became sexually attracted to Connor, with a little sadistic streak. Security specialist Emmett was a BDSM Dom before the change and applied his knowledge to training newly affected submissives. The disease really made him hunt Connor as prey and challenge David for ownership. And poor Connor, he just turned into an emotional irrational over-reactive wet rag, when he had been head of IT at David's company. David's attorney girlfriend may not have always been so aggressive and inhuman - the disease did a number on her too - because her devaluation of Connor surprised David.
Connor, being an anomaly, lost his rights as a human citizen during the course of the story. Connor first chose David to collar him for protection, but was also attracted to Emmett. David, who left his girlfriend for Connor, was the strong one of the bunch - he protected Connor legally and financially, cared enough for Connor to share him with Emmett, and forced Emmett to grow a conscience.
I thought it was a cool book because the D/s was induced by disease. The icing on the cake would have been some lifestyle scenarios and a menage scene to see how David and Emmett share Connor. Maybe Ms. Gregg can add that with a rewrite/republish.
But dang it was a scary world. That kind of effect, making people more aggressive, would cause a world war.
The story started a year after the MCs contracted the disease, and they continued to change during the course of the book. David was a natural dominant being a CEO, but had a heart for his employees, especially Connor. The disease made straight David become so possessive that he became sexually attracted to Connor, with a little sadistic streak. Security specialist Emmett was a BDSM Dom before the change and applied his knowledge to training newly affected submissives. The disease really made him hunt Connor as prey and challenge David for ownership. And poor Connor, he just turned into an emotional irrational over-reactive wet rag, when he had been head of IT at David's company. David's attorney girlfriend may not have always been so aggressive and inhuman - the disease did a number on her too - because her devaluation of Connor surprised David.
Connor, being an anomaly, lost his rights as a human citizen during the course of the story. Connor first chose David to collar him for protection, but was also attracted to Emmett. David, who left his girlfriend for Connor, was the strong one of the bunch - he protected Connor legally and financially, cared enough for Connor to share him with Emmett, and forced Emmett to grow a conscience.
I thought it was a cool book because the D/s was induced by disease. The icing on the cake would have been some lifestyle scenarios and a menage scene to see how David and Emmett share Connor. Maybe Ms. Gregg can add that with a rewrite/republish.
But dang it was a scary world. That kind of effect, making people more aggressive, would cause a world war.
whatthefridge's review
4.0
Sexy and rough BDSM, just how I like it.
In this world, some sort of crop mutation has begun altering people's gene expression. Most of the population has become increasingly aggressive, but 1/1000 are anomalies who become submissive instead. And, of course, government is being a piece of shit and taking human rights away from anomalies, all while society as a whole decides leather BDSM is the only way to interact with submissives.
Connor finds himself becoming an anomaly, and he's stressed to the core trying to keep up at work as everyone locks onto him. He's just come out of an abusive relationship -- his aggression-doped ex-boyfriend having sent him to the hospital -- and in spite of having a crush on Emmett since he started at the company, he's too terrified to even consider what another relationship in this aggressive world will bring. But then Emmett tries to prove a point to David, Connor's boss, by harassing Connor on the elevator, showing them both just how vulnerable Connor has become without a master and a collar. David, who sees himself as straight, inevitably collars Connor in order to protect him, and aside from the lack of sex, Connor loves serving David, who's nonsexually affectionate and doting and safe.
David recognizes that whatever hormones are pumping in his system are also making him attracted to Connor, but he refuses to act on it, instead hoping to find Connor a proper master who will treat him right. Emmett makes a bid, but David doesn't feel he's worthy. This turns into Emmett harassing Connor further, which really doesn't help his case. There's also David's girlfriend having her own ideas for how Connor should be treated.
Connor's a ball of terror the entire time, afraid of being physically punished for not being good enough. He has a feeling he was submissive before the outbreak, but now the feeling's on steroids and people are asking things of him he's not prepared for.
Eventually Emmett shows he's a lot more than a sleeze, and the chemistry he has with Connor is sizzling. Connor wants him to be his master, but he's already taken by David. And David's realizing he has to own up to the fact that he owns Connor, and he finally acts on his attraction.
Overall, this is a fantastic story if you're into dystopian BDSM, submission training, and open relationships. The reason why I took off a star is for the ending, which feels rushed and cut short. I mean, it's still satisfying to a degree, but I would have loved to see more development before "The End" (such as Connor getting past the haze of hormonal submission and fear, becoming the person both Doms believe he can be). Alas, this is Kari Gregg, whose endings always tend to be less polished than the rest of the story. I keep coming back for more because "the rest of the story" is some of the hottest D/s I've ever read.
In this world, some sort of crop mutation has begun altering people's gene expression. Most of the population has become increasingly aggressive, but 1/1000 are anomalies who become submissive instead. And, of course, government is being a piece of shit and taking human rights away from anomalies, all while society as a whole decides leather BDSM is the only way to interact with submissives.
Connor finds himself becoming an anomaly, and he's stressed to the core trying to keep up at work as everyone locks onto him. He's just come out of an abusive relationship -- his aggression-doped ex-boyfriend having sent him to the hospital -- and in spite of having a crush on Emmett since he started at the company, he's too terrified to even consider what another relationship in this aggressive world will bring. But then Emmett tries to prove a point to David, Connor's boss, by harassing Connor on the elevator, showing them both just how vulnerable Connor has become without a master and a collar. David, who sees himself as straight, inevitably collars Connor in order to protect him, and aside from the lack of sex, Connor loves serving David, who's nonsexually affectionate and doting and safe.
David recognizes that whatever hormones are pumping in his system are also making him attracted to Connor, but he refuses to act on it, instead hoping to find Connor a proper master who will treat him right. Emmett makes a bid, but David doesn't feel he's worthy. This turns into Emmett harassing Connor further, which really doesn't help his case. There's also David's girlfriend having her own ideas for how Connor should be treated.
Connor's a ball of terror the entire time, afraid of being physically punished for not being good enough. He has a feeling he was submissive before the outbreak, but now the feeling's on steroids and people are asking things of him he's not prepared for.
Eventually Emmett shows he's a lot more than a sleeze, and the chemistry he has with Connor is sizzling. Connor wants him to be his master, but he's already taken by David. And David's realizing he has to own up to the fact that he owns Connor, and he finally acts on his attraction.
Overall, this is a fantastic story if you're into dystopian BDSM, submission training, and open relationships. The reason why I took off a star is for the ending, which feels rushed and cut short. I mean, it's still satisfying to a degree, but I would have loved to see more development before "The End" (such as Connor getting past the haze of hormonal submission and fear, becoming the person both Doms believe he can be). Alas, this is Kari Gregg, whose endings always tend to be less polished than the rest of the story. I keep coming back for more because "the rest of the story" is some of the hottest D/s I've ever read.
mrella's review
4.0
The idea of this book is very appealing to me. The two-doms-one-sub relationship is definitely interesting, I would love to read more if the author ever decides to write a sequel. 5 stars for that.
However I find Connor very confusing. One moment he's a bright and intelligent person, the next he's nothing but puppy brains, there is no "in-between", no transformation either.
There are also some minor issues, which I am not going to mention - it might be just me and/or the fact that I had to rush through the book.
3.5 stars and rounding up to 4. Will definitely read another book by Kari Gregg :D
However I find Connor very confusing. One moment he's a bright and intelligent person, the next he's nothing but puppy brains, there is no "in-between", no transformation either.
There are also some minor issues, which I am not going to mention - it might be just me and/or the fact that I had to rush through the book.
3.5 stars and rounding up to 4. Will definitely read another book by Kari Gregg :D
olive2read's review
2.0
Fantastically written with a solid story, great world building, all the feels and the tugging at heart strings - this was on its way to 4, maybe even 5, stars - but then that ending ... WTF?!? So disappointing! It's like all the previous work the author did to establish personhood and consent, to push past the harsh constraints of the fucked up future - just went right out the window to make way for a potential ménage.
It happened so abruptly, right after two sessions of borderline non-consent (with Connor wanting to stop and even safe wording, then being overridden after a slight pause - was he ok or was David taking advantage?), that there was no time to believe they'd found a workable solution. For shame.
It happened so abruptly, right after two sessions of borderline non-consent (with Connor wanting to stop and even safe wording, then being overridden after a slight pause - was he ok or was David taking advantage?), that there was no time to believe they'd found a workable solution. For shame.
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