So…I’ve enjoyed Adriana Anders’ books in the past. There’s a character inconsistency that I just couldn’t let go of. Very early in the book, Grant and Rae meet when she goes to the BDSM club in which he’s a silent partner. She’s a newbie and he ejects a pushy dominant, tells her what to expect from a good dominant, and then they engage in a short power exchange before she flees into the night. On Monday they discover that they work together – she’s the HR manager and he is a consultant.
When Grant is explaining what a good dominant does, he says that unless it’s a pre established agreement, a good dom will ask if the sub agrees to a scene. He models good behavior in their first encounter. Once the two find themselves sharing an office, good behavior goes out the window. My problem is less about Grant becoming unraveled and breaking his own rules and more that he breaks his first rule – no scene started without consent and that is never discussed or reflected on by either of them. It’s actually a really important rule, informed consent is a major distinction between BDSM and abuse. So when Grant broke that rule, AT WORK, I almost quit the book. I kept reading to find out if they ever talk about it, or if he even thinks about it. That doesn’t happen. Ever.
Because that character inconsistency bothered me, I noticed other things, like the book is titled Dom-Com and there’s no comedy. Emotionally, it’s rather heavy with guilt, grief, betrayal, and all of Grant’s emotional constipation. It bothered me a lot that during one encounter, Grant says that the next time he wants to go without prophylactics. That is a dangerous thing to normalize. That’s not a decision that should be made during an intense power exchange. It’s coercive and it’s portrayed here as sexy.
I do want to note that a whole lot of the kink takes place at work and maybe I should also complain about the HR manager who encourages this inappropriate workplace behavior. Except that Rae has zero boundaries, so it’s not inconsistent with her character to get up to shenanigans at work.
I am disappointed in Dom-Com. I wish it had been better. I expected it to be better. It does have a lot of the elements of Anders’ writing that I have liked in the past, but the inconsistencies in Grant’s character meant I couldn’t sink in and enjoy.
I received this as an advance reader copy from Forever and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.