Like its main character, What Was Meant to Be is far more than the cover blurb would have you believe: a thoughtful alternative-lifestyle romance thatLike its main character, What Was Meant to Be is far more than the cover blurb would have you believe: a thoughtful alternative-lifestyle romance that masks itself as a mainstream arranged-marriage romance. In fact, were it not for a recommendation from Miss Pearl – who also turned me on to His Secret Illuminations – I would have never given this a second glance.
Heather Guerre’s small-town romance not only features a neurodivergent (autistic) main character, but also incorporates a gentle femdom relationship, and manages to do both with absolute perfection. Three pages into meeting her, just nine pages into the book, and I knew Rain and I were going to connect.
“She wasn’t very social, and she was unavoidably weird. She didn’t like change. She didn’t like unknowns. She didn’t like upheaval.”
Boom! I felt seen and heard, right there. I saw myself on the page, and I knew that somebody out there understood. And it’s not just one thing, one token gesture towards incorporating autism, but the first of a long and lovely pattern woven throughout the entire book.
“She wasn’t very social, and she was unavoidably weird. She didn’t like change. She didn’t like unknowns. She didn’t like upheaval.”
I want this on a shirt so, when I’m forced to socialize, people know what they’re getting into!
“She liked almond croissants; she just didn’t like the texture contrast of random little stabby bits of almond mixed in with flaky pastry and soft frangipane filling.”
Personally, I don’t like almost croissants, but I do know the horror of texture. Something can look, smell, and even taste magnificent, but if the texture makes me cringe or gag, we’re done.
“The feeling of a serged edge made her want to peel her own skin off.”
Again, yes! Texture isn’t just about what’s in my mouth, but about what’s touching my skin. It’s precisely why I’d rather watch my skin turn blue on a cold, snowy day than suffer a pair of pants.
“Rain didn’t have the patience to play at being normal today.”
I could go on and on. Seriously, I have so many other examples of finding myself in the story, but show a little more patience than Rain, stop hyperfixating, and try to get back to a ‘normal’ review.
Given how much the book hinges on the arranged marriage aspect, I thought Guerre did a wonderful job of explaining it, justifying it, and exploring it. For Wes, it’s all about a land transaction, and for Rain, it’s all about giving her time and space to find her way in the world. It’s so incredibly awkward, with a major clash of personalities, that the personal conflict would normally be too much for me, but I loved Rain so much that I wanted (needed) it to work. Perhaps that’s why I got so angry and frustrated with Wes, so impatient with his ignorant assumptions and snap judgments. He was told by Rain’s father that she’s autistic, and his brothers are on the spectrum, so he should be so much better at all of this, and it upsets me that he’s not.
Fortunately, Rain develops a support system, managing to find a best friend, a new friend, a mother figure – not bad for an autistic woman, coming from a sheltered life, who admits to being horrible at making friends. I’d love to have someone like Ashlyn or Renee to lean on and confide in, and the fact that Guerre makes them so loveable is fabulous.
Getting back to the gentle femdom aspect, I was shocked by how suddenly it came on, yet delighted by why it developed. It’s almost exactly halfway through the book (give or take a few pages) where the hints we’ve seen of the steel within Rain finally come to the surface – and where Wes’s need to be confronted with that steel is revealed.
“But then Rain’s hand slid up the back of his neck to fist in his hair. She tugged, hard, and the chaos in Wes’s mind went totally quiet.”
Given I spent so much of the book not liking Wes very much, I have to give Guerre credit for exploring his need for submission with compassion and understanding. I saw something of myself in him as well, a craving to put the stresses and worries and anxieties and responsibilities of the day aside and embrace that quiet, and I can tell you it rings as true as Rain’s autism. That being said, he doesn’t deal at all well with this turning point – in fact, he’s rude, cold, and belligerent the day after – and that swings me right back to aggravation. The erotic power exchange is what ultimately leads to the realization of feelings, which is where the real challenge comes in, but getting there did try my patience at times.
What Was Meant to Be isn’t quite perfect, but it’s damned good, and for all Wes’s faults, the story is already destined for my books-to-revisit shelf when I feel the need to walk hand-in-hand with Rain all over again.
I Dream of Dancing was just a lovely story, a character-driven romance that's full of relationship drama, but with the promise of fulfillment ahead. GI Dream of Dancing was just a lovely story, a character-driven romance that's full of relationship drama, but with the promise of fulfillment ahead. Gwen Leonhard has a wonderful style of writing that makes the story feel immediate and intense, with so many curious aspects of magic and mythology simply taken for granted, rather than being dwelled upon to the point of distraction.
The character arc of Acelina is delightful, even with her pain, trauma, and transition. She's hurt others and been hurt herself, but all as part of finding herself and coming out as herself. Admitting her feelings for Florence means risking rejection and possibly ruining a friendship, but it's something she's ready to do. As for Florence, she welcomes the potential for romance, but she's afraid of being hurt as Acelina's lovers have been in the past. There's jealousy and anxiety intertwined in both their feelings, but while so many authors create an artificial catalyst for unnaturally leaping past such an obstacle, Leonard takes the time to work through it naturally, forcing the characters to talk . . . to think . . . and to feel.
Watching these two women come together, explore their feelings, and choose to risk what they've had for what they could have is fabulous. Instead of racing through the date to get to bed, the story immerses itself in the date, makes the date the point of the story, and allows the reader to empathize and identify with both women. The longer the night went on, the more I wanted to know about them both, and when it comes time for the kiss . . . perfection!
The Dominion and the Sugilite is a serialized erotic science-fantasy soap opera by B.J. Frazier, one set on a female-ruled planet where the power exchThe Dominion and the Sugilite is a serialized erotic science-fantasy soap opera by B.J. Frazier, one set on a female-ruled planet where the power exchange is the foundation of a fantasy-themed society fueled by the magic of gems known as sugilite.
Over the course of the story, Frazier provides an introduction to the world, its history, and its characters, while setting up the relationship dynamics and social/political interactions. There’s a lovely mix of science fiction and fantasy to the story that reminds me of 70s pulp novels, but with a more contemporary (and explicit) FLR/femdom theme.
Like any soap opera, the series contains multiple plot threads that overlap and interact in sometimes surprising ways. There are stories of multiple generations, both young and old; humans, satyrs, and centaurs; Dommes, submissives, and those caught in between; rulers, judges, professionals, and citizens; and lovers, slaves, clients, and porn stars. Some of the connections are obvious from the start, while others take a while to develop, but in each case, they become deeper and more complicated as the series progresses.
Like anything B.J. Frazier writes, this is fun and clever, with the power-exchange elements well thought-out (especially where she subverts it). The scenes of worship, submission, and punishment are exquisite, but it’s partly because she invests the characters with such personality that you buy into the dynamics.
I cannot wait to see where the subsequent chapters take us.
The Dominion and the Sugilite is a serialized erotic science-fantasy soap opera by B.J. Frazier, one set on a female-ruled planet where the power exchThe Dominion and the Sugilite is a serialized erotic science-fantasy soap opera by B.J. Frazier, one set on a female-ruled planet where the power exchange is the foundation of a fantasy-themed society fueled by the magic of gems known as sugilite.
Over the course of the story, Frazier provides an introduction to the world, its history, and its characters, while setting up the relationship dynamics and social/political interactions. There’s a lovely mix of science fiction and fantasy to the story that reminds me of 70s pulp novels, but with a more contemporary (and explicit) FLR/femdom theme.
Like any soap opera, the series contains multiple plot threads that overlap and interact in sometimes surprising ways. There are stories of multiple generations, both young and old; humans, satyrs, and centaurs; Dommes, submissives, and those caught in between; rulers, judges, professionals, and citizens; and lovers, slaves, clients, and porn stars. Some of the connections are obvious from the start, while others take a while to develop, but in each case, they become deeper and more complicated as the series progresses.
Like anything B.J. Frazier writes, this is fun and clever, with the power-exchange elements well thought-out (especially where she subverts it). The scenes of worship, submission, and punishment are exquisite, but it’s partly because she invests the characters with such personality that you buy into the dynamics.
I cannot wait to see where the subsequent chapters take us.
The Dominion and the Sugilite is a serialized erotic science-fantasy soap opera by B.J. Frazier, one set on a female-ruled planet where the power exchThe Dominion and the Sugilite is a serialized erotic science-fantasy soap opera by B.J. Frazier, one set on a female-ruled planet where the power exchange is the foundation of a fantasy-themed society fueled by the magic of gems known as sugilite.
Over the course of the story, Frazier provides an introduction to the world, its history, and its characters, while setting up the relationship dynamics and social/political interactions. There’s a lovely mix of science fiction and fantasy to the story that reminds me of 70s pulp novels, but with a more contemporary (and explicit) FLR/femdom theme.
Like any soap opera, the series contains multiple plot threads that overlap and interact in sometimes surprising ways. There are stories of multiple generations, both young and old; humans, satyrs, and centaurs; Dommes, submissives, and those caught in between; rulers, judges, professionals, and citizens; and lovers, slaves, clients, and porn stars. Some of the connections are obvious from the start, while others take a while to develop, but in each case, they become deeper and more complicated as the series progresses.
Like anything B.J. Frazier writes, this is fun and clever, with the power-exchange elements well thought-out (especially where she subverts it). The scenes of worship, submission, and punishment are exquisite, but it’s partly because she invests the characters with such personality that you buy into the dynamics.
I cannot wait to see where the subsequent chapters take us.
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