My Reads: My Body - His by Blakely Bennett

I read a lot of erotic romance and erotica because that's what I write, but I'm always looking for a twist on the genre. I don't know why, but I'd never read Blakely Bennett's trilogy, and I even had the first one. I was expecting your standard, run-of-the-mill erotic romance with BDSM thrown in.

Wrong. I was wrong. I was never so wrong in my life.

My Body - His was unlike anything else that I've read. I owe you an explanation, and the queen of "no spoiler land" is going to have a hard time with this, but here goes.

First off, let me just give you this disclaimer: There are lots of erotic romances out there that carry the admonishment of "for readers 18 or over only." Mine are some of those. But these? I can't imagine what would happen if a 15-year-old got hold of one of these. Not good - not at all. They'd be permanently sexually warped. Take that from someone who read The Happy Hooker and Deep Throat at the tender age of 14. No wonder I'm the kinky bitch I am.

What happens when a curious thirty-something woman goes to a party with a friend and finds out it's a free-for-all in terms of an orgy? Plenty. She wanders, dumbstruck, until she happens across "the artist." Jane is terrified by him - and intensely aroused. He gives her an immediate taste of what he expects, and that would be a warning for most people. But Jane is so turned on by Luke's control and sexual prowess that she lets herself fall into his trap. Thus begins their relationship, and what a convoluted, fucked-up mess it is. Instead of heeding warning signs that anyone else would've seen as big, bright, and flashing, Jane is mesmerized by Luke and believes she cannot live without him. He professes his love in similar fashion, but frankly, his actions don't match his words. Any more than that and you'll know more than you should but, trust me, you want to know.

I really didn't know what to expect, and this certainly wasn't it. While stories of BDSM relationships run rampant, and most of them are the loving, sweet, vanilla-scented things we love to read about, this one is anything but. It's raw, powerful, gritty, and a little frightening. It's a perfect example of what happens when someone who's lacking something important in their life meets up with a person who wants something they can't get without manipulating others, and someone winds up getting hurt. This book doesn't have a happily ever after; that comes in the third book, so keep reading. But it will twist your gut and heart until you don't think you can stand another minute, and suck you in so hard you won't be able to force yourself away. I started the first book, and I'll tell you a little secret: It was on Friday, and by Sunday afternoon, I'd bought the other two and devoured them.

Blakely is a talented writer, and her style is easy to read and comfortable, but the subject matter most definitely is not. If you've ever wanted to see the dark, scary, dangerous side of BDSM, take a trip into My Body - His. But be prepared. You'll never see the lifestyle the same way again.

I don't do reviews, and this isn't a review, but if it were, it would get 5+ stars.