So my only real comment echoes KZ’s – Denise’s story, like all of her work, is outstanding. And while yes, it has otherworldly elements, being an anthology, the central focus is the rediscovery of love between John and Meg, and their willingness to overcome the pain of the past. If you get a chance to read it, I think you’ll very much enjoy their love story. Like most of us in this industry, you might not get much time to read purely for the pleasure of it – that one would be a great choice for an hour’s escape!

Thanks again, and thanks for the interesting and thought provoking discussion of Unlaced!

I love Joey and Jaci’s writing. Now Joey’s very good at pushing me past my comfort zone and there’s been a few books of hers that were very hard for me to read, but I’ll still read this one.

That cover, by the way, makes me green with envy. Very, very pretty.

So, who else is going to read this when it comes out? Does Jane’s review change anyone’s mind?

I’ll probably end up reading it, because I’ll be buying it for Jaci Burton’s story (whose books I seriously heart).

Cassandra consents to these ventures but only after the fact. Like after she is bound in the boardroom, Lucas tells her that everyone in the room knows that she is bound and that she is sexually stimulated. I’m not sure how that is sexy. Maybe to some it is, but to me, it was stomach churning.

I find Joey Hill one of the most thoughtful, interesting authors in the BDSM genre. Her “Natural Law” series, set around a group of characters who visit the Zone club is fascinating, because it explores the characters and what motivates them. They’re real, and never do you feel that they’re being exploited, used or manipulated.

Not so in the story I read, “Board Resolution.” (part of the ‘Behind the Mask’ anthology). In this one, Savannah is suspended above the boardroom table and used by all the men. It is consensual, but she’s railroaded into it.
Maybe I didn’t like it partly because he uses their business deal to get to her and so demeans her abilities and her standing as a businesswoman.
She is helpless, she doesn’t know what’s going on, and he uses that helplessness to restrain her. She’s fastened into a machine, and gagged with a ball gag, which isn’t my thing at all, but because I enjoy Joey Hill’s work and I usually trust where she takes me, even if it’s beyond my personal comfort zone, I read on.

Honestly, I really don’t know why this story didn’t work for me. Perhaps because it uses humiliation as a theme, and for me, that’s a big hot button. I would love to understand why. It didn’t just not work for me, it disturbed me, and I rarely have that reaction to anything I read.

I won’t be reading this story, but I will definitely be picking up the next Joey W. Hill novel in the mermaid/angel series, and any more Natural Law books she writes.