Diary of a Submissive: A True Story, by Sophie Morgan [Sept.12]

I really wanted to hate this book. It's my book, the one I've been threatening to write, promising to write, and writing bits of every so often since I came on the scene 5 years ago. It's even marketed the exact same way I was going to market it ('this is what you read after reading 50 shades of grey') and it even starts with a hot prologue, ends with a hot epilogue and has the journey of discovery in between. It's my book, except I didn't write it and she got there first. I wanted to hate it.

Except, it's actually pretty good. I can tell she's a deal younger than me (still over-preoccupied with the university years and the getting onto the career ladder) which frankly isn't that interesting except possibly to her. And it's told in a very linear way which just as a story-telling device, I personally find a little dull. But, man, can the girl write kink.

The scenes are hot and go on for several pages. She's really good at articulating how it feels to be a masochistic submissive and learning the challenges of a D/s relationship. And total respect, that girl can take a beating. I almost cried on the tube reading one scene, imagining myself in that situation, and how unbearable that level of pain would be. And they call me a pain slut.

I have some quibbles. I don't believe that she can play that hard and never seem to experience sub-drop (or maybe it was edited out as not up-beat enough). Also, she seems to get off on adrenaline, whilst I've always understood it to be endorphins which cause the happy. There isn't much about the scene and she meets her men in a more serendipitous type of way than internet/scene dating although she mentions briefly reading from the edges debates online (on this site?) and does go a munch.

She rolls her eyes. She bites her lip. And has an inner voice (but thankfully, no inner goddess). Unfortunately, whether she really does do those things, they are now firmly in the realm of 50 shades clichés.

But, overall, good erotica, good kink, a positive write-up of what it's like to enjoy our lifestyle and I would definitely recommend.

PS. I'm still writing mine. Maybe I'll finish it before the current trend dips away again. Should you be worried? Only if you think you should be...  (evil laugh). No, seriously, I'm going to be ethical with it. No need to fear a thing.