Title: Take Me, Break Me
Author: Cari Silverwood
Publisher: Wolf Charm Press (04 March 2013)
ISBN: 9781301060573
Reviewer(s): Michael and Jane
Yep. As requested, Michael and I are back once again as a book-reviewing double act. Are we less ranty than last time? I think so. But I still ended up drawing stick figures. Couldn’t seem to stop myself. He, meanwhile, took the high road and included intelligent and insightful quotes. (I think it’s clear which of us is Batman and which of us is Robin in this instance …)
JANE’S TAKE …
Before I say anything else, I just want to make it clear that I liked this book. The story was interesting, the characters likeable, and the sex hot. (Very, very hot in fact.) But it disturbed me. And I felt bad for enjoying it at times.
I’m a bit of a fan of both the non-con and D/s genres when it comes to erotica. But I see them as very separate things and when they start getting tangled together in a work of fiction, sirens, alarm bells and all manner of other emergency service warning systems start going off in my head. Consent is fundamental to BDSM. Always. And if it’s not? Well, that’s abuse. Plain and simple. As a rule, I will immediately stop reading books that portray non-consensual interactions between characters as D/s or S/M. Take Me, Break Me, however, managed to twist all the traditional rules of engagement.
The premise is intriguing. Jodie wants to make a documentary about living through the experience of a capture fantasy and asks her ex-boyfriend, Klaus, to imprison her in the basement of her house for the period of one month. He is – initially – shocked by her proposition but eventually agrees because he’s concerned that if he doesn’t, Jodie might engage the services of someone who would take advantage of the situation and truly hurt her. A very arbitrary and vague set of guidelines (The Rules), consisting of five sketchy bullet points is drawn up, a detailed ‘in case it all goes horribly wrong’ protection contract signed, and off they go. You can see where this is heading, can’t you?
Needless to say, things don’t go to plan (there’d be no story if they did) and after little more than a day or so Jodie and Klaus find themselves in a bit of a situation. Klaus discovers his sadistic side. Jodie discovers she likes to be hurt. Klaus decides to throw away The Rules (such as they are) and make new ones. Without any discussion. Oh, boy.
My Take Me, Break Me experience went something like this …
@Michael (just after starting the book):
‘RED PEN ALERT!
I had to read the first chapter twice because all the tense switching confused me. (Maybe I am just A Bear of Very Little Brain?!) Present tense, then past written in the past tense, then past written in the present tense, then back to present in the present tense. Huh? What exactly are you signing, man [Klaus]?! End-of-year finance reports or a down-and-dirty sex slave agreement? Because, you know, that distinction is kind of important!
I now have the awful urge to sing Brittany Spears’ ‘Slave for You’, btw. :-/’
I get frightened by the lack of discussion and awful bullet-pointed rules:
I get confused about what genre I am actually reading:
[Brief interlude, during which Michael and I disagree over the outfit Klaus makes Jodie wear (he thinks it’s ridiculous, I think it’s fabulously degrading) and we both start Googling Magnetic Island, the setting for Take Me, Break Me, real estate prices.]
I get distracted by the idea of green bamboo canes:
Then Jodie and Klaus go to a play party and I want to get one of these out:
All in all, I felt like this the entire time I was reading:
As I said right at the very beginning, I liked Take Me, Break Me. But it scared me. Ergo the above picture. This is a case of the reader being ‘head f*cked’ as much as the characters because you’re enjoying all the things they’re doing together but feel horrible for it because the proposition is so dangerously and badly flawed …
This is a great story, albeit an uncomfortable one.
Safe, Sane and Consensual. Take Me, Break Me certainly proves how important this mantra is.
MICHAEL’S TAKE …
“I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
– Don Corleone
Jodie is a comedienne. Not the worst, but not the greatest either. Her career is just going so-so. So she gets an idea. Make a documentary. But not about the life of a so-so comedienne. No, her idea is to make one about psychological enslavement. You see, Jodie has a secret love for that particular type of erotica we call the Capture Fantasy. So her idea is to film a woman throughout the process and through to the end result. And not just any woman. Herself (with some preset automatic cameras). But who can she get to be her captor?
Klaus. Good old Klaus. Her accountant. Oh, and her once-upon-a-time boyfriend. He’s the perfect guy for this sort of thing. Except maybe a little too cautious. When she approaches him with the idea, he reluctantly accepts. But only after drawing up a Contract and set of Rules so strict he pretty much takes all the fun out of it for both of them.
After all, this is supposed to be fun. Safe, Sane and Totally Consensual but fun as well. So what happens after 36 hours or so when Klaus dispenses with The Rules and makes it up as he goes along?
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
– Lord Acton
When I read the description for this one, I actually bought it immediately. Because even though I didn’t plan on reading it as soon as soon as I did, I knew it was one I was definitely going to read. I thought this could be a fun and sexy story. Instead I found it to be a brutally realistic portrayal of two people playing around with things they didn’t understand and getting in absolutely and completely over their heads.
Especially Klaus. I am often pretty hard on male lead characters for doing the wrong thing. But in this case, I didn’t really blame him. Things were so off from the very beginning that you just had to hope they both got out without any permanent damage.
“When you stare into the abyss the abyss stares back at you.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche
Do I think you should read this book? If you like capture fantasy and BDSM fiction, I would say absolutely, positively, unequivocally ‘yes’.
But just keep in mind this is more what not to do.
Tickle your fancy? Click on the following links to purchase a copy:
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com
Smashwords
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What a great review as well as pointing out that this is Not the way to go into a D/S relationship. I love the humor as well as insight in the review
Thanks, Karen! We both really enjoyed this one, although it was very much a cautionary tale.
I love Jane’s pics. Especially the bonfire. Although that one has me seriously worried as to whether I want to read this book! I’m not sure Michael has sold it to me either, can I assume they survive even if there is no HEA?
Please, you two, more double reviews, you compliment each other beautifully and it’s great to be able to read two differing (or not) viewpoints.
Genevieve, I think both of us were trying not to give too much away. They do both survive and actually I did consider the ending to be something of an HEA. The key at the end is they have what they were missing throughout most of the story – support and guidance.
Thanks Michael, about to go straight onto my Kindle!
And your next joint review is….?
You will have to wait and see!
The stick figures and the double review had me adoring this review from the very start.
Sorry to stalker-ize your blog, but I was reading it before you did this review! Honest. The vibes are so pretty here.
Thank you, though. I’m quite humbled by the amount of work you’ve put into this, and I do love the drawings as they convey your thoughts and emotions so well. I vote for the ‘wait, wait, wait’ cartoon as my fave, or the bamboo one
I think I’d call the end a HEA too, myself. But readers can decide, until the next one gets scribbled out.
You are more than welcome to stalk-ize, Cari – in fact, I would consider it an honour!
I’m so pleased you enjoyed our review, too. It’s a lot of fun ‘buddy reading’ with Michael and talking about our thoughts and perceptions as we go through a book. (There’s inevitably a LOAD of back-and-forth emails – too numerous to include in our final write-ups! – and it’s always interesting to see where we agree and where we differ on things.)
I think the end of Take Me, Break Me is a HEA, too, by the way.
Jane x
PS – My husband still hasn’t planted any bamboo. (I think I may need to show him that cartoon again …)
The collaboration adds fun, and the to-ing and fro-ing between you is what makes your review stand out.
Bamboo grows fast in tropical climates. Too fast! So I hope you live in the tropics, or have a greenhouse. I think you should do the planting considering you reap the benefits
I have always enjoyed your reviews Jane. But I have to say…I Love when you and Micheal get together to do a review, especially when you let out your inner artist.
Thank you Jane and Michael for your review, just finished reading.
Interesting read. The fact that Klaus (seriously? Why would you name your hero Klaus? All I can imagine is a hot man in lederhosen, not a good image) thinks he will damage Josie was v realistic to me. Without limits he didn’t know what he was capable of doing. And it had an HEA so I was a happy bunny.
Looking forward to your next review, oh, and more drawings please Jane!
I thought you might like to know that my cover artist used a quote from your review on the print cover of Take Me, Break Me (not out yet though). I used it in my Amazon editorial review section too.
You write gorgeous reviews. Thank you for using words that are memorable!
And Klaus is a name I love, Snowdrop (if you see this). lol
But I have a thing for Germanic names.
Wow, Cari! Thank you so much! Total, total honour. I don’t know what to say.
Our reviewing style is a little, er, different (to say the least) so it’s always nice to know that people are enjoying mash-ups!
Klaus? I like it, too.
Cari, I have to say I am incredibly honored by the Amazon listing let alone making a Cover Blurb.
And I think Klaus is definitely a great name for a Dom.
I’m just happy I saw your reviews.
No need to feel honored. You’re both wordsmiths like I try to be.