How to Train Your Dom in Five Easy Steps

I have to admit I was wary of reading this because I feared that the raving reviews would have my hopes too high, only to be dashed by the actual book. I'm very happy to say that I was not disappointed! It's by no means perfect, but I found it to be quite an enjoyable read.

The biggest flaw in this book was the headhopping that occurred on several occasions mid-scene. Most POV switches were done at chapter or scene breaks, but the times it switched from one paragraph to the next without any indication were very confusing. This is one weakness in writing I find impossible to ignore. Another niggle I had was the overuse of the word bloke (121 times according to my ereader). No word that isn't essential to the story should appear that frequently in a book. I'm guessing the author was playing up the British thing but it came off as trying too hard.

I loved the slow burn of the romance, and I'm impressed that I still felt sexual tension despite the fact that their relationship began as a purely sexual arrangement. While I'm not into humiliation/degradation, that aspect wasn't too extreme so it didn't bother me. Also, while I love D/s, I'm generally not a fan of formalized BDSM, but it was handled reasonably here without sacrificing the heat.

I saw that several others thought Jeff was a jerk, but I thought he was a total sweetheart to Eddie once they began the “lessons” (maybe it was the lack of sappy dialogue, which I greatly appreciated). I found most of his less appealing behavior to be attributable to his upbringing and the attitudes of his father and brother, so although that didn't excuse him, it was at least understandable. Vivian said it best: “he's just ignorant–not an ass.”

Anyway, if you love GFY, BDSM, and the slow development of a romance without having to wait for sexy times, this is the book for you.