I've Been Careless with a Delicate Thing

DNF @ 26%

I gave up on this one when it became clear it's primarily just a smutty romp. Nothing against smut, but since it's primarily erotica and I didn't particularly care for the writing style and how verbose the smut was, it seemed like a waste to keep reading. Just not a fit for me.

4.5I came to this because of my love (and apparently the author's too) for Fiona Apple's CRIMINAL and I'm happy to say that the story fits the spirit of the song. At least for Silas and the story is told from his POV. I knew nothing about this going in and that was a good thing. Though I do read a good amount of BDSM I always have hate/hate relationship to the Doms but I didn't know this was going to go that way and in fact neither did the MC. What I mean by this is that the D/s relationship that develops between tall, muscular, and all around beautiful Oscar and Silas who describes himself as “skinny but unfit” develops in a real organic way. Yes, Silas makes sure that they're SSC but there isn't any staged ceremony or getting mired in the vocabulary or prescribed mores. There's no kneeling, Sir, or performative posturing. I'm reluctant to even call what they do scenes. They have sex that is pleasurable for both. The D/s is only ever present in the bedroom. Makes me happy.What we do get is two people stumbling into something that they didn't know they liked and taking to it like ducks to water. These two couldn't be more different. Oscar's main form of communication is a nod or a single “yes” while Silas just pretty much blurts out anything that floats through his brain. However when it comes to taking care of Oscar, giving him pleasure, Silas is laser focused and single minded. He figures out what Oscar likes, though sometimes that can be like detective work as Oscar isn't very verbal.I liked that the relationship developed over an number of months and though it started pretty much as a hookup (different from the one they end up having) it morphed in a believable way. Most of all I loved how [a:Marina Vivancos 17206706 Marina Vivancos https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1599516156p2/17206706.jpg] gave me a Dom I can side with. This passage won me over to Silas: "Silas didn't know if Oscar liked verbal humiliation because the very idea of using words, which had always been so plentiful and treacherous in Silas's life, to hurt Oscar when he was so vulnerable, when he himself felt settled and at peace, made him feel sick to his stomach. Instead, Silas pushed Oscar in other ways." I loved how he was so certain in some areas, almost zen, but otherwise full of the same doubts and insecurities we all have entering a new relationship. I loved the writing, loved the characters and loved how the story developed. My one wish would be for an extra chapter or two or maybe an epilogue and that it came from Oscar's POV. Not necessary. Just a make-a-wish kind of thing. Recommended.