THE DOMINANT - Tara Sue Me
The Submissive Trilogy , Book 2
NAL
ISBN: 978-0-451-46623-5
August 2013
Erotic Contemporary Romance

New York - Present Day

Initially, Nathaniel West dismisses the final application to be his new submissive completely out of hand.  The packet of applications was delayed so this one could be included, and the woman is completely inexperienced, but Nathaniel was told the woman was only interested in being HIS submissive, so curiosity gets the best of Nathaniel, and he's floored by the name he sees.  Abigail King .  His Abby?  His unobtainable dream woman wants—specifically—to be his submissive.  At her interview, he wavers between his fantasies of Abby and hoping she'll decide to leave.  He's long since given up hope that she would ever be his, and now she's going to have a test weekend as his sub.

With the exception of a disastrous “normal” relationship recently, Nathaniel has been a Dominant for the past ten years.  But with Abigail, he's floundering.  While he can't deny that she fits him perfectly as a submissive, he's having difficulty dealing with the feelings she brings out in him.  Nathaniel is struggling with his much vaunted control, and not just while in a scene.  Abigail gets along well with his family and friends, and he could easily see her as a part of his life, except for two things.  She signed up to be his submissive, not his girlfriend—and he's keeping a secret from her that will destroy the trust they've so far built.

The second book in the Submissive trilogy, THE DOMINANT is pretty much the same story as THE SUBMISSIVE, but this time told entirely from Nathaniel's point of view.  Nathaniel lost his parents when he was ten and, while he grew up with his Aunt Linda, his cousin, Jackson, and two very close friends, Todd and Elaina, he still has issues that are affecting his relationship with Abby.  He does his best to separate the D/s relationship he has with Abigail from the growing, and hidden, feelings he has for Abby.  Much as he'd like to have a real relationship with Abby, he can't see it moving beyond the D/s relationship they already have, and not just because of the secrets he's keeping.

While THE SUBMISSIVE is Abby's exploration of sexual submission, THE DOMINANT features someone who has been in the lifestyle for a while.  His previous relationship was his attempt at “normal” with a woman who was not into D/s, and her first true exposure to it caused their relationship to implode.  Nathaniel doesn't see anything wrong with being a Dominant, or enjoying that type of relationship, but he doesn't exactly see how it could mesh with what he still thinks of as a “normal” relationship.  He hasn't quite figured out that a relationship can be both, so he can't see a long-term future with Abby.  In addition to this, Nathaniel finds that he is second-guessing himself in regards to Abigail, which causes him to act, or react, in ways that aren't typical for him.  This book was a bit of a surprise, because you see a vulnerable side to Nathaniel that we only get rare hints of in the first book.  It will be interesting to see how their relationship evolves in the third installment, THE TRAINING, to be released in October.  For a sizzlingly erotic and surprisingly emotional read, look for THE DOMINANT.

Jennifer Bishop