Finding Anna by Sherri Hayes

 

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Slave: TWCS

Need: TWCS  (July 26th, 2012.)

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     When I saw this two books on NetGalley, I was jumping up and down - it's dark, it's on my way-too-hot shelf, it's D/s... What more could girl wish for on this hot summer days?

     First book in Finding Anna series was published last year - I noticed it, thought it sounded interesting and moved on. Needless to say that in that time I was still discovering my kinks, but after Cherise Sinclair, Kitty Thomas and Tiffany Reisz I am more than ready for Sherri Hayes. Actually, after some of the books I've read, there wasn't anything too shocking in these two books.

Slave book summary:

    "Stephan has lived the lifestyle of a Dominant for five years. After several rebellious teenage years, it gave him the stability and control he had been seeking after his parent’s death.
     As president of a not-for-profit foundation, he knows what his future holds and what he wants out of life. All that changes when a simple lunch with his college friend and Mentor, Daren, leads him to buying a slave.
     Thrust into a situation he never thought he’d be in, Stephan can’t walk away. He is compelled to help this girl in the only way he knows how.
     Brianna knows only one thing, she is a slave. She has nothing. She is nothing.
     Can Stephan help Brianna realize that she is much more than just a Slave?"

      

     First thing that you need to know is that Sherri Hayes started as fanfiction writer - Finding Anna series is Twilight fanficton. You'll find usual problems for this kind of novels - bad sentences and not that good choice of words sometimes. Similarities with original story are minimum - it looks as if all fanfiction writers use few identical scenes (restaurant, meeting the family, food...). My other problem with it - bad covers! Hate them! Couldn't you, guys, hire a really good artist or photographer for this job???

     Although this novels are labeled as BDSM, there isn't anything too "scandalous" for all you people with "morals" of mainstream society. There are no sex scenes. Only kinky side of the story is that Stephan is Dom, Brianna was slave for almost a year and to save her Stephan buys Brianna from the man who imprisoned her against her will. Everything is more on psychological level - he's trying to help her to find herself again but, in the meantime, falls for this pretty, damaged girl. Slave is strange book and I couldn't put it down until the end. That was my other big problem with this book - ending. It just stops. On the most stupid scene. Stops. No conclusion. Nothing on the previous pages that will even indicate that ending is near. If this was selfpublished book with no editor, I still wouldn't like it but I'd understand that author didn't know better. But there is the publisher behind this book. Hm...

     Second book in the series, Need,  is coming out on July 26th and it went in totally different direction from the first one. Stephan is a wuss and that is not word that should ever be related with Dom. There's this term "topping from below" - when Dom lets his submissive make all of the decisions, but she manipulates him to think that he's in charge or he knows it but chooses not to "see it". Add to that romance and you have socially accepted hybrid. Suddenly BDSM is nothing deviant or weird, everything is peachy in Peachyland because they are madly in love and they are kinky because of things from their past. But they are starting to see the light. Hm... behold of the cliffhanger - Sherri Hayes learned something about writing. But... You have to be true master of writing to use telling from two points of view. Sometimes I had a feeling as if I was watching Spanish telenovela - there are whole parts of the story repeated from the other character point of view. That is big NO! As you can see, I didn't like Need very much and after reading some amazing books about this topic, I'll have to low my rating for Fifty Shades - it's pretty much  same as Finding Anna. I'm giving them three stars only because I liked first book better.

     If you enjoyed reading Fifty Shades, you will love this series as well. But it's not for me. If you are interested in dark erotica, read Kitty Thomas. Stay tuned, we'll talk about her soon.

Until next time,

    ***NOTE! Copy of the book is kindly provided by the publisher, TWCS via NetGalley. I'm not paid for writing review - I do this for free as lover of written word. All opinions in this review are personal.