Line:Taboo Series: None Book Length: Novella Book Type: eBook Publisher: Ellora's Cave Publishing ISBN: 9781419935091 MSRP/List Price: $5.60 Our Cover Price: $4.45 Available in Print: No

Skin Truth By: Em Petrova (Read Excerpt) E-mail this product to a friend When Kat’s boyfriend takes her to an upscale restaurant, she’s certain he’s going to give her the two-carat princess cut she’s always dreamt of. Instead she finds herself being dumped. Thrown into a downward spiral, she ponders his claim that he’s looking for someone who needs him to take control so he can feel complete.   Driven by personal tragedy and determined that she can at least be adventurous between the sheets, Kat embarks on a sexual journey involving titillating phone sex and a growing obsession with the toy catalog. Soon she’s led into the darker world of bondage and whippings, only to be jumped by a group of men with a fascinating and fearless leader. Pushed to her limits, she struggles against the dark seduction. Until she discovers the leader’s secret.   Reader Advisory: Story contains a wee bit of forced sex—or is it?  A Romantica® erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave   Quantity:

Product Rating: (1.71)   # of Ratings: 7   (Only registered customers can rate) (Only registered customers can rate) 5 - Must Read! 4 - Recommended reading 3 - Enjoyable 2 - Could be better 1 - Not recommended 0% 50% 100% Sort: New to Old RE-SORT COMMENTS: Helpful to Less Helpful Less Helpful to Helpful New to Old Old to New High to Low Rating Low to High Rating Showing comments 1-5 of 5 1. karen on 1/29/2012, said: I honestly dont see why everyone rated this so bad. It was a damn good read. She was finding her kink, and when he realised that, he jumped in with both feet. Obviously some people dont like the "forced" bit, which she loved, by the way. I really enjoyed this. Was this comment helpful? yes no   (0 people found this comment helpful, 0 did not) 2. Ebony on 8/31/2011, said: I've read enough BDSM themed books to know that no where in this story was any form of the BDSM Sane, Safe and Consenual. This was just a very long RAPE scene wrapped up to look like a romance and no where did I see this undying love that the hero supposedly had for the heroine. He was a control freak plan and simple. And basically had the one he supposedly loved molested and raped. If your going to write about BDSM read up on you subject matter before you write about it. This story left me completely numb and I just couldn't wait to get it over with. Was this comment helpful? yes no   (2 people found this comment helpful, 1 did not) 3. Sharon on 8/30/2011, said: This is the first time I've written a review for a book and I'm sorry to say it's not going to be an uplifting one. To the author, keep writing and working on your craft. But if you're going to write about something, learn about it please. I'm fairly appalled at what I've just read. What main aspect of BDSM you've included in this romance, the forced scene, is so far off the mark it's not even funny. As a matter of fact, you're wrong, wrong, wrong in how you portrayed something that can be extremely triggering. You've basically written a sexual assault scene that no woman in her right mind would find enjoyable and you're trying to sell it to your audience as ... I don't even know what. Totally forgivable and fun for everyone? BDSM: Your portrayal of BDSM as a whole tells me you need to be educated. Please look up the phrase Safe, Sane and Consensual. And yes, that actually even applies to forced seduction scenes done between consenting adults. Characterization: (warning - spoiler alert!) You have the main character, the hero, in the first chapter of the book, we know nothing about him, he shows up one more time, and then at the end as the "surprise" rapist with two of his buddies. There is no emotional connection to him at all. So you're portraying Dominant Men as "hood wearing, emotionally vacant men who like to sexually assault women". While your female character went from being emotionally connected at the beginning of the book, to a self-gratification seeking, almost bi-sexual flirting, sexually stimulated by assault, Mary Jane character; who is totally understanding and not even a little bit distressed at the acts perpetrated on her body. I won't even get into your use of the words slash, love honey and love cave. To the other readers (especially BDSM romance readers): skip this one. It will only upset you. To the editors at Elloras Cave: WTF?! Was this comment helpful? yes no   (4 people found this comment helpful, 0 did not) 4. Aarann on 8/28/2011, said: I'm pretty much with Dee on this one. Forced seduction can be done well in books and this was not. The author sacrificed a lot of potential eroticism for what I can only assume was the sake of realism and it didn't work. I'm also not going to go into details because it would be a major spoiler but I didn't like the mystery man's "secret". It made both him and the heroine seem really immature. The story had some serious potential too. Here's hoping the author revisits this in a few years and does some rewrites. It would have been better with less realism and more fantasy because as it was my mind kept screaming that it was just rape. Was this comment helpful? yes no   (6 people found this comment helpful, 0 did not) 5. Dee on 8/25/2011, said: I try never to write bad reviews, but I'll make an exception in this case because the excerpt is so deceptively readable. I think other readers should know in advance what they're buying. (And I think the author should know why her book is getting so many poor ratings.) It's a bait-and-switch--you're suckered in by a heartbreaking first chapter and you feel tons of empathy, especially with the heroine, because she seems classy and complex. And you're certain the hero has hidden depths and is also in pain. Unfortunately, those grand notions are quickly dispelled as the book disintegrates into a repulsive pseudo-BDSM story accompanied by a porn dialogue soundtrack. I've never read so many ridiculously purple and porny euphemisms for body parts and emissions in one book, let alone a book so short. It's like Ron Jeremy was inspired by the breakup scene in Legally Blonde and wrote his version of how things would have gone if the hero was a Dom instead of an aspiring senator. And as for the forced seduction element… Well, that’s actually one of the elements that attracted me to the story. But when the heroine is nauseated, fighting back bile, and genuinely fearing a violent death throughout the entire episode, I don’t care how many orgasms she’s forced to have, it’s not seduction—it’s sexual assault. Forced seduction can be awesome when done well. When done badly, it can be hugely traumatic for readers. This, unfortunately, is the latter. So if that's what you enjoy, go for it. If not, don't waste your money. Was this comment helpful? yes no   (30 people found this comment helpful, 0 did not) Showing comments 1-5 of 5