Diary of a Submissive: A Modern True Tale of Sexual Awakening [Paperback]

Sophie Morgan (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 4, 2012

The “real” Fifty Shades of Grey…A true life erotic story of female submission to rival The Story of O.

In Diary of a Submissive, Sophie Morgan candidly explains what exactly an independent, 21st century woman gets out of relinquishing her power and personal freedom in a submissive relationship with a dominant man for their mutual sexual pleasure.

In the wake of Fifty Shades of Grey, here is a memoir that offers the real story of what is means to be a submissive and follows Sophie’s story as she progresses from her early erotic experiences through to experimenting with her newfound awakened sexuality.  From the endorphin rush of her first spanking right through to being collared, she explains in frank and explicit fashion her sexual explorations.  But it isn’t until she meets James, a real life ‘Christian Grey,’ that her boundaries and sexual fetishism are really pushed. As her relationship with James travels into darker and darker places, the question becomes: Where will it end? Can Sophie reconcile her sexuality with the rest of her life, and is it possible for the perfect man to be perfectly cruel?

Daring, controversial, and sensual, Diary of a Submissive is filled with a captivating warmth and astounding honesty such that no one— man or woman—will be able to put Sophie's story down. Once you read the book you will understand why Sophie Morgan is a pseudonym.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sophie Morgan is in her early 30s. She is working hard at a career she loves as a journalist and is surrounded by friends and amused and exasperated by her family in about equal measure. Loves animals and Marmite, hates people who stop abruptly when walking down the street so you walk into them, and spends too much money on books, DVDs and handbags, mostly in that order. The one thing missing in her life is someone to share it— and she wants that someone to dominate her sexually, as well as help sort the recycling.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Gotham; 1st Printing, September 2012 edition (September 4, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9781592408252
• ISBN-13: 978-1592408252
• ASIN: 1592408257
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #291,134 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Explicit, yes. But also compelling, emotionally engaging, and refreshing. October 18, 2012

By Cameron D. Garriepy

Format:Kindle Edition

From my blog review:

"Words are funny things. When I am in my submissive headspace I will grove, I will beg, I will say whatever it is my dominant demands of me. True some of the words will flow freely, while others will stick in the back of my throat. [...] But the word that grates, no matter how often it is said around me, is slut." - Sophie Morgan, Diary of A Submissive.

And yet, Sophie buys her dominant sexual partner a paddle for his birthday, one for him to use on her, one she knows will please him to no end. As she describes it, "... TULS, cut into twelve inches of vicious-looking black leather attached to a sturdy handle." Over the course of the next few chapters, she details her partner's use of the paddle on her ass, her inner thighs, even her breast.

This is the tip of the iceberg for Sophie, whose memoir explores her submissive nature in sometimes shockingly explicit and frankly erotic terms. Did I wince a few times reading Sophie's relentless search for the combination of pain and pleasure that fulfills her? Hell, yes, I did. But I also wept, applauded, and laughed, and yes, was occasionally turned on, because Sophie Morgan isn't a pervert or a freak, she's a journalist with friends and boring, normal family. She's a woman looking for an emotional connection, a love-story, just like the rest of us.

There was a point where I cried. I loved the book. And this sounds kind of crazy, but I loved the book even when it pushed me past comfort with her sexuality. Diary of A Submissive felt real and emotional, real, in a way (to reference the ever present 50 Shades) I'm convinced Anastasia Steele has no concept of. I think maybe I responded so well, pushed past my distaste for her pleasure in pain and humiliation, because in essence, it's a story of a woman figuring out what makes her happy and chasing it down.

And it's a love story.

I've read enough to know just how seriously the dynamic and the play can unfold in a BDSM relationship, so that wasn't shocking to me, but to have the story told with such frankness about her feelings really impacted me.

I actually read a few of the reviews here on Amazon before I got the book, and of course there were people who wouldn't believe that she had a normal upbringing, that a "normal" person could express their sexuality like that, and it made me defensive, inclined to trust her more.

So, while I'm not interested in being literally branded as a slut, I found the book compelling, emotionally engaging, and refreshing.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An honest and gripping journey. November 4, 2012

By Jenna

Format:Kindle Edition

This book is not for the faint of heart, the romantic, or the lover of perfectly bow-wrapped endings. It is an honest and gripping tale from someone who is still living her life and doesn't quite know how it will end. When I picked up Diary of a Submissive, I was interested in learning more about the relationship between a real Dominant and submissive in the BDSM culture. As someone who isn't a part of the lifestyle, the only way I felt that I could be educated was to read more and Sophie certainly enlightened me.

Sophie opens up her earliest memories to readers and ends her story in present time. She's had no trauma-inducing fetish or terrible family upbringing causing her attractions to be misplaced and quickly dismisses that stereotype. We then begin learning about Sophie's first experience of arousal when watching Maid Marion chained up and awaiting rescue from Robin Hood (while secretly hoping that Guy Gisbourne came in to teach her a thing or two) and continue through her sexual awakening in college that included a hair brush not used for detangling - if you catch my drift.

But Sophie also teaches us about her life. She is honestly independent, hard-headed, professional, silly, fun...she just gets her kicks differently than the rest of us. This enabled me to connect with her. I believe every person is multi-faceted and that no one is able to see all facets of another individual, there is always something hidden privately in each of us (not that Sophie HIDES...this is just her private life).

I think that the most difficult experiences to read about were those that occurred in Sophie's D/s relationship with Thomas. This is when her true sexual potential is realized and on display for all. Although Thomas and Sophie are not interested in a "real relationship" with each other, they do enjoy playing together. The humiliation, degradation, and pain that Sophie experiences I cannot begin to think of as enjoyable, however, I do understand that this is what presses her buttons...and she is obviously enjoying the outcome of these scenarios. That being said, these scenes are not comfortable to read.

Soon Thomas meets a sub that he may be able to have a real relationship with and Sophie bows out graciously while looking for her own marriage-material Dom. This is when Sophie meets James. And James is everything she's ever wanted...but how kinky does he like to get? As Sophie and James experiment with each other, the reader begins to understand the loving and devoted side both Dominant and submissive must have for one another. The relationship they begin to build is as dedicated and honest as any and I found myself really enjoying both the dominating, sadistic and the romantic, blazer-wearing, wine-drinking side to James.

Without giving away the ending to Diary of a Submissive, I simply wish there was more. I found myself so intrigued by this person's life that when it ended I re-read the final chapter HOPING I missed something...but no such luck. I appreciated the honesty and straight-forward way Sophie told her story and how difficult it must've been to display her life to the world. I do feel more "educated" in the psyche of a submissive, and although not entirely understanding, at least appreciative of this lifestyle and less judgmental - which was my ultimate goal.

This is definitely a book that I would recommend to those interested in learning about the D/s culture that hasn't been fictionized. I am proud to have Diary of a Submissive on my bookshelf and am looking forward to reading more from Sophie Morgan.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars "I decided quickly that committing crimes against grammar was a hard limit for me." December 14, 2012

By A. McGlynn

Format:Paperback

Three-and-a-half stars might be more appropriate, but it wasn't an option. ;)

Since Fifty Shades of Grey began the mainstream pseudo-kink craze, I've kind of shied away from it all. I disliked the concept of "mommy porn," the way non-vanilla sex was stigmatized, and what can I say, I'm a little bit of a hipster when it comes to staying off the beaten path.

But when the opportunity to review Diary of a Submissive , an ostensibly true story, and clearly a response to Fifty, landed in my inbox, I couldn't resist. In many ways, I was not disappointed. In other ways, I was let down.

Far and away the most refreshing thing about Diary of a Submissive is the author's ability to, well, write. She's a journalist by trade, and I laughed in delight when I read, "I decided quickly that committing crimes against grammar was a hard limit for me."

The other big positive to Diary, as compared not only to Fifty, but also to the seeming opinion of the mainstream world, is that the pseudonymous Morgan quickly dispels the myth hat only people with some sort of trauma in their pasts could be interested in kinky sex. She describes her simple life that is very much like yours and mine - except that she's a self-described masochist who gets off on physical pain and humiliation, when they're meted out by someone whose judgement she trusts, who has her best interests at heart.

The big letdown of Diary was the quick and dirty finish. In what seems like the midst of the story, suddenly it's over, and you're left unsure what even just happened. I guess real life doesn't have tidy endings.

EDIT: I've read on Sophie's twitter and interviews that there is a sequel coming soon. Hopefully that will relieve my angst at the ending.

This is a compensated review commissioned by the BlogHer Book Club. All opinions expressed are my own.