Customer Reviews

Submission Times Two

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I found after reading books like Deviations: Submission and The Complete Dr. Fell Volume I: Lost that I really enjoy a gay romance with BDSM. However, these can vary greatly in terms of how real the BDSM is. Many romances throw in some spanking and bondage to spice up the mostly vanilla sex (which is fine), but they aren't BDSM. This novel is, though it is not real hard core. There are whips, restraints, clamps, orgasm denial, etc. There are scenes that could make a reader uncomfortable.

I'm not usually a fan of threesomes, but the occasional story does stand out. This is one of them, mainly because of the unusual scenario. Ethan and Cam are committed lovers, but they have a problem because both are submissives; unable to top one another. Until now, they have been going to clubs to meet this need, but with rules for no sex or intimacy. The problem is, submission in itself can be very intimate with the right Dom. When Ethan meets a real Dom, he feels guilty like he's cheating on Cam. Ethan realizes that no matter how much he loves Cam, he has needs that aren't being met. But, these two are in love and they talk about it and decide that Cam needs to meet Andrew. Their lives are changed by the encounter as Cam realizes his needs are also not being met. I have to admit that when Andrew entered the relationship, the story got a little uncomfortable. First, Andrew is love with Ethan. Ethan and Cam go to Andrew (at first) simply to be topped. But, he wants more than that; he wants a relationship, with both of them. And, they are struggling with the concern that their attraction to Andrew could break them up.

Ironically, there is not as much intercourse in this book as in most erotic gay romances. There is sex between Cam and Ethan at the beginning, but it's the dominance scenes that are highly erotic. Cam and Ethan are different in their submissive natures, and seeing how Andrew handles each is quite good. Overall, I thought this was an excellent BDSM romance. It is a little weaker than the Deviations series, mainly because it didn't address the everyday details, nitty gritty (like contracts) that those books did. However, the ending leaves room for a sequel wherein the author could go more in depth. I really hope there will be one as I would love to spend more time with Ethan, Cam and Andrew now that they have committed themselves. As it is, I have already started Thompson's other BDSM romance, Switch. Highly recommended.

Once again Claire Thompson tests the bounds of my comfort zone and comes out the winner. Of course this was m/m/m so of course I was going to read it no doubt about it, and all I can say is wow, extremely hot and in my opinion sweet, but not for the faint of heart. This isn't by any stretch of the imagination Light BDSM, but not what I'd call hard core either. It will definitely test the bounds of your acceptance. But still when it comes down to the end this is a romance and a very good one at that!!

If your up for the challenge I very much recommend this book you can't go wrong with Claire Thompson especially when she is in the zone and she was definitely in the zone!!

I loved this book. Ethan and Cam show a true love for each other and I love they way they COMMUNICATE! They talk to each other about their feelings and what is going on in their lives. Of course, they have to with the type of open relationship they have. Or should say, they need. When I read Subx2 I could feel the love of this couple. The struggle Ethan has about telling Cam shows and I'm glad he spoke to Cam.

Enter Andrew. What a great third character and he really adds to the dynamic of Cam and Ethan. They need him. I think if Andrew didn't enter when he did that Ethan and Cam might not have lasted. Not with what they both needed. They didn't need a play-part time Dom. They need someone who can care for them. I think the club scene would have become old.

Claire does a wonderful job with this story and reading Subx2 reminds me why I love Claire's writing. If you love Claire like I do you NEED to pick this book up because it TOTALLY ROCKS!

Claire Thompson is probably among the few writers that can convince me to read a BDSM novel, probably since she always doses it with romance; and, strange enough, even if they are almost always centered around the BDSM world, she is able to reinvent the story and make it fresh and new.

Like in this case, about the Dom Andrew who fulfils his teenager dream to "possess" the jock Ethan; Ethan who was deeply in the closet when they were in high school, is now a submissive who only plays during public scenes, since he has another submissive lover waiting at home. Ethan and Cam have an agreement, since they love each other, but they cannot completely fulfil each other needs, during the weekend they are "free" to go and have their fill, but in separate clubs and without having sex with the Dom of the time.

That is not what Andrew wants, and at the beginning he is all for prove to Ethan that he is not really in love with Cam; but little by little Andrew realizes that yes, he needs Ethan since in this way he will realize his dream, but also Cam can be a good addition to that dream. Actually, from my side, I plenty preferred Cam over Ethan, I found Ethan to be a little spoiled and a little young; that is odd, since he was same age with Andrew and even some years older than Cam, but of the three he seemed the less accomplished. Andrew comes out a little better as a character, but not so much; his evolution from geeky nerd to handsome Dom is hinted but not fully explained. Who really comes out in a perfect way is Cam, so no wonder that I was cheering for him all along.

I think that, of the three, who was really sincere from the beginning to the end was Cam; Ethan claims to be in love with Cam, that he doesn't want Andrew if he cannot have him with Cam along, but sincerely I think that if he was faced with a choice, Cam would not the one. Andrew grew into Cam with the evolution of their relationship, but at the beginning Cam was only a "good" burden to achieve his purpose, Ethan. Cam instead was always open with his needs and desires: he doesn't jump into the chance to have a threesome with Andrew, even if he is attracted by the man, until he is not sure that this will not jeopardize his relationship with Ethan, and even when he agrees to give it a try, he is always not only the one more cautious, but also who is able to read Andrew's needs, better than Ethan for sure, and maybe even of the same Andrew.

Another point that I liked is that this is really a BDSM novel and the BDSM is not mixed with sex or love; actually the three of them doesn't have sex together until their relationship is not defined and steady, and this will happen well after they started to have a scene all together.

I've been anticipating sitting down and reading Submission Times 2 for a while. I had a number of books on my "to read pile" ahead of it and being anal it had to wait its turn. Ms. Thompson didn't disappoint me. The other readers have done excellent jobs at describing the storyline and main characters. Perhaps there isn't enough m/m/m sexual romping for one reviewer but what was within the novel was very appropriate for the story line; and for me there were sexual situations and interaction a plenty. Man have I learned a thing or two... or three. What makes this novel memorable is the authenticity and believability of the situations and characters and the real honest and heartfelt emotions the characters exuded. Submission Times 2 is m/m/m erotic (dare I say) romance at its best. If you want to read a book that when you're finished you think... this could happen. A book with believability and emotional depth you can't go wrong with Submission Times 2 and I look forward to reading more of Claire Thompson's novels.

I bought this because of the previous reviews. I personally never cared about the three main characters, so the book for me was disappointing. It never put itself out there only shirted around the edges. Not in deep, but waded in the shallows. The plot was predictable. Just a so so read.

Intriguing story with lots of lemony fun! Vivid story telling. I am on my second read-through. Good beach read or anytime read.

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 8/10

PROS:
- Ethan and Cam's relationship is open and honest and touching. Even when Andrew shows up and we see how perfectly right he and Ethan would be together, the bond between Ethan and Cam is strong enough that I never once wanted them to break up.
- Thompson uses a contemporary element in society to good effect: how do Andrew and Ethan first start corresponding? They talk on Facebook.
- Ethan's and Cam's personalities are different. I could understand not only how they fell for each other, but also how each had different needs as a sub and how each could fall for Andrew at the same time but not at the same pace.
- Like others of Thompson's works I've read, there's not really much sex, relatively speaking. There's a lot of repressed desire and a few hot scenes, sure, but the story's more about psychological exploration than eroticism.

CONS:
- The longing of Andrew for Ethan, the sub he meets first, is heartbreaking. Both guys obviously want each other for more than just kicks at a club, yet Ethan is completely devoted to Cam and Andrew, even while hoping to seduce Ethan away from his lover, is too respectful to force anything. This makes for a great ending when Andrew meets Cam and those two fall for each other also, but several of the scenes in which Andrew witnesses the other two men's intimacy are pretty sad.
- I didn't quite believe the speed at which Cam develops feelings for Andrew or the supposed strength of all three men's bond at the end. The majority of the book concerns the tentative first steps of their relationship; it doesn't touch much on the deepening of their feelings.

Overall comments: I've come to really enjoy books that depict BDSM relationships. This one isn't as harsh as some I've encountered before (the Deviations series and Dr. Fell, for example), but it's fairly hard-core, especially in Andrew's affinity for oxygen deprivation to test his subs' trust.