Review: Teach Me (Brie's Submission #1) by Red Phoenix

Print Length: 274 pages

Publisher: Provocative Romance  (May 22, 2016)

From Goodreads.com: Take a peek into the sensual world of BDSM 

Brie Bennett’s life is about to change the day Sir Thane Davis discovers her working in a tiny tobacco shop... 

His invitation to a renowned school, famous for its submissive training, will rock her world. She has no idea the things that will be asked of her or the boundaries that will be pushed—but she’s eager to find out.

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My Rating: 2 stars out of 5

When I found this series as part of a boxed set, I was immediately intrigued. A school that would teach willing young women how to be successful submissives? That is definitely a new concept for me as most of the BDSM stories I have read have experienced Doms training vanilla girls to be what they want.

So I went into this story with high hopes and expectations. And came away feeling very disappointed. The book started off strong, we meet Brie unhappy with her life as she works in a small-time tobacco shop wasting her degree in film-making. She meets a handsome stranger, she receives an invitation to an elite school for submissive training, and well, curiosity gets the better of her and she applies. The moment she steps foot in the training center is the moment (for me), the story starts falling apart. Now don't get me wrong, I love a well written erotica/BDSM book as much as the next person when there is a plot, character growth and a story-line that is more than just a series of strung together sex scenes (all for the purpose of "teaching" of course). 

Now, I don't claim to be an expert of the D/s lifestyle by any stretch of the imagination, but it seems to me there were a couple of things in this story that didn't seem to add up to the limited information I do posses on the topic. To begin with, there is no talk of birth control at all. No talk of STD testing. NOTHING. Brie attends her first "lesson" followed immediately by sexual encounters. Each night, different partners, and no one bats an eye. Another issue I have with this story is that girls are brand spanking new to the lifestyle. Heck, some of them aren't even sure the life-style is for them, and yet the "trainers" not only seem to overlook what the girls have listed as "fears" or "limits" and force them to do it anyway. One girl actually quits the program after they push her to do something she considers off limits.

The characters are all mostly one-dimensional. Brie has a crush on one of her trainers (although she is attracted to multiple other Doms as well), but the chemistry is lacking. It seems as though they only reason she is attracted to them is because "they are sexy" and they are really good in bed.

Because I obtained this book as part of a boxed set, I will continue at least as far as the third book. At this time, I believe the story may show potential, but there is definite room for improvement.

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                     Teach Me is available from Amazon.com as part of a boxed set