Whipped Cream reviews Surrender

Surrender: Tales of Erotic Submission by Eden Bradley, Eliza Gayle, Reese Gabriel and Alessia Brio
Publisher: Phaze Books
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short/Anthology
Other: BDSM, M/F, F/F, Spanking, Voyeurism
Rating: 3.5 Cherries
Review by Lilac

In this scorching anthology, four couples find more than they are looking for as they learn to surrender.

In Eden Bradley’s “Breaking Skye,” believing that one night will help her get over her secret fantasy of sexual submission, Skye Ballard places an ad hoping to find the perfect Dominant. She’s in for a surprise when she meets Adam Dunne. Adam set out only to train Skye, but soon finds himself longing to keep her and hopes to convince her that one night of submission will not be enough.

The relationship between Skye and Adam is fascinating as two almost-complete strangers find something they didn’t know they were missing when they both learn to let go of their control. Their encounter changes them both and their passion heats up the pages in this steamy tale of learning to trust.

“Submissive Secrets,” Eliza Gayle’s steamy entry in the anthology, features a private investigator who is shocked to find her ex naked in her bed. Aidan needs Carli’s help to find her brother and is surprised by what he learns about Carli as he searches for clues to her brother’s whereabouts. Carli craves domination and Aidan is determined to provide it for her as he never quite got over her. Their hot encounters and Aidan’s reappearance bring up past feelings as the couple comes together in this quick read.

This was a very enjoyable story about two people reconnecting as they rediscovered a love that never died. I really liked the characters of Aidan and Carli and the fact that they had a past relationship. It added depth to the story and their current encounter. The storyline involving the brother was left unfinished, but other than that it was a good read.

In the third story of the anthology, “Cupid’s Captive” by Reese Gabriel, cynical John Cupid finds more than he bargained for when he is forced into taking out his partner’s little sister. Steffy has grown up and changed from the teenager that John remembers and when she asks him to teach her to submit he is stunned. John tries to resist, but the feelings Steffy stirs in him are just a bit too much for him and soon their relationship heats up.

This was a good story, but at times Steffy annoyed me and I found the relationship between she and John hard to believe. However, I really liked the premise and plot of the story, which helped save it for me--as did the sizzling sex scenes.

“Listen to Me” by Alessia Brio, the final entry of the anthology, is a quick and brief short story told in first person from the point of view of a female Domme with a female submissive. The story read like a foreplay scene and ended rather abruptly leaving me wondering what would happen next in this fiery read.

While some stories were stronger than others, overall, Surrender is a good anthology with each story providing readers with an interesting look at a Dom-Sub relationship or encounter.