Book Review: The Contract by Claire Thompson

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: The Contract
Author: Claire Thompson
Heroes: Jace/Quinn
Genre: M/M BDSM
Length: 123 Pages
Publisher: Romance Unbound
Release Date: March 21, 2014
Available at: Romance Unbound, Amazon & Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Out of a job and betrayed by his lover, Jace Thompson jumps at an opportunity almost too good to be true. On a private island in the Florida Keys, a secret BDSM community exists in resort-style luxury, the wealthy clients served by paid submissives who meet their every erotic desire and sensual whim. As Jace works hard to serve the men of the island with submissive grace, he is challenged at every turn by a manipulative trainer who seems hell bent on his failure, and another who brings out a deeply submissive nature Jace didn’t realize he possessed.

When trainer Quinn is asked to assess Jace for his submissive potential, the connection between them is immediate and intense. He might have to make an exception to his rule to never get involved with the service subs. His jealous ex-lover has other ideas.

Dark intrigue and unrequited desires combine in a tangled web of danger and deception. Against a backdrop of lush tropical beauty and steamy BDSM passion, Jace and Quinn begin a tentative and ultimately powerful exploration of Domination and submission not only of the body, but of the heart and soul.

Review:

This story starts out with your pretty typical, down-on-his luck guy, Jace, who has been cheated on, lost his job, has no money, etc. He’s had some dominant boyfriends and knows he loves/needs to submit, although he’s very reluctant to experience any of the heavier aspects of BDSM. Lucky for him, he is handpicked by Carlos for a job on his private club island to work as a full-time sub via a three-month contract in exchange for a very large sum of money. How could he resist that?

So, on the island, Jace is put through training by staff Doms/trainers to prepare him for anything he might encounter from the club’s wealthy clientele. It does take Jace a little bit to become comfortable with some of the more difficult activities, which I expected and was happy to see. To be honest, I was exhausted just reading about their daily appointments and hours of service, even though most felt like they were in paradise.

Jace meets Dom/trainer Quinn, and they have an immediate connection. Quinn prefers to train with a more understanding approach and is mostly more into bondage and erotic submission, which Jace finds is what he longs for. Unfortunately, there is trouble in the way of another Dom/trainer, Drew, who is a bit jealous of Quinn’s interest in Jace.

All in all, I found myself not wanting to put this down to see where it would go. It had quite a few elements that I enjoyed – the BDSM scenes were very well done and quite captivating, especially the Shibari, waterplay and caning scenes, and I liked that Jace and Quinn were both normal, somewhat on the same level financially and mentally. However, it also contained a few that I didn’t love, such as the basically inexperienced Jace learning how to be a full-service sub in a weeks’ time and an actual trainer in 3 months. I wish there had a been a bit more sexual tension, but overall, this was a really enjoyable story with a ton of hot and steamy scenes. I’m really hoping this becomes a series, as has been hinted at, because I’d love to see more of this fantasy island come to life.

Overall Impression: I really liked it

*I purchased my own, personal copy of this book for review.*