Power Exchange

Rating:
Summary: A Course in Carnal Knowledge
Review: A COURSE IN CARNAL KNOWLEDGE

By Jean Roberta (2002)

Power Exchange by Madeleine Oh
----------------------------------------------

Want to be seduced? Then join the two main characters of this novel on their journey of discovery. Annie, known as "Cast-Iron Cavendish" to her students in an English secondary school, finds her new boyfriend Mark delightful. He is attractive, generous, well-employed (by the Merchant Bank) and as hot for her as she is for him. However, he has a secret: Mark and his friends play much more elaborate sexual games than Annie can imagine in the opening phase of their relationship. He already knows his preference for a Dominant role, although he has served an apprenticeship as a submissive. Will Annie be willing and able to satisfy her man's desires while exploring her own?

The progress of the relationship is gradual and convincingly marked by setbacks and surprises. Over the course of a few weeks, Annie learns as much about herself as she does about the man she has chosen. At each stage of the journey, she must decide how much further she is willing to go. As Mark reminds her, she is free to refuse his commands. Once she has consented, however, she must accept the consequences of disobedience.

Annie's day job as a teacher comes to seem ironic as she is caught short by her own failure to live up to all of Mark's expectations. Arriving home after a stressful day at school, Annie answers Mark's phone call, little guessing its significance. He asks her whether she is wearing panties (or knickers, in local parlance), contrary to his expressed wish. She snaps at him, feeling distracted by more important matters. To Mark, her constant readiness for him - and more importantly, her willingness to please - are never trivial. Mark arrives while Annie is regretting her impulsive behavior and wondering how to make amends. His solution is clear and simple: she can accept her first spanking from him. His deliberate infliction of physical pain is shocking to Annie and to readers who are more familiar with mutual manipulation as a feature of courtship than with such a direct expression of displeasure.

Annie, as an assertive modern woman with a life of her own, must decide what is fair and what she as an individual really wants and needs. Like a bewildered prophet in the wilderness (on the wild and scenic coast of Cornwall), she finds the signs hard to read at first. Would an ethical man treat the woman he loves the way Mark treats her? His calm, consistent and rational guidance serves as a light in the darkness. He assures her repeatedly that he would never really harm her or violate her will. More significantly, he tells her that understanding must follow experience; Annie must trust her own feelings in order to trust him and to develop the self-control he expects from her.

As the relationship between Mark and Annie deepens, she also learns the ways of her newfound tribe and wins their acceptance. Can Annie, with no previous lesbian experience, accept sexual domination by a woman at Mark's instigation? Can she become close friends with other submissive women, bonded by a shared desire to please their men? Can she be thrilled to the core by other men, both Dominant and submissive, and still be loyal to the one who owns her heart? Step by step, chapter by chapter, Annie learns to relate to others in ways she has barely imagined before. In the process, she discovers that the social identity she has taken for granted cannot contain her true desires. As Mark points out, most people never explore their own psyches this deeply. Annie and the reader are invited to wonder: what would happen to Western culture if they did?

As a primer on BDSM or "alternative" sexuality, this novel is likely to disappoint readers whose particular kink is left out or presented as a kind of optional addition. This is one of the limitations of a novel as distinct from a guidebook. For the open-minded but puzzled reader, however, this novel is an ideal introduction to a sexual lifestyle which can seem dangerous or incomprehensible. It would make a good gift for a woman like Annie from a friend or lover.
-------------------------------------------------

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: Excellent erotica. Not to sweet and not to harsh. Well developed characters and great plot. Extremely likeable dominant male character and submissive female character. No "evil" characters.
Well written

Rating:
Summary: Not for the Weak of Heart
Review: I guess what I like most about this book is I keep thinking about it. Ms Oh present a dominate and submissive relationship that develops into love. Mark is a caring dominate. He does seem to care about Annie in his own way. I don't think it is the same way Annie cares about him. Annie would and does endure just about anything to please Mark. However, I am not certain that someone that is referred to as Cast Iron Cavendish would allow some of these things without more of a fight. Mark does use a lot of coercion and intimidation to get Annie to do what he wants. Annie likes Mark and loves the sex that they share. But when she becomes unsure or confused, Mark's response is that she was excited by the experience.

Mark takes Annie from a normal relationship to a D/s relationship in a every short time. Mark pushes Annie all the way never giving her time to really think about what is going on. He never explains what will happen until the last minute. Surpising Annie at a time that she can't comfortably back out. Even at the end of the book she is still confused and uncertain.

I would like to see a continuation of the story to see is Annie will actually marry Mark. Their realtionship has only been on the weekends and one 10 day holiday to the coast, in a span of 4 or 5 weeks. At present Annie has a great deal of time to herself to be with her friends and do what she likes. In a fulltime relationship with Mark I do not think that would be the case.

Like I said I have thought alot about the book. I have even read it more than once. The story is well written. The characters are well defined. The scenes believable. There is something here that I continue to question, but I can't seem to catch it. Of course this is what good fiction should do is make you question and examine how you feel about what you read.

Rating:
Summary: Smolderingly erotic, despite the poor editing...
Review: I was very excited about reading Power Exchange. I'd looked forward to picking up this book and devouring it from cover to cover. But the poor (or lack of) editing almost spoiled a beautifully told story about trusting your dominant partner. Ellora's Cave is the most creative and enticing romantica e-imprint out there, but I hope that they've hired better editors. Alas, this is a great novel about a woman who, with the help of her insatiable and imaginative lover, shatters all of her innermost sexual inhibitions. Mark has found the perfect woman -- an independent, intelligent woman with desires she hasn't discovered. Annie submits to Mark's unconventional sexual demands and discovers the depths of her sexuality in doing so. However, Mark wants more than just a submissive partner -- he wants to turn Annie into his slave. But he discovers things about himself along the sexual and emotional odyssey that he hadn't expected...

I love Power Exchange because it is a perfect example of what an important role trust plays in a D/s relationship. I marvel at the realistic and compelling making of a wanton woman. I roll my eyes whenever I read an erotic novel about an inexperienced woman who turns into a borderline nympho after one or two chapters. This novel is so not like that. I love the scene in the shower with Annie, Mark and Alan. The man-woman-man sex scene is delicious beyond words! I also loved how Annie learned new ways to be submissive and obedient. And I loved the first spanking scene. I almost felt Annie's pleasure-pain. But, as said earlier, the poor editing was in the way of full reading enjoyment. There were so many grammatical errors and typos that I almost gave up on finishing up the book. They were distracting and annoying. Was this book edited at all? It seems to me that Ellora's Cave published this novel just as it was turned in. The story was great, the sex scenes even better, but the actual writing was awful. Madeleine Oh (pseudonym) should have done some proofreading of his or her own. I hate to do it, but I've removed two stars because of it. The lack of editing was that bad. Other than that, this is a terrific read. If you're in the bargain for a well-told BDSM novel, Power Exchange is the one for you. I just hope that you're more tolerant to typos and grammar mistakes than I am...

Rating:
Summary: Guaranteed to leave you breathless
Review: If you're looking way to heat up your nights, look no further than POWER EXCHANGE! However, this is NOT for the faint-hearted reader. Carefully heed the publisher's warning that this is an 'Anything Goes' title, which includes almost every type of sexual act -- anal sex, bondage, discipline, domination/submission, fisting, multiple partners, oral sex and whippings are frequently explored in POWER EXCHANGE.

Schoolteacher Annie Cavendish is ecstatic with her new lover, Mark. He's the perfect lover, but will learning more about his private life drive Annie away? Mark Hanson is a stockbroker by day and a dominator by night. He's been searching for the perfect submissive, and believes he's found her in Annie. She's a newcomer to the BDSM scene, but her eager reactions lead them both down a sinfully erotic path.

Will Annie be able to blend her long-held moral views with her emerging sexual desires? Will Mark see her as more than his perfect slave, but as his soulmate? Will you be able to read this book without spontaneously combusting??

POWER EXCHANGE won't be every romance reader's cup of tea, but it is worth an evening's reading. Some parts of the book left me a little uneasy, but it was Madeleine Oh's writing skill and characterizations that earned POWER EXCHANGE four roses. The secondary characters weren't merely background figures; they allowed the reader to witness Annie and Mark's growth, both as individuals and as a couple. Minor editing errors might be noticed by picky readers such as myself, but they did not detract from the novel's overall appeal.

While this book cannot be classified as a straight romance, it is guaranteed to leave you breathless. Ms. Oh delivers strong characters in a well-written novel, coupled with a smorgasbord of sexual activities. Read quickly, for the pages might burst into flames, and you won't want to miss a moment of POWER EXCHANGE.

-- Julie Shininger, [...]

Rating:
Summary: FABULOUS!
Review: If you've ever had a dominant/submissive fantasy, this is the book for you! It shows how a dominant man brings a submissive woman with plenty of doubts into his world with hot erotica and hot dialogue. The ending disappointed me, but the rest of the book blew me away. I loved it and will read it over and over.

Rating:
Summary: A Course in Carnal Knowledge
Review: My review is already written.

I will send it in another post.

I am also an erotic writer - my own recent publications could be mentioned if you ever list a reviewer's own fiction.

Rating:
Summary: An eye opening view of another way of life!
Review: While I will admit this book was quite titillating in it's content, I must also admit I was a bit uncomfortable with the dominant/submissive role played in this book. I guess I'm just too much of a `dyed in the wool' traditional monogamist.

Annie Cavendish is a schoolteacher with a new lover, Mark. He's a great lover but he has another side to him that she doesn't know about. He wants to initiate her very slowly as not to scare her. Mark is a dominant and wants Annie to be his submissive in all ways. This takes time and while Annie is amenable in some ways, in other way she's very hesitant. She just needs to have her mindset changed a bit. It's up to Mark and his special set of friends to help Annie out. Will it be worth it in the end and will Annie finally go along?

I will say that I enjoyed reading this book and it was quite a change for me from what I normally read. It did open my mind and my eyes to another way of life.
Kathy Boswell, The Best Reviews