| Title | : | Enslave |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0061376094 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780061376092 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 243 |
| Publication | : | First published September 21, 2009 |
Enslave Reviews
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~4/5
[Also available on my
blog.]
I’m a little embarrassed to admit how much I liked this book. I try not to hold erotic or adult romance books on too high a level, mainly because I’m usually not very impressed with them. They usually have the characters jumping into things too quickly, or not very enticing characters, or not enough chemistry. They’re not usually very amazingly written stories. But sometimes I get surprised, and this book surprised me.
Now, I’m not saying that this book was amazingly written, with great characters or any of that stuff. And I’m sure that there are going to be several people that look at this book, and that read this book, and do not like what happened. But, for some reason, I did.
I found this book by chance, and thought it sounded good. And it’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling, which I didn’t know until I’d already started it. Finding this out made me pay more attention to certain things, and yet still didn’t make me dislike the book any more than I already did, which was not much at all.
Enslave’s main character is Nadia, one of three sisters, whose father deals with crime. And when her father goes a bit too far and ends up in Dominic’s debt, Nadia gives herself to Dominic so he won’t kill her family. And so Nadia ends up as a slave to Dominic, while her sister Jelena is trying to find a way to get her back.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the relationship between Nadia and Dominic. I probably shouldn’t, but I rather liked Dominic. He’s rough around the edges, but he actually does care for Nadia, and I liked the ending. And I liked Nadia, as well. She wasn’t too selfless, and she stood up to Dominic when it needed to be done. They had some problems with the whole, being-locked-up thing, but that worked itself out.
I was definitely surprised by what happened with Jelena. That was not a plot-line that I saw coming, and I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d have liked. She’s really quite the bitch, and goes overboard even if she thinks what she’s doing is right. I’m not going to say too much more on this, though, because that could be major spoilers.
I did not like Nadia and Jelena’s father. He’s, just, pathetic. And despicable. I didn’t like him, and felt the sisters should have stuck up to him way before they did.
One problem that I did have with the story, is that I wasn’t quite sure what time it was set in. Nadia’s family is from Russia, and one of them was sold as a mail-order-bride, and where they live and how they live hints at an older time, but they have very new cars and cellphones… This very well could be set in modern times, but it felt like it should have been in the past.
Oh, also: sex. There is a lot of sex in this book. Not only between Nadia and Dominic, either. And there’s some kinky stuff happening, and a threesome, and some lesbian stuff. There’s sex in almost every chapter, too, but mixed in with actual plot movement.
And even with all the sex and Jelena, I read this book really fast. It was a while ago, but it was in less than two days, I know. I was surprised with how quickly the book went by, how easy it was to get through.
So, yea, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. And if I ever stumble upon another of Yardley’s books, I will be getting it. -
I'm not sure what I think of this one. I bought it because I was expecting an erotic retelling of B&B. What I got was Russian crime families, an angry bisexual sister, and an oddly sweet romance between the hero and heroine. It was a good read for the $1.99 sale price I bought it at, though, and I don't regret reading it, but I'm not...blown away, either? I guess because my expectations were very different. Still a good read, though.
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I didn’t care for the characters. They weren’t interesting. There were a lot of sex scenes, but they lacked emotional draw.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
I wasn’t thrilled. I wasn’t drawn to the characters. The story was ok but could have used more depth. There were many sex scenes which were ok, but I wasn’t drawn in emotionally. There was one event which didn’t make sense to me. Dominic and Nadia like and enjoy each other, but he decides to return her to her home. This causes Nadia to feel rejected. He ends up taking her back, but I found it unnecessary. It was an illogical source of conflict. The Jelena story was a little more interesting, but again I wasn’t drawn into the characters enough to enjoy it.
A minor problem: the cover picture is wrong. Dominic has a disfigured face. Cover guy does not.
STORY BRIEF:
Dominic is disfigured with scars on his face and body. Alexis had something to do with causing them when he broke up with her a few years back. She wants him dead and has a contract out on his life. He lives in a remote fortress-like home. Mikhail steals Dominic’s car and sells it. Dominic comes to Mikhail’s home threatening violence. Mikhail’s daughter Nadia offers herself to Dominic saying she will live with him and do anything he says. He is intrigued and takes her home. He requires that she always be naked. They have a lot of sex which includes bondage, spanking and sex toys.
A second story is about Nadia’s sister Jelena. She married a wealthy older man Henry. He pays a monthly allowance to Jelena and also to her father. Jelena asks for more money to help Nadia which Henry refuses. Jelena knows Henry will probably divorce her for someone younger and leave her with no money. She takes steps to get money and power. She uses sex to make this happen. There are several Jelena sex scenes in the book which include 2 women, 2 men with 1 woman, and rear door activity.
DATA:
Story length: 243 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious words. Sexual language: strong/erotic. Number of sex scenes: 16. Total number of sex scene pages: around 67. Setting: current day Nevada. Copyright: 2009. Genre: erotic romantic suspense. -
Another version of beauty & the beast. The beast - Dominic Luder, a protagonist with a dark and tortured past filled with self doubt issues. Beauty - Nadia, self sacrificed to save her father from Dominic's wrath when he stole Dom's 1958 'rose' Ferrari, Nadia became his prisoner until the problem can be resolved. Fairytale modernization - quick read with little depth to the characters. Dominic had potential but author didn't delve more into his thoughts. 3.5 stars - rounding it off to a 4.
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ok.. where to start...
Nadia is a self sacrificer... she sacrifices her happiness, herself, her body, and almost her soul for her family. As her father is an ass and continues to put her in these positions, she once again sacrifices herself to a man whom is so brutal, so mysterious and scary that it is too much for her sister Jelena whom is the oldest and although has never realized what it is exactly that her sister Nadia has given for their family, she has an idea now.. when Nadia places herself inbetween her low-life scum of a father and this very frightning man. She offers herself in place of her fathers and families lives.. almost like a barganing chip, until her father can get back what he stole from Dominic. Will her father be too late though... will she succum to the will of this strange and powerful man..
Dominic is pissed... his favorite possession, his "Rose" and he will get his vengence.. until some crazy ass little Russian woman places herself in front of the man responisble for his current unhappiness. There is something about her... he cant place his fingure on it, but he knows he wants it. So, when she agrees that she is his, no matter what, he can do ANYTHING to her and with her, he is intrigued enough to forgo the vengence and take the girl. Why??? He doesnt know, but he had to.
I really liked this story... It had just the right amount of each charcters issues to intertwine their stories and help them work through it together.. but not too much to where one characters issues overpowered the others. I could have done with less of Jelenas story only because A) I wanted to know SOOO much more about Nadia dn Dominic and B) I really just didnt care..lol... I know you had to have a little bit of her story to work out the ending but honestly... I dont care if she did all this sexing around.. it happens, she finally came into her own.. whoopdie freakin doo..
I am totally going to read other books written by Cathy Yardley... This book kept my attention and i DIDNT want to put it down... and I only skimmed a little through the parts with the sister in them... teeheeehee..
READ IT!! -
Not a big fan: I found the characters lacking in substance and chemistry, and a little contrived.. I did think the plot had promise though, even if I didn't particularly like this Beauty & Beast retelling..
I also felt like a lot of the story revolved around Nadia (Beauty)'s sister Jelena discovering sex.. I wish the author would have spent more time building the main characters, who ended up feeling flat, and in whom I felt utterly uninvolved.. -
LAWD what a pile of shit, I'm almost ashamed to put it on my booklist, but it's perfect for nightshifts when you have nothing better to do at 2 a.m.
EDIT: I wasn't able to finish it, it's just plain too bad. I'll need some real books to flush out this dross from my circuits. -
I was expecting a retelling if Beauty and the Beast, but that wasn’t really the case. But still, I liked it. The part I didn’t like, however, was the fact that Dominic felt like he OWNED Nadia. Like she was his property. I wanted to toss the book across the room.
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HOT Book. I had to pray after reading it. LOL
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Pretty good smut but not epic
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I found this book amazing. While I'm sure there were flaws within the writing, I can't readily think of any. As for plot and characters, the author does a fantastic job blending the original tale of Beauty and the Beast with this modern version.
The Plot:
Almost everyone knows the original tale... Self-sacrificing Beauty agrees to become the Beasts prisoner after her father steals a rose from him. Once there she begins to see the gentler side of the Beast and begins to fall in love. Missing her family, the Beast allows Beauty to return for a visit with a deadline of how long she can stay. Something prevents her from returning and when she finally arrives back it is to find the Beast dying. Beauty admits her love, breaking the curse and saving the Beast. And they live happily ever after...
To have this remarkable modernization... Keep the rose but twist it slightly so that instead of an innocent flower, Beauty's father has stolen the Beast's most prized car, a "1958 Ferrari Testa Rossa, in its original red." Substitute magical transformation with scars obtained in a car bomb and make the Beast's isolation be due to an open contract hit out on his life. Insert a (remarkable on its own) side story in which one of Beauty's two sisters is determined to save her. Add a life-or-death fight, a dog named Max, lots of steamy sex with girl-on-girl action and a dash of BDSM. The result is sure to leave lovers of the original drooling.
The Characters:
Papa - Mikhail Bessonov is perhaps anything but the sweet old man written in the original story. Here he's a Russian immigrant who makes his money stealing cars. He is married to thirty year-old Deidre who is about to give birth to the son he's always wanted. As the head of the family, he has been responsible for "selling" Irina and Jelena in to marriage through Mail-Order Bride catalogs in return for monthly stipends. With him, everything is for the sake of the 'family', often meaning 'him'.
Sister One - Irina receives the first word of the book while bemoaning her recent divorce. She is the youngest sister at twenty-four and resents Nadia for not having been forced into marriage. After Nadia is taken, her only feelings on the matter are that at least it's not her and the hope that Nadia is able to siphon some money their way. Having been divorced only a month and left penniless because of a pre-nup, Irina's only goal is to land herself another rich husband so that she's once more surrounded by wealth and can leave their father's house.
Sister Two - Jelena is the oldest sister and is perhaps the character to go through the most change. It was her marriage that allowed the rest of the family to come over from Moscow and, while initially resentful for Nadia not having been married off, she begins to wonder if perhaps Nadia hasn't drawn the short-straw as a result. This leads to her desperate search for a way to free her sister, there-by causing her to take charge of her own life for once.
Beauty - Nadia is the Beauty of the original story and is willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of her family. Because of her lack of marriages, it has more than once fallen on her to help the family 'any' way she could. Despite her lack of pleasure in the past, she is determined to go through with her captivity for the sake of her family. As such, she is surprised and frightened by her reactions to Dominic. During the course of the book, Nadia realizes that while she can not help but to love her family, that perhaps she and her sisters have been too giving towards their father, never making him fully rely on only himself. Perhaps one of the most significant changes in Nadia is when she realizes that she needs to change her dependent personalty; in that, previously, her goal in life was simply to please the men, whether her father or Dominic. This realization allows her to finally defy her father in trying to milk Dominic for money, and to stand up in the end and state that she plans on finding herself a job so as to not be wholly dependent on another for food and shelter.
The Beast - Dominic Luder is a drool-worthy rendition of the Beast. Lethally dangerous, he is an anti-hero of first-water. After Nadia's father steals his favorite car, given to him by his mentor and worth even more sentimentally than the staggering price tag, Dominic is baffled by his acceptance of Nadia's offer. For the past several years before this story takes place, Dominic has hidden himself away from the world. He admits to being born to a whore and to being recruited into the Mafia as an enforcer. When his mentor, the leader, died, it was assumed Dominic would marry his daughter. After declining, she arranges for the car bomb that scars him, then posts the open hit on him. The resulting attempts on his life lead to his seclusion and to earning himself the moniker of The Beast due to the ruthlessness he uses in dispatching those who come after him. Because of this history, Nadia confuses him with her naivety and complete devotion to her family. When she sees past his scars and finds pleasure with him, Dominic can not help but fall for her.
Overall, this book is a wonderful addition to the ranks of fairy-tale retellings. It stays true to all of the aspects of the original while stripping away the magic, making for a more realistic version. Even the sub-plot involving Jelena was fresh and imaginative. Here is a story about characters full of flaws, who are able to realize and work to over-come them. Plus, you have to love a version of Beauty and the Beast where the Beauty wonders if she's suffering Stockholm Syndrome..."With every passing day, she seemed to grow more and more addicted to him. She didn't know how it was happening. Stockholm syndrome, perhaps, that bizarre dysfunction where captives become dependent on their captors. Was she losing herself, then?"
"She couldn't do it. He'd had many chances to kill her.... Call it Stockholme syndrome, or dysfunction, or sheer insanity. But she couldn't kill him while he slept."
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A mostly fun update of Beauty and the Beast. The sister subplot was given too many pages, and I ended up skimming her sex scenes. But I liked it enough that I'll read the other two updated fairy tales.
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I’ve read this book before, but since I’m waiting for the Forbidden Hearts books to come off hold again at the library, I needed something spicy to tide me over ;)
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I loved Nadia and Dominic's love story. Could not stand Jelena. I would have appreciated her becoming stronger if she hadn't turned into such a frigid b*tch.
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DNF
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This book was what I think the best in the series. I love beauty and the beast retellings and this is erotica. So of course I will love it.
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This read was a huge step outside of my usual reading habits. I don’t really read romance novels, so I’m not really up to speed with all the sub-genres and naming conventions, but I think this one falls into the erotica category.
If there are books of this genre that have plots that are actually worthwhile please let me know. Every time I’ve tried, I just get frustrated at how the story is just a very loose vessel to pad out the page count between sex scenes. The plot is flimsy, there’s no character development because the characters are all just caricatures and the sex scenes themselves are just ridiculous.
I don’t feel like it’s very fair of me to speak negatively of this book. It’s a very popular genre that a lot of people enjoy, it’s just not for me.
So much of the actual content was sex scenes, which I don’t enjoy reading anyway, but almost all of these involved coercion of some kind, and that made me quite uncomfortable. I’m not averse to being uncomfortable when reading if it’s for a reason, but the only reason this time was for titillation.
The plot was basic and the characters motivations were simplistic and not always consistent. I don’t know if all erotica books are like this, but I won’t be rushing to try again anytime soon.
https://madeoflibrary.blogspot.com/20... -
This was a modern, erotic retelling of Beauty and the Beast. When her father stole the Rose from the Beast, Nadia sacrificed herself by going with the Dominic in order to protect her family. Dominic was a dangerous man who had suffered a violent attack that left him scarred. Now that he had Nadia, what little else can Dominic do but to turn her into his sex slave?
I had very mixed feelings about this one. The story started off strong but then it began to weaken for me. The characters were not developed well, and I could not stand Dominic. His brooding was expected, but it turned me off when he began to act like a spoiled kid when Nadia wanted to go see her father. Though the characters were not written well, the sex scenes were. Let's just say that many interesting things happened that had me fanning myself a few times. -
I was here in Good Reads looking up books based on my favorite fairy tale Beauty and the Beast and this seems to be one of them , the summary was alright so when my kobo offered this book as one of the free downloads that week I simply have to have it . At first it was alright the story reminds of the Beauty and Beast classic stories where Beauty had siblings ,and as usual something strange always happen for the beast able to 'abduct' Beauty ..
I like the chemistry between Nadia and Dominic , but I wish the author CONCENTRATED on the plot more and story line because It seem have a good story line but the end product ends having a poor character and story construction and way too much erotica scenes.
Plus the author talked about Nadia , Ilira , Jelena and their Father and step mom and step brother , but throughout the story Nadia of course found her happiness same with Jelena but what happened the other sister .
All and all I give this story a 3.5 , It had a good start and a nice character personality and story line but this story still needs a bit more polishing and improvements and lessen the sex scenes and concentrate more on the story line.
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Enslave is a erotic retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Nadia Bessonova becomes Dominic Luder's prisoner to save the faith of her father. Little does she know when she makes the choice to leave with Dominic that he will end up introducing her to the most unbelievable pleasure of her life. Nobody can understand how Nadia could be in love with a beast and how Dominic could love at all. Nadia's family and Dominic's past will force them to fight for what they truly want.
Enslave is a book that I had been contemplating reading for quite a while; I had heard mixed reviews on it, so I wasn't sure if I was going to read it. I finally decided that I couldn't pass up a erotic retelling of my favorite fairy tale. After reading this book, I was extremely pleased. Cathy Yardley did a wonderful job retelling the story and adding a good dose of HOT, STEAMY, SEXY characters and scenes. I very much enjoyed reading this story and look forward to reading Cathy Yardley's other fairy tale retellings. -
I was so excited to read this book. What a great premise of bringing the old fairy tales to the modern world, and very believable, too. Now, I knew going in that it was going to be explicit, but that was okay. But I have to say that I was so disappointed. Be warned: it is only about 250 pages long, and most of those are spent on the older sister discovering she is a nympho lesbian...in very precise detail. There was so much possibility in the story of Nadia and Dominic that was never fleshed out. Dominic was so sexy, and he had so many issues! There was so much left unexplored! It was like reading a very detailed outline of the story that was to be written. I am still interested in the Snow White and Sleeping Beauty stories, but I'm not sure I'll pay the full $10 to read online now. Especially for a paperback that is so short!!
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Nadia's father steals Dominic's Ferrari. When Dominic comes looking for repayment for the theft, Nadia sacrifices herself to protect her family. A loose plot connects the sexual exploits of Nadia and Dominic, and her sister Jelena. There was a lot of sex, it wasn't creative or super hot, just a lot of it. Jelena's journey was more interesting because she grew a back bone and stood up for herself. Jelena was a Russian mail order bride, afraid of making the wrong move least her husband gets angry and divorces her. She figures out how to use sex to gain power. Not much character development because they were too busy having sex. This was better then I expected, though.
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Enslave: The Taming of the Beast by Cathy Yardley, a Kindle book I began reading on September 17th. It was a lazy day and I figured I could at least see what fairy tale erotica read like.
The telling of this story was surprisingly rich and detailed, even if it was a modernized and sexed-up version of Beauty and the Beast. Somehow, Beauty being Nadia, the youngest of three impoverished Ukrainian immigrant sisters and Beast being Dominic, a tortured larger-than-life Vegas mob member kinda worked for me. -
This book was disgusting. The relationship between Dominic and Nadia was NOT healthy, even for an erotic romance--with a big emphasis on "erotic". Their "relationship", which was really just sex and domination, made no sense. Another thing that made no sense was Nadia's sister
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I was sorely disappointed in this book. It started out great - a unique twist on Beauty and the Beast, with some very hot sex scenes. Good erotic fiction - a grown up retelling of the fairy tale. However, after the hallway scene (yes, that one), the book started falling flat.
You can't start with the hot and heavy and then wimp out and go to lovey-dovey romance, oh let's have sex.
Throw in a couple of gratuitous lesbian scenes and I got to the point that I was skimming the book to see how it would turn out.
I had high hopes in the beginning but this book really let me down in the end.
