Mind Spill: Fifty Shades of BDSM

The buzz surrounding E.L James’ Fifty Shades trilogy has blown up to epic proportions. Romance readers are raving over this erotic series calling Fifty a sex icon.

More attention has been paid to the series after the Today’s Show segment on the Fifty Shades of Grey book and the series in general. Readers who both enjoyed the books and even those who didn’t were quick to point out the major flaws in Dr. Drew’s reasoning. For someone who hasn’t read the book, he certainly has a lot of opinions on what is suitable and not suitable for women to read and take part in. He forgets that this series is FICTION and that there will be, without a doubt, women out there who enjoy reading and participating in relationships of a certain kind.

Nevertheless, I know that some bloggers were intrigued by the discussion and were interested enough to check out the books themselves. In the end, James got some major promotion out of it and potentially, a lot more readers.

Unfortunately, I may be the only person on the face of the earth who doesn’t enjoy these books. Even amongst my UTC girls who share the same taste in books as me, I’m an oddity. Angela read all three books and loved them. Francesca and Suzanne have read them and enjoyed them marginally more than I did. In fact, after the very first chapter, I flailed the white flag and did not finish it.

But despite the good and bad surrounding this series, it doesn’t undermine the fact that people are reading and that’s good enough for me.

All this Fifty Shades talk has got me thinking about other BDSM-related books. So if you’re like me, looking for some Fifty alternatives or a fan who is simply looking for more, list some of your favorite BDSM-related books in the comments below. I would love to discover something new to read. Who knows, maybe we’ll discover the next new Fifty and maybe one-up him.

Before I list my recs, I want to mention that these books are more hardcore than the vanilla sex you read in the Fifty Shades trilogy. Fair warning.

My recommendations:
The first Dom I ever fell in love with was Jack Cole from Shayla Black’s WICKED TIES. Jack wasn’t my first BDSM read, but his book was the first one that made me feel something for the characters. I’ve read quite a bit of erotica before this, but those characters were easily forgotten. This particular book changed that for me. I loved him so much that I backed him up in UTC’s The Dom’s Dungeon event last July. You can see that post here.

I must mention Shayla Black’s latest release in the Wicked Lovers series, BELONG TO ME. This book was my second favorite book of 2011. Logan was the perfect Dom – firm and demanding, yet fair and loving.

Another one of my personal favorites is SWEET PERSUASION by Maya Banks. This is Damon Roche’s book (Cue swoons). This book explores a BDSM slave relationship. Serena wants to be fully owned, inside and outside of the bedroom. Her fantasy isn’t for everyone. Some may feel uncomfortable with this intense level of ownership, but like I said earlier, some people differ in their preference and desire a certain kind of relationship. Also, this book helped me get over my phobia of reading about butt plugs.

I was fortunate enough to get a chance to read SWEET ADDICTION by Maya Banks. This book doesn’t come out until April, however, it has become one of my early favorites of 2012. Banks incorporates a surprisingly large amount of emotional depth in this book. It’s surprising because there are three main leads – Ren, the heroine and Lucas and Cole, two dominant heroes. I wondered how she was going to make this work and make me feel the love between three people instead of the usual two, but for some reason, it worked. It worked so well that I found it difficult to pick between the two men. This book was great! Two Doms = two times the fun!

But perhaps my favorite BDSM-related series is Cherise Sinclair’s MASTERS OF THE SHADOWLANDS series. I haven’t encountered a series that surpasses this one yet. This series really has it all – emotional depth, steaming hot sex scenes and some of the best Doms you will ever find in erotic fiction. Sinclair has a knack for building sexual tension and incorporating a suspense subplot that pushes the plot forward. Her latest releases in this series have been tearjerkers, so if you’re looking for something that is dark, but touching then I highly suggest you check this series out. You will not be disappointed.

That’s it! That’s my list. For now, anyway. I’m always looking for some new recommendations, so let me know some of your BDSM favourites! And if you’re not into BDSM, then that’s OK. Share your erotica favorites anyway!

Other BDSM books worthy of mention:
Comfort Food by Kitty Thomas
Slave by Sherri Hayes
Nobody's Hero by Kallypso Masters