The Deep End (Honey, #1)

by Kristen Ashley

• ISBN10: 1250121124
• ISBN13: 9781250121127
• Publish Date: 7 March 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: St. Martin's Griffin
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[chemicalscream]

I almost DNF'ed this book a bunch of times in the first half of the book. I just could not get in to the story. :/

I got a bit lost in the beginning of the book. It might have been the narrative, as I am not the biggest fan of third person, possibly just the story starting out really slow as well. There was a lot of inner dialogue I could have lived without, especially in the beginning of the book but eventually I started to get in to the story. I really enjoyed the second half of this book a lot more than the first half. Things definitely got a lot more interesting, there was more than just intense dirty sex happening ..the story developed a lot more.

Amelia is the DOMME in this book, and it was interesting, seeing the female in that role… and Olivier was referred to as an Alpha/Sub.. and he was definitely a Kristen Ashley ALPHA IN ALMOST ALL THE WAYS, except for the playroom. O_O Say what? He is what I saw someone refer to in another review as “Lion in the streets, kitten in the sheets.” and I TOTALLY AGREE with that. This made for an interesting Kristen Ashley story for sure.

It’s not my favorite book of Kristen Ashley’s but it was ok. It’s just a lot different than what we are used to from her. That’s ok though. I will probably read the next book though because I have some guesses as to who it will be about... and the one character seems very interesting.

[Eve1972]

This cover is OK. It is certainly better than some of her other covers that's for sure. It's a good representation of the story within. Good composition. Ok typography (why is the title in lower case??) It's bright and eye-catching as well.


If you know me, then you know that KA and I haven't been the best of friends lately. Apart from the Daisy novella, her last eight or nine books have been total misses for me. In fact, I had pretty much given up on her ever getting back to the greatness that was the ROCK CHICKS or SWEET DREAMS or MOTORCYCLE MAN or KNIGHT...well you get the picture. That said my curiosity got the better of me for this one and I requested an ARC. Since her same-same wasn't working for me then MAYBE something entirely different from her would. What can I say, I am an optimist...

Well, I ended up liking this one. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it with the passion of a thousand white-hot suns like some of her other recent ones. I didn't find myself overly engaged in it either. I found it dull and long winded (I know I know it's KA she is ALWAYS long winded) in places. Both Amèlie and Olivier were prone to go off on pages and pages of inner dialogue that after awhile had me skimming. Pretty much anything outside of Amèlie and Olivier interacting had me losing interest.

I didn't connect with Amèlie and Olivier as a couple either. Mostly because I just didn't like Amèlie. It wasn't that she was a Domme. It wasn't that she was older than Olivier (a year). It was that she just came off so cold and hard and frigging PRETENTIOUS. With her annoying little French endearments and her total disregard for Olivier's requests. OMG, she annoyed me!



How she was top Domme at this place boggles the mind. Olivier's and her first scene he tells her he doesn't like humiliation, doesn't like being watched and isn't really into "ass play" What does she do? She ties him down, spreads his ass open and opens the blinds for everyone to watch. In real life, this chick would have been out on her ass and banned from ANY respectable club. Her whole "You are in my room, so you do what I want" crap was appalling. That pretty much ruined her character from the start. That said as the book went on she I did start to warm up to her a bit but I never came to like her completely.

Olivier, on the other hand, I really liked. I've read books with males subs before, so this wasn't a new thing for me. I liked how he submitted, but he had an edge. He was an alpha male struggling with his need to let go in the bedroom. It felt real to me, and it worked. I like when he stood up to Amèlie and called her out on her behavior. I wish we would have seen more of him (both of them) outside the club.

There is a TON of sex in this one. In fact, for the first 70%, it is ALL these two do. Scene after scene in the club. To be honest (and I can't believe I am saying this) there were too many sex scenes that went on WAY too long. I started to skim them because they got repetitive with Amèlie doing the same things to Olivier every time. They never did ANYTHING outside the club but talk on the phone for three-quarters of the book. It made it hard to connect with them as a couple on a deeper level. Not to mention some of the sex scenes made me laugh. I mean seriously calling the base of his dick "the seat of his meat"? I laughed for ten minutes straight.

Wrapping this up because I feel like I have already written a book-length review on this one. I enjoyed this enough that I will read the next book mostly because Branch intrigued me in this one. In fact, there were quite a few interesting side characters in this book that I am curious in hearing more about (Barclay, Stellan, Aryas.) Like I said, I am an optimist, so hopefully, the next one will be better. I'm not writing this series off yet.

[stacey_is_sassy]

Judge on the journey…not just the individual stops

I’ll warn you straight up this may end up as a whole bunch of babbling…

I was really nervous starting The Deep End. Kristen Ashley is my favouritist favourite author. I have a lot of favourite authors but she’s the Queen. So, when she decided to do something new and different I was more than interested. Then…she shared that she created a hero that was an Alpha/Sub. WHAT??? Now, don’t blame me, but all I could see was the sub part. I couldn’t take in the Alpha part at the time because, in my little old head, those two words do not compute together. With a few deep breaths and a talk me down from the ledge from hubby (of course, his talk me down from the ledge was VERY tongue in cheek), I remembered it was KA and decided to just see how things went.

With an advanced copy of The Deep End sitting on my kindle, I was bloody nervous. It took a wee bit of time to prepare myself for the journey. I had to pack away my pre-conceived ideas, clear my mind of previous similar journeys and plan to not judge on every stop/station that I visited. I needed to make sure to remember that one stop/station that I don’t like, doesn’t have to ruin the whole trip. It’s how I feel at the end that counts.

Then I started…

OK…

Houston, we have a problem…

I didn’t like the heroine. I had to put down my kindle for a minute or two and re-evaluate. I admit, I have read some BDSM books and enjoyed them. There’s something about a man giving orders, taking his sub to a different level of awareness and giving pleasure unimaginable. So, I thought to myself…Sassy, don’t be so sexist, these same things from a woman can be just as sexy.

There were times where I could understand where the heroine was coming from. She’s confident, beautiful, rich and taller than quite a few men which give her power and control. If this power and control are in her everyday life, of course, it could be something that flows into the bedroom too.

So, we’ve established that I struggled a little with the heroine dominating. I eventually worked through that and moved onto other issues.

A BDSM setting is a hard one to get your mind around. With every story that has had this element, I can’t help but think…how the hell do they get off on this stuff? I don’t get the humiliation and putting your partner on display to show ownership, control and ability to make someone act on your bidding.

Well, this stage took a wee bit longer to process. In the end, I did because it was bloody obvious that our hero, while at first angry and vulnerable, gets off on it. I mean…REALLY GETS OFF ON IT!!

Which brings us to the crux of the story and where all readers must make a decision. How do we accept that an "Alpha" male in real life, NEEDS pain, control and ownership in the bedroom? We're talking about a blokey bloke in real life, coming to accept that in the bedroom, he likes to be pushed out of his comfort zone. The hero doesn’t like to be ordered around or embarrassed but something in him snaps and a button is pushed in the play room that gives him the high…the release…the ecstasy he craves.

How can I judge? What right do I have to say it’s wrong? Who am I to think what I want or like is what everyone else should too?

In the end, it’s all about pleasure and finding your happy place. He can still be a blokey bloke in his everyday life, say what he wants when he wants and be bossy if he needs to. What he likes in the bedroom doesn't change the man he is on the street. He will still knock your block off if you touch him inappropriately, talk in a degrading way or boss him around...in his everyday life.

The Deep End was interesting, sexy and thought provoking. When you find your happy place in the four walls of a BDSM club, can you take that connection to the outside world? Do the four walls move outward to include parts of your world? Can you leave that part of yourself just for the bedroom? Will you expect it all the time?

I thoroughly enjoyed the journey. There were highs and lows but they somehow all came together in a way that I could understand and appreciate. Yes, their scene is not my cup of tea, but geez I can’t complain about standing at the window and observing the action…connection…feelings that develop.

The Deep End will not be for everyone and Kristen Ashley fans will be surprised where she goes. The story has a little mystery and intrigue thrown in but it definitely wasn't the main focus of the story. A lot of The Deep End revolves around the club, the Bee's Honey and the Dominant's of the club. It has her usual style to it but it goes deeper into the kinky than she’s ever been before.

Good luck…and may the force be with you.

Stacey is Sassy, received a complimentary copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.