The Riding Crop by Karyn Gerrard

The Riding Crop (novella)

Riding Crop #1

Karyn Gerrard

Historical Romance/Erotica (very mild BDSM)

Published in 2012

H/h - Lord Gideon Broyles/Olivia Durham

Setting: London, 1887.

Read in July, 2012.

My rating:

                                                [spoiler alert]

I’m so glad that I gave this freebie a try, even knowing there might be some M/M actions. I don’t usually read M/M (only if it’s a minor thing in a story) but this novella was naughty and HOT. Seriously! It’ll leave your inner hussy purring for sure. *rwaar*

Gideon is a wild man and like many other privileged Lord of the Ton, he’s bored. And because he’s bored, he thrives in engaging in all sorts of debauchery (which includes M/M actions, even though he mostly prefers women). This new club, The Riding Crop, has become his new hunting place for lusty sports. Gideon loves voyeurism and watches different kinds of bed play through special peepholes of the brothel. In the process, he comes to observe Mistress Birch in BDSM action. Now, he wants to have sex with her but what he doesn’t know that Mistress Birch or Olivia isn’t his everyday kind of whore. She’s not even a whore, as far as the term technically applies... I’ll not reveal the whys and hows of it even with my love for spoilerish reviews, because whatever little of their interaction was in the story, it was intriguing and roused my sympathy for both the disturbed souls. I hope the readers will find out on their own and give this novella a try.

Photo courtesy: Michal Podobycko

Honestly, Gideon isn’t the kind of hero I usually fall for because womanizers/skirt-chasers (among other things that is) don’t always do ‘it’ for me. But there was something about him that got to me and I wish I knew more about him and his life. I also wish that the revelations about Olivia came one step at a time. As in any novella, things felt a bit rushed to me but when it ended, I also felt that something special might be forming here between Gideon and her. Of course I didn’t expect an offer of marriage in only one night but I wished it had a few more pages with more exploration of their relationship and yes, MORE development of the intimate kind... I’ll definitely check out the author’s other works in the future.

4 stars.

“The Riding Crop” can be downloaded from smashwords. It’s also available at allromanceebooks.

PS: Just found out that Ms. Gerrard linked my review to her site. Really glad to know it and would like to thank her!

Warning: If you’re not comfortable with M/M actions, voyeurism, dirty thoughts from a gutter-minded hero (I had to put it :p) and any sort of BDSM action, this might not be for you!