The Subs Club, Book 1 by J.A. Rock; Riptide Publishing, $17.99; Kindle $6.99
Unique, adventuresome, and sinfully entertaining, J.A. Rock's first book in her four-part bondage-themed Subs Club novel series will appeal both to alternative romance readers and to fans of light BDSM gay fiction. This introductory volume, published last December, follows four friends who explore their darker side and in the process find out a lot about themselves and the push-pull kink world of bondage and discipline.
David, the story's hilarious narrator, accompanies his 20something friends Miles, Kamen, and Gould to popular BDSM club Riddle's theme night, "Kink by Candlelight," standing-room-only by the time they arrive. Each man has his niche: Kamen is the tall, handsome, buzzed-head jock; David is the quick-witted, blue-eyed boy next door; Gould is short, stocky, shy, and kinky-haired; and Miles is the cardigan-sweater-wearing brainiac with a Prince Albert piercing who dresses "like a minister's daughter" but is the biggest pain slut in the group. They network on Web groups like "Fetmatch," and troll for the profiles of hot men they see at the bondage club, hoping to angle for a hot chat, a date, or a future spanking session.
David spies a rugged guy with a "pornstache" at Riddle one night and finds himself turned on, declaring he'd "never met a mustache that made me feel this way." The man disappears, but when searched on Fetmatch, he is the legendary Dom named the "Disciplinarian," a hyperstrict, appointment-only top with a laundry list of requirements. To eagerly corruptible David he's a challenge, and their interaction develops with both learning lessons from the other in and out of the playspace.
The foursome hadn't been to the club since Hal, David's best friend and a popular submissive, wound up dead there after some heavy play with an irresponsible Dom named Bill Henson. The tragedy devolved into a nasty court case. Bill was acquitted of any wrongdoing and reinstated as a member of Riddle, which infuriated David. Intent on sparing other submissives Hal's fate, David launches an online blog where subs can review their dominant counterparts �" a veritable Yelp for bottoms, forewarning them before they engage in any playtime to avoid careless Doms. The website irks Doms who discover it.
Rock establishes the club's atmosphere with great creative skill. Riddle has three playrooms: Chaos, Refinement, and Tranquility. Activities range from serious role-play with crosses, stocks, cages and ladders, to sedate scenes behind the velvet-roped areas of Tranquility. First-timers must read and sign a 10-page confidentiality agreement replete with disclaimers and clubhouse rules. The excitement that the characters experience leaps off the page. These four guys are into their scene, a circuit party for pain and degradation. Rock takes time to flesh out her characters and attribute likeable qualities to each, but she is careful to make them human, fallible, with physical flaws, not cookie-cutter, cut-abs, perfectly coiffed model-types. Much of the interplay is light and humorous. A woman named Rachel turns her subs into human menorahs. Pony-play queen Cinnamon badgers the gang, but has a heart.
Rock is a prolific Chicago-based author of queer romance and suspense novels who sometimes writes under the pseudonym Jill Smith. There are four books in this series: Pain Slut was released in February; Manties in a Twist will drop at the beginning of April; and 24/7 will complete the series in June. Readers eager for kinky gay fiction and those with an interest in the BDSM community will find much to enjoy in the Subs Club series.