ARC Review: Unrestrained by Joey W. Hill

Unrestrained is the first book I have ever read by Joey W. Hill, but I had heard great things and felt like this book was one I really needed to read. Even though I knew this book was about BDSM before I read it, I feel like this book was completely different than what I was expecting. There were a few things that I had problems with, and those kept me from really being able to get behind this story. While this story wasn't for me, there are a lot of people that I think will really enjoy this book. I thought that Joey W. Hill did a really great job of writing though, and it was clear throughout the entire book that she really knows a ton about the BDSM world. Her scenes were all extremely detailed and I was impressed with how well done they were.

Athena is a successful business woman, and she is used to being in charge. She was her husband's Mistress until he passed away, and was used to being the one who ran things. After two years of mourning and going to the club that they were members of, one night she comes across a Master with a sub. She is immediately drawn to him even though he has his face covered. She watches the scene and then leaves the club. After she exits, she goes to fill her car with gas across the street from the club and is attacked. The mysterious Master rescues her, and they both quickly realize that there is a connection between them. As Athena gets to know Dale better, he gets her to realize that she was really a submissive all along. Dale helps Athena get over the loss of her husband while introducing her to what its like to accept her submissive nature and enter into a Master/sub relationship. Can Athena leave behind her pain and loss to move forward with Dale? What happens when everyone that supported her after her husband died learns about her new status as a sub?

I liked Dale. I thought that he was determined and stubborn, and extremely alpha. But I feel like despite reading this entire book that I really didn't get to know him. I know that he was a SEAL and that he had a lot of pride and honor. But beyond that and a few other details that were shared as well as his sexual preferences, his character felt sort of flat to me. I liked how protective he was of Athena and I was really glad to see how he never gave up on her. Athena was strong and successful, and yet there were several times that she was extremely vulnerable and seemed almost insecure. I couldn't quite reconcile the fact that she was so successful and was used to taking care of everyone to the woman who would be so afraid to be who she was and would run so easily. She was just too unsure of herself and felt weak for most of this story. I never was able to connect with her character. I think part of my problem is that both Dale and Athena were in their mid to late forties, and for me the age just didn't work. I think that Dale and Athena had a lot of chemistry though, and they definitely had a ton of really steamy scenes.

One of my problems with this story was the pacing. Because Athena's husband had died and this was her first relationship after, there was a lot for her to get over and it really slowed down the whole story. I found myself becoming bored and wanting to put the book down and walk away. I have never been in the same situation as Athena, but I thought that the story focused too much on her husband and not enough on her growing relationship with Dale. It also bugged me that Dale constantly called her girl. I know it was meant to be a term of endearment, but with their age and circumstances it just didn't work for me. Another thing that bothered me with this story was how accepting she was of everything that Dale did. Having read some BDSM books before, I am familiar with that world enough to know that there are many situations where there are safeguards to protect the sub. Dale knowingly took those away at times in this book, and yet Athena just went along with it and never said anything. I just didn't understand how a new submissive wouldn't possibly question numerous things that he did. I found it to be pretty disrespectful that Dale would not give Athena a safe word or safe gesture by restricting her movements completely by tying her up and gagging her. I realize that he is an experienced Master and is used to dealing with subs, but he really didn't know Athena for long before this point and yet he supposedly knew her well enough to know what would be too far for her. That just didn't work for me. I also thought that there were a few things that were flat out ridiculous in this story. There was a part of the story where she has to wear skirts with liners and keeps tissues handy because she has a constant flow of arousal...umm what?

Overall, I felt like there was more pain and punishments in this book than true love and trust. It would have been nice to see more of their growth as a couple beyond just him trying to teach her how to be the proper sub according to his standards. I think that this just wasn't the book for me. I was never able to become invested in Athena and Dale's relationship, and I never really felt their connection beyond the physical. I think that the emotions just weren't really there beyond those experienced as a result of the punishments. The reason I gave this one three stars was because I really did think that it was well written. Even though the content of the story wasn't to my liking, the story was very detailed and I thought that Joey W. Hill did a great job of bringing the BDSM portions to life. I think that there are a lot of people who read Erotica that will find this story to be not only extremely well written, but also very enjoyable. I think that if you don't mind the darker aspects of BDSM and can handle the punishment side of things that you should give this one a shot. However if you are looking for the lighter side of BDSM with a lot of romance and an emotional love connection, this one might not be for you.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository |