Book Review - Freedom in Submission by Alexandra Noir

"I don't mind you hitting me," she said simply, hoping it would be enough to make him truly see her.

Four Stars

Freedom inSubmission takes place in seventeenth century Massachusetts during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. Before things take a bit of turn towards the kinky, the story paints an absorbing and accurate picture of Puritan family life at the time.

Nice respectable married couple, Ezekiel and Martha, have some secret hidden kinky BDSM desires burning away under their modest puritan garb. In Ezekiel’s case these desires are so hidden that he didn’t even know he had them.

Martha is a bit more experienced in the whole BDSM business having got up to all sorts in her previous marriage and with a clandestine kinkster society in the village. She’d shelved all thoughts of such naughtiness during her seven year marriage but when events bring it all back into focus, she has to admit to herself that her masochistic submissive self is who she is.

Puritans. Sex-mad bunch of kinksters, apparently.

And, happily, after a bit of understandable reticence, Ezekiel realises he is totally on board with the whole Driven-by-one-lusts Dom business. The sex and BDSM scenes are pretty hot and it’s great to read a book where it’s the Dom who’s the newbie rather than the other way round.

Frustratingly, this is only the first part of the ‘BDSM and Magic in the Colonies’ set so the story doesn’t really get a chance to develop. The ongoing witchcraft trials are mentioned but are not really part of the story. A slightly sinister turn towards the end of the book suggests that Ezekiel and Martha are going to be drawn further into this world of devilment and hysteria.

It’s a bit unfair of me to complain about this just being the first part of a larger story as I appreciate that this is the way the author chooses to publish. It’s probably quite a good business model – get readers hooked and ensure sales for the next instalment. Most of the books I read don’t follow this format though and come with a beginning, middle and end. Stuff happens, stuff gets resolved, sex ‘n’ spanks happen and then our hero and heroine live happily ever after. I felt a bit short-changed when I reached the end and found myself with more questions than answers.

Why did you spend so long talking about Goody Nurse at the beginning only for her never to be mentioned again? What's the deal with the witchcraft trials? Is it all just distortion and disinformation? Or is everyone actually worshipping Satan in their spare time? Is the Minister a Good Pervert or a Bad Pervert?

Bad Pervert

Well, there you go. Clearly Alexandra Noir knows what she’s doing. I’ll be buying the next instalment as soon as it comes out. I’m hooked.

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