Learning to Drown by Sommer Marsden

rating	★★★★☆
status	Read from July 26 to 28, 2011
format	ebook
recommended for	Lovers of D/s & kidnap fantasy books
review	"It had been amazing. Such a good surrender. Almost what I wanted. Almost. But then...it had waned. Every time after, the whole scenario was a little less. Not quite as bright or magical or surreal as that first time. I didn't come as hard. My heart didn't beat as fast. My surrender was less crisp and a little petulant." What happens when your fantasy is your reality and your reality is your fantasy? Hmmm...that got you thinking didn't it? Ember is an addict of sorts. Like all addicts, she is constantly chasing that blissful euphoric state that she only achieves through kidnap and non-consensual fantasies. She needs constant titration or in this case, escalation in order to achieve the same high. Along her journey, she uncovers a lot about herself and what she needs. She discovers that she has been going about things all wrong. In hindsight, of-course, it is glaringly obvious what she needs--it just takes a stranger to show her. I really enjoyed this book. The insight gained by allowing the reader into the mind of both the hero and heroine was crucial especially for those of us who have no first hand knowledge of the lifestyle. Learning To Drown is a little dark, okay, maybe more than a little dark. It contains elements of the BDSM culture like bondage, domination and submission to name a few, but nothing too extreme. It's also important to note that the main theme to this book is kidnap fantasy and non-con fantasy, so if that is a topic that bothers you , then you should steer clear. If you have no aversion to that, then you should enjoy this darkly sexy and romantic book. It is sure to add some spice and excitement to an otherwise boring night! There were a lot of great scenes with sexy lines in this book, but the following was really the epitome of domination...I must have read it a million times... "I don't mind being the bad guy. Bad guys have bigger guns, don't they? And they cheat. So go on, Ember, suck my gun."