reacherfan1909 reviewed Furturistic Menage Story on
Helpful Score: 5
Lauren Dane is one of the better authors out there doing erotic romance. Dane's a very good storyteller, creative, witty, and capable of drawing original characters and plots and breathing life into her tales. Dane has used domination and submission in several of her books to varying degrees with and without menage. In Undercover, a futuristic novel, she uses D/s and menage in combination.
Undercover is set in set once upon a time, somewhere in space - not Earth's future. Lieutenant Sera Ayers of the Federation Military Corps has been summoned by her commanding officer, Subcommander Yeager, for new orders - not with the team she's worked so hard to get.
Pissed off and ready for a fight she gets more than she bargained for when Commander Ash Walker, her lover and 'master' ten years ago, is there - as her new boss. She greets him as he deserves - "F**k you," she snarls, landing a solid right hook to his jaw. (Two thumbs up for Sera.)
Ten years ago Ash Walker taught Sera how to surrender and be his submissive. An interpreter for the diplomatic corps, after the break up with Ash, she moved to the military corps. The Federation is dominated by the Ranked Families, old extended business/blood lines that effectively run the Federation and employee the vast majority of the people outside the military. The Federation is trying to keep the Imperialists (Fascists) from winning control of anymore of the outer systems. The war has been going on for many years and it's the ordinary people that have been doing the bulk of the fighting and dying. Both Ash and his partner Paracommander Brandt Pela are both from high Ranking Families.
Sera has rebuilt her life and wants nothing to do Ash Walker, but Ash isn't giving her any options. She's forced to report to her new quarters where Ash and Brandt live. A confrontation after dinner in their quarters when Ash collars Sera with his hands has Ash on the floor with Sera's boot on his throat. Brandt just manages to get her to calm down so he can speak with her, but he realizes shes just barely holding it together. After convincing Sera that she really needed to pose as a concubine she's hit with the last bit of information - Brandt is the brother of the woman Ash married. Her break up with Ash happened after he professed his love for Sera then the next day offered her a contract as his mistress with her own apartment near the new house where he and his wife would live.
After Sera sends them away, Brandt and Ash realize this might be too much (Ya think?), but Ash wants Sera back - and he wants Brandt too, the three of them together. Brandt and Ash have a longstanding sexual relationship and switch back and forth on the dominant role. Ash wants Sera and knows he made a huge mistake with her. He broke more than her heart, he broke trust, and that will take a great deal to overcome.
As the story progresses, the three struggle to begin functioning as they will be expected to on Nondal. Since Sera will be posing as Brandt's concubine, this includes growing used to his touch - among other things. Sera even gets hair extensions, semi-permanent makeup and body sculpting to look more like a true Nondal concubine. Her real problem isn't getting into the role of sexual submissive, it's can she get back out when the mission is done?
Dane does a balancing act here between Sera the military officer and Sera/Sela the sexual submissive concubine. The relationship that Brandt builds with her is more than cover, it's what he wants for real. Ash wants to get back with her and a run in with his ex-wife, Kira, on Nondal gives him the chance to reestablish his bond with her and to start the relationship as a permanent menage.
I genuinely liked Sera, Ash and Brandt and enjoyed their story, even if I do have problems understanding D/s, it never really bothered me much here. Sera is smart, strong and independent and doesn't roll over for Ash and Brandt like some simpering wimp. Both men must exert considerable emotional energy get and keep the relationship working and convince Sera to make this arrangement permanent. In the end, Sera does have the pleasure of seeing the snobs caught in the web of their own making. The sex is hot and the D/s elements didn't overwhelm the love part till it felt twisted, as it so often does to me in BDSM stories. There is far more sex here than in her previous books. Sometimes it felt like the sex was thrown in because there simply hadn't been any for awhile, so someone said "let's add some sex here". The established relationship between Ash and Brandt is very well done, quite believable and adds depth to the story. I just wish Dane had expended more time and effort developing the surrounding story which would have taken the book up several notches. This was not up to her usual storytelling quality.
I gave it 3.7*
Undercover is set in set once upon a time, somewhere in space - not Earth's future. Lieutenant Sera Ayers of the Federation Military Corps has been summoned by her commanding officer, Subcommander Yeager, for new orders - not with the team she's worked so hard to get.
Pissed off and ready for a fight she gets more than she bargained for when Commander Ash Walker, her lover and 'master' ten years ago, is there - as her new boss. She greets him as he deserves - "F**k you," she snarls, landing a solid right hook to his jaw. (Two thumbs up for Sera.)
Ten years ago Ash Walker taught Sera how to surrender and be his submissive. An interpreter for the diplomatic corps, after the break up with Ash, she moved to the military corps. The Federation is dominated by the Ranked Families, old extended business/blood lines that effectively run the Federation and employee the vast majority of the people outside the military. The Federation is trying to keep the Imperialists (Fascists) from winning control of anymore of the outer systems. The war has been going on for many years and it's the ordinary people that have been doing the bulk of the fighting and dying. Both Ash and his partner Paracommander Brandt Pela are both from high Ranking Families.
Sera has rebuilt her life and wants nothing to do Ash Walker, but Ash isn't giving her any options. She's forced to report to her new quarters where Ash and Brandt live. A confrontation after dinner in their quarters when Ash collars Sera with his hands has Ash on the floor with Sera's boot on his throat. Brandt just manages to get her to calm down so he can speak with her, but he realizes shes just barely holding it together. After convincing Sera that she really needed to pose as a concubine she's hit with the last bit of information - Brandt is the brother of the woman Ash married. Her break up with Ash happened after he professed his love for Sera then the next day offered her a contract as his mistress with her own apartment near the new house where he and his wife would live.
After Sera sends them away, Brandt and Ash realize this might be too much (Ya think?), but Ash wants Sera back - and he wants Brandt too, the three of them together. Brandt and Ash have a longstanding sexual relationship and switch back and forth on the dominant role. Ash wants Sera and knows he made a huge mistake with her. He broke more than her heart, he broke trust, and that will take a great deal to overcome.
As the story progresses, the three struggle to begin functioning as they will be expected to on Nondal. Since Sera will be posing as Brandt's concubine, this includes growing used to his touch - among other things. Sera even gets hair extensions, semi-permanent makeup and body sculpting to look more like a true Nondal concubine. Her real problem isn't getting into the role of sexual submissive, it's can she get back out when the mission is done?
Dane does a balancing act here between Sera the military officer and Sera/Sela the sexual submissive concubine. The relationship that Brandt builds with her is more than cover, it's what he wants for real. Ash wants to get back with her and a run in with his ex-wife, Kira, on Nondal gives him the chance to reestablish his bond with her and to start the relationship as a permanent menage.
I genuinely liked Sera, Ash and Brandt and enjoyed their story, even if I do have problems understanding D/s, it never really bothered me much here. Sera is smart, strong and independent and doesn't roll over for Ash and Brandt like some simpering wimp. Both men must exert considerable emotional energy get and keep the relationship working and convince Sera to make this arrangement permanent. In the end, Sera does have the pleasure of seeing the snobs caught in the web of their own making. The sex is hot and the D/s elements didn't overwhelm the love part till it felt twisted, as it so often does to me in BDSM stories. There is far more sex here than in her previous books. Sometimes it felt like the sex was thrown in because there simply hadn't been any for awhile, so someone said "let's add some sex here". The established relationship between Ash and Brandt is very well done, quite believable and adds depth to the story. I just wish Dane had expended more time and effort developing the surrounding story which would have taken the book up several notches. This was not up to her usual storytelling quality.
I gave it 3.7*
