Dark Revenge by Jennifer Leeland

http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Revenge-ebook/dp/B0072HDO7A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335627853&sr=8-1

ASIN B0072HDO7A

Story rating: 5 out of 5 paddles  

Sting factor (kink): 4.5 out of 5

When I was sent Jennifer Leeland’s Dark Revenge, I was warned that it was not so much a BDSM novel but a novel with BDSM elements.  After reading the ebook, I can only assume that the phrase “novel with BDSM elements” is code for a full fledged story with hot BDSM  Because that is what Ms. Leeland has delivered.

This book is a wide, sweeping science fiction story of love, war, insidious plots, and trust.  The Teran worlds were settled by refugees from Earth as it was laid to waste by a plague.  Alex and Tory are natives of Teran One, a planet were your family line is the most important thing about you.  The farther back in history your line can trace its past, the more powerful your line is, politically.  Alex is one of the two surviving daughters of her line.  Tory is an outcast, the last of his line who betrayed Teran One years ago.  Both had loved each other without acknowledging it.  Fate will throw them back together as a great evil threatens all the Teran worlds.

Dark Revenge is well written with superb technical competence.  Not only is it free of any glaring errors that distract you from the story, the writing paints vivid word pictures that allow your imagination to create the most wonderful images in your brain.  The story itself is rich and engaging.  Background information is seamlessly woven into the story without the usual feelings of tired exposition.  The reader quickly finds they care about the characters.  This is a rich story, with many twists and turns in the plot.  Science fiction fans will appreciate the inclusion of many of our favorite elements of the genre (telepathy, space travel, energy weapons, seeing how change affects society).

The sex in the story is more than good.  Tory likes his women restrained and his sex rough.  It’s not long before Alex discovers that she likes being that restrained, roughly sexed woman.  This is not a novel with sex scenes in each chapter, but one in which the sex is an integral part of the plot.  The sex is BDSM all the way.  Fans of this genre will recognize many of the usual elements, albeit with a sci-fi twist.  It’s as vividly described as the rest of the story, and very hot.  Only the die hard stroke seeker will be disappointed by the lower than normal sexual content.

I give Dark Revenge 5 out of 5 for the story and 4.5 out of 5 for the sting (averaging 4 for those wanting more quantity, and 5 for those who appreciate the quality).  This story is well worth your time and money.

Reviewed by David