Review: Eighty Days Yellow (Eighty Days #1) by Vina Jackson

Caught in a frustrating relationship with a man who can't accept her for who she is, passionate, flame-haired violinist Summer finds release in her music. She spends her afternoons busking on the underground, lost in the works of Vivaldi or Mendelssohn. When her violin is damaged beyond repair, Summer receives a surprising proposition from Dominik, a university professor with powerful desires, who has been captivated by Summer ever since he heard her perform. Dominik will replace her priceless violin, but only if she agrees to play for him in a private concert.

Unable to deny the chemistry between them, Dominik and Summer embark on an intense affair full of daring twists and turns, as unpredictable as it is thrilling. For Summer it is a chance to finally embrace her long-denied dark side, but she'll soon learn that where there's pleasure must come pain. And can a relationship born of such all-consuming passion, ever really survive?

My Review:

This book is a beautifully written, enjoyable mindfuck. The prose was amazing. My favorite was "Steadying the rhythm of his pelvic assualt." Eighty Days Yellow is not usual BDSM by any stretch of the imagination. Summer is a starving artist, Kiwi-transplant to London, violin player. She has a hearty sexual appetite that has been left on low heat for far too long due to her overly hygienic boyfriend. Once she gives him up, Dominick enters her life through a series of chance encounters and random relating of information.

Dominick is a college professor in his mid forties, also with a sexual appetite, that has explored his Dom side with only one other lover. When Summer's violin gets smashed when she gets in the middle of some drunks having an altercation, Dominick contacts her anonymously, asking if she'd be willing to play for him, the payment being a new violin.

Slowly through a series of "scenes", they become connected. The acts they perform are kinky, intimate and at times, tender. I loved Dominick's protectiveness over Summer. He didn't require her exclusivity and didn't practice (or should I say practise? It's a Brit book.) exclusivity himself, though both Summer and Dominick long for the other and picture each other in their minds, even when fucking other people.

The scenes Dominick sets up in the beginning are amazing. I really loved them. I don't want to give too much away, but Dominick never really enters the realm of humiliation with Summer, in my opinion. He wants to control her, control where they meet, how she dresses, what she will play for him when she sees him, but never does he seek to ensnare her. She's always her own person, giving over her power to him, trusting him to keep her safe; she can say no. There is no "Sir" or "Master" required from Dominick, because her compliance and willingness to submit is all that he desires. He's never wanted to possess a woman as much as he does Summer, yet he doesn't require it. It's BDSM on a more primal level. That's the only way for me to describe it.

Then an encounter between the two goes terribly awry and they decide to break from one another for a time. But in this time, a somewhat-trusted advisor to Dominick, named Victor, swoops in and fills the void that Dominick left in Summers life. Only Victor has no heart. He is about a game of humiliation that was at times very difficult for me to read through because of it's incredibly dark and sinister tone. Yet, I felt as though Summer had to take those steps to come through the other end. It came so close to lack of consent, but Summer always consented. Victor had no respect for her, or the submission she had to offer. She was a pawn in his game and used by him and his acquaintances to the extreme.

The twists and turns and general kinkiness of the books really make for an interesting read. I gave it four stars instead of five because of the ending. The scene I was most interest in seeing, the reunion of Summer and Dominick was glazed over, so that you have an idea of what happened but not the intimate details of all the scenes before it. I felt cheated! Yes, they may put it in the sequel, but it really stunk that I didn't get that pay off.

The last thing I will say is that it's a shame the book is named Eighty Days of Yellow. It seems so blatantly obvious they're trying to capitalize on that other book (you know which one), when this is clearly a book that could stand on it's own.

Rating: 4 Kisses

 

*book was provided to Read Our Lips! by author for review*