THE TRAINING (The Submissive Trilogy #3) by Tara Sue Me-Review, Guest post and Giveaway

The Training
The Submissive Trilogy #3
by Tara Sue Me
Release Date: October 1, 2013
Genre: Erotic, Adult, Romance

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 1, 2013

It started with a hidden desire.

Millionaire CEO Nathaniel West has always played by his own strict set of rules, ones he expects everyone to follow—especially the women he’s dominated in his bedroom. But his newest lover is breaking down all his boundaries and rewriting his rule book.

Abby King never imagined that she would capture the heart of Nathaniel West, one of New York City’s most eligible bachelors—and its most desirable dominant. What began as a weekend arrangement of pleasure has become a passionate romance with a man who knows every inch of her body and her soul – yet remains an enigmatic lover. Though he is tender and caring, his painful past remains a wall between them.

Abby knows the only way to truly earn his trust is to submit to him fully and let go of all of her lingering inhibitions. Because to lead Nathaniel on a path to greater intimacy, she must first let him deeper into her world than anyone has ever gone before…

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: THE TRAINING is the third and final installment in Tara Sue Me’s The Submissive Trilogy. Originally written as a work of fan fiction based on the Twilight series, there are definite and parallel similarities to FSOG and many similar series of the same genre.

The Training is as the title implies. The storyline focuses on the training of Abby King to be Nathaniel West’s submissive but it is also the training of a man to become a lover and protector. Throughout the series the building relationship between Abby and Nathaniel has gone from Dom and sub to friends and lovers, but it is the lovers aspect that has thrown Nathaniel’s life into turmoil. His relationship with all of his former subs has always been about business and sex but somewhere along the way, Nathaniel lost his heart to Abby King and he was looking forward to a HEA and a forever.

The sexuality aspect of the storyline followed two distinctly different paths. One ventured into a sensual yet erotic fairy tale of a building love between two people destined to become a couple; the other focused on a definitive Dom/sub relationship where at times the dominant in Nathaniel West was in opposition to the man with whom Abby had fallen in love. And herein lies the issue-where does a Dom/sub relationship end and a friends to lover relationship begin?

If you are a fan of FSOG, there is no denying the similarities but The Training is a more explicit storyline with a BDSM backdrop. Where FSOG skimmed the lifestyle, The Submissive Trilogy and The Training brings the reader into the underground world of a Dom/sub lifestyle.

The writing style, once again, is simple. Some readers may question the heroine’s (Abby King) decision to become a sub especially when she readily accepts everything that is requested and demanded (with no prior training, experience or desire). The storyline does not cross into hardcore BDSM (unless nipple clamps and suspension ropes are not your thing) but saying that, each reader will take away a different aspect to the storyline premise and the lifestyle of which is represents.

And as I have said in a prior review for FSOG, who are we to judge a lifestyle that is different from our own. This is after all a story of fiction that will make you think about what actually goes on behind the scenes of some of the most rich and powerful people in the world

Reading Order and links to our reviews
1. The Submissive
2. The Dominant
3. The Training

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

The Things No One Tells You

There’s a strange mixture of things involved in being an author. Many of these I gave no thought to when I started writing. I think when a lot of people imagine the day of an author, they think of someone sitting by himself or herself for hours at a time with a notebook and pen or a laptop. I won’t say those times don’t exist, I’ll just say it’s not the usual.

I’m an introvert by nature and I could spend hours in a room, by myself, working on a manuscript or plotting my next novel. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I don’t like people, it’s just that I’m perfectly content spending the day with my characters. I do wonder what it’s like for the extroverted author, is it hard for them to spend time alone, writing?

But writing is just one part of the picture. These days with social media being what it is, most authors have various online hangouts. I have both a Facebook and Twitter I’m active on (well, I’m a lot more active on Twitter than I am Facebook). I enjoy Twitter. I’ve heard it described as a never-ending cocktail party you can jump in and out of. With Twitter you can connect with and have instant conversations with people. Facebook, for me, feels different. I always feel as if I’m posting, “LET’S TALK ABOUT ME!” when I write something.

There’s a balance you have to find in what you share online. My husband is in law enforcement, so we’re a bit on the conservative side. I only call my children Oldest and Youngest, and even my dogs have aliases (no, their names really aren’t Fifi and Pierre). But at the same time you want to share part of your life with your followers.

One of my most favorite things to do as an author is meet my readers. I may be a bit (okay, a lot) on the quiet side, but I can go on and on and on about my books. Seriously, just ask my husband. In fact, I like to talk all things books, be that reading or writing.

Recently, Oldest’s teacher asked me to talk to his class about being an author. I won’t lie, I was worried. Not because I was afraid they’d throw things or fall asleep, but because I didn’t want them to pick on Oldest for his mom being a dork. I’m happy to say the talk went well and I don’t think I came across too dorkish. Again, it’s just another aspect of being an author you don’t think about.

All things considered, though, I love what I do and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Tara Sue Me

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Penguin Publishing is offering a paper copy of either THE SUBMISSIVE (book 1) or THE DOMINANT (book 2) to one lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

1. Please register using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please comment telling us which book you would like to win: The Submissive OR The Dominant.

4. The giveaway is open to USA only.

5. The giveaway runs from October 15 to October 18, 2013