Twice Shy by Jill C Flanagan

The Basics:
Twice Shy by Jill C Flanagan
Wyrd Publishing
Book One in The Restraint Series
Erotica
Published May 26, 2012
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Why I picked up this book:

The *original* cover made me think that I was getting a Domme story (which is accurate).


Blurb:

Leaving Cutters Creek was the best thing Stacy Jones ever did. Returning is the last thing she ever wanted to do.

Unfortunately it's her only option. If she wants some questions answered, she needs to go back and confront her mother. If she doesn't get the answers she needs, her whole future is at stake.

Eight years ago she ran away when the guy she loved betrayed her in the worst possible way. She's healed from those wounds but can she ever forgive?

My thoughts:

I much prefer the new cover - which is the one I've included with this post - to the older cover.

And if that, as my first comment in this review, isn't telling....

This book is basically about Stacy returning to her childhood home town to confront her mom. At the same time, she runs into Brendan, her first love/sub/best friend - the guy that she's been a wee bit hung up on in the last eight years.

I liked that Stacey is size sixteen and totally confident in herself as a Domme. I like that she's got that steel spine, even in the face of the crap of her past. I like that she's developed a new family, and that they're supportive of her. I especially liked that Brendan is a strong guy willing to give up control - I haven't read a lot of Domme erotica so this still has some novelty for me.

I never thought I'd complain about this with this particular genre but - this erotica has too much plot. By which I mean, there's a lot of focus on the trauma that split these two up. Brendan betrayed Stacey, and it was the last straw for her. Which is all fine and dandy (well, not really, obviously, because how sucky for her!), except that too much of the book is given over to rehashing that memory and not enough is given to the erotic moments in the present.

Overall, I liked the ideas in the story, but I think I would have been more satisfied if it had been either more focused on the reunion and reuniting with Brendan OR a longer erotic romance that let the plot concepts develop alongside a more fleshed out erotic relationship.

Bottom line:

This wasn't a terrible novella, but it wasn't particularly satisfying either. Lots of promise from this author, I'd say wait for future works when hopefully  there'll be a better balance of plot/erotic content. Pick it up if you're a diehard BBW fan (must note that I fully appreciated that this element was not *flaunted* but instead casually included!) or of Domme erotica.

2.5 upgrade to 3 stars *half a star for handling of BBW detail
For fans of Domme erotica, BBW.