Ery

Ricochet is a delightful and deliciously enjoyable BDSM fantasy (although BDSM soap opera might be more appropriate). As the blurb indicates, the story is set in an alternate reality, where everyone is bisexual and self-identifies as either a Dom or a sub. One might think that finding love might be easier in such a well-defined society, but the author has built a world in beautiful shades of gray, with variations in subdom/domdom that make the journey to romance as challenging as it is within our own reality. The world is colored in manipulative doms, service subs, dramatic subs and those who are inept at their own craft. And while people may self-identify into one of those buckets, it doesn't mean that they make no mistakes along the way. The mistakes made are many and varied :)

While the world building is certainly essential to the story, it doesn't overwhelm it, but rather makes a soft cradle in which the story can settle. We get to meet Rick, the quintessential bad-boy Dom who is rapidly sleeping his way through all of the subs in the city. We also get to love Matty, the slight neurotic sub who isn't able to truly give up control. These two make an odd, but strangely endearing couple. Both are actors on a hit tv show (Collar Crime), trying to work through their pasts, hold onto their careers, and simply not be swallowed up by the miasma of life. Through circumstance (or trickery) they turn to each other for help with their careers and find themselves unexpectedly attracted to each other (and fighting it). Through a series of events that strangely mirror the plot of their tv series, Rick and Matt learn to overcome their hangups (mostly) and start to build on something new.

Reading the above, you probably think the story sounds a bit cliche. It absolutely, unapologetically is. Throughout the story, the author manages to maintain a tongue in cheeky humor that is (mostly) subtle and thoroughly enjoyable. And although the story mirrors that of a day-time drama, it solidly maintains one foot in reality (sometimes only tippy toes), which gives it a strangely realistically fake feel :). There are often surprising moments of depth interspersed amongst silliness. And I loved it.

This book is a great, sink-your-teeth into it relaxing story. It's origins in fanfic are obvious, particularly in its length. While perhaps the writing could be tightened up a little bit, I enjoyed the length as it gave me the opportunity to reside in the characters skins. Read it!