Addict by Rachael Orman

Addict
by Rachael Orman
Pages: 217
Date: December 19 2014
Publisher: Author
Series: Cravings (1st in series)

Review
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0
Read: November 20 to December 31 2015

My first book by this author.

I believe I originally got this book because it was mentioned as being free in that Dark Erotica group I’m in. So, if so, I’ll mention that up front – this is not a Dark Erotica book (at least by my understanding of the terms). Though it is an erotic book. And a book filled with BDSM. There’s bondage, a bondage club, spankings, whippings, domination, submission, a mix of sadism and masochism, some comments about ‘pain slut’, some bit of orgasm control/denial, the use of chains, the use of cuffs, and blindfolds, and a bit of forced exposure (inside a bondage club, while blindfolded and therefore uncertain how many might be there); and finally a bit of romance between two sex addicts. The kind of romance that can occur while one keeps their identity a secret (hence the use of a blindfold).

As the book description starts off (at the moment on GoodReads) “My name is Alix and I am addicted to sex.” This isn’t a pose or anything like that. She’s gone to therapy. She’s a sex addict. Not someone who thinks they might be or could be. The kind who can’t stop herself from masturbating at the drop of need. Though, after the therapy, she’s been able to fight her cravings. Until recently.

Alix works as a concierge at a hotel. While in her position she has a view of the hotel lobby. This is important because her ability to fight her cravings has collapsed under the assault of a hotel visitor, who she eventually learned is named John. John’s crime? Existing. Something about him has caused Alix to lose her control. And by lose control, I don’t mean that she day dreams about him, then in the safety of her own apartment . . . handles things. By ‘lose control, I mean that she masturbates. There. At her desk. While looking at him. That kind of lose control.

Naturally, in a situation like this the thing to do is allow your coworker, the hotel receptionist (hmm, what is that position called again? Gah), to talk you into going to an exclusive club. Alix reluctantly agrees. Whereupon it turns out that this exclusive club is a bondage club. The friend is both fascinated and horrified – some petrified like deer in headlights. Alix is some mixture of that, but mostly aroused. To the point of needing to use the restroom. To play with herself. Then stand in the hallway outside and continue (if I recall correctly, been a while since that part of the book). Not that night but eventually, she meets a man whole will become her Master. That man happened to witness her actions. And had previously seen her at the hotel. That man is none other than . . . Santa Claus. Who is always watching you. Be naughty or nice. Wait, no, it's . . . John.

That guy who I mentioned above *waves vaguely upwards*, John? I’ve forgotten what his specific background is, but he has a distinctive British accent. Which I mention because, after a certain event, hell I’ll just say it. After becoming Alix’s master, he never attempts to talk to Alix while Alix knows him as John (that’s awkwardly phrased, I know, while in the mode of Master, Alix wears a blindfold and the room is kept darkish when she isn’t; when not in the mode of Master . . . John continues his never actually talking with Alix, now with the added risk that if he did, his distinctive accent would immediately give him away). So.

John keeps stopping by the hotel, not because he really likes hotel lobbies, flirty receptionists (desk attendants? Desk managers? Bloody hell, can’t remember what they are called), nor specifically because of Alix. But because he lives there. And, occasionally, uses one of the hotel rooms for work. For he is a sex therapist. The kind who helps couples who are in need of help. With sex. He, no longer, allows himself to be involved directly – at least no more directly than being in the same room.

Alix doesn’t believe she can have a real relationship (romantic or otherwise, i.e. friends) because of her sex addiction. John won’t allow himself to have a relationship because of the nature of whom and what he is. He has had too much experience with those who freak out about his job; and/or turn out to be inadequate submissives (that was mentioned, I forget now how). Yet both are drawn to the other. They complement each other’s needs and desires. The book follows this couple as they move from strangers to vaguely couple like status.

I must have hated this book, right? I mean, I started reading the book on the 20th. No, not 11 days ago. The 20th of November. And completed it on the 31st of December. Six weeks. 42 days. 1008 hours. 60,480 minutes. 11.51% of 2015. If you are familiar with my reading style then you might know why I am belaboring the amount of time taken to read this book. If not, then not. It’s simple. I have on occasion read 3 books on the same day. Though that’s stretching things and likely the first book had been started the night before, and all three are super short, but it’s been done. Books not short stories. Toss in short stories and the numbers go up. It’s a book of only 217 pages. It shouldn’t have taken this long to read, right? Well, no not right. I always take longer with certain books. Nonfiction. Wordy fiction. Erotica that is book length. I read them, at least erotica, in short chunks. Meaning that I didn’t read, or need 1008 hours to read the book. At least not in terms of amount of actual reading time.

Okay, that was a boring paragraph above. I only meant to note that it took me a while to read this but it was my own choice and not a reflection of the book itself. It was a clean well written book without anything that pushed me out, caused me issues, or otherwise ‘deserved’ to look like a ‘problem book’.

I liked the book. I’m not 100% certain I like John, but he was ‘livable’. I liked Alix though she was kind of down on herself. Straight forward BDSM novel. There’s no non-consent or dubious consent moments. Heck, John kept up a steady stream of comments, dropping them here and there, to reassure Alix, and himself, that everything was okay (I’m making that specific aspect seem worse than I mean). Certain boundaries are pushed, but with great care. There are only, really, two negatives.

First negative (One) - after being so concerned with how Alix was reacting to everything, and wanting to make sure she didn’t flee or anything like that, dragging her out into the bondage club, while blindfolded, and wearing only panties without first determining if that might or might not be an issue was vaguely confusing. In that he seemed determined to make sure everything else ‘worked’. To just drag her out there seemed out of character. Granted, I only thought of this specific negative after I started thinking about the book as a BDSM novel. At the time I probably thought of it, but it wasn’t really much of an issue. She didn’t panic, nor find herself in a situation she didn’t know how to get out of or anything like that. So it was all good. And stuff.

Second negative (Two) – this is a much more important negative. I’ve mentioned before that John works as a sex therapist. I mentioned use of hotel rooms. Apparently he also has an office (not important), and also works as an online (anonymous) consultant. At some point, Alix begins to use the service (and will continue to do so throughout the book). I forget now how John knew immediately that it was Alix, but he knew immediately. Despite both using code names as online handles. This initial online consultation isn’t the issue necessarily. He knew of her, had seen her, but had never interacted with her in any way before this initial online interaction. No, it was later, when she continued to use the service. And he continued ‘handling’ her. After they became an item. That’s . . . unethical and super creepy. And that’s not even considering the part where Alix didn’t know who her online doctor was, nor that she actually knew him.

Despite those two negatives, which I noticed in passing but didn’t actually and really get annoyed about, I enjoyed the book. I’m not exactly sure what could be in a second book. Though know that there’s both a prequel and a sequel to this book here. I’ll probably read another book by Rachael Orman but not sure I’ll read the sequel.

In terms of ratings – somewhere along the way I had a system. At some point I broke the system and started thinking of ratings in terms of deducting ½ or full stars for certain things. I’m sure I overrated (and/or underrated) books in the past during my brief run of insanity. Well, I was using a baseline of 5. ‘There’s nothing bad about it, so I’ll give it a five’. I don’t think any book actually crept into the five star slot because of that, but some probably got overrated because I’d fallen into that trap. No, I start with three, as ‘average’ and deduct or add as needed. In theory. Mostly I just wing it. Like now. I liked the book. Roughly 4.5 much. So . . . I deem this book 4.5 stars! Or something.

ETA: oh right, I just thought of something of a negative I forgot to mention. John kept calling Alix his Precious. And capitalized it. It was . . . . giggle-worthy. In that John kept turning into Gollum in my mind.


December 31 2015