Jeff's Blog

For those readers out there who enjoy a really dark BDSM story, can we talk? I've got a book I want to tell you about. It's not one of my own stories, but one I purchased recently at the recommendation of a friend. I want to tell you, I get a lot of book recommendations. I get a lot of ARCs and free copies from publishers and aspiring authors. Some I read, and some I pass on. I prefer to read and review the books that catch my eye and that I purchase myself. And I like to review books from authors I don't know personally. 
Well, for the sake of full disclosure, I've spoken to this author, but only after I read his book. I was so impressed, that I emailed him and thanked him for his haunting, creepy, spine-tingling, deliciously evil story, Schadenfreude. He responded to my email and we discussed the story a little bit. Then I offered to write a blog post and share my review. He sent me a copy of his bio, which I will share at the end of this blog.
I think BDSM means a lot of different things to different people, and I don't want to start preaching to readers about what they should or should not believe about Dominant-submissive relationships. For many people it is about power play, and this often includes physical pain. Their level of involvement can range from sex play all the way to 24/7 enslavement. 
For me, BDSM is not just role play during a sex scene, but it is about identity and status. I believe some people are born with either an innate identity of Dom or sub, or at least a predisposition. Others possess an ability to switch, functioning either as Dominant or submissive. I suppose it's not that different than sexual orientation, at least in the sense that some people argue it's a matter of choice more than identity. Honestly, it really doesn't matter. A sub is a sub, regardless of how he became submissive. Maybe it's learned behavior, and if that's the case, it really doesn't change anything. 
Schadenfreude explores a D/s relationship that began in an internment camp during the Holocaust. Erich Kass, the main character, is a German boy who, at the age of 19, is arrested and imprisoned when accused of being homosexual. Although at this point he's kissed two boys, he has yet to express his feelings sexually. When Erich arrives at the camp in Auschwitz, he's selected for experimentation. His doctor, Ahren Kaltherzig, hand picks Erich for an experiment to try to cure homosexuality. Of course, the experiments are not legitimate science, but rather sadistic torture methods.
Some of the things Erich endures are unthinkable, and much of what he sees while in the camp is beyond the darkest form of evil. But during the process of his programming, Erich falls in love with his captor. His submissive identity emerges, and without even knowing what's happening, he begins to crave the ownership and control of his Master, Ahren.
The most interesting (and haunting) aspect of this story is the manner in which the Dom becomes enamored with his sub. Ahren, though sadistic and cruel, is also loving and possessive. He goes to great lengths to protect his boy. And while these feelings escalate, Ahren too becomes enslaved. The control and power becomes like a drug to him, and his addiction grips his soul like a vise. He needs Erich. He needs Erich to need him. And the more intense his feelings grow, the more cruel and demanding he becomes.
This is the first book I've read that has explored this dynamic in such depth. We can discus morality, safe words, and protocol. I won't argue that this relationship is a model for a sane BDSM couple to emulate, at least not within a contemporary context. But there is nothing about the story that's supposed to be politically correct. 
Perhaps some might consider the scenes in the story to be darkly erotic, but for me, this was not a story about sex. This is a story about power. This is a story about identity. Fear. Dependency. The dark recesses of the soul. 
If you enjoy BDSM and can stomach the Nazi setting, this is a story worth reading. Don't pick up this book thinking you're going to be in for a sanitized m/m romance version of BDSM. That's not what this story is about.

For those readers out there who enjoy a really dark BDSM story, can we talk? I've got a book I want to tell you about. It's not one of my own stories, but one I purchased recently at the recommendation of a friend. I want to tell you, I get a lot of book recommendations. I get a lot of ARCs and free copies from publishers and aspiring authors. Some I read, and some I pass on. I prefer to read and review the books that catch my eye and that I purchase myself. And I like to review books from authors I don't know personally. 
Well, for the sake of full disclosure, I've spoken to this author, but only after I read his book. I was so impressed, that I emailed him and thanked him for his haunting, creepy, spine-tingling, deliciously evil story, Schadenfreude. He responded to my email and we discussed the story a little bit. Then I offered to write a blog post and share my review. He sent me a copy of his bio, which I will share at the end of this blog.
I think BDSM means a lot of different things to different people, and I don't want to start preaching to readers about what they should or should not believe about Dominant-submissive relationships. For many people it is about power play, and this often includes physical pain. Their level of involvement can range from sex play all the way to 24/7 enslavement. 
For me, BDSM is not just role play during a sex scene, but it is about identity and status. I believe some people are born with either an innate identity of Dom or sub, or at least a predisposition. Others possess an ability to switch, functioning either as Dominant or submissive. I suppose it's not that different than sexual orientation, at least in the sense that some people argue it's a matter of choice more than identity. Honestly, it really doesn't matter. A sub is a sub, regardless of how he became submissive. Maybe it's learned behavior, and if that's the case, it really doesn't change anything. 
Schadenfreude explores a D/s relationship that began in an internment camp during the Holocaust. Erich Kass, the main character, is a German boy who, at the age of 19, is arrested and imprisoned when accused of being homosexual. Although at this point he's kissed two boys, he has yet to express his feelings sexually. When Erich arrives at the camp in Auschwitz, he's selected for experimentation. His doctor, Ahren Kaltherzig, hand picks Erich for an experiment to try to cure homosexuality. Of course, the experiments are not legitimate science, but rather sadistic torture methods.
Some of the things Erich endures are unthinkable, and much of what he sees while in the camp is beyond the darkest form of evil. But during the process of his programming, Erich falls in love with his captor. His submissive identity emerges, and without even knowing what's happening, he begins to crave the ownership and control of his Master, Ahren.
The most interesting (and haunting) aspect of this story is the manner in which the Dom becomes enamored with his sub. Ahren, though sadistic and cruel, is also loving and possessive. He goes to great lengths to protect his boy. And while these feelings escalate, Ahren too becomes enslaved. The control and power becomes like a drug to him, and his addiction grips his soul like a vise. He needs Erich. He needs Erich to need him. And the more intense his feelings grow, the more cruel and demanding he becomes.
This is the first book I've read that has explored this dynamic in such depth. We can discus morality, safe words, and protocol. I won't argue that this relationship is a model for a sane BDSM couple to emulate, at least not within a contemporary context. But there is nothing about the story that's supposed to be politically correct. 
Perhaps some might consider the scenes in the story to be darkly erotic, but for me, this was not a story about sex. This is a story about power. This is a story about identity. Fear. Dependency. The dark recesses of the soul. 
If you enjoy BDSM and can stomach the Nazi setting, this is a story worth reading. Don't pick up this book thinking you're going to be in for a sanitized m/m romance version of BDSM. That's not what this story is about.