What do you think?
Rate this book
Serving His Master #6
Switch
Two Doms but only one Master
Dane Bishop is reigning king in the Austin BDSM underground scene. A chance meeting with a sexy local artist named Nathan Levi turns his world upside down. Nathan can see beyond Dane's swaggering persona to the untapped submissive streak beneath the leather and chain. As each struggles to gain and maintain control, the sexual sparks fly. It's only a matter of time before a spark catches and bursts into flame.
Dane Bishop is reigning king in the Austin BDSM underground scene. A chance meeting with a sexy local artist named Nathan Levi turns his world upside down. Nathan can see beyond Dane's swaggering persona to the untapped submissive streak beneath the leather and chain. As each struggles to gain and maintain control, the sexual sparks fly. It's only a matter of time before a spark catches and bursts into flame.
292 pages, ebook
First published September 1, 2008
About the author
Claire Thompson
169 books1,138 followersClaire has been writing for nearly two decades, and has published over 85 novels. She writes BDSM romance and abduction tales, spanning both m/f and m/m genres. She has received numerous awards for her bestselling work, including the NLA-Int’l Pauline Réage Award and the Golden Flogger Award for best BDSM fiction.. Her darker works press the envelope of what is erotic and what can be a sometimes dangerous slide into the world of sadomasochism. Ultimately her work deals with the human condition, and our constant search for love and intensity of experience.
Connect with Claire and get a FREE starter library!
https://clairethompson.net
Connect with Claire and get a FREE starter library!
https://clairethompson.net
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
December 14, 2012
Nathan and Dane were a nice couple. I thought Nathan was a little smug sometimes, and Dane going on and on about finding freedom through submission got on my nerves. The end was sooo sugary which made it a 3.5 stars for me, rounded down. These guys only knew each other for a month, have no experience with having a D/s relationship as part of a regular working life, but suddenly it's forever and always.
Also, (is this really picky ?), I didn't like the characterisation of Dane's assistant. I don't like books that make women characters look weak or foolish. This one did:
Theresa remained standing in front of him, her ample breasts heaving in her too-tight dress, her pudgy fingers twisting together, her cheeks still blotched with red.
This is Dane's efficient and dependable personal assistant. Why did Thompson need to describe her like this? It added nothing to the plot to demean a female character.
Also, (is this really picky ?), I didn't like the characterisation of Dane's assistant. I don't like books that make women characters look weak or foolish. This one did:
Theresa remained standing in front of him, her ample breasts heaving in her too-tight dress, her pudgy fingers twisting together, her cheeks still blotched with red.
This is Dane's efficient and dependable personal assistant. Why did Thompson need to describe her like this? It added nothing to the plot to demean a female character.
February 3, 2016
Delightful re-read! If you like super-hot BDSM between men with strong emotions, don't pass up this classic. You can't help but fall in love with clueless-Dane (at first anyway) and super-patient Nathan. They are dreamy together.
February 4, 2018
Well I do really enjoy this author. She goes so deep into every character she writes and these are two of the best I've read so far.
Quite an interesting study into S&M, and I love the relationship between Levi and Dane. The alternating points-of-view work really well here since I could see where each man was coming from... even though Levi really doesn't change too much over the course of the story, just seeing how he's feeling about Dane, and how he thinks Dane is developing was very enjoyable for me.
Dane's character was fantastic and Thompson really gets deep into his mindset. That's the best part of this story, and it was very skillfully done.
The story flows along really nicely and it was a pleasure to read.
Quite an interesting study into S&M, and I love the relationship between Levi and Dane. The alternating points-of-view work really well here since I could see where each man was coming from... even though Levi really doesn't change too much over the course of the story, just seeing how he's feeling about Dane, and how he thinks Dane is developing was very enjoyable for me.
Dane's character was fantastic and Thompson really gets deep into his mindset. That's the best part of this story, and it was very skillfully done.
The story flows along really nicely and it was a pleasure to read.
June 4, 2017
Hot little BDSM number about two guys who both thought they were Doms...and you knew that there would only be one winner. It certainly pushed all the right buttons for me. 5 stars and several cold showers hehe.
April 1, 2016
Well damn. My mind is all twisted up reading this story. Here's why. I didn't really like Dane. He's a pretentious prick playing at Dom. Yes, he's playing. I totally understand Nathan's point of view. Still, this growth and discovery from the experimentation endeared Dane to me just a little bit more. I understand Nathan's method and frankly, I'm impressed and kind of wet reading about it. Everything Nathan did, I thought, oh dear lord, I wish I had a dom like this. His sensuality, carefree manner yet dominant orders gave me chills. When I read about the violet wand, I nearly played with myself. I wish Ms. Thompson had gone into more detail on that scene.
Each of the sex scenes were tastefully done and flowed. None of the scenes felt like token forced scenes to make this story erotic. Instead, each scene built on the previous one until I was craving to be flogged, caned and denied. Both characters were easy to understand and I could see the places and food vividly. The warehouse, Dane's temp home, the Lakehouse, boathouse, beach and Mercedes were all well described.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'm going to have to read more of Ms. Thompson's books. I recommend this book to people who aren't afraid of m/m relationships mixed with love, trust and bondage.
Each of the sex scenes were tastefully done and flowed. None of the scenes felt like token forced scenes to make this story erotic. Instead, each scene built on the previous one until I was craving to be flogged, caned and denied. Both characters were easy to understand and I could see the places and food vividly. The warehouse, Dane's temp home, the Lakehouse, boathouse, beach and Mercedes were all well described.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'm going to have to read more of Ms. Thompson's books. I recommend this book to people who aren't afraid of m/m relationships mixed with love, trust and bondage.
May 3, 2017
Gah! This one has all the feels. Low angst, steamy BDSM / Ds scenes, and oh so flippin' romantic! I badly want more of Nathan and Dane. *contented sigh*
February 2, 2013
This was a fascinating story that I read cover to cover in one sitting, eager to discover how that relationship between Dane and Nathan would evolve.
Nathan is a strong and calm character and remains this way throughout the book. The author does allow us to see some vulnerability in regards to his growing feelings for Dane but this does not diminish his strength or stability.
Dane, at the commencement of the book, is more emotional and displays strong reactions. Although a self-proclaimed Dom with a large club following, he may be able to wield a whip but doesn't fully understand the concept of dominance and submission.
This book deals with the difference between 'playing' in the world of BDSM and living in it as Dane and Nathan build a relationship based on their true natures.
Nathan is a strong and calm character and remains this way throughout the book. The author does allow us to see some vulnerability in regards to his growing feelings for Dane but this does not diminish his strength or stability.
Dane, at the commencement of the book, is more emotional and displays strong reactions. Although a self-proclaimed Dom with a large club following, he may be able to wield a whip but doesn't fully understand the concept of dominance and submission.
This book deals with the difference between 'playing' in the world of BDSM and living in it as Dane and Nathan build a relationship based on their true natures.
May 26, 2010
Great read. Switch identities are rarely tackled in BDSM erotica so I was intrigued. Oh and there's electrosex ='s YUM! Thompson rules. I was a little annoyed with Dane's repetitive epiphanies, but I get/got it. Maybe I don't construe being a Switch as contentious as Dane did. I rated it 4.5 out of 5 stars honestly because I wished the book was longer.
May 8, 2013
Interesting characters and plot, but way too much telling and not showing.
November 9, 2009
Genre & Keywords: Gay, M/M , Bdsm, Bondage, switching Dom
I never read one of Claire Thompson’s stories before, Switch is the first. I’d heard some positive things about her work, mainly about the psychological depth of her characters. The protags of Switch, Nathan and Dane, were indeed multilayered characters. Claire Thompson wrote with Switch a strong M/M story, about the struggle of two men for dominance, which involves bondage and extreme sexual pain. I must say, it’s not for the faint of heart. But at the same time Switch is a great love story with a romantic HEA. For me, the emphasis was on the romance and the bdsm stuff was a means to tell the love story.
I like to share my High 5, Low 5. The High Five are five things that have impressed me (with an emphasis on the author’s writing skills), and the Low Five are five things that had me shaking my head, made me wonder or regret.
High 5
• Credible attraction
When Nathan and Dane meet there’s an instant attraction between the two hot guys, which is described very well. As a reader you can feel and understand their feelings of attraction. Especially Dane is a hottie. The air sizzles with their chemistry and it’s really plausible that they can’t stop thinking of each other.
• High anticipation
The author provides us with a slow build up to their sexual and D/s relation. The first 50 pages they haven’t even as much as touched each other. But their conversations are sexually charged from the beginning. Their first actual sexual encounter is also slowly built up. It’s an experiment in which Nathan learns Dane how hard it is to follow an order, which eventually ends in hot sex. The tension is palpable.
• Great struggle
Ms. Thompson gives a good insight in Dane’s struggle, when he’s slowly becoming to learn about his submissive side. His feelings of doubt and arousal are very tangible, because the author let him reflect on them after each love scene. He’s rather adorable in his initial denial, his growing doubts, his anguish, his pleas and his final submission. Dane is the more likeable of the two protags because he has this struggle and he is the one who has to come to terms with his new self image. Not that Nathan is not loveable. He’s a really sweet guy as well, but he doesn’t have to go through this alteration, which make you empathize with him as much.
• Nathan’s readiness
It’s an appeasement that Nathan’s prepared to accept Dane as a lover even when he’s not turning into a submissive. This may even have helped Dane going through with it. I liked this about Nathan and it made Switch for me more about the romance and the HEA than about the bdsm relationship. I really appreciated this little fact. Nathan’s readiness to move to NY for Dane has the same status. It makes him an atypical Dom and a nice and considerate guy.
• Hotness
The love scenes are hot and everything but vanilla. The hotness increases when love, trust and submission become more and more a part of the love scenes. The last scene in the hammock, for example, was so scorching that it almost set the pages on fire. The chemistry is right and Ms. Thompson has a way of telling that makes you feel what her characters feel!
Low 5
• Use of labels
Despite Nathan’s statement about the terminology, the labels Dom and sub are used a lot. He states when they first meet that he doesn’t think in those qualifications:
"I wouldn't call myself Dom. Or sub for that matter. I don't especially care for labels. I think they tend to limit you. In my experience, it's the rare person who is all one thing or all the other. It's not about dominance or submission per se—it's about connection. It's about who moves you, and in what way." (p. 14-15)
That’s beautiful of course, but why than the need to convince Dane he’s a sub. And the words are used an awful lot.
• Extreme pain
The descriptions of the experienced pain were way too extreme for me. The bondage stuff is easier to withstand, the sexual pain is absolutely not my cup of tea. But I must admit that Ms. Thompson did a great job trying to explain what it meant for Dane. So it became understandable why he gets aroused to the point of ‘flying’, as he calls it. Still, I wouldn’t have minded if the flogging and caning had been omitted.
• Supporting actors
I think that the lack of secondary characters that are significant to the protagonists is always a shortcoming. This is also the case in Switch. One or two good friends or close family members can provide an essential addition to the story and the development of the characters. It’s not a must, but a nice extra.
• Missing more kissing
Nathan and Dane are not exactly the cuddling and kissing type of guys. They only kiss while having sex and then it’s almost every time described as ‘They kissed’ or another dull variation of those words. So sadly, there’re no elaborate kissing scenes with sexy descriptions of tongues and lips doing hot things to other tongues and lips.
• Ending
When the story ended I was left curious about their lives in New York and how they would proceed with their relationship now they’d agreed on their roles. So I regretted that the story ended at the beginning of a new chapter in their relationship. Maybe Ms. Thompson will write a sequel one day. That would be nice.
So, this were my five highs and lows. I did enjoy Switch quite a lot, because of the excellent writing, the great portraying of the characters and the nice development of the plot. If you’re into reading about the more painful side of bdsm, it probably is a must read for you. But for others it’s also a lovely and hot M/M romance!
I never read one of Claire Thompson’s stories before, Switch is the first. I’d heard some positive things about her work, mainly about the psychological depth of her characters. The protags of Switch, Nathan and Dane, were indeed multilayered characters. Claire Thompson wrote with Switch a strong M/M story, about the struggle of two men for dominance, which involves bondage and extreme sexual pain. I must say, it’s not for the faint of heart. But at the same time Switch is a great love story with a romantic HEA. For me, the emphasis was on the romance and the bdsm stuff was a means to tell the love story.
I like to share my High 5, Low 5. The High Five are five things that have impressed me (with an emphasis on the author’s writing skills), and the Low Five are five things that had me shaking my head, made me wonder or regret.
High 5
• Credible attraction
When Nathan and Dane meet there’s an instant attraction between the two hot guys, which is described very well. As a reader you can feel and understand their feelings of attraction. Especially Dane is a hottie. The air sizzles with their chemistry and it’s really plausible that they can’t stop thinking of each other.
• High anticipation
The author provides us with a slow build up to their sexual and D/s relation. The first 50 pages they haven’t even as much as touched each other. But their conversations are sexually charged from the beginning. Their first actual sexual encounter is also slowly built up. It’s an experiment in which Nathan learns Dane how hard it is to follow an order, which eventually ends in hot sex. The tension is palpable.
• Great struggle
Ms. Thompson gives a good insight in Dane’s struggle, when he’s slowly becoming to learn about his submissive side. His feelings of doubt and arousal are very tangible, because the author let him reflect on them after each love scene. He’s rather adorable in his initial denial, his growing doubts, his anguish, his pleas and his final submission. Dane is the more likeable of the two protags because he has this struggle and he is the one who has to come to terms with his new self image. Not that Nathan is not loveable. He’s a really sweet guy as well, but he doesn’t have to go through this alteration, which make you empathize with him as much.
• Nathan’s readiness
It’s an appeasement that Nathan’s prepared to accept Dane as a lover even when he’s not turning into a submissive. This may even have helped Dane going through with it. I liked this about Nathan and it made Switch for me more about the romance and the HEA than about the bdsm relationship. I really appreciated this little fact. Nathan’s readiness to move to NY for Dane has the same status. It makes him an atypical Dom and a nice and considerate guy.
• Hotness
The love scenes are hot and everything but vanilla. The hotness increases when love, trust and submission become more and more a part of the love scenes. The last scene in the hammock, for example, was so scorching that it almost set the pages on fire. The chemistry is right and Ms. Thompson has a way of telling that makes you feel what her characters feel!
Low 5
• Use of labels
Despite Nathan’s statement about the terminology, the labels Dom and sub are used a lot. He states when they first meet that he doesn’t think in those qualifications:
"I wouldn't call myself Dom. Or sub for that matter. I don't especially care for labels. I think they tend to limit you. In my experience, it's the rare person who is all one thing or all the other. It's not about dominance or submission per se—it's about connection. It's about who moves you, and in what way." (p. 14-15)
That’s beautiful of course, but why than the need to convince Dane he’s a sub. And the words are used an awful lot.
• Extreme pain
The descriptions of the experienced pain were way too extreme for me. The bondage stuff is easier to withstand, the sexual pain is absolutely not my cup of tea. But I must admit that Ms. Thompson did a great job trying to explain what it meant for Dane. So it became understandable why he gets aroused to the point of ‘flying’, as he calls it. Still, I wouldn’t have minded if the flogging and caning had been omitted.
• Supporting actors
I think that the lack of secondary characters that are significant to the protagonists is always a shortcoming. This is also the case in Switch. One or two good friends or close family members can provide an essential addition to the story and the development of the characters. It’s not a must, but a nice extra.
• Missing more kissing
Nathan and Dane are not exactly the cuddling and kissing type of guys. They only kiss while having sex and then it’s almost every time described as ‘They kissed’ or another dull variation of those words. So sadly, there’re no elaborate kissing scenes with sexy descriptions of tongues and lips doing hot things to other tongues and lips.
• Ending
When the story ended I was left curious about their lives in New York and how they would proceed with their relationship now they’d agreed on their roles. So I regretted that the story ended at the beginning of a new chapter in their relationship. Maybe Ms. Thompson will write a sequel one day. That would be nice.
So, this were my five highs and lows. I did enjoy Switch quite a lot, because of the excellent writing, the great portraying of the characters and the nice development of the plot. If you’re into reading about the more painful side of bdsm, it probably is a must read for you. But for others it’s also a lovely and hot M/M romance!
Want to read
November 6, 2020🎁 FREE on Amazon today (11/6/2020)! 🎁
May 21, 2012
I'm a little torn with this one. I was battling with the first part, really, I felt terribly dense (not that I am not) but I was having a really hard time swallowing the plot. I blame my preconceptions, I was expecting something different given the title, and that's my fault, not the author's.
I also needed some time to sympathize with the characters, especially Nathan. I don't particularly care for the 'I know exactly what you want, even better than yourself' character, especially dom's, the idea of them being above the rest of mankind, unable to make mistakes as sometimes they're portrayed leaves me cold. Fortunately, Nathan wasn't such, and he explains latter this extrasensory power to Dane so we're now at peace.
I understand the conflict of living on denial, running away from what you really enjoy, which is what Dane was doing. But even so, a part of me still, even after finishing the book, wanted the couple to switch. Dane didn't stuck me merely as a poser, a wannabe dom, even if he tells about this time he hurt one sub. I also get the fact that the whole submitting thing was so new, the feelings so overwhelming, that he would like to keep doing it, because he deeply enjoys it. But I still feel he did enjoy and did a good job as a dom, even in the detached way he practised over the years. And know I'm being unfair, complaining over this, but I really wanted them to be an openly switcher couple, not that I didn't enjoy Dane's journey of self-knowledge because I did, a lot. Again, preconceptions, preconceptions everywhere.
Something else that picked me was the contradiction between Nathan apparent dislike of labels, he didn't consider himself dom per se, but then their relationship falls into a typical dom/sub one, nothing new, no 'don't limit yourself with labels'. At least Dane is not falsely lead to 'don't label yourself as a sub', because that would had been too much. I still bitching about the potential of exploring the relationship without labels (not in a merely semantic way, in a practical one) and... yes, again... switching. This is the last time I come with such expectations when picking a book, it obviously can do wonders or explode in your face.
Overall I really enjoyed it, even if several times I was bitching and complaining, but Dane and Nathan ended being a lovely couple, inside and out the bedroom, even if I wanted Dane to fight a little more at the first experiments, and felt that Nathan really was pushing Dane too fast, until camp sub, that´s it. I still don't like this one more than Submission Times Two, but liked it a lot anyway.
I also needed some time to sympathize with the characters, especially Nathan. I don't particularly care for the 'I know exactly what you want, even better than yourself' character, especially dom's, the idea of them being above the rest of mankind, unable to make mistakes as sometimes they're portrayed leaves me cold. Fortunately, Nathan wasn't such, and he explains latter this extrasensory power to Dane so we're now at peace.
I understand the conflict of living on denial, running away from what you really enjoy, which is what Dane was doing. But even so, a part of me still, even after finishing the book, wanted the couple to switch. Dane didn't stuck me merely as a poser, a wannabe dom, even if he tells about this time he hurt one sub. I also get the fact that the whole submitting thing was so new, the feelings so overwhelming, that he would like to keep doing it, because he deeply enjoys it. But I still feel he did enjoy and did a good job as a dom, even in the detached way he practised over the years. And know I'm being unfair, complaining over this, but I really wanted them to be an openly switcher couple, not that I didn't enjoy Dane's journey of self-knowledge because I did, a lot. Again, preconceptions, preconceptions everywhere.
Something else that picked me was the contradiction between Nathan apparent dislike of labels, he didn't consider himself dom per se, but then their relationship falls into a typical dom/sub one, nothing new, no 'don't limit yourself with labels'. At least Dane is not falsely lead to 'don't label yourself as a sub', because that would had been too much. I still bitching about the potential of exploring the relationship without labels (not in a merely semantic way, in a practical one) and... yes, again... switching. This is the last time I come with such expectations when picking a book, it obviously can do wonders or explode in your face.
Overall I really enjoyed it, even if several times I was bitching and complaining, but Dane and Nathan ended being a lovely couple, inside and out the bedroom, even if I wanted Dane to fight a little more at the first experiments, and felt that Nathan really was pushing Dane too fast, until camp sub, that´s it. I still don't like this one more than Submission Times Two, but liked it a lot anyway.
January 17, 2013
A Story of self discovery
This quick, interesting read about Dane, who thought he was a dominant lover, and Nathan who knew better.
Dane meets Nathan one night on his way to a BDSM club. Dane is very comfortable in the knowledge that he is a Dom. Nathan is sure he isn't. Over a very short period of time, the two of them experiment to see just what Dane really is. Others have mentioned that this book is full of sex scenes, but as they seemed such an important part of the story line, not only didn't it bother me, but I was so wrapped up in the actual story, I really didn't notice.
I was enraptured with the journey these two men were taking. Nathan had so much patience with Dane as they figured out Dane's true sexual needs. We were given information on how they both felt at all times.
My only problem was that the ending was too rushed for my taste. It all seemed to have happened too fast for me to be comfortable that this was a true happily ever after. Another chapter or two to show them really function as a D/s couple in the day to day reality of life would of made this better for me.
I did enjoy Ms Thompson's writing style, so it seems I have another author who I will be reading more from.
This quick, interesting read about Dane, who thought he was a dominant lover, and Nathan who knew better.
Dane meets Nathan one night on his way to a BDSM club. Dane is very comfortable in the knowledge that he is a Dom. Nathan is sure he isn't. Over a very short period of time, the two of them experiment to see just what Dane really is. Others have mentioned that this book is full of sex scenes, but as they seemed such an important part of the story line, not only didn't it bother me, but I was so wrapped up in the actual story, I really didn't notice.
I was enraptured with the journey these two men were taking. Nathan had so much patience with Dane as they figured out Dane's true sexual needs. We were given information on how they both felt at all times.
My only problem was that the ending was too rushed for my taste. It all seemed to have happened too fast for me to be comfortable that this was a true happily ever after. Another chapter or two to show them really function as a D/s couple in the day to day reality of life would of made this better for me.
I did enjoy Ms Thompson's writing style, so it seems I have another author who I will be reading more from.
January 9, 2011
I don't know what it was, but this story just didn't seem very realistic to me. I guess I find it hard to believe that a guy who believed himself to be a Dom for the past 9 years would so quickly (within a month) find himself so immersed as a sub. I have no idea whether or not that's a likely scenario, so I can't say it couldn't happen, I just find myself having difficulty believing it. I felt it needed more time, and that the story is way far from over.
I get that Nathan was supposed to be shown as wanting to dom but not wanting to push, but at the same time it occasionally made him feel wishy-washy to me. I'll chalk that up to him not wanting to label himself as such and not fitting into such a mold.
I will say the approach to the story was pretty good, even if it didn't captivate me as such.
I get that Nathan was supposed to be shown as wanting to dom but not wanting to push, but at the same time it occasionally made him feel wishy-washy to me. I'll chalk that up to him not wanting to label himself as such and not fitting into such a mold.
I will say the approach to the story was pretty good, even if it didn't captivate me as such.
July 31, 2013
I enjoyed this book. I especially loved how it allowed you to peer into the workings of a sane D/s relationship. The sex was not hot, hot, hot, but that may be because I don't take much to the s/m side of these relationships. I can say that Nathan is right up there with my favorite doms for 2013.
October 8, 2010
I shouldn't have wasted time trying to finish this.
I didn't like either Dane or Nathan, I felt like they were playing at BDSM, and the whole relationship between them felt a little ridiculous, especially with their expectations of each other.
I didn't like either Dane or Nathan, I felt like they were playing at BDSM, and the whole relationship between them felt a little ridiculous, especially with their expectations of each other.
August 2, 2012
Dane Bishop is headed to the BDSM club Boot Camp to show off his skills as a Dom. He decides to stop at the bar The Iguana for a drink and there he meets Nathan Levi. Dane and Nathan couldn’t be more different. Dane is a real estate banker who devotes a large part of his life to his career while Nathan is an artist with a charming Southern accent and a laid back approach to life. Dane immediately feels a tug in his gut and the power and quiet strength that Nathan exudes draws him in, the “recognition he felt was for something deeper than a passing acquaintance.” But everything changes when Nathan asks Dane a simple question, “So, if it’s not too personal, how long have you been submissive, Dane?”
Dane is floored by Nathan’s question. He has a reputation as a Dom, used to taking what he wants, and has no interest in submitting to another man. At least that is what he says. Nathan doesn’t care for labels, he finds them too limiting, and is looking for the connection that can occur in a D/s relationship. He is convinced that “the boy doth protest too much” and sets out to convince Dane that what he is really looking for is to submit and that Nathan can give him the chance to explore those possibilities.
Nathan wants to help Dane to free something that he has kept hidden, even from himself. Dane decides to trust Nathan in exploring this new side of himself but along the way he resists and puts up defenses. He thinks it will be simple to submit, but quickly learns that he was very wrong. Can Nathan help Dane to understand and accept his need for submission or will it destroy their relationship?
Switch is an exciting exploration of dominance and submission. Through the character of Dane, the reader explores what it really means to submit. Nathan sees something in Dane from the very beginning and takes steps to help Dane realize his potential. The characters are deep and well developed, and their interactions are intensely erotic. The sex between them is electric, especially when they are battling for power. Dane tries many times to top Nathan but it always turns around on him.
This is a different type of approach to a BDSM relationship. It is not simply about how much pain Dane can take or how many lashes before he breaks. This is about their emotional connection, a romantic exploration of D/s relationships. Nathan does not enforce definition or limits on dominance or submission and as such there is the possibility for so much more power and intensity within their relationship.
Thompson has a wonderful ability to construct stories that deal with the BDSM lifestyle and this is another exceptional example. Fascinating characters and an engaging journey make for a very enjoyable read!
Dane is floored by Nathan’s question. He has a reputation as a Dom, used to taking what he wants, and has no interest in submitting to another man. At least that is what he says. Nathan doesn’t care for labels, he finds them too limiting, and is looking for the connection that can occur in a D/s relationship. He is convinced that “the boy doth protest too much” and sets out to convince Dane that what he is really looking for is to submit and that Nathan can give him the chance to explore those possibilities.
Nathan wants to help Dane to free something that he has kept hidden, even from himself. Dane decides to trust Nathan in exploring this new side of himself but along the way he resists and puts up defenses. He thinks it will be simple to submit, but quickly learns that he was very wrong. Can Nathan help Dane to understand and accept his need for submission or will it destroy their relationship?
Switch is an exciting exploration of dominance and submission. Through the character of Dane, the reader explores what it really means to submit. Nathan sees something in Dane from the very beginning and takes steps to help Dane realize his potential. The characters are deep and well developed, and their interactions are intensely erotic. The sex between them is electric, especially when they are battling for power. Dane tries many times to top Nathan but it always turns around on him.
This is a different type of approach to a BDSM relationship. It is not simply about how much pain Dane can take or how many lashes before he breaks. This is about their emotional connection, a romantic exploration of D/s relationships. Nathan does not enforce definition or limits on dominance or submission and as such there is the possibility for so much more power and intensity within their relationship.
Thompson has a wonderful ability to construct stories that deal with the BDSM lifestyle and this is another exceptional example. Fascinating characters and an engaging journey make for a very enjoyable read!
May 2, 2015
I loved this book. It's really a 4 1/2 star read but since we don't have 1/2 stars... The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it didn't meet the angst requirement I have for 5 star books. A book has to elicit a strong emotional response in order to get the coveted 5 stars.
I would have liked a little more insight into Dane. We never learned anything about his family, his upbringing or what really made him tick. I actually liked him though, unlike some other reviewers. I think he's fairly typical of the type A, driven to succeed, nose to the grindstone personality. He was very confident, which as a good looking, successful, well liked and respected man he had every right to be. We did get subtle glimpses of his kind and caring nature that lurked behind the swaggering, leather clad exterior that he showed to the world. His interactions with his secretary for instance. His slow realization, under Nathan's patient tutelage, that he was a sub at heart was beautiful to watch. I'd love a sequel. I want to see how this relationship matures and deepens and if Dane is capable of being Nathan's sub 24/7. Nothing sexier than a man who puts on his power suit each morning and goes off to slay the corporate dragons and then comes home and sheds his "armor" to kneel at his doms feet.
I would have liked a little more insight into Dane. We never learned anything about his family, his upbringing or what really made him tick. I actually liked him though, unlike some other reviewers. I think he's fairly typical of the type A, driven to succeed, nose to the grindstone personality. He was very confident, which as a good looking, successful, well liked and respected man he had every right to be. We did get subtle glimpses of his kind and caring nature that lurked behind the swaggering, leather clad exterior that he showed to the world. His interactions with his secretary for instance. His slow realization, under Nathan's patient tutelage, that he was a sub at heart was beautiful to watch. I'd love a sequel. I want to see how this relationship matures and deepens and if Dane is capable of being Nathan's sub 24/7. Nothing sexier than a man who puts on his power suit each morning and goes off to slay the corporate dragons and then comes home and sheds his "armor" to kneel at his doms feet.
April 2, 2011
Right above where you write your review here on GR, it says: What did you think?
So.. Yeah.. What did I think? I really have no idea but since I ended up with a 4 star review, I guess I really liked it..
It was the first BDSM book that explained things to me. The flying the Subs feel, the way they flow with it until the pleasure and pain is just one feeling..
I really like Nathan and Dane's relationship.. Dane was a hardcore Dom before he met Nathan, who could see that there were some Sub qualities hidden in Dane, and he desperately wanted to find them and experience it with Dane..
I have never been able to really understand what it is a Sub wants, beside the obvious pain, but I liked how the book took it a step further, and explained the feelings behind the pain, so-to-speak..
I still dont know why I keep ending up reading BDSM books.. I'm a vanilla kind of girl (I think? ;) but I just really like the emotional parts in these books.. or at least in some of the 'not-so-hardcore' books..
I even ended up with teary eyes at the end, which I wouldnt have expected from a BDSM book, but I really felt good with these two guys, and loved their ending..
December 22, 2014
I have read probably hundreds of erotica books and a good number of them contain elements of BDSM. This is the first book to make me truly understand the mind-set of people in the scene. A lot of books of this genre have left me wondering why? Why subjugate yourself? Why demean youself? why allow someone to punish you like a child? I think I understand better now that those books were simply trying to depict the eroticism of BDSM without delving into the psych of the situation OR they eroticised abuse because the author didn't understand the true D\s relationship. This book gave me a deeper understanding of what BDSM can be. How it can enhance a relationship between equals. How it can heighten and expand the sexual parameters of a consenting sexual relationship. I really enjoyed reading about the loving relationship that these characters develop and will definitely re-read this book again.
Other reviewers commented about it needing editing but I found the book surprisingly (compared to most e-books) free of typos and other problems.
This is an enjoyable read with beautifully rich characters who engage in wonderfully erotic lovemaking. well worth the price and effort to read.
Originally posted on Amazon.com
Other reviewers commented about it needing editing but I found the book surprisingly (compared to most e-books) free of typos and other problems.
This is an enjoyable read with beautifully rich characters who engage in wonderfully erotic lovemaking. well worth the price and effort to read.
Originally posted on Amazon.com
May 16, 2011
This book had a lot of potential and most of it was unfulfilled. Both characters were intriguing and their relationship had great potential for some wonderful conflict and passion but it just wasn't there. Dane spent a lot of time proclaiming that he was a dom and Nate spent a lot of time trying to show Dane his true nature as a sub. But we didn't get to see the trust being built, it apparently happened but as a reader I felt I was being told rather than shown. Dane and Nate spent a week together where apparently Dane had a break through but he didn't seem to affect him as much as I thought it should. He'd spent almost a decade believing one thing to be true about himself and his identity but he seemed willing to slide into submission after just an amazing week with Nate. I'm sure that everything that happened was possible but I just didn't feel the connection with the two characters and I don't think the author spent enough time developing the characters or their relationship fully. Over all it was a good concept and an enjoyable read but there was potential for so much more that I felt let down.
June 4, 2017
Oh gosh I love this book, Dane and Nathan are gorgeous together from the first moment the sought eye contact with each other in the bar. Love the emotions that go thought Dane as he evaluates what he's always believed. Being a Dom and labels that go with it is not always easy as Dane finds out.
Dane 29 yrs was checking out a new pub before he wonders to the bdsm club named Boot Camp. His eyes caught on a man as he enters the pub are locked and his Dom feelings are going berserk.
Nathan is 26 and was an artist he too feels the connection zapping between them, Nathan doesn't like labels but as another Dom thinks the gentleman before him as a Submissive.. This is hot book I loved the scenes that take place between them. I would love if there was a sequel to this beautiful pair into their next part of their lives..
Dane 29 yrs was checking out a new pub before he wonders to the bdsm club named Boot Camp. His eyes caught on a man as he enters the pub are locked and his Dom feelings are going berserk.
Nathan is 26 and was an artist he too feels the connection zapping between them, Nathan doesn't like labels but as another Dom thinks the gentleman before him as a Submissive.. This is hot book I loved the scenes that take place between them. I would love if there was a sequel to this beautiful pair into their next part of their lives..
February 3, 2011
3.5 stars (although I like to round up).
I like a long, drawn out romance--and although Dane's move from Dom to sub was drawn out (though not quite enough, I felt)--the instant emotional connection between the characters was too fast for my tastes.
I liked this loving, responsive account of a BDSM relationship, though.
If you haven't noticed, I pretty much want every book I read to be about 20% longer.
I like a long, drawn out romance--and although Dane's move from Dom to sub was drawn out (though not quite enough, I felt)--the instant emotional connection between the characters was too fast for my tastes.
I liked this loving, responsive account of a BDSM relationship, though.
If you haven't noticed, I pretty much want every book I read to be about 20% longer.
June 4, 2016
Satisfying m/m bdsm romance, pressed all the right buttons! Dane and Nathan feel a strong connection when they first meet up in a bar. The problem is that they are both Doms.
"While my head tells me I'm a Dom, when I'm with you, my body tells me something else. I'm not ready to say I'm a submissive, but I'm willing to experiment, to use your words. To push to boundaries of my own experience."
"While my head tells me I'm a Dom, when I'm with you, my body tells me something else. I'm not ready to say I'm a submissive, but I'm willing to experiment, to use your words. To push to boundaries of my own experience."
November 7, 2009
This is an absolutely fascinating story about a man who thinks he's a Dom until he learns through experience that he's actually a sub. The man who teaches him has a lot of patience and explores different aspects of submission as the story develops.
Claire did a great job at taking me along on their journey of discovery.
Claire did a great job at taking me along on their journey of discovery.
January 2, 2016
I love it when a guy realises he's not who he thinks he is...Nathan brings out Danes submissive side and they are absolutely perfect together..No angst just an easy read as Dane and Nathan learn each other x
August 25, 2010
Very good kinky m/m romance about a confident banker who's a well-known and respected dominant. When he meets a scruffy artist, he has no idea that his whole world is about to be turned upside down.
May 11, 2015
I really liked the idea of two Doms switching. I just didn't get a good feel for Dane. He seemed a little whinny at times. Nathan was great! Has the patience and understanding to deal with Dane.
March 10, 2017
I just didn't care much for this book. I didn't like Nathan. He just seemed too smug and arrogant. The sex scenes were also a turn off for me. I just couldn't accept these two guys as lovers.
February 5, 2021
May contain spoilers.
Genre: BDSM, MM
Dane is a Dom (banker) and has a very specific mindset of what BDSM is and isn't. He thinks he knows what his submissives (only those he plays with at a club) experience. However, his whole sexual identity is challenged when he meets Nathan Levi (artist), another dominant man. Someone who has no interest is going to a club because it is play and not a real or meaningful experience in his opinion. He implies that Dane is playing and uses the club to help him solidify his own idea of being a Dom.
Dane and Nate are attracted to each other from the start.
There was not a lot of drama but of course the foil in their relationship is that Dane is located in Texas temporarily for work. I liked that the author did not follow the usual plot line of the main characters not communicating, thus causing more problems. They both shared what was going on and handled it like normal people would.
Genre: BDSM, MM
Dane is a Dom (banker) and has a very specific mindset of what BDSM is and isn't. He thinks he knows what his submissives (only those he plays with at a club) experience. However, his whole sexual identity is challenged when he meets Nathan Levi (artist), another dominant man. Someone who has no interest is going to a club because it is play and not a real or meaningful experience in his opinion. He implies that Dane is playing and uses the club to help him solidify his own idea of being a Dom.
Dane and Nate are attracted to each other from the start.
There was not a lot of drama but of course the foil in their relationship is that Dane is located in Texas temporarily for work. I liked that the author did not follow the usual plot line of the main characters not communicating, thus causing more problems. They both shared what was going on and handled it like normal people would.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews