You'd think that as a female, I'd know all about females, but being kind of low-key myself, it's not true. I never learned about divas until I had my daughter. Not that she's a diva; but she is very high drama. She's the female equivalent of the little kid who disobeys his coach and deliberately runs through the dirt because it will look like a better play. What I learned is this: some girls just do things the hard way--they just have to have the drama, sometimes in spite of themselves.

That's the case with Tempest from Reese Gabriel's Tying Tempest. Of course, with a character named Tempest, what else could you expect? It all starts with Tempest viewing a statue, a bondage sculpture (and toothsome sculptor) "that drew her like a moth to a flame." She is shocked and seduced by the statue of a bound woman being teased by a man. When the sculptor notices her interest and tries to get to know her, she is intrigued but beside herself, and runs away from their teasing, humorous moment of repartee. The sculptor Aiden is intrigued by her, intrigued enough to confess later to his friend that he is interested in her.

So roommates both get involved, making a little brouhaha. Aiden's friend Francis and Tempest's friend Danyelle push things along when they might have stalled, leading to a high drama moment with Aiden threatening to break down Tempest's door. And that's even before the first date.

The power of this story is in Gabriel's masterful handling of point of view and voice. We hear Tempest's thoughts, her feelings, and most especially, her internal responses to Aiden. The attraction, temptation and caution that are part of Tempest's mindset are clear from the beginning, as is the chemistry. In fact, the chemistry had me forcing myself to slow down and read some parts twice just to see if it worked as well as it did. (It did.)

Whatever happens between Tempest and the category five hurricane that Aiden is, works. Of course there are complications: like Sally, like Tempest's own self, complications that focus the dynamic. And let me assure you, it is a dynamite dynamic. This is power play at its fantasy-driven empowering, spiritual lustful limit-testing best. Reese Gabriel takes you the reader off the page and puts you right there in the middle of the action; so I suppose you can intuit that yes, people, I recommend Tying Tempest to readers of BDSM.

Reviewed by Maîtresse
© March 2008