This is a guest review by Swytchy.

I enjoyed reading Natural Law by Joey W. Hill. She had me from the cover with the male sub tied up in rope, kneeling, with his head bowed. While I enjoy Dom/female sub stories, I find I need Domme/male sub stories to balance it out. Does that make me a possible switch? Maybe.

The book starts off with Mac, a cop and alpha male sub, going undercover to find the Domme who is killing male subs. However, its focus shifts to the power exchange struggle between Mac and Violet, a newly trained Domme. Whereas Violet embraces her dominant nature, Mac is still struggling to surrender to his submissive nature. I really enjoyed the way the author describes Mac's defiance by trying to top Violet from the bottom repeatedly.

It shows that a submissive can be an alpha male (or female) in everyday life. Submission isn't about weakness or dependence, also that it is not chosen, but inherent. I had heard the term 'power exchange' before, but this story allowed me to understand that it is at the heart of the D/s relationship and how integral it is. Mac needed Violet to discipline him as she trained him to surrender control to her. There were intense, sexy BDSM scenes taking place from the BDSM club to private situations.

Violet pushed Mac to accept that even he had limits, which initially he denied. In BDSM, it's important to understand that it's "consensual and safe" play. He offered her no limits, no safeword. Violet refused to allow him to open himself up to possible abuse by her, especially since they were new to each other.

This was an important issue in the story and in real life. BDSM needs to be safe and consensual for both the Dom/Domme and sub, and discussing limits and safeword(s) before playing is important. Some BDSM fiction ignores this or shows the lack of training and understanding that the author has about BDSM by the way the characters interact. I have respect for authors like Joey W. Hill who have done the research. There is a scene where one of the more experienced Dommes tells Violet how to provide aftercare for Mac to prevent hemorrhoids.

Later in the book, the suspense continues as the hunt for the killer is still on. It intensifies as more subs are killed in a shorter span of time. Mac is more comfortable in his detective mode, and the mystery is solved with an unexpected twist that tests Mac and Violet's relationship further.

This story works as a suspense thriller, but even more satisfying to me as a BDSM novel. I would recommend it as it goes past the kink to what BDSM can be when a Domme/sub fall in love. This is book 2 in the series but can be read as a standalone as I haven't read book 1 yet.

Switchy give this book a rating of 9/10 (with 10 being the best book ever).

Product Details

  • Paperback: 318 pages
  • Publisher: Ellora's Cave Publishing (July 25, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1419951653
  • ISBN-13: 978-1419951657

Buy your copy of Natural Law now! ( Paperback | Kindle) OR Get the first book in the series - Holding the Cards ( Paperback | Kindle)

Swytchy lives in L.A. and enjoys the mild weather. She enjoys reading, watching movies, the internet, social media as well as hanging out with her friends. She thinks that life is about exploring who she is and accepting herself, regardless of others' perceptions of her. It's her life. "I got interested in BDSM when I read Exit to Eden by Anne Rampling/Anne Rice. I was fascinated by the story of a sub, Lisa, who became a Domme and met her match in an alpha male sub. It is still a favorite of mine and maybe why I still enjoy Domme/alpha male sub stories. I have not yet tried BDSM in real life, though I suspect I will. I have read much BDSM fiction Dom/sub and Domme/sub. I am now reading non-fiction BDSM, and I am glad that I discovered the subguide blog by lunaKM. I may or may not be a switch, but I'll have fun finding out."