#QueerLitLoft

For a debut novel, I think most readers will enjoy Principle Decisions for what it is at face value; a spicy BDSM romance.

By day Vivienne Carter is a formidable university professor caring for her orphaned teenage niece. She hides her true needs and desires behind the responsibility and busyness of life. But when she discovers a business card inside a book for the dominatrix services of Selene, it seems Vivienne might finally get a chance to release some of her sexual tension.

If only life was that simple! What started as a no-strings-attached agreement, soon becomes complicated when Selene’s entire identity is revealed, and deeper feelings begin to grow.

I liked that Principle Decisions is a really easy read; the depth of the plot is quite surface level and so the focus is mostly on Vivienne and Selene’s sexual interactions, with only a couple of other supporting characters and/or events of a non-sexual nature. Vivienne’s character is verging on being somewhat of an ice queen and she has previous experience of BDSM which makes for interesting dynamics as she engages Selene’s services as a dom.

What I didn’t enjoy so much was that Vivienne’s niece comes across as an entitled brat. I still don’t feel like I understand why Vivienne threw away a blossoming relationship because a 16 year old told her to. Vivienne’s treatment of her sister Hattie also verges on cruel at some stages; Vivienne’s stress just isn’t enough to explain the tension and obvious strain in that relationship. There’s very little in the way of character background or development to truly understand Vivienne’s relationships with her niece and sister. I’d have liked to have seen the author go deeper with Selene’s story, but I suspect this is a result of the story being told only from Vivienne’s point of view.

For a debut novel from a new author, I think Principle Decisions has some great aspects, particularly if you enjoy BDSM scenes, but it also has its weaker parts, which I felt arose from the overall lack of deeper character development and narrow plot setting. How much you enjoy this book will depend on what you like to find in your books, but there’s plenty of spice and it is a nice enough read on the whole.

NB. For those readers who aren’t really into BDSM, this is pretty tame overall. The story mainly focuses on impact play, painful pleasure and the traditional sub/dom dynamic.

I received an arc of this book from YVLA Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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