Thursday 14 March 2013

Review: Make Mine To Go by Dilo Keith

4 stars

MM, ebook, BDSM. Menage

Oh my, the games some people play….

With everything I’d read, I thought it had put me in good stead to recognize the steps to most plot twists, but I have to admit that Make Mine To Go snuck up on me. And it left me chuckling at my self for not seeing it.
It opens with Toby, a twenty-two-year-old part-time sub,  enjoying a touch of ménage with his dominant husband of four years, Justin,  and their mutual friend (also a Dom). Toby is seen to feel comfortable with the complexity of dipping his toes into the beginnings of an open relationship, and he revels in his role, eager to investigate the stinging sensations being played upon on his body and mind. Justin is a little more standoffish, and like any good Dom, he sees Toby’s lingering thoughts over a scene and wandering gaze over other men is leading to something missing in the relationship for Toby. Toby is left thrown when Justin eases the conversation into the possibility that something is wrong, mortified that Justin possibly feels neglected in their relationship. But after Justin’s persistence to face the discussion, Toby comes to realize that maybe Justin is right: he needs something more, although admitting it is harder as they both know voicing it will lead them down a dangerous path.

The complications that arise are typical of any long-lasting relationship, that, even in D/s word, sometimes feel as though they need something new in order to survive. The question is always there as to whether we should take that choice, and thus bring in the threat of longer-lasting damage if we do.
I wasn’t taken by the idea of upset, initially. We’d opened with a D/s ménage scene where both Justin and Toby seemed happy enough to play out, so to suddenly have Justin say he was questioning just how willing and distracted Toby seemed to be with other men was a touch disorientating.  And in that respect, I would have liked more of an in-depth look and build-up to their relationship to help draw that conclusion.
But then you pick up how in tune Justin is to Toby, recognizing Toby’s unease before Toby can figure out for himself, and I love the care and dynamics of the D/s relationship being played there. Which then made my heart tear a little when the twist started to play out, and that “Hell, he’s actually going to go through with it” came into play. I really felt the full impact of the implications it would have for both of them. There was a natural progression that makes you miss the signs, so that when the twist is revealed, you have that  ”Should have seen that coming” moment, but you’re eased back down to normal pulse levels  with how Keith allows the novelette to end.
Not a bad realistic portrayal of a D/s relationship at all. And even though I would have loved it to have been a longer work, I enjoyed the ride Make Mine To Go took me on. 

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