Title: Before Him Comes Me
Author: Alexandria Sure
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Faced with an unexpected choice, a simple nod is all it will take to change the course of Zara's life.
Bound to a life predetermined by the restrictive traditions of her community, Zara is offered a glimmer of hope by a complete stranger, a man selected for her. She can choose to walk away from the life she has been trained for.
Make new friends and lose her best friend.
Explore new places and lose her home.
Find herself and lose herself.
Will Zara nod and risk everything she knows to discover who she is meant to be?
In all the past ceremonies Zara had attended, the collar lay open. The open collar is the symbol of the Council’s approval of the match between the first-born daughter of a Council member and the son of a Council member from a different sect. The key to the collar is the symbol of ownership for the first-born’s daughter by her Dom. The history of this ceremony requires the collar to be unlocked, the key ready to be presented to the Dom.
When one’s life has been filled with inevitability, processing surprises becomes difficult. Zara’s mind sifts through all of the ceremonies that she has attended, fast-forwarding to the point when the open collar is picked up and placed around the “birthday girl’s” neck. In every memory, the collar is lying open before it is picked up.
Zara’s breathing becomes labored. All thoughts of the collar evaporate as someone steps into the center of the circle.
Shoes.
What can be determined about a man, a Dom-to-be, by his polished, square-toed black shoes?
Nothing.
The dress restricts any attempts at taking a deep cleansing breath, so Zara tries employing a technique taught during years of training to settle her thoughts. The curiosity to sneak a peek at the man now standing next to her becomes an overwhelming challenge destroying her control.
The need to look at his face begins to vibrate through her entire body. Moving would bring her mother’s throat clearing and a definite lecture the moment they are alone later at the celebration. Zara tries another deep breath in an attempt to settle. It doesn’t work.
Discovering what he looks like will not change my future.
What a refreshing look into a popular subject! I will admit that I was skeptical about how I would feel about Before Him Comes Me at first. I feel like stories that contain BDSM lifestyles are hit or miss for me. I am so beyond glad I gave this one a shot. It wasn’t anything like I expected. This story explores a lot of things I never considered. It opened my eyes.
The plot of this story is unique on its own. Zara is faced with a choice. Continue to live the only life she has ever known or make a brave choice and face the consequences? No matter what choice she makes, it will change her whole life one way or another. Man this plot was gripping. When I started this book, I planned to just read a couple of chapters before I had to go back to the real world. I found myself addicted to the story quickly and devoured each chapter.
Zara is such a special character for me. I loved her story so very much. Even if you don’t understand or live in a similar lifestyle as Zara, I think at some level, everyone can understand her journey. At one point or another, you have felt the pressure to become something or someone. Sometimes that pressure didn’t align with what you wanted and other times it did, but the pressure still affects you. I think that’s what we learned from Zara’s journey in this book. Our main guy in this book is amazing as well. At first, I didn’t want to like him. There were things about him that I personally wasn’t sure I could get behind. He grew on me though and now I can say I love him.
There is heat in this book, even if its not the expected kind. Get those naughty thoughts out of your head. The heat in this book is more of a slow burn. I think every story begins with an attraction and the journey of building on that attraction is what makes the story. This author did an amazing job of getting me invested in this story.
The writing style of this story was great. The pace was steady for the most part. The author utilized time jumps. I felt everything that was happening was organic to the story. I loved the characters. I also loved the setting as well. This story takes place mostly in Michigan, which is my home state, so I feel that made me feel much more invested in this story.
Overall, I really enjoyed Before Him Comes Me. This book blew my mind. If you are unsure about it because of the title or maybe that the content might not be for you, I can tell you I felt the same way. I was hesitant, but this story is more than what it seems. This story really encompasses what I feel a true journey to discovering about life is about. I would recommend this to others.
Star Ratings:
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Heat: 5/5
Writing Style: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
Alexandria Sure is from Michigan and adores her supportive family, her two rescue pups, and her mighty Spartans. Her coffee obsession leads her to writing in local coffee shops where characters come alive between salted caramel lattes and large cups of "cold brew extra cream two Splenda," which are usually on the counter when she walks in because the baristas know her car. (Thanks, Biggby!)
When she is not writing, she spends a great deal of her time perfecting her craft. She is an active member of Capital City Writers Association and attends several writing conferences each year.
Sure's first novel, Before Him Comes Me, is an unconventional romance of self-discovery, described by readers as "the first BDSM book with no sex."
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