Review - Power Exchange

Gavin DeGrassi is a St Louis homicide detective. As “Power Exchange” opens, he and his partner Trent are called to the scene of a gruesome killing, where a Dom has been brutally murdered in his own play room with his own toys. The case awakens some feelings and desires that Gavin has long suppressed, as well as exposing him to some new ideas he has never considered. The detectives know nothing about the BDSM scene, so psychologist Ben Haverson is brought in to consult. Ben is not just a shrink who knows about the lifestyle, he’s a Dom in his own right. As Gavin’s personal and professional life are turned upside-down, another body appears. Can he and his new partner solve the case before it’s too late?

There’s a lot going on in this book, and it all weaves together in such a way that it’s difficult to summarize without spoiling it. There’s a strong element of “intro to BDSM” to this story, but since it’s all part of helping Gavin to solve the case, it seems natural and unforced. It’s interesting to read how others view the BDSM world and the lifestyle. If you prefer to just get to the rough sex, then this story probably isn’t for you, but I liked Gavin’s gradual coming to terms with his desire and ability to submit.

Of course, there’s more here than just an introduction to submission. There’s a mystery as well. The author does keep you guessing for most of the book, throwing several red herrings in your way - as witnesses are questioned, there are several times when you jump to the conclusion “he did it!” But, there does come a point about three-quarters of the way through, when the culprit will probably become obvious to you, but Gavin doesn’t see it. He is somewhat preoccupied at the time, but you still might find yourself frustrated that he doesn’t connect the dots sooner.

Of course, if Gavin did see the danger he was in, we wouldn’t have such a dramatic scene when they finally catch the bad guy. The ending, and in particular the epilogue, is rather interesting. It avoids the trite and cliché everything-goes-back-the-way-it-was romance formula. It shows that dramatic events do have consequences that change people, even if they don’t want them to.

This was almost a five-star read. A couple of things held me back. First, while Gavin’s feelings and his growing relationship with Ben generally feels quite realistic, occasionally is crosses that very fine line into being too sweet and unbelievable. Second, although the proofing is very good, with no glaring errors such as missing or wrong words, there are a couple of continuity issues in the editing. It was quite disconcerting when I started the book and the first paragraph didn’t make any sense. I re-read it a few times and the best I can figure out is that a sentence is missing. There is a second spot near the middle of the book when Gavin has a thought that doesn’t seem to go with his supposed lack of experience. These issues are minor, and really don’t do much to spoil what was, for me, a really good read.

Find out more about AJ Rose at his web site.

“Power Exchange” is available from Amazon, Smashwords and All Romance Ebooks.