Book 2 of this series, and I enjoyed the hell out of this one, although for me it got a little slow and repetitive, mostly due to characters not managing to communicate. Nature of the beasts and all that. Lex and Dallas are not the easiest of people. At all. So, it took me awhile to read. But the finish is awesome, worth the ride. ( )

Kit Rocha definitely knows how to push my buttons, both sensually and psychologically. This story was especially powerful for me because I loved the way she handled the king-queen dynamic. A woman who bears the Queen archetype can be submissive to her King, but it's a complex interplay of energies, and I thought Rocha did a great job with that portrayal. As with the first book in this series (Beyond Shame), there is a lot of dominance and submission, but there is absolutely no question that the women who submit do so because it gives them pleasure, and that they are anything but powerless. Consent is critically important to all the characters -- which, in my opinion, makes the submission even hotter. The O'Kane gang maintain a society in which the only sexual rules are truly free consent and mutual pleasure.

I'm also enjoying the larger story of the politics of the Sectors, and getting to know the other Sector leaders. Each book in the Beyond series stands alone in its portrayal of a romantic/sexual relationship, but the larger story arc adds a welcome element of additional complexity. ( )

3.5 stars ( )

The foundational relationship conflict in this book could have been resolved in two seconds if Dallas and Lex (or the authors) were willing to acknowledge that not all kinks need to be 24/7, even in an erotic dystopia.

For heaven's sake. She's a strong woman who likes to be used and controlled during sex, but wants to be respected as an equal when leading their gang. This isn't hard, people. I'd have been more interested in a story about how Dallas learns to be less of a dick and gives Lex the respect she deserves. The dangling threads from their argument about how he dismissed her in front of the sexist Sector Three men left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

Or hey! What about a story where Lex learns to reconcile her dominant personality outside the bedroom with her craving for domination during sex? There's hints throughout the novel that Lex isn't entirely on board with what she wants (she's constantly suppressing her first reaction to submit and fighting back instead). Lasting ambivalence about one's desires is unusual in the Sector Four gang, so that could have been really interesting. But again, threads left dangling. Very unsatisfying.

Also, anybody else all in for a version of the Beyond books where the Ultimate Leader Badass IS Lex, and Dallas's boring, one-dimensional ass gets dumped off a cliff??? ( )

Unfortunately, nothing in this story is keeping my interest. I don't care about Lex and Dallas, nor do I care about what's going on with the sectors. DNF'D at 39%.