This book was intense. The BDSM scenes. The growing relationship between the two MCs. Even some scenes between one of the MCs and side characters. I was on the edge of my seat to know what happens next. I was so disheartened by the ending. I did see it coming. The author did a good job introducing that as a possibility so I was prepared for it. I gave it a 4 star review bc some parts were hard to read...emotionally. Not in a way that was gut wrenching and provoked feelings. In a way that made me worry for her safety. There was one time, in particular, where the MC who is submissive seems so far zoned out. Seems like perhaps they should have considered stopping the scene. And the aftercare seem lacking in a few times. Otherwise, wow. If you’re looking for intense and BDSM, in one story...this is def your next read.

I was very excited to see a BDSM story but this book really did not work for me. I've been part of the scene myself and I am by no means a prude but I found this book really disturbing. The relationship between the two leads lacked what should be a key element of any encounter based on power play: Informed consent. Their scenes left me feeling cold and uncomfortable, the dominant lead didn't seem to care for or have any loving feelings for the other one at all. The events leading to the scene where they got together were not at all believable. I was looking forward to this book and would love to see more kinky storylines but I'm afraid this one didn't live up to my expectations.

Mickey’s lifelong idol, jazz pianist Helen Robins, comes to Boston to perform in a venue where Mickey is part of the pit orchestra. Classically trained, Mickey longs to be able to play jazz the way Helen does and it seems like a dream come true when Helen offers her a job transcribing her music. When Mickey arrives in New York, she enters a world of BDSM that she hadn’t really conceived of before.

Written in first person from Mickey’s point of view, we are privy to her journey into total power exchange (TPE) as a 24/7 lifestyle. TPE is one aspect of BDSM that I struggle to get my head around. I can’t conceive of having no say (besides a safeword) in my life, when I can speak and when I can’t or what I’m allowed to do. Mickey falls into Helen’s hands without any real resistance or knowledge of what it means. I was a little surprised by that but at the same time it seemed to work.

Much of the content made me flinch and wince but at the same time a connection was built up between Mickey and Helen which I didn’t expect to happen in the early stages of the novel. I’m conflicted about how to rate this because even though I was uncomfortable reading it, I think it was well-written and even though I don’t understand choosing a TPE lifestyle, I found myself invested in the characters. I think the characters are going to stay in my head for a while and so is this story.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

I haven't read many books on this subject. I'm generally not drawn to them, mainly because, typically there isn't much of a plot line. But this book is different because it has a definite plot and really interesting characters!

Mickey is a musician, but she has to make money by transcribing music tapes for others.

Helen Robins is a jazz icon who meets up with Mickey one evening, and neither of their lives will ever be the same.

I learned a lot about dominants and submissives, the psychology behind this scene, and for that, I am grateful. I think others who are more familiar with this subject than I will truly enjoy this book.

Before reading this book, I read the reviews and noticed it's a true love/hate thing, so I had to get in on the fray. As others have said, it's definitely the most hard core look at the BDSM world that I've read, so maybe knowing that going in helped me to be a little desensitized. I thought it was well written and a fascinating story. There are parts that are tough to get through, but I definitely learned a lot from reading this. And it took me a day to recover after finishing. Don't let this book scare you.

I sexy romance book. I didn't notice the sex of the characters at first. I don't normally read books about the type of content but I was glad I kept reading.

I can see how this book might not be for everyone. We aren’t talking of soft BDMS. This one is hard core, where MC almost or really does pass out due to pain. Yet I found this book interesting. Not something I would ever want to experience by any means, however the description, feelings and loyalty was described to perfection. It is moving story, and does not end as I wish it would. It made me question things, it made me think. I truly enjoyed this one.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers, Bold Strokes Books Inc., of ‘In Helen’s Hands’ for affording me the opportunity to read the book and review it.

"In Helen’s Hands" is a well-written, and in the main has an engaging storyline with well-drawn characters set in an interesting backdrop of music and performance Arts. However a light fluffy romance it is not.

Early on in the novel it is clear that this is set within the additional genre of the BDSM world and the characters live out their lives within their agreed boundaries as slave and Mistress. In no time at all it is clear that the main character is heavily into pain and is a sadist. And the author paints a convincing realistic picture of the realities of this lifestyle that people choose to live within. However it is full on and will not be for everyone.

There were several scenes that concerned me, for example there was a real lack of precautions and virtually no safe sex practice. Plenty of gadgets and tools, but where was the build up, and not once was lube mentioned,

Lack of care extended to injuries and in the real world some of the described wounds would have taken time to heal and infection would have been a real possibility,

Another example is that aftercare after subspace was very limited and inadequate. It was barely acknowledged or explained let alone helped through the aftermath.

The Mistress uses her submissive to show off to another Domme, and the consequences are the submissive is badly used and abused, in two separate incidents.

My concern with the content is that in the lifestyle it is unacceptable to be so neglectful and it doesn’t show the positive truth of power-sharing within a relationship. Even to the point where the relationship changes, the Domme should have done a much better job at preparing the submissive for the road ahead.

Mickey is a musical director and transcriber who is approached by world famous Jazz pianist Helen Robins with a job offer. After stumbling across Helen in the act of whipping a young woman,not something I've ever caught my boss doing it has to be said, she finds herself intrigued and very quickly becoming sucked into a new world as Helen's submissive.
That's the bare bones of what is a well-written story that is not a very comfortable read,this is no "50 Shades...." and much of the action is brutal and sadistic rather than erotic and many expecting something along the lines of the adventures of Anastasia and Christian might well it too much.
I didn't massively enjoy it, I don't find the extreme behaviour described here particularly erotic ,drawing blood and is a step too far for me and too much of it read as abusive and I found Mickey very irritating. That said it's a good read if you can stomach some of the more explicit scenes but I wouldn't recommend it for the general reader,

Thanks to Nanisi Barrett D'Arnuk ,the very well named Bold Strokes Books and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I had a hard time with what to rate this book. On the one hand, it is very well written and certainly evokes a lot of emotion. On the other hand, even though I generally enjoy books about BDSM, this was often hard to read. There were certainly times that it felt like there was a lack of consent, and the ignoring of a boundary was unacceptable. I mean had it been addressed as being wrong, it would have been one thing, but at one point it almost seemed like Helen was bragging about having breached that trust. Additionally, I think readers should understand just how hard core the BDSM in this book is. It is far more intense than anything I have read before, and I just have never run across a WLW book that has some of the more sadistic aspects of BDSM in it. And certainly not one that glorifies it. At one point I was not sure I was going to finish it, and be warned, this book does not have a HEA, but that said, I actually felt the ending was fitting. I give this book 2.5 stars, but I am rounding up because of the ending. Note: After sleeping on this, I decided to drop the rating by a point. The more I thought about how unethical some of the behavior in this book was, the less comfortable I felt about the rating.

Mickey has always dreamed of, it seems, to just meet Helen Robins. Mickey also has dreams of being a jazz pianist. Helen was a well known in the jazz world, so when Mickey is asked to transcribe Helens music she thought she’d won the lottery.
I found this info while reading the first few chapters along with the fact that it also revolves around the BDSM lifestyle. I have no problem with people who enjoy BDSM but for the life of me I just don’t find it all that interesting. I got as far as the sixth chapter when I had to stop. I didn’t like the writing style of Ms D’Arnuk. I might have got passed that but I just couldn’t go any farther. Six chapters in just as many days was too much.
I’m sure there are some who will just love it, so I would suggest reading some more reviews from people who actually liked this book. Hopefully I’ll have another chance to read something by Ms D’Arnuk and hopefully it will me more to my taste.
ARC viaNetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books

*I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
This was a really tough read for me. I usually love BDSM or erotica books but this was so hardcore which made me really uncomfortable. If you are into some really disturbing hardcore BDSM then this book is for you. Although well written I only finished it because I wanted to give an honest review.
This book should come with a disclaimer.

Mickey is a classically trained pianist but spends her days transcribing others music. She meets her idol; Helen and she offers her a job. Mickey does her best to prove herself but Helen has another agreement in mind and soon Mickey will be calling Helen her Mistress. Fast-paced read with lots of steam and an entertaining story. Mickey is kind of thrown into the deep end of BDSM rather quickly with makes the story very intense. I really liked it.

This book was quite interesting. While I do read erotica and I have come across some BDSM scenes... this book is pure hardcore "in my opinion" BDSM.
While some scenes made me fell uncomfortable or I did not quite get them, I feel like this book did a good job of showing the way of life some people chose and enjoy, and it was a way of life that I did not know much about until I read this.

So, if you like BDSM and lots of sex this is the book for you.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A little to hard core for my tastes to the point where it did not seem to ring true...overall felt sad and resigned..

Well this has to be one of the more hardcore and knowledgeable BDSM books I've ever read. The author seemed to know a lot of the terminology and she was able to describe the acts in what I assume is correct. There was just a lot of detail that other books in this genre have never had when it comes to the techniques. I appreciated the research.

This isn't a love based BDSM book either. There is caring between the "Mistress" and her subs but nothing like conventional love. And heads up, there is a tragic-ness about this story. Very French in that kind of way. I prefer more of the unrealistic happy endings, because I"m a sap, so it wasn't necessarily my type of book. Others may appreciate the realism, however.

Overall, it did keep me entertained and fascinated but I wouldn't read it again.

I've read a couple of BDSM novels and this one has been the most intense by far.  I felt uncomfortable at how submissive Mickey became but that is just part of the role play and the contract that she signed up for. I think that the most important thing is the author makes you feel. What you feel is determined by how you interpret the book. Overall it was well written but just a little too hard core for me.

Let me first say that BDSM is not my favorite subject and from this, those who are more knowledgeable will not find anything interesting in my review since I will do it from my totally ignorant point of view.

This story has some interesting points and others more common. In general, the books I have read on this subject are narrated from the point of view of the sub, as in this case. Mickey is a musician who is playing a concert with her most adored idol, Helen. After the concert, Helen offers Mickey a collaborative work, which will make Mickey discover Helen's secret life as dominant.

Mickey will enter a world she doesn't know anything about or even know she might be interested in. And the story becomes a learning path for Mickey as Helen's sub. These stories always have unpleasant scenes of pain, extreme and strenuous even for those who read them. It's normal so I won't complain about this.

From my ignorant point of view, the story has been quite bearable and interesting, although this may be an unfavorable point for those who appreciate this genre.

I just couldn't really get into this book. I knew I was getting into a more BDSM scene than I am normally accustomed to, but that wasn't what I had trouble with, even though that was a lot..... It was the connection between the mains that was missing for me. I do think that some people will have trouble with the extent of the BDSM here, so a disclaimer is needed.

Musician (pianist and arranger) Mickey has idolized jazz pianist Helen Robbens for ages. When Helen requests her services to transcribe Helen's new operatic masterpiece, Mickey jumps at the chance. Mickey moves to New York where she quickly finds that Helen is not only a musical genius but also a domme. Without any previous experience, Mickey soon finds herself swept up into a D/s, BDSM, house slave-by-contract relationship with Helen.

Told in the first person from Mickey's POV, the emotion, connection and nearly-desperate adoration she feels for Helen is so palpable. I was swept away by this story and left near tears at the end. This is not like any BDSM or D/s book you've read before.

**I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**