Blurb:

“I’d love to Dom you one day. You’d be a natural.”

When a one-night stand makes Ryan Jessop a casual offer to introduce him to BDSM, he’s torn between denial of his submissive fantasies and their irresistible pull. Taking a chance, he discovers in Jim a skilled Dominant, and under his guidance, Ryan’s submission blossoms. Unfortunately, guidance is all Jim can offer. The one thing Ryan wants most—a loving Dom to whom he exclusively belongs—is off the table.

Sameer Farouk is the right guy at the wrong time, and as far as Ryan can tell, not kinky. No matter how clearly Ryan can foresee a future with Sameer, he refuses to settle for less than total compatibility, both in and out of the bedroom. Despite their obvious connection, breaking up is the right thing to do, even if it breaks Ryan’s heart.

Torn between them, Ryan must decide if he’s prepared to gamble everything on one man, or if he’d be better off with a vanilla boyfriend and a Dom on the side.

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Buy it on Amazon US / Amazon DE / ARe

My Review:

It’s just those eleven words, uttered after a one night stand that make Ryan question what he really wants and who he really is. Before he met Jim he never really thought about being a Submissive or needing a Dom. He was content with his sex-life but those few words break something loose in him.

The book starts with Ryan and Owen in Amsterdam in a BDSM-club watching a whipping-scene. While Owen is shocked by what he sees, Ryan is fascinated – although he doesn’t admit to that out of fear of what it would make him. Ryan doesn’t understand that side of himself. He feels insecure and is scared that something might be wrong with him.

Ryan is a newly qualified primary school teacher and he absolutely loves his job. It’s what he always wanted to do.
When he has a one night stand a few months after visiting the BDSM-club in Amsterdam, Jim, the guy he slept with leaves him conflicted when he says “I’d love to Dom you one day. You’d be a natural.”
It’s the moment Ryan really starts to question what he wants, although it takes him a bit to call Jim up on his offer.

This book focuses mainly on Ryan and on his introduction into the world of BDSM. At the beginning of the book he doesn’t know anything about this world and the reader follows along while he gains first experiences.
I really enjoyed to see Ryan grow during the book. The way he became more comfortable with who he is and what he needs felt so real.

I like the way Ms. Aaron chose to introduce Ryan and the reader into the BDSM-world.
When I started Dom on the Side I expected this story to be more centered aroud Ryan and Sameer as a couple than it actually is, but after having finished the book I absolutely understand why Kate Aaron told the story this way. Everything else probably wouldn’t have felt right in the end because you don’t just jump into a D/s relationship without questioning yourself before and being a bit hesitant about certain things. It felt natural that Jim slowly introduced Ryan into the world of BDSM.
It was completely different to what I’ve seen in other BDSM-themed romance so far. But definitely a good different. Refreshingly different!
I’m not saying other stories set in that world are always the same, but the way Ms Aaron built the story was unalike any other book I’ve read before. I realise this might not work for everyone but it totally did for me.

From Blowing It and Balls Up we know Ryan and Sameer as an established couple and I was always curious to see how their relationship started, how they met – where everything began.

It isn’t until about halfway through Dom on the Side that Ryan (finally ;)) meets Sameer. They decide to have some fun together, but both want nothing serious. Ryan is after all still seeing Jim regularly. Although his relationship with Ryan is only about exploring Ryans submissive side and in no way romantic. Ryan expects that when he finds someone it’ll be a Dom for sure and Sameer isn’t a Dom so he’s surprised when he realises that he’s fallen in love with him.
I was surprised that Sameer wasn’t in the BDSM-scene already. When I started reading Dom on the Side and saw Ryan wasn’t familiar with this world I guessed that Sameer would maybe be a part of “teaching” Ryan. I was totally wrong on that one!

The sex scenes were scorchingly hot. Both the scenes between Ryan and Jim and the scenes with Ryan and Sameer.

I loved the way Ryan and Sameer -unexpectedly for Ryan- fall slowly in love.
There’s something magical about Kate Aaron’s writing. She draws you in and you fall in love with her words and the characters. Her descriptions of the world they live in are so amazing and the way she writes the feelings are so well-worded that even though Ryan does not realise it, the reader sees him falling in love. And it’s so beautiful!

Another thing I really loved was that we met Owen again. (I did miss Magnus a bit. *sigh*)
Even though this is Ryans story we got to know Owen better by seeing a totally different side of him. Of course he wouldn’t be the same as in Blowing It and Balls Up because Dom on the Side takes place 5 years before.
In Dom on the Side we see more of his wilder side but also more of his vulnerable side when another manuscript gets rejected.

Another aspect I really enjoyed was to see more of Ryans and Owens friendship. Owen feels really protective toward Ryan and at first doesn’t understand what Ryan finds so fascinating about BDSM but he’s still always supportive and there for Ryan. I don’t think anything could break those two up!
I liked that we got the chance to see Owen before he became a successful author and I really  wanted to cuddle him and tell him everything would be alright when he thought he’d never be an author. That he just had to survive a few more years and then his dream would come true!

I love all of Kate Aarons books. The writing was fantastic (as always)!
Kate Aaron is one of my favorite authors and you’ll see why when you read this! Don’t miss out. It is so worth reading and can’t wait to read Sub on Top when it comes out in May!

Thank you Ms. Aaron for another amazing story!

You can find my review for Blowing It here.

Genre: Contemporary Review Self Published Tag: Part of a series BDSM Blowing It Dom on the Side gay romance Kate Aaron