Review for Game On by Kay Elem

While Joie starts off Game On getting herself out of a very bad situation, she does fall into the trope of damsel in distress after. Handsome and dangerous, Rex provides a doorway to an alternative lifestyle and a generous portion of his bed. I wouldn’t recommend making the choice to go home with a strange man right after stopping your own sexual assault, but I’m glad it worked out in this case. The balance needed to portray Joie as a confident woman and domme while also making the decisions she does, especially at the beginning, is a precarious one. A few places require some suspension of disbelief, but overall, the author maintains that balance.

The game the two leads play and the tension that builds between them anchor the novel and kept me reading. Witty wordplay and incredible dialogue establish the two character’s voices and show how competitive they can be with one another. My only issue with the main relationship is that because the passing of time wasn’t always clear, the depth of it sometimes felt artificial.

At times, it feels like a game is being played on the reader and not just the two main characters. The scenes often gear up toward something, finally hinting and teasing at more, but then fade to black with the end of the chapter. Because of these cuts or skips, there’s very little actual BDSM content despite the book blurb or what Rex and Joie do for money. What is present can also be described as problematic by members well-versed in that community. Pacing and a few errors also keep this title from being as great as it can be.

There is strong chemistry between the two leads, and the building romance is quite sweet despite the edgier contexts to their relationship. I recommend Game On to readers looking for those things or are new but interested in spicier romances. Not quite enough for full fans of BDSM-flavored fiction, it could act as a good springboard into it.

Game On is available to buy on Amazon.