What do you think?
Rate this book
Home #1
Going Home
Dear Author,
The right to own sex slaves has just been made illegal. The government is taking the slaves to a reeducation camp where we can learn to be a part of everyday society. But what they don’t understand is that I’ve been with Master for 7 years and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than kneeling at his feet, with his collar around my neck and being used in any way he needs. I’m his.
Master and I love each other, and more, we need each other. Help us be together in the way that we need.
Photo Description:
The subject of the photograph can be seen through the inverted-V of a tall, looming man’s legs. A young, white man kneels on one knee while desperately gripping the other, head down. A chain is locked around his neck, and the man standing in the foreground is holding an alarming-looking whip.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love’s Landscapes" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.
The right to own sex slaves has just been made illegal. The government is taking the slaves to a reeducation camp where we can learn to be a part of everyday society. But what they don’t understand is that I’ve been with Master for 7 years and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than kneeling at his feet, with his collar around my neck and being used in any way he needs. I’m his.
Master and I love each other, and more, we need each other. Help us be together in the way that we need.
Photo Description:
The subject of the photograph can be seen through the inverted-V of a tall, looming man’s legs. A young, white man kneels on one knee while desperately gripping the other, head down. A chain is locked around his neck, and the man standing in the foreground is holding an alarming-looking whip.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love’s Landscapes" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.
208 pages, ebook
First published August 9, 2014
About the author
Kris Ripper
90 books386 followersKris Ripper lives in the great state of California and zir pronouns are ze/zir. Kris shares a converted garage with a kid, can do two pull-ups in a row, and can write backwards. (No, really.) Ze has been writing fiction since ze learned how to write, and boring zir stuffed animals with stories long before that.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
January 5, 2024
2 stars
Told from the viewpoint of a formal sex slave.
Weird little story. Too much focus on the political and social surroundings and not on the development of the two main characters’ relationship.
Told from the viewpoint of a formal sex slave.
Weird little story. Too much focus on the political and social surroundings and not on the development of the two main characters’ relationship.
August 10, 2014
4.5
Wow...this was a wonderfully complex story. So much showing, and the emotions perfectly played out. Geo and Rory were so good together.
I liked their desperation to see each other, and their determination to do it right. When they did reunite, they struggled to adjust to new relationship dynamics, getting caught up in old habits, working to create new rituals. No easy fixes here, and the process added a lot of depth to their new relationship.
The secondary characters were wonderful. Their strong, distinct personalities added so much to the story.
This was everything I hoped for and more when I saw Breann's prompt.
The only detraction was the drama at the end. I thought it was unnecessary and too jarring. The sudden wrap up after the earlier slower build up was also disappointing.
Wow...this was a wonderfully complex story. So much showing, and the emotions perfectly played out. Geo and Rory were so good together.
I liked their desperation to see each other, and their determination to do it right. When they did reunite, they struggled to adjust to new relationship dynamics, getting caught up in old habits, working to create new rituals. No easy fixes here, and the process added a lot of depth to their new relationship.
The secondary characters were wonderful. Their strong, distinct personalities added so much to the story.
This was everything I hoped for and more when I saw Breann's prompt.
The only detraction was the drama at the end. I thought it was unnecessary and too jarring. The sudden wrap up after the earlier slower build up was also disappointing.
August 11, 2014
Not for me. I can only take so much lecturing in a book before it sucks all the fun out of my reading experience. And by that, I don't mean I need happy fun books to enjoy reading, which you can easily see from my favorites shelf (I actually prefer darker reads). The subject matter isn't the problem for me - it's the endless discussing, debating, advice from friends, and therapy that makes up 90% of the book. I feel like the conceptual difficulty of transitioning from an involuntary to a voluntary slave was being drilled into my skull the entire time. And then I never saw him become a voluntary slave, which is what I thought the prompt requested, but ah well. It wasn't badly written, but it wasn't at all what I was hoping for based on the prompt.
March 3, 2016
Four stars at least, maybe five. Plus I've been grading LL stories on a curve, so six. And another star for Teddy.
I poked suspiciously at this book a few times before starting it; master/slave is not my kink, and dub-con is too often a veneer over rape, but I could try a few pages and then toss it, right?
Nope.
It's not a master/slave kinkfest, it's a former master and slave reunited and trying to love each other as equals, exploring issues of freedom and consent with a great deal of thoughtfulness.
The characters are fleshed-out individuals, and the supporting cast is terrific, especially the gender-queer badass Teddy.
I'm not sure the fourth act [dramatic stuff] was necessary, but I'm not sure it wasn't either, and I'm feeling magnanimous.
I poked suspiciously at this book a few times before starting it; master/slave is not my kink, and dub-con is too often a veneer over rape, but I could try a few pages and then toss it, right?
Nope.
It's not a master/slave kinkfest, it's a former master and slave reunited and trying to love each other as equals, exploring issues of freedom and consent with a great deal of thoughtfulness.
The characters are fleshed-out individuals, and the supporting cast is terrific, especially the gender-queer badass Teddy.
I'm not sure the fourth act [dramatic stuff] was necessary, but I'm not sure it wasn't either, and I'm feeling magnanimous.
November 25, 2014
I chose this book to read alongside another one for a bit of variety but soon left the other by the wayside as Going Home was just way too good not to plough my way through. This is a Master/Slave story with a bit of a twist. It's set in an alternative universe where slavery has recently become illegal and Rory, a former slave, has been forcibly removed from his master of 7 years Geo. This is basically the story of them trying to find each other again and learning how to adapt to their change in circumstances. I would have liked a little bit less time spent on their friends and more time with Rory and Geo but I still thoroughly enjoyed myself!
March 21, 2023
So I would say this book is about two people learning how to acknowledge abuse within their relationship, stand up for themselves/respect each others’ boundaries, and begin to rebuild their relationship the way they want it to be, as equals. Which… sounds ridiculous when the context is “slavery was legal-ish again for a bit and one of the MCs fully owned the other one,” but is in fact wildly relevant to many people’s lives here in reality as well. Idk, kind of a best case scenario for this premise imo (although I will admit I am not widely read here lol).
I really didn’t know what to expect when I picked this up. But as I was reading it began reminding me of something I semi-jokingly said in a review of the RJ Moray series His Boy Next Door - that it’s a story about someone realizing their relationship is kinda icky and trying to figure out how to improve it… without breaking up. And when I said it in that review, I was kind of joking because obviously the requirement in romance is that *no matter what*, the couple has to end up together. So usually the conflict in romance is… okay, basically anything lighter than straight up abuse/rape. (There is that but it’s called dark romance and it operates under uh different rules haha. And this book, and HBND, are definitely not dark romance.) And I don’t think there’s a way around it - this book is about a couple whose relationship originally involved straight up abuse, including sex under conditions in which one of the people involved was absolutely unable to meaningfully consent… aka rape. And yet they also love each other - or at least they both believe they love each other - and there were really good things about the relationship they had. So… what do you do in that situation?
I think there are a lot of people who would say that abusers are abusers and they always will be, and that it’s impossible to move on from abuse within a relationship. And I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad rule of thumb (…badum ching 😬). But I do think it’s possible for people who have engaged in what is literally domestic abuse to change their behavior - and for people who have been victim to it to acknowledge their experience and find ways to change *their* behavior - without the relationship between them being tainted forever. It does (as this book very realistically shows) take some serious therapy, as well as time and patience and work, but I think it’s possible.
And that’s really what this book is about! I think the personal growth timelines are a bit compressed (gotta fit it in one book) but in general the way Ripper depicts the emotional evolution of these characters is incredibly well done. I do think the reason it works is that when the book begins, Rory and Geo have been forcibly separated for long enough that they can begin to acknowledge the reality of the negative parts of their relationship. And one of the things that makes this story work - one of Ripper’s strengths in general - is how strong the *other* characters’ characterizations are. Because it is only through separately talking to their separate friends about their separate feelings about their shared relationship, and being confronted with those friends’ opinions, which are often very different than their own, that Rory and Geo can start to explicitly conceptualize what they actually want, as opposed to the sometimes very harmful assumptions and behaviors they defaulted to in the past.
And I will say that the gender aspect of this is really interesting as well, particularly the way this book uses the slavery premise to provide a culturally-ingrained sense of the “correctness”, the supposed “innateness” or “logic”, of a certain pattern of abusive behavior within interpersonal relationships between two “naturally” “different” people, while taking gender out of the equation altogether in terms of Geo and Rory’s relationship (they are both cis men, neither described as more masculine/feminine than the other; Geo is slightly older than Rory, but Rory is more physical fit/strong). And the kink too - although it’s a common theme in Ripper’s books so I wasn’t surprised to encounter it here, it’s a great pivot to bend the story around so that the characters, and the book itself, can unpack exactly what the difference is between healthy, consensual power dynamics in a relationship versus unhealthy, nonconsensual ones.
Basically I was pleasantly surprised, I found this book to be very insightful, and am looking forward to reading about D and Teddy next!
I really didn’t know what to expect when I picked this up. But as I was reading it began reminding me of something I semi-jokingly said in a review of the RJ Moray series His Boy Next Door - that it’s a story about someone realizing their relationship is kinda icky and trying to figure out how to improve it… without breaking up. And when I said it in that review, I was kind of joking because obviously the requirement in romance is that *no matter what*, the couple has to end up together. So usually the conflict in romance is… okay, basically anything lighter than straight up abuse/rape. (There is that but it’s called dark romance and it operates under uh different rules haha. And this book, and HBND, are definitely not dark romance.) And I don’t think there’s a way around it - this book is about a couple whose relationship originally involved straight up abuse, including sex under conditions in which one of the people involved was absolutely unable to meaningfully consent… aka rape. And yet they also love each other - or at least they both believe they love each other - and there were really good things about the relationship they had. So… what do you do in that situation?
I think there are a lot of people who would say that abusers are abusers and they always will be, and that it’s impossible to move on from abuse within a relationship. And I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad rule of thumb (…badum ching 😬). But I do think it’s possible for people who have engaged in what is literally domestic abuse to change their behavior - and for people who have been victim to it to acknowledge their experience and find ways to change *their* behavior - without the relationship between them being tainted forever. It does (as this book very realistically shows) take some serious therapy, as well as time and patience and work, but I think it’s possible.
And that’s really what this book is about! I think the personal growth timelines are a bit compressed (gotta fit it in one book) but in general the way Ripper depicts the emotional evolution of these characters is incredibly well done. I do think the reason it works is that when the book begins, Rory and Geo have been forcibly separated for long enough that they can begin to acknowledge the reality of the negative parts of their relationship. And one of the things that makes this story work - one of Ripper’s strengths in general - is how strong the *other* characters’ characterizations are. Because it is only through separately talking to their separate friends about their separate feelings about their shared relationship, and being confronted with those friends’ opinions, which are often very different than their own, that Rory and Geo can start to explicitly conceptualize what they actually want, as opposed to the sometimes very harmful assumptions and behaviors they defaulted to in the past.
And I will say that the gender aspect of this is really interesting as well, particularly the way this book uses the slavery premise to provide a culturally-ingrained sense of the “correctness”, the supposed “innateness” or “logic”, of a certain pattern of abusive behavior within interpersonal relationships between two “naturally” “different” people, while taking gender out of the equation altogether in terms of Geo and Rory’s relationship (they are both cis men, neither described as more masculine/feminine than the other; Geo is slightly older than Rory, but Rory is more physical fit/strong). And the kink too - although it’s a common theme in Ripper’s books so I wasn’t surprised to encounter it here, it’s a great pivot to bend the story around so that the characters, and the book itself, can unpack exactly what the difference is between healthy, consensual power dynamics in a relationship versus unhealthy, nonconsensual ones.
Basically I was pleasantly surprised, I found this book to be very insightful, and am looking forward to reading about D and Teddy next!
March 14, 2023
TBR rescue and Kris Ripper-backlist project!
This is an early Kris Ripper, and fascinatingly unlike zirs more recent work. A tight, observant, thought-provoking exploration of agency, consent, power, love, desire, obsession, ownership, and what it means to be free. This is the book Docile was trying, but didn't manage, to be.
Knocking off a star because the book had a twist in the end that took it from being a close study of an intimate relationship (and its embeddedness in a wider web of platonic, but also intimate, friendships), towards a more dramatic trajectory. I understand the reasoning for this, but I would have rather kept the story more internal -- although I was happy with how it all resolved.
Note that there is consistent use throughout of master-slave language, both in reference to Geo and Rory's original relationship and in a kink/ roleplay setting once Rory is free. Also pain-play and re-consideration of past sexual play through the lens of whether it was actually noncon or dubcon.
This was not what I was expecting, in a good way. Incredibly compelling, immersive stuff. Low-key bummed that Docile has gotten so much attention when this is both the earlier and better book.
ETA: as of 14 March 2023, it's free on Amazon.
This is an early Kris Ripper, and fascinatingly unlike zirs more recent work. A tight, observant, thought-provoking exploration of agency, consent, power, love, desire, obsession, ownership, and what it means to be free. This is the book Docile was trying, but didn't manage, to be.
Knocking off a star because the book had a twist in the end that took it from being a close study of an intimate relationship (and its embeddedness in a wider web of platonic, but also intimate, friendships), towards a more dramatic trajectory. I understand the reasoning for this, but I would have rather kept the story more internal -- although I was happy with how it all resolved.
Note that there is consistent use throughout of master-slave language, both in reference to Geo and Rory's original relationship and in a kink/ roleplay setting once Rory is free. Also pain-play and re-consideration of past sexual play through the lens of whether it was actually noncon or dubcon.
This was not what I was expecting, in a good way. Incredibly compelling, immersive stuff. Low-key bummed that Docile has gotten so much attention when this is both the earlier and better book.
ETA: as of 14 March 2023, it's free on Amazon.
March 13, 2016
This freebie surprised the hell out of me.
Firstly, because for a Love Landscape's freebie it was exceptionally well written, the plot complex and with 208 pages, it was a relatviely long read. But more importantly, it threw me right in the middle of a scenario that I tend to avoid in my books.
I'm no fan of sexual slavery stories. I don't enjoy dub-con/non-con, falling in love with your abuser is not a trope for me - not in erotica and sure as heck not in romance. Stockholm syndrome is NOT my idea of a romantic relationship. With all that said, nobody was more surprised than me when this little one not only landed on my Kindle, but that I read it front to back. And was interested and invested the whole time. But Rory was a fascinating character. On the one hand slavery was all he's ever known. He was born into it, became his Master's property and was prepared to stay with him for the rest of his life. He thought he loved him, he was okay with how his life was going, he enjoyed the D/s relationship in the bedroom, and was alright with how the rest of his lofe was supposed to pan out. Or so he thought. But when sexual slavery was abolished, when he was taken to another location and contact to his Master isn't an option anymore, Rory's world is crumbling. Everything he thought was right, suddenly isn't anymore. Black isn't black, white isn't white and grey never looked so chaotic. He's changing, the world is changing - even his feelings are changing. It's terrifying, but through all of it there is one thought that prevails: He needs to get back to Geo.
This story sure as hell isn't a psychology handbook. It's also completely different from what I expected. And I liked it. For once, it wasn't a twist on Stockholm syndrom. There was a difference between consensual D/s relationships and the master7slave conext Rory and Geo were used to. It was very fascination to see this struggle, this journey, the psychological and physiological ramifications of their complex, shared history.
Was it preachy? Maybe a little? There were some side characters that - while layered and interesting and sometimes a pain in the ass - loved taking the roles of angels and devils. Sometimes that was frustrating, but all in all not too bad. The story is wordy, though. More so than I usually like in the "preaching and lecturing" department. But all in all, I enjoyed this one, and I liked how much it managed to surprise me again and again. Definitely recommended.
Firstly, because for a Love Landscape's freebie it was exceptionally well written, the plot complex and with 208 pages, it was a relatviely long read. But more importantly, it threw me right in the middle of a scenario that I tend to avoid in my books.
The right to own sex slaves has just been made illegal. The government is taking the slaves to a reeducation camp where we can learn to be a part of everyday society. But what they don’t understand is that I’ve been with Master for 7 years and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than kneeling at his feet, with his collar around my neck and being used in any way he needs. I’m his.
I'm no fan of sexual slavery stories. I don't enjoy dub-con/non-con, falling in love with your abuser is not a trope for me - not in erotica and sure as heck not in romance. Stockholm syndrome is NOT my idea of a romantic relationship. With all that said, nobody was more surprised than me when this little one not only landed on my Kindle, but that I read it front to back. And was interested and invested the whole time. But Rory was a fascinating character. On the one hand slavery was all he's ever known. He was born into it, became his Master's property and was prepared to stay with him for the rest of his life. He thought he loved him, he was okay with how his life was going, he enjoyed the D/s relationship in the bedroom, and was alright with how the rest of his lofe was supposed to pan out. Or so he thought. But when sexual slavery was abolished, when he was taken to another location and contact to his Master isn't an option anymore, Rory's world is crumbling. Everything he thought was right, suddenly isn't anymore. Black isn't black, white isn't white and grey never looked so chaotic. He's changing, the world is changing - even his feelings are changing. It's terrifying, but through all of it there is one thought that prevails: He needs to get back to Geo.
This story sure as hell isn't a psychology handbook. It's also completely different from what I expected. And I liked it. For once, it wasn't a twist on Stockholm syndrom. There was a difference between consensual D/s relationships and the master7slave conext Rory and Geo were used to. It was very fascination to see this struggle, this journey, the psychological and physiological ramifications of their complex, shared history.
Was it preachy? Maybe a little? There were some side characters that - while layered and interesting and sometimes a pain in the ass - loved taking the roles of angels and devils. Sometimes that was frustrating, but all in all not too bad. The story is wordy, though. More so than I usually like in the "preaching and lecturing" department. But all in all, I enjoyed this one, and I liked how much it managed to surprise me again and again. Definitely recommended.
May 31, 2015
This was recommended to me and I was ready to dnf at any point because for me real slave-fic is problematic at best. From the prompt I was expecting not to like the story at all but actually I did like it very much. Now, here is why (and this is all from my perspective).
There is kink.
And then there is slavery.
For me kink is fine, actual slavery is not. To some the book may sound preachy (and it maybe is and many thanks to the author for that because I happen to think that preaching about that is a good thing) because there is the BDSM component and then there is the issue of actual slavery. In a way, this is de-constructed slave-fic. I liked how Roar and Geo had to redefine their personalities faced with a new reality (i.e. wrapping their respective minds around the idea that there are boundaries and choices, and that maybe the submissive partner might actually be the one to really call the shots).
Also, I loved all the side characters, so I think it is a well-crafted, engaging book - yes, with a message - but a message I like.
It's still hot, though, at times. Just in case you were worried ;-)
There is kink.
And then there is slavery.
For me kink is fine, actual slavery is not. To some the book may sound preachy (and it maybe is and many thanks to the author for that because I happen to think that preaching about that is a good thing) because there is the BDSM component and then there is the issue of actual slavery. In a way, this is de-constructed slave-fic. I liked how Roar and Geo had to redefine their personalities faced with a new reality (i.e. wrapping their respective minds around the idea that there are boundaries and choices, and that maybe the submissive partner might actually be the one to really call the shots).
Also, I loved all the side characters, so I think it is a well-crafted, engaging book - yes, with a message - but a message I like.
It's still hot, though, at times. Just in case you were worried ;-)
Shelved as 'i-own-you-so-wait-patiently'
January 26, 2018Free on Amazon 01/26/2018
https://www.amazon.com/Going-Home-Boo...
https://www.amazon.com/Going-Home-Boo...
November 1, 2014
This is not your light and fluffy story. There is many layers, that make you think. I feel the author did a pretty good job at portraying everyone and watching them transform.
Rory was raised as a slave. He was sold to Geo, whom is his Master. They have lived together for seven years. They are more than just Master/Slave, they are a couple. They love one another. But they assume the roles strictly as Master and Slave too. Rory, who has loved his Master, has never thought of questioning being his slave or the role of a slave. It is the only life he has ever known(born and raised). Master has always taken care of him. What Master says, he does. On the other hand, Master had always caved and bought Rory whatever he wanted. Well some ‘owners’ treated slaves as an object, Master Geo treated Rory more like a person. Geo never truly felt lost until they took Rory away.
When slavery was abolished, they separated all the slaves and owners. Assuming a. all slaves were treated inhumanly. b. people who wanted to be a ‘slave’ were ‘brainwashed’ and ‘wrong’. Sending the slaves into a re-education camp, where they weren’t allowed to leave until they proved to the staff they were their version of ‘free’(which is a form of slavery but the government doesn’t see it that way).
Well, Rory meets Demon, and Demon takes Rory and they escape from the camp. Well Rory has been born and raised as a slave, Demon had not been. She had chosen to be an indentured servant instead of going to jail. Sadly, she was brutally raped and traumatized, fearing men, especially ‘owners’...
Demon cannot understand Rory’s love of his master. Since they both had different upbringings and Rory’s owner/Master was a kind man. Even though Demon doesn’t approve, she does help Rory when Rory is given a chance to find Geo, his Master.
Geo, lost and alone in the world, sells all his possessions and gives away all his money. He moves to a new town, but keeps his name, in case Rory every comes to look for him. He even makes a really good friend named Teddy. They both confide in one another their secrets and with Teddy’s help, Geo takes the initiative to find Rory. Since the new laws prohibit slaves and owners to connect one another for five years, Teddy knows a way and tells Geo about it.
They are reunited pretty early on in the story, maybe one-third. But that is when all the challenges happen. Rory and Geo have to reevaluate their relationship. Will they still be worthy for one another. Geo loves Rory, but he also likes to dominate in the bedroom and they are both naturally kinky. Rory, is known better by his nickname, Roar. Rory goes to therapy. He has to sort out what he wants and needs. He needs Geo. He wants some of the kinkiness and games they had before. But he no longer wants to be a slave. He wants to be able to stand equal with Geo.
This is where the story really takes place. Geo and Rory learning to live with one another, while trying to not fall completely back into their previous relationship. They realize that there were certain aspects of their previous relationship that needs to be stopped or changed. For example, safe-words.
Then we have our side, characters, Maizy, Demon and Teddy. They really help make the story also. We see how ‘slaves’ aren’t all the same. Demon, who was abused and fearful(needless to say). We have Maizy, who learned that her ‘owner’s’ truly just wanted to use her for their own good and not pay her, even though they treated her like a daughter. They had trained her in business trade, and she has to learn how to use them now that she is on her own. Since, she can’t use them as a reference, it makes it a little bit more difficult. We have Teddy, who is kind of blunt, is best friend’s with Geo. Really, Teddy is the anchor and chance for something new for all of them.
Rory was raised as a slave. He was sold to Geo, whom is his Master. They have lived together for seven years. They are more than just Master/Slave, they are a couple. They love one another. But they assume the roles strictly as Master and Slave too. Rory, who has loved his Master, has never thought of questioning being his slave or the role of a slave. It is the only life he has ever known(born and raised). Master has always taken care of him. What Master says, he does. On the other hand, Master had always caved and bought Rory whatever he wanted. Well some ‘owners’ treated slaves as an object, Master Geo treated Rory more like a person. Geo never truly felt lost until they took Rory away.
When slavery was abolished, they separated all the slaves and owners. Assuming a. all slaves were treated inhumanly. b. people who wanted to be a ‘slave’ were ‘brainwashed’ and ‘wrong’. Sending the slaves into a re-education camp, where they weren’t allowed to leave until they proved to the staff they were their version of ‘free’(which is a form of slavery but the government doesn’t see it that way).
Well, Rory meets Demon, and Demon takes Rory and they escape from the camp. Well Rory has been born and raised as a slave, Demon had not been. She had chosen to be an indentured servant instead of going to jail. Sadly, she was brutally raped and traumatized, fearing men, especially ‘owners’...
Demon cannot understand Rory’s love of his master. Since they both had different upbringings and Rory’s owner/Master was a kind man. Even though Demon doesn’t approve, she does help Rory when Rory is given a chance to find Geo, his Master.
Geo, lost and alone in the world, sells all his possessions and gives away all his money. He moves to a new town, but keeps his name, in case Rory every comes to look for him. He even makes a really good friend named Teddy. They both confide in one another their secrets and with Teddy’s help, Geo takes the initiative to find Rory. Since the new laws prohibit slaves and owners to connect one another for five years, Teddy knows a way and tells Geo about it.
They are reunited pretty early on in the story, maybe one-third. But that is when all the challenges happen. Rory and Geo have to reevaluate their relationship. Will they still be worthy for one another. Geo loves Rory, but he also likes to dominate in the bedroom and they are both naturally kinky. Rory, is known better by his nickname, Roar. Rory goes to therapy. He has to sort out what he wants and needs. He needs Geo. He wants some of the kinkiness and games they had before. But he no longer wants to be a slave. He wants to be able to stand equal with Geo.
This is where the story really takes place. Geo and Rory learning to live with one another, while trying to not fall completely back into their previous relationship. They realize that there were certain aspects of their previous relationship that needs to be stopped or changed. For example, safe-words.
Then we have our side, characters, Maizy, Demon and Teddy. They really help make the story also. We see how ‘slaves’ aren’t all the same. Demon, who was abused and fearful(needless to say). We have Maizy, who learned that her ‘owner’s’ truly just wanted to use her for their own good and not pay her, even though they treated her like a daughter. They had trained her in business trade, and she has to learn how to use them now that she is on her own. Since, she can’t use them as a reference, it makes it a little bit more difficult. We have Teddy, who is kind of blunt, is best friend’s with Geo. Really, Teddy is the anchor and chance for something new for all of them.
August 18, 2014
I'm going to go ahead and call it my favourite L/L story for 2014. (Though I can't absolutely promise that won't change.)
Definitely different to my usual preferences, I was only going to peek but I just couldn't stop reading. I didn't want it to end.
I would have happily paid to read this.
Definitely different to my usual preferences, I was only going to peek but I just couldn't stop reading. I didn't want it to end.
I would have happily paid to read this.
February 14, 2017
I liked the idea very much, and the parts about Geo and Rory were sweet and touching. But it kinda was drowned in D's problems, Teddy, Maizy, their interfering into Geo and Rory's lives, their constant presence all in all, therapy and things like that.
January 13, 2017
I hesitated to read this for the longest time, but when I finally did it, I loved it! No big shock, as Kris Ripper is a favorite author, and this book is solid work.
December 23, 2014
In an alternate universe, there are slaves and indentured servants, and now they've all been set free. This scenario is wrought with deep and intricate issues, obviously, as some former slaves and some former masters do not wish to be separated. At the other end of that spectrum are the slaves who rejoice in being freed and can't wait to get away from their abusers.
The author explores the psychological repercussions of slavery, forced servitude and sex slaves against the newly won freedom, and the damage either can inflict on a person. Rory, a former legacy slave (meaning one born into slavery and trained for it) is confused and lost without Geo, his former master and lover, and wants nothing more than to be reunited. On his journey, he meets Demon (D) in what seems to me a concentration camp for former slaves, where the brainwashing inflicted is in some cases worse than what the slaves experienced at the hands of their masters. Demon was an indentured servant in lieu of jail for a misdemeanor crime, but through some manipulations ended up being much more than that. When Rory hears from D that some slaves can be reunited with their masters through some under-the-radar program, he and D run away from the camp to do just that.
What really impressed me in this free story from the M/M Romance group was the careful and delicate way in which the author let Rory grow beyond his former life, giving him the tools and means to make choices of his own. It was also very clear from the get-go that his relationship with Geo transcended that of Master/slave, though both needed that particular kink in the bedroom. Geo too has a few things to learn now that Rory is no longer a slave, and I thought that his character's portrayal as someone who didn't know any different, but is willing to learn, willing to change, just to be with the man he loves, was well done as well.
The other two important side characters, Teddy and Maizy, provided a perfect contrast against the struggles of Rory, D, and Geo, and were ultimately responsible for the happy ending. Teddy specifically, as someone who's never owned or been a slave, asks hard questions of Geo, and is the catapult for much of Geo's growth.
There's a bit of a whodunit toward the ending, a bit of action that had me at the edge of my seat, but also showcased just how far Rory had come since being freed, how much autonomy he had gained, and how well he understood his own motives.
At the root, if one were to strip away all the surrounding layers, this is a love story of two people who are thrown together by chance and custom, but who love each other deeply, rely on each other, and are willing to learn from each other and with each other to build a future that makes them both happy.
If you missed the part where I mentioned that this is a free read, let me repeat that - FREE from the M/M Romance group's Love's Landscapes event. Highly recommended.
The author explores the psychological repercussions of slavery, forced servitude and sex slaves against the newly won freedom, and the damage either can inflict on a person. Rory, a former legacy slave (meaning one born into slavery and trained for it) is confused and lost without Geo, his former master and lover, and wants nothing more than to be reunited. On his journey, he meets Demon (D) in what seems to me a concentration camp for former slaves, where the brainwashing inflicted is in some cases worse than what the slaves experienced at the hands of their masters. Demon was an indentured servant in lieu of jail for a misdemeanor crime, but through some manipulations ended up being much more than that. When Rory hears from D that some slaves can be reunited with their masters through some under-the-radar program, he and D run away from the camp to do just that.
What really impressed me in this free story from the M/M Romance group was the careful and delicate way in which the author let Rory grow beyond his former life, giving him the tools and means to make choices of his own. It was also very clear from the get-go that his relationship with Geo transcended that of Master/slave, though both needed that particular kink in the bedroom. Geo too has a few things to learn now that Rory is no longer a slave, and I thought that his character's portrayal as someone who didn't know any different, but is willing to learn, willing to change, just to be with the man he loves, was well done as well.
The other two important side characters, Teddy and Maizy, provided a perfect contrast against the struggles of Rory, D, and Geo, and were ultimately responsible for the happy ending. Teddy specifically, as someone who's never owned or been a slave, asks hard questions of Geo, and is the catapult for much of Geo's growth.
There's a bit of a whodunit toward the ending, a bit of action that had me at the edge of my seat, but also showcased just how far Rory had come since being freed, how much autonomy he had gained, and how well he understood his own motives.
At the root, if one were to strip away all the surrounding layers, this is a love story of two people who are thrown together by chance and custom, but who love each other deeply, rely on each other, and are willing to learn from each other and with each other to build a future that makes them both happy.
If you missed the part where I mentioned that this is a free read, let me repeat that - FREE from the M/M Romance group's Love's Landscapes event. Highly recommended.
November 17, 2014
Loved it and hated it at the same time
I loved the storyline and the characters. I loved how Rory over thought stuff and how Geo suffered for his love. however the setting, themes and details did not go together in my mind. There were slaves and had just become illegal but then there was computer hackers, cellphones and department stores. I just kept getting so confused. I have read slave and master books before and I was never bothered by it because it was always based off a time before and it always showed about a change in the times.
I loved the storyline and the characters. I loved how Rory over thought stuff and how Geo suffered for his love. however the setting, themes and details did not go together in my mind. There were slaves and had just become illegal but then there was computer hackers, cellphones and department stores. I just kept getting so confused. I have read slave and master books before and I was never bothered by it because it was always based off a time before and it always showed about a change in the times.
September 11, 2014
This was so freaking good. Would have easily been a 5 star read had they spent more time together as a couple and less time with the search for each other. I was hoping we'd get to see some of the more kinky stuff or even they're first "real" sex after they found each other but even so, the story just made we want to read and read and read. The supporting characters were just all kinds of awesome and I'm so glad they each had their own support system. Thanks so much to Kris Ripper for this one!
November 28, 2014
I really, really liked this one. It was a perfect example of showing and not telling.
Even the secondary characters were brilliant.
I kind of wish we had a prologue of them together before they were separated.
I wanted more of them together.
I would so love to read an extension story with these guys.
This was a first read for is author, I'll have to look into more titles!
Even the secondary characters were brilliant.
I kind of wish we had a prologue of them together before they were separated.
I wanted more of them together.
I would so love to read an extension story with these guys.
This was a first read for is author, I'll have to look into more titles!
August 9, 2014
Sucked me in from the beginning - didn't want it to end. Wow. Thank you for your story!
December 26, 2014
The beginning was really pissing me off. So much holier-than-thou, and who gave Teddy the right to be such a morally superior self-righteous ass? His never-owned-a-slave-ness suddenly makes him (and by extension, all the other Northerners who condescend so thoroughly on Geo) a saint? Fuck no. This sort of over-simplified black/white view on morality ain't how the world works, no matter how people like to push it just because it's easier to deal with.
I suppose from a long-run view, it makes sense-ish to push Geo to the other side of the extreme so that he can know the other side, come to some sort of middle ground, and fully understand the implications of the duality of the system. But goddamn, is it annoying for me to have to see him being beaten down.
I guess this is like the Not All Men idea? But then, it bothers me that it seems like Teddy wants Geo to take responsibility and blame for the extreme ass side of the slave owner spectrum, which is not okay. Okay, trying to teach him that just because he didn't, doesn't mean the system wasn't corrupt or some shit. I mean, I get that it was for a point, and they do sort of lampshade that moment later, but I just sense an undercurrent of that throughout this. It's like the white guilt idea. Or narrative of American shame, as D'Souza touted. It just feels like they're pushing this shame narrative onto Geo and Rory, like okay, sure, your situation itself maybe wasn't bad, but it was part of this system, and that system was bad (blanket-classified, of course), and therefore your situation was by association bad. This gets onto slippery slopes of guilt/blame that I don't want to entirely generalize on because there is no real definitive answer to these sort of overarching moral quandaries, but I will say that even though I suppose I can kind of understand why, it's brutish and inelegant and I just feel like there might have been so many better ways to handle this.
They do lampshade it later on, a bit, but I dunno, I'd already gotten worked up about it by then and typed out the thing above. I do appreciate it, though. And objectively, I kind of understand why things are presented the way they are. It's the journey of the characters, and even if it seems stupidly obvious to me, I do recognize that it isn't so for the characters, and that they're coming to these realizations, too. It's easier to settle in now that they're in the exploration stage, where they've stopped trying to force an understanding and just letting it play out.
The story/characters. I did kind of like it/them, even if Demon seemed to make little sense to me except as Rory's motivator/foil, but then when , I couldn't understand why Demon was written to react the way she did. What the fucking hell happened? Did she have a psychotic break or something? I mean, sure, she never seemed really fond of Geo before, but this was like a full descent into paranoia and increasingly erratic and violent behavior and everything. It was just bizarre.
Also, did Teddy give Berry a blow job or something? Like that reaction from the "background check" thing...or was that just odd writing?
Also, speaking of Berry, I was totally one of those Phteven people. When he was first introduced as "Berry-with-an-e" I stared at it thinking "...like...Berre...?" It wasn't until Berry was brought up again, and it was spelled "Berry" still, that I sat back and kind of read it to myself and realized, "Oh. Berry, with an e. As in, not 'Barry.'"
Geo's body thrums a lot. Like he has a lot of whole-body reactions to stuff. It's kind of odd.
One question I have is: do D/s relationships exist within this universe outside of the context of legal slavery? It's not really apparent whether or not there's such a subculture in this AU. Okay, wait. Psychologist used the term "kinky." I'm going to assume...yes. And yay, this therapist sounds decent. Coolio.
Okay, BDSM is a thing.
Oh, shit, it's that thing again. Where these idiots are holding Geo's ignorance against him. Like gee, have a little empathy, take a moment to consider that this was not the society he grew up in. He didn't know these SCC rules because that was not something that would ever have crossed anyone's mind in the society he lived in. Sure, that doesn't necessarily make it right, but you also sure as hell can't blame him for what he didn't know. Goddamn Teddy. What a morally superior ass by proxy. And then goddamn Teddy for acting as if it's all Geo's fault for not knowing stuff "he should have known" because "any reasonable person would know this is what should be." That's fallacious self-centered thinking. Just because you believe it's a common knowledge thing doesn't necessarily mean the next person does, especially if he's from effectively a completely different culture.
BUT THEN APPARENTLY HE MAGICALLY DOES KNOW. So, what, then? He actually did, and is now rendered an ass, or author took a shortcut? Either way, I feel like he got shorted a lot of character development opportunity.
Nail cutting into your palms from clenching your hand.
...how. I know many people use this trope, but how the fuck is it even possible? Nails breaking skin when scratching, okay, but doing so from the force of finger strength alone? And I'm assuming this is more slow pressure, as opposed to sudden stabbing.
And man, Rory telling it like it is: "What safewords?" ... "Red and yellow. Like stop lights. Red to stop, yellow to slow down." "If they really were like stop lights, it'd be red to stop and yellow to speed up."
But then there's, like, humiliation in this, and humiliation is like NMK, so it got kind of awk and stuff. But then it's even weirder cuz they're also still trying to figure shit out, so they're fumbling their way through it, and then doing something they habitually do, but then pulling back like "Oh, shit, was that okay?"
I don't understand Rory's view on the children thing at all. I don't understand how he can profess to say - and by all appearances think - that it was fine, but then turn around and so vehemently say he'd never want that for his children. I dunno, maybe it's just the way I perceive it's being presented. It just seems like he got fed a party line and now he's repeating it religiously, perhaps by proxy. *shrug* it just seems like a viewpoint that doesn't quite seem like it's actually his.
And then when plot-y stuff starts happening towards pretty much the very end...talk about hitherto unsuspected magical skills. ...random.
The ending was like drama as deus ex machina to resolve the emotional/romantic arc. I'm not sure how I feel about that.
I suppose from a long-run view, it makes sense-ish to push Geo to the other side of the extreme so that he can know the other side, come to some sort of middle ground, and fully understand the implications of the duality of the system. But goddamn, is it annoying for me to have to see him being beaten down.
I guess this is like the Not All Men idea? But then, it bothers me that it seems like Teddy wants Geo to take responsibility and blame for the extreme ass side of the slave owner spectrum, which is not okay. Okay, trying to teach him that just because he didn't, doesn't mean the system wasn't corrupt or some shit. I mean, I get that it was for a point, and they do sort of lampshade that moment later, but I just sense an undercurrent of that throughout this. It's like the white guilt idea. Or narrative of American shame, as D'Souza touted. It just feels like they're pushing this shame narrative onto Geo and Rory, like okay, sure, your situation itself maybe wasn't bad, but it was part of this system, and that system was bad (blanket-classified, of course), and therefore your situation was by association bad. This gets onto slippery slopes of guilt/blame that I don't want to entirely generalize on because there is no real definitive answer to these sort of overarching moral quandaries, but I will say that even though I suppose I can kind of understand why, it's brutish and inelegant and I just feel like there might have been so many better ways to handle this.
They do lampshade it later on, a bit, but I dunno, I'd already gotten worked up about it by then and typed out the thing above. I do appreciate it, though. And objectively, I kind of understand why things are presented the way they are. It's the journey of the characters, and even if it seems stupidly obvious to me, I do recognize that it isn't so for the characters, and that they're coming to these realizations, too. It's easier to settle in now that they're in the exploration stage, where they've stopped trying to force an understanding and just letting it play out.
The story/characters. I did kind of like it/them, even if Demon seemed to make little sense to me except as Rory's motivator/foil, but then when , I couldn't understand why Demon was written to react the way she did. What the fucking hell happened? Did she have a psychotic break or something? I mean, sure, she never seemed really fond of Geo before, but this was like a full descent into paranoia and increasingly erratic and violent behavior and everything. It was just bizarre.
Also, did Teddy give Berry a blow job or something? Like that reaction from the "background check" thing...or was that just odd writing?
Also, speaking of Berry, I was totally one of those Phteven people. When he was first introduced as "Berry-with-an-e" I stared at it thinking "...like...Berre...?" It wasn't until Berry was brought up again, and it was spelled "Berry" still, that I sat back and kind of read it to myself and realized, "Oh. Berry, with an e. As in, not 'Barry.'"
Geo's body thrums a lot. Like he has a lot of whole-body reactions to stuff. It's kind of odd.
One question I have is: do D/s relationships exist within this universe outside of the context of legal slavery? It's not really apparent whether or not there's such a subculture in this AU. Okay, wait. Psychologist used the term "kinky." I'm going to assume...yes. And yay, this therapist sounds decent. Coolio.
Okay, BDSM is a thing.
Oh, shit, it's that thing again. Where these idiots are holding Geo's ignorance against him. Like gee, have a little empathy, take a moment to consider that this was not the society he grew up in. He didn't know these SCC rules because that was not something that would ever have crossed anyone's mind in the society he lived in. Sure, that doesn't necessarily make it right, but you also sure as hell can't blame him for what he didn't know. Goddamn Teddy. What a morally superior ass by proxy. And then goddamn Teddy for acting as if it's all Geo's fault for not knowing stuff "he should have known" because "any reasonable person would know this is what should be." That's fallacious self-centered thinking. Just because you believe it's a common knowledge thing doesn't necessarily mean the next person does, especially if he's from effectively a completely different culture.
BUT THEN APPARENTLY HE MAGICALLY DOES KNOW. So, what, then? He actually did, and is now rendered an ass, or author took a shortcut? Either way, I feel like he got shorted a lot of character development opportunity.
Nail cutting into your palms from clenching your hand.
...how. I know many people use this trope, but how the fuck is it even possible? Nails breaking skin when scratching, okay, but doing so from the force of finger strength alone? And I'm assuming this is more slow pressure, as opposed to sudden stabbing.
And man, Rory telling it like it is: "What safewords?" ... "Red and yellow. Like stop lights. Red to stop, yellow to slow down." "If they really were like stop lights, it'd be red to stop and yellow to speed up."
But then there's, like, humiliation in this, and humiliation is like NMK, so it got kind of awk and stuff. But then it's even weirder cuz they're also still trying to figure shit out, so they're fumbling their way through it, and then doing something they habitually do, but then pulling back like "Oh, shit, was that okay?"
I don't understand Rory's view on the children thing at all. I don't understand how he can profess to say - and by all appearances think - that it was fine, but then turn around and so vehemently say he'd never want that for his children. I dunno, maybe it's just the way I perceive it's being presented. It just seems like he got fed a party line and now he's repeating it religiously, perhaps by proxy. *shrug* it just seems like a viewpoint that doesn't quite seem like it's actually his.
And then when plot-y stuff starts happening towards pretty much the very end...talk about hitherto unsuspected magical skills. ...random.
The ending was like drama as deus ex machina to resolve the emotional/romantic arc. I'm not sure how I feel about that.
June 16, 2015
I loved the psychology of the slave mentality and how it looked at whether Geo and Rory's feelings were genuine, if the even could be genuine, because of the master/slave issue. It was so evident that Geo truly cared for Rory and I was glad that we were able to see them struggle to navigate Rory's freedom in the context of his desire to submit; it made what they felt real.
I also loved the supporting cast of characters and was glad they both had such wonderful friends.
I would have loved to see a scene after they got back together of Rory's willing submission as a free man.
I also loved the supporting cast of characters and was glad they both had such wonderful friends.
I would have loved to see a scene after they got back together of Rory's willing submission as a free man.
August 10, 2014
Set in an AU of our world, where slavery and indentured servitude were once again legal, they are now illegal, and all former slaves have been removed from their owners. The story explores the consequences of owning and being owned, from both side's POV. Geo and Rory, the main characters, are engaging, as is their struggle to reconnect. The secondary characters add depth to the story, and the plot twist near the end was suspenseful and worked well for the ultimate resolution.
June 16, 2015
Going Home. I can't believe how many times I screamed at the pages of this one 'get over it.' I got that our MCs were totally connected to each other and they needed to be together but I just couldn't handle the political/social control programs that was forced upon them. I just didn't like or care for most of the secondary characters. Now don't get me wrong this is a perfectly fine read it's just not for me.
September 4, 2014
I enjoyed this short from the m/m groups event this year, but I was a little upset about the lack of time the two main characters actually spent together. If there had been more of this, I would of rated this much higher as I found much to enjoy here.
There was a great cast of characters and the world building was very interesting.
I would read more by this author.
There was a great cast of characters and the world building was very interesting.
I would read more by this author.
August 13, 2016
I like the idea behind the story, and I adored several of the characters.
Rory is my favorite, and I really like the way he handles D. Geo's kind of a wuss though and I don't quite get why Teddy, who kicks ass and takes no prisoners, is so instantly such a great friend to him.
It's not my fave Ripper, but fun. I'll get to the rest of this series later.
Rory is my favorite, and I really like the way he handles D. Geo's kind of a wuss though and I don't quite get why Teddy, who kicks ass and takes no prisoners, is so instantly such a great friend to him.
It's not my fave Ripper, but fun. I'll get to the rest of this series later.
Shelved as 'mm-start-of-series'
May 27, 2016Genre: alternate universe
Tags: established relationship, separated and reunited, master/slave, overbearing friends, dirty talk, BDSM, hurt/comfort
Content Warning: past abuse/rape of secondary character
Tags: established relationship, separated and reunited, master/slave, overbearing friends, dirty talk, BDSM, hurt/comfort
Content Warning: past abuse/rape of secondary character
August 11, 2014
The prompt captured my imagination from the beginning, and this story has definitely done it justice. Though there were some parts that I didn't quite understand (like the revelation at the end), overall, I'd say that this is a great read.
May 11, 2017
Wow. Just wow. This was sublime. The dialogue was so smooth, the action ebbed and flowed just perfectly and I could not put the story down. Not sure I've read this author before but I am most certainly going to look for more books.
July 4, 2023
How I love having my expectations undermined!
This opens with Rory pining for his former owner after slavery has been abolished. (NB this is a combination of two forms of non-race-based slavery: poorly regulated indentured servitude, and "legacy slavery," in which people are born into slavery and may, as Rory was at 16, be sold to become someone's sexual property.)
Oh, and Rory's former owner, Geo, is pining for him too. They love each other, right? Rory fought so hard to stay with Geo that he had to be sedated to be removed from Geo's ownership; Geo had to be chained to an actual truck (!) to be kept from going after Rory.
What a setup! I started reading fully prepared for an early reunion and some hot dubcon kink ... and that expectation got blasted to shreds within a few pages. Because instead Rory makes a friend, a former indentured servant who was very badly treated indeed and who immediately begins challenging all of Rory's perceptions of his life with Geo. Not coincidentally, she's Black, and as bad as indentured servitude was, "legacy slavery" sends her into a towering rage. What consent? she wants to know. Was there a safeword? How can Rory think of such an exploitative relationship as love?
Rory hates this, of course, but bit by bit his certainties unravel, until finally he comes to understand that yes, he loves Geo; yes, he's a sub and a masochist, and he wants that for himself; but he does not want to be enslaved. What he wants is the freedom to choose to be with Geo in the romantic and sexual dynamic that suits him.
Meanwhile, Geo is taking a licking from his (again, not coincidentally) trans friend Teddy, who presses him, and presses him, and presses him on what it means to legally own another person and how, whether Geo loved him or not, Rory had no freedom of action within their relationship. How much, Teddy wants to know, was Rory faking it because he had to?
Some of the niftiest passages, from both Rory and Geo's POVs, come in their recollections of how manipulative Rory had to be in order to get anything he needed or wanted (such as the double oven that makes it easier for him to prepare meals for dinner parties). Also a nice touch: Geo cataloguing Rory's omnicompetence -- he's a brilliant cook; he skillfully plans social events; he knows how to install and repair appliances. I found this especially pleasing because it's a truism that people who have been attended by servants all their lives can barely make their own toast. It's humbling to Geo, really seeing how much better Rory is at just about everything.
Of course Rory and Geo are reunited -- otherwise this would have a different title -- and God, I loved their negotiations. That word has such corporate overtones, but I'm thinking of it in the sense that applies when we speak of negotiating river rapids, for example. The scene when they finally have sex, as equals one of whom chooses freely to submit and the other of whom understands that he has no special right to that submission, is both crazy-hot and deeply moving, not least because it's not the happy ending. There's still a long way to go for that.
In short: a surprisingly complex exploration of choice, freedom, consent, love, and desire.
----
It's been a few years since Going Home was published, so some of the language around Teddy's transness is ... suboptimal. Importantly, though, his friends -- including Geo, once he gets over his initial shock -- support him 100%.
This opens with Rory pining for his former owner after slavery has been abolished. (NB this is a combination of two forms of non-race-based slavery: poorly regulated indentured servitude, and "legacy slavery," in which people are born into slavery and may, as Rory was at 16, be sold to become someone's sexual property.)
Oh, and Rory's former owner, Geo, is pining for him too. They love each other, right? Rory fought so hard to stay with Geo that he had to be sedated to be removed from Geo's ownership; Geo had to be chained to an actual truck (!) to be kept from going after Rory.
What a setup! I started reading fully prepared for an early reunion and some hot dubcon kink ... and that expectation got blasted to shreds within a few pages. Because instead Rory makes a friend, a former indentured servant who was very badly treated indeed and who immediately begins challenging all of Rory's perceptions of his life with Geo. Not coincidentally, she's Black, and as bad as indentured servitude was, "legacy slavery" sends her into a towering rage. What consent? she wants to know. Was there a safeword? How can Rory think of such an exploitative relationship as love?
Rory hates this, of course, but bit by bit his certainties unravel, until finally he comes to understand that yes, he loves Geo; yes, he's a sub and a masochist, and he wants that for himself; but he does not want to be enslaved. What he wants is the freedom to choose to be with Geo in the romantic and sexual dynamic that suits him.
Meanwhile, Geo is taking a licking from his (again, not coincidentally) trans friend Teddy, who presses him, and presses him, and presses him on what it means to legally own another person and how, whether Geo loved him or not, Rory had no freedom of action within their relationship. How much, Teddy wants to know, was Rory faking it because he had to?
Some of the niftiest passages, from both Rory and Geo's POVs, come in their recollections of how manipulative Rory had to be in order to get anything he needed or wanted (such as the double oven that makes it easier for him to prepare meals for dinner parties). Also a nice touch: Geo cataloguing Rory's omnicompetence -- he's a brilliant cook; he skillfully plans social events; he knows how to install and repair appliances. I found this especially pleasing because it's a truism that people who have been attended by servants all their lives can barely make their own toast. It's humbling to Geo, really seeing how much better Rory is at just about everything.
Of course Rory and Geo are reunited -- otherwise this would have a different title -- and God, I loved their negotiations. That word has such corporate overtones, but I'm thinking of it in the sense that applies when we speak of negotiating river rapids, for example. The scene when they finally have sex, as equals one of whom chooses freely to submit and the other of whom understands that he has no special right to that submission, is both crazy-hot and deeply moving, not least because it's not the happy ending. There's still a long way to go for that.
In short: a surprisingly complex exploration of choice, freedom, consent, love, and desire.
----
It's been a few years since Going Home was published, so some of the language around Teddy's transness is ... suboptimal. Importantly, though, his friends -- including Geo, once he gets over his initial shock -- support him 100%.
March 23, 2024
Oh man I really liked this one and wish it was longer. There was so much to unpack and we only really scratched the surface. I could have spent the whole book watching Rory figure out what he wanted and negotiate that with Geo, unfortunately another plot took over and distracted from that. It was frustrating to see the side characters getting in the way of the main characters' development. In books with unusual kinks it's so frustrating when side characters don’t understand or judge our MCs for what they're into and that's what we have here. I especially didn't like it when the friends were telling Rory that he was raped just because he was a slave (as if an outside person was better suited to weigh in on how consensual his sexual experiences were). My other complaint was that they talked about a lot of kinks but didn't do much in real time which was disappointing. I wanted to see them figure out how to play with power dynamics now that Rory isn't a slave anymore. I was so invested in that journey and we just didn't get to see it even start to be resolved really which was very frustrating. The premise was fantastic but unfortunately I think it needed a full-length book to really do it justice. Kris Ripper's characters are lovely as always so I can't complain too much. I just want more (I can never get enough of KR's writing!)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews