Box Set Review – Beg, Tease, Submit: Songs of Submission Sequence One

Beg – Tease – Submit (Songs of Submission Sequence 1) by CD Reiss

Novella Serial. This box set is novellas 1-3. Erotic Romance.

This is the first time I have written a review where I just can’t figure out what I want to say, so please bear with me on this one, because I just don’t get it. The Songs of Submission Series has everything I love in a book! A feisty heroine, a rich Dom, great, hot sex, and a struggling musician. It is a favorite among mostly everyone I trust, and it’s one of my most recommended series.

I had the Beg, Tease, Submit bundle (a collection of the first 3 novellas in the series–see the series order here) on my kindle for a while, and the week of Book Bash, I decided to read it because I saw CD Reiss would be there. I had a lot going on that week, and found myself very distracted while reading the stories. I liked them a lot, I immediately downloaded the next, but wanted to get one more author in first before I left, and moved away from the series, intending to go back.

When I came back from Book Bash, I had so many books to read and reviews to write, I just didn’t get to review this one or go back to read book 4. When I tried to review about 8-10 days after reading it, I found I couldn’t remember it. AT ALL. So I decided to re-read before reviewing. I swear, so much of it seemed new to me, but it just didn’t really make me want to read. I was reading it for a few days, but found myself floundering, and just not wanting to read anything at all. For 10 days, this was the only book I read, and I still didn’t finish it. Usually I really enjoy re-reads. I finally decided to pick up a favorite author’s book to break the slump and it worked.

So I have been trying to figure out exactly what it was that made me not love this book that everyone else loves. What made me not excited to read it. And for the first time, I can’t figure it out. My likes and dislikes won’t work because I feel like I just don’t remember, or didn’t connect enough to have clear cut likes or dislikes (though I have a few of each, they won’t be THE reason)

Monica is a struggling Singer/Songwriter with a suicidal, extremely depressed best friend/pianist and her brother. She also works as a waitress in some high-end clubs. She accidentally spills drinks on the big bossman, Jonathan Drazen. And bossman he is–and he wants Monica. Monica is pretty rough around the edges, using words like cunt, snatch and “my sex” interchangeably. Used to being in control and in charge, Jonathan shows her a new way. And makes her beg for it.

“He made me come like no man ever had before. Scratch that. I’d never even made myself come like that. The hot heaviness between my legs was why I ran home from work most days, shut the bathroom door behind me and masturbated like a thirteen year-old. I had trouble functioning outside of work, too.”

Jonathan Drazen…mmmmmm damn, he is pretty hot!

“I own your orgasms….you come when I say. Not before. If I send you home without, you just deal with it until I see you again.”

He has been hurt badly, and is still in love with his ex-wife, so he promises no more than some awesome sex. Until it becomes impossible for her to walk away.

“You can’t. You’re mine. The minute I told you to spread your legs and you did it, you were mine. When I told you to beg for it and you did, you were mine. When you put your hands behind your back without being told, I owned you. You never had to say a word.”

Monica won’t take to being owned. But can she resist his pull?

“My name is Monica, and I am not submissive. I stand six feet tall in heels. I am descended from one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. I can sing like an angel, and growl like a lion. I am not owned. I am music.”

Likes:

The author had a good grasp on struggling musicians.
Jonathan Drazen. Yummmmmm.
So many delicious quotes.
The sex scenes were afuckingmazing.
I know it’s just going to get hotter.

Dislikes:

Ew: “My fingers traced where his had been, and my cunt felt like an overripe fruit.”
When a girl uses words like cunt and snatch, it just bugs me, and I’m finding that this is a common reason for me not loving some books. The rough, crass, kind of low class tough chick vibe doesn’t work for me I guess.
Her ever-present horniness was a bit much for me. I like it from a guy, not so much a girl. Yes–woman’s lib- double standard, whatever. I get being horny all the time, but describing the horniness in detail, I dunno, it didn’t work for me.
Nothing made it stand out to me as something unique, in fact I completely forgot it 10 days later.
I never fully connected to the characters to the point of rooting for them.

Rating 3.5-3.75 stars, 5 Heat

The first time I read this sequence of three books, I liked it a lot, but didn’t totally love it. I bought the next book to read because this got really good towards the end. But 10 days later, I couldn’t remember a thing to continue with the next book. When I tried to re-read, it just never worked for me.. I thought it was my mood, but it turned out the next book by a go-to author was amazing and I couldn’t put it down.

The Songs of Submission Series is one that almost everyone I know and trust LOVES. And I can totally see why they love it. I get it! I am honestly kind of baffled over the fact that I don’t love it. Perhaps it was a state of mind thing, I’m not sure. But I’ll tell you this: if you like VERY sexy books with a rich millionaire and a waitress, if you like BDSM, if you like HOT SEX, this series should be perfect for you.