Review: Molly's Lips: Club Mephisto Retold - Annabel Joseph

When Mephisto’s friend Clayton is called out of town on business, he agrees to look after his slave for the week. But Molly isn’t your average slave. She and Clayton share a serious, full time dynamic. Mephisto feels a weight of responsibility he isn’t used to, and worse, an intense attraction to Molly, the partner of his friend.

Mephisto is determined to sublimate his inappropriate desires and provide a challenging and instructive week for the devoted slave. He subjects Molly to orgasm denial, speech restriction, scenes of erotic torment, even an orgy where she is made to service his friends. Along the way, he experiences unfamiliar jealousy, and deep cravings to possess her himself.

Throughout the week, he is also haunted by persistent questions. Is she happy being a 24/7 slave? Or is there another Molly trapped beneath her submissive, surrendered gaze?

If you've read Club Mephisto, you know this story from Molly's perspective. Now, prepare to relive the experience from Mephisto's point of view...

Club Mephisto Series:
Club Mephisto
Molly's Lips: Club Mephisto Retold
Burn for You

Visit Annabel Joseph's website for more information.

Review:
Club Mephisto was both uncomfortable and fascinating to read, it took me to places I wasn't sure I wanted to go to but I found it impossible to put down once I'd started reading. The story was told completely from Molly's point of view though and I couldn't wait to get inside Mephisto's head to try and understand why he did some of the things he did. Whatever you do don't read Molly's Lips until after you've read Club Mephisto though - this is a retelling of the original book but from a different perspective and it really is best to hear Molly's side of things before you get Mephisto's.

I have to admit that Mephisto scares me half to death but in spite of that I'd developed a bit of a crush on him by the end of the first book. He's the kind of guy I'm drawn to pretty much against my will but there is no way on earth I'd want to get into a relationship with him, he's just way to hardcore for me! My little crush has only grown even deeper after reading the story from his POV though and I found it really interesting to see Molly through his eyes. He knew her before she met her husband and Master and he struggled to accept how dependent she has become on Clayton. He pushes her to the very edge of her boundaries and then well beyond them throughout the story but we now get to see that he did it because he cares about her. He wanted to make sure she really is happy with the life she has chosen and to show her that she had other options if she needed or wanted them. The way he goes about that was sometimes dubious to say the least but at least from his POV his motives are clearer. There is no doubt that Mephisto is a kinky bastard and he makes no apologies for it but oh boy is he hot!

After the revelations at the end of the book (that we didn't see from Molly's POV) I can't wait to pick up Burn for Me. I really need to know how things turn out for them both now that Molly has gone back to her Master. If you read Club Mephisto then Molly's Lips is a must read and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Source: I downloaded this ebook for free from Amazon

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Review: Club Mephisto - Annabel Joseph

Molly is a 24/7 slave dedicated to serving her Master. When her Master’s business calls him away on a weeklong trip, he arranges to leave her in the care of Mephisto, the owner of a thriving local BDSM club. Molly is both excited and scared to be given over to Master Mephisto. His power and mysterious intensity have long compelled her from afar.

Molly finds herself immersed in a world of strict commands, pervasive sex, and creative torments. Over the course of a week, Mephisto strips away privileges Molly took for granted, and forces her to understand and acknowledge the depths to which she can be made to submit. But a surprising conversation the last day threatens Molly’s worldview, as does the strange closeness that develops between them. As the time of Master’s return draws near, Molly finds herself deeply and inexorably changed.

Publisher's Note: this BDSM fantasy novel depicts "total power exchange" relationships that some readers may find objectionable. This work contains acts of sadism, objectification, orgasm denial and speech restriction, caging, anal play and double penetration, BDSM punishment and discipline, M/f, M/m/f, M/m, orgy and group sexual encounters, voyeurism, and limited circumstances of dubious consent.

Club Mephisto Series:
Club Mephisto
Molly's Lips: Club Mephisto Retold
Burn for You

Visit Annabel Joseph's website for more information.

Review:
Molly and her husband have a Master/slave relationship that includes total power exchange. Molly is a willing slave who happily follows her Master's bidding 24/7, she likes having the control taken out of her hands and she enjoys having a routine that she is made to stick to. When her Master has to go on a week long business trip he knows that Molly would be unhappy left on her own so he arranges for a friend of his to take over her care. Mephisto is the owner of a BDSM club, he lives the lifestyle but has never been interested in having a full time slave before. He has agreed to take on Molly as a favour for his friend but his desires are very different and Molly is going to have to learn a whole new set of rules while she is in his care.

I've read quite a few novels containing BDSM now and although it isn't a lifestyle I'm involved in I find it fascinating to read about. I've never really come across total power exchange before though, the few novels I've read that involved a 24/7 slave type relationship couldn't really be considered consensual so I was curious to find out why an intelligent young woman would willingly become a slave. As much as I don't envy Molly's lifestyle I did come to understand why it worked for her, there must be something quite appealing about leaving the decisions to someone else. It's probably liberating in a strange kind of way to give control to another person and it is obvious that Molly and her Master (and husband) have a very special relationship. They each offer the other something that the other needs and they both love each other deeply. I didn't feel that it was healthy for Molly to be so dependent on her Master for everything though, she wasn't capable of getting through a week without him on her own - even the thought of him leaving her for that long really upset her. I'd never really considered what a burden it must be for a Master to have someone so completely dependent on them all of the time, as much as they are the one who gets to make all the decisions they must also always have the slave's best interests at heart and make sure that they are safe and cared for. That is a huge responsibility to live up to!

The idea of loaning out your slave to someone else seems really odd to me but then again I'm not the kind of person who would want to be either a slave or a Master so I don't have a clue whether that is common practise or not. I happen to have a preference for exclusive relationships but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy reading about other alternatives. I could actually see why Molly's Master wanted to involve Mephisto though, he was worried that Molly would be completely lost if anything ever happened to him and he wanted to show her that she could survive without him and even be happy with someone else. Mephisto was an enigma, because the whole story is told from Molly's perspective we never really knew what his motivations were and he both fascinated and scared the crap out of me. I have since read the follow up to this story Molly's Lips which covers the same week in time but from Mephisto's perspective and I have to say I'd highly recommend reading both stories - it really makes a difference to how you see certain things when you get the chance to get inside Mephisto's head. I'm now looking forward to reading the final part of the story Burn for You and finding out what happens next.

At times Club Mephisto makes for uncomfortable reading, Mephisto takes Molly to some dark spaces and I certainly wouldn't want to swap places with her. In spite of that I thought it was a fantastic story. If you aren't afraid to push your boundaries, if you enjoy reading about the BDSM lifestyle or if you're even slightly curious about the idea of a total power exchange then I'd highly recommend reading this book. Do make sure you read Molly's Lips afterwards though - it won't even cost you anything because the author has published that story as a freebie (it can be downloaded free from Amazon for the kindle or in multiple formats via Smashwords).

Source: Purchased

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