The Pet Shop
***There might be mild spoilers.***What do you think about mixing this...
...and this?
No? Try again.
People behaving like animals? That’s totally usual.
As I said.
This book was a challenge for me for so many reasons.
Firstly, BDSM alone is out of my comfort zone. You can call me prudish if you want, but every time I begin one of these, I wonder if it will be hardcore. Fortunately, this “fear” is being overcome with each passing novel.
Secondly, I usually AVOID threesomes or foursomes and going on. I’m sorry to say that for me more than two people are a way too many people. I have the idea that Love is a story of one man and one woman or one man and one man or one woman and one woman. If you add, you see that the result is TWO and no more.
Thirdly, I don’t like public displays of everything. Sex in public is a no-no for me. I’m prudish again and this is private.
So, before I begin to rub you the wrong way with my boring schemes, I must say: I pushed all my limits here! And I did it all in less than 24h. So, let’s admit it wasn’t that bad, right?
When I read Ingela and Marte's reviews I felt some kind of attraction to this story. I thought the idea of the book was awesome. And Tino being your Tamagotchi and your lover all rolled up in one had some appeal. Yeah, Tamagotchi, because you must feed him, lead him to the bathroom and take care of him. He can’t do anything by himself, not even taking off clothes. And he can't talk. He was friendly and wicked and deliciously irresistible in those parts and I wanted to know more about him and oh, how satisfying he can be if he behaves as a good Pet... and if he doesn't.
Nothing too strong, really. But this mix of perversion and innocence and playfulness and coyness is too much to bear standing on the sidelines. So, the beginning of the novel was intoxicating and I told my mother “You must read this one!”.
But then the Tamagotchi Tino part turned into Vincent part and that lost heart. It was special one moment, and one second later it was ordinary. The Too Stupid To Live heroine on pink high heeled shoes walking on the muddy soils of a forest to get to talk to the hero. Now I remember why I began reading m/m. And of course, the filthy rich hero who changes “useless-money-maker” business for protecting nature and animals is a way to portray his not-so-evident philanthropy. I’m sorry to be so harsh, but it’s so soap-opera I can’t resist to comment it.
All of a sudden Stella decides that, in order to get closer to Tino/Vincent, she must be a Pet. The logic of this reasoning left me speechless, so of course I had to immediately agree with her. All of this told me that maybe it’s not a good idea to recommend it to my mother. She gives up more easily than I do, and has less tolerance than me with “sappyness” and stupidity.
In any case, the MC' lives are not the strong point, as opposed to the originality of the plot itself: an organization of people treating people as animals, but in a nice manner, to have fun and to break free of rules and public conventions, to give free rein to the animal inside of us. That I liked. A lot.
The third 30% was on the right track again. It got lost but it found its path again. And sparks and excitement returned. Oh, did they do.
So, all in all, this book is pretty kinky, a bit naughty and a little disturbing due to the Pet thing (but in a good way). Not my cuppa, in any sense of the word. I'm most into slow burn and the old school saying "first love, then sex". On the other hand, it's funny and mischievous. That goes without saying. And, althought it's hard to believe, this book was romantic, maybe in an unconventional way, but it is. But above all very very very HOT.
