The Deep End

By: Kristen Ashley

Narrated by: Lizbeth Gwynn

Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Enter a decadent sensual world where gorgeous alpha males are committed to fulfilling a woman's every desire.

Olivier isn't sure what he's gotten himself into when he joins the Honey Club, only that a dark part of him hungers for the lifestyle offered by this exclusive club. Here, no boundary will be left untested...and one's deepest fantasies will become an exquisite reality.

When Amélie invites Olivier to surrender, she gives the alpha submissive what he craves. Soon they both find themselves falling harder than they ever anticipated - but as their connection deepens, the truth about Olivier's past could destroy everything.

Gripping and seductive, The Deep End is the first book in a sensational new series from best-selling author Kristen Ashley.

©2017 Kristen Ashley (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

180 ° turn from KA'S other novels

Wow, I struggled to adjust my mindset for this book. It wasn't the fact that the main setting was a BDSM club, I have several series in that genre. The adjustment was that the Hero was an Alpha(male) submissive. This may totally be a problem with my personal prospective. It is completely opposite of any other KA book or any other BDSM boom I've read or listened to. It made me think and adjust my perspective. I guess, in retrospect, that is a sign of good writing. The middle to end of the book flowed better, for me, than the beginning and I did ultimately enjoy the story. My only Criticism is that there are several passages, in the book, that the reader has to read between the lines. And if the reader were to misunderstand the author's intent, a part of the story is lost because clarification is never made. I will continue this series, as it comes out; It's KA afterall, just be ready for something different.
-V from Kansas

wasn't sure, never should've doubted KA!

Wasn't sure about this series, but I should of known Kristen Ashley wouldn't do me wrong! loved it! can't wait to read the next 2 books!

Good book

I thought that the narrator was hard to hear at times but read it well. Love KA books and liked the story.

Can't wait for the next book.

Love Kristen Ashley. Not crazy about the narrator who I think has done other KA books and changed her screen name. But the book was hot and the story was good.

Uninspired narration

Very slow story and uninspired monotonous narration. I believe there is potential but I will need to read rather than listen.

Love this book

love this story. My first with a male sub. The beast is so alpha and sweet at.the same time

I'm a KA fan, but...

This one didn't quite do it for me. way too much sex and not enough story. I would have enjoyed deeper character development. I made it to the end, but contemplated not listening. In the end I realize, too I much prefer a dominant guy!

I gave this a B 4 story/C 4 narration at AudioGals

I gave this audiobook a B for the story and C for the narration at AudioGals.

Kristen Ashley is a marvel at every prior romance sub-genre she had ever attempted, so when I saw she was venturing into the world of erotica to tell the romantic tale of a dominatrix and her male submissive, I signed up to see if she could come up triumphant in this sub-genre as well. All that said, this is not a sub-genre that I had previously read or listened to – BDSM yes, but not where the dominant was the heroine and the submissive the hero. So, though I’m admittedly flying somewhat blind in this area, I think Ms. Ashley delivered a fairly decent story for her first attempt in this arena. All that said, there are definitely some aspects of The Deep End that, while classic Kristen Ashley (a strong alpha hero), I’m not totally sure how genuine they would be in a real dominatrix/male sub relationship. For example, is there such a thing as an “alpha sub” who is not topping from the bottom (a trait that would be deeply frowned upon by those who practice this lifestyle)? Or perhaps is it really more that the hero and heroine in this story are “switches” (meaning they are comfortable in either a dominant or submissive role)?

Additionally, I will warn you that this book is explicit and loaded with erotica scenes. So much so that this is one area where I had a bit of a reservation on (I mean really how many times in a row can you engage in this play without absolute exhaustion!). There is definitely a story to go along with the “lifestyle” part of the book, but most of that comes in in the later pages and that’s in a book that at 15 hours plus is definitely on the long side for this romance sub-genre (though it is classic Kristen Ashley style in length – in fact many of her books are longer). I would have liked more of a story early on and throughout the book. Just because this is erotica doesn’t mean it has to be only those scenes. I think in the end there was enough of a story, but I’d like to see more emphasis on character development earlier on and throughout the book in the future books in this series.

Mistress Amelie is an accomplished and highly sought after dominatrix. So while she is happy with this aspect of her life, she is not quite so happy with the rest of her personal life. Having thought she had found her significant other twice before, she learned each time that the man she thought to be her future husband really only enjoyed her talents after dark and had no desire to share marriage and children with someone like her.

Then Olivier enters The Honey Club, the exclusive BDSM club that she is a member of. From his impressive nearly 6 and 1/2-foot height to his muscular frame, everything about Olivier appeals to her. However, on their first meeting she becomes afraid of breaking him. He doesn’t speak or even act like a sub, causing her to suspect that either he has had not-so-great dominatrixes in his past or he lacks some training, and she does not work with inexperienced subs. Though they stumble, however, their chemistry becomes instantly apparent.

But Amelie’s first impression was spot on. Olivier hasn’t had much training and is still struggling with his desires versus what his head (and society) tells him is right. This makes him highly likely to get hurt, particularly if he doesn’t start sharing with Amelie what his true level of experience and feelings are – after all, trust is of paramount importance between a Dom and a Sub. To add further difficulty to their relationship ever progressing beyond The Honey Club, they also both come from very different economic stations in life (he’s a firefighter and she’s a rich heiress). Additionally, as is typical with most Kristen Ashley books, there is a whole slew of secondary characters who add either obstacles or encouragement along the way. Will Olivier and Mistress Amelie be able to find their HEA under these circumstances?


See the full review at AudioGals.

Absolutely love this story

I love that the domme was able to help / show this manly man that his doesn't need to be ashamed, or his desires

Just as awesome as the print copy

If you are familiar with KA books then you know this was the opening book to one of the hottest series she has. Very good. I do wish a male voice narrated the male parts but it was still great