The Sweetest Taboo by Harper Miller

I'm a little behind on my reviews with the Holidays and life and such... but better late than never right? And guess what? Do I ever have a new author for you! Her name is Harper Miller and she's an author that I think readers of interracial romance will want to keep an eye on. The book that I'm reviewing today is the Sweetest Taboo, and it's the author's debut novel. From it's title to the characters, The Sweetest Taboo was a fantastic little story and honestly if this is the author's first book, then I can't wait to see what she churns out the more seasoned she becomes.
There are a few things that you as readers should know right out of the gate. First, this is a BDSM romance. It isn't anything too heavy and it is tastefully done. If you're
not open to the idea of BDSM then this may not work for you, but I hope you don't let that turn you off though. The Sweetest Taboo is one of the most well-written and romantic BDSM books that I've read in awhile. The second thing that you'll need to know is that the writing style is a bit different. The author chooses to always capitalize Rick and any references to him as a way of illustrating his status as a Dominant. Micah and any references to her are written in lower case as a way of illustrating her status as a sub.  There are inevitably going to be reviews that complain about this but the author gives forewarning. It takes a second to adjust to, but it doesn't take a way from the story, and after all it is the author's book. I respect her creative license.

In The Sweetest Taboo we have Micah. She's a professional woman in her 30s. This is the first thing that I like about the story. Micah isn't just out of college, or broke, or some poor, down-trodden woman in need of saving. Nope, none of that. What she is, is a woman who is making it quite nicely on her own, with a good job. She knows herself and she knows that she enjoys living "the lifestyle." She's been a submissive since her early 20s and after a disappointing relationship she's looking for the man that will be the perfect Dom for her. The fact that she knows who she is and what she wants is yet another plus for me when it comes to this character and the story in general. The beginning of the story finds Micah and a friend (who'll have her own book soon I'm hoping) at a club that's holding a submissive auction. Micah plans to take part for a little fun even if she isn't really holding much hope of finding the Dom of her dreams just yet. She immediately catches the eye of a handsome Dom named Rick. There is something about Micah that captures Rick's attention and curious to find out what it is, he plans to bid on her during the auction. Unfortunately, an emergency situation topples both of their plans, but puts them directly in each others path and in a way, into one another's life. As Rick gets to know Micah, he becomes more certain that she is exactly what he's been looking for and he pursues her. Although they both haven't had the best of relationships, they each see the possibility of having a great relationship together, both as a couple and as a Dom/sub as well.

The story-line sounds pretty basic and simple, and that's because it is. This isn't a bad thing though. The story isn't overly complicated or mysterious. What you see is what you get, but don't get confused here. We get two very mature acting adults who want specific things and aren't afraid to go for it. Rick is a little more of a go-getter than Micah in that respect, but her hesitancy isn't just irrational fear. She's not about wasting her time or getting involved with someone who isn't after the same things that she is after. It was refreshing to read about adults being adults, wrapped in some pretty good story telling.

As a freshman book The Sweetest Taboo was able to achieve something that a lot of other authors fail to accomplish - write a BDSM book that's also a sweet love story. I never felt this was a BDSM story that was written just for sake of it. I feel like some authors are making this topic the theme of their books in order to hitch a ride on the Fifty Shades of Gray train, (or maybe because somehow writing BDSM scenes makes them feel daring, a rebel, a cutting edge author...I dunno). I admit, I've gotten to the point that I cringe when I read the synopsis of a book and see that it is yet another BDSM storyline. I hesitate to pull the trigger on the good 'ol 1-click unless it comes recommended (the same goes for Billionaire books written by authors that I don't know and trust).  Harper Miller pulled off what those other writers couldn't. She wrote a BDSM book that I could love. It is at the heart of it a love story between two people who enjoy a not-so-vanilla lifestyle. There was no doubt that Rick loved and respected Micah and that she loved and respected him in turn.

I wholeheartedly recommend reading this book if you're a fan of  BDSM, if you enjoy light BDSM, or want to give reading about it a try. You'll be pleased that you did and you'll be rewarded with a well written, and a sweet, story. Plus you'll have discovered an awesome new author to keep an eye on. I'm giving The Sweetest Taboo a 4 out of 5 rating.


Rating 4 out of 5