Review: The Auction by Kitty Thomas

Title: The Auction

Author: Kitty Thomas

Genre: Dark Erotica, Sci-Fi
Publisher: Burlesque Press 

Received By: Author for Review

~*~Book Blurb~*~

The Auction is a 20,000 word novella. (1-2 hours of reading time, or approximately 80 pages.)

Belle Walker lives in a strict society where women are treated as property, sold to the highest bidder soon after their eighteenth birthday. But the auction isn't the only danger. Though she's never seen them, she knows monsters live outside the city. These creatures have allowed the humans a small area to inhabit with the promise to leave them in peace as long as they never cross the boundary. On the day Belle is sold, one of the monsters breaks that promise and enters the city, intent on having her as his own.

**This book is intended for an adult audience and contains master/slave, multiple partners, girl on girl, alien sex, and oral play.**

~ Adult's ONLY Review ~

Even when Kitty Thomas steps out of the box and does something different, she still manages fabulous success!! Like all of her previous work that I've had the pleasure of reading, after reading the final sentence, I'm left pondering and completely awed at her story telling and her ability to to craft some of the best Master/slave and D/s relationships that I've ever read!

For those readers who are familiar with Kitty's work, The Auction has a couple 'firsts' in comparison to her previous books. While it still has all the hot, unbelievably delicious and raw emotional appeal of Master/slave elements, including the psychological journey of exploring those relationships, Kitty also gives readers a little sci-fi elements and just a minor teaser of f/f action in her new book.

While I wouldn't call this a dystopian story, I have to say that the futuristic human society and the contrasting alien world create two separate civilizations that mimic the contrasting roles of Master and slave dynamics. Something of which that is explored when Annabelle is auctioned off to an alien Master.

The woman of the human civilization are taught to be submissive so that they are prepared when they are auctioned off to the highest male bidder at eighteen. But, Annabelle has always been a little different following the death of her parents. When the feisty and slightly defiant Annabelle takes the auction block, virtually nobody bids.  At last an offer is made. Fear -- and sexual excitement -- wash over Belle, as she takes in the dangerous stranger. His red skin, claw like hands, and dragon wings, immediately trigger her fear -- and desire. Aliens never breached the confines of human civilization, but with their species dying out, Master buys the first human to test the fate of his race.

She runs. She balks. She defies. She submits. Something deep inside Annabelle is awakened and responds to her new Master's demands. Over time the intensity of desire grows as she learns to accept her new role in her new life. She also learns more about herself and her acceptance towards her body's natural responses. 

Kitty Thomas does another fabulous job at breaking down the primal desires at the very core of submissives -- and Masters. The response of a submissive in denial that seems like a foreign answer to the unfamiliar yet primal acknowledgment of a Master's demand. And Annabelle is one submissive who experiences this unexplored, yet very sexual, reaction to the dominant demands of her new Master.

"He seemed to see something in my eyes anyway, and I was spared the indignity of begging for something so wrong."

And Master also seems to sense this, despite his very demanding and unyielding ways.

"He was silent for a few minutes, then he said, "I hope someday you'll understand our ways. I know your kind isn't the same. But you want to be mastered by me, I can smell it on you.""

The differences between the species is also acknowledge through the familial dynamics. Master and his brother, 'Sir' share their mates. While Annabelle may be Sir's 'plaything', she *is* Master's. Belle has always felt an undeniable, yet shamefully strong attraction to Master. But over the months, she begins to love him and Sir, and can't imagine ever trying to escape -- again. She revels in what Master makes her feel and allows her the permission to give up control to him.

You'll notice that Master and Sir don't have 'names'. There is no need. Names give power, and Master and Sir is all Annabelle needs to know. They are the ones that hold the power.

In addition to the actual dynamics of Master's and Belle's relationship, I couldn't help but also wonder if Ms. Thomas was also creating a parallel to the differences between  the human civilization and the alien society.

"It occurred to me that Sir wasn't a sadist. This was just how his kind were. Maybe the females of their species had been okay with it. Maybe they didn't fight biology so strongly like human women did."

Belle may be afraid of her new Master at first, his stern and unyielding ways, but Belle is truly more afraid of herself and her heightened sexual desire when submitting to Master and Sir. Trust, understanding, and acceptance are key elements that force emotional reactions from Annabelle. When she finally learns to accept herself, she learns to accept her life with her new mate, and even manages to find a perfect sort of love along the way.

The bottom line is that Kitty, once again, makes readers think as she takes them on the psychological exploration of the dynamics of a Master and slave relationship. Readers who thoroughly love dark erotica are sure to love Kitty's new sci-fi addition to her already fabulous bookshelf. As always, this is journey; an exploration of understanding one's desires and the ability to admit to them and submit. I absolutely cannot get enough of this author!! If she can pull of hot alien Masters, I can only imagine what she'll give us next! :)