Sindra van Yssel, The Barbarian and the Witch

Title: The Barbarian and the Witch

Author: Sindra van Yssel

Rating: Three And A Half Siren Stones

Genre: BDSM

Sub-Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

Keywords: Witches, Demons, Sorcerer, Bondage, Graphic Language, BDSM Theme and Elements, Violence

Length: Novella

ISBN E-Book: 978-1-61118-517-1

Price: $4.99

Publisher: Loose Id

Buy-Link: http://www.loose-id.com/The-Barbarian-and-the-Witch.aspx

Reviewer: Stacey Krug

Blurb/Summary:

Myriel, the witch, comes to the desolate land to heal it from the damage done by the malevolent sorcerer Kerrah. The only other human being around is handsome and uneducated Johan, a barbarian who is there to steal a gem from under Kerrah’s nose. Johan distrusts any kind of magic, but when he makes love to Myriel, claiming her body and marking her soul, he leaves her thirsting to submit.

Only by joining forces do they have a chance to accomplish what they desire. In the process, they might find they desire each other even more than their original goals. Now that Johan has found the woman of his dreams in the most unexpected of places, and Myriel has found the man he needs, he'll have to conquer his distrust of magic and she'll have to conquer her pride if they're to succeed in their missions and in love.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: BDSM theme and elements, violence.

Review:

This was definitely an erotic tale with a BDSM theme. The relationship between Johan and Myriel was that of a D/s. The reader gets to see the beginning formation and progression of Johan’s mastery of Myriel. Even though Myriel submits to Johan, it still felt like it was a more equal relationship because Johan wanted her to be happy. Their love scenes are erotic and hot. Sindra van Yssel played up the historical angle when choosing bondage toys.

The Barbarian and the Witch was an enjoyable story, but there just seemed to be too much going on all at once. It felt as though I missed a preceding story that would have provided background information on the characters, world, and setting. In addition, at some points the story felt disjointed as if the “story” was interrupting the sex scenes instead of flowing seamlessly. I was a little disappointed with the ending. Instead of giving us a look into their future, it ended with another sex scene and a bunch of characters that were never introduced in the story before that point.

If you love your stories with hot, erotic sex, BDSM themes, and D/s play this story has them all. Even with the short comings I mentioned, it is still worth the read because Sindra van Yssel spins a creative tale.