Book Review: Moons Grove Press’ Amazon Hammer by Gloria Brame

Gloria Brame Tells a Tale of Kinky Transformation and Professional Domination

It’s a little intimidating to review the sequel to a book I haven’t read, but esteemed sex therapist and bestselling author Gloria Brame assures me that it’s not necessary to read Champions of Pleasure, the first book in this series, in order to enjoy her latest entry. Having finished the 322 pages of Amazon Hammer from Moons Grove Press, I am pleased to report that she’s correct. You’ll want to read them both, though, because Brame’s characters are worth getting to know.

Amazon Hammer focuses on Jax, a poor-little-rich-girl whose relationship with her father is all that saves her from utter despair. When her father kills himself, Jax goes into a spiral of depression and self-exploration that leads her to her paternal grandfather and a life she never imagined.

Drawing upon her more than 30 years of academic and real-world experience within the BDSM/fetish world, including work as a professional dominatrix, Brame brings authenticity and heart to Amazon Hammer that a vanilla writer could not. The author of Different Loving and Come Hither has been openly kinky online since the Compuserve days. That means that she has seen some shit. She knows, for instance, that the reality of pro-dom work in most cities has been iffy when it comes to the law and how it’s interpreted. Hell, many people still fear being “outed” and having their lives and careers destroyed, something reflected in the fears of Jax and her eventual clients.

This story, after all, is about Jax and her transformation from an unwitting young fag hag dreaming of walking down the aisle to a pampered dominatrix dreaming of walking down the aisle. Such is the dichotomy to be found within the world of consensual submission and domination, pain and pleasure, control and acquiescence, innocence and depravity. There are creative solutions within the world of BDSM/leather/kink for those seeking meaningful expressions of commitment and love, but when money enters the scene, things change.

As someone who openly entered the world of BDSM in 1993 and worked briefly as a pro-dom, I read Amazon Hammer while bearing some emotional baggage. After all, it’s not just a rousing tale of a saucy woman who steps into her sexual power, although it’s certainly that, it’s also a highly accessible story that touches on things that are precious to me and that I feel passionate about. Given that so few professional dominants associate with lifestyle amateurs, their lives and their training methods are shrouded in mystery. Likewise, most clients are closeted. Their stories are different in important ways from the ones that play out in the semi-public world of play parties, titleholder contests, and leather bars.

I initially had trouble warming up to Jax, although I sympathized with her as a fellow misunderstood outsider. Once she found her grandfather, my interest continued to increase, because Paul’s a doll. I know that I liked this book because I want to know more about not just Paul and Jax but her fellow dominas. How were they trained? What are their private lives like? How do they handle enamored clients or workplace romances? Perhaps we’ll learn more in future installments.

Jax’s continually good fortune even when confronted by a working-class world she knows nothing about felt a bit unreal, but I was willing to suspend my disbelief to find out where the story would take me. It took me to a sexy, fun, contemplative place where both my body and my mind could be tantalized, aroused, and entertained.

Amazon Hammer isn’t hardcore erotica designed for the person seeking a quick, mindless whack. It’s a quick read with more not said than said, which can be even sexier if you have a good imagination and the courage to play within it. Those seeking to dip a toe in kinky literature and those fully immersed will find something to enjoy in this continuing saga.

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