The Principle of Desire

The Science of Temptation

By: Delphine Dryden

Narrated by: Emily Cauldwell

Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

One sexy switch + one nerdy newbie = a master class in seduction.

After several years as a submissive, psychology lecturer Beth is eager to experience being on the other end of the whip for a change. When she meets sweet but socially awkward Ed at a party, it's obvious the aerospace engineer is interested - and obvious he's way too vanilla.

When tracking down a friend lands him in a BDSM club, Ed's eyes are opened to a whole other world - and a whole other side of Beth. Then Beth's former Master shows up, and Ed agrees to play along as her sub in exchange for a real date. The biggest surprise of the evening? How much he enjoys letting her take control…

Beth's ex makes it clear he wants her back, but she needs more from a relationship than he can offer - and not just the freedom to explore her switch side. At first, Ed is just an enthusiastic student. But the more she gets to know him, in and out of the bedroom, the more Beth wonders if he's everything she desires…

©2013 Delphine Dryden (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Pretty good addition to the series :D

3.5-4 stars

This was a pretty good story. I liked Ed and Beth and their story was interesting with both hot and sweet elements thrown in. There is a bit of a love triangle things going on here but there's no sleeping around between anyone but the MCs.

Beth is a professor in Psychology at the same university as Ivan (the hero of book #1 in the series, The Theory of Attraction). She's made friends with Ivan, Cami, Lindsey and Ben (the 2 couples from the first 2 books) and since she's in to the BDSM scene they see each other at the local BDSM club frequently. Beth used to be a sub but felt the need to expand her horizons, feeling she was more of a switch. Her Dom at the time couldn't accept her needs and she broke up with him before he left for a 6 months sabbatical.

Ed is a rocket scientist (and I do mean literally). He works at the university and is friends with Ivan, Cami, Lindsey and Ben. Ed hasn't ever been involved in the BDSM lifestyle of his friends and doesn't know anything about it.

When Ed is invited over for a cookout at Ivan's, he meets Beth for the first time but doesn't make the best first impression. They do get past the initial bad impression but Beth isn't looking to take things any further, especially since Ed doesn't seem to be in the BDSM scene. Ed is attracted to Beth and wants to see her and makes sneaky plans to contact her later. This ends up happening sooner than expected when later that night, Ed realizes he lost his phone in Ivan's car. Through a GPS app Ed finds them at the BDSM club and ends up getting an eye full. Beth ends up offering to show him around but hadn't planned anything else. Beth's ex shows up though and he's unwilling to let her go and seems determined to push her back into the spot he'd had her in before she told him it was over.

To protect herself from her Ex, Beth asks Ed to play her sub and he agrees. Things go a bit further than they expected and both Beth and Ed are surprised to find that Ed actually likes BDSM. Ed does find an interest in the sub side but also has images of controlling Beth and soon wonders if they could be both to each other. Beth also realizes that they have a very good connection that's more fulfilling than what she had before with her ex. Beth and Ed start to explore their connection and find they're very sexually compatible but more than that, they're very compatible in a friendly way as well. Beth's ex isn't ready to give up though and uses an injury to get more time with Beth. TBH, I don't know why she gave him the time of day but Beth lets him get under her skin and consider taking him back. Beth is fighting her instinct to take her Ex back (I guess because they were together so long and he used to be so much of what she wanted) and he's pushing things hard. Ed wants to be with Beth but tries to give her the space she needs. There's some drama while everything's being worked out but it does end with Beth and Ed together and starting their HEA.

I enjoyed this story very much. I liked both Beth and Ed and liked them together. I was rooting for them from the start and my main complaint with this story was the fact that Beth actually almost let her Ex convince her to give him another chance because it was kind of stupid considering their background. Outside of that part I liked the story very much. I hope there will be more from this series. I'd recommend this story. :D

* note - The narrator did an alright job but I wasn't very thrilled with Ed's voice.

I freaking love these books!

This is book three but it could be a stand alone too! If you are a fan of the show The Big Bang Theory...and you aren't too hard core about how exactly a BDSM relationship "should" work then you will love this series! Imagine Shelton as a Dom, that's book 1, this book is more like Leonard accidentally meets a dominatrix. The books aren't really long but I have adored each one! HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommended!!!!

Nice surprise for the genre

Would you listen to The Principle of Desire again? Why?

Most likely, it was well written and the story line was interesting. About a woman who's into the BDSM seen as a submissive, but wants to try topping. Her "Top" is not happy with this and they separate. In the interim she meets a vanilla rocket scientist (He really is) and they start something that ends up shaking both their worlds up more than they thought.

What did you like best about this story?

This is something that just might happen, where things in a persons life bring them to a point for them to make decisions about who they are and what they want to do with the rest of their lives. The woman in the story had a strong personality and she was willing to try new things.

Which scene was your favorite?

There were several, one was when Ed tried topping Beth. Had some interesting moments.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

When a person makes a choice to change their circumstance after 7 years its not easy, but it takes strength and faith in yourself to move on. I think that is something that touched me about this book.

Any additional comments?

I never listened to any other stories by this author but I know the narrator and the book was on sale so I gave it a try. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the story.

Narration leaves the story flat

The narrator has one voice for every character which left me guessing most of the time as to who was ‘talking’ or having a thought until the end of the sentence. I like to have a mental escape when listening and this one had me working too much mentally to be an escape.