I can't review this book because I wrote it, but not reviewing it is screwing with my feedback ratio.

An honest memoir about a woman who has a career in construction management, but also on the side, has a secret life as a dominatrix named Mistress Scarlett. In all actuality, the book has much more than that as the author is on a journey of self-discovery.

I didn't even read the blurb on this and requested it from NetGalley having no idea what it was about. This isn't my type of book, but it was written well and I did find it interesting.

3***

This is NOT "True Life : 50 Shades of Grey", no this is the honest, true, kinky, and emotional account of Jenny Nordbak who transformed herself into Mistress Scarlett. I tend to avidly avoid romance novels, but as this is a memoir I, like every other person who reads this book, was curious about her experience and I will not lie, the mindset it takes to be a Domme. If you read this you won't find it to be a "how to", you won't find many tips and tricks laid out, you're going to get the truth. Truth and trust are reoccuring themes in Jenny's story, as they are in any BDSM relationshp. There are also hilarious moments, a few times I couldn't stop laughing and I won't be able to think about the term "prep work" without a chuckle. What comes out of Jenny's pain, and the magnificent person Mistress Scarlett is will break your heart a little, but the one truly beautiful thing here is that while this tale is sexy and true and tabboo, everything happened. This all really happened and she holds nothing back. When you read this, because most of you will read this, be ready for the honesty.

A true look into the life of a dominatrix in an L.A. dungeon. Jenny Nordbak, aka "Mistress Scarlett" takes us along for a ride as she learns all about the underworld and herself while serving as a sub, then switch and finally a dom in the BDSM scene. While there are a lot of juicy details about her many sessions with clients, there is a deeper theme in the book about a woman learning who she is, what she wants while learning self-acceptance and how to set boundaries. It was a very interesting read.

*I received an advance reading copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.*

Although getting to see inside an L.A. dungeon was interesting, the writing fell a little uneven. I found myself skimming over certain parts and wanting more in others. I appreciate Ms. Nordbak sharing her experiences and it's a definite must read for someone interested in the culture.

I am not a person who likes reading non-fiction books, especially biographies. I, however, do enjoy a good smutty book and even though The Scarlet Letters was listed as a memoir, I went for it. In all honesty, I had a few preconceived notions about what I was going to be reading. I've read plenty of BDSM fiction, and just assumed I was going to get more of the same, just on the reality side. WRONG! I was so, so wrong. Everything I read before was romance with BDSM as filler. What The Scarlett Letters offers is a journey of self-discovery, which just happens to take place in a dungeon!

So let's tackle the easy part first, because let's be honest, it's the whole reason why I and almost everybody else is picking up the book. The Dungeon, Dommes and the people who go to them. Jenny, aka Mistress Scarlett, does not start out as a Domme. She has to work her way up. Along the way, she interacts with many interesting clientele and let me tell you, for the most part, I was in stitches laughing. Not because what they requested of her, but of her personal reminiscings. You have to give these guys credit. They faced their fetishes head on and knew (for the most part) what they wanted. Okay, some of the requests were funny and some were just down right gross. My personal favorites were Ta-Da Ted and Ben. Well, not Ben's initial story, but the prep work Scarlet and its aftermath. Could. Not. Stop. Laughing.

The harder and more emotional side to the story is Jenny. She has personal issues she addresses in a frank, candid way. Nothing is held back and you have to admire her for it. As she grows into and become Mistress Scarlet, I can't help but feel without her duel sides she wouldn't have gotten to where she is now. As funny as Scarlet's stories are, Jenny's are deep, honest and tore my heart out. It's quite the journey she takes her readers on as begins to acceptance what she wants in life and she comes into herself.

So why did I read this book? The blurb lured me in. The subject matter had me curiosity, just like it will most people. However, let's be frank, The Scarlet Letters is not a book for everybody. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed the subject matter, the content can be hard to swallow. There were some scenes that had me gagging and something you can't just unread. But, if you can get past all the kink and are willing to step out of your comfort zone, you will find a story of a brave woman on her voyage of self-discovery and self-worth.

reviewed by Jac

When Jenny decided to transform into Mistress Scarlett, it wasn’t for the reasons that you might first expect. She did it to uncover the truth – her own truth.

With the Dungeon as a backdrop, Jenny uncovers so much more than the stark reality of sex. She discovers the vast depth of humanity, the nuances of pain and the power of simple kindness.

“So I began an internal odyssey to find my way back to my authentic self, starting with the source of my greatest frustration – sex.”

When I read the blurb for The Scarlett Letters, I knew that I had to read it. I was expecting plenty of kink and sex but I wasn’t at all prepared for the emotional undercurrent of Jenny’s story.

She created such a complex combination of both the cerebral and the physical that it spoke directly to my secret self. And I would really love to know who her client “Oliver” really is ;)

It’s honest and cruel, wickedly sexy and thoroughly empowering.

“Every time I played with Dan, I was reminded that just because people get older doesn’t necessarily mean their libido withers and dies. It is perhaps uncomfortable to think of our grandparents in that light, but I think we unfairly cast older men as “dirty old men” simply for not having the decency to lose all interest in sex because they’ve passed an arbitrary age. And the idea of a promiscuous older woman is unacceptable to most people. Women of a certain age shouldn’t even think about sex lest they be judged. I for one plan to be a dirty old lady.”

And I couldn’t agree more. Meet you in the dungeon…

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this book. I'm sorry it didn't work out for me, however. Some of the kinks were just a bit much for me to digest. I know there's people out there that have these needs, however, I found them disturbing and it affected my enjoyment of the book. Not the author's fault. Just not my cup of tea and I read for enjoyment. Best of luck with this release. I'll discreetly remove it from my shelves.

Book was well written, and author didn't hold back with anything. Shocked maybe isn't the word, just surprised.

First and foremost, I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press Netgalley and Jenny Nordbak for my advanced copy of The Scarlett Letters My Secret Year of Men in an L.A. Dungeon in exchange for my honest review. I want to start off by saying I picked this book simply based by it’s description. I use Netgalley as a way to sometimes step out of my comfort zone with books and enjoy books as a new experience. This book was one of those times and I am so glad I did. If you are looking for some kind of fifty shades reboot to spice things up in your reading you WILL NOT find it here. This is so MUCH better.
“On an unorthodox quest to understand her hidden fantasies, Jenny led a double life for two years. By day she was a construction manager, but at night she became Mistress Scarlett.´
This is straight forward and honest and hands down the best book I have read so far in 2017! Jenny sums up her year with chapters titled after clients that impact or teach her something, while the tales are erotic there is an underlying strength and courage that makes this story even more relateable and enjoyable. I wont give too much away but I will say that if you pass this one up you will be disappointed. I believe every woman should go on an eye-opening journey of their own, but for now go on this 5 star Journey with Ms Nordbak, absorb it enjoy it and share it I have already shared it with every uptight female in my life and trust me they need it I may even buy a paperback copy for my sister just to watch her blush!

First off, I have to warn you that this book is not for everyone. It tells the (seemingly true) story of Jenny Nordbak, a young woman looking to explore her kinky side. Jenny gets a job in an LA Dungeon working as a "switch" - someone who either acts as a dominatrix or a submissive for paying clients in order to fulfil their wildest fantasies. Although there is no penetration and no exchange of bodily fluids the scenarios that Mistress Scarlett (Jenny's alter ego) acts out are still pretty extreme. This is not a novel for the easily offended.

There will be an obvious comparison between this book and Fifty Shades of Grey. Having read both, the major differences are:

1. The Scarlett Letters features scenarios where both individuals involved are fulfilling their fantasies
2. The Scarlett Letters contains fully consensual sexual scenes
3. The Scarlett Letters is realistic
4. The Scarlett Letters shows how the submissive participant is actually in control
5. The Scarlett Letters is about a woman exploring her sexuality on her own terms, laying down her own ground rules and having fun
6. The Scarlett Letters is about an entire community of people
7. The Scarlett Letters is about trust, honesty, caring for others, communication and respect
8. Both books feature a kinky relationship between the main character and a man who takes advantage of her but in the Scarlett Letters this is minimal, addressed by the main character and results in an amicable break up.

I found the stories that Mistress Scarlett had were absolutely fascinating. Some of the fetishes in the book were just bizzare but what came across was the genuine willingness from everyone working at the Dungeon not to judge and to work as hard as they possibly could to act out the fantasies of the clients. Mistress Scarlett also mentioned that she had played with an A list celebrity with a Prince Albert piercing but didn't divulge any more information. I'd love to know who it was! I learnt so much about the role of a dominant, including how much effort is needed and how hugely intuitive they need to be in order to ascertain whether the client is enjoying what they're doing to them - even though they may be screaming in pain and telling them to stop, or providing no feedback whatsoever.

I really enjoyed finding out how Jenny became Mistress Scarlett and laughed out loud at some of the mistakes that she made along the way. It was really interesting to see how she grew as a person and how becoming Mistress Scarlett gave her far more confidence - as well as some excellent techniques for dealing with rude, annoying co-workers in her "vanilla" job! It was also really heartwarming to read about Jenny's family difficulties and see how her new found confidence allowed her to deal with some terrible family circumstances. I really believe that having the Mistress Scarlett alter ego helped Jenny to confront her father and have a really honest conversation with him, which will hopefully be the start of mending the rift between them.

It's very easy make assumptions about people who work in these types of professions so it was great to see some of those stereotypes being shattered - Jenny is a professional who wasn't desperate for cash, didn't have issues with drugs or alcohol and really enjoyed her work. Personally, I found it amazing that she fitted working at the Dungeon around her day job and (almost always) kept the two worlds entirely separate.

If you're interested in the fetish scene or just enjoy reading about other people's bizzare sex lives I'd definitely recommend this book. It was really refreshing to read a kinky novel that was also about female empowerment and had a really positive outcome. The writing was great and the subject matter endlessly fascinating. As long as you're not easily grossed out (and you're old enough to read an explicit book) then you should give it a go!

A great read - Jenny gives an honest and relatable insight into the world of a dominatrix while still holding down a regular day job working on a construction site. Really well written memoirs which read more like a novel, flowing seamlessly from chapter to chapter. Highly recommended.

I must admit, when i started reading this book I did not know what to expect. But I wanted to read something different and chose this book. Wow, was I ever surprised!!! Very honest and interesting book on a area many of us may not think of in our day to day but is something some do think of in their day to day life. This is a very interesting and honest book about the life of a professional dominatrix. We start out with being told about a day in Ms. Nordbak's life and it just goes from there. She gives insight into the variety of things that she has performed for clients in this world of domination and why some may wish for these type of things. Her writing bring humanity to this profession. Now please, do not judge this author for what she does, as in reading this book you will see this is a very intelligent strong woman. For some this book may be a bit much, but I encourage you to open your mind and read this book. You will look at things in a much different light thanks to the honesty and the way Ms. Nordbak tells her story. Thank you NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the advanced reading copy of this book in return for my honest review.

Jenny Nordbak invites readers to follow her on her journey as a dominatrix, which ultimately leads to her finding confidence to live the life she wants (surprisingly it's a pretty tame one). I had no idea what I was getting into with this one. I figured there would be some uncomfortable parts, but there were a lot. It was eye opening and tough to read at times, but it was her journey, not mine, and I have great respect for anyone who is willing to share that much of themselves with the world.
I received a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book to be extremely entertaining and enchanting. Not only was it a fast and easy read, but the information was presented so as to be "educational," not disgusting or for gross amusement.

It should be obvious by the title alone, but in case there was any confusion, this is not a book for the prudish. Or, perhaps it is. For most of us, when we find ourselves getting bored or feeling like something is missing from our lives we find a new hobby like knitting, playing basketball, geocaching. We might even look to switch up some things in our relationships. What, I'm guessing, most of us don't do is wake up one day and decide everything in our lives, from the time we were kids playing on the school playground, has been pointing us towards working in a sex dungeon. Yet that's exactly what Jenny did.

The Scarlett Letters is Jenny's memoir detailing her incredible self discovery as she gradually transformed herself into Mistress Scarlett. By day Jenny continued to live her vanilla life and work her vanilla job. By night Mistress Scarlett began to grow, experiment, and find herself in the most non-vanilla of ways. Through it all she did not lose herself like you might think, but instead found clarity and a rebirth of her own innermost self.

In many ways this book will appeal to fans of The Fifty Shades of Grey series. However, unlike the FSG series The Scarlett Letters is a documentary of sorts. Jenny details her growth and experiences all of which included consenting adults. They range from degrading to invigorating, and throughout them all Jenny allows her readers a unique inside view into the life of a sex worker. There were times while reading this book that I was grossed out, times I laughed, and times I felt wonder. It's certainly not the book- or lifestyle, for everyone, yet I found it very interesting to read.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the review copy and opportunity.

This is not Fifty Shade of Grey. Let's get that out of the way. If you read Fifth Shades of Grey and thought it was so scandalous and taboo, get ready to grow up.

Jenny Nordbak was a construction site manager by day, and Mistress Scarlett by night. Following Jenny though her post college years of discovery, The Scarlett Letters is a story of humanity. We meet people who are open with their sexual desires, but at the core, that isn't what this book is about. This is the story of a girl, who was floating through life, in a boring job, with a boring boyfriend, who knew that she needed and deserved more.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

I didn't finish the book, because I wasn't enjoying it. I apologize, but in cases like this I prefer not to write a public review.

An eye-opening look into the BDSM world in Los Angeles, told by Jenny, AKA Scarlett the Dominatrix.