My oh my, Principle Decisions is an absolutely astonishing debut from Thea Belmont. I don’t typically gravitate towards BDSM when it comes to romance, but the plot had everything else I could ask for (who doesn’t love when a good ice queen develops feelings despite herself, or an unbelievably fun and maybe disastrous meet-cute—if you can call it that). This book was simply delicious and I devoured it in a single sitting. I almost regret having finished it so fast and I’m jealous of future readers who are going to be reading and experiencing this for the first time.

The only criticism I have has to do with the development of side characters, particularly Hattie. I wish there had been a little more to her and I felt that for majority of the book she felt very flat. For what this book lacked in side character development it more than made up for it in basically everything else, especially steam (and if I’m being honest it had me momentarily contemplate the wonders of BDSM—it’s that good). A wonderful 4.5/5 rounding up to a 5! I eagerly await Belmont’s next novel.

I received an ARC from Ylva Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (and I’m so happy to have received it because this book was stellar)

It all started with a black embossed business card that was tucked inside of a book that Vivienne bought: “Selene Dominatrix.”
Vivienne’s whole life changed when she called the number on the card and then quickly found herself already being dominated in a game Selene was playing, manipulating her and simply forcing Vivian to name the service that she was inquiring about! That’s when I was hooked.

I’m really not a fan of BDSM, but this one was something else! The erotic romance was beautiful and completely lured me in. I became mesmerized. The chemistry, the barriers, the longing and anxieties and inability to deny oneself of pleasure. Vivienne was in a sex bubble.This was just so well done that even I was seduced.

Vivienne was a college professor and had been raising her brother’s 16 year old daughter, Claudia, after the parents died in an accident. When Claudia got into some trouble at her high school, Vivienne was called in to meet with the school’s principal, who just happened to be Selene. I don’t need to say more about this because you can surely figure how this could play into the situation.

I loved this book because of the romance and the chemistry between the two characters and how smoothly the story flowed. I loved the journey of watching them fall in love and wanted so much for them to find happiness….and was not denied the HEA! (Not a spoiler because you still need to experience this journey.)

My thanks to NetGalley and Ylva Publishing for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Professor Vivienne Carter stumbles over a Dominatrix business card, and on impulse (and due to personal and sexual frustrations) decides to call.

Selene is not whom she expected.

As a side note, I really liked the discussions around safe sex. It's often not addressed well in lesfic.
The sessions are well written, though generally BDSM isn't my thing. And the bit where V runs into Selene at the grocer was hilarious. .... oh hell, Selene is her niece's principal. Ha!!

What follows is a deepening relationship, accompanied by issues about both their jobs and private lives.
Good, solid read. The characters are rich and well thought out, the romance is credible and the drama mostly works.

I really wish people who don't know the lifestyle well would stop writing books about it. The entire book feels like an abusive relationship to me. The LI negotiates boundaries, then breaks them. She can tell the protagonist is distressed several times during the story, but always goes from expressing concern to exerting her will over her in the matter of seconds. I never felt like Selene was safe to play with or that Vivienne was safe with her.

The protagonist is written as overwhelmed and panicky for 90% of the book and then I'm supposed to buy she keeps going back for more because she's just so horny. She never reads like she's being driven mad by desire, she reads like she needs therapy and she's hanging on to something that is harmful to her because it's there. The descriptions are very surface level and lacking. Honestly, nothing about this book read titillating to me.

Thankyou Net galley for the ARC of this book! I went jnto this just expecting pure smut, and don’t get me wrong the smut was plentiful and VERY well written, but there was a real heart to this story about family, and getting past your own walls and someone else’s for something that’s truly worth it. Seeing the relationship between Selene and Vivienne blossom was really well done and I would’ve loved to see more of their relationship once they got back together. I loved how complex a character Vivienne is, an ice queen at first glance but so much more from her complexities with her family, the way she works, the way she responds to Selene both in her services and her love.

Wow! That was just wow!
I didn't expect it, but this was one of the best erotic romance books of 2023!
At least for me! I'm really into BDSM aspects in books, but it's rare that they're written so wonderfully and with enough feelings involved in the topicals accurate description.
BDsM is still often misunderstood and sometimes only loosely described in romance novels…
Vivienne is a main character who has a hard time with herself and those around her.
She has to bear incredible burdens due to the tragic loss of her brother and his wife and, along with her sister, she has been caring for her 16-year-old niece for years.
Because of her professional stress, her private life is neglected and she keeps her love life at a distance.
The coincidence of a red business card with a dominatrix's telephone number, is both a happy and an unfortunate coincidence for Vivienne. Nevertheless, the temptation is too great and the woman exceeds all expectations.
Vivienne's desire for release and freedom through pain is more than fulfilled and "Selene" is so much more than just the giver of her pleasure and fulfillment of her wishes!
Their worlds not only collide in this professional setting and everything gets messed up in Vivienne's life!
These two have explosive chemistry from the start and it only gets better and hotter with every meeting!
There are a lot of scenes, but deep feelings are not neglected! This is not just a book for those interested in bdsm, but also for lovers of erotic romance!
It an absolutely amazing love story!

Thanks to Ylva Publishing and the Author Thea Belmont for the Arc!

4,5 stars. One of the most surprising novels I’ve recently read.
Principal Decisions" offers a refreshing take on a wlw BDSM romance that defies expectations.
I was pleasantly surprised by the tasteful approach, steering clear of crassness while still delving into the complexities of the characters' relationships. The narrative skillfully weaves together passion and tenderness, creating a compelling story that extends beyond the realm of BDSM.
The half star loss would be due to side characters being slightly lacking in development - or maybe that just did not resonate with me.
What I really enjoyed seeing is more complexity in the main relationship - the changes seem just a tiny bit too abrupt than you would expect, which adds to the thrill of reading. Even for those not typically drawn to this genre (like me), the well-developed characters and intriguing plot make it a worthwhile read, broadening its appeal and leaving a lasting impression.

This book has beyond my expectations, and I really love it! Before you turn down the book, because yes, it contains BDSM, but there’s so much more! And this is one of those books that makes you understand more the emotional side of BDSM even if you’re not into it.

I wish we could explore more about Selene. She’s such a mysterious and incredibly sexy figure from the beginning to the end.

I couldn’t put the book down once I started; the pacing was good, and I love Thea Belmont's writing style! Overall, I enjoy it a lot and
I’m looking forward to her future book.

First of all I have to say how fantastic it is to see another Australian author! Great first novel!

When I read the first couple of chapters that were posted on Ylva's website, I was hooked. Then once I got a copy of the whole novel I couldn't put it down.
Vivienne Carter is a college professor and at the same time is helping to raise her sixteen year old niece. She is all about her job until one day in her sister's bookshop she finds a card, hidden inside a book, that might change her life if she was to act on it. It read "Selene Dominatrix".
Some readers might be a little wary of reading novels with BDSM, however I would highly recommend it if you wanted to test the waters, so to speak. I would actually recommended this novel anyway as it is really a romance and the way the characters relate to each other is both loving and extremely hot!

Do yourselves a favour and get a copy of Principle Decisions, I'm pretty sure you will enjoy it. I can't wait to read whatever Ms Belmont writes next.

Principle Decisions is a BDSM romance,with uptight professor Vivienne Carter making an uncharacteristic decision when she finds the business card of a local Dominatrix within the pages of a book. What starts off as a business relationship develops into something more personal,complicated by the fact that "the lady with the ropes and toys" is Principal at Vi's Niece's school.

This is a decent,steamy,read that only suffers from Vivienne's ongoing internal angst which gets a bit wearing and could have done with a bit more editing and it did threaten to turn into more of a domestic drama than anything else at times. It is a good read,the hot bits are genuinely hot,with a bit of editing it would be excellent.

i wanted a quick spicy read, so i enjoyed this for what it is! it had some tropes/k*nks that i don’t really like but it’s about personal preference at that point.

i did find it to be a bit repetitive by the end. i found myself skimming over a lot past the 65% mark. but overall if you’re looking for a bdsm ff story, this is for you!

This is an interesting but short read. I didn’t realize it was erotica until I started reading the book. It’s not really that bad considering what it is.