Submissive Books In Order

Publication Order of Submissive Books

‘The Submissive’ is a BDSM and romance trilogy, written by the American author Tara Sue Me. The series follows the life of Nathaniel West, a super-rich, eligible bachelor on the prowl for a submissive, and Abby, a female librarian longing for something more.

Though originally written as a twilight fanfic, the story was recently picked by Penguin, and can now be found in print.

Set in New York, the book opens up with Abby King being led to Nathaniel’s office. Nathaniel is a renowned billionaire and a powerful businessman in the city of New York.

Abby is fully aware of a lesser-known fact about Nathaniel; he’s a dominant and currently on the lookout for a submissive. Abby is willing and ready to do whatever it takes to fill the role.

Nathaniel agrees to take her. He even invites her to his estate one weekend to gauge if things can work out. He’s convinced that Abby isn’t cut out to be a submissive, but he’s willing and ready to train and help her become one.

Abby arrives at Nathaniel’s house over the weekend as they had agreed. Without wasting time, Nathaniel lays out all the explicit rules for her. He’s quick to let her know that he expects her to follow all the rules exactly as they are and without hesitation or complaint.

They immediately embark on their training, which involves a few sexual encounters and some light D/S behaviour, all in a bid to help her understand her role and what’s expected of her.

The weekend leaves Abby completely overwhelmed. Before parting, Nathaniel hands her his collar, which she delightfully accepts before leaving.

They spend all their time together over the weekends. And after a few weeks, Nathaniel starts visiting her at the library where she works during weekdays. Things are going all good for them.

The more time they spend together; the more emotionally attached Abby gets. She’s convinced she’s falling for him.

Nathaniel is more than Abby ever wished for when she first visited his office. He has her sexual appetite completely sated.

She’s fallen head over heels for him, but she’s afraid her feelings will NEVER be requited. Nathaniel has been acting aloof all along. He’s inscrutable, though there are moments when he’s been showing small signs of being in love with her.

Being a gentleman he is, Nathaniel introduces her to his family and friends, where each one of them tells her of how much she’s changed him. His talk, smile and how he talks about her, say a whole lot of how much of a changed man he is. It’s obvious Nathaniel is into her that much, even though he’s yet to say it.

This only makes Abby love him even more, though Nathaniel made it clear right at the beginning that she should avoid falling for him. But all seem to be beyond her control now.

After a night of torrid passion, which leaves Abby convinced that they were meant for each other, Nathaniel suggests they put a stop to everything so they can go back to where they started. Will Abby let go without putting up a fight?

At the beginning of the book, Nathaniel appears perfunctory with Abby. He’s cold, and their relationship is too stilt and more business-like. He’s not willing to break the walls and let Abby in. Neither is he interesting in getting to know anything about Abby. To him, what they have is a dominant-submissive relationship, goaded by the rules they laid out at right from the beginning.

That makes Nathaniel pretty much unlikeable, given it is only Abby who’s open and free to communicate her feelings.

But as the story unfold, and Abby gets to meet with Nathaniel’s friends and family, it becomes easier to understand why he’s been distancing himself.

He’s without doubt a wounded soul, and acting aloof is some sort of defence mechanism. The more we learn about his past, the more we find ourselves developing a soft spot for him.

Things are a little normal between them. They have their smooth moments, squabbles, and fights. And then there’s the big fight, which ushers in the spicy make out sex, even though the BDSM elements are quite tame–nothing to exercise your squicky level.

The book appears to have been remodelled from 50 Shades, but from what I gather, there’s a strong likelihood the book might have been released first.

The Training

‘The Training’ is the final instalment in Tara Sue’s Submissive trilogy.

As you could have guessed, the books zones in on Nathaniel as he makes an effort to become Abby’s lover and protector. All along their relationship has been transitioning from dominant and submissive to friends and lovers, with the ‘lovers’ aspect of the relationship wreaking havoc in Nathaniel’s life.

His relationship with former ‘subs’ is dug out from time to time in the third volume. And judging from them, there’s something special in the relationship they have with Abby. Could she be the one?

The storyline takes a detour to a distinctly different paths in the final instalment. From the definitive dominant/submissive relationship they had, where Nathaniel appears to be in strong opposition of the man Abby is trying to reach out for, to a sensual, erotic fairy tale building between two people that are destined to be together, the third book seems to cement what Nathaniel and Abby started when they first met, all in an effort to create a make-believe happy ending.

The most notable difference between ‘The Training’ and ‘Fifty Shades’, is that the former has a more explicit story line laced up with a BDSM backdrop, whereas the latter centres more on the lifestyle. But still, both books draw the reader into the underground world of dominant and submissive lifestyle.

Tara Sue uses the simplest writing style, which makes the book even more interesting and engrossing.

You might be tempted to question Abby king’s decision to become a submissive, particularly when she caves in to all the requests and demands Nathaniel makes, despite having no prior training, desire or experience. But from the storyline, it’s obvious Tara was trying to strike a balance between romance and BDSM, instead of going completely hardcore on BDSM.

All in all, each reader will definitely come up with a unique take on the lifestyle and storyline aspect of the book. After all this is just but a make-believe story of what actually happens behind the curtains of the rich and the most powerful. And as a ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ review puts it, who are we to judge?