The Payment Series by Cassandra Carr: Review & Excerpt

The Payment Series
 Boxed Set

(Prized, Possessed, Purgatory)

by Cassandra Carr

Genre: Dark Erotica, BDSM

Catrina Carter is in over her head. Way over her head. She’s in debt and, short of bankruptcy, which wouldn’t happen fast enough to pay the creditors nipping at her heels, Catrina has few choices. Eviction is coming any day, and even though she traded in her great car for a “more affordable” model, it's about to be repossessed too. Catrina goes to Debt Management Associates, or DMA, for help. 

The cost for DMA's help is something she never thought she could pay, but out of options, Catrina agrees to serve a man who pays her debt in full, and begins training in how to please him. Jared. Her new benefactor. He is tasked with helping Catrina get her life back on track, in addition to taking his pleasure with her and ordering her to oblige friends, colleagues, and even total strangers sexually on his whim.

When Catrina leaves the DMA program after her one year term of service, will she be able to keep the lessons Jared literally spanked into her topmost in her mind, or will old habits rear their designer heads?

Coming around to the side of the bed, he sat on it, placing the paddle directly in front of her face. In conversational tones, as if they were discussing the weather and not the imminent beating of her her ass, he said, "This is what I call my punishment paddle. I don't use it often, and I don't use it for long. But I will use it. It's made of lexan. Have you been paddled with lexan before?"

She nodded.

"Speak, girl."

"Yes, sir. Raoul spanked me some with a much smaller one."

"Ah. Well, this is eighteen inches long by three inches wide. On an ass the size of yours even one stroke will cover a broad area. Did he also explain the function of the holes?"

"Yes, sir. To cut down on air resistance." 

"Good. You're a quick learner. Hopefully that will serve you well this year." He tipped her chin up to force her to look at him. "I'm not much for things like canes that leave huge ugly welts for days, and I'm also not sadistic enough to want you bruised up all the time. That doesn't mean I'll go easy on you. You've seriously messed up your life, and I fully intend to help you break the habits ingrained in you. It may seem odd, but spankings and other punishments do make a difference in behavior. It's called negative reinforcement. After you leave the program you won't be spanked every time you spend money, but you will remember what it felt like to experience my belt, a paddle like this, and the many other punishments you have coming. Do you understand that?"

"Yes, sir."

Jared certainly didn't have an obligation to explain all this to her; he could do anything he wanted besides cause injury. Yeah, Raoul had gone through the difference between pain and injury. There'd be plenty of the former, Catrina guessed.  

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Everything in life has a price. Pride often motivates people to create a false image with possessions. Living within your means is more than financial, because life also has a spiritual cost. Freedom, emotional expression, love; nothing in life is free. This is a lesson that Catrina Carter is about to learn the hard way.

After living above her financial means for way too long, Catrina finds herself about to lose everything to debt. Referred to Debt Management Associates (DMA) by a friend, Catrina brokers her virgin ass, along with the rest of her body, in exchange for her debts being paid. Exchanging her freedom and pride for financial security, Catrina embarks on one of the darkest and most humiliating sexual experiences of her life.

Bought by Jared, an enigmatic and exceptionally wealthy man, he freely uses her body for his own desires.  While at the same time, Jared attempts to teach her how to prioritize her finances and make better choices. Catrina is given a second chance, but the lessons she learned are hard ones, and she struggles to find balance at the end of her service.

Returning to Jared's tutelage, the situation has changed between them, but as Catrina finally begins to let go of her pride and understand the true cost of living, other questions emerge. What exactly is the extent of her unusual tie to Jared, and is it one that will stand the test of time, or only a momentary experience to guide her into the future?

THE PAYMENT SERIES is not a love story. It isn't a romantic fairytale, and doesn't have a happy ending. It's full of dark erotic sensuality, hard-core BDSM with a sharp edge, and is both mentally and emotionally challenging. While the graphic sexual situations, debasement, and extreme themes may not appeal to mainstream readers, I found it to be a uniquely written and highly entertaining story.  The noticeable lack of internal dialogue and emotional expression challenge readers to submerge themselves into Catrina's charter. By putting yourself in her place, the question emerges; "What would I be willing to sacrifice for freedom, and what would I do if the cost of being free is to be owned by another?"  Cassandra Carr presents her readers with a series unlike any other in her line, and its complexity captivated me from the very beginning.

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Cassandra Carr is a multi-award winning erotic romance writer with Ellora's Cave, Sybarite Seductions/Twenty or Less Press, Decadent Publishing, Siren Publishing, and Loose Id. She lives in Cassandra Carr is a multi-award winning romance writer. When not writing she enjoys watching hockey and hanging out online. Cassandra's books have won numerous "Best Book Of" awards and her novella Unexpected Top was nominated in the E-book Erotic Romance category of RT's Reviewers' Choice Awards.

She thinks the best part of being a writer is how she writes about love and sex while most others struggle with daily commutes, micro-managing bosses and cranky co-workers. Her inspiration comes from everywhere, but she'd particularly like to thank the Buffalo Sabres, the hockey team near and dear to her heart. 

For more information about Cassandra, check out her website.

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