Spanking Stories Book Club---Swept Off Her Feet by Dinah McLeod

Please welcome Maddie Taylor who is here today to talk about Swept Off Her Feet by Dinah McLeod. 

Blurb for Swept Off Her Feet

Twenty-nine years old and still without a husband, Maggie Swift does her best to be happy living on the family ranch. Now that her brothers are both married, however, she cannot help but feel she is being pushed out of her own home by her sisters-in-law… especially Libby. Her brother does his best to keep his bride in line—often with a firm hand applied to her bare bottom—but Maggie cannot seem to reconcile with the beautiful, feisty shopkeepers-daughter. 

She has all but resigned herself to miserable spinsterhood, until an absentminded stroll through town leaves her standing unexpectedly in front of a rough-looking saloon. It is there that she is confronted and scolded by the imposing, ruggedly-handsome Clayborn Callahan. Offered a ride with him, Maggie accepts, promising that she will not be missed for a few hours though she knows her brothers will be worried sick. 

When her lie is found out, Maggie discovers that her new suitor is more than ready to take her out back and make her cut a switch. In spite of her sore bottom, Maggie feels something for Clayborn that she has never felt for any man, and she is excited when he asks to come calling again. She wonders, though, if she can be the well-behaved woman he expects, or whether she will find herself over his knee more often than her pride and her tender bottom can handle. 

Discussion by Maddie Taylor: 

I enjoyed Swept Off Her Feet very much.  It appealed to me as a western, which I love, portraying traditional family values and male/female roles.  The men were strong and took care of the women they loved, the old-fashioned way.  I sympathized with the lead character Maggie.  She lost her mother, and then her oldest brother took a wife.  The new bride moves into the only home Maggie has ever known, and although it is not her sister-in-laws fault, resents having to change and share with the other woman.  Of course, she is grieving, not only for her mother but also the loss of her defined role in the family.  Next thing she knows, her other brother takes a wife.  She feels pushed aside even more—poor dear.  Of course, she doesn’t always handle it appropriately and at one point runs off unescorted—a no-no for a western woman in 1880. 

Along comes Clay, thank goodness.  He is a bright star in her day, except that like her brothers, he takes her to task for her behavior—all with her eldest brother’s blessing.  So starts a whirlwind courtship, which Maggie had believed would never come to be.  

Questions:

1.       In the Swift Family, the man is definitely the head of the household.  He can discipline his spouse without question as well as the other members of the family, including an adult sister.  Considering the era, how do you feel about the brother/sister spanking issue?   

2.       The old west provides unmarried women with very few options other than living with family, or her spouse, career opportunities being extremely limited.  She feels trapped.  What would you have done if you were in Maggie’s position? 

3.       Clay, although a friend of their deceased father, is a virtual stranger to Maggie.  When he finds her in town unescorted, he brings her home and sparks fly.  He asks and is allowed to punish Maggie for her transgression.  Do you agree with her brother’s decision to allow this?  Was this realistic?  Why?

4.       Without being a spoiler, Maggie receives a severe chastisement on a special day.  It was a time of excitement, which can often be quite stressful as well.  In general, do you feel the severity of discipline in spanking fiction is just enough, too much, or not enough?  Why?  Have you ever had a spanking on a special day?   Tell us what happened and how you got through the day with a sore bottom.