Please give a warm Spanking Stories Book Club welcome to Kate Richards who is here to disucss Cara Bristol's Long Shot.
Hi Everyone, I’m Kate Richards and today it is my honor to
host the book club as we discuss one of my favorite stories in the fabulously
successful new series, which I am lucky enough to be part of, Corbin’s Bend.
When Thianna D. first broached the idea, it sounded great but over the past months,
it grew from a plan to a living, breathing community with characters you could
meet and be glad to know anywhere. But Corbin’s Bend has one big difference;
it’s a spanking community where those who ‘indulge’ can be free to express
themselves without fear of censure.
In Cara Bristol’s Long Shot (Book 5) we make the
acquaintance of Abby Delaney, a new arrival and Harris Montgomery, a local
business owner…but let’s take a look at the blurb:
Abby Delaney moves to
Corbin’s Bend to work at her aunt’s antique store to recover from a painful
divorce. She gets more than expected when she meets sexy, charming Harris
Montgomery, a local businessman and tennis pro, a man who seems to be the exact
opposite of her ex-husband. Through Harris, she discovers her submissive side
when he introduces her to spanking good times, and she begins to trust herself
again. But when the relationship progresses to a deeper level, she discovers Harris
and her ex share more in common than she’d thought. With future happiness on
the line, can she risk surrendering her heart on a long shot?
So often in life we find that people go from relationship to
relationship and make the same mistakes, but here we have a woman who meets a
man who is so different from her previous marriage. It’s heartbreaking to see a
friend on her third marriage to essentially the same type over and over only to
be on the same path to pain. And not the good kind.
For me, Abby’s considering
such a different relationship dynamic, with a man who truly could be the head
of household, a real leader, was a huge part of the story and inspires my first
question for you:
1. . Do you think it’s possible for people in real life to change
drastically and find happiness in doing so? Or is our ‘type’ unchangeable?
2. Abby’s interest in spanking seems to have been subconscious for a
long time when she meets Harris, do you think it’s possible for a woman to open
up so quickly and accept her fantasies made real?
3.
This is a little less deep…but what was your favorite of the
antiques Aunt Quincy has for sale in her ‘spanking department’?
4.
Abby had lost everything she once held dear due to her ex. How
difficult do you think it would be to learn to trust again after such an
experience?
5.
Which of Abby’s friends do you think might make her home in
Corbin’s Bend in the future?
Well, that’s it from Corbin’s Bend. I hope you’ll find time to
visit with us often. And bring your favorite spanking toys…or stop by the antique
store. Abby and her aunt would be glad to find one to your taste.
Coming up... click on the titles for Amazon buy links.
August 8 - "Leading the Way" by Constance Masters - Discussion Leader: Maren Smith
August 15 - "Where They Both Belong" by Thianna D. - Discussion Leader:
August 22 - "For Ben" by Kate Richards - Discussion Leader: Cara Bristol
August 29 - "A Simple Misunderstanding" by Kathryn R. Blake - Discussion Leader: Tara Finnegan
September 6 - "Last Dance for Cadence" by Maren Smith - Discussion Leader: Emily Tilton
Thanks Kate for some awesome questions.
ReplyDelete1. For me, I did change my "type", but only after much heartbreak and introspection, and I'm glad I did! But, I think the physical type that I'm attracted to has not changed.
2. Good question about accepting fantasies that become reality. It might be hard to believe because though we all have fantasies, how many of us want to really live them out or believe they can come true?
3. Ack! I don't remember. I read the book a couple months ago, but I loved the shop.
4. I think it would be very difficult but I also think those situations can make you realize just what is important to you.
5. Darn. See #3. Need to review the book and come back!
Great questions, Kate They make you think.
ReplyDelete1. Changing our type. I think it's possible for us to change our opinion on the type of person we're attracted to in some respects, but I think some traits are hard wired into our psyche.
2. I think people fall for each other much more quickly in fiction than in real life. As for our fantasies, some are only attractive to us because they are fantasies. We'd never want to experience them in real life.
3. My favorite spanking item in Auntie Q's Antiques was probably the bench that Harris buys. Though I love the way he watches Abby lovingly stroke the wooden paddle.
4. Trusting again after your heart has been broken is very difficult. We are naturally cautious as a way to protect ourselves from being hurt again. Breaking through that defensiveness takes work, commitment and courage.
5. Hmm. Kate, couldn't you have given us a multiple choice? Sigh. I'll have to review and come back, too.
Thanks, Kate for leading the discussion and asking such interesting questions. I'll withhold my own answers for a while longer--I don't want to influence anybody.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was writing them out, it made me think too! I actually made a huge change when I met my DH. I live in California and dated these laid back guys who really offered me no challenge and like someone in the story allowed me to push them around...I didn't mean to and never thought it was anything but for the good of the marriage but in the end I didn't respect them and they probably didn't like me!
ReplyDeleteMy East Coast raised hubby is at least as pushy as me, and he is totally not the type I ever thought I'd end up with but I have tremendous respect for him, he's very proud of me and I think it's a much healthier relationship. So...if you've read the book you can see how the heroine's past resonated with me
Gahh!!! I just wrote a really long response and the Internet ate it!!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat questions, Kate, and I really enjoyed Long Shot, Cara. It was actually the first Corbin's Bend book I've read, though I have a few others waiting on my Kindle at the moment.
1. I think it's possible for a person to change drastically to find happiness, but sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom first to find the courage to make the necessary changes.
2. I think Abby's chemistry with Harris certainly helped her tap into her spanko fantasies. I also think a lot of people have fantasies lurking in the backs of their minds that they might only want to act out if they met the right person.
3. The spanking bench, of course!
4. Very difficult...my heart was breaking for Abby and rooting for her happy ending with Harris.
5. The friend that kept asking her questions about spanking over dinner.
Good one, Sue. I agree, finding the right person helped her to live her fantasies! Otherwise she might never have had the pleasure
Delete1. Many people do "wake up" and change their type--but it requires self-awareness, dissatisfaction with the results one is getting, and a desire to change. I do think that one's choices change as one matures in life. Abby and Dale had gotten together so young --before either of them had matured into the person he/she was going to be. I think that is one of the problems of early marriage, actually. But I agree with Celeste that there is physical type that one is attracted to that probably doesn't change. Although I have seen people go against type!
ReplyDelete2. I think because Abby's predilection was there (even unconsciously) for such a LONG time, when she met the right person who could make her fantasies come true--it was right.
3. My fave was how Abby kept stroking the leather paddles.
4. People face this ALL the time. Just about anyone who has been through a painful divorce (especially one involving infidelity) has felt betrayed. And most them do remarry. The incident in the book was actually inspired by a RL incident involving a former co-worker. Her husband had a business. They lived in her family's home (that she'd bought from her parents). Unbeknownst to her, his business was failing. She didn't find out until they had to sell the house to cover his losses. She used to drive by her old house to take the kids to the babysitter.
5. Pepper. Definitely Pepper!
That is heartbreaking about your former co-worker.
DeleteYeah. I don't think it was the only time he let her down.
DeleteI just finished Long Shot this past week. Loved it! In fact, I need to talk to you, Cara, about using Abby and Harris in my CB book later this year. I'll contact you soon.
ReplyDelete1. Type. I think that when we're teenagers we obsess about some one trait that attracts us. Hopefully, that matures into something less fantastical and based upon what's really out there. But for many people, they never get past those early fantasies. Type isn't set in stone, which I think is fortunate for all of us.
2. No. I think, in this case, Abby knew what CB was all about which made it easier for her to admit her interest. Harris helped her with that, too. In the real world, where CB is not, and in a vanilla context, most people would have a hard time.
3. I'm with Abby - love those leather goodies.
4. Opening up after a fall. I think every person is different. Many people will be "glass half full" people who believe that people are good and mean to do no harm to others. Others are "glass half empty" types who have a more pessimistic view of people in general. "Glass half full" people are more likely to open up again sooner rather than later.
5. Friends. The lady who doth protest o'er much. :)
Corbin's Bend allowed Abby to live her fantasies. :)
ReplyDeleteLoved this book!
ReplyDelete1) Absolutely! I think this is a common theme for most of us!
2) I thought they moved a little fast, but it's a book that has to be wrapped up within a certain word count. However, i do think it is possible to accept your fantasies being made real if we are in a spot where they are accepted and supported.
3) I'm with Abby. I like the leather.
4)It's hard but worth it. I think we naturally want to trust. It's just a matter of trusting the right person.
5)i don't remember her name darn it, but I think there was definitely a friend that was interested, and would love to see Cara do another book for CB with the friend as a character.
Nice questions, Kate.
ReplyDelete1. I do believe anyone can change, if they want to. If you are able to recognise a destructive mbehavior or pattern in yourself, it is only one step from altering it.
2.I think if you have a latent fantasy and you get the opportunity to try it with someone you trust, and in Abby's case, someone already experienced in it, it is possible to embrace it quickly and thoroughly. Had Harris been less experienced or less competent a HOH, perhaps it may have taken longer for Abby to accept it.
3, The antique spanking bench captured my imagination.
4. I think the ability to trust would be dependent on 2 big factors, how open to trust the person normally is, and also the openness of the object of your trust. I can totally understand Abby's reluctance to trust a gambler again though. It cost her everything once. I'm not sure I could have!
I'm a day late and a dollar short but I am elbowing my way in here because I loved this book!
ReplyDelete1. I think the type of person someone ends up with or chooses has a lot to do with what they think about themselves. I have a friend who has always dated guys who put her down and treat her like crap, and it's because she thought that's what she deserved. I think is a person ends up changing their own view of themself then they will end up changing who they seek to spend their life with.
2. I think in the right environment with the right person it is easier to open up about your fantasies. Abby is in a community where spanking is accepted and she obviously knows Harris' views on it. So I think it was a little bit easier for her, she didn't have the dread of thinking she may be ostracized or rejected.
3. I don't really remember except the wall of spanking implements, really any of those would be awesome :)
4. I think it is hard to trust again after being hurt so deeply. It definitely depends on the type of person you are and the person you end up with. Harris did nothing but show Abby she could trust him from the beginning, even when they had the gambling misunderstanding. I think it is just a choice a person has to make-- live your life guarding yourself or opening up to new possibilities. I think only the person in that situation can know when they are ready.
5. I think both of her friends could end up there!
Sorry I'm late to the discussion.
ReplyDeleteGreat questions, Kate!
I loved this book, and love the premise of rebuilding and regaining trust after being hurt.
It's hard, and it takes a while to fully open up to the possibility of hurt, but the injured party has to finally be willing to accept the possibility of great love over great harm. It also takes a great deal of work on the new partners' part. And unfortunately, nobody's perfect.
So anything can trigger a memory.
I don't know if people can truly change or not. It really depends on whether they want to.
As far as opening up the fantasies quickly, and making them real. That's exactly what happened to me. so yes, it is possible. But it helps when your partner is experienced in the matter or at least already knows about it.
Harris already being a subject matter expert in the "field", made it much easier for Abby to accept and move forward.
LOL, I can't remember all the implements anymore, but I do remember a very warm "happy" feeling reading about the shop. :) I would love to spend a day in a shop like that!
Great questions, Kate!
:)
Late to the discussion, sorry.
ReplyDelete1. I do think it's possible to change and find happiness. Maybe your not happy because you need to make a change.
2.I think that the acceptance would happen quicker in a place like Corbin's Bend. There it is so much the norm that you could allow yourself to be swept away.
3.That would have to be the spanking bench.
4.I think it would be really hard to trust again after being so hurt.
5.I think Pepper
Great discussion Kate :)