Constance Masters is here to lead the discussion of Where They Both Belong. It's her first time hosting, so let's make her feel welcome!
This is my first
time at hosting a Spanking Stories Book Club. I feel honoured to do this for
Thianna's prequel to the Corbin's Bend Series, Where They Both Belong. Thanks
Celeste for having me. Corbin's Bend was Thianna's idea and it has just
snowballed! I feel so lucky to be a part of this great series.
Blurb
Life-long residents of Mesa, Arizona, both of Matt & Julie
Renton's conservative families turned on them when their discipline lifestyle
became public knowledge. Months after being fired from his job, Matt was just
getting by doing day labor. Worried over Julie's stress level, he set his hopes
on getting into a new housing development in Colorado called Corbin's Bend
where they could be themselves and his lovely wife could finally relax.
Combined with Matt's natural ability to find the most unique forms of
discipline he could imagine, Julie found herself at home in their new community
filled with wonderful residents who were nice, friendly, and the kind of people
she could open up to.
Tried, true, and tested before they even reached Colorado, Matt and
Julie worked hard to keep their relationship strong even as they started a new
life. With a new job for Matt and complete acceptance from the community for
Julie, they began to feel that this just might be where they belonged.
Especially when the community's welcome basket arrived with a little surprise.
It must have been
terrible for Matt and Julie to have their families turn on them. For Julie not
only did they turn on them but they tried to convince her to leave Matt. They
didn't understand at all and didn't care to. Not only that but Matt lost his
job, leaving them earning on a day to day basis.
When they found
Corbin's Bend they found security and acceptance.
Here are my
questions:
1.
When
they found they had been accepted into Corbin's Bend Brent and Julie decided to
send their families a note after they left, not leaving a forwarding address.
Could you just move away from your family and the place you'd always lived with
barely a look back even if they had been horrible?
2.
Julie
likes Brent but finds him a bit scary. Do you find Brent intimidating and if so
what about him, makes it so?
3.
I
personally loved that Julie wanted the house they chose because she wanted her
children to grow up seeing the dome from their window every day. Why do you
think that was?
4.
What
do you think is Matt's best quality?
August 29 - "A Simple Misunderstanding" by Kathryn R. Blake - Discussion Leader: Tara Finnegan
I haven't read this book yet but have read quite a few of the others but wanted to answer just one of the questions as I found it interesting. It's the one about finding Brent scary. In his book (I can't remember the title), I did not find him scary but when I see his characters in the other books, for some reason, I do find him a little bit more scary! Why is that? I'm curious to hear what others say.
ReplyDeleteThat's it for me today but am looking forward to reading this book soon.
I didn't find him scary in his own book either and I don't think he's particularly scary in the others either, unless of course you give him reason to be. I guess Corbin's Bend is and was his dream and he feels the need to protect that.
DeleteHaving never read boy/girl stuff of this sort this is a bit scary for me. Here goes though. Yes, I could most definitely write a note, if that and walk away. If my family had been unreceptive of Adam and the way we live then that would be that as far as I am concerned. He is my family now and we feel this is best for us.
ReplyDeleteJulie really gets around doesn't she? If she likes him then there has to be something in her that is telling her he is safe for her to be around. As for what he does to make her feel afraid I don't know.
I agree with you Adam and Caleb. My family has never given me a reason for wanting to leave them so I can't imagine it. If they were like Julie and Brent's families I think I would have left them with a note too :)
DeleteI never thought of Brent as scary until I read Exile to Unity. The fact that he could sentence Ange to be publicly disciplined even after he admitted she'd followed all the rules they'd set, unsettled me. It didn't seem fair at all. However, I adored him in Finding Their Bliss, but thought he appeared a bit more business-like in Where They Both Belong. I could understand why Julie might have been a little bit intimidated by him.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't know if I could move away from my family without letting them know where I'd be, but I believed Matt and Julie could do it without any problem. They felt ostracized by their families.
As for the dome, I think Julie viewed it as a symbol of their new-found freedom and the acceptance they received in Corbin's Bend. They viewed their admission into the community as an answer to their prayers, and Julie wanted her children to grow up under the protective shadow of the clubhouse dome.
Kathryn - I hope you don't mind but I wanted to answer this. To be fair to Brent, Ange didn't quite stick to rules - she did give her cakes outside Corbin's Bend - even though it was a gift - she had been warned to keep it inside the community, for fear it would reach the attention of the FDA. And it did! As Brent was accommodating her, she should have been very careful to stick to the letter of the law. She put him in a very difficult position. Had the disciplinary board let her off, then there would be reason after reason why everyone should escape discipline.
DeleteI agree with Tara Kathryn. I think the public punishment thing is harsh but then it isn't or shouldn't be a surprise. Everyone that lives there knows it is a possibility if they cross that line.
DeleteI agree with you about the dome. I think it was a symbol of safety.
Hi Constance,
ReplyDeleteWhat great questions.
1. Yes, I think if my family made my husband and I feel like freaks, I could possibly leave with only a note. I hope it would never come to that though, but I do understand anger can lead to rash decisions. Time and distance can be a great healer, I am sure forgiveness would come on both sides in the end.
2. I don't find Brent in the least bit scary. Decisive, determined and protective yes, but scary, no.
3. I think Julie sees that dome as a symbol of freedom to be what you want to be, and what greater gift could you give your children?
4. I think what I loved best about Matt was that he was incredibly loving, and tactile and reassuring in demonstrating his love.
2.
Thanks Tara! I thought Matt was extremely loving and caring as well :)
ReplyDelete