BLACK OWNED: Life Sentence by Constance Pennington-Smythe (#chastity #slavery #feminization)

A year or so ago I said it was time to accept that Constance Pennington Smythe's tales, as tantalizing as they may sound, are just not for me. The problem is, I have a really hard time resisting temptation! Her stories sound so good, with blurbs that promise such potential, I allowed myself to get sucked into her world once again.

BLACK OWNED: Life Sentence does some things very well. It is a well-written work of fetish fiction, the work of an author who clearly has a passion for the material. It may not be the book that I wanted it to be, but I can definitely see the appeal for those whose expectations are better aligned.

Where the disconnect lies for me is in the line between submission and slavery, between domination and ownership - and it is a line I have only come to appreciate after thinking hard about why it differed so from my expectations. Life Sentence is a story about the training, the breaking, and the control of human property. Sissi (Todd) and Candi (Evelyn) are treated with cruelty and callousness, more like animals who are tolerated as opposed to pets who are treasured. I kept waiting for the story to move beyond that, to get to a place where their Masters and Mistresses develop some degree of affection for their devoted slaves, but this a book about slavery, not submission, and it is not interested in going there.

Having said all that, the breaking and training of Todd into a feminized sissy slave is absolutely fascinating. The fact that he is naturally submissive certainly helps, but I loved the amount of detail invested in how he should walk, talk, move, and think. I wish more of his training had taken place on the page (we are only told about some of the most exciting aspects via second-hand conversations after the fact), and the lack of erotic servitude or sexual submission frustrated me (as I am sure it did him), but what is there is well done.

Candi's story I was less interested in, especially since her character arc was rather circular. She is almost as cruel and callous as her new owners, especially where Sissi is involved, and she never loses that aspect of her personality. Frequent punishment and long-term chastity teaches her to obey, but all her breaking does is transform a resentful bitch into an arrogant one. Unlike Sissi, she does get used sexually, but whether it is orally pleasing a larger, older woman, or making the rounds of black men at a poker party, she is an eager, aroused, and willing . . . more slut that slave.

For slavery aficionados, Life Sentence is a fantastic read, and one they will likely enjoy a great deal. Maybe I am just a romantic at heart, or maybe my own submission simply orients me in a different direction, but the lack of emotion and affection left me feeling cold and unfulfilled.

Reviewed by Sally