Book Review: I Want You to Own Me by Eve Healy (erotic romance)

Title: I Want You to Own Me
Author: Eve Healy
Publication Date: November 4, 2022
Genres: Erotic Romance
Protagonist Gender: Male

I Want You to Own Me is an interesting novel, a sweet boys' love romance that's book-ended with some rather dark family drama, featuring both a heart-melting power-exchange dynamic and a heart-rending one. Personally, I think it works better because of the contrast, with the darker pitfalls of submission making us better appreciate the brighter heights of fated domination, but there's no question some scenes may be too much for some readers.

Since this is my first experience with Eve Healy, I just have to say something about her Dom/Sub universe. I absolutely adored the idea of a universe where people have primary and secondary genders, the first being masculine or feminine (which we're assigned at birth), and the second being dominant or submissive (which manifests on your 19th birthday). As someone who identifies as submissive first, and any gender/orientation second, this is absolutely wonderful! What makes it even more fun is how deeply biological those traits are, with Doms having almost magical powers of compulsion over Subs, and with subspace being something almost sacred.

Anyway, the story here is of Anthony, a young man whose family always assumed would be a Dom, but whose blood tests reveal is really a Sub. In the blink of an eye, his entire future is gone, his place in the family business erased, and his familial/social ties cut. He's thrown into a life of submission with only the bare minimum of training, and finds himself hating the life - at least until he's stolen away by a new Dom, one with whom he connects.

The darker power exchange still had appeal for me because, as much as it's cold and selfish, the way Anthony's body and mind react was exciting. The helpless intensity of those scenes spoke to me, and I wished he could find a way to enjoy it. The happier power exchange was softer, more subtle, lacking the overpowering domination that I found so exciting, but the romantic intimacy of it was lovely.

I thoroughly enjoyed I Want You to Own Me and am eagerly looking forward to more romances in the Dom/Sub universe.

Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀

My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.