You would think it to be an oxymoron for a submissive to seek refuge from dominance--a submissive whose very nature at first glance requires persecution, at least persecution in a sense. But then, matches are made in dominance and submission in the same way that other matches are made; no relationship is like a K-Mart special--one size fit all. Each is unique. The crisis suffered by Amanda Byrne makes perfect sense because the dominant she escapes was not the right fit. (Well, there's a little more to it than that, but we can leave that for you to read for yourself.) Amanda Byrne is the fleeing submissive--and the refugee in Lucynda Storey's Refugee. The question to ask is if she is running from her last dom, or from her own inclinations.

As the tale begins, the fleeing Amanda trades one rescuer--a cop--for another. Jake Smith takes Amanda under his wing, and little does she realize that Jake--like the man she is escaping--is himself a dom. But there the resemblance ends.

Any abusive relationship leaves one scarred, and Amanda is no exception. Is she too weak and fearful, or is she strong enough to move beyond her past? Can she deal with her attraction to Jake once she discovers he is a dom? It would mean facing her demons, accepting a part of herself and especially it would mean that she would have to learn to trust again. But can a victim of abuse ever find it in herself to trust again? Especially when her knight in shining armor talks about his wife, and has been lying to her all along....

Lucynda sets the stage for Jack to be a compassionate man first, and a sexual dominant second. Amanda, perhaps as a result of her emotional confusion, is less clear as a character. She is reactive--to my sense seems more than a bit high-drama, a condition I object to equally in characters and real people--though some of the less intelligent choices she makes under stress could be construed as the choices made by a justifiably confused character on a roller coaster ride; perhaps that is just a matter of characterization.

Internal and external conflict complicate what might otherwise be a pat storyline between a pair of highly attracted people on the way to a relationship. If you want to revisit some of Lucynda's characters, if you like the needy heroine and the protective, compassionate hero, if you're interested in the lifestyle and an interesting examination of the complications thereof, Refugee will be of special interest to you.

Reviewed by Maîtresse
Copyright August 2006