Delilah ending up with Cora after a long fight to be with each other 3.5/10 stars

Elena Abbott you did a wonderful job writing this novel and beautiful story and writing thank you 5/5 stars on the writing

Wow read most definitely! Spice levels were maxed on this read! Thoroughly enjoyed this one! Despite the spiciness, I did enjoy the story of the main character finding out new things about herself. May have to have a reread of this in the future! It was like a lesbian haunting adeline!

To Please Her is a beautiful, emotional story about vulnerability, healing, and finding the courage to live your truth—even when the world makes it hard.

This book follows two women from very different walks of life who collide in an unforgettable moment of chemistry. What starts as a chance encounter quickly becomes something deeper: a journey of trust, intimacy, and self-discovery. One woman is learning to reclaim her power and body on her own terms, while the other is finally confronting the fears that have kept her guarded for years.

The romance is raw and magnetic, full of tender moments and deep emotional resonance. The spice? It’s not just there for heat—it enhances the plot and reveals character growth in ways that feel intentional and intimate. The dom/sub dynamic is handled with care, clarity, and genuine connection.

This book has it all: a grounded plot, rich emotional arcs, and yes—definitely some crying moments. It’s about pushing past the expectations of others and choosing to live boldly, authentically, and with love.

A must-read for fans of queer romance, emotional depth, and spice with purpose.

I wanted to love this book, the whole idea lesbian bdsm naive girl gets roped into something literally. And how it was a lesbian romance but included someone who was mtf

But I just didn’t, it just didn’t feel there was much there i knew it would be spicy obviously but I felt the actual plot was lacking.

This book is about a trans character, this book is also about BDSM themes. Those two things when indvidually in a book make that book definitely niche and targeted, so, this book's audience is probably pretty small. It was a good book, short and tight and to the point (which, considering the topic, tickles me with irony). The characters were interesting and kept me engrossed and weren't one note.

But, I will also say that on the blurb on Netgalley at least, there was absolutely no indication that this was anything other than a f/f lesbian bdsm book. (I believe if you go to the BSB site, as well as maybe other seller sites this isn't true, on BSB there is a tag, etc.) I'm just not sure that's the way to go when enticing people to read it.

So, three stars because, yes, it was a good book, but, it also wasn't what it said it was on the tin. (Trust me, I read the blurb a few times after I started the book and was surprised, just to make sure that I hadn't missed something).

This was an ok read I’m not big on erotic books but this one gave me a tear to read it wasn’t too long just right

This book was very interesting. I did not realize that the character of Sabrina was Trans woman until she state it.
It didn't bother me so I kept on reading because Sabrina is a simple and complex character. Delilah is very confident and knows what Sabrina desire. A good character development for who finally got her happiness.

I have been crushing on the idea of To Please Her since December, when Elena Abbott first mentioned it on her blog. The promise of a trans woman, love and kink, a rope class demo bunny, and a woman with reasons for avoiding relationships caught my attention, and the cover . . . well, it had all the elements to make me shiver with anticipation.

So, how does the read stand up to such lofty expectations? Much to my delight, it not only meets them, but exceeds them in every way. I absolutely adored this book. Seriously, it got into my head and my heart early on, and I had to fight myself to not read it all in one sitting, but to stretch it out and enjoy it over the course of a few days.

Sabrina Doyle is a driven young trans woman with no time for love, few friends, and no family. Shunned for her choice to be true to herself, she’s working two jobs and saving for surgery. When she stumbles into a beautiful woman on the street, spilling coffee all over the woman’s blouse, she has no idea where her promise to make it up to her will lead. That woman is Delilah Holte, a bold, confident, kinky professional with her fingers in two local businesses and her heart in domination. She needs a demo bunny for a rope class, and the cute young woman suddenly in her debt is the perfect candidate.

If there’s a more perfect meet-cute in the genre, I have yet to come across it. This is the kind of accidental encounter that dreams are made of, and the blend of awkward, adorable blend of cute and kink is immediately endearing. Sabrina finds herself caught up in this beautiful woman’s wake, powerless to resist as she discovers the surprises of her inner submissive – and for a scene that is largely clothed and chaste, the rope class is as erotic as it is empowering. What’s more, the casual way in which Delilah accepts and embraces Sabrina being trans is fabulous, and that simple acceptance carries through the whole story, with nary a hint of doubt or fetishizing. More authors can learn from how Abbott so sensitively approaches the subject.

There’s so much I loved about this, but it all starts with the dynamic between Sabrina and Delilah. Even though this is a Domme/sub relationship with very different personalities, their life experiences have a lot of parallels, slowly uncovering complementary needs and desires. Abbott explores themes of family and friendship, being true to one’s self, and finding strength in relationships. There are some dark moments in the story, including some deplorable homophobia and transphobia, but it’s not without purpose. We have to understand where these women have come from, along with what they’ve faced (and are facing) to appreciate their relationship journey.

To Please Her is a story that’s beautifully told, an easy read that welcomes you in with open arms and holds you close, right through to the end. The cast of support characters is small, but delightful, including one we don’t meet until near the very end who made me smile. The power-exchange relationship is just that – a relationship, not a scene – and the way Abbott explores submission, subspace, and protocol rings true. I expected to love this . . . I wanted to love this . . . but even I didn’t expect to love it this much.

This has been a somewhat disappointing story; at least I was expecting something different. Even the title doesn't really match the content. I wouldn't want my opinion to be critical just because BDSM and trans themes aren't usually what I look for in stories. I have read some from time to time, and for the most part, I've liked them or at least not disliked them. But this time, I'm not sure if the author's intention was more to show an initiation into submission combined with the protagonist Lexie's gender transition, rather than really addressing the topic of domination. However, there are scenes that are far too degrading, and I couldn't find a purpose for them within the context; in fact, they even seemed ridiculous to me. I also don't see Delilah's behavior as consistent, and in fact, neither is Lexie's.

To Please Her is a heartfelt, sex-positive romance that follows Sabrina, a trans woman, as she navigates BDSM, desire, and self-discovery. What begins as a casual rope demo with the guarded but magnetic Delilah evolves into a deeper emotional journey. The novel shines in its sensitive portrayal of kink, consent, and trans joy, centering a protagonist who is complex, relatable, and learning to embrace her pleasure and power. The emotional depth and authentic representation more than make up for any slow portions that happen throughout the storytelling. A warm, affirming, and steamy read that celebrates growth, love, and connection.

This book was not really what I expected, a lot more sex and BDSM than I anticipated. It did however also contain other interesting story lines so all in all a read I can recommend. It was so nice to see how the Mistress, Delilah, handled her pet, Sabrina. I am not into BDSM in any way but after reading this book I can relate to why some people may like this in their life. Before Sabrina meets Delilah she is missing something in her life and so do Delilah. Together they find something unique in each other and that is great to read about.

The whole thing with the fact that Sabrina is in the middle of her transition and the book plays out before her planned bottom surgery is all dealt with so much care and love. Sabrina is a woman no matter what and that is great to read about, everyone (except for Delilah’s dad) treats her like any other woman.

To Please Her is a heartwarming and exciting story about Sabrina, a trans woman, exploring her fantasies for the first time through BDSM. What starts as saying yes to be Delilah’s demo bunny for her rope class quickly turns into a desire for more. Delilah, however, isn’t particularly interested in giving more than just one night… or is she?

While Sabrina explores her desires and yearns to be owned by someone, Delilah struggles to let Sabrina–or anyone for that matter–into her heart despite how she obviously feels towards Sabrina.

This is a tale of sexual exploration, personal growth, overcoming trauma, standing up for oneself, and learning to love oneself and others. One of the aspects I truly appreciated was the important, yet underrepresented point of view of a trans woman main character who hasn’t undergone bottom surgery. I adored the way Delilah treated Sabrina.

First book I’ve read with a trans character and two females but overall found this an emotional and intriguing read. I really felt each of the characters complexities.

I went into To Please Her, relatively blind. This was a very quick read that promotes body positivity, lust and love at first sight and the dualities of family obligation and “unconventional love. That being said, I would have to rate this book at 3.5/5 stars. I think that the characters were well developed for a short novel. There was a bit of lag in the middle and inner monologue from Sabrina, that I found confusing and somewhat redundant. There was a good amount of spice, considering this was in the erotica genre and there were a lot of descriptions of sexual activity that surrounded BDSM.
The book follows Sabrina, a trans woman, who is trying to navigate her new world as a woman, seeking gender reassignment surgery. There are a lot of mentions of her ex-fiance and how their relationship ended because she chose to live her life in her truth. Stumbling, literally with coffee, upon a woman who seeks to challenge Sabrina’s norms and assist in regaining her self-confidence, Delilah, is introduced as Sabrina’s love-interest. As much as this is a love-story, this is almost a coming of age book that explores the themes of trans-identity, queer love and BDSM. Without too many spoilers, the book makes the reader ask the question, can love from two unlikely partners, conquer all?

This is a book🤭 the cover threw me of a little but i was genuinely so surprised on how much I liked this. It’s a trans woman x woman romance, woth lots of bdsm. This book showed the struggles and gate people have for trans people and I found this so sad. But this book was so good and I feel like I learned about the lgbtq community in more depth
The ONLY bad thing was her being a pet (dog) and barking in the spicy scenes, I found myself cringing.

Thankyou so much netgalley and Bold Strokes books for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Elena Abbott and Bold Strokes Books, Inc. for the ARC!

Upon first glance at this book you think you're just reading a spicy sapphic book with BDSM exploration. You get that but you also get so much more. This was beautifully written and fast easy pacing.

this book was fast paced and spicy. the pace and chapter lengths only added to the excitement and elements of the book. it was cliched or gawsh. and it didnt feel tick boxie or just for "spice" sakes.
it was brave and honest with the characters having to be so. it was about growing and learning and slowing down to really see who you are and what you want. and is turning away from love a way of protection rather than choice?
Sabrina was a great character and i felt her thoughts and fears were relatable to many. the connection she had with the other character was heartfelt and exciting all at the same time. it felt meaningful to both of them but that didnt mean they couldnt have fun.
this was a good book and it felt honest. which i appreciate as there has been some real doozies trying to creep into this genre lately and ive felt angered on behalf of the community over it. this book isnt that and i enjoyed reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Elena Abbott and Bold Strokes Books, Inc. for the ARC!

I enjoyed Sabrina and Delilah‘s story, and venture into BDSM. I found the story captivating and an easy read that kept me turning the (digital) pages. The emotional transformation of Sabrina and her vulnerability was felt throughout the book.

This book is intense! It’s erotic fiction but it’s so much more than that. Sabrina is finding herself worth and her confidence to be herself through healing and orgasms. I learned so much through this book and I am glad I got an opportunity to read and review. Thanks NetGalley.

To please her is an explicit BDSM love story written with a lot of emotion and depth and with an incredibly sweet main character.
Sabrina is a trans woman who has never had it easy in life. She is often full of self-doubt and rather pessimistic.
She has to juggle two jobs so that she has enough money when her surgery is finally due.
She is a little clumsy and in a bit of a hurry when she first meets Delilah and spills her coffee all over her blouse when she runs into her in her haste.
This woman has something authoritarian about her and the way she talks to Sabrina and looks at her is simply stunning. She is also beautiful and graceful.
Everything Sabrina wishes for and after they say goodbye, she never leaves her mind. As luck would have it, the two meet again and again and a world opens up for Sabrina that she had read a lot about but never thought she would experience! It gets a little dramatic, but overall, it's a fairly fast-paced love story with a high spice factor, which I personally really like.
It was nice that the main topic was often Sabrina's struggle with her transformation, and that it was incorporated naturally into their scenes.
I've read a lot of BDSM stories, but none with a trans woman as the main character, and I found it very interesting and beautifully written!
Thanks so much to Bold Strokes Books and the Author for this ARC!