Whalebone Strict continues the story of Thrift Moncrieff, a young and na’ve foreign office agent in the diplomatic service. Thrift works on behalf of the empire in an alternate reality that Lady Alice McCloud has carefully built and expanded throughout her previous Nexus titles: Imperial Lace, Schooled for Service and Dark Mischief.

The concept behind these books is a simple yet effective idea. Based in a reality where Britain never relinquished her empire, the world of Whalebone Strict (and its predecessors) is a contemporary universe based on the revered Victorian values of discipline, tight corsets and bare-bottomed spanking.

As with all Nexus titles, Whalebone Strict is written to a very high standard, balancing plot and passion with perfect precision. Lady Alice McCloud’s descriptions of punishment and pleasure are wonderfully descriptive and her characters explore the delicious dichotomy of Victorian standards. Outwardly they are models of courtly propriety: civil to the point of sycophancy and deceptively cordial and polite. But beneath the formality of that glossy surface there is a seething undercurrent of desire, domination and subjugation.

In this adventure Thrift’s special mission takes her to the North American colonies where she becomes involved in a web of political intrigue. The technical innovations are delightfully realised, contrasting our current knowledge against the beliefs and attitudes of Victorian wisdom, making this story entertaining on so many levels.

Whalebone Strict is a wonderfully realised CP fantasy that should satisfy the appetites of the most deviant discipline aficionados. For those who enjoy the strict protocols of Victorian erotica, but yearn for something with a contemporary edge, it’s a must.

Whalebone Strict by Lady Alice McCloud
(Virgin Nexus; February 6, 2007; ISBN: 0352340827)
Available at: Amazon.com / Amazon UK

© 2006 Ashley Lister. All rights reserved.