The Marketplace (Book One of The Marketplace Series)

I read this book in 2014 but forgot to review. The Marketplace was my introduction to this fascinating series about the secret society known as The Marketplace, and the lives of the masters and mistresses and their submissives and pleasure slaves. In this first book we are introduced to the complex and fascinating character of Chris Parker, and the four aspiring slaves who he is training in order that they may be accepted into The Marketplace. The story is erotic, absorbing and addictive.Ms Antoniou is an intelligent and talented writer and her story easily drew me into this secretive, erotic world, and I found myself so immersed in the story that I could not put it down, reading long into the night. I went on to read the rest of the series and loved them all. Highly recommended.

Mommy porn its not. Flipping fantastic it is. This was highly recommended to me by a close friend . "raspberry noise" to the 50 shades series. this knocks its socks of. It uses proper words for intimate parts so you actually get a flaming good idea of what is going off, the story is well written too. its not just about the sex.Love the Chris Parker character. READ IT!!!

A really enjoyable book. Not what I was expecting. It had me after I read the introduction, and I got the other 3 in the series. It certainly didn't disappoint me. Well worth a read

Surprisingly well written for kink/erotic fiction. Loved this first installment of the series. Just started no.2, The Slave and loving that too.

I first read the Marketplace Series years ago when first coming in to kink. I am so very glad I did as it gave me a real insight to the mind of a submissive, and I found myself identifying hugely with the mindset of the slaves. Including some of the struggles they go through in accepting their need to serve, and submitting fully, which is touched upon throughout the series. Anyhow, if you want a realistic insight into the minds of both Master and slave, together with a hot read that will get your mind, your imagination, and your lower bits going, then give this a read. I cannot recommend it any higher.Also, I've had a crush on Chris Parker for over a decade. Unfortunately I've not found Him yet. ;)

I recommend you download the sample first. All the other reviews sound like they were for another book. I didn't think the writing was good and nothing pulled me in.

Egal wie man zu diesem "Lifestyle" steht. Das Buch ist sehr gut geschrieben. Es reflektiert und beschönigt nichts. Nachdem ich das zweite Buch der Serie zuerst gelesen hatte, habe ich nacheinander alle Bücher der Serie gelesen und hoffe das bald ein neues kommt, weil die Geschichte noch nicht zu Ende ist. Aber keine Angst es gibt keine ärgerlichen Cliffhanger, jedes Buch ist abgeschlossen. Im Laufe der Serie wird das Leben von Chris erzählt, der als Mädchen zur Welt kommt, sich aber als männliche fühlt. Es ist sein Weg zu seiner Identität, die nicht nur männlich, sondern auch submissive ist.

I have read this entire series, over and over. I read them early on my path in the BDSM world, but they stand the test of time. I believe the tenets behind them just as much now as when I read them for the first time - not that they ever stoop to being 'preachy' - the books are a cracking good read. I enjoy them every time. The stories are an excellent mix of the profound and the profane, they'll make you horny, they'll make you laugh, and they'll make you think about them later. I never pick up one without my back and knees getting itchy. Laura Antoniou does the best job of any author I have ever read in exploring the differences, the similarities, and the calling to this life - of exploring this thing called Service, and explaining the profound joy in finding your place. If you've ever wondered 'why do I do this?' or 'why do I think about this?' these books are like coming home; and what a lovely home it is. Filled with captivating and interesting people who live and breathe - people you come to care about and want to know. I can't recommend this series highly enough. My only criticism is that there aren't more books in the series.

"Those of you who have toyed with or even lived a term of service may wonder at just how hard it could be to attain the level of excellence required by the Marketplace. After all, you muse, these are people who will be called slaves. Owned chattel, their lives formed and polished for the pleasure and use and amusement of those whose need is to control and improve."Many of you believe that the right attitude combined with some physical charm would be more than adequate to the task. It is not. Even the most gifted of naturals, those individuals whose wrists are naked without restraints and whose souls are bleak without guidance, need to be trained."This passage from the introduction to The Marketplace introduces the (submissive) reader to a fictional, international organization for the training and sale (or lease) of voluntary slaves. The unnamed narrator adds: "I shall be awaiting you. You will learn to hate me."The discreet narrator is never clearly identified, and most of the novel seems to be written from an omniscient third-person viewpoint. By the last page, it seems clear that the person most likely to be telling this story is Chris Parker, the majordomo of the slave-training establishment. He serves the owners, Alexandra and Grendel, by training novices who wish to be made ready for sale to private bidders. He is not clearly a slave, yet he is not a master. Even his gender seems ambiguous.The reader is introduced to four slave-trainees when they arrive at the training house, one by one. Claudia is small, cute and exquisitely poised when pouring tea, but her Mistress finds her limited and boring; if Claudia can't be trained to serve in a variety of ways, her Mistress is willing to sell her. Brian is an attractive young man in leather who persuaded his Master of the moment to bring him in for training. He thinks his looks and boyish pout should be enough. Sharon looks like a centerfold and is a magnet for men outside the world of the Marketplace; she finds her own way to the training house by dishonest means, and thinks her looks will assure her a position as a pleasure slave. Robert is a large man who left a suburban marriage and a good job to become the "maid" of a pro Mistress; after he lost all his confidence and was given away, he was brought in for training.Alexandra and Grendel agree that none of the four novices has the quality they are looking for. They seriously consider rejecting them all as inferior "merchandise," yet the four characters have complementary flaws, and therefore they have potential as a group. They are all accepted, placed under Chris Parker's command, and kept naked for weeks. Under the authority of the owners, he develops a regimen for the four trainees that is intended to break their egotism while nurturing group spirit, new skills and true pride in service.Interspersed with the third-person narrative are the personal stories of Claudia, Brian, Robert and Sharon, as told to each other after lights-out in their shared dormitory. Each tells the others how they came to the training-house that serves as a gateway to the Marketplace, the ultimate destination for those who are drawn to service. Each life-story is moving in its own way.First published in 1993, this novel is one of the classics of the genre, and it is worth reading more than once. The discipline and the sex scenes appeal to a variety of tastes, but none of the characters is a cliche, and their development drives the plot.Like representative human sinners seeking spiritual refinement, three of the four seekers discover their own potential. Sharon, the character who comes closest to being a stereotype, provokes punishment and gets it, but for her it is not a learning experience, and her fate is much different from that of the submissive Barbie dolls of BDSM porn.The novel, like the trainees, began life in need of polishing. The original Masquerade Press edition, credited to "Sara Adamson," was full of minor grammatical and typing errors. After the demise of Masquerade, the book was reprinted by Mystic Rose Press with a subtle, upscale gray cover showing a photographic image of the training house that resembles a vintage postcard. The manuscript, however, was brought into print with the original glitches intact. The most recent edition, published by Circlet Press under its new Luster imprint, has been lovingly copyedited so that its style is now worthy of its content. The cover features a photo of a lock for a Marketplace slave collar being handed to an impeccably-suited character over the bent back of a slave-trainee against a background of Edwardian wallpaper.In the sequels to The Marketplace, the reader learns more about slave contracts, specialized slave roles (including "grudge slaves," or official scapegoats for bitter or frustrated owners), training for the trainers, the administration of the Marketplace, individual relationships and the background of the mysterious Chris Parker. This is the kind of virtual world that has the same enduring appeal as those of the best fantasy novels.- Jean Roberta

The most interesting relationship is between Grendal and Chris. I've reread it several times since I bought it, really fun worth reading if you're into it.

Love erotic novels loved the book.