From jbgarner58.wordpress.com:

Happy coincidence has brought a recently-released dish onto this
reviewer’s plate today.  The chef, Michelle Knight (interviewed
here), was already in my review queue for some time now with an older
recipe but, as her newest book came up for sale, I decided to take up
this newest dish instead.  So is this near-future military sci-fi with
a side of wit and comedy make for a fabulous meal or some bland tinned
biscuits?

Before we cut open the MRE package, let us recite the Starving Review
creed:

I attempt to rate every book from the perspective of a fan of the
genre
I attempt to make every review as spoiler-free as possible.

Here’s the rub, my literary foodies, there’s a fine line between
using humor to flavor a serious dish and overseasoning with humor to
ruin a dish.  Comedy, especially dark comedy, is hard.  Good comedy is
even harder.  So, let me put this particular dog to bed and say that
the sugary sprinkles of comedy are properly used in this piece.  There
is a certain Doctor Strangelove sort of feel to the comedic elements,
as well as that dry British wit to the whole affair, and it sits well
in this Reviewer’s stomach.

With that clear, let’s attack the rest of the components of this
meal.  Check Mate presents a diverse cast of characters and handles
those characters quite well.  Even the occasional stock minor
characters is gifted with a particular spark of flavor that makes them
just a bit more three-dimensional.  There was obviously care taken by
the chef to make the characters more than the title of their jobs, no
matter how stereotypical they may seem at first blush, and that
defiance of stereotype is appreciated.

The plot takes some interesting turns in the classic recipe of
‘military-killer-robot-goes-haywire’ (and yes, that IS a classic
by this point!) while keeping its feet grounded in the realm of
near-future technology.  The initial start is a bit more mellow than I
expected it would be.  In fact, it veers dangerously close to an
extended info-dump, yet it wasn’t to the point of off-putting.  It
was a thick crust of necessary exposition but, past that initial bit,
the pacing turns into a even and consistent flow of action and events,
leading to a rather enjoyable final course.

Stylistically, Check Mate is solid.  Once it hits its stride, the
courses come along well, properly seasoned, with dutiful wordsmithing.
 If I have any stylistic complaints, it’s the occasional slip of
British turns-of-phrase in a distinctly American setting.  Naturally,
most readers probably won’t catch these, as I barely did and I’m a
bit of an Anglophile, so I don’t see this detracting from most
people’s meals.

My one real quibble with this particular meal is I wish there was a
bit more done from the haywire military robot’s point-of-view.  Not
much, but there were a few bits early on that gives the reader some
flashes of what is going on and I found those particularly brilliant
while not giving away the overarching plot.  Some more scenes like
that I think would have added a bit of needed spice at points during
the last half of the book (into which I can delve no deeper because
SPOILERS!).

To bring it all together, Check Mate is a tasty near-future military
romp mixing some dark comedy with killer robots!  It’s not *quite*
perfect, but it’s really quite good and I can gladly recommend this
meal to any lover of science-fiction or enjoys a splash of distinctly
British dark humor with their meals!  Remember, again, to check out
the Starving Interview to get a glimpse into the mind behind the
book.

FINAL VERDICT: **** (A tasty near-future military romp mixing some
dark comedy with killer robots!)  4 out of 5  (visitor)

Stands up well against the ones I do buy - is longer and better
crafted than many.
  4 out of 5  (visitor)

And finally, FINALLY, a book about BDSM that isn`t all fantasy and 50
shades style crap, but really relates the feelings behind it all and
allows people to understand! You have no clue how much I love you for
writing this one.  5 out of 5  (visitor)

The author is good with detail,and writiing. I think it's too soft for
a BDSM story. Not really one of my favorite.   3 out of 5

When I started reading The Companion I had absolutely no idea what to
expect. An explicit sexual adventure? Something to open my 'vanilla'
eyes? Something horrifying? Something sensual?
What I got was a beautiful story of one women and her struggle through
life; I lived her frustration with being unfufilled in so many aspects
of her life, the every day battles she fought and lost, her
directionless wandering on a quest for meaning.

I admit, I am totally unaware of what goes on in a sub/dom
relationship and the world of 'the scene'. It was fascinating to
learn, along with Susan, how these relationships are formed, nurtured,
maintained and broken. The story is pitched at just the right level,
enough explained so the story flows and gives an understanding of the
imagery.

Well worth reading the notes at the front of the book before starting;
it was initially written as a screenplay and I feel this is shown in a
few places where the writing feels a little like stage directions but
not necessarily a bad thing, it can help establish mood and a clever
device to introduce characters.

I do feel there could have been so much more written in this story, I
became absorbed in the trust between L and Mark and would have loved
to have heard more about L's training and how their relationship
grew.

The story had me gripped and I just wanted to know more and more about
L and Mark; they are completely engaging as characters and I felt
myself cheer with triumph and groan in frustration at them both
throughout the book. I would recommend the book for anyone with an
interest in BDSM but not looking for a quick thrill, there is a love
story within the pages of the book and although it's an education to
learn so much about their lifestyle, it's more of an honour to share
in their love story.   4 out of 5  (visitor)

The Companion is one of the books that when I first began my reading I
wasn't sure where it was going to lead me. Upon complexion of the book
I fell in love with not only this book but the unique writing flow of
its author.

Prior to this book and a limited others in comparison, I thought I had
read everything there was to experience about erotic-themed books.
Well, I will proudly admit to being wrong. Knight by far is an author
that is willing to take readers on less traveled road within the
content of such books. This trait is perhaps my favorite and made me
enjoy the book much more.

The fact that Knight chose to write in third person rather than the
first person account of either heroine or hero was something I wasn't
expecting and yet was added surprise. I much prefer a third person
account with my introduction to new characters. This is the first time
I have seen an author establish such writings in an erotic book. So I
am going to highly praise Knight for her own creativity in choosing
this style.

In many ways this book is different from prior erotic books and yet in
other ways it still has the foundation that devoted readers of the
genre are going to live. The characters sensual nature for one another
is ever-so present. The presences of both emotional turmoil and
voracious, explicit content will leave readers satisfied.

I literally could continue in my praise of both this book and its
author, but instead I highly suggest adding this book to your reads
for the year as it well worth the time to read it and see for yourself
how wonderful this and Knight truly are.
  4 out of 5  (visitor)