Annery
THREE ½ STARS (GR we need that ½ star option!) This is the sequel to [b:Another Way 12592780 Another Way (Another Way #1) Anna Martin https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386588514s/12592780.jpg 17607664] and perhaps right there lies the first problem. For me that book was almost perfect in the way that it told the story of a young man on his journey to embracing his BDSM desires and furthermore as a heretofore heterosexual falling in love with his Dom, Will, who is possibly one of the best guys I've read in any genre. It really didn't need a continuation. The “careful what you wish for” adage is very fitting in this case (though I had not wished it). The book starts off fine; an easing us into what life is like for Jesse & Will and how they are settling into the different aspects of their relationship: the couple part & the D/s part. This part is well done though the style of writing does seem to lack the passion & urgency of the first book. It makes sense. There is no urgency. Just a succession of “this happened and this happened and then Will kissed me etc.” Everything seems to be exactly right yet I barely got warm and then .... THE BIG THING HAPPENS. Jesse & Will skid on black ice and have a pretty bad accident as they are heading home from a snowboarding weekend and Will feels guilty as Jesse is hurt, but so is Will, and he goes away for a bit to regroup . Though traumatic what happens is not something insurmountable and while Will's original response is fine he does IMHO go a little overboard but is later willing to fix it whereas Jesse comes off as a bit of a selfish brat in that he seems incapable of being empathetic to Will's plight for even a week! Yes we know he is a sub and that is why he needs and has Will but in the first book when he was going through much more emotional upheaval and turmoil he seems stronger. It would seem that his time with Will has just made him dependent and not in a good way.I added the extra ½ star because of my great love for the first book and because I live in hope that the third installment will reestablish these two guys whom I love.
This was just beautiful and terrible and blew me away and now I'll have to stalk Julio and hope he gifts us with the continuation of this love affaire because gems like these are not to be missed:
“I gave you all my secrets, and you lost them all. You lost a lot of things. But the treasure of it was in the giving, not the keeping. You've forgotten me, but I'll remember you as long as I live.” <swoon>
“You took me apart and filled me with everything I'd ever needed. I want to tell you how you fixed me.”
<double swoon>
The synopsis gives a fair description of the plot of the book but one is not prepared to be swept away by the passion of the prose, how one is transported wholesale to this world and the all consuming recognition of another in this world of isolation & numbness.
Setting my calendar for the next Syntax book and our sweet Anthos. Kudos & thank you Julio!!!
** SPOILER AHEAD **This has been my favorite installment of the series so far and I must say it's because Brayden is the only character who seems to be risking anything from the group we've met. Kayla always knew what she wanted and found it in Nicholas in the first few pages of [b:Look But Don't Touch 17901274 Look But Don't Touch (Touch, #1) Cara Dee https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1367980882s/17901274.jpg 24154166] Book 1 & Nicholas save for a brief period which happens before the book starts is right on board. In [b:Twice the Touch 18044027 Twice the Touch (Touch, #2) Cara Dee https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1370549944s/18044027.jpg 24755851] Book 2 we got Brayden & Evangeline: a sweet couple looking to get into the BDSM lifestyle and they are more than ably introduced and welcomed by Mark a Dom who is capable of handling both of them even if they didn't know it was what they wanted save for the fact that Brayden due to his upbringing can't abide any kind of sexual touch from Mark even though he desires it whereas Evangeline has jumped into the deep end of the pool and is enjoying things she didn't even know she wanted and Mark got two subs even though he wasn't looking!And that's why this is the best installment. Because we have Brayden facing up to his fears and desires and Mark is up to the task. Strong but gentle. What I liked most was how it was clear that the one encounter described in this short installment wasn't a cure all for Brayden but rather a strong first step and we see him in the next books as the still shy guy making strides towards happiness. Joy.
This is the story of Chelsea and Rio, of how they met and then didn't see each other for ten years. I think the blurb explains most everything else so I'll say that I liked how Chelsea spoke her mind and refused to be a doormat, funny if you consider that she's angling to be Rio's slave; that the one misunderstanding was cleared up in like three pages and that we got to see and interact with most of the the other players in the series but they didn't overwhelm the Rio/Chelsea story line. I also liked that the author doesn't sugar coat what a slave/master relationship is like but also makes it clear that it's what both MCs want and that they are going into this arrangement with eyes wide open. The sex scenes were hot and at the same time oddly tender which was a nice surprise. This was a good addition but now the wait for Book 6 may seem interminable.
This was a sweet but not syrupy read, except towards the end when we got all marshmallow rainbows & cream, but by then I was in the bag so ... yea.
I liked that although Alec is a bit nerdy, reciting stats and figures when he's nervous and can't quite figure out how to start his Harley and cant's pick out an Allen wrench to save his life he is brave and steadfast in the face of what society thinks or his friends and family want once he figures it out and lucky for Dylan Booth what Alec wants is him. Dylan for all his tough talk and hard as nails exterior is the one who can break with a strong gust of wind. He comes from loss and Alec with his warm house, home cooked meals and heart on his sleeves represents Dylan's chance for a home even when he almost loses it because he refuses to name what they have. In a manner of speaking he's right. Love is love and the label just makes it palatable for others to place us in our allotted slots.
This worked for me. It was funny and warm and Alec and Dylan's respective inner struggles felt true and resolved in a non rushed but also non draggy speed. I'd also add that despite my shelving I wouldn't call this either a Gay-For-You story nor a late-blooming gay romance. It more authentically felt like what people say about cats in a household, at least as far as Dylan goes, they pick one person and that's their person. Dylan found his person in Alec.
This was a sweet and poignant slice of life and it just spoke to me on so many levels. The wonderful grandmother who just surprises you at every turn, the godmother who's just not having her Thanksgiving meddled with by her sister and the adorable boyfriend who is willing to go in the closet for our narrator. And the narrator, Julio, who made me remember my younger self in ways I hadn't in a while. Even though I'm not a young gay man dealing with coming out to a not so accepting family, I was and am (proudly) the odd bird out in a Dominican family peopled by the seriously religious to the merengue blasting, “tres golpes” eating group for which I'm still not quite the real deal. His made me feel what it was like being in the space of not yet being in control of your life but right on threshold of doing so and what an exhilarating time it can be.
Thank you for sharing Julio. Thank you.
Not my cup of anything but I liked it.
Even though this whole Daddy/Little does zip for me I must still say this was an enjoyable quickie that made the morning commute a breeze and seems like a good introduction to a series. A think what swayed me was how the characters were unapologetic about their kinks & desires as well they should be. Looking forward to the next one which seems more up my gutter. :-)
Re-Read 4/3/18 with the added bonus of [a:Michael Pauley 1302332 Michael Pauley https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png]'s narrationI stand by my original review. If anything, with time and additional, unaccounted for re-reads, I love this series more. I should clarify that the whole “weakest entry” was me perhaps being pretentious. If anything this is the installment where everything becomes clear both for Scott and for Tad. Tad is no longer willing or able to deny his feelings for Scott or what his sexual preferences are. And Scott finally opens up to Tad telling him point blank what he wants from him and where he, Scott, is coming from. I loved everything about this. [a:Kora Knight 8529860 Kora Knight https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1514682199p2/8529860.jpg] is a genius, because bro/dudes are not really my thing and yet I love these two, perhaps because they prove to be more than the sum of their parts. I love the pacing of the story, how each encounter between Scott and Tad serves as an occasion for Tad to x-ray his life & choices. How Tad is ultimately honest with himself and there isn't an ounce of malice in him. I love his inner rants about traffic, slow walkers, and the fluttery things that invariably kick-up in his stomach whenever Scott comes into play.The “reason” for this re-read was the release of the ABs by Michael Pauley. By this installment his narration has really kicked into high gear. He owns these characters and the story so much that, if you're like me and like to read along, you'll notice that there are quite a few additions & omissions to the written novel. I think they're all for the better. Speech sounds natural and unforced. I wholly agree with the AB choices and I'm sure they were approved or set up by Kora herself. Overall: HEAVEN.I'm pretty confident this won't be my last dance with this series. ************I've let this digest for a day and I'll confess that this was perhaps the weakest entry in the series but since I've saved my review to include all five I'm rating as if this were one full length novel split into long chapters because that's how it reads. And OMFG what a great ride it is!!! You could read the first volume, [b:Loser Takes All 23166708 Loser Takes All (Up-Ending Tad A Journey of Erotic Discovery, #1) Kora Knight https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1410140125s/23166708.jpg 42712151] as a stand alone erotic novella of sexual discovery. A one-night experience that may change our MC Tad's life and just watch him go on his merry way and wish him luck, but WHY would you? The whole series is told from Tad's POV and aren't we lucky for that. He is sweet, introspective, open, generous, funny as hell. He cracked-up and had me in happy tears with his self-deprecating inner monologue. Some may think he is too introspective but I can relate: analyze everything from every angle & fall into the pitfall of self doubt. However he never wallows for too long and shows great courage in taking the leap to be with Scott, his enigmatic object of lust and ultimately love. Scott has been burned before & isn't willing to be a dirty secret in Tad's closet. Good for him. I think it's brilliant how each installment is split between Tad thinking about his life and choices and then his encounters with Scott, each of which will burn your eyes with goodness and serve to illustrate how their relationship is progressing and how Tad is slowly coming to realize who he is and where he wants to be in his life. Because that's the thing: this is not a gay-for-you story but rather a voyage of discovery for Tad and once he figures it out he jumps right in! And I couldn't end this without a thumbs-up for Jay, one of the best BFFs ever: hangover remedy, confessor and wise no nonsense advice. Now when is that epilogue coming? and I desperately need to now all about Kai & Breck. Like now!!!
** This will most likely contain spoilers ** So where too start??? I rated this 3 stars because buried underneath all the tons of soap opera drama there is a potentially good late blooming gay story but I confess to being a generous grader because I genuinely want to like a book when I start to read it.Back to the book. This edition is a two in one. The original and a sort of epilogue novella that [a:Mercy Celeste 4615197 Mercy Celeste https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1442532314p2/4615197.jpg] added for the republication of the book. The first part of the book is ostensibly about Darcy Butler (don't ask) a 29 year old Oregonian who has relocated along with the staff of his on-line magazine to New Orleans at the urging of his business partner & friend with benefits Bailey. She runs the public face of the magazine while he is the maverick editor. Darcy is 29 and a fish out of water in New Orleans and his own skin, he's repeatedly described as a gorgeous Clark Kent type, glasses and all, completely unaware his good looks, a little rigid and a whole lot unsatisfied. Enter Remy Caleb Lasseigne Mitchell, Pulitzer Prize winning photo-journalist, artist, millionaire, descendant of a New Orleans crime boss who on a whim while temporarily in town decides to offer his services to Darcy's magazine as an art director, they meet and BAM insta-love & insta-lust ensue. The third day after meeting Darcy who was ostensibly straight or even asexual proceeds to have unprotected, unlubricated (just spit & pre cum ‘cause that's plenty) sex with Caleb who also happens to be a walking sex God, with Rock Star looks and bad boy written all over him. Yep that happened and from there on it's a sex fest which I would normally love save for the fact that the author suffers from a Tell Us rather than show us style of writing so everything is abbreviated and one can't even get hot and bothered with the nasty. By the second day our two MCs are professing undying love to each other and by the end of the week shocking revelations have come to light and Darcy runs back west to take refuge with his family and restart his life and Caleb tries to drown his sorrows in alcohol and this is barely the first part of the original book!There's a cross country chase, declarations of love, meet the parents and then we get to the added bonus where a secret baby is the least of things the author throws at us to see what sticks.In the end the purple prose and the Jackie Collins drama just had me laughing but I was also annoyed because what could've been the story of a still young man discovering his sexuality with a mysterious & alluring older guy is overloaded with extraneous nonsense and his inner voyage is never addressed. And then we have Caleb who has history to fill 1,000 page novel but it's only used as window dressing.Too bad.
I've read this series more times than I'd like to admit, but the audio edition, by [a:Michael Pauley 1302332 Michael Pauley https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png], was the perfect excuse for a re-read/listen. It was everything I'd hoped for and more. Embarrassingly I realized I'd never left a review. Shame on me. [b:Loser Takes All 23166708 Loser Takes All (Up-Ending Tad A Journey of Erotic Discovery, #1) Kora Knight https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1410140125s/23166708.jpg 42712151] by [a:Kora Knight 8529860 Kora Knight https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1514682199p2/8529860.jpg] was the beginning of my love affair with this series and each successive episode amplifies and moves the story forward. You really should read in order, so I'm probably going to allude to things from the prior installments. It's been a month since Scott and Tad's last encounter, at the end of which, Tad was forced to admit, if only to himself, an attraction to Scott. Another man. Admit that it wasn't a one time fluke. Shaken by this realization, Tad has kept away from Scott hoping distance will clarify his thoughts and fade Scott in his memory. One out of two ain't bad. He's done some productive and honest soul searching but the jonesing for Scott isn't going away.“The frustrating truth of the matter was, his hopes to purge Scott from his brain via distance and time had failed bigger than shit. Even now, he'd yet to stop obsessing over the guy. In fact, his urge to see Scott had only become more persistent.”Luckily Scott is on hand to help his boy out by coming to see him, and what a good move that is because as it turns out Tad, even in his confusion, wants to be wooed. And he should be. The pretext Scott uses to get Tad to “hang out” is that he needs a spotter while he weight lifts. Tad needs no convincing. Of course once they get to the work-out the mutual lusting is as strong as ever, but Scott is holding true to his promise to not cross any lines and Tad is still working things out in his head. The spanner that kicks both of our guys off the safe and narrow trail is Max, Scott's room mate, and his request for “active” observers to his BDSM session with his sub Sean. BTW: once you're done with this series you need to go directly to the Dungeon Black Duology, Max & Sean's story. Awesome. Needless to say, the intense scene between Max & Sean, even at the distance of the viewing room and behind glass, gets the libido going and the inevitable happens. Scorching Perhaps my favorite thing, as usual in this series, is being in Tad's head. He's funny, scared, brave and daring all at once. That restless brain is always going a mile a minute, questioning and doubting but ultimately honest, if only with himself. For now.“But now, as Scott sat beside him, effortlessly looking straight into his soul, Tad knew it without a doubt. The guy got him. Really got him. And it was freeing in a way Tad couldn't describe. But now that he'd tasted it, he didn't want to let it go. Didn't want to let Scott go. But not just because of the dude's comfort card. Scott was like the whole damn package. Because not only did he enable Tad to relax in his skin, he showed him how to find pleasure through it in ways Tad hadn't known existed. Scott flat-out made him thrive.”The other absolute treat is seeing Scott lose it. His total craving for Tad cracking the veneer of cool that seems to be his trademark:“Scott cursed and kicked up the strength of his thrusts, as if intentionally trying to derail Tad's brain. Which worked surprisingly well. But the second Tad calmed, Scott slowed to a stop. ‘Don't go there,' he whispered, burying his face in Tad's neck. ‘Not back where you were. Not when I just got you out.' Tad could feel Scott's lashes against his skin, felt the moment they slowly closed. ‘Just ... say that you missed me ... like I missed you.'”As is the norm with Kora the sex is scorching but equally moving emotionally and shows something deeper about the characters and the story. It's not just prurience and [a:Michael Pauley 1302332 Michael Pauley https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] captures the emotions beautifully. By the end Tad has come to terms with quite a few things and is ready to go to the next level, but on a more even ground, and Scott agrees. “Taking a left at the stop sign, he acknowledged his aching body ... and smiled. He'd be sore for a week, and not just from weight lifting. Scott had left his mark again. Tad lingered on the memory, suspecting the guy truly enjoyed making sure Tad thought of him for days. Not that he wouldn't anyway. The choice was no longer Tad's to make. It was like Scott had tattooed himself deep beneath his skin. And for reasons that were still a bit hazy, Tad was cool with that. It seemed kind of appropriate, really. If Scott was going to be in his head, have his scent all over his body, then he might as well be in Tad's bloodstream, too.”
Something described as dirty but actually so sweet. I think there could definitely have been another installment or two of this series as we are left with a HFN but given that these hotties are still in college that's good enough & realistic. Damon & Josh are the anti sugar and spice and that's perfect.
More like WINNER!
This was all kinds of good. Not just smutty, first time, maybe gay-for you, older hot guy with younger guy who hasn't quite figured out where he is in life, but also funny. We are in the head of the young MC and his POV and he's funny & self deprecating ... and then all the rest is just like 11 on the Hot scale.
This of course means that I know HAVE to 1-Click buy the rest of the series. I'll be a Happy bankrupt all weekend
So this was all kinds of wonderful and I want to kick myself for having it in TBR pile for so long. The book synopsis pretty much tells you what the book is about and it is that and yet so much more. Our POV is from Jesse who has been in a long term, live-in relationship with his girlfriend Adele (5 years!) and yet he goes to a Dom, Will, for sessions in order to satisfy his BDSM needs as a sub. Adele seems to be at best willfully oblivious or uncaring of what he does during his visits to Will dungeon, in this case an attic. Not a recipe for a long term future.
After one session Will, in a moment of weakness, asks Jesse to stay but not as his Sub but rather as his partner and here the relationship starts to evolve in particular for Jesse who has to decide what he really feels for Adele and can he be with Will as he doesn't consider himself gay and how will this affect his deep need for submission. Told like this it may sound clinical but Anna Martin seems to be channeling the voice of Jesse a charming, smart, courageous young man (he's 24) still finding out who he is, what he likes and define himself and that's the beauty of this book. These are by no means perfect or perfectly formed individuals, Will comes pretty close but mostly because he's known for a long time who & what he is and a loving and supportive family but even in his role as Jesse's Dom wavers, doubts and seeks advice when he feels out of his depth but above all he loves Jesse as he needs to be loved, sometimes tenderly & sometimes with a flogger but always with care and respect. I love, love, love these two and though I know they are fictitious I chose to believe they are out there somewhere working out things, muddling thru but coming out stronger and happier.
And here's my worry: there are two more books in the series, which in a rush of happiness at the first 30% of the book I ordered, but I kind of now feel that this volume ended perfectly with Jesse and Will having worked many of their issues and having laid the foundation to work through future expected hurdles in their life together, so I'm kind of afraid of what of Ms. Martin may have in store for them in the future installments that may ruin the Happy Bubble I have them living in for now. Therefore I've decided to let the other two volumes linger for a bit while float on Happy Jesse / Will time.
On another note I'd like to add that Ms. Martin really explains in a non-didactic way what people get out of a BDSM relationship and how it should be done right and how it was brilliant that it was Will the Dom who points out how draining 24/7 BDSM relationship can be, he'd tried it once and it almost killed him and how Jesse at times is the one who takes care of Will because a Dom is not some kind of machine, he's a person too.
Recap: I love these two and their story and how it was told.
These are trickling out as ABs and I couldn't be happier. It's the perfect opportunity to revisit the ones I read, eventually catch up to the newer installments in the series, and write reviews I was remiss on the first time around. I remember liking this one and my memory didn't trick me. I still like it. Very much.Christian is Sean's friend from [b:Just a Bit Twisted 55288139 Just a Bit Twisted (Straight Guys, #1) Alessandra Hazard https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1599719071l/55288139.SY75.jpg 43138453]. He's charming and appears to be a happy go lucky twenty year old with nary a care in the world but though he is easy going there's more to him than meets the eye. One day his friend Mila invites him to have a threesome with her and her boyfriend Alexander. Christian is bi (with a preference for men) but Alexander has no interest in men and has only agreed to the threesome because he prides himself on being a good boyfriend ergo it's a strictly MFM situation. Until it's not.Turns out Alexander keeps a tight lid on any all disruptive emotions because ... reasons. Over the course of a couple of months and more encounters the relationship morphs into an MMF and eventually an MM. No surprise. It was fun watching Alexander struggle with himself and be pulled kicking and screaming into the world of feelings. Into being obsessed with Christian. Luckily Christian feels the same. This is [a:Alessandra Hazard 9222070 Alessandra Hazard https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1421743558p2/9222070.jpg] and in this series nothing is pretty, neat or correct and I love it. The relationships are complicated, bizarre, preposterous, infuriating and I want more. The AB is by [a:Joshua Macrae 14720683 Joshua Macrae https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and he does a really good job. There's a paragraph in Russian and it sounded authentic to me so ... yeah. I hope he continues with rest of the books.
I see that I read this 5 years ago! Wow! I was an MM baby and apparently not a reviewer. What a douche.
Speaking of douches ... I'd forgotten how much of a dick Rutledge was to Shawn. I'm not mad about it and apparently neither is/was Shawn. This is a delicious bad wrong scenario: older/younger, teacher/student, have/have-not flirting with dub-con as Shawn's initial reasons for entering into a relationship with Rutledge are based on need and are transactional at best. Being young he navigates his first same sex relationship with aplomb and is all together admirable in how he goes about his life. Derek Rutledge on the other hand is grade A grump with a chip on his shoulder the size of a boulder.
Overall I loved the dynamics between these two. Outward appearance would suggest that Derek has all the power, money, education, & experience but the crumbling of his walls in the face of his helpless attraction to Shawn is evident and inevitable. Shawn is wise beyond his years when dealing with Derek and is good at waiting him out. Emily and Bee are just more arrows in Shawn's quiver. Lethal ones.
I reread this because joy of joys
I read this a few weeks ago and promptly proceeded to inhale the rest of the books in the series. This is the story of Sage & Xavier and their relationship is all kinds of wrong, wrong, wrong and that's what makes it so right. Sage has landed in jail because he injured someone while drunk driving and has the great good fortune to land as cell mate with Xavier and I'm not being cynical, it is luck. Sage is a pretty boy, naive and clearly unprepared for the harsh realities of prison. Xavier is all brawn and attitude and takes him under his wing. Granted there is a price to pay for said protection but Xavier gives him time to adjust to the idea and seduces him, a rough seduction for sure but what do you expect prison love ain't pretty. After Sage gets out he can't get over Xavier no matter how much he denies it to himself and the girlfriend he can no longer have a normal sexual relationship with. He decides to go to therapy but in the end it's Xavier, also out of prison, who comes to find him and sets his head straight. They now belong together and the how they got together weighs less than how they fit each other like missing puzzle pieces.These two show up in Bk. 2 [b:Just a Bit Twisted 24357899 Just a Bit Twisted (Straight Guys #1) Alessandra Hazard https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1420666686s/24357899.jpg 43138453]. And yep Sage is one lucky boy!
Well this was a surprise, in a good way. I've only tentatively dipped my feet (eyes) into the more gritty and I imagine realistic world of BDSM (Kyle Moon's “Beyond Eden”) and am pleased to say that in spite of the fact that this lifestyle has zero appeal to me in real life, I was able to really go on the voyage of discovery & falling in love with the reluctant D/s.
The plot synopsis fairly tells you what the story is about but what will really win you over is the character of Genevieve or Gen as she prefers to be known. She's quirky, artsy and lonely but open and willing to love in spite of having been dealt some tough blows in life and that's what makes her the heroine of the story. Brian has also had trauma in his life (who doesn't in fiction nowadays???) but whereas Gen has tried to make the best with what she has such as going to the local community college for art classes, working and creating family out of friends where she finds them, he has chosen to close down emotions so as to not get hurt. And so they embark on a no-love, just-for-kink Dom/sub relationship we all know will fail, because otherwise this wouldn't be a romance. The kicker is in the writing and in how Fallon Blake shows and doesn't tell us how they are both affected & changed by each encounter and how she doesn't rush the time but rather has the relationship develop over quite a few months. Time enough for people to actually get to know one another and reassess assumptions and feelings, make mistakes, feel regret and atone for what they can and move one to a well deserved HEA.
I particularly liked that there weren't any big misunderstandings, except in the Dom/H's heart.
So even if you're not going to run out to join FetLife I think you would enjoy this well told story, which is a love story at heart (with some intense, but consensual, punishment scenes) of two people falling for each other and coming to the happy realization that true love has found them. What's not to love???
BTW: Does anyone know what's happened to this author? Is she writing under another name? Or is she mired in the whole Ellora's Cave legal debacle? It be great to have the the third story that is clearly meant to follow this (Sophia & Jared ... two Doms! OMG.)
I really, really liked this book and that's weird because I didn't “read” it. I listened to the audio book narrated by [a:Sebastian York 7266223 Sebastian York https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and [a:Rachel Fulginiti 7799680 Rachel Fulginiti https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. If I'm being honest I think the narration bumped the story up a star because though I could see the the way too flimsy reasoning for the H/h not staying together in spite of fitting like peas in a pod (there was no real conflict), that we are being set up for a series of I'm guessing at least six books and that the villain and continued villains are kind of obvious, I still want to spend time with the Boudreaux family.Eli Boudreaux is a tall drink of water that any woman can love not just because he's hot and obviously a sex god (that's a given) but because he is the consummate modern gentleman in the best sense of the word. He'll talk dirty to you and boss you around in the bedroom but he'll open doors, make sure you get home safe after drinks and slay anyone who treats you as less than a lady. He's a good brother to his his sisters which is always a plus in my book. As he says, his momma raised him right! Yeah for Alpha Gentlemen. In Kate he finds a good fit and though she's easy going (she is the Easy Love of the tittle) she's got back bone in spite of or because of her past. We won't talk about the sexy times. They are awesome!Can't wait to go on to the next books. I think Declan's story has a lot of potential.
Nice read but not really a mystery in the sense that we know pretty much right off the start who the killer is and why he's killing. This is more of an origin story of Scotland Yard in a post Jack The Ripper era, in fact that is exactly where the book starts: a year after the unsolved Ripper case has gone cold.
The thrust of the story is showing how the detectives & constables are essentially stumbling blind in this new era of serial killers or rather killers for which no pedestrian reason can found. So it is an origin story of how Detective Day & Sergeant Hammersmith come to be and that is quite fun however the rest of the story: the finding the killer is too expository & it seems that information is just given to us rather discovered and the character of Dr. Kingsley is just a font of info dumping.
However I can see how it's an introduction for a cast of characters (some more interesting than others) who will hopefully have more riveting adventures in future books.
The trouble with reading such a perfect romance novel is that you then have take a break from the genre for a bit because in the wake of such a well written romance all else, even good stuff, will pale. Ms. Cuevas has a written a story of two adults who know their minds but are nonetheless caught in the tug and pull of an attraction the goes beyond the physical and how they learn to unbend from firmly established preconceptions in able to truly see the & accept the other person. Besides this we have in Sebastien a real hero in all the ways that matter. A man who lives by a code of conduct ingrained in his genes yet generous enough to question and revise these views for the love a woman who is no damsel in distress but rather a modern one full of ambitions & contradictions for which she needn't apologize.
I'd recommend reading “Bliss” first if only because it's a great book itself and there we meet Marie & Sebastien for the first time and can then truly grasp who they were & why and what a long achingly sweet road they've travelled by the end of “Dance”.
This is a brilliant depiction of English society in the years right before WWI. It isn't a light read nor is the protagonist, Christopher Tietjens, an easy conduit for modern readers, but he is a true Hero in the best sense of the word. A man who lives by moral and intellectual codes that may seem absurd to others but by which he abides in spite of great hardship to himself, such as sacrificing a great love so as to not shame (by divorcing her) a woman who has cuckolded him & even placed in doubt the paternity of their child. He is as he says in a later volume of the whole a 17th Century man & will always be and I love him for it.