One Man's Trash

If you're looking for a lighthearted, easy breezy romance keep going. This isn't it. What [a:Marie Sexton 3292500 Marie Sexton https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1263092521p2/3292500.jpg] gives us is the story two long time residents of Misery City navigating a Season in Hell, and finally glimpsing the Dawn of the Horizon or what is commonly known in romancelandia as a HEA. A hard won one. [a:John Solo 7935034 John Solo https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] delivers ALL the delicious pain. Taylor self-medicates with meaningless sex and self abasement. Warren feels the need to save the world to atone for the mother & friends he couldn't. Their meeting seems both fortuitous and preordained. I liked so much of this but I was also in a state of dread for much of the book. It happens. WHAT I LOVED:The age difference. The size difference. Everything Warren. His protective streak. His views on BDSM. His reasons for not being active in the community when he meets Taylor. How he refuses to let Taylor push him into being another in the list of abusers. I loved Warren. I felt for Taylor and all he'd gone through, and admired how he tried to help himself, even though misguidedly.THE NIGGLES: I have a HUGE problem using sex, and particularly BDSM, which can be physically dangerous, as a “cure” or “treatment” for profound emotional problems. We all do what we must, any port in a storm and all that, but it still makes my skin burn, and not in a good way. Thankfully it's pretty clear that the author, and Warren, don't advocate magic D or its derivatives as salve. In fact there's a gang bang scene which is probably one the unsexiest things I've ever read and I believe the author wrote it that way by design. There's nothing wrong with an orgy, if that's your scene, and you're doing it for sexual gratification. It wasn't the case. I was a little unclear as to why Taylor was so opposed to seeking help, professional help. I would've liked a bit more on that. While I understood the introduction of Riley and his issues, I also felt there was maybe too much time dedicated to it and the comparison perhaps a bit facile. I felt some kind of way about Warren's friends Gray & Phil. They were fine and turned-on at the prospect of having sex with Taylor who they knew was in emotional pain. It speaks of callousness and probably chemical aid (they're on the other side of 30). It made me question the quality of their friendship for Warren, who they knew felt more than simple affection for Taylor. Liking their subsequent books in the series might be an uphill battle but I'm up for a challenge. Recommended.