With or Without Him
2013 • 427 pages
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15
Ratings1
Average rating3
The most dangerous refuge could be his lover's arms. Everyone has at least one deep-seated fear. For Tyler, it's being in debt. He's so desperate to get out and stay out of it, he'll do almost anything-including selling his body at Saturday night sex parties. But he refuses to open his mind to anyone, especially the men paying to use him however they want. The only time he's truly happy is during the week at college, when he can escape into his music. The moment Haris sees Tyler playing piano at a concert, he falls hard, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to make the guy his. Even if it means-for the first time in his life-opening his wallet as wide and desperate as his heart. 20,000 to live with a good-looking guy for four months? How can Tyler resist the chance to ditch the sex party scene for good? But neither man realizes how much they're risking. And when outside forces close in, ready to destroy them, the trickiest part about the next four months could be just surviving. Warning: Contains a "for hire" bad boy with a filthy mouth, an awkward guy with a penchant for BDSM, a hypochondriac butler who won't shut up, a dog called Alcide, and a lot of hot and dirty M/M sex.
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As much as I like Barbara Elsborg's novels, this one didn't quite hit the spot. There was less anxiety than I was expecting (I might just be used to it at this point, don't know) and I didn't fall for the characters like I usually do.
Tyler is the typical Barbara Elsborg character: he has a dark past, he is struggling and only needs a little bit of love. I liked him, I don't blame him for his choices, and while reading I hoped things will turn out well for him.
I liked Haris at first too, he seemed like the perfect guy for Tyler and I was actually glad things didn't evolve between Tyler and Jeremy. But then Haris started acting like a moron and I started liking him less and less. He was such a prat I don't think I can forgive him. I also don't trust he's not going to make the same mistakes again. These are just some vague examples of why I didn't like Haris, there are a few more things that I'm not going to list.
I thought Wilson was really great, the best sidekick anyone could ever ask for. He was funny, I didn't get the impression he had a lot of fucks to give, and he also liked dogs. I definitely liked him more than I liked Haris.
Moving along to whatever went down, Barbara Elsborg managed once again to construct a catchy plot, to keep her readers glued to the book, wanting to find out what's going to happen next and who is plotting what. (I hope it's not just me.) From that point of view, I enjoyed the story a lot, but there were also parts I would have liked explored. After I finished the book I checked to see if there is a sequel, I feel like there are quite some things left to be said about Tyler and Haris's relationship, they (meaning Haris) still have work to do.
Overall the novel is okay. Not my favourite Barbara Elsborg, but I'm definitely not upset about it either.
