Tatum Throne

Before I begin talking about what I thought about this book, I need to say one thing: if you're looking for real BDSM and a developing Dom/sub relationship in the traditional sense, you will be disappointed. I have to admit that, based on the blurb, that was what I expected. After all, "TJ wants Parker as his Dom", and "Parker longs to have TJ as his sub" seems to imply this, right? Well, it didn't happen. As far as I can see that is not at all what is at the core of this story. There was some very hot kinky play and mention of domination in the bedroom, but they were only words the characters used, there was no emotion behind them, and that was as far as it went.

Having said that, what this story is about, was very interesting and definitely held my attention. TJ, the detective and a member of a SWAT team, and Parker, an emergency room and SWAT doctor, are two very strong, very stubborn men who are best friends and insanely attracted to each other. They believe they cannot give in to that attraction since they work together and fraternization is not encouraged, but in the end, what they feel for each other is far stronger than any rules. I takes them quite a while to get there, but when they do, passion runs high and the love they already feel grows deeper.

The many scenes where Parker trains TJ in preparation for his upcoming black belt exam sizzled with underlying sexual attraction. There are many physical blow, bruises, and painful falls, but it's all so TJ can pass his exam. The real-life battering is also serious, but the working on a SWAT team, in a hospital emergency room, and trying to solve cold cases (TJ's day job)isn't exactly supposed to be a walk in the park. That part of the book seemed very realistic to me.

If you like stories about tough men, if you enjoy reading about guys battling their attraction only to succumb eventually, and if you're looking for a hot read with some kinky interludes, then you will probably like this novella.… (mehr)

As with the first book, I need to preface my review with a warning: if you're looking for real BDSM and a developing Dom/sub relationship in the traditional sense, you will be disappointed. Even though both characters keep talking about Ryan's "sub training", no such thing was happening. Yes, they have a series of hot and very kinky encounters, but their emotions were flat and they both seemed unengaged in their activities beyond the physical. It felt to me as if they were going through the motions, and I definitely didn't like Trent's tone as he ordered Ryan around. There was no trace of respect or discussion of limits and safewords.

Having said that, the "real story" as I see it is about both Trent and Ryan learning to live with physical restrictions. And while that wasn't explicit in Ryan's case (at least not at first), his struggle is just as real as Trent learning to deal with being deaf. By the way, Trent has far fewer issues than I expected, and I had a feeling his real emotions were much deeper than we got to see. Which is too bad. But what happened at work, as they got involved in different cases and situations was interesting and I liked the way Trent dealt with suggestions as to what he should do now that he is deaf, versus what he wanted to do.

If you like stories about tough men, if you enjoy reading about guys battling themselves and their priorities as well as each other, and if you're looking for a hot read with frequent kinky interludes, then you will probably like this novella.… (mehr)