BOOK BLURB:
Five stories of passion beyond the Virtual World.

Out-Houses.com. The hottest gay-owned interior design business in Northern California. When Paul joins the owners, Alex and Toby, at their secluded cabin, it's supposed to be a chance for them to work away from the distractions of the office. Instead Paul finds himself more distracted than ever ~ and wanting to join in the fun.

Jaydin and Rufus have been together for months ~ in VR. Today, for the first time, they're going to meet in real life. But sex in real life is a lot different than it is in the virtual world. No pose balls to jump on, no buttons to click. Just him and Rufus, and a first kiss that'll make for another sort of reality.

Andy is late for a very important date ~ with Toby, one of the owners of Out Houses. Toby doesn't like to be kept waiting and decides to teach Andy a lesson by giving him a spanking. Not the traditional way to start an interview, but at Out Houses, anything goes.

A sea-side pier ~ the perfect setting for romance. Kyler's planned an evening his lover will never forget ~ in the virtual world.

Alex and Toby are great fun, but Paul wants a man of his own. Not just any man ~ he's got his sights set on Andy. Which would be fine, except Andy's not looking his way. Is he?

BOOK REVIEW:
I must admit, I read the blurb for this book, got as far as the description of Jaydin and Rufus's story, and thought "finally ~ a really good reason for a book to have those creepy Sims-like figures on the cover!"

I would have been very happy to read a whole novella about Jaydin and Rufus ~ their story was far and away my favorite, and also the one that most closely tied in to this collection's title. That sense of anticipation, the uncomfortable, hopeful balance between knowing and caring for someone, but not being sure how that will map to reality is just electric, and it sings off the page here. It's a really atmospheric story which got me engaged with the characters and their situation straight off the bat, and left me with a smile on my face.

The story personal-paradise.com ~ the only one where the action actually takes place in the virtual world ~ is a fairly brief interlude, and its brevity, combined with the heightened language and uber-perfect setting that Kira Stone uses to evoke the smooth plastic-y perfection of the virtual world, left me cold. I wish the story had given us a glimpse of these character's off-line lives, to give their personal paradise some context.

The main focus of this book, though, are the three interlinking stories featuring Alex and Toby, their company, Out-Houses.com, and the happy blending of work and play with their employees. Unfortunately for me, boss/employee, especially when given the explicit master/sub power-games spin that the author uses here, hits one of my personal squicks head on.

Even though the author makes it quite clear that the bosses are aware of the ethical issues involved, and they act perfectly honorably, I still find it an uncomfortable topic. I can't argue with the quality and clarity of the writing, though, and I suspect that readers who enjoy stories where obedience is both offered and demanded are in for a treat.

The three related stories do work together beautifully. Even though I was squirming for all the wrong reasons through the seductions of architect Paul and intern Toby I was still drawn into the stories, and the final piece of the tale, which introduces Andy and redresses the balance between the erotic and the romantic, was a genuine pleasure to read, and wrapped the whole collection into a whole work.

Paul's emotional journey, from longing for his bosses at the start of the book, to longing for ~ and finding ~ someone who can put their relationship with him first is remarkably sweet for what looks like a fairly porny set of stories on the surface.

The balance between the stories in this collection isn't perfect, but there's a lot to enjoy here.

(Originally reviewed for Rainbow Reviews - http://www.rainbow-reviews.com/?p=1632) ( )