Ethan Stone

I have to admit that cop novels are not usually my cup of tea, even if I can sympathize with the imaginary seeing a cop like a perfect lover. But this cop in particular, Cristian Flesh, or simply Flesh, is at the opposite of your common idea of a police detective: unapologetically gay, and that is the point I liked the most, he is also pretty open on what he likes and doesn’t like; he likes sex and more is good, and so, probably for the first time in a novel, I found a detective that slept show more at least once with co-workers, victims, suspects, defensive lawyers… in a way the reader could guess who was involved in the plot by the fact that Flesh has slept with him.

When Flesh is asked to investigate on an attempt murder, he has to renounce to the case since he slept with the victim; then, on a short distance, he sleeps with two of the suspects and when he is framed with a crime, he sleeps with his lawyer (plus other non-important men in the middle). If at the beginning I was wondering if I liked Flesh, one night stand by one night stand I started to realize that, even if it sounds odd, he was sleeping with all these men to take a distance from them. Lowering everything to an “only-sex” level it allowed Flesh to convince himself these men were not touching him.

That is another point I noticed, Flesh has an “untouchable” aura: not only on the physical side (bald head, white skin, no body hairs), he is also aloof and distant; Flesh put everything on plain air, his body, his personal life, so that no one can accuse him of hiding something, but in reality, he is firmly protecting what is most important for him, his heart.

Colby, the lawyer who has to help Flesh, is more or less at the opposite: apparently more open than Flesh, kind and compassionate, warm against the ice that is Flesh, he is instead deep in the closet. For various reason, his job, his friends, Colby doesn’t want to come out and in doing so, he doesn’t allow Flesh to do his “trick” with him; Flesh is not “allowed” to sleep with Colby as soon as they met, and in this way, Colby is able to insinuate in Flesh’s heart a little bit. Once there, it will not take long before the breach will break Flesh’s protective shield.

While the first part of the novel was about sex with strangers, and while good, it didn’t do much for me, once Flesh and Colby start their relationship, the sex turned in very good and hot. Flesh in bed was as complex as he is out of it, strictly a bottom, he was not though weak, and in a way he managed to be in control also in that position. Again it was an odd thing, since usually when someone tries to protect his heart, I usually link it with a refusal for the bottom position, but again the author prepared the scene for a right and good explanation of also this point.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/161581552X/?tag=elimyrevandra-20 show less

Original rating: 4 stars
Re-read rating: 3 stars

Slight spoilers ahead~

I got stuck at 54% in the re-read and I was dreading going back to the book, so I gave it up.
I'm not sure exactly why I rated it so highly the first time around. All I can say is that right now, for me, this book has nothing going on to keep my attention.


Lot's of soap opera-ish reactions form various characters in the book, lots of bad porn flick moments. And LOTS of inconsistencies.

The MC Christian Flesh is supposed to show more be a hot-shot detective, very young for the position, yet at every step he shows us it's a wonder he's still alive.

He's supposed to be brutally honest, but he comes off as creepy, immature, and inappropriate.

He's charged for murder, yet all he thinks about is where he'll stick Flesh Jr. next.

He's supposed to be badly traumatized, hurt enough that he limits himself to meaningless sexual encounters, and self-imposes rules about said encounters (no kissing, no sleepovers, no relationships etc) to guarantee he won't get anything resembling an emotional connection. Yet he breaks several of the rules after knowing the other MC for a few days and sleeping with him once.

The more I read the more I was irked by the story. So I'm just gonna quit now. I'm lowering the rating to 3 stars and not 2 because I didn't finish re-reading it, so I'm potentially missing out on some redeeming qualities I just don't have the patience to find out about. show less

The saying that "image is everything" is true for a lot of people, and it's all about being accepted by a group or being seen as "being someone". Usually, it focuses on the surface someone presents to others, but sometimes it goes deeper. Sometimes, it is about who a person really is at the core and wanting to make sure others see them as they are – despite appearances. This is a very tough situation to be in, as anyone who has ever been told they are "not enough" (for whatever reason) show more will know. Be it body image, mental shortcomings, or sexual orientation, all of them can stand in the way of being accepted as who you are. And in Taylor's case, in this story, it is a combination of factors that makes his hopes for ever finding love seem like a daunting, if not impossible, task.

Taylor, as is hinted in the blurb, is a gay transman. He has gone through part of the transition, and, to the casual observer, passes as the man he is deep inside. But any kind of physical intimacy is impossible unless his partner accepts that he is not fully a biological male (he lacks the "plumbing"). A previous lover has treated Taylor really badly, making his fears worse, and now he's pretty much limiting himself to brief, casual encounters that don’t force him to reveal the full extent of his "shortcomings", as he thinks about them. What better place to do this than a glory hole. It gives Taylor the anonymity he needs while letting him have at least part of what he craves: sucking a man.

The dilemma Taylor faces in this story is, to some extent, no different than a question most of us have faced at some time in our lives: how much to reveal on a first date when it's something we might not want everyone to know right away. Something we figure might be okay if the potential partner just gets to know us as a person first. In Taylor's case it is a pretty fundamental deal breaker for most partners: he is physically not completely the man he passes as in daily life. His feelings and fears are very real and well-described as he goes through an anonymous encounter through the glory hole with Charlie, a bear of a man and exactly Taylor's type. When he runs into Charlie again and it's clear the man is interested in him, "to tell the truth or not to tell the truth" becomes an excruciating dilemma for Taylor. The fear of rejection almost makes him not say anything, and yet Taylor knows he has to be honest if he ever wants more with Charlie.

This story may end well, since Charlie turns out to be very understanding, tolerant, and open to accepting Taylor as he is. It makes for a great love story, but real life is not always so "cooperative". This short book does a good job describing what it can be like for a transman who may be able to pass in daily life, but cannot have the physical intimacy he craves without fearing ridicule. If you want to understand what that can be like, I can recommend this story. It takes a pretty serious subject and translates it into a person, Taylor, and situations we can all relate to.


NOTE: This book was provided by the authors for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. show less

Review by Lily, posted on ScuttlebuttReviews.com

I just found another great author. Wow, what a story!

Stone had me on edge with suspense the whole time I was reading Recruited. The development is surprising and intricate, making it impossible for me to guess what would happen. The complexity in the plot is a huge “wow” factor for me; there are so many twists and turns that caught me unaware. My goodness, I was left in awe of Ethan Stone’s mind and style.

The story is incredibly engaging, show more emotional, sensuous, and somehow is also often witty, causing another “wow” moment. There are many moments I found myself captivated with Dylan and Joey’s interactions purely because I kept discovering a much deeper level of romantic and emotional connection between these two men. The intimacy between them is more then just sex, more than physically enjoying each other, and that left me just breathless.

The end is just beautiful because each character’s story is resolved, and is rarely done so well. I was not left in frustration, wondering what would become of these lovely men who are written like real people.

Now I have to go back and start at the beginning of this series… show less