Claire Thompson (1)

I do not usually read books out of order. Safe in His Arms is the sequel to "Wicked Hearts" (a gay twist on Dangerous Liaisons/Cruel Intentions). I'm very familiar with that storyline, and while I was interested in reading it, it didn't seem like a "must-read now." However, when this came out I was instantly captured. Redemption is a very compelling storyline for me. So, I finished this last night while waiting for book 1 to be shipped. Fortunately, this can easily be read as a stand-alone show more novel.

It's plain right off that Hank's a pompous, arrogant ass. Not exactly protagonist material, but then Claire Thompson works some magic. Hank feels betrayed, and he's angry. He takes it out on an escort, who decides to get a little revenge by sending Russell for Hank's next appointment instead of the twink he ordered. Russell is a bear of a man with a gentle heart, and won't let Hank abuse him. Hank is shocked by someone standing up to him, and intrigued. Russell sees past the bravado and anger to the pain inside Hank, and also the potential. They begin a relationship and Hank begins to change.

Overall, I loved this story. Hank's a piece of work, but it's satisfying to see him get taken down a peg by someone without malicious intentions. The sex is hot, with a mild BDSM element (readers who avoid BDSM should still enjoy this) but the character development is off the charts. I liked Russell immediately, but also came to appreciate Hank. The only thing that bothered me was that even after they began a relationship, Russell continued as a "sex worker" to make money toward achieving his dreams. I can understand the need, but it seemed off that he would commit to Hank and still continue selling sex. Their relationship is unconventional to begin with so the story wasn't ruined by this fact, but it still irked me a bit. Overall, I highly recommend this and look forward to reading Wicked Hearts now. show less

I can highly recommend this book.
Excellent BDSM erotica, combining steaming hot dungeon scene descriptions in a plot with food for thought.

The cover describes it as a dark, edgy BDSM romance and it is. The adagio 'Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely' comes to mind. Do not expect soft, lovey dovey, hearts and flowers. Do expect a well written, intelligent exploration of key BDSM issues. To my mind that's what sets this book apart from other BDSM erotica novels, where often show more the story is just the pages between the kinky portions of the book.

The story's premise is simple enough. What follows is more complex and the means to explore subjects like trust and betrayal, vulnerability and humiliation, cruelty and kindness, pain and pleasure, dominance and submission, freedom and restriction, development versus absence of emotional ties between captor and captive, finding and expressing your true self, and yes, reaching fullfillment through each other. Now if that isn't romantic I don't know what is. show less

In many ways this second book, which tells us Hank's story, is even more fascinating than the first.

Having made me believe that Hank is the absolute villain in the first book, the author does an amazing job here with showing some of the background of this character. Does Hank get what he deserves? Yes. Is that the best part of the book? Surprisingly, I didn't think so. For me the best part was that Hank finally lets go of his preconceived ideas of what the world is like and manages to open show more up to another human being. He learns to grow and change.

And that development, for me, was far more difficult to achieve in a believable manner than seeing the man "punished". That would have been too easy, and not half as emotionally satisfying as what actually happens. I think I will read ths book again. The psychology behind it was simply amazing. show less

Wow

The way Claire Thompson writes about submission is perfect for this story, perfect in ways I might not've thought of before.

Dane has always been the Dom, the popular one, who all the subby boys seek out. But, when he meets Nathan, he gets asked a question that profoundly disturbs. Just how long has he been a sub?

I have to admit that I found Dane to be an ash-hole sometimes, especially when he was so attached to his preconceptions. But, watching his struggle and journey was fascinating, show more and he overcame a lot during the book. Nathan was patient and nurturing and caring, even at the most difficult times. He seemed to really understand Dane and what he was feeling, and was happy to be on the journey with him.

Altogether, an excellent exploration of D/s and what it takes to submit and dominate. show less