Leighton Greene

Contains: BDSM with knife play & bruising
We find that Ben is beginning to struggle with his life as well as with his kink. Xander's and his careers are going well but keeping them working on opposite sides of the country. Their relationship is still potent, intoxicating and fresh, but Ben feels like the rug is being pulled out from under him...and he begins to self-destruct, and his anger management issues start to escalate. He's needs desperately to be around Xander, in order to feel comfort, stability, and security. He's starting to slide into the worst part of his personality. We knew from the start that there was not going to be much of anything perfect, smooth or consistent in this relationship. It's rocky despite how much they love one another. Balancing the sadistic/masochistic aspect of their sexual relationship with its psychological effect on their emotional well-being is not for the weak of mind or body. At the end of the day, they're still in uncharted territory, wading through it all to the best of their ability. There is, however, honesty in their relationship even with the violent outbursts and the emotional pain that they just can't seem to overcome. One thing that is admirable about this series is how seriously the kink is portrayed. They're into cutting & bruising which everyone I'm sure recognizes as dangerous...and that is not ever downplayed or dismissed. It's pointed out repeatedly how much control and communication are 100% absolutely necessary. Ben and Xander both grow in this addition to the series. They gain insight into one another and into one another's perspectives. Xander begins to open up more, and surprisingly we learn that Xander has layers that have not yet even begun to be peeled.… (more)

These books do really need to be read in order, unless you are only planning to read one. This says it's parts 1-5 but the "parts" aren't very well defined, so it looks and reads like its one story and the beginning felt a bit underplayed and some parts seemed rushed and somewhat confusing. After their first encounter Xander says he’s going to go but only goes into the other room of Ben’s house. I actually went back to the beginning and read to see if I missed the fact they perhaps lived together. It took me well until later in the book to realize that he was staying over because he had had too much to drink, and this was just their routine. These two characters were really made for one another. It didn't take very long to become invested in them and their relationship and even their growth as individuals. Make no mistake...they were definitely flawed, but truly lovable, each in their own way. They both are young and have a lot of "finding" themselves to do. I began to think they both needed to seek more therapy to work through some of their issues, but their relationship is clearly what they each needed...even if it was on the dangerous side. There were lots of "spicy" scenes, however, I was expecting there to be a little more variety in their play considering some of the conversations that they had in the beginning. For all the talk of Xander being so much into BDSM and pain-play in particular in the beginning, there was very little that was actually explored here.... which might have been a good thing:) The book could’ve been twice as long with more in-depth exploration into their likes and wants. Some things were hinted at about their childhoods and aspirations, but most was glossed over. The story was a lot more glossed over than most that I've read with BDSM topic. The book or the others in the series will, as with any genera or topic, not be for everyone...but we can't and don't all like the same things.… (more)

Well nothing like randomly jumping into the fourth book of seven just because the comments on SBTB mentioned it, but my KU is about to expire. I mostly got the gist of the surrounding story, but this was a lovely romance between Aidan and Teo; I’m all for forbidden love especially when one of the guys is about to become a priest (at least he wasn’t yet—that’s for Sierra Simone to handle).

Not sure in general how I feel about mob romances, but it was fun to imagine a car chase (& the tank equivalent) through Beacon Hill (making me think the author hasn’t actually been to Boston). I decided to quick skim through the other books just to see the continuing story, but I’m not sure if I’d come back to this series when I get KU again.… (more)