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yazaleea's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars again the kinky parts where not my usual but i like the one sided pining and angst and insecurities, always great to see someone struggling lol
spicy_tofu60's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
vickyramirezy's review against another edition
2.0
What in the bleeding fuck did I just listen to. I laughed, I cringed, I discovered some new kinks I could've done without, I regretted spending my money on this, and I laughed some more—all that before I even got to the halfway point. After the halfway point a lot happened kind of fast, which was surprising but sort of amusing. What I did not expect, nor did I like, was Chaz having schizophrenia; that came out of nowhere.
pawtory's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Puppy play, medical kink, friends to lovers
wildfaeriecaps's review against another edition
5.0
Wasn't sure I'd like this one from what I'd seen of Chaz and Raf in the first book. So of course it was excellent and emotionally tore me apart. The way Chaz was treated and viewed himself broke my heart over and over again and I wanted to absolutely shake Raf and smack Cash for not putting Dante over his knee. And don't get me started on Drake. I didn't like him in book one and have no idea how I'm meant to read an entire book about him next, but whatever.
layla87's review against another edition
4.0
I received an ARC by GRR in exchange for an honest review.
4 stars!
First, let me start by saying that Puppy Play is not my jam, I don't actively search for puppy play to read, and I think I've read 1 other book that had puppy play.
That said... I loved this book!
What I loved...
1. The Characters:
- Chaz... I wanted to wrap him up in bubble wrap and protect him from the whole world. He has so little self confidence, self esteem and being with Dante in a band. even with Cash controlling a big of his diva-ness. he sees himself as Dante's stand-in, when it comes to Raf. The F2L situation they had isn't enough anymore. #SecondString
- Raf: Even though he tried to stand up to Chaz, I still wanted to shake him! Raf is kinky, is searching for the perfect sub/pup and has been testing the water with Chaz on the down low for a while. he is still a sweetheart though, an attentive master and a patient dom. #LetMeTeachYouMyWays
2. The Plot...
2 subplot are working hand in hand here. the relationship development between Chaz and Raf, and Chaz finding his own way and building up his self esteem.. These two plots converge and diverge multiple times, until finally they go hand in hand for the men to get their HEA. #LongWayHome
3. The Romance...
The transitions between F2L, FWB, and then lovers we paced well. we don't see the first part really, because it was in the past, so we catch up to them as FWB. nevertheless, the emotions were there and just waiting for each of them to see what was right in front of them. #HeartEyes
4. The Kink/Heat...
This was light BDSM, light Puppy Play and super hot. the way he smoothed the way for Chaz to embrace his submissiveness, his patience while guiding him through Puppy Play, and even the vanilla moments, the " I'm done sharing you". sweet and sexy. #ThePerfectBlend
5. The HEA...
I absolutely adored how this book ended. the possessiveness Raf shows toward Chaz is hot AF. also.... the teaser for the next book? HELL YES! DRAKE AND STERLING !!! #Forever
Niggles...
4 stars!
First, let me start by saying that Puppy Play is not my jam, I don't actively search for puppy play to read, and I think I've read 1 other book that had puppy play.
That said... I loved this book!
What I loved...
1. The Characters:
- Chaz... I wanted to wrap him up in bubble wrap and protect him from the whole world. He has so little self confidence, self esteem and being with Dante in a band. even with Cash controlling a big of his diva-ness. he sees himself as Dante's stand-in, when it comes to Raf. The F2L situation they had isn't enough anymore. #SecondString
- Raf: Even though he tried to stand up to Chaz, I still wanted to shake him! Raf is kinky, is searching for the perfect sub/pup and has been testing the water with Chaz on the down low for a while. he is still a sweetheart though, an attentive master and a patient dom. #LetMeTeachYouMyWays
2. The Plot...
2 subplot are working hand in hand here. the relationship development between Chaz and Raf, and Chaz finding his own way and building up his self esteem.. These two plots converge and diverge multiple times, until finally they go hand in hand for the men to get their HEA. #LongWayHome
3. The Romance...
The transitions between F2L, FWB, and then lovers we paced well. we don't see the first part really, because it was in the past, so we catch up to them as FWB. nevertheless, the emotions were there and just waiting for each of them to see what was right in front of them. #HeartEyes
4. The Kink/Heat...
This was light BDSM, light Puppy Play and super hot. the way he smoothed the way for Chaz to embrace his submissiveness, his patience while guiding him through Puppy Play, and even the vanilla moments, the " I'm done sharing you". sweet and sexy. #ThePerfectBlend
5. The HEA...
I absolutely adored how this book ended. the possessiveness Raf shows toward Chaz is hot AF. also.... the teaser for the next book? HELL YES! DRAKE AND STERLING !!! #Forever
Niggles...
Spoiler
the way Chaz's diagnosis was glossed overSpoiler
Spoiler
THE MONTHS OF SEPERATION DAMMIT! RAF SHOULDNT HAVE LET THIS GO ON FOR SO LONGSpoiler
lauritahoods's review against another edition
4.0
I'm loving this series! It was funny , sweet and so hot . I loved the kinky parts and the whole band drama. Can't wait to get to the next one!
bookish_notes's review
4.0
This book gives me LIFE. I LOVED this book. What’s weird is that the whole point of me reading the first book (Taming Dante) was to read this book, but I somehow got distracted and only got halfway through. And instead of being like a normal person and finish reading that book first, I dived straight into this one.
Do I recommend reading these books as standalones? Probably not. There is a lot of story that relies on you knowing the characters first even though each book is about a different couple. But anyways. I read this book all in one sitting and I absolutely did not plan on doing that. Chaz and Raf are just SO addicting to read and their story kept me entertained to the very end.
Trigger warnings for an undiagnosed mental disorder (character gets diagnosed later), self medicating, pill dependency, alcoholism, mentions of a drug addiction, not entire safe kink play?, puppy play, and medical kink.
There’s a lot happening in this book. It is ANGST. I love it, but it’s a lot if you’re not prepared for it. So this book is centered on a rock star band called Dante’s Infernal. Dante is the lead singer and song writer for the band, and he was the first book where he meets his one true love, Cash, their newest drummer in the band. But the band started out with Dante, Rafael, and Chaz when they were in high school. Raf plays the guitar and Chaz, the bass. Even though no one in the band is related, it is a bit incestuous. Chaz, Raf, and Dante have all hooked up before at some point in the past, and that means the opportunity for a LOT of unrequited love.
Raf has been in love with Dante for a very long time, not realizing that his bandmate and friends with benefits, Chaz, is deeply in love with HIM. So, it’s just a lot of heartbreak all around.
When Dante used to be the one who was high on drugs and causing scenes, one step away from his own grave, Chaz’s own problems seemed small in comparison. But I think that he just hid it a lot better than Dante. With Dante now sober but still as prickly, it’s becoming more and more obvious that Chaz has a lot of problems and an addiction that needs to be addressed.
Kink does not, and cannot, cure or save Chaz. What I liked about this book is whole there is a master/pup bent to it, it’s still very much focuses on the band life and their problems. Chaz is new to kink, while someone like Raf is a Dom and very much in the life and knows what he wants in a partner. I think a lot of this book glosses over the intro to kink aspect for Chaz and I know the relationship between Raf and Chaz is uniquely different since they’ve known each other for a long time, engaging in kink together is new. And for Raf to immediately put Chaz is pup gear seems a bit quicker than is realistic, even if Chaz trusts Raf unequivocally. They even engage in medical kink and some electric shocks pretty quickly and with no prior discussion to the whole thing, so...maybe suspend your belief on the kink pieces of this book?
There ARE sex scenes in this book, but I personally don’t think there’s an overbearing amount by any means. I think the story still very much focuses on the band and Chaz having to realize what he wants and learning to find his place within the band instead of letting anyone with a stronger personality than his dictate his life.
So, it’s funny. Drake? The manager of Dante’s Infernal and Dante’s actual father? I didn’t like him in the first book and didn’t like him at the start of this one either. BUT HE GREW ON ME. He comes off as an uncaring father and ruthless manager who cares more about the bottom line than about the people in the band. But I think somewhere along the way, he realized that being soft and trying to be everyone’s best friend in the business wouldn’t get anyone anywhere. And not when you have a son that’s one step from the grave and another who might drink and mix the wrong pills and also wind up dead. It’s tough love all the way.
And I’m only bringing up Drake so much because I really love how much he became more of a father figure in this book and we saw how Chaz’s opinion of Drake changed so significantly by the end. And I love that for them. Also? At the end, the author says Drake gets his own book with one also ruthless character who we see in this book, and I AM SO EXCITED. I yelled with glee with I saw that note at the end. I can’t wait!!! Because that other love interest comes off as even more slimy and unforgiving than Drake and I am very interested in how the author is going to make me like him since I currently hate his guts.
The rest of this review is kind of a spoiler!!
I feel like we should talk about the mental disorder rep in this book? I would too read it for that. It’s a bit of a throwaway near the end that just throws a label on how Chaz has been acting this entire time and I don’t know. It just seems badly done. We find out he has schizophrenia at the end, and I’m not sure if that’s to brush aside his drinking, his pill addiction, or to invalidate his feelings? Like? I’m not sure anyone really even apologized enough for how they treated him, ignored him, and talked about him behind his back and I think he’s valid for his feelings. For this story to say everything he’s been through and felt is because of a mental disorder just rubs me the wrong way.
Overall, this was a quick read and I really enjoyed reading about Chaz and Raf despite a couple things I listed above. The writing is addicting and while I’m not new to Joel Abernathy’s writing, this is probably my favorite book from them and I can’t wait for book three!
Do I recommend reading these books as standalones? Probably not. There is a lot of story that relies on you knowing the characters first even though each book is about a different couple. But anyways. I read this book all in one sitting and I absolutely did not plan on doing that. Chaz and Raf are just SO addicting to read and their story kept me entertained to the very end.
Trigger warnings for an undiagnosed mental disorder (character gets diagnosed later), self medicating, pill dependency, alcoholism, mentions of a drug addiction, not entire safe kink play?, puppy play, and medical kink.
There’s a lot happening in this book. It is ANGST. I love it, but it’s a lot if you’re not prepared for it. So this book is centered on a rock star band called Dante’s Infernal. Dante is the lead singer and song writer for the band, and he was the first book where he meets his one true love, Cash, their newest drummer in the band. But the band started out with Dante, Rafael, and Chaz when they were in high school. Raf plays the guitar and Chaz, the bass. Even though no one in the band is related, it is a bit incestuous. Chaz, Raf, and Dante have all hooked up before at some point in the past, and that means the opportunity for a LOT of unrequited love.
Raf has been in love with Dante for a very long time, not realizing that his bandmate and friends with benefits, Chaz, is deeply in love with HIM. So, it’s just a lot of heartbreak all around.
When Dante used to be the one who was high on drugs and causing scenes, one step away from his own grave, Chaz’s own problems seemed small in comparison. But I think that he just hid it a lot better than Dante. With Dante now sober but still as prickly, it’s becoming more and more obvious that Chaz has a lot of problems and an addiction that needs to be addressed.
Kink does not, and cannot, cure or save Chaz. What I liked about this book is whole there is a master/pup bent to it, it’s still very much focuses on the band life and their problems. Chaz is new to kink, while someone like Raf is a Dom and very much in the life and knows what he wants in a partner. I think a lot of this book glosses over the intro to kink aspect for Chaz and I know the relationship between Raf and Chaz is uniquely different since they’ve known each other for a long time, engaging in kink together is new. And for Raf to immediately put Chaz is pup gear seems a bit quicker than is realistic, even if Chaz trusts Raf unequivocally. They even engage in medical kink and some electric shocks pretty quickly and with no prior discussion to the whole thing, so...maybe suspend your belief on the kink pieces of this book?
There ARE sex scenes in this book, but I personally don’t think there’s an overbearing amount by any means. I think the story still very much focuses on the band and Chaz having to realize what he wants and learning to find his place within the band instead of letting anyone with a stronger personality than his dictate his life.
So, it’s funny. Drake? The manager of Dante’s Infernal and Dante’s actual father? I didn’t like him in the first book and didn’t like him at the start of this one either. BUT HE GREW ON ME. He comes off as an uncaring father and ruthless manager who cares more about the bottom line than about the people in the band. But I think somewhere along the way, he realized that being soft and trying to be everyone’s best friend in the business wouldn’t get anyone anywhere. And not when you have a son that’s one step from the grave and another who might drink and mix the wrong pills and also wind up dead. It’s tough love all the way.
And I’m only bringing up Drake so much because I really love how much he became more of a father figure in this book and we saw how Chaz’s opinion of Drake changed so significantly by the end. And I love that for them. Also? At the end, the author says Drake gets his own book with one also ruthless character who we see in this book, and I AM SO EXCITED. I yelled with glee with I saw that note at the end. I can’t wait!!! Because that other love interest comes off as even more slimy and unforgiving than Drake and I am very interested in how the author is going to make me like him since I currently hate his guts.
The rest of this review is kind of a spoiler!!
Spoiler
I...think it’s kind of cheesy to have two weddings in a book?? Especially since one wedding is for characters from another book and we don’t get to see it from their perspective. And the two weddings are almost the same. So. Yeah.I feel like we should talk about the mental disorder rep in this book? I would too read it for that. It’s a bit of a throwaway near the end that just throws a label on how Chaz has been acting this entire time and I don’t know. It just seems badly done. We find out he has schizophrenia at the end, and I’m not sure if that’s to brush aside his drinking, his pill addiction, or to invalidate his feelings? Like? I’m not sure anyone really even apologized enough for how they treated him, ignored him, and talked about him behind his back and I think he’s valid for his feelings. For this story to say everything he’s been through and felt is because of a mental disorder just rubs me the wrong way.
Overall, this was a quick read and I really enjoyed reading about Chaz and Raf despite a couple things I listed above. The writing is addicting and while I’m not new to Joel Abernathy’s writing, this is probably my favorite book from them and I can’t wait for book three!
magicalrocketships's review
Probably the best explanation I can give this series is that it's like unfolding a game of consequences where every plot point is seemingly untethered to the one before it. But playing consequences is fun in and of itself, if that helps.
pippin's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5