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ladydewinter's review against another edition
4.0
I have a difficult time with BDSM stories. That is to say, I tend to be wary of it, but something about this book struck me nonetheless. (It certainly wasn't the horrible cover, though.) Something in the other reviews prompted me to give this a try (there's another BDSM m/m on my reader which I'm trying to avoid, so think of it as a really odd way of procrastination). And what can say, I'm glad I did.
I liked reading about lawyers who aren't completely horrible people, and I found Aayan's personal conflicts really interesting. I'm not entirely sure I buy how he got over it, but it worked in the context of the story, and I liked how Tanya Chris dealt with the prejudice people have, whether towards Muslims or homosexuals or people practicing BDSM. I also found the court case itself and the way it was presented surprisingly captivating and not at all dry.
Some things go a bit too smoothly, like Garrett's frienship with Dashiell, and it would have been interesting to delve a bit deeper into Garrett's feelings about BDSM - the way she delved into his feelings for Aayan and his reluctance regarding a new relationship. But I still enjoyed this story a lot, and Tanya Chris is definitely an author I'll keep an eye on.
I liked reading about lawyers who aren't completely horrible people, and I found Aayan's personal conflicts really interesting. I'm not entirely sure I buy how he got over it, but it worked in the context of the story, and I liked how Tanya Chris dealt with the prejudice people have, whether towards Muslims or homosexuals or people practicing BDSM. I also found the court case itself and the way it was presented surprisingly captivating and not at all dry.
Some things go a bit too smoothly, like Garrett's frienship with Dashiell, and it would have been interesting to delve a bit deeper into Garrett's feelings about BDSM - the way she delved into his feelings for Aayan and his reluctance regarding a new relationship. But I still enjoyed this story a lot, and Tanya Chris is definitely an author I'll keep an eye on.
lienwynvarras's review
5.0
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. VERY pleasantly surprised. Let's be honest, BDSM-books have a tendency to be hit or miss — rarely anything in between. So, I was slightly hesitant when I started reading, but I soon realised this was one of the good ones.
I was instantly interested in the characters — Aayan in particular — and I LOVED the attention to detail. So much effort was put into the characters' background and previous experiences that each choice and action they made felt so... real? I felt like I really got to know them. I particularly enjoyed being given more insight into Aayan and Syed, where you had the extra conflict of their religion and very traditional parents. I admit that I can't swear by the accuracy since I'm not Muslim myself, but I felt it was done respectfully and with much care.
Also, can I just say how much I love Aayan? His internal struggles and Big Brother Responsibilities were really well-written, not to mention that he was a caring alpha male, rather than the self-centered ones we usually see. Most authors, when trying to write a good Dom, end up with an asshole who won't take no for an answer and carelessly throws his power around. I mean, the whole point is that there should be an uneven power dynamic, but some authors don't understand how to write it. Chris definitely does, though. There were hiccups, of course, but that was the point, since Aayan was new to the whole thing. But he and Garrett talked things through (sometimes a little later than they probably should have, granted, but no one is perfect) and it just worked.
As for the plot, I got really invested in the trial, and I like how naturally Syed and Dashiell were introduced, who I'm assuming will be the couple in the sequel.
Overall, it was a great book and I definitely want to read the next one. I just have to figure out when. I highly recommend it if you're up for a BDSM romance!
I was instantly interested in the characters — Aayan in particular — and I LOVED the attention to detail. So much effort was put into the characters' background and previous experiences that each choice and action they made felt so... real? I felt like I really got to know them. I particularly enjoyed being given more insight into Aayan and Syed, where you had the extra conflict of their religion and very traditional parents. I admit that I can't swear by the accuracy since I'm not Muslim myself, but I felt it was done respectfully and with much care.
Also, can I just say how much I love Aayan? His internal struggles and Big Brother Responsibilities were really well-written, not to mention that he was a caring alpha male, rather than the self-centered ones we usually see. Most authors, when trying to write a good Dom, end up with an asshole who won't take no for an answer and carelessly throws his power around. I mean, the whole point is that there should be an uneven power dynamic, but some authors don't understand how to write it. Chris definitely does, though. There were hiccups, of course, but that was the point, since Aayan was new to the whole thing. But he and Garrett talked things through (sometimes a little later than they probably should have, granted, but no one is perfect) and it just worked.
As for the plot, I got really invested in the trial, and I like how naturally Syed and Dashiell were introduced, who I'm assuming will be the couple in the sequel.
Overall, it was a great book and I definitely want to read the next one. I just have to figure out when. I highly recommend it if you're up for a BDSM romance!
smadronia's review against another edition
3.0
This is a gay male romance I picked up somewhere, probably Bookbub. It was okay. Of the 3 main characters, Aayan and his brother Saed are Indian Immigrants to the US, and Muslim, which I thought was a nice change. Most gay male romance seems to be mostly buff blond white guys.
Saed is on trial for murdering his boyfriend, who was also his submissive, despite being nowhere near the scene. Aayan finds Garrett Hillier, who was once the top murder defense laywer in the city. However, after a photo of him being a submissive leaks, Garrett goes into public defense and stays quiet.
The book's okay, standard gay male romance. I give it a 3 out of 5 because it was forgettable. I enjoyed the POC, and I enjoyed there wasn't guilt over the relationship, but it wasn't a very memorable book.
Saed is on trial for murdering his boyfriend, who was also his submissive, despite being nowhere near the scene. Aayan finds Garrett Hillier, who was once the top murder defense laywer in the city. However, after a photo of him being a submissive leaks, Garrett goes into public defense and stays quiet.
The book's okay, standard gay male romance. I give it a 3 out of 5 because it was forgettable. I enjoyed the POC, and I enjoyed there wasn't guilt over the relationship, but it wasn't a very memorable book.
nicole_reads_everything's review against another edition
4.0
I quite enjoyed this one! I thought the set-up was super interesting, and I really appreciated the Muslim representation--not only is it rare to see Muslim MCs in this genre, but it's especially rare in the context of kink. I thought the author did a good job of integrating Aayan's faith and the struggles he had, first with being gay, which he'd already come to terms with, then with his sadist desires. My biggest qualm was that I did feel the relationship moved a little too quickly to feel entirely organic and natural.
momotaa's review against another edition
4.0
This falls somewhere between 3 and 4 stars.
I don't know, there were a few issues with it, I'm not going to go over the things that didn't work, but overall, I was into the story and wanted to see how it was going to play out.
Aayan struggles to reconcile his desires with the man he wants to be or thinks he should be, or who is he told he should be. Honestly, I would have loved more scenes between him and his brother. One reviewer said his relationship with his ex was weird, but I didn't feel that way at all. I thought it was great, and spoke to a maturity with both of them and showed they genuinely cared about each other even though they didn't work out.
Garrett, I really liked him. I like that he had to figure out what he could live with as well and that he and Aayan talked about things. I am going to read the next book as well, I found the side characters interesting.
I don't know, there were a few issues with it, I'm not going to go over the things that didn't work, but overall, I was into the story and wanted to see how it was going to play out.
Aayan struggles to reconcile his desires with the man he wants to be or thinks he should be, or who is he told he should be. Honestly, I would have loved more scenes between him and his brother. One reviewer said his relationship with his ex was weird, but I didn't feel that way at all. I thought it was great, and spoke to a maturity with both of them and showed they genuinely cared about each other even though they didn't work out.
Garrett, I really liked him. I like that he had to figure out what he could live with as well and that he and Aayan talked about things. I am going to read the next book as well, I found the side characters interesting.
hemmel_mol's review against another edition
3.0
It was all right. Nothing special.
I was disappointed about the narration. Leslie was so focussed on the accent he forgot or could not add any emotion in his voice as well.
I was disappointed about the narration. Leslie was so focussed on the accent he forgot or could not add any emotion in his voice as well.
elfflame's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-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
4.25
amphipodgirl's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Quite enjoyable, especially if you like some kink with your romance, but not a best-ever.
tinkcourtney's review against another edition
4.0
A really different - and intriguing - BDSM book
Let me start by saying that until recently, I didn't think I liked BDSM in books at all. I think I was just exposed to some not-great ones. But after reading Kora Knight, Alexis Hall, LA Witt, and a few others, I started understanding a little more about what both parties can get out of it, and could enjoy the additional depth it could give to a relationship in a book.
This was different than any I've ever read. I've seen plenty where someone had to be convinced they were a submissive, but not where they had to be convinced they were a Dominant and that a little consensual pain could be a good thing. It was brilliant to set this story against the backdrop of a court case trying to prove that just because you engaged in BDSM with your partner didn't mean you were an abuser or killer.
This was a great read, and I'll be looking into more from this author.
Let me start by saying that until recently, I didn't think I liked BDSM in books at all. I think I was just exposed to some not-great ones. But after reading Kora Knight, Alexis Hall, LA Witt, and a few others, I started understanding a little more about what both parties can get out of it, and could enjoy the additional depth it could give to a relationship in a book.
This was different than any I've ever read. I've seen plenty where someone had to be convinced they were a submissive, but not where they had to be convinced they were a Dominant and that a little consensual pain could be a good thing. It was brilliant to set this story against the backdrop of a court case trying to prove that just because you engaged in BDSM with your partner didn't mean you were an abuser or killer.
This was a great read, and I'll be looking into more from this author.
iam's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great read that had a few minor flaws.
Content warnings include:
I enjoyed Aftercare a lot. It dealt with quite a few heavy topics: Garrett, a former superstar attorney, is still dealing with the death of his husband who died three years prior of cancer, while Aayan, who is a gay, Muslim, Turkish-Indian immigrant, struggles aligning his sexuality and sexual preferrences with his religion. The main plot resvolves around Aayan's brother Syed, whose spouse Jamie was brutally murdered in a hate crime, but racist police and prejudiced foresics lead to Syed being wrongly accused of murdering Jamie when the autopsy reveals evidence of the couple's BDSM lifestyle.
And that's not all - there's a horribly backstory around a photograph Garrett's late husband, an artist took only for Garrett's eyes (the blurb says "leaked photograph" but no, not really, what happened made me so mad like holy sh*t), all the prejudice against people participating in BDSM, sprinkled with racism, homophobia and islamophobia, and more.
Despite all that, it's not a sad or heavy book in itself.
Aside from the case against Syed, the book focusses on the romance between Garrett and Aayan, specifically the development of their sexual preferrences: Garett, who's a submissive masochist and surprised when his libido sparks against for the first time since the death of his husband, and Aayan, who's okay with being dominant but afraid of his sadistic urges, both because of his religion and because of past experiences.
The minor flaws I mentioned above are mostly about the pace and ease of the plot. I didn't mind that conflict was resolved relatively easily, but at times I felt like the motivation and reasoning of the characters was very weak.
A strong point was definitely the side characters. Aside from Syed there's Garrett's colleagues and Aayan's ex-wife, and even Jamie and Russell, Garrett's dead husband, were both interesting and three-dimensional.
Despite that, I couldn't entirely relate to the protagonists. I liked them well enough and I felt for them, but any depth beyond that was missing.
Overall just a really great read that touches on a lot of topics but doesn't delve too deeply into any of them, keeping the book rather light and easy to read.
Content warnings include:
Spoiler
murder of spouse, unresolved hate crime against a gay man, islamophobia, racism, extreme prejudice against people participating in BDSM, accusations of domestic abuse, sex on-page, BDSM (D/s, whipping with belt and crop), mostly unchallenged internalized toxic masculinity, conflict of sexuality and kink with religion (dominant gay sadist who is muslim); mentions of homophobia, past death of spouse through cancerI enjoyed Aftercare a lot. It dealt with quite a few heavy topics: Garrett, a former superstar attorney, is still dealing with the death of his husband who died three years prior of cancer, while Aayan, who is a gay, Muslim, Turkish-Indian immigrant, struggles aligning his sexuality and sexual preferrences with his religion. The main plot resvolves around Aayan's brother Syed, whose spouse Jamie was brutally murdered in a hate crime, but racist police and prejudiced foresics lead to Syed being wrongly accused of murdering Jamie when the autopsy reveals evidence of the couple's BDSM lifestyle.
And that's not all - there's a horribly backstory around a photograph Garrett's late husband, an artist took only for Garrett's eyes (the blurb says "leaked photograph" but no, not really, what happened made me so mad like holy sh*t), all the prejudice against people participating in BDSM, sprinkled with racism, homophobia and islamophobia, and more.
Despite all that, it's not a sad or heavy book in itself.
Aside from the case against Syed, the book focusses on the romance between Garrett and Aayan, specifically the development of their sexual preferrences: Garett, who's a submissive masochist and surprised when his libido sparks against for the first time since the death of his husband, and Aayan, who's okay with being dominant but afraid of his sadistic urges, both because of his religion and because of past experiences.
The minor flaws I mentioned above are mostly about the pace and ease of the plot. I didn't mind that conflict was resolved relatively easily, but at times I felt like the motivation and reasoning of the characters was very weak.
A strong point was definitely the side characters. Aside from Syed there's Garrett's colleagues and Aayan's ex-wife, and even Jamie and Russell, Garrett's dead husband, were both interesting and three-dimensional.
Despite that, I couldn't entirely relate to the protagonists. I liked them well enough and I felt for them, but any depth beyond that was missing.
Overall just a really great read that touches on a lot of topics but doesn't delve too deeply into any of them, keeping the book rather light and easy to read.