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ellelainey's review
3.0
I've seen this book around for years. Honestly...I'm disappointed.
This series, as individual books and as a collection lacks even a perfunctory TRIGGER warning. Nearly every book requires one, but Book 2 DEMANDS one, due to the psychological and physical trauma Peter endured.
By Book 3, I'm a little worried about this club, Collars & Cuffs, because they seem to take in a lot of vulnerable young men who have nowhere else to go. It would be nice if, just once, that vulnerable young man didn't go through what often reads like instant-obsession with the Dom who takes them in, cascading into Stockholm Worship, only to end up trained and claimed by that Dom. Most of these kids are so frighteningly naive, lost, alone and vulnerable that it often feels like they're being isolated and taken advantage of.
Why are all the sub's either innocent virgins or innocent virgins who were preyed upon and abused? Why are they all tiny twinks who can't take care of themselves? Where is the diversity? Because, apparently, everyone in Manchester uses citrus scent to shower, drinks jasmine tea, and thinks that coffee is an American thing. Why this stereotypical attitude?
Despite these boys being innocent virgins or abused, they never once blink at throwing themselves into sex with their new Dom. In fact, within one single show of dominance and acceptance by the Dom, they turn into sex gods and addicts.
Can we just recognise for a moment that, in Book 1, Leo and Thomas deride novels for portraying the whole “seeing someone and instantly knowing they're submissive” while the authors do just that? Talk about inconsistent. They constantly look at these lost, young, vulnerable boys that come into their care and go “Oh, he's a submissive. Let's get to training him.” or “you need a Dom, boy.” as if that solves their problems.
With the exception of Thomas (so far) all of the Dom's have acted like overbearing, arrogant asshats. A lot of Ben's behaviour is more controlling in an abusive way than in a Dom way.
There are huge inconsistencies when it comes to this series, in terms of writing. For me, it felt like each book was written by a different author, they varied so much. It's not made clear whether this is a collaborative effort, or if one author wrote one book and the other wrote the next. I haven't read either author before, so I can't tell if they have a similar style or not. Only K.C. Wells name is on the individual covers.
I didn't really need or want the huge info dumps about décor, food prep, constant coffee/tea making, or the contracts. Nor did I want/need the preachy talk about healthy eating and vegetarianism that was in the series almost from Book 1.
It's VERY unusual – and jarring – to be following a series and suddenly have book 3 deviate from 3rd person POV to 1st. And, honestly, I can't see a reason for it. The story didn't benefit from it. I don't see how it changed anything or improved it.
Characters are introduced, often as regulars of the club, and then disappear. Ignored or forgotten until they fit conveniently into the plot.
The author(s) tried WAY too hard to make this a BDSM series. By which I mean, they crammed EVERYTHING BDSM into Book 1, in a desperate attempt to show variety. It ended up being overkill. As were the number of sex scenes in every book.
Some books attempted a secondary plot, e.g. Primary being the relationship and the secondary a drama (either family or criminal). But, for me, this failed on a lot of counts. Either include them and make the most of them, or leave them out. But don't half-ass it.
In a lot of the books, the timeline is very unclear. Sometimes you don't find out that it's a week or a few days later until halfway down the page, and it can be hard to wrap your head around just how quickly these young, vulnerable men do a complete 180 shift from shy/retiring virgin to sex addict because of it.
Truthfully, I found that each book was about 50-100 pages longer than it needed to be. They all floundered at the end, when the young boy became a sub. Once the MC was claimed as a sub or ready to begin training, the relationship aspect disappeared and they each followed the same pattern – the book was more interested in exploring the sex than they were continuing the story that had been told so far. And, at that point, they ALL lost me and my attention.
~
BOOK 1
★★★☆☆
While it was a decent read and I did finish it, it felt like it took FOREVER! I mean, damn this felt like a long book. Saying that, I'd probably give it 3*s because it fell into that halfway mark for me. There were parts I liked and parts I didn't.
The diary entries and flashbacks entered suddenly about halfway through, and didn't feel natural. And there were a couple of times when Alex/Leo thought "I never imagined I'd like/do this" when they'd already done it before. It didn't make sense. Nor did the whole "move in with me" fiasco, or how Alex and Leo promised there would be no more secrets but neither had the balls to say "I love you." Communication SERIOUSLY broke down between these two after Alex became his sub.
The book read like a How To BDSM guidebook at times, which was fine for a character new to BDSM but went over the top in places. It also switched between being *too* much of a guide book to lacking the appropriate abbreviations, explanation of terms, and acronyms needed to explain some of the stuff going on.
Alex's refusal to communicate in the first half was frustrating AF. But I hated his diary entries even more. It was such a sudden shift from 3rd person to 1st - which I hate in the first place - but it also felt like a lazy way to explore the days/weeks/months of Alex and Leo's relationship.
While it sounds nuts to say about a BDSM novel, there was too much sex. I mean, my head was spinning from it, I got bored reading it and, after the first few times Alex and Leo were intimate together, I started skimming 90% of the rest of the sex scenes, only looking for relevant dialogue or an end to it.
Also, some of the sex scenes were quite rough, despite neither Alex or Leo talking about that.
In fact, I was 100% invested in the relationship UNTIL Alex and Leo had sex. I loved the slow burn, the growth, the way they got to know each other, but that all stopped the minutes it came to them having sex. After that, there was no relationship to speak of, which really disappointed me.
Rob acted more like a 12yo than an 18yo, which really put me off.
I get that this is a BDSM novel, but do you really need to have EVERYTHING that is BDSM in the book? I mean, it's got flogging, spanking, public sex, group sex, edging, toe-sucking (not my thing, at all!) voyeurism, and more, all in detail, on page. A little warning might have been nice. Just because I agree to read a BDSM book doesn't mean I'm okay with *all* practices.
~
BOOK 2
★★★★☆
This was the first book I actually really enjoyed. It was much more cohesive, with a more believable story, consistent characterisation, and a slow burn that I believed in. These two actually stopped to get to know each other and broke down the barriers between them.
I found the rebirthing scene to be particularly poignant, and I absolutely fell in love with BOTH Peter and Thomas, individually and as a couple. I believed in their story, in their feelings for one another, and their struggles. I believed in the reasons they might keep distance between them and why they didn't know whether to admit their feelings or not.
There were still problems. While I didn't like Peter jumping straight into sex with Thomas, despite pain and sex being equated in his mind, I did like that Thomas acknowledged that and tried to help him learn what sex should be like. But it was all too easy. Not a single panic, no hesitation, no fear and freaking out. Once they started doing anything physical together, it was all smooth sailing.
Sadly, this book was actually frighteningly similar to Book 2 in the Hampton Road Club. I literally sobbed at Hampton, for Kenneth and all he went through, while I only felt sorry for Peter and wanted him to get his happy ending. I didn't feel that intense emotional tug that I should have.
I wasn't prepared for the on-page diary entries that detailed a history of physical and sexual abuse. There was NO warning on this series, this volume or this book.
~
BOOK 3
★★★☆☆
I absolutely DO NOT understand why this is told in 1st person.
I didn't instantly fall in love with either character. Scott was an airhead idiot, too naive, too trusting, being catfished, and even his sheltered life didn't really account for how incredibly stupid he was with his behaviour. He lived a perfectly normal life until recently. It wasn't as if he'd been homeschooled and sheltered his entire life, which I might have believed.
Within one chapter, Scott could have willingly walked into the arms of a killer, pervert, or a human trafficker...and when they didn't show up, willingly went to a HOTEL with a complete STRANGER. I mean, WTF? No one is that stupid or naive. It made my instantly dislike Scott, which was a shame because I actually DID come to like him a lot, throughout the book. But, this start just made me question his sanity, my sanity for reading it and, honestly, I would have DNF'd before Ben even came into the book, if I wasn't reading this as a volume.
I also wasn't a fan of how desperately whiney and needy Scott was. He was literally willing to do anything, endure anything, just as long as someone took care of him and loved him. This kid had no spine, no backbone, and no independence.
The author tends to jump ahead to a moment of drama to begin a chapter, then backtrack a few paragraphs later to recount how they came to that point. This is incredibly frustrating and annoying.
There were also some issues with repetition, where info was added in a dump throughout the storytelling and then repeated almost word-for-word in dialogue later on. Pick one!
I didn't like the lame jokes about English v American language. It didn't work for me.
Though I initially liked Ben and how he took care of Scott, that it was nice to see a Dom who wasn't rich for a change but struggling financially, he got irritating real fast. The “I'm broke and can't keep you” thing wore me down, and Ben was a royal ass at times, with a huge chip on his shoulder. Scott might have been young and foolish, but I found myself thinking that he deserved better for at least 90% of the book.
I also didn't like the decisions the author made. Wwhy the heck would Ben cover up for Felix? Why on earth did Ben drag Scott to the club when he was drunk, just to have a conversation with Leo that could have been had over the phone? This was a completely pointless scene that could have been hashed out in half a page of a phone conversation.
I found this book to be the laziest in terms of plotting. While other books at least attempted to show the virgin MC being introduced to sex and BDSM on page, this one didn't bother.
Either I missed something or the author forgot their own story, because suddenly Peter is on meds for his agoraphobia? When did that happen?
Oh, and WTF was that ending about? I mean, the car accident and Scott going home were really unnecessary. I would have been MORE than happy if the story ended at their night in the club, where Scott lost his V-card.
For me, this was the worst of the series because of the execution. Ben and Scott never developed an emotional relationship ON PAGE, where it was needed. Ben was an ass for 85% of the book, and dislikable for the way he ignored Scott and took him for granted. Scott never developed a backbone, which irritated me, because he had such potential to take his life into his own hands. Jeff was forgotten and ignored for 90% of the book, until the relationship needed that moment of tension and drama. Too much convenience and a weird deviation from the series format. It could have been brilliant, but it just failed to have that emotional impact.
~
BOOK 4
★★★★☆
I gave this one an extra star because of the pole dancing/stripper aspect, which I really enjoyed. It was well written and I liked the variety of characters. I loved Gareth, didn't warm to Andrew as much as I'd hoped, and found myself straddling that middle line of enjoying it and needing more.
I liked the slow burn, the friendship that blossomed and how it led to more. I think the fact it wasn't filled with sex scenes really helped, as well. It gave more space, time and pages to the growth of the characters and their journey together. I'm sad that the Brian background story was never resolved, I'm hoping to see more of the DI copper who intrigues me, and I liked getting to see more of Pietro and Dorian again, which you'll see from above, I was moaning about.
I think the BDSM aspect also came into better focus here. Not because there was less of it, but because the authors didn't try to cover a million different abilities, they didn't preach about it as much, and they didn't try to give a How To lesson, either. There's a fine line between showcasing the lifestyle for a novel and getting preachy, and some of the other books didn't do so well straddling that line. This one did. I liked that Andrew had other work, other hobbies, that Gareth was the first who wasn't a broken virgin who needed to be saved. For once, it was the Dom who got in too deep.
There were inconsistencies of plot – telling us that someone was on the first of three numbers in Bliss, then a minute later they were on the third; telling us Peter had just been put on meds for his agoraphobia; Andrew waiting for a meal to be delivered and then it magically being there.
The story waited too long to introduce Andrew and Gareth together. It took until Chapter 9 for Gareth's POV to be introduced and, although I'm intrigued by Dorian, Andrew spent at least half the book spending more time with him than he did with Gareth.
No British person would ever call trousers “pants.” Pants are underwear. No exceptions.
I found the book to have an aggressive anti-feminine slant. In one instance, DeDe claims that she's protecting the boys by refusing women into the VIP Box, because women might cry rape when left alone with a stripper. Both perpetuating the cry rape label and the stereotypes about strippers in one fell swoop. Then, the image is compounded by Andrew actually *lecturing* a female Domme about how restrictive het-BDSM clubs can be. While discussing after-care, it's described as “care” between gay men, but Andrew refers to it as “coddling” between het couples. Terminology like this needs to be checked by editors and beta readers before passing into a book like this.
One last question...am I seriously the only person to see what's wrong with this situation? Andrew has just been assaulted, he believes Gareth is in danger, so he calls him and tells him to LEAVE a loud, bustling, crowded restaurant where he is ALREADY safe, to tell him to walk out in the open, at night, to a club? Really?
This series, as individual books and as a collection lacks even a perfunctory TRIGGER warning. Nearly every book requires one, but Book 2 DEMANDS one, due to the psychological and physical trauma Peter endured.
By Book 3, I'm a little worried about this club, Collars & Cuffs, because they seem to take in a lot of vulnerable young men who have nowhere else to go. It would be nice if, just once, that vulnerable young man didn't go through what often reads like instant-obsession with the Dom who takes them in, cascading into Stockholm Worship, only to end up trained and claimed by that Dom. Most of these kids are so frighteningly naive, lost, alone and vulnerable that it often feels like they're being isolated and taken advantage of.
Why are all the sub's either innocent virgins or innocent virgins who were preyed upon and abused? Why are they all tiny twinks who can't take care of themselves? Where is the diversity? Because, apparently, everyone in Manchester uses citrus scent to shower, drinks jasmine tea, and thinks that coffee is an American thing. Why this stereotypical attitude?
Despite these boys being innocent virgins or abused, they never once blink at throwing themselves into sex with their new Dom. In fact, within one single show of dominance and acceptance by the Dom, they turn into sex gods and addicts.
Can we just recognise for a moment that, in Book 1, Leo and Thomas deride novels for portraying the whole “seeing someone and instantly knowing they're submissive” while the authors do just that? Talk about inconsistent. They constantly look at these lost, young, vulnerable boys that come into their care and go “Oh, he's a submissive. Let's get to training him.” or “you need a Dom, boy.” as if that solves their problems.
With the exception of Thomas (so far) all of the Dom's have acted like overbearing, arrogant asshats. A lot of Ben's behaviour is more controlling in an abusive way than in a Dom way.
There are huge inconsistencies when it comes to this series, in terms of writing. For me, it felt like each book was written by a different author, they varied so much. It's not made clear whether this is a collaborative effort, or if one author wrote one book and the other wrote the next. I haven't read either author before, so I can't tell if they have a similar style or not. Only K.C. Wells name is on the individual covers.
I didn't really need or want the huge info dumps about décor, food prep, constant coffee/tea making, or the contracts. Nor did I want/need the preachy talk about healthy eating and vegetarianism that was in the series almost from Book 1.
It's VERY unusual – and jarring – to be following a series and suddenly have book 3 deviate from 3rd person POV to 1st. And, honestly, I can't see a reason for it. The story didn't benefit from it. I don't see how it changed anything or improved it.
Characters are introduced, often as regulars of the club, and then disappear. Ignored or forgotten until they fit conveniently into the plot.
The author(s) tried WAY too hard to make this a BDSM series. By which I mean, they crammed EVERYTHING BDSM into Book 1, in a desperate attempt to show variety. It ended up being overkill. As were the number of sex scenes in every book.
Some books attempted a secondary plot, e.g. Primary being the relationship and the secondary a drama (either family or criminal). But, for me, this failed on a lot of counts. Either include them and make the most of them, or leave them out. But don't half-ass it.
In a lot of the books, the timeline is very unclear. Sometimes you don't find out that it's a week or a few days later until halfway down the page, and it can be hard to wrap your head around just how quickly these young, vulnerable men do a complete 180 shift from shy/retiring virgin to sex addict because of it.
Truthfully, I found that each book was about 50-100 pages longer than it needed to be. They all floundered at the end, when the young boy became a sub. Once the MC was claimed as a sub or ready to begin training, the relationship aspect disappeared and they each followed the same pattern – the book was more interested in exploring the sex than they were continuing the story that had been told so far. And, at that point, they ALL lost me and my attention.
~
BOOK 1
★★★☆☆
While it was a decent read and I did finish it, it felt like it took FOREVER! I mean, damn this felt like a long book. Saying that, I'd probably give it 3*s because it fell into that halfway mark for me. There were parts I liked and parts I didn't.
The diary entries and flashbacks entered suddenly about halfway through, and didn't feel natural. And there were a couple of times when Alex/Leo thought "I never imagined I'd like/do this" when they'd already done it before. It didn't make sense. Nor did the whole "move in with me" fiasco, or how Alex and Leo promised there would be no more secrets but neither had the balls to say "I love you." Communication SERIOUSLY broke down between these two after Alex became his sub.
The book read like a How To BDSM guidebook at times, which was fine for a character new to BDSM but went over the top in places. It also switched between being *too* much of a guide book to lacking the appropriate abbreviations, explanation of terms, and acronyms needed to explain some of the stuff going on.
Alex's refusal to communicate in the first half was frustrating AF. But I hated his diary entries even more. It was such a sudden shift from 3rd person to 1st - which I hate in the first place - but it also felt like a lazy way to explore the days/weeks/months of Alex and Leo's relationship.
While it sounds nuts to say about a BDSM novel, there was too much sex. I mean, my head was spinning from it, I got bored reading it and, after the first few times Alex and Leo were intimate together, I started skimming 90% of the rest of the sex scenes, only looking for relevant dialogue or an end to it.
Also, some of the sex scenes were quite rough, despite neither Alex or Leo talking about that.
In fact, I was 100% invested in the relationship UNTIL Alex and Leo had sex. I loved the slow burn, the growth, the way they got to know each other, but that all stopped the minutes it came to them having sex. After that, there was no relationship to speak of, which really disappointed me.
Rob acted more like a 12yo than an 18yo, which really put me off.
I get that this is a BDSM novel, but do you really need to have EVERYTHING that is BDSM in the book? I mean, it's got flogging, spanking, public sex, group sex, edging, toe-sucking (not my thing, at all!) voyeurism, and more, all in detail, on page. A little warning might have been nice. Just because I agree to read a BDSM book doesn't mean I'm okay with *all* practices.
~
BOOK 2
★★★★☆
This was the first book I actually really enjoyed. It was much more cohesive, with a more believable story, consistent characterisation, and a slow burn that I believed in. These two actually stopped to get to know each other and broke down the barriers between them.
I found the rebirthing scene to be particularly poignant, and I absolutely fell in love with BOTH Peter and Thomas, individually and as a couple. I believed in their story, in their feelings for one another, and their struggles. I believed in the reasons they might keep distance between them and why they didn't know whether to admit their feelings or not.
There were still problems. While I didn't like Peter jumping straight into sex with Thomas, despite pain and sex being equated in his mind, I did like that Thomas acknowledged that and tried to help him learn what sex should be like. But it was all too easy. Not a single panic, no hesitation, no fear and freaking out. Once they started doing anything physical together, it was all smooth sailing.
Sadly, this book was actually frighteningly similar to Book 2 in the Hampton Road Club. I literally sobbed at Hampton, for Kenneth and all he went through, while I only felt sorry for Peter and wanted him to get his happy ending. I didn't feel that intense emotional tug that I should have.
I wasn't prepared for the on-page diary entries that detailed a history of physical and sexual abuse. There was NO warning on this series, this volume or this book.
~
BOOK 3
★★★☆☆
I absolutely DO NOT understand why this is told in 1st person.
I didn't instantly fall in love with either character. Scott was an airhead idiot, too naive, too trusting, being catfished, and even his sheltered life didn't really account for how incredibly stupid he was with his behaviour. He lived a perfectly normal life until recently. It wasn't as if he'd been homeschooled and sheltered his entire life, which I might have believed.
Within one chapter, Scott could have willingly walked into the arms of a killer, pervert, or a human trafficker...and when they didn't show up, willingly went to a HOTEL with a complete STRANGER. I mean, WTF? No one is that stupid or naive. It made my instantly dislike Scott, which was a shame because I actually DID come to like him a lot, throughout the book. But, this start just made me question his sanity, my sanity for reading it and, honestly, I would have DNF'd before Ben even came into the book, if I wasn't reading this as a volume.
I also wasn't a fan of how desperately whiney and needy Scott was. He was literally willing to do anything, endure anything, just as long as someone took care of him and loved him. This kid had no spine, no backbone, and no independence.
The author tends to jump ahead to a moment of drama to begin a chapter, then backtrack a few paragraphs later to recount how they came to that point. This is incredibly frustrating and annoying.
There were also some issues with repetition, where info was added in a dump throughout the storytelling and then repeated almost word-for-word in dialogue later on. Pick one!
I didn't like the lame jokes about English v American language. It didn't work for me.
Though I initially liked Ben and how he took care of Scott, that it was nice to see a Dom who wasn't rich for a change but struggling financially, he got irritating real fast. The “I'm broke and can't keep you” thing wore me down, and Ben was a royal ass at times, with a huge chip on his shoulder. Scott might have been young and foolish, but I found myself thinking that he deserved better for at least 90% of the book.
I also didn't like the decisions the author made. Wwhy the heck would Ben cover up for Felix? Why on earth did Ben drag Scott to the club when he was drunk, just to have a conversation with Leo that could have been had over the phone? This was a completely pointless scene that could have been hashed out in half a page of a phone conversation.
I found this book to be the laziest in terms of plotting. While other books at least attempted to show the virgin MC being introduced to sex and BDSM on page, this one didn't bother.
Either I missed something or the author forgot their own story, because suddenly Peter is on meds for his agoraphobia? When did that happen?
Oh, and WTF was that ending about? I mean, the car accident and Scott going home were really unnecessary. I would have been MORE than happy if the story ended at their night in the club, where Scott lost his V-card.
For me, this was the worst of the series because of the execution. Ben and Scott never developed an emotional relationship ON PAGE, where it was needed. Ben was an ass for 85% of the book, and dislikable for the way he ignored Scott and took him for granted. Scott never developed a backbone, which irritated me, because he had such potential to take his life into his own hands. Jeff was forgotten and ignored for 90% of the book, until the relationship needed that moment of tension and drama. Too much convenience and a weird deviation from the series format. It could have been brilliant, but it just failed to have that emotional impact.
~
BOOK 4
★★★★☆
I gave this one an extra star because of the pole dancing/stripper aspect, which I really enjoyed. It was well written and I liked the variety of characters. I loved Gareth, didn't warm to Andrew as much as I'd hoped, and found myself straddling that middle line of enjoying it and needing more.
I liked the slow burn, the friendship that blossomed and how it led to more. I think the fact it wasn't filled with sex scenes really helped, as well. It gave more space, time and pages to the growth of the characters and their journey together. I'm sad that the Brian background story was never resolved, I'm hoping to see more of the DI copper who intrigues me, and I liked getting to see more of Pietro and Dorian again, which you'll see from above, I was moaning about.
I think the BDSM aspect also came into better focus here. Not because there was less of it, but because the authors didn't try to cover a million different abilities, they didn't preach about it as much, and they didn't try to give a How To lesson, either. There's a fine line between showcasing the lifestyle for a novel and getting preachy, and some of the other books didn't do so well straddling that line. This one did. I liked that Andrew had other work, other hobbies, that Gareth was the first who wasn't a broken virgin who needed to be saved. For once, it was the Dom who got in too deep.
There were inconsistencies of plot – telling us that someone was on the first of three numbers in Bliss, then a minute later they were on the third; telling us Peter had just been put on meds for his agoraphobia; Andrew waiting for a meal to be delivered and then it magically being there.
The story waited too long to introduce Andrew and Gareth together. It took until Chapter 9 for Gareth's POV to be introduced and, although I'm intrigued by Dorian, Andrew spent at least half the book spending more time with him than he did with Gareth.
No British person would ever call trousers “pants.” Pants are underwear. No exceptions.
I found the book to have an aggressive anti-feminine slant. In one instance, DeDe claims that she's protecting the boys by refusing women into the VIP Box, because women might cry rape when left alone with a stripper. Both perpetuating the cry rape label and the stereotypes about strippers in one fell swoop. Then, the image is compounded by Andrew actually *lecturing* a female Domme about how restrictive het-BDSM clubs can be. While discussing after-care, it's described as “care” between gay men, but Andrew refers to it as “coddling” between het couples. Terminology like this needs to be checked by editors and beta readers before passing into a book like this.
One last question...am I seriously the only person to see what's wrong with this situation? Andrew has just been assaulted, he believes Gareth is in danger, so he calls him and tells him to LEAVE a loud, bustling, crowded restaurant where he is ALREADY safe, to tell him to walk out in the open, at night, to a club? Really?
gabeisnotanangel's review
4.0
I gave this four because I adored the first two books. In fact, number two was seriously beautiful and I'm still surprised that it moved me. Initially the age difference freaked me out but over the course of the book Thomas and Peter felt right. Third book was such a fantasy...who the eff is actually going to throw so much money at some random kid? And Ben? Shitty Dom. Fourth book I al it's tossed. Women making false accusations of rape? Nice. And then w get a scene were a guy tries to rape the mc. But clearly guys don't lie about rape like women do. Also let's make some ignorant comments about the scene in hetro practice women walking out over penetration. Please. I've read all the bits and seriously I've done more hardcore stuff then most of the mcs. Then the mc mocks dommes. I finished the book but was really disappointed.
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