Debra E's Never-Ending TBR

Review originally posted at Sinfully.

This fifth book in the series focuses on 18 year old Colin, who we briefly met in the previous book when Master Ned rescued him from the bathhouse he was working in and brought him to the Hampton Road Club. Although characters return from earlier stories, you could read this one as a standalone. If you haven’t read any other books in the series, they are generally sweet romances, with a healthy dose of kink, between young, innocent subs and older Doms. Set in the 1920’s when homosexuality was a crime in the US, the men of the Club have to remain especially discreet about many things we take for granted today

Colin’s having a bit of trouble finding a good fit at Hampton Road as far as both a job and finding a Master. His compulsion to organize more often than not results in him not following instructions and getting yelled at and as far as finding a Master, Colin has turned away anyone who has approached him in the three months he’s been there. He is obviously interested in being a submissive and exploring kinks as he hasn’t tried to hide his eager appreciation for all the live shows in the club, but he is holding out for Mr. Right.

Master Saul has become a father figure to Colin, who has no remaining family of his own, and is intent on finding him both suitable work and a Dom who will meet his needs. The big problem is that Colin is hoping for a Dom close to his own age and nobody at the Club fits that need. He sends Masters Ned and Aaron on a mission to hunt down some younger potential doms when Roddy literally runs into them while trying to escape a beating from the man he had gotten a bit rough with during a hook up in an alley. They return to Hampton Road with a bruised Roddy and Colin is instantly attracted and compelled to take care of Roddy.

Colin is an interesting character who has two distinct side to his personality. Living with and taking care of his grandmother until her death, he is very innocent in some aspects of life and is still a virgin even after having been living at the club for three months. He is certain that he wants someone to serve and take care of and he is interested in exploring his kinks, but he is treated as a child by some of the Masters there, especially Master Saul (Colin resents that to some extent but would do anything to please the man who has been so good to him). Although his submissive side is strong, Colin shows he is not a doormat or a child. I liked seeing the stronger aspects of his personality come out as he immediately stakes claim to Roddy when he arrives at the club and stands up for and asserts himself to the Masters.

With Roddy being a young (22) inexperienced Dom, I was excited for something different than what the series had offered so far. It turns out that Roddy is just as sweet as Colin, even when he is in “Master mode”. Like Colin, Roddy is immediately protective and possessive. He seems to know just what Colin needs to calm him and he understands his compulsions. He is also obviously thrilled that Colin is willing to give his submission to him so fully, something Roddy doesn’t really understand at first.

The sex in this story was definitely hot, but a bit lighter on the kink than in prior books. Colin has never had a physical relationship before and I did like the way Roddy was able to be both caring and aggressive, meeting all of Colin’s needs.

Although I liked both the characters, the story felt rushed and left me a little disappointed. I expect relationships to move rather quickly in this series and Colin and Roddy’s moved very fast. There is a time jump from them knowing each other for a few days to weeks later when they are living together, and then they are separated for another significant period of time. For me, this pacing took away from seeing them settle into the relationship on both the D/s and vanilla side. I never got a real feeling for Roddy’s growth into a “Master” and I was hoping to see Colin explore a few more kinks after being told how eager an audience member he was for all the live demos at the club.

I enjoyed seeing Colin get his man and again found the 1920’s setting adds quite a bit to the story. While I personally wanted to see a bit more, I think those who like sweet love stories with just a bit of kink will enjoy this newest entry into the series. Rumor has it that the story fans of the series have been asking for – Francesco and Theodore – will be the next one up. I know I’ll be eagerly awaiting it.