b reviews

Bound to be Taken by Becca Jameson

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

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Grade: B+
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Moderate Kink
Genre: Contemporary, BDSM, menage, m/m/f
Series: Emergence #1
Published: 4/8/14
Reviewed by Kate
272 pages

Stephanie overhears her bosses saying that if she was more personable, they would give her the promotion she’s been after.  So she decides she needs to bring a date to the upcoming office party.  But who to bring?  Aiden and Dane live in the same apartment building as Stephanie, and they’re looking for a date themselves.  They have an upcoming dungeon party but they need a submissive.  In exchange for a date to her company party, Stephanie agrees to act as their submissive at their party.  But it quickly turns into more than an act for Stephanie.

After finishing the second book in this series, Bound to be Tamed (Review here:  https://dirtygirlsgoodbooks.com/2014/08/20/bound-to-be-tamed-by-becca-jameson/ , I knew I had to come back and read the first book.  I had to see how Steph, Aiden, and Dane got their start.  And what a start it was.  The chemistry between the 3 of them is almost overwhelming at times.

My one complaint is that Dane and Aiden are supposedly new to the whole being a Dom thing.  They’ve only been studying it for 6 months and have never had their own sub.  They’ve been taking turns being subs for each other (did I mention that Dane and Aiden have a well established sexual relationship?) and have decided they’d like to add a third partner to their relationship.  For being such newbie Doms, they really seemed to just instinctually know way too much.  They recognize the fact that Steph is more than a part-time sub, she’s a full-time one before Steph has even admitted to herself that she’s a submissive.  They were just way too able to read her and I kept thinking “there’s no way they could recognize/know that if they’re so new to this whole Dom thing.”  Of course maybe they’re Dom prodigies.  Other than that…

If you enjoy your menagés with m/m action and a heavy dose of BDSM this one is for you.  It will keep you turning pages and fanning yourself until you reach the last page.  Then you’ll be reaching for the second book.

I really enjoyed the m/m aspect of this menagé.  Do you have any other menagé books to recommend that have the male characters involved with each other as well?

Whipped by Sabrina York

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

22838382
Grade: B
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Part of the anthology Brought to his Knees
Published: 8/19/14
Reviewed by Kate
50 pages

Dane is at his best friend’s lame bachelor party.  No strippers or hookers allowed because his best friend is *gulp* getting married.  His best friend is completely whipped.  Dane leaves early and runs across a woman he assumes is the hooker that was planned for his buddy’s party.  It’s not until the next day that he realizes the “hooker” he took to bed was no in fact a hooker, but his best friend’s baby sister, all grown up.  Tina has had a crush on Dane her whole life.  So when he propositions her, she gives him a false name and jumps at the chance to finally realize one of her dreams-sleeping with Dane.

This one was a short, sexy read.  One of the hottest sex-in-a-closet scenes I’ve ever read.  This one had me laughing, sighing, and fanning myself.  But what it did the most was leave me wanting more!  I’d recommend this one for anyone who enjoys spicy, low conflict short stories.

Caught! by J.L Merrow

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

22030684
Grade: B+
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, m/m
Series: The Shamwood Tales #1
Published: 8/19/14
Reviewed by Anne
257 pages

Robert Emeny (Mr. Enemy to his students) is the new teacher in a small town English primary school.  He’s happy to have left his past behind him and settle into this new, less fancy life.  He’s upper crust, wears a bow tie every day, is a bit of a nerd, and is the kind of man that people just seem to figure out is gay.  Sean is the local pest control guy, and uncle to two of Robert’s students.  They each find the other attractive, but there’s some misunderstandings and baggage to work through before they can settle into a relationship.

First off, let me warn you that this book is told from the first person point of view, and that Robert, our narrator has an ADHD style of thought that almost made me dizzy as I read.  That said, it’s hilarious.  So, just go into it knowing what you’re in for.  It works for me, but I don’t think I could read a bunch of J.L. Merrow stories back to back.  Here’s a quick example as Robert looks around, marching his class into an assembly:

 

“Thirty pairs of eyes (actually, twenty-nine and a half; Jodie was wearing a patch for her lazy eye) searched eagerly for the sight of parents and grannies.  I gazed out on the sea of female and/or wrinkly faces in the pews and wondered idly if there was any job in the world, anywhere, that was worse for meeting men than the average primary-school teaching post.  Father confessor in a nunnery, maybe?  Avon cosmetics rep?  Or one of those poor sods who went round emptying the sanitary bins they put in ladies’ loos?” p. 5

Robert is a bit of a geek; math jokes and Doctor Who references abound, and that made the story even more enjoyable for me.  Robert has a couple friends who round out the story and add to the hilarity.  Rosie is a fellow teacher working her way through a recent break up with her boyfriend.  She takes Robert on as a friend and project and works to hook him up with Sean.  Hanne is Robert’s grandmotherly neighbor who enjoys popping into his house and baking him things.  The exploits of Robert’s class round out the hilarity.

In a sweet twist, there’s a side story with one of Robert’s students and his father.  It made for one of those moments where you just sigh and think maybe the world is an ok place.

There are some more serious threads weaving through all the comedy.  Robert is dealing with some baggage from his previous job.  He also worries about coming out to Hanne and being gay in the small town he’s living in now.  I thought it was all really well handled.

The only thing that frustrated me in the story was that Robert sometimes seemed too oblivious or stupid.  I think that’s a risk you face when you have this kind of narrator.  The biggest obstacles to Robert and Sean’s relationship were all in Robert’s head.  Still, it worked for me overall.

If you enjoy m/m, or are wondering if you might, I’d recommend this book.  It’s hilarious and sweet – a story that will keep you laughing and smiling as you read!