Review: Behind the Scenes
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 3, 2013
I really enjoyed this story which focused on married couple Steve and Zack, and their new nanny Drew and his relationship with Alex. Steve and Zack are caring for Steve's teenage sister Sunni, while Alex has a toddler and a teenage son who he adopted after his abusive ex walked away from them. They have all just moved into an apartment in New York City where Steve and Zack will be writers for a BDSM themed television show.The book's start was a bit confusing for me as so many characters were immediately introduced. I also did not realize that this new series is actually a continuation of Zack and Steve's story from a prior series, Mine, which I hadn't read. However, other than missing out on some of the nuances in Zack and Steve's D/s relationship, the author did a good job of providing enough information relevant to the current series. This comes into play as someone from Zack and Steve's past shows up apparently with the sole intent of creating trouble.Zack and Steve's relationship was interesting in that during their private play, they switch. While Steve is generally the Dominant partner, Zack will occasionally take on that role in the bedroom. Otherwise, Zack has a great reliance on Steve to keep him grounded.In contrast, Alex runs a BDSM club and is acting as a consultant to Steve and Zack for the writing of the TV show they are working on. Drew and Alex had a friendly relationship several years prior before Alex moved to New York, and have just met again. Although Drew is new to the scene, he is interested in trying out some play with Alex as Dom. Drew has had some difficulties in his past, but has worked hard to put them behind him and Alex is determined to protect Drew any way he can.As the two couples settle into life in NY, two men from their pasts come back to haunt them. They are both persistent in their escalating attempts to get back at Zack and Drew respectively. The author did a great job of building tension and kept me wondering when or where the next threat would arise.Both couples are loving and supportive and I enjoyed watching them build their extended family. There was humor and drama, and the story moved at a good pace. There are plenty of BDSM sex scenes, but nothing too hardcore. One warning, there is a cliffhanger ending and the story is not wrapped. I know I will keep reading, but will probably go back first and read Mine. It is not necessary to enjoy the story, but I want to have a better feel for the dynamics of Zack and Steve's relationship.A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.