Review: Best of the best!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 17, 2014
Favorite quote: “You’re good the way you are. Never be ashamed of that, and never let anyone make you feel like a doormat. No one, submissive or not, should let anyone walk over them.”Review: I have been looking forward to the release of this book since I started the Collars and Cuffs series. I love KC Wells’ series so much! Then add to that her partnership with another favorite author, Parker Williams, and you’ve got a sure thing, right? Well, as it turns out, yes, exactly right. This book not only did not disappoint, it exceeded all my expectations for this series and this genre. Scott Keating is an overprotected, underloved American teenager. He is more a trophy to his parents than a son. His days are micromanaged and his future is written in stone by his cold, domineering parents. Scott is chafing under their jurisdiction. To add to his misery he is home schooled so they are able to oversee every nuance of his life. Scott is smart enough to find the loopholes in this cloistered life, and when he is given a Nook so he can read books that are meaningful for his education as a future architect he discovers that he is able to tap into the wifi of the coffee shop next door, and that opens his eyes to possibilities his parents thought they had hidden from him. Every responsible parent wants to protect their children from what eventually happens to Scott online, but since Scott is unable to share with his parents what is going on he is wide open to the suggestions of a predator. He begins chatting with someone named Jeff in the UK, who flatters Scott and finally lures the nave young man to running away to join Jeff in England. Because Scott’s plans are almost thwarted by his father he has to leave abruptly with no money, no luggage, and no other resources, so when he finds himself unmet at the Manchester airport he is utterly alone and lost. Ben is a bartender and Dom-in-training at the Collars and Cuffs BDSM club in Manchester. When he drops his sister off at the airport he notices a very forlorn boy, alone and obviously frightened, sitting in the airport. Ben decides to stop and make sure this boy, who is older than he appears to be, is all right, and thus begins their journey together. Ben’s initial contact with Scott is as a good hearted Samaritan and he doesn’t intend to take it any farther. What he doesn’t count on is Scott’s innate submissive tendencies tugging on Ben’s natural propensity to be a Dominant. Ben only wants what is best for the boy. Because he is still in training with his Dom mentors, he makes a number of inappropriate choices for himself and Scott that he intends as protection but are ultimately frustrating and heartbreaking for both men. His heart is in the right place but his actions are not. The key to understanding Ben is to appreciate the fact that he is young and in training. He cannot make the decisions that a seasoned Dom would make because he simply does not know better. His mentors are not aware of some of his choices until it is too late. But what of Jeff, the online “friend” who invited Scott to join him and paid for an expensive plane ticket to Manchester? Jeff isn’t at the airport and disappears from the story until much later when he reappears, confused and frightened. All is not as it seems for Jeff. I won’t spoil this part of the story but suffice to say, there is a lot going on that is not resolved by the end of Someone to Keep Me. Another Collars and Cuffs book, then, Mr. Williams and Ms. Wells? That is not a question, it is a demand for Jeff’s story! And what about Scott’s parents? Do they just allow their son to disappear and not search for him? Of course not, but although the reunion is not a happy one it is pivotal to both Scott and Ben’s future. We are treated to appearances by main characters from the first two Collars and Cuffs books, as secondary characters in this story. However, this book can be read as a stand-alone story as there are enough bits of backstory to allow the reader to see their roles in the club and how they connect with Ben and eventually with Scott. This story is less a BDSM primer than it is a study in the development of a Dominant, a sub, and a D/s relationship. Mistakes are made, lessons are learned, and the hopes and dreams of two men are dependent on whether they can grow beyond the consequences of their errors. I loved this book. I’ve read it twice realizing that what on first reading seemed to be a throw-away comment or observation was a clue or foreshadowing for something really important later on. I say that to tell you not to read this in a hurry. Savor this book and enjoy the journey rather than rushing to the conclusion.Ultimate giveaway: mrsconditreadsbooks.com/index.php/?p=17086