Review: Despite poor editing, I liked this
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 18, 2012
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.Rating: 7/10PROS:- For the most part, Sean Michael's BDSM characters have definite types: the subs are frenetic and fractured and need near-constant reassuring, and the Doms are calm, collected, and self-confident. In this story, the Dom fits the usual Michael mold, but the sub doesn't. I liked reading a story about a man who's submissive but doesn't have the typical traits of the author's submissive characters.- Each BDSM story I've read by this author has something that's a little different from all the others, often in the form of a particular kink the characters are into. Michael does well at establishing the specific things that arouse his characters.- D/s stories often center around characters who know what they want and are looking for the specific person to meet those needs and desires. This book sort of works backwards. The men fall in love with each other first, and then decide to try to be what the other wants: "some subs liked to fight it. Some Tops enjoyed that fight. Randy could be that kind of Top, so long as Ewan was the sub."CONS:- The repetitiveness of Sean Michael's books becomes more obvious the more you read by him. There are phrases that he uses from one book to another as well as phrases/ideas that are repeated within books. One notable example from this book occurs when the two men are talking about Randy leaving hickeys on Ewan: "Going to look like a leper," Ewan says, to which Randy replies, "Going to look like mine." Then, 21 pages later, there's this: "`I'd look like a leper.' Randy shook his head. `You'd look like mine.'"- This is perhaps the most poorly edited book I've ever read from this author--and that's saying something, because his books are uniformly poorly edited. There are mistakes throughout the book that are so glaring a junior high student could catch them. Many times, there are entire words and/or phrases that are simply left out: "Ewan showed up for day four of `training' with a pizza, a six pack and a copy of They'd spent three days making out..." (page 48); "The kiss was all-consuming, Randy tasting of beer and pizza and ." (page 50); "They ." (page 59); and so on.Overall comments: There's nothing surprising for me anymore about Sean Michael's BDSM stories. I've read almost all of them, and overall they're very similar from one to the next. Something about them speaks to me, though, so I have no shame in admitting that I am a confirmed addict. This is better than some and not as good as others, but if you're not a fan of the Hammer series already, I doubt you'll find anything here that's worth writing home about.