Review: An Intriguing yet difficult read.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 8, 2014
James Bryant is an extremely talented artist that is only moderately happy in his day job where he is constantly berated by his immediate supervisor supposedly because of his sexuality. James is no stranger to abuse, both mentally and physically. His family disowned him when he came out, and his ex boyfriend liked to use him as a punching bag. He finds solace in painting when he finds the time to do it. Now he has the chance to do what he loves with a new job for the CEO of Carrington Enterprises.As the CEO of a successful company, Seth Burns is used to being the boss and getting what he wants. He’s immediately taken with the shy artist working on his latest project. When James has a panic attack after meeting the foreman on the job, Seth’s protective instincts kick in. He yearns to make James his, and Seth knows full well that nothing worth having comes easy, but he will have James, at any cost.Seth has to tread lightly with the fragile psyche of James. He’s been used, abused and tossed aside by everyone he’s ever trusted except his best friend. He is naturally submissive, whether that is a direct result of his past is not even relevant. Seth is the dominate in the relationship, but he has an innate need to protect James as well, he expertly balances his need for dominance with the tenderness that James needs. But these two have a long and bumpy road ahead of them.This book really tested me at times. It left me asking, how much is too much. James life has been an experiment in terror. Abandoned by his family, abused by his ex and left crippled only to be found and further abused, only adding to his disability. Then he is stalked, sent death threats and has his house set on fire. Loving Seth scares the crap out of him. He wants to trust Seth but he also fears the dominant side of him. He can’t put himself in a position to be hurt by someone he loves again. Can he trust Seth with his heart?The narration left a lot to be desired. It’s really hard to listen to six hours of someone reading a book with multiple characters and having a hard time distinguishing between said characters because the narrator is so monotone, you almost fall asleep. I thought going into this story that the BDSM aspect would be what would bother me, but it is a crucial part of the storyline and it’s written cohesively. Overall I really enjoyed the characters and the storyline written by O’Riley, but the narration coupled with way too many tragedies for young James left me frustrated in the end.I can’t really say whether or not I’d recommend this book. I will say I am invested enough in these characters that I will grab a WRITTEN copy of the sequel and at least give it a go. They surely are sexy as hell even if Seth is a bossy b*st*rd in the bedroom, it’s part of his charm!** I received a copy of this audio book from Dreamspinner Press in exchange for an honest review through MM Good Book Reviews **[...]