Review: Gritty & Emotionally Intense
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 2, 2013
Under Control is a quick read dealing with heavy issues.  For a Marine returning from a mission gone wrong, scarred both inside and out, grief and guilt weighs on him.  A promise made in a moment of great heartbreak gives him the push he needs to finally admit his feelings for the man who's been his only comfort for the last eight years.  It should be easy to say those three little words but unrelenting grief make it hard to admit what happened during that mission for fear that he'll be rejected and have nothing to live for.Vance has always worried his strength would hurt someone someday so he's learned to keep himself under control through heavy BDSM play.  Since coming home though he constantly feels out of control as guilt keeps him from finding the calm that whipping used to give him.  He teeters on the brink of unending darkness and it's only his feelings for Ben that keep him going.  My heart ached for Vance and his misplaced grief.  He was put into a position of which there was no good way out.  His experience in the terrorist's camp was vividly detailed and gut-wrenching in its intensity.  This scene pulled no punches and cast a shadow over the entire story that didn't let up until the richly rewarding HEA.Ben is a loyal and honorable man who is just what Vance needs to move past his grief.  He's a calming influence for the constantly on edge Vance and they truly are meant to be together.  While we get an in-depth look into who Vance is, the same can't be said for Ben.  What little we know of him is in relation to Vance and I miss not knowing more about such a likable character.What there IS a lot of is hot and intense sexual encounters!  These scenes take up a big part of the story and are the only times we see Vance with a smile and get to see the building connection between them.  From start to finish this is a gritty and heart-wrenching read that led to a heartwarming conclusion that has me wanting to read more books in this series.