Review: A+ rating....
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 3, 2014
My Review:I loved everything about this book. This is #5 in the series, but this is the first I've read by this author. The other stories were there in the background as those characters appeared on the page, but I never felt lost because I jumped into this series at #5.This book is about Rock and Carter. Rock is 34 years old and has spent his entire life in the closet. Being former military and raised by a military father meant that he was taught being gay was completely wrong. His entire life he's been told that being gay is wrong and vile and contemptible. But he is....and is trying to come to terms with that. His solution and trying to be safe, he hires an escort....Carter.Carter is in the final months of serving his 10 year contract with the agency as a male escort. When he turned to the agency they saved him, but they've also cost him too. He hasn't dated for 9 years...relationships and his job don't mix. For the most part, he's learned to deal with his job and how to protect himself and stay detached. That changes when he meets Rock.Rock and Carter connect and not in a purely sexual way. In fact, Rock is so deep in the closet, he truly can't even go "there" yet. So after two paid dates, Carter asks Rock out. Something about the man intrigues him. This is the first time EVER that he's taken his job away from that professional status, but it is certainly not smooth sailing from there.Both of these guys have severe hang-ups causing them difficulties. Rock can't even admit to himself that he's gay much less risk someone else seeing it. And Carter begins to see his job and lifestyle through Rock's eyes. Although Rock never judges him and is actually very understanding about it all, Carter's self-image takes a hard hit. There is a lot of angst in this book and I do love a book full of angst. As a result, I loved this one, but it went beyond those emotions. Carter is also a photographer who photographs abandoned buildings. OMG, I loved those scenes because I enjoy photography and the mystique of abandoned buildings. Add to that the statement that Rock made about being a gay man formerly in the military...and this book just hit all the right notes for me. I couldn't read it fast enough, but at the same time, didn't want the book to end. It was really good.At this point, I don't plan to go back and read all the other 4 books in this series although they all sound intriguing, but I did download Tyler's story. He was in book #3 and was also an escort like Carter so I found myself fascinated by the snippets of his story that made it into this one. This was definitely a good book. The rest of the series has centered around BDSM and the club and although Rock works there as security, that aspect was absent in this book. Like I said, I haven't read the rest of the series, but long-time readers of this author may miss that about this book because this one didn't go to that erotica place. Just an FYI.I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review.