DAMIAN'S DISCIPLINE

DAMIAN’S DISCIPLINE by K.C.Wells & Parker Williams

Pages: 240

Date: 15/10/2014

Grade: 5

Details: No. 5 Collars & Cuffs

            Received from the author

Kindle

The blurb:

“The man who pimped Jeff may be in prison, but Jeff is still living the nightmare, selling himself to men and relying on pills to manage. Then he meets Scott, a young American man who could easily have been where Jeff is now. Scott’s friends extend a helping hand to Jeff, and he grabs it. 

Leo and Thomas bring Jeff to stay with Dom Damian Barnett until they can find him someplace more long-term. Still grieving from losing his sub to cancer two years before, Damian agrees to help. But when he glimpses the extent of the damage, Damian wants to do more than offer his guestroom. Jeff is not a submissive, but Damian can see he desperately needs structure in his life. It’s up to Damian to find an answer. 

He never expects that what he discovers will change both their lives.”

My thoughts:

“This would be one review that would be a bitch to write. Bad ones always were.”

Ain’t that the truth? But, fortunately, it’s not something I had to worry about as far as this book was concerned. ‘Damian’s Discipline’ was a joy to read from start to finish and almost impossible to put down.

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of this review I have a confession to make; I’m reading this series out of order. I know at least one of the authors is frowning at me right now. I distinctly remember being told I should read the Collars & Cuffs books as they were written. Considering I had already read ‘ADance with Domination’ out of order and loved it regardless, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to read the ARC of ‘Damian’s Discipline’. And, on the upside, it leaves me in a position where I can say it is possible to read this book as a stand-alone and have a wonderful reading experience. I never felt as if I didn’t have enough information about the secondary characters or past story-lines. I mean, I wouldn’t have rated this book 5 stars if I’d felt I’d missed parts of the story.

The story in ‘Damian’s Discipline’ tugs at your heartstrings from the very first page. It is impossible not to hurt for poor Jeff and not to marvel at the fact he’s still alive and not addicted to anything worse than the pills he takes occasionally. He’s so young and vulnerable and has been betrayed and abused so often it’s no surprise he mistrusts the world and everybody he encounters. It is his ability to trust again, be it slowly and reluctantly, that comes as a surprise.

“I want someone else to make the decisions. I don’t want to have to make choices anymore.” - Jeff

It is impossible to not fall in love with Damian even before you’ve finished the first quarter of this book. This man has a huge heart and deep rooted instinct to take care of others. He is only supposed to give Jeff a place to stay until a different solution can be found, but it takes him no time at all to realise he needs to make sure Jeff is safe and restored to life.

“He didn’t know it yet, but I would break down the gates of heaven and hell to see him live again.” - Damian

Initially Damian compares Jeff to the sub he lost to cancer two years earlier, but before long a friend points out to him that this is not what his former partner would have wanted.

“I know he told you he wanted you to mourn him, but also to find someone to take care of.”

The subsequent scene brought quite a few tears to my eyes.

Jeff is not a submissive and yet clearly needs rules and boundaries if he wants to have a chance to put his life back together. With BDSM out of the question, Damian struggles to find a structure that might work for them, until he stumbles across the concept of Domestic Discipline.

Domestic Discipline is more like a partnership, even though one of us is more in charge. There are no scenes. It’s just a way of life, with one person in charge for both.”

And while it is by no means an instant solution to all the issues Jeff faces, it gives both men a structure in which they can work and live together. Despite setbacks and misunderstandings the arrangement works well until unvoiced feelings in both men get in the way and threaten to destroy what they have built between them over the course of three months.

And that’s all I’m going to say about the story. ‘Damian’s Discipline’ takes the reader on a wonderful journey and it would be a shame if I spoiled it for you. Just go and read the book; you won’t regret it.