JORDAN & RHYS by Sue Brown

JORDAN & RHYS by Sue Brown

 

Pages: 128

Date: November 27, 2015

Details: No 4 Frankie Series

Own / Kindle

The blurb:

“Eight months after the assault in which his sub and lover was killed, Jordan Nicholls isn’t making much progress in his recovery. Marchant and Ed, Jordan’s friends from the BDSM club, stage an intervention. 

They employ a carer to look after Jordan. Rhys may be a sub, but he’s forceful, making Jordan eat and exercise rather than live on coffee and cigarettes. Despite Jordan’s protests, Rhys slowly forces him back to life. 

But Rhys wants to be Jordan’s sub, and despite being protective of Rhys, Jordan’s not sure he can ever return to the BDSM lifestyle. In order for their relationship to continue, they’ll need to find a compromise that meets both their needs.”

My thoughts:

To say this book starts with a bang would be a gross understatement. What happened in the prologue didn’t come as a surprise and yet still left me shattered. Of course it also had me 100% invested in the story right from the get-go.

This book could have been written just for me. It is a gentle story. Jordan’s lack of progress up to the point when Rhys starts caring for him, makes perfect sense, as does Jordan’s reluctance to Rhys upsetting the (bad) routine he’s slipped into. I loved watching their relationship grow while neither of them seemed to be aware that was exactly what was happening. I’m so glad there was no miraculous turn-around and recovery for Jordan and that Rhys wasn’t all saint and self-sacrificing.

These two characters and the situation they find themselves in were realistic. I often finish a book feeling that I actually know the characters in it on a personal level. I guess that’s the way I read; total immersion. It went further in this book though. Rhys and Jordan and the way they interacted struck a chord deep inside me.

It was wonderful to read a story without huge fights, people storming off or other grand gestures of anger and/or frustration. When it does appear that going their separate ways might be the best idea, it is a calm—if very hard—decision rather than a dramatic eruption of emotion. I was also delighted that this issue between them resolved itself organically, even if it did involve a heart stopping moment.

And of course it was delightful to reconnect with the main characters from the previous books: Frankie & Al, Ed & Marchant and Anthony & Leo. It was wonderful to see the three couples still going strong and getting stronger as time goes by. The interactions between these friends went from endearing to hilarious and left me feeling joyous. It also reminded me that I still haven’t read Frankie & Al; there are no prices for guessing what’s next on my reading schedule. J

I’m afraid I’m not doing a very good job reviewing this book. It’s funny how I become less coherent about a book the more I love it. The paragraphs above are a clear indication that I adored this book, the characters in it, the way the story was told and how it unfolded. Sue Brown shot this one straight into my personal bull’s eye.