ON THE CLOCK by L.A. Witt and Aleksandr Voinov

ON THE CLOCK by L.A. Witt & Aleksandr Voinov

Pages: 219

Date: July 13,2015

Details: No 8 Market Garden

            Copy Received from Riptide

            Publishing through NetGalley

E-book

The blurb:

“When Blake Raleigh’s favorite rentboys retire from Market Garden, they’re sure their friend Jason will be a perfect replacement. Though Tristan and Jared are a tough act to follow, Blake returns to London to test out their recommendation.

Jason is right on the money. Negotiations turn him on. Getting paid turns him on. The higher the stakes, the hotter things get. Each trip to London is more expensive than the last, and the webcam sessions don’t run cheap, but Jason is well worth the sticker shock.

The more time they spend together, the more Blake wants, and not just sex and transactions. But Jason’s been burned before by men who thought they were in love with him, and he’s not making that mistake again. When the lines between personal and professional start to blur, it’s going to take more than money, jewelry, and sports cars to keep Jason from clocking out and walking away.”

My thoughts:

Rolex *sighs*. We’ve met him before in Quid Pro Quo and Take it Off (and if you haven’t read those two books I strongly suggest you do so first), but only through the eyes of Jared and Tristan – the Market Garden rentboys he hires on those occasions. In On the Clock we are given the opportunity to get inside Rolex’s (or Blake Raleigh’s, if you wish) head and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

When Blake meets Jason, the rentboy he’s been advised to seek out by Jared and Tristan, it appears to be a match made in heaven. Blake thrives on negotiations and powerplay while Jason gets turned on by being paid. And when they first meet that’s the big attraction – a person whose kink complements yours perfectly. But of course things don’t stay that simple, and it isn’t long before Blake finds it is not just sex and games he wants from Jason. He’s no idea how to label what he does want but he knows he’s in trouble when he finds himself wishing someone would look at him the way Jared looks at Tristan.

And how can Jason possibly trust that Blake has feelings for him beyond sexual attraction. Other customers have thought they’d fallen for him, but all they wanted was to own him. How can Jason possibly be sure Blake loves him as he is and not just addicted to their sessions?

And that brings me to the way the book ended. For me the ending was perfect. It fitted the story and was completely realistic. However, what I loved may be an issue for other readers because we are not given a fairytale ending. When we leave Blake and Jason they’ve come to an arrangement they can both live with and are starting the sort of relationship most others wouldn’t be able to imagine but which may just be perfect for them. I like that it was left up to my imagination to come up with ideas about how they would develop that in the future.

If I have one regret after reading this book it is that we only got to see the story through Blake’s eyes. Jason fascinated me and I would have loved to hear his thoughts too. But, that wasn’t to be and, I can’t say I felt as if I was missing out on vital information while reading the book. It was only after I finished reading that I realized how much I would have loved to hear Jason’s voice.

It won’t come as a surprise to anyone familiar with these authors and this series when I say that On the Clock was scorchingly hot and a captivating read. Blake and Jason together are more than enough to set (virtual) pages on fire. Add Jared and Tristan to a scene and the heat almost becomes unbearable. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and find myself kind of sad that it is by no means sure there will be more Market Garden books. As far as I’m concerned this series could go on indefinitely.

QUID PRO QUO & TAKE IT OFF by L.A.Witt & Aleksandr Voinov

QUID PRO QUO by L.A. Witt & Aleksandr Voinov

Pages: 43

Date: July 1, 2015

Details: No. 1 Market Garden

Own / Kindle

The blurb:

For the past six months, Jared’s been selling sex at Market Garden, a London club that caters to the better-off. But business is slow in the run-up to Christmas, when businessmen and bankers are too busy bickering over bonuses to rent themselves a little high-class action.

Though Jared’s wallet finds the downtime unnerving, the rest of him rather enjoys the opportunity it gives him to admire Tristan, an old hand in the club whose reputation usually sees him well-booked. Jared has been crushing on Tristan for months—he’s no more immune to Tristan’s cockiness and confidence than the johns, and those are just Tristan’s inner qualities.

Just as Jared’s about to chat Tristan up, a businessman asks for something a little different: he wants to book them both. They agree—and Jared finds himself going from crush to mind-bending lust as he’s made the pawn in a sexual power game. Tristan shows him how a pro handles a john while delivering the top-shelf sex for which the Market Garden is so rightly renowned.

My thoughts:

Well, the first (second, third...) word to spring to mind after reading Quid Pro Quo would be HOT. This story sizzles as do Jarred and Tristan once they come together. And yet, while this very much is a sex-driven story, there is more than in this short tale to give us an intriguing insight into who Jared and Tristan are.

This story is told from Jared’s point of view and I loved watching him while he reconciled the business like arrangement he and Tristan have with Rolex with his developing feelings for and lusting after Tristan.

Tristan and the way he drives both Jared and Rolex insane with his hot game was delightful to read about as were Jared’s thoughts about Tristan’s teasing. I don’t often read books in a series one after the other but I have to make an exception in this case. As far as I know the next book, Take it Off is written from Tristan’s point of view and I can’t wait to find out what’s going through his head while he manipulates Jared and Rolex to mind blowing releases.

****

TAKE IT OFF by L.A. Witt & Aleksandr Voinov

Pages:          38

Date            July 2, 2015

Details:        No. 2 Market Garden

Own / Kindle

The blurb:

Turnabout is foreplay.

High-end Market Garden rentboys Tristan and Jared have found their niche. Men are willing to pay good money to watch Tristan tease Jared, and the two of them seduce London’s elite with sex and power games.

Except Tristan is less and less interested in getting money out of the johns these days. He wants his partner in crime, and he wants the seduction to be real. But is Jared just in this for the pay?

When Rolex, the john who started it all, returns to Market Garden, the boys jump on the opportunity to service him—and each other—for a fresh pile of cash. Rolex isn’t the only one itching for a rematch, though. Jared’s been waiting for a chance to get back at Tristan for teasing him so mercilessly the first time.

And for a former stripper, revenge is a dish best served extra hot.

  

My thoughts:

Posting my thoughts on these two books at the same time is more fun than I imagined it would be, because I completely misjudged where Take it Off would take us. Where I imagined Tristan would once again use his enviable control to drive Jared and Rolex crazy we got the exact opposite. And watching Tristan as he first hands over and subsequently loses control was a thing of incredibly hot beauty.

While both these books basically describe one full length sexual encounter, there is a lot more to these stories. What touched me most was how similar Jared and Tristan’s insecurities are. Just as Jared in the first book wished that Tristan would be interested in him beyond their joined money making potential, Tristan finds himself wishing for some off the clock intimacy with Jared. This may not be a romance in the strictest sense of the word – there is no happy ever after in either of these books – both Quid Pro Quo and Take it Off are romantic tales in that they deal with young men developing feelings for each other almost despite the circumstances they find themselves in. If you are curious how that romance continues you will want to read PayOff (clickety-click for my thoughts). I highly recommend you do just that.

In the meantime I’ll be looking forward to the release of On the Clock later this month. After all the teasing Jared and Tristan have put him through our Rolex more than deserves a happy-ending of his own.

IF IT DRIVES

TITLE: IF IT DRIVES

AUTHORS: ALEKSANDR VOINOV & L.A. WITT

Pages: 221

Date: 27/03/2014

Grade: 5

Details: no. 7 Market Garden

            Received from Riptide Publishing

            Through Love Romances and More

Own / Kindle

The blurb:

“After driving James Harcourt, his wealthy banker boss, around for a year and a half, Cal isn’t surprised by much anymore. Not even James’s regular trips to Market Garden, London’s most elite gay brothel.

But when James leaves the Garden alone one night and turns to Cal instead, Cal’s floored. After crushing on his boss for ages, it’s his wet dream come true . . . until the awkward morning after. Cal still has a job to do, but he wants to offer more. Yet James doesn’t take him up on it; he keeps Cal at arm’s length and continues his chauffeured jaunts to Market Garden.

As Cal learns what James needs from the rentboys, he tries to fill that need himself. But there’s more to James’s penchant for rentboys than Cal realizes, and it may be one role that Cal can’t fill without overstepping his duty.”

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“Very much a Been There, Done it and Got the Whip Coordination to Prove it kind of vibe.”

Cal has been working as James Harcourt’s private driver for 18 months and in most ways it is a job that suits him perfectly. It pays well, comes with housing and leaves him plenty of time for his writing. The only problem Cal faces is that he’s developed feelings for his employer, feelings he could never admit to or act upon. Instead he has to deal with James’ regular visits to the ‘Market Garden’ where the man picks up rentboys to fulfil whatever his needs may be at home.

When a visit to the ‘Market Garden’ ends with James leaving alone, Cal is surprised. When James subsequently invites him into his house and his bed Cal is delighted and worried in same measure. Spending the night with the man who has the centre of all his fantasies is a dream come true. But the morning after is a nightmare. And although Cal would happily build on his one night with James it isn’t long before the visits to the ‘Market Garden’ resume, leaving Cal hurt and confused.

Convinced that James needs something more than he is able to provide, Cal is determined to find out what that something is and learn whatever it takes in order to provide it.

And while James seems to relish the new and improved Cal, something still isn’t right. James keeps his distance and Cal doesn’t know what else to and has to consider that maybe what James needs is more than Cal could ever be.

To say I enjoyed this book would be a gross understatement. Cal and James captured my attention on the first page and refused to let me go until I had read the subsequent 220 pages. I laughed, smiled, frowned and felt my eyes tear up once or twice and enjoyed every single minute of it.

It was impossible to not fall in love with Cal while reading this book. The lengths he’s prepared to go to in order to find out whether or not he can ever be what James needs are breathtaking. Through it all, no matter how heartbroken he is Cam, can’t stop caring for James, wanting to make sure the man is alright even though he knows he should probably forget about him for his own sanity.

This is also an incredibly hot book. I loved the scenes between Cam and James, especially the wonderful balance between dominance and tenderness. 

L.A. Witt and Aleksandr Voinov make it look deceptively easy. Their words flow smoothly, their characters sparkle, the dialogue sounds just right and story seems to tell itself. This book is such a compulsive read that it is tempting to call it an easy story. It was only after I finished the book and reflected on what I had read that it struck me how talented a writer(s) it would take to create a work this compelling. I dare anyone to start this book and not get so engrossed that it is all but impossible to put it down before you’ve reached the end and have found out exactly what happens.

Since I was late to the party as far as ‘The Market Garden’ series is concerned and have been reading titles as they were released I’m left stuck with a wonderful prospect; I may be up to date as far as new releases are concerned, there still are four titles I haven’t read yet. After reading ‘If it Drives’ and getting a glimpse of Nick and Spencer, I think I’ll have to go back and read his story next. ‘If it Flies’ and ‘If it Fornicates’ here I come.

PAYOFF

TITLE: PAYOFF

AUTHOR: L.A Witt & Aleksandr Voinov

Pages: 52

Date: 04/02/2014

Grade: 4+

Details: no.6 Market Garden

            Received from Riptide Publishing

            Through Love Romances and More

Own / Kindle

The blurb:

“Tristan and Jared have got it made. When they aren’t raking in the cash together at Market Garden, they’re burning up their own sheets and getting closer by the day. But something isn’t right. Tristan’s on edge, and Jared doesn’t understand why.

Before Jason can hash things out, their services are requested by none other than Rolex. And Rolex doesn’t just want to be a bystander this time. He wants Jared while Tristan watches, and he’s more than willing to pay for it.

But Tristan’s reached breaking point, and even a huge wad of cash might not be enough to keep tonight’s arrangement from crashing and burning.”

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My thoughts:

It hasn’t been that long since I first discovered L.A. Witt and Aleksandr Voinov, and I’ve spent most of my time since then trying to catch up with their writing. These two authors together create wonderful and very hot stories – although I have to add that their individual novels are equally as good.

This is the second ‘Market Garden’ story I’ve read and I have to admit that I’m falling head over heels for series. At first glance it might appear that maybe the world of rent-boys isn’t the most likely place for love stories. First glances, however, can be deceptive since 'Capture and Surrender'  and ‘PayOff’ most definitely are romances.

Jared and Tristan have been working as a team for a while now and are good at it. Whenever they work a client together they are able to make far more money than they could individually. On top of that the two men have grown close. They share their bodies not only with or for their clients; they find their biggest pleasure in private, just the two of them together for the joy of it.

Lately things haven’t been that great though. Something is troubling Tristan and Jared can’t put his finger on what might be wrong but fears his partner might want to end what they have together. And whatever is wrong with Tristan, he is disinclined to talk about it.

When a favourite client of theirs hires them for the night things come to a head. The man wants to bed Jared while Tristan watches. It is not the first time something like this has been suggested or even delivered, but this time Tristan can’t stand it. Interrupting proceedings may well anger the client and upset Jared, but Tristan can’t deal with the jealousy he feels while watching the man he’s developed feelings for with the client they call Rolex.

What follows is inspired, beautiful, hot and not something I’m inclined to say more about. You should read the book and enjoy it for yourself.

I enjoyed this novella. It is a short and quick read but that doesn’t mean that the reader is short-changed. We are given enough story and insight into the characters to get lost in their feelings. Tristan’s tension and his inner struggle when he finds himself torn between the demands of the job he has loved for so long and his sudden reluctance to share Jared with anyone is palatable. And Jared’s confusion at the sudden and for him inexplicable changes in Tristan is understandable, as is his fear that Tristan might be losing interest in their off-the-job relationship. The scenes that follow once the two men have revealed their feelings to each other were inspired and sexy to the extreme.

I love how these authors have managed to take a setting and subject that might well have been sleazy in the hands of lesser mortals, and create an enticing world filled with interesting and charming characters. Witt and Voinov don’t try to make the rent-boys’ work sound like anything other than what it is. Yet the reader never gets the feeling they’re dealing with something shameful or anything other than recognisable personas with feelings we all experience.

If I have one regret where ‘PayOff' is concerned it is that it wasn’t a little bit longer. Not because the story was rushed, incomplete or unsatisfying. Quite the opposite in fact. This story and the characters in it charmed me so much that it would have been a delight to spend more time with them. Fortunately I haven’t read all the titles in this series yet. One of these days I will find the time to read the ‘Market Garden’ titles I’ve missed and I have no doubt that it will be wonderful reading experience.

CAPTURE & SURRENDER

TITLE: CAPTURE AND SURRENDER

AUTHORS: L.A. WITT & ALEKSANDR VOINOV

Pages: 216

Date: 18/12/2013

Grade: 5

Details: No. 5 Market Garden

              Received from Riptide Publishing

              Through NetGalley

Own/Kindle

The blurb:

“Ever since his partner died, Frank has resigned himself to staying single. He wards off the loneliness by spending time with friends on the paintball field and running his high-end brothel, the Market Garden.

After one of his most lucrative rentboys quits, Frank is thrilled when a gorgeous replacement walks through the door. A former US soldier, Stefan is hot, bold, and perfect for the Market Garden’s clientele, especially those with a thing for camouflage and drill sergeants. He's perfect for Frank, too, except Frank has a rule about not getting involved with his own rentboys.

During a frisky game of paintball, Stefan makes it clear that he doesn't care about the rules. Not the rules of the game, and definitely not Frank's refusal to get involved. He captures Frank on the field using stealth and cunning, and makes it clear that he’ll do anything to keep a hold of him off the field too.”

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I guess it’s time for another gush-fest. Once again I have fallen in love with a story and the characters in it. This story had everything you could possible want from a good erotic romance; a seemingly impossible attraction, justifiable angst, incredibly hot encounters, characters that are easy to identify with despite the setting, laugh out loud humor and issues to make you think.

Frank’s reasons for not being intimate with the men who work for him in The Market Garden are, as far as most people can tell, simple; he doesn’t do relationships with those  who work for him. His other reason – the far more pressing one – is only known to those closest to him and is, on the surface at least, even more legitimate than the explicit one.

All of his reasons don’t stop Frank from being attracted to Stefan the moment he sees him though. Stefan pushes all of Frank’s buttons, and then some, and staying away from the very persistent rentboy is getting harder with every day that passes.

“A seductive top who was into pain and wanted him? This had to be some sort of cosmic practical joke.” – Frank

Stefan’s feelings appear to be the same. From the moment Frank hires him to work in The Market Garden, the younger man seems determined to get close to his boss, refusing to take no for an answer. Even when Frank reveals his real reasons for not being able to get involved, Stefan refuses to back down.

Stefan makes his move during a game of very kinky paintball. It isn’t until he and Frank are alone together that he allows his other side, the one named Brandon, to surface. I loved that distinction between Stefan, the rentboy and Brandon, Frank’s lover and adored the way Frank reacted to both of them.

“You were the only one I set my eyes on before I went out on the field.” – Stefan/Brandon

When Stefan sweeps Frank’s concerns aside, the older man is at first incapable of giving in to the feelings assaulting him; emotions he thought he’d never feel again.

“But even if he was headed for the mother of all car crashes, he couldn’t bring himself to hit the brake with everything he had, not for his sake, not for Brandon’s sake, or Market Garden’s, or sanity or morality, or because it wasn’t fair or even very balanced.” – Frank

But it isn’t long before Frank can no longer deny all the good reasons he has for not getting into a relationship with anyone. And those reasons are even stronger when it comes to Stefan and everything the young man has gone through in the past. My heart broke when Frank decided that it would be easier to end his affair with the man he’s grown to love now, while the relationship is still in its early stages, rather than wait for the pain that seems inevitable if they do stay together.

And here is where I have to admit that at least some of my love for this book has to do with how much I could identify with Frank’s feelings. I was that person telling the one I loved – the man who loved and still loves me – to walk away. I have gone through the thought process that bring you to that conclusion and have felt the relief that follows when all your concerns are swept aside. I know I would have loved this book if I didn’t identify with one of the characters to such an extent; I’m equally sure that the recognition added a shine to my affection for this book and its two main characters.

“The tenderness, the humor, the banter, that caring, all of that swirled in his head and soul and body with the lust, the need, the relief, and the sheer joy of it. Love. Love could be all those things, and it was as real as truth, as real as breath.”

Just in case I’ve made this sound like a heavy and depressing story filled with kinky sex and angst, let me put your mind at ease. There are quite a few tender moments in this book and scenes depicting wonderful friendships. Add to that a good dose of humor as well, and you have a book that takes you from heart-wrenching angst to laugh out loud funny; the best possible combination. And there was one line I may well have to memorize:

“You say grace to anyone, it’s Saint Emily O’Malley of the Sisters of Infinite Patience with Obnoxious Men.”

In fact there is only one downside to this book, a drawback directly related to how much I loved this story; now I have to go back and read all the previous titles. As if I haven’t enough ‘must read as soon as possible’ titles and authors on my list.

“Remember what it felt like to love someone so much it hurt? Yeah. That.”