Endings and Beginnings by KC Wells and Parker Williams - Pre-Release Review

Pages: 350

Date: July 17, 2016

Details: Collars & Cuffs # 8

            ARC received from author

E-book

The blurb:

In all his relationships, Darren Fielding never found the level of intimacy he witnessed between Thomas Williams and his sub, Peter, the day of Peter’s “rebirth.” Not only that, he never realized such intimacy was possible. For two years, Thomas’s business card has been burning a hole in his wallet. When Darren’s lover moves on, maybe it’s finally time to see where that card takes him.

Collars & Cuffs’ new barman, JJ Taylor, is really conflicted right now. He went to the club with a very specific purpose, already convinced of what he’d find there. Except it’s not what he expected at all. He certainly didn’t anticipate finding himself drawn to the new wannabe Dom. Nor could he have guessed the direction that attraction would lead him.

Old love, new love, vows, pain, rage, moving in, moving on…. The members of Collars & Cuffs face an event that touches some of them deeply, but it will only reinforce what they already know: together they are stronger, and some bonds cannot be broken. 

My thoughts:

So we all know I don’t do re-reads. And yet here I am, just after finishing the re-read of a book I beta-read not too long ago. And I enjoyed every single word of it. In fact I’m so glad I took the time to read this story again I may have to reassess my ‘no re-reads’ rule.

Last books in a much loved series are always a scary prospect. Of course I want to know how the story is going to end, what the universe I’ve gotten so attached to will look like when I have to say goodbye for the last time. But on the other side is the reluctance to end what has been an amazing, thrilling and exhilarating love affair with a world and characters that have become so real it feels as if they’re part of my life.

But, the main thread of this story is the coming together of JJ and Darren. JJ has gotten the job in Collars & Cuffs for reasons that have nothing to do with a taste for BDSM, but the reasons he thought he had soon turn out to be founded on nothing besides wishful thinking on his part, and between the interactions he observes in the club and meeting Darren, he soon discovers that BDSM does indeed hold charms he’d been previously unaware of.

Darren is an all round decent—not to be confused with boring because Darren hasn’t got a boring bone in his body—guy. He’s been flirting with the idea of BDSM ever since he witnessed an intimate scene between Thomas and Peter, but it takes meeting JJ to send him on his path. Something about the younger man awakens Darren’s instincts to take care and protect. And even JJ initially refusing to be helped and distrusting his motives doesn’t deter Darren.

JJ has issues with trust, HUGE issues with trust, and it will take patience, care, love, and unconditional honesty on Darren’s part before JJ can truly accept that he has found the love and safety he’s always longed for.

While the main story line in this book belongs to Darren and JJ, every other couple we’ve come to love over the years makes an appearance. Their stories may have been told in previous titles, but that doesn’t mean their lives ended when their books did. Loose ends are tied up, things hinted at in the past come to fruition, and happy endings become even happier.

As such, I’m not sure what my favourite parts of this book were. As much as I enjoyed Darren and JJ’s journey, I couldn’t help being delighted every time the story stepped away from them for a moment, allowing me to spend time with Alex and Leo, Peter and Thomas, Scott and Ben, Pietro and Miles, Jarod and Eli and Jeff and Damian. Those moments, combined with the ups and downs of JJ and Darren's journey, brought me smiles, made me laugh and brought tears to my eyes, both of the happy and sad variety. I have to be honest and admit that both times I finished the book I felt as if I’d been put through an emotional wringer, but in the best possible way.

And so the story has reached its finale, because all good things must come to an end(ing). But don’t despair too hard. The clue is in the title, Endings and Beginnings. Or as Eli says it:

“This might be the ending of one story, but I promise you, it’s the beginning of another”

The ‘beginning’ of what exactly is for me to know and for you to find out when you read this wonderful book. I couldn’t possibly reveal all the secrets here. J

Buy links:

Dreamspinner          Amazon         Amazon UK                      Are

Dom of Ages by K.C. Wells & Parker Williams: Promo, Review and a Very Special Offer

DOM OF AGES by K.C. Wells & Parker Williams

Pages: 282

Release date: December 21, 2015

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Details: No. 7 Collars & Cuffs

The blurb:

Eli may only be thirty, but he has had enough of pretend submissives. When he spies Jarod in a BDSM club, everything about the man screams submission. So what if Jarod is probably twenty years older than Eli. What does age matter, anyway? All he can see is what he’s always wanted—a sub who wants to serve.

Jarod spent twenty-four years with his Master before Fate took him. Four years on, Jarod is still lost, so when a young Dom takes charge, Jarod rolls with it and finds himself serving again. But he keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop. Because there’s going to come a point when Eli realizes he’s a laughing stock in the club. Who would want to be seen with a fifty-year-old sub?

After several missteps, Eli realizes that in order to find happiness, they will need friends who will understand. At a friend’s insistence, he visits Collars & Cuffs, where they are met with open arms. As they settle in to their new life, Eli begins to see things differently and he dares to think he can have it all. Until a phone call threatens to take it all away….

My thoughts:

It started some time ago, but ever since I was first introduced to the Collars and Cuffs universe and all the men who inhabit it, I’ve been hooked. In fact it’s been more than that. Every single book has seen me fall in love with the main characters in it while the feelings I already had for the men I had met in previous titles grew stronger and deeper.

Dom of Ages is no exception to that rule. I fell as hard and as deeply for Eli and Jarod as I’ve done for all the others. These two men took me for an emotional ride from the first chapter until the very last word. It would have been impossible not to feel Jarod’s pain and despair. Getting older isn’t easy for anyone, but how much harder must it be when you’re part of a culture where youth and beauty appear to set the standard. Especially if you find yourself starting from scratch after a dramatic loss has ended a twenty-four year relationship that was your whole world.

Eli is a far more straightforward or maybe I should say less complex character than Jarod. And that is perfect. Jarod needs that calm in his life; a rock, strong enough to support him and stable enough to ground him when his fears and insecurities threaten to overtake him. And before you think all these qualities might make Eli a boring character, let me reassure you; he is a delight to read about and the most charmingly flawed character I have encountered in a book in a very long time.

When the story starts Jerod is a recluse, convinced his life ended when his Master died and sure he is just too old to ever serve another. What is heartbreaking is that the thought of friendships doesn’t even cross his mind. His journey until he reaches the point where he realises he is valued and loved, not just by Eli but also by the others he meets at Collars and Cuffs, was a pure joy to read.

What I love about this series is that not only does each book focus on a different aspect of BDSM they also deal with more general issues. In this case we’re looking at grief, a twenty year age difference and the frailties with resulting from getting older. And while BDSM may only be a theoretical indulgence for some readers, the other issues are ones we’re all familiar with in one way or another, making it very easy to get wrapped up in the stories and attached to the characters.

It goes without saying that this book, like its predecessors was smoothly written, a captivating read and incredibly hot. Jerod and Eli smoulder together regardless of whether they engage in a ‘simple’—if there is such a thing—kiss or a full blown scene. And those scenes, as always, are vivid and imaginative. Did I mention ‘hot’?

Most of the time I’m not a very emotional reader; I get chocked up at times, but I rarely cry. There was one scene in Dom of Ages during which I had to stop reading because I couldn’t see the words any more for the tears. And strange as it may sound, that wasn’t a scene centred around Jarod and Eli—although they have plenty of very touching scenes too. I’m not going to mention anything else about it except to say that this one scene lifted the book from very good to amazing. I’m convinced all Collars and Cuffs fans are going to be elated after they’ve read this book. And while I’m sad to think that the next one will be the last in the series, I also can’t wait to read it. I’ve got a feeling we’ve just been prepared for a glorious finale.  

Buy links:

Amazon                 Amazon UK            Dreamspinner Press                   ARe

A Very Special Offer

If you haven’t read the Collar & Cuffs books yet, or if you need to catch up with the series, Dreamspinner Press has a not to be missed offer for you. The first six books in the series are only $1 from December 21 – 25.

About the authors:

Born and raised in the north-west of England, K.C. WELLS always loved writing. Words were important. Full stop. However, when childhood gave way to adulthood, the writing ceased, as life got in the way. K.C. discovered erotic fiction in 2009, when the purchase of a ménage storyline led to the startling discovery that reading about men in love was damn hot. In 2012, arriving at a really low point in life led to the desperate need to do something creative. An even bigger discovery waited in the wings--writing about men in love was even hotter.... 

K.C. now writes full-time and is loving every minute of her new career. The laptop still has no idea of what hit it... it only knows that it wants a rest, please. And it now has to get used to the idea that where K.C goes, it goes. 

And as for those men in love that she writes about? The list of stories just waiting to be written is getting longer... and longer....

K.C. loves to hear from readers. 
E-mail: k.c.wells@btinternet.com 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KCWellsWorld 
Twitter: @K_C_Wells 
Website: http://www.kcwellsworld.com

***

Parker Williams believes that everyone deserves a chance at happily ever after. He also knows that it seldom comes without a price tag.

He writes men who are flawed, but redeemable by love - usually.

He writes m/m romance in several sub-genres, but one thing remains consistent: Love is power, no matter who you're in love with.

AN UNLOCKED HEART by K.C. Wells

AN UNLOCKED HEART by K.C. Wells

 

Pages: 298

Date: December 1, 2015

Details: No. 1 Collars & Cuffs

Paperback / Own

The blurb:

Since the death of his submissive lover two years ago, Leo hasn’t been living—merely existing. He focuses on making Collars & Cuffs, a BDSM club in Manchester’s gay village, successful. That changes the night he and his business partner have their weekly meeting at Severinos. Leo can’t keep his eyes off the new server. The shy man seems determined to avoid Leo’s gaze, but that’s like a red rag to a bull. Leo loves a challenge.

Alex Daniels works at Severinos to scrape together the money to move out on his own. He struggles with coming out, but he’s drawn to Leo, the gorgeous guy with the icy-blue eyes who’s been eating in his area nearly every night.

Leo won’t let Alex’s hesitance get in the way. He even keeps him away from the club so as not to scare him. And as for telling Alex that Leo is a Dom? Not a good idea. One date becomes two, but date two leads to Leo’s bedroom… and Alex discovers things about himself he never realized—and never wanted anyone to see.

My thoughts:

Confession time.

The first Collars & Cuffs book I ever read was Dance with Domination, the fourth title in the series. I adored the book and determined to read the prequels as soon as possible. And then other new releases distracted me. I read Damian’s Discipline, Make Me Sour and recently Dom of Ages (review to follow), and still I hadn’t gone back to read the first three books.

As I write this, the authors of these books are working on the last title in the Collars & Cuffs series and I’ve decided that I HAVE to have read all the earlier titles before I reach the end of this amazing story.

It is funny business going back to the first book in a series when you’ve already read later storylines. I know these men, probably better than I should, maybe even better than the authors did when they wrote An Unlocked Heart. Before I started reading I was afraid that might spoil this reading experience for me, but the opposite turned out to be true. The feelings I had while reading this book were those you get when a couple you’ve known for a while decides they know and trust you well enough to tell you all about how they ended up together. By the time they stop talking you feel even closer to them than you did before. And that’s exactly how I felt when I finished reading this book; two characters I’d already grown to love had crawled their way even deeper into my heart.

The blurb tells you all you need to know about the story so I’m going to limit myself to those details that really grabbed me.

Leo has been on his own, with no desire to connect with another man for two years when he sets eyes on Alex. In the hands of a lesser author this might have led to chapter after chapter of soul searching and Leo feeling guilty because he was ‘betraying’ his deceased lover. K.C. Wells gave Leo a different journey. After two years the edge has worn off his grief and while he may not know it yet, he is ready to reconnect and love again. His journey to the moment when he realises he’s found exactly who and what he needs in his life, is a thing of beauty.

Alex’s journey is equally breath-taking. This shy young man blossoms under the influence of Leo’s attention. Submitting to Leo doesn’t diminish Alex; it makes him stronger—grow into himself. It is a gradual, slow, almost imperceptible and yet undeniable process. Alex doesn’t do a 180. He is true to himself all the way throughout the story (and the series), he just becomes comfortable with who he is and watching him get there filled me with joy.

There is a reason I love K.C. Well’s books so much. She strikes exactly the right balance between angst and relief for me. The emotions her characters experience ring true and are recognisable even though these are gay men and I—clearly—am neither gay nor male. J

Oh dear, I’m so caught up in all the feels this book gave me, I’m completely forgetting to mention how incredibly hot it is. Whether Leo and Alex engage in a BDSM scene or tender love making, they smoulder; especially because it’s always obvious it is about more than ‘just’ sex for both of them.

 Without fail, K.C. Wells pulls me into her stories within a page or two and keeps me emerged until I’ve read the very last word. I want to live in the world she created. I want to meet these men and give them hugs. It is time to admit that I have, some time ago, fallen head over heels in love with the men who populate the Collars & Cuffs universe.

Make Me Soar by K.C. Wells

MAKE ME SOAR by K.C. Wells

 

Pages:          290

Date:           June 8, 2015

Details:        no. 6 Collars & Cuffs

                   Copy received from author

E-book

The blurb:

“Anyone who frequents Collars & Cuffs knows Dorian Forrester is built for pain, including Dorian himself. But everyone has it wrong. For six years, Dorian’s chased a feeling that remains tantalizingly out of his reach. Unteachable, Dorian can take anything and everything a Dom can throw at him. Still, it’s not enough. Dorian needs… something more. Something he won’t find at Collars & Cuffs.

Dorian’s search takes him out of the safe environment he’s known for years, out of his depth, and into a realm of deep, dark trouble. 

Alan Marchant has been watching Dorian with interest for a while and knows there’s more to Dorian than his label of “pain slut” suggests. When Dorian disappears, Alan and his friend, Leo, set out to find him. But the disoriented young man discovered cowering in a hotel room is not the Dorian they know and love. That Dorian is shattered. It’s up to Alan to pick up the pieces and show Dorian there are better ways to fly.

They may be off on a new journey together, but their destination will rock them both to the core.”

My thoughts:

“He wanted something he hadn’t seen yet. He wanted Dorian to be happy.”

If there is such a thing as the ultimate love story, I may have just finished reading it. I half dreaded starting this book after I read the blurb. I had visions of Dorian broken and shattered and the long and painful journey he had ahead of him and I feared the angst I thought he’d have to go through before reaching happiness again. And while angst may no longer be a hard limit for me, it still is and will probably always be a soft one.

K.C. Wells managed to surprise me. Yes Dorian is broken and shattered after his nightmare in Berlin but this is not a story about Dorian’s demise. This is a story about the healing powers of love. This is a story about selflessness, about growth, about being open to learning new things about yourself and not running away from what you discover. This is the story about a Dom, Alan, giving his all in order to not only restore Dorian to who he used to be but help him become the man he was always supposed to be and Dorian doing the same thing for Alan in return.

This story, the developing feelings and relationship between these two men took my breath away time and again. I may have audibly sighed on several occasions while reading Make Me Soar. And no, that wasn’t necessarily during the sex scenes although I have to admit those were rather special and very hot.

This book gave me all the feels, culminating in the moment Dorian soars for the very first time, which brought tears of happiness to my eyes.

I could easily go on in this vein for much longer and give you a long list of specific examples of moments when Alan and Dorian touched my heart but I won’t. You want to experience those moments for yourself and luxuriate in the sheer beauty of them. My only warning when it comes to this book is this: make sure you’ve nothing else planned for the day you start reading Make Me Soar because once you start it is next to impossible to put the book down again.

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.