Fractures (Damon & Pete: Playing with Fire #5) by Tantalus

Buy link: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Available on KU

Blurb

Pete doesn’t know where he stands when Damon’s ex, Michael, turns up out of the blue.

Talk about bad timing.

Damon had thought his wounds long since healed. Yeah, right.

So where do they go from here?

Review

Damon and Pete’s story may have started as pure kink in the first book, Summer Heat, but over the course of the subsequent four books things changed. I like to think those changes took both men by surprise. I don’t think either of them was thinking long term, never mind relationships when that first encounter took place and yet…when Fractures starts both of them have reached the stage where they are ready for more than the occasional hook-up. Or so they think.

Do not get me wrong; this series is pretty much about the sex and various kinks and there’s plenty of it in all five books, culminating in a breath-taking and surprisingly moving public scene in Fractures. But, there is more to these stories than ‘just’ sexy-times. It happens almost imperceptibly, but as the tale continues we get to know these two men, understand why they are so good together, and watch as they, almost by accident, fall into something resembling a relationship.

For me the beauty of Fractures was twofold. As with the previous tales I just loved the hot scenes these two men engage in. But, I think I appreciated the opportunity we are given to get to know Damon better—discover what (or who) has made him the man he is—even more.

Not that this is a particularly heavy or angsty story. There’s just enough ‘conflict’ to flesh Damon out, make him truly three-dimensional, but nothing in these shorts is allowed to distract the reader from the heated passion between him and Pete for more than a few paragraphs or pages.

I feel I should add that the scene Pete and Damon engage in in Fractures is not for the squeamish. It is very graphic and properly hardcore. It is also one of the most intimate and beautiful scenes I’ve read in a long time. Who knew so much tenderness could be found in something that, on the surface, seems shocking, maybe even obscene?

It is no (longer a) secret that Tantalus is K.C. Wells’ alter ego, so it shouldn’t surprise anybody when I say that these stories are well written and thoroughly researched. Nor should it come as a shock when I say that Damon and Pete are vivid characters who quickly worm their way into your heart. And every Wells fan knows that her sex scenes are off the charts hot. The only difference is that these books take ‘hot’ to a whole new level.

Related reviews: Summer Heat | After | Consequences| Limits

Limits by Tantalus

Damon & Pete – Playing With Fire #4

10.900 words

Buy Links: Amazon   Amazon UK

The blurb

Pete finally gets to go to the Folsom Street Fair.
It's a weekend for exploring his limits.
But ultimately it's Damon's limits that are challenged....

My thoughts

As stated above, this is the fourth short story / chapter in Damon and Pete’s story. We’ve followed them as they moved from what could have been a single, very hot and kinky, encounter to discovering that there might be a lot more for the two of them to explore as well as a growing bond between them.

In this instalment they take Pete’s introduction into the world of BDSM a long way further. Preparations for and subsequently attending the Folsom Street Fair reveals that Pete’s appetite for submission and kink goes further than Damon could have dreamed it might. As a result, their kinky day out is not just about discovering what Pete’s limits might be, because it turns out that Damon has a limit or two of his own when it comes to his boy.

As limits are pushed and feelings deepen it seems that Pete and Damon are on their way to establishing a wonderful dynamic and relationship until a ghost from his past shows up on Damon’s doorstep leaving both the characters and the reader to wonder what this might mean for the fledgling bond between them.

So, to start with what for me was the bad news, this story ends on a cliff hanger and I’m not a fan of those. Having said that, as cliff hangers go, this is a good one; I can’t deny it left me on the edge of my seat and very impatient for the next instalment in this tale. I find myself totally invested in Damon and Pete and can’t wait to find out what this latest development will mean for them and how they’ll overcome whatever obstacles they may encounter. Of course, I do need those answers soon (are you listening, author dearest?).

If you like your fiction kinky and enjoy stories in which sexy times are the main focus without neglecting feelings and growing affection, I can’t recommend the Playing With Fire stories enough. The characters are intriguing, their interactions fun and extremely hot, and the writing is smooth and a pleasure to read—what’s not to love.

My thoughts about the earlier instalments:

Summer Heat           After             Consequences

An interview with Tantalus, aka K.C. Wells….

I’m delighted to welcome Tantalus, also—or should I say, better—known as K.C. Wells to my blog today. Followers of my reviews will be aware that I’ve been a huge fan of the stories written by Tantalus so far, but I have to say the alter ego did arouse my curiosity. I’m over the moon to have all my questions answered today and to be able to share those answers with all of you.

So, without further ado:

1.   Okay, so I suppose the first question has to be… why did you feel there was a need to create an alter ago?

The simple answer is, I had ideas for books that I didn’t think readers of K.C. Wells’ books would be happy with. Take the Collars & Cuffs series as an example. The whole series is centered on the theme of Love. Yes, it’s a BDSM series, but the scenes are not hardcore, the couples are committed… and yes, there’s a lot of romance and lots of HEA’s. Some friends of mine have suggested that my books are… ‘fluffy’.

And then there’s Leather & Kink…

This is a series I’ve wanted to write for a long time. The idea came to me after reading Mr. Benson by John Preston. I wanted to write a BDSM book that was grittier, rawer, showing relationships that some readers wouldn’t be happy about. A book that got down and dirty, I suppose you could say.  And definitely NOT fluffy.

So… I created Tantalus for that purpose. Since then, I’ve had ideas for a lot more stories, some of them breaking taboos.

2.   At first you didn’t tell anyone you were Tantalus. Why not?

At the time, there was a plethora of authors coming out with ‘Hey, guess what? I’m not who you think I am’ statements. So I kept quiet. It wasn’t until I met with a bunch of MM authors that I broached the idea of ‘coming out’ as Tantalus. They all thought it would go down well. So in January, I ‘fessed up.

LOL. I’ve seen some reviews expressing the opinion that they hadn’t known K.C. Wells could be so dirty…. [blushes]

3.   I was going to ask about that… What has Tantalus written so far?

I started with a short erotic story, Summer Heat, about two neighbors who made a bet – and what happened when Pete lost to Damon. It was about 5.5K words, and absolutely nothing like my usual writing. This was Erotica.

As I got to the end, I realized it couldn’t stop there. So then came After, where Pete turns the tables on Damon.

When I wrote Summer Heat, I had no idea where it was going. You didn’t get to learn anything about Pete and Damon, apart from the fact that Pete is obviously submissive, and Damon is definitely Dominant. But in After, there was a hint about Damon’s past, and we learn that he was hurt by someone.

Consequences, the third instalment in the Damon & Pete: Playing with Fire series – yep, it’s now a series – was nothing like the first two. More about the characters, and an unexpected turn…

I’m writing the fourth instalment, Limits, at the moment.

4.   And what will Tantalus be writing in the future?

Well, the first book in the Leather & Kink series is already planned – Learning the Notes. There will be others, including one set in the late seventies, early eighties…

There’s a taboo story waiting patiently to be written, too.

Thank you for stopping by today. I’m guessing it’s fair to say that Tantalus is well and truly out of the closet now.

About the books:

Summer Heat (Damon & Pete: Playing with Fire #1)

Pete and his hunky bear of a neighbour, Damon, are always competing about something. So when Damon makes a bet on the outcome of their next poker game, Pete is up for it, even if the terms are a little…unusual.

If Damon wins, he gets to do Whatever. He. Wants.

Only thing is, Pete has no idea that Damon has a dark side…

Buy link:       Amazon

Review Link:  Summer Heat

After (Damon & Pete: Playing with Fire #2)

Damon hasn't had many curveballs thrown his way, and when life manages this, he can usually dodge them.

But not this one.

This one bites him - right in the rear end.

Someone should have warned him.

Payback is a bitch.

WARNING: hot man-on-man action and dubious consent

Buy link:       Amazon

Review link:  After

Consequences (Damon & Pete: Playing with Fire #3)

Pete knew there'd be payback and he's ready to take his punishment. But what Damon comes up with is so not what he expected...

Buy link:       Amazon

Review link:  Consequences

And…In the Tantalus pipeline:

Limits (Damon & Pete: Playing with Fire #4)

Pete finally gets to go to the Folsom Street Fair.

It's a weekend for exploring his limits.

But ultimately it's Damon's limits that are challenged....

Learning the Notes

Steven Torland is about to reach his fiftieth birthday, and to celebrate the occasion, his publicist decides it’s time someone wrote a biography of the famous composer and musician. When writer Kyle Mann is approached with the idea, he’s flattered and he leaps at the chance. It will be his first biography. The idea of spending six months getting to know Steven and researching his history excites him, but there is the added frisson that Steven is sexy as hell. Kyle has always had a thing for older men, and it’s no secret that Steven is gay. In his heart Kyle knows it’s just a fantasy, but he can still dream, right?

It doesn’t take Steven long to realize he wants Kyle in his bed, and Steven usually gets what he wants. But Kyle proves to be more than a convenient fuck. There’s something about him that leads Steven to think maybe it’s time to let Kyle see the real Steven Torland, the one who frequents San Francisco’s leather bars. Steven aims to take things nice and slow, because he doesn’t want this one to get away. He wants its all – a lover in his life and a boy in his bed – and he wants to see just how far he can push Kyle, and what Kyle is prepared to do to please him.

Kyle has no idea how his life is about to change….

Consequences by Tantalus

Short Story

# 3 Damon & Pete, Playing With Fire

E-book

The blurb:

Pete knew there'd be payback and he's ready to take his punishment. But what Damon comes up with is so not what he expected...

My thoughts:

First things first. While I label Consequences a short story, calling this the third instalment in a serial would have been just as accurate. There are no two ways about it, if you are going to read Consequences, you’ll have to read Summer Heat and After first. Not that I think that would be a hardship, mind you. J

To say Consequences surprised me would be an understatement. This book takes the story in a direction neither Pete nor this reader expected. Then again, I’m not sure even Damon saw this coming when he set events in motion in the first book, Summer Heat.

I really don’t want to say too much about it, because the surprise I got was one of the things I really loved about this book. I’m always delighted when I think I know where a book will be taking me, only for the story to go in a different direction altogether. The first half of this instalment most definitely did that.

Of course there were also parts to this story that were exactly what I expected them to be. This is once again a very hot, sensual and sexy tale. Damon sure knows how to create explosive heat between himself and Pete, just as he is an expert at keeping both the reader and Pete guessing as to what he might be up to this time.

What I like best about the way this tale is unfolding is that despite it being an erotic tale, the two main characters are definitely taking shape, both on the page and in my imagination. They are by now far more than just two hot bodies coming together. Instalment by instalment we get to know Pete and Damon better and I have to say, I like what I’m seeing.

I’m overjoyed that the author has already started on the next chapter in Damon and Pete’s ongoing saga. I’ll impatiently wait until the moment I’ll be able to spend more time with these two sexy men.

Buy Links:

Amazon         Amazon UK