Category: Disabled

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Getting It Right by AM Arthur

Carina Press Presents:  http://ebooks.carinapress.com/6D174924-1060-4B31-8A76-1BD338605A4E/10/134/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=6683E311-33F0-4252-B4A8-2E5502D530A5

getting it rightBlurb

Detective Nathan Wolf might just be a junior detective, but he tackles every case with the passion that he lacks in his personal life. A series of failed relationships with women has left him still single at thirty-four—because he’s too scared to admit to his longtime crush on his best friend James.
Dr. James Taggert likes to keep his profession as a psychiatrist separate from his party-animal persona. Known around the gay clubs as Tag, he’s the guy who screws them, leaves them, and never looks back. But James’s drinking is getting heavier, and when bad memories from the past resurface, he’s close to becoming the worst version of himself.

After a drunken blackout ends in a hot and heavy make-out session with his very straight best friend, James has no memory of the steamy affair. But Nathan isn’t sorry for the kisses that James can’t remember. Nathan finally musters the courage to tell James how he really feels, but a life-altering event might force them apart before they can ever be together.

Review

James is an alcoholic psychiatrist who is dealing with his own tragic past by living at the bottom of a bottle and mindlessly hooking up in bars.

At first Nathan is a just James’ best friend who may or may not be sexually interested in James (his first and only man-crush) but then he gets attacked and now he’s also suffering from PTSD.

There are also some secondary characters who are going through A LOT of really bad stuff and this stuff gets interwoven into James and Nate’s story as well.

Nate and James dance around their attraction and then finally commit to trying things out, but there are still obstacles to be overcome.

In the end we get a pretty solid HEA.

**

This was my first book by this author and I’m not sure if this is representative of all her work or not, but for me it was way too much angst and not enough fluffy, sappy, loving to reward me for living through the drama.

I did NOT like the fact that James is a black-out drunk to the point that he has some questionable sexual encounters of dubious consent, especially AFTER he and Nate are beginning to hook up with one another.  Because I couldn’t really like James (he’s a shrink who can’t realize he’s an alcoholic?  Sure, he’s in denial, but really??) I didn’t like him for Nate.

I liked Nate well enough, but thought his straight to gay-for-James was a little bit too quick given all the other drama in his life.

The smexy times were great, but it bothered me that James was seen (on page) with Elliott, too.

Perhaps this is a more “real” type romance in that life isn’t always kittens and rainbows, but for me, I look for books that are chock full of glittery-unicorn-rainbow-filled-love-fests and when those moments happen after an angst filled journey they are the highest reward.  In this case I got the angst but not nearly enough romance to compensate.

The writing was good and the story was interesting, but I was so tired of the drama by the end that I was honestly glad to see the story over.

Writing/Editing  4

Romance  2

Sex/Heat   4

Storyline  2

World Building/Characterizations  2

2.8 of 5 hearts

3

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Caged Sanctuary-Tempest O’Riley

Published by Dreamspinner Press

Kaden Thorn, a dental surgeon who lives a quiet life, has no hope of finding the love he craves. A vicious gay bashing cost him the use of his legs and confined him to a wheelchair. He has given up hope of finding a Dom or even a non-kink partner to love him. When his best friend practically forces him to attend a dinner party, the last thing he expects is a strong Dom who can see beyond his wheels.

Deacon James is an architect and a demanding Dom, but he has spent the past couple of years without a sub or partner. When an employee invites him to a dinner party to meet his girlfriend, Deacon smells a setup but agrees anyway. He prides himself on being an excellent judge of character, and when he meets the younger dentist, he sees past the chair and finds a sweet submissive man who more than piques his interest.

Kade’s fears and demons continue to haunt him, challenging Deacon to use everything he’s learned as a Dom to earn Kade’s trust and submission. Deacon’s determined, though, willing to battle all of it to have Kade by his side and at his feet.

I really liked the direction the author took with the book, I truly did, but something about this story felt a little off to me. The characters were actually pretty good, the story was nice, but the feel of it felt a bit Harlequin-esque. The Dom was way too stuffy and formal. I can’t put my finger on it, but this story felt as if it should’ve been in a different time period almost like it should have been one of those Harlequin historical romances.   

I loved the idea that this author had a disabled sub. I think she did a really good job of showing that the wheelchair didn’t take anything away from his desirability.  

Okay, moving along…the book had quite a few nice sex scenes. The author did a lovely job of being creative with the sex with respect to Kade being in a wheelchair.

Now, these men and their relationship was sweet and perfect. Too perfect, in fact, and it moved way too fast for me. I’m not one to go for a snail’s pace, but I felt that the pace could’ve been a bit slower.  Everything fell into place way too quickly for me; there was no natural progression, if you will. I found it hard to believe that Kade would trust Deacon so quickly after meeting him, especially given his past.  Also, I felt that these men should’ve had more…flaws. They were just way too perfect! Almost…formal with each other. They were way too serious with each other. I know that BSDM isn’t that serious all the time, surely the Dom and his sub are playfully affectionate with each other?  They took themselves way too seriously, they were more focused on making the D/s relationship absolutely perfect and relationships are anything but. These men were definitely the poster guys for BSDM perfection.

In all, this book was good, but I felt it could’ve been better. The author’s writing style is nice, the characters well thought out and dialog neat. I just wish that the book would’ve been better if she got the characters to loosen up a bit.  The author should’ve…I don’t know, gone for it. I just felt like she was holding back just a bit with these characters and her writing. 

Would I recommend this story? Sure, I would. It was nice. I would definitely like to read more of her work. I just hope that she’s not as ‘buttoned up’ in her other books. This was a good read.

Rating:❤️❤️❤️❤️