Title: Asylum
Series: N/A
Author: Piper Vaughn
Genre: MM / Contemporary
Length: Novelette (17,000 words)
Publisher: Piping Hot Books (February 23rd, 2013)
Reviewer: Thommie
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥3.5~4Hearts
Blurb: Johnny Cairo is known as the Scaremaster. He works for Fear Asylum, his father’s traveling haunted house, and makes his living terrifying people. But Johnny has never frightened easily himself. That is, until he wakes up in the middle of the night and finds his best friend’s younger brother in his bed. Naked.
Johnny’s fought against his attraction to Brennan for years, worried that giving in to it will lead to losing the friendship he shares with Brennan’s older brother, Eddie. As much as he fights it, though, the lure of having Brennan in his bed proves too hard to resist. They start an affair that’s supposed to be no-strings-attached, but Johnny’s persistent denial of the growing feelings between them leads to a rift that might not be mendable. Then an accident at Fear Asylum nearly costs Johnny the one thing he holds dear, and he learns that while his nickname might be the Scaremaster, he knows next to nothing about real fear.
Product Link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/288931
Review: This very quick story is perhaps a study in seduction. Loved it and mostly loved Brennan. His insistence was hilarious having poor Johnny scrambling for some semblance of sanity.
Johnny has crushing on Brennan for years, but Brennan being his best friend’s younger brother complicated things. Johnny has no intention of jeopardizing his friendship due to lust. While working on the Fear Asylum and keeping an eye on Brennan for his friend’s sake, Johnny fails to realize how much Brennan has really grown up. That is until one night he finds Brennan in his bed. So yes, Johnny is shocked and that keeps him from reacting and turning Brennan down… the first night. The second night he’s determined to do so, but Brennan kisses him and well, his brain melts and the third and the forth…
But eventually Johnny gets a grip in his sanity that seems to be escaping him lately and turns the young man down. A bit harsh, admittedly, but the result is the same. Problem is Johnny never thought that he’d be missing Brennan this much and the very idea of losing him forever hits the target when an accident occurs and the very possibility that Brennan with leave forever knocks on the door.
The story was very sweet and sexy. As I said I loved Brennan. He was cute and persistent even when it hurt him. And Johnny, oh dear, poor guy lost his mind. It happens, of course, but reading it just brought memories and made me smile.
Problem is that it was too short of a story and left some questions behind. First off, I have no idea how old Johnny is. Brennan is twenty and calls Johnny “old man” at some point, but I’d love to have a clearer view. And the story being so short left no room for emotions to develop. Yes, the lust was almost tangible and the intensity of the guys’ lovemaking nearly there, but that desperation for me was due to a long longing and the fact that nothing was secure between them. I’d have loved if this story was a bit longer and gave us some more “quality” time with the guys.
As it was, it was sexy and fun enough and a quite enjoyable read. The writing was easy-going and I literally inhaled it. If you’re up for this kind of read I totally recommend it.
p.s.
This is definitely one of those stories I’d love a sequel to come by and give us a bit more. It’d be such a shame for Johnny and Brennan to end here.
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