Bonds of Denial by Lynda Aicher

18478646Title: Bonds of Denial

Series: Wicked Play #5

Author: Lynda Aicher

Genre: Erotic Romance (M/M)

Length: Novel (Kindle Edition, 281 pages)

ASIN: B00GKBHJJ8

Publisher: Carina Press (February 3rd, 2014)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥ 3 Hearts

Reviewer: Thommie

Blurb:It’s been twenty years since Rockford Fielding’s father punished him for kissing another boy. Now a grown man with a military career behind him, Rock continues to deny his true desires, even while working security at The Den, the most decadent sex club in town. But after a year of watching gorgeous Carter Montgomery come and go on the arms of other men, Rock can no longer resist the cravings he’s denied for so long.

Carter has just four months left on his contract with an escort agency, and he doesn’t know whether to feel relieved or afraid. Being an escort is all he knows. Adding to his confusion is the way his latest client, the sexy but stoic Rock, makes him feel things he hasn’t wanted in years.

One charmingly awkward date turns into two and soon the men are meeting off the clock. But with Rock in the closet and Carter unsure how to pursue a real relationship, how can they build a future both in and out of the bedroom?

Purchase Link: http://ebooks.carinapress.com/E77FB369-2F15-4EBF-BC84-BB5B2CCA73C0/10/134/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=C3E00577-BB2A-44A9-AF5B-882B181CF01E

Review: After having read Bonds of Desire, I really wanted to have a go at this title as well. After all, how could I deny myself the story of Carter and the mysterious Rock? I thought at first that with Carter being a rent-boy and Rock the security for The Den this was going to be BDSM related, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the author taking it on a completely different area and going strictly for erotic romance. So let me give you the main idea for the set up and who’s who in the background.

The Den is an exclusive BDSM club and has recently become multi-partnered. One of the partners is Rock (Rockford) and he’s always been a bit mysterious. We didn’t know much about him beside the fact that he is silent like a tomb, with a military background, and hot as hell. In this title, we get to meet him and see all the reasons behind his stoicism and silence. We get to see how freaking deep he is in the closet, how much denial defines him, but most of all we get to read what it takes to make him not only come out of Narnia, but do it with a big freaking BANG! (I kept having Alex Minsky in mind)

The reason for Rock finally taking steps to get his own happy ending is the equally mysterious Carter. Carter is a highly paid escort and we met him briefly at Bonds of Desire, when he gets in the last-minute and saves Tyler from himself. Unfortunately, you know what they say; those that give the best advice are the ones to not follow them.

So this is the story of how Carter saves Rock and vise-versa, each battling their own demons, and obstacles toward their hunt for happiness. It has a lot of growth happening, too many intense scenes when fears and insecurities strike over, and at some point it has a big heartbreak as well. It is a lovely story overall but I really loved the intimate scenes most. They were the best-written parts in this book, highly intense and sensual, and perfectly describing each character’s unique treats and personality, the difference between the virgin and the escort right there.

However, I had a bit of an issue with the repetition of sentiments. I can’t remember how many times the author went over in repeating the same thing over and over again, in a different line, on a different paragraph. In addition, most of the time the two characters’ personality kind of “meshed”, meaning their reactions and feeling about something were near identical making hard to separate them. As I said above, the only parts that they shined separately were the sexual scenes, otherwise they were a bit blurred. It didn’t help much the fact that they both went back and forth in this relationship almost in the same way. Many times giving the impression of shallow people acting like twelve graders, and that put me off a bit. For me it would have been a great read if this story was more polished and ¼th of the text that said the same things over and over was chopped off.

Overall, though I liked it and had a fun time reading it. Despite the blurs in the lines, the characters draw me in and the growth Rock especially showed in the story put a smile in my face for most of the read. If you’ve been following this series, you’re going to love this instalment, and if you’re new, you can read this title as a standalone and have a great time reading it. Recommended!