Title: Games Boys Play
Series: N/A
Author: Zoe X Rider
Genre: BDSM/ Fetish/Erotica
Length: Novel (299 pages)
Publisher: Loose Id (April 15th, 2014)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥3.5Hearts
Blurb: Brian and Dylan have been best friends for years. They have no secrets between them, except for the ones they’re keeping from each other.
When Dylan lets himself into Brian’s apartment to drop something off, it couldn’t be worse timing—for Brian. He’s tied himself up to play out a kidnapping fantasy. He’s mortified, but Dylan is intrigued. He even offers to help Brian out next time he has an urge to be tied up.
No. That’s all Brian can think. No way. But the idea of someone else being in control overwhelms his thoughts—and self-bondage is suddenly a pale substitute for the real thing. He gives Dylan permission, on a trial basis, and comes face to face with a side of Dylan he’s never seen before. A really hot side.
As their games pick up steam, so does their relationship, along with Brian’s courage to go after the things he wants. Like, Dylan.
It might be happily ever after, but there’s one secret left, and it could ruin everything.
ISBN: 978-1-62300-711-9
Product Link: http://www.loose-id.com/games-boys-play.html
Reviewer: Prime
Review: I’m going to start off saying: this book is not for everyone. It was, in fact, borderline to not being my type of book. However, it was so well written and the characters well-developed, that I kinda didn’t care about the fact that it was almost a little too much fetish for my liking.
Brian and Dylan are both equally interesting characters. Best friends, step-cousins and band mates, it seems like they should know everything about each other. But they don’t. Brian’s secret dominates the book, but when things start to stir, Dylan’s secret then comes into play. It’s a fairly simple story played out rather dramatically. This book is really different – much different from the usual BDSM erotica out there that I’ve read, anyway.
Furthermore, if you’re looking for romance, you won’t be getting it here either, at least for a majority of the book. The, approximately, first 250 pages of this book is basically fetish scenes between Dylan and Brian with very little in the way of actual plot. The plot line comes in the last quarter of the book and it is quite pleasing. In a story where a majority of the content is not in the actual plot, it is quite well-played out.
This was a 4-heart book. However, I downgraded it to a 3.5-heart because particularly at the end I really wanted a different POV. The whole book from Brian’s POV (though not in first person). One thing that found I really wanted to know Dylan’s thoughts, what was going on in his head and what made him tick. I think that would have been awesome.
I have one specific warning to make for people: if you have a severe phobia of clowns (clourophobia), I don’t recommend a particular stretch of them book (pages 197-232), where there is an intense act out of Dylan’s fetish which also features a clown and the creepy clown music (aka Enter the Gladiator).
To end on a happy note, some people may enjoy references to Brit Rock, including Joy Division and The Verve. It’s good to hear from characters that are meant to have a phenomenal music career recording, touring and the like – kinda gives them some credit.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *