When Love Takes Over by Jacob Z. Flores

WhenLoveTakesOverLGTitle: When Love Takes Over

Series: The Provincetown series

Author: Jacob Z. Flores

Genre:  Contemporary Erotic Romance

Length: Novel (270 pages)

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (August 5th, 2013)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4 Hearts

Reviewer: Thommie

Blurb: Zach Kelly’s life is a shambles. His boyfriend of three years dumped him, and his writing career is going nowhere. On a whim, he heads to Provincetown, Massachusetts, to nurse his broken heart and figure out his next step. He’s expecting to find rest and relaxation on the sandy beaches of Cape Cod. Instead, Zach meets a hunky porn star during a chance encounter at a leather shop he mistakes as a place to buy a belt that is definitely not for whipping.

Van Pierce is smitten when shy and inexperienced Zach crashes through a shelf of fetish gear. Though Van’s got an insatiable appetite for men on and off the set, his porn persona, Hart Throb, hides a broken heart. He’s struggling to find the reality the porno set doesn’t offer, and Zach is fighting to find the fantasy that will set his writing on fire. The odd goofball and the suave beefcake may either find love amid Provincetown’s colorful pageantry where summer never seems to end—or more heartbreak than either can imagine.

Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4098

Review: With this second book, I’m reading from Flores, I’m getting more and more convinced that he is a very peculiar writer. Again, the ability to ensnare you with his words and trap you in a story you can’t escape unless you’re done reading is obvious. There is this uncanny skill he has that drives you crazy with his text, makes you hot, makes you laugh, makes you dream…

In this book he writes about love coming when you least expect it and rising above every insecurity and step that might block its path.

Zach, a seriously screwed up character in my opinion, has reached rock bottom, again. His tyrant boyfriend of three years breaks up with him out of nowhere and Zach finds himself in limbo. Not understanding why every relationship he has gets ruined despite the fact that he tries to become everything his partners want him to.

Quite literally Zach is at the start of this book what his ex calls him – and I agree – a big baby, with his ex making every decision in the relationship from what he wears to what he eats. I didn’t like Zach much. His insecurities, while having deep roots stemming from his relationship with his father, made him too weak in my eyes and held no appeal. But that soon changed when he makes a spontaneous decision and heads to Provincetown. In his search to find and center himself as a person and a writer, Zach falls prey to P-Town’s magic and changes his entire life.

Meanwhile in P-Town a hot, steamy, and sexy porn-star is living the live he pursued. Van having been used and made feel worthless from every relationship he ever had, made the decision he’s going to fuck who he wants, how he wants, without the fear of breaking his heart again. Being a power bottom for a very respectful studio gives him all the perks and a safe place for his heart. Everything is just perfect until he meets a very clumsy, adorable, and sexy red-haired man, who is not only completely out-of-place in P-Town with his baggy shorts and two sized bigger t-shirt, but he doesn’t even recognizes him as his alter ego Hart Throb, meaning he only sees Van as Van. What a heady feeling, how very rare nowadays that a man will look at him with such innocence. Could he be real or is that just a mask and he’s in danger to fall once again a victim of a cruel man out for his heart?

A man, I loved it. The plot was from serious, to hilarious, to fun and games, and sexy and romantic. It was so wholesome my head is still spinning. The way Zach came to Town, his interaction with Gary and Quinn and Tara and (omg) Penny!!! I loooooved Penny Poison, I died a little bit every time Penny came in view. And should I mention his trip down the “wild and daring” lane? And good God, Dylan. What a scene, what a feeling. Between gagging for breath from such a strong fit of laughter and trying not to wretch from gross, I have to admit that scene was so powerful it made my head spin with the dual emotions battling in my head.

And then came the amazing sexual marathon scenes, and oh dear me, I had to fan myself with what I was reading. Yes, this couple was so strong and fierce, and Zach had at this point done such a 180 turn, that they were fantastic together. Too hot! Now there was a serious smell/sweat fetish there, as in a serious, serious case of rubbing in the other sweat to smell like him and such, so heads up, don’t say I didn’t warn you. As for me, well that’s one of my kinks so not only it didn’t bother me, but also it made the read stronger somehow and spicier.

What I found over the top was the drama in the end. I seriously dislike when a character goes from friend to friend and apologizes to the entire cast before he finds the person that really matters. By the end of the read I had to read the same thing, oh I don’t know how many times. He went to Gary and Quinn, to Nino, and of course, there was Van and the book. Meh, quite melodramatic and sappy, the part that took me down a bit from the heights I was floating in. Plus, me being always in favor of a bit of vindication, I absolutely hated that there was no damn closure with Ben (the ex). You cannot image the fit I threw when I read end, and no revenge over that idiot was taken. Agrrrr!!! Yeah not very mature of me, but come on, vindication is the icing on the cake, why did you take the icing off dear author? *sniff*

And here I draw my line. I’m done. It was a fantastic read I urge you to read and I bet not only you’ll not regret, but also you’ll have the best time you’ve had for a while. It’s a seriously great read. Enjoy!