Reviewed by Elizabetta & Roberta

TITLE: Dangerously Happy

AUTHOR: Varian Krylov

PUBLISHER: self published

LENGTH: 298 pages

BLURB:

Aidan has always played it safe. Instead of pursuing his dream of creating innovative music that makes his soul sing, he settled for a degree in software, a job in a cubicle, and a spot in a generic band with his buddies.

 

And he’s always been straight. But when he’s seduced by magnetic local literary luminary Dario, Aidan must decide whether to keep playing it safe, or succumb to a ravenous passion and a nourishing love unlike anything he’s experienced before. Will he find the courage to go after real happiness if it means admitting he’s in love with a man?

 

Their journey together isn’t easy. Sometimes it isn’t safe. Even if Aidan has the courage to admit he’s in love with Dario, can he endure the repercussions of the traumatic event in Dario’s past?

 

REVIEW:

 

Varian Krylov is well known for her work in het romance/erotica. We here at Love Bytes were so excited to hear of her foray into the MM world. In Dangerously Happy we have two compelling characters in Aidan, a talented musician who happens to be straight, and Dario, a writer who is gay and out. These two have been circling around each other for some time and in this story we see them finally connect.

 

Elizabetta: So, Roberta, is this your first time reading Ms. Krylov’s stuff?

 

Roberta: Hey Elizabetta, Oh My Lanta, yes this is!!  I was excited to try a new author.  I understand that this isn’t your first jaunt into Ms. Krylov’s world?

 

E: I actually started reading her stuff before I got into MM romance. She is such a strong writer, very evocative, descriptive. And always with this edge of melancholy or suffering of some type. My favorites are “Hurt” which is basically a menage (MMF) and “After” a post-apocalyptic drama and “Lord Melchior” which has got to be the hottest seduction short stories out there. So, yeah I was excited to see this author go MM. She can write some hot and heavy sex scenes, that’s for sure!

 

R;:  No Doubt! I was pretty surprised when I started the book and to see an author get such wonderful descriptive descriptions of intimacy and yet to also show such, I guess, darkness in a story that held my attention, was a surprise.  I was sucked in and couldn’t let go until I finished the book.  I will say that “Hurt” & “After” were the two books that I read her excerpts and felt that I could/would read.  How funny is that?

 

E: You, know, there are elements of “Hurt” in Aidan and Dario’s story. This idea of learning to trust and accept, and working through some psychological trauma. And “Lord Melchior” came to mind when Aidan tells Dario one of his fantasies… where he is ummm, orally pleasuring a women, shall I say? This feeling of humiliation in having to recount a sexual fantasy… Gahh!

 

R: That was something else.

 

E: In a way this is really a woman’s MM fantasy… I mean these guys talk and share and discuss like no men I’ve met. But I loved it, seeing how open Aidan became with Dario… going from a straight guy to falling in love with this other man. It was very romantic…

 

R: Yes, I noticed that too.  I found it rather different than most MM books, with the amount of discussion that went on, but for these two characters, it really was a must.  Aidan being so new in being in a gay relationship, that i would have expected more in depth conversations regarding that, I was surprised that it wasn’t brought up more.

 

E: I gotta ask you… I had a hard time with Dario in the beginning… he seemed a bit controlling to me. I mean, he’s patient and gentle with Aidan but it just seemed like he had to have things his way. Did you sense that at all?

 

R: Oh yeah, that totally made sense to me. I totally get where you’re coming from.  He had some issues with controlling his and Aidan’s sex life. I will say that as you get to know him better, I felt that he had some serious issues that he needed to really lay on a couch and work through.

 

E: Yeah, he has something really traumatic happen to him as a teen and it’s still haunting him.

 

R: Which really translates into his needing to be in control when it came to sex with Aidan.

 

E: OK, and the fact that Aidan is so new to everything– Dario basically mentors him, lol.

 

R: Exactly what I was thinking.  Aidan didn’t know anything and he’s being taught by Dario.  What surprised me was the way Aidan took so easily to what Dario suggested.

 

E: YES!!! He was so… amenable. Especially since he’d never had any feelings for a guy previously at all!

 

R: Completely off the chain. I couldn’t understand how that happened.  Aidan was a hard character for me to really get into.  I know that it was told from his POV, but I never really felt connected to him as this newby guy.  He just seemed so wishy-washy to me.

 

E: You had some issues with Aidan, I had some issues with Dario. I liked Aidan because I could relate to that very romantic fantasy of falling for someone so gorgeous, intuitive and sexually talented… who could deliver some wild fantasies, sweep me off my feet and MORE! He was so seduced by Dario.

 

But you know, in the end, despite my issues, I really liked the sheer romance of this and sex play was so hot. The threesome with Vera, and Xavier and the D/s scenes… (well, you didn’t like Vera’s scene, right?)

 

R: I will say that the romance fantasy did make me gush a bit.  I’m a romantic at heart. I totally get what you’re saying regarding the fantasy of it all and he’d always been fascinated with Dario.  LOVED the Xavier & the D/s scene….Holy Hannah!! So Sexy!!  Nope, I didn’t really care for the Vera scenes.  I’m not all that happy with lady bits in my MM books.

 

E: I think this might be a good entry book for new readers to MM romance. Perhaps having the MMF helps for those newer to the genre. But I agree, I could do without the lady bits too, lol.

 

R: Yeah, I think also, because Aidan was new as well and he was still attracted to women and he wasn’t made to feel bad about the way he felt.

E: Dario was very accepting and patient. So, did you basically like this? What would you rate it?

 

R: I liked it and yet, I was also apathetic regarding Aidan, and that kinda takes a bit away from the story for me.  I’d give it 3.5 stars and round up.

 

E: LOL! That’s exactly what I was thinking too. Jinx!

 

R: No joke?  How funny.

 

E: Ok, the writing is lovely, but for me this was not as much about Dario and Aidan’s partnership as it was about the hot sex scenes that it provided. Call me shallow but that’s what I’ll remember, looking back on this book.

 

R: EXACTLY!!!  You nailed it!!  That’s what I was thinking and not able to put into words. I wanted more of their relationship to take up scene time and not so much the sex.

 

E: I wouldn’t go that far! The sex was great!

 

R: Well, YEAH!!  Not Crazy, but I really would’ve liked to see a relationship evolve.

 

E: Yeah, at the end, I’m not so sure that they’re in a solid place. They do resolve some issues, but then I’m thinking what happens when something else comes up? There was a lot of uncertainty between them. Do you see this as an HEA?

 

R: I would say, it’s more a HFN.  I’m uncertain that enough progress was made for them to make it forever. There was too much left in the air, in my opinion.

 

E: Will you be reading anything else by this writer?

 

R: YES!! Great writer, would love to read more of her work.

 

 

RATING:

 

BUY LINKS:

VarianKrylov

Amazon