REVIEWED by Jen B.

TITLE: Aftermath: The New Dungeon

SERIES: Dungeon #5

AUTHOR: S.M. Johnson

PUBLISHER: S.M. Johnson

LENGTH: 192 Pages

RELEASE DATE: February 14, 2017

BLURB: 

Aftermath is a bit different. Oh, don’t worry, Jeff still talks to us in first person, and Roman is still very Roman… but all these guys are in wildly different relationship stages, with Dare, Zach, and Thomas in a maintenance stage, Doc and Tristan in a new relationship, and Roman and Jeff deepening their commitment to one another. Enjoy!

Part I: All In. What will it take for Zach to submit to Dom Thomas? Only something sudden and shocking that rocks his stability. Because Dare’s the submissive one, right? Even if Thomas promised to take them both on, surely he didn’t mean it, not for real…

Part II: Somewhere In Between. Some new kid comes into the Dungeon asking for Doc by name, swearing up and down he’s a friend of Roman. He’s pretty enough, yeah? With his red-stained lips and eyes rimmed with liner, but something about his background check doesn’t sit right, and Doc’s too busy for trouble. Which is too bad, because Tristan is trouble with a capital T, and needs a Daddy more than anyone Doc has ever known. And everyone knows the reason they call Maddox “Doc” is because he likes to fix the weepy boys.

Part III: Aftermath. Jeff’s nightmares are out of control, bondage still gives him panic attacks, and Roman’s starting to wonder if there’s something really wrong. What exactly is PTSD, and do Jeff’s symptoms fit the criteria? They’re both new to monogamy, and that part seems okay, but the constant battle to be kinky without throwing Jeff into a tailspin is exhausting. Jeff is still kinky in his head – his book sales prove that much, so maybe it’s time for Roman to explore what Jeff is writing about. After all, that’s what the creative Dom would do.

Secret, Secret: One of Jeff’s most popular stories, included as a bonus read!

Part I – Zach/Dare/Thomas – It was so nice getting some more of this trio.  They have all been somewhat joking about having Zach sub for Thomas, but in this installment, circumstances at Zach’s work leave him open to accepting some help from Thomas.  They all have adjustments to make – Zach is used to being the co-conspirator with Thomas where Dare’s submission is concerned, so now the tables are a bit turned with both Zach and Dare submitting.  Dare has some adjusting to do with not being the sole recipient of attention, but it doesn’t take much for them to all be on the same page, and of course, Thomas is always aware of what each of them needs.

There is also the issue of Roman leaving with Jeff that lingers over Dare and the other two.  Are they a substitute for Roman?  As much as Dare misses him, he knows and is reminded by Roman with just a telephone call that the right decision was made by all.

In the end, this trio was all the stronger and more in step with the recent changes in the dynamics of their relationship, and though it ends on a somewhat HFN note, there is little doubt they will thrive in the future.

This was my favorite part of this book, and thankfully it takes up almost as much page time as the other two parts combined.

Part II – Doc/Tristan are a new pairing, though we have met them before.  Doc is Dare’s cousin who worked at the Dungeon previously and is now managing and bartending at the new Dungeon.  Tristan seems to be just the kind of guy Doc is looking for when he shows up looking for a membership.  Doc gives him a job and a place to stay, and their kinks seem to mesh as well.

I admit that I had to skim this segment.  It contains Daddy/Boy play that I wasn’t comfortable with.  Doc wants to be a Daddy in a way that he takes care of and nurtures his “Boy,” as opposed to the leather Daddy kink I’m more used to.  Nothing wrong with it or the writing, just not my thing.

Part III – Roman/Jeff show us an update on how their relationship is going now that they’re on their own.  It seems that Jeff is still having some issues from his accident and Roman is becoming more concerned.  They are discovering their old kinks now cause major triggers, and that perhaps they should focus less on trying to make them work and more about finding new ones.   They’ve had to go from a 24/7 TPE relationship to something a bit different, but after some adjustments on both sides, they are finding ways to make it work. It was nice to see them making progress.   Everything seems to be as it should with the various relationships now or at least they are on the right track.

Bonus material:  It was interesting to read Jeff’s Fetlife post to get a closer look into things from his point of view.  We also get a bit of the story Jeff wrote, and which Roman uses in bringing out Jeff’s submission.

It was great revisiting this crew again.  Adjustments have been made at the Dungeon as well, and I’m looking forward to seeing what direction things take in the next installment.