Reviewed By Donna

TITLE: Sex, Ties and Videotape

AUTHOR: Eva Lefoy

PUBLISHER: MLR Press

LENGTH: 38 Pages

BLURB:  A missed trip to Paris results in two long-time casual friends finding BDSM heaven instead.

Geoffrey begged his ex boyfriend, Brian, for some bondage, not public humiliation on YouTube. On Valentine’s Day, he runs into Brian’s best friend Paul, who seems intent on righting Brian’s wrongs. But trusting Paul means Geoffrey has to come clean with his needs … and his feelings.

Paul sees Geoffrey in the bar and knows this is his chance to convince him he’s nothing like Brian. He starts slow and safe, setting strict ground rules. But when Geoffrey insists on a reenactment of the same dom-play Brain used to hurt him, is a safeword enough to protect their fledgling love?

REVIEW: Geoffrey is definitely not in the mood for Valentine’s Day. He’s supposed to be spending the holiday in Paris with his boyfriend. But Geoffrey broke up with him a couple of months previous and now he just wants to have a few drinks and find a casual hookup for the night.

At the bar however he bumps into his ex’s best friend, Paul. Paul and Geoffrey have known each other for years so when Paul invites Geoffrey back to his apartment Geoffrey wonders if it’s just because Paul pities him.

Why would Paul pity Geoffrey? Because Geoffrey’s ex was insulted by Geoffrey’s desire to experiment with BDSM so he tied him up, gagged him, did things that Geoffrey did not consent to, then YouTubed the secret video that he made of the incident.

I actually liked the way both men were hesitant to ask the other for what they wanted. In some stories that can be really frustrating but because of what had happened to Geoffrey and considering Paul was the evil ex’s best friend I found it to be completely believable in this book. In fact if either of them had been confident in sharing what they ultimately wanted from the other I think I would have questioned how realistic their behavior was.

I also liked that the ex boyfriend/ex best friend made several appearances. Maybe it’s just me but it always feels like unfinished business in these sorts of stories if the ex doesn’t discover that the main character is happier and better off without them. This book certainly delivers that and satisfies my desire for revenge.

But what was by far my favorite part of the story was Geoffrey and Paul’s aborted attempt at BDSM. I can’t remember the last book I read where somebody actually uses his or her safe word. I think when Geoffrey decides he needs to recreate the scene that went horribly wrong with his ex, I just assumed I knew what was going to happen. I actually appreciate that the author didn’t take the expected path but instead went a more realistic route.

Overall this was a nice Valentine (or anti-Valentine) story.

RATING:

BUY LINKS:  MLR Press