REVIEWED by COLETTE
SERIES: Hollywood #5
AUTHOR: Tibby Armstrong
PUBLISHER: Loose Id
LENGTH: 99 pages
BLURB:
Even after the “I do’s” are said, relationships change and need work to grow and thrive. Aaron has found himself increasingly drawn to the idea of taking his and Greg’s BDSM-lite games to the next level. Unsure if he can fully unleash his inner sadist without losing complete control, he seeks out a professional Dom to teach him the literal, and figurative, ropes.
Greg isn’t the same intractable, walking wounded he was when he and Aaron met, but Aaron is still his touchstone to happiness. Greg would like to learn how to approach Aaron’s Zen-like calm, but first he knows he needs to learn the most elusive lesson of all: self-love. When he discovers what Aaron has been up to, he struggles to understand how he fits into his lover’s new version of himself.
In Numbers Game, together, Aaron and Greg embark on a sensual journey that, over a few short hours, will change the course of their relationship and their lives. In the end, they prove that through love, and a little dance called dominance and submission, even the most impossible things become possible.
REVIEW:
I grabbed this to review because I am a fan of Tibby Armstrong’s M/F books, not realizing this was the fifth book in a series. While having a greater understanding of the past relationship between Aaron and Greg would have been great, not reading the other books didn’t detract from my enjoyment of Numbers Game. I enjoy the author’s writing style and love her strong characters.
Aaron and Greg have been together for over 15 years, since they were in school together and they are now married; their relationship has always included Domination and submission but neither had any real understanding of or training in BDSM. They played, but they really didn’t know what they were doing. Aaron is able to give Greg what he needs, but now Aaron needed something more in return, so he decides to get some formal training from a professional Dom. After working with Master Dex for six months Aaron is ready to show Greg what he has learned and take their sexual relationship to a new level, the problem is Aaron never told Greg what he was planning or about Master Dex.
There is an interesting dynamic to their relationship, while Aaron is the dominant partner, Greg manages to control most of their interactions “topping from the bottom”. They play a numbers game – for each infraction Greg gets a numbered penalty: Greg pushes Aaron responds; Greg being careful to push only as far as he is willing to go. Aaron sets up a dinner date with Greg, who is working on a screenplay and doesn’t show up allowing Aaron to put his plan in motion. What happens next is intense, a lot of truths are revealed, and there is pain and understanding and forgiveness. Aaron and Greg come through stronger both individually and as a couple. I liked this book and will definitely go back and read the rest of this series.
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