Reviewed by Sarina
This is a Series Review of The Chess Series (Books 6 – 7 )
AUTHOR: Sean Michael
PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing
SERIES REVIEW: I enjoyed this entire series from start to finish though I obviously enjoyed some more than others. If you’re looking for something new with a bunch of hot, sweaty guys this could be a winner. I would recommend, however, starting with book seven, Pre-Game, before looping back and reading Opening Moves as you’ll probably enjoy it more that way. I found my reading of the first five books tempered my enjoyment of book seven somewhat. I will certainly read these again in the future and if ever the author decides to play in this universe again, I’ll be all over that new book as well. 😀
TITLE: The Piercer’s Game
LENGTH: 118 pages
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Luke sees a lot in his job as a piercer, but for all that, he’s shy and lonely. Can live-in-the-moment Temple open his eyes to life’s pleasures?
Luke’s a piercer and owns a successful business with his tattooing partner. Despite his job and his inked and pierced appearance, Luke is actually quite shy and lonely, not to mention inexperienced. An event from his past has left him unable to open up completely to anyone and it’s easier for him to just keep to himself.
Temple is a cancer survivor, coming up on five years cancer free. He’s traveling across North America on the back of his motorcycle, just going where the wind blows him. Ever since first being diagnosed, he turned into a true believer of living in the moment.
When Temple first turns up at Luke’s shop, Temple is immediately drawn to the quiet piercer. First he’s going to have to convince Luke that there’s something between them…then he’s going to have to work his way past Luke’s defenses.
Reader Advisory: This book is best read in sequence as part of a series but can be read as a standalone.
REVIEW:
Luke loves his job as a piercer; he works with his best friend and he gets to do something that he enjoys while providing his own unique jewelry as an accompaniment. It doesn’t matter that he’s basically been celibate for the last decade; he’s doing just fine on his own regardless of how he sometimes wishes things were different. When Temple makes an unscheduled shop at a tattoo parlor, he’s just thinking about getting some ink; he wasn’t expecting the sweet little piercer that greets him as he walks in the door. A firm believer in living life to the fullest, Temple makes no effort to hide how much Luke turns him on and decides he’d rather have Luke than a tattoo. With Luke’s past, however, will he manage it or will the opportunity pass him by?
When I found out Luke was getting his own book I was surprised; he was a very minor character in the previous Chess book making only two short appearances. After reading this though I have to say that I’m so glad I got to read his story. Luke is a very sweet individual who was dealt a severe blow ten years ago and he’s been failing to deal with the aftermath ever since. Temple was great, too; fighting and beating a run in with cancer changed his entire outlook on life and now he’s determined not to waste a single minute of the time he now has. These two were very sweet together and I loved how while Temple wanted to know what had happened to Luke, he wasn’t going to push for more than Luke was willing to give him. Furthermore, I thought Temple’s handling of the situation when he did find out was well done: understanding while determined to help Luke move forward. I enjoyed this one a lot and it can totally be read as a standalone if you aren’t interested in the previous books. I only wish Temple had gotten the tattoo that he’d originally stopped for; I would’ve loved seeing that.
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TITLE: Pre-Game
LENGTH: 76 pages
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Before there were four, there were three. Learn how Rook, Knight and Bishop came together.
When Rook and Knight meet at a live drawing class Rook is modeling for, it’s lust at first sight. Open and eager with his sexuality, Rook immediately draws Knight’s attention. Lust soon turns to love for the two men. The question, though, is what happens when a third man feels like he belongs with them?
Dive into this story of how Rook, Knight and Bishop met to become the threesome who invited Jason to join them in the Chess series.
REVIEW:
Posing as a nude life model for a local art class is just part of the routine for Rook but when he spots a dark haired man in the back that he’s never seen before, he finds himself more interested in the proceedings than ever before. Accepting an invitation for coffee and then more is a no brainer for Rook and when he and Knight come together its fairly explosive. The two men fit well together and the sex is great but when another man catches their attention, they don’t hesitate to invite him for a bit of fun. Things that work for two may not work for three, however, and Bishop may break them apart rather than bring the three men closer together.
And at the end we’re all the way back to the beginning. I was really interested in reading this story, especially since parts of Knight’s past were alluded to in previous books. I hate to say it though but I was a little disappointed in this one; the grumpy workaholic Knight that I fell in love with in the first books was nowhere to be seen in this one and the past that was discussed before wasn’t included in this book either. Things were just too easy. I guess I was expecting a little more push/pull, especially with the new relationship between Rook and Knight being intruded upon by Bishop. Rook was still the bubbly sex addict he was in the other books but I only got hints of Bishop’s toppy tendencies and I’ve already said what I think of Knight. This was basically a ton of sex and a few minor set ups for how things were established before the first book and while that isn’t bad it just isn’t what I was hoping to see.
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