Reviewed by Vicki

TITLE: Risk Aware 

AUTHOR: Amelia C. Gormley

PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing

LENGTH: 323 pages

RELEASE DATE: May 9th, 2016

BLURB: 

Tattoo artist Geoff Gilchrest is convinced his life is some sort of cosmic joke. Why else would a hemophiliac also be a masochist? He’s given himself more than one elbow bleed since puberty just doing what guys do when alone and bored, so forget about whips and chains. How many partners would contemplate playing with someone even a mild flogging could kill?

Gallery owner Robin Brady knows he can deliver what Geoff needs: to be taken to the edge of danger but never beyond. But Robin came to Saugatuck to get away from the leather scene and heal from a betrayal by his former sub, so he’s not sure he should get involved with Geoff. His ambivalence isn’t helped by the fact that Geoff’s unwillingness to communicate about his well-being hits Robin in some very raw places.

Geoff’s hemophilia isn’t the obstacle he thinks it is. Instead, a lack of trust—on both their parts—is what could end them before they have a chance to begin.

REVIEW:

I love when I can read a nice smutty romance novel and learn something! I have heard of hemophilia, and knew it had something to do with blood clotting, but that’s about it. This book totally opened my eyes about a serious health issue.

Geoff has problems… he really wants to be kinky and get his back whipped. He’s a masochist at heart, but the problem is he is a hemophiliac. He bruises easily, he can damage his joints, and potentially die if things get out of control. He has problems trusting people, and hates to appear weak. The closest to kink he gets is watching porn and sucking guys off through a glory hole. He is in transition, his mother having recently died, and he’s crashing in Chicago with his best friend Jace, until he figures out where to settle. He’s a tattoo artist, but is conservative in appearance and hasn’t found a place where he fits in. He and Jace take a vacation in Saugatuck Michigan, which turns out to be the location of a leather gathering…. Their first night there, the two hang out in the bar amidst a sea of leather (which Jace is NOT happy about, being in to twinks not bears), and Geoff ends up in an intense conversation with a big guy named Robin.

Robin is recently out of a bad relationship of the kinky kind, and has decided it’s not something he can get involved again. He has stepped away from a foundation he started in New York and has moved to Saugatuck to open an art gallery. He attends the leather gathering at Dunes Resort out of loyalty, even knowing he isn’t looking for a hook up, especially with someone in the leather scene. But you can probably guess how well that goes! He sees a man and chats him up.

The two don’t hook up that night, but a connection is established, and they eventually embark on a rocky relationship. Robin assures Geoff that he can meet his masochistic needs, just in a different way. But Geoff is so… tangled up in his distrust I guess you could say, that he can’t accept what Robin offers easily. Robin has his own issues, he’s really gotten burned by his ex-boyfriend, and has a hard time trusting Geoff as well. The two move forward, then backward, then forward…

This book was quite interesting to me, the whole hemophilia aspect was very new and different. I’ve read books about characters with physical disabilities or health issues, but not one with hemophilia. Adding in the BDSM side of it was even more interesting, and Amelia was very creative in her use of tools and careful kink. I was curious enough at the mention of a tunnel butt plug, that I had to go google it! I loved that she worked Geoff’s treatment in to their play, and we got a good lesson in the care and feeding of a hemophiliac. I loved the slow development of the trust between them, and the eventual love. This is not an insta-love story, it actually takes them some time to get to that point. It’s a nice long book, but the story is pretty basic. Just the two men, working through their shit, and falling in love. Eventually.

I’m really in to easy to follow stories these days, I need a way to let go of stress and relax, overly complex plots are not my friend right now. This was another perfect book for me. The emphasis is on the two men, Geoff’s health, how to be kinky without hurting him, and whether the two can be a couple or just play occasionally. Robin’s past issues added some drama, Geoff’s stubborn attitude added some drama, and so did his health. Geoff’s sister Ling pops in and out, as does Jace. But that’s pretty much it. Mostly it’s all about Robin and Geoff.

I’ve read a couple of books written by Amelia over the last few years, and I’ve been very impressed with them. This one was just great. I loved that I learned something new with the hemophilia, and it had a different look at BDSM. Less brutal force, and more subtlety. Both characters were prickly and had issues. I loved that it was just about the two of them, nothing extra, nothing to detract from their relationship. The sex was plentiful, kinky, playful at times, and creative. I try to come up with things to say about the writing of books that I review, but unless something stands out as being really off I don’t always know what to say! This book had no problems, it was well-edited, well written and kept me quite interested and happy! I’d love to see more about these two in the future, I’m curious to see how they do….

Another great book from Amelia C. Gormley!

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

Riptide Publishing

Amazon