Reviewed by Cheryl
TITLE: His To Serve 
SERIES: Candy Cane Club #1
AUTHOR: Ari McKay
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 158 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 26, 2017
BLURB:
Cameron Ward is an actor from Atlanta. After a stint in New York, he returns home to find work in Georgia’s growing film and TV industry. He lands a lead role in a film, playing a submissive, but he doesn’t know anything about the lifestyle. Wanting to make sure his portrayal isbelievable, Cameron goes to the Candy Cane Club, a BDSM dungeon, where he meets Anton Albright, a Dom. Cameron loosens up enough to do a scene with Anton, but he discovers a side of himself he’d never suspected. But Cameron had enough difficulty coming out as gay, and he’s not ready to admit he’s a submissive as well.
Dr. Anton Albright has a reputation for being good with new subs. What he’d really like, though, is a sub of his own. Cameron is the kind of man Anton wants, and once Cameron accepts his need to serve — and, especially, to serve Anton — they explore the possibilities of a relationship that will give them both everything they want and need.
But when fame comes calling at Cameron’s door, their private, intimate world is threatened. Anton’s medical practice won’t survive his private life being held up to public display, and Cameron finds it difficult to adjust to extended periods away from his Sir. Can they find a compromise that will make them both happy, or will Cameron’s rising star force him to leave Anton behind?
REVIEW:
This is an easy book to read. The story is engaging and the characters well rounded. Dialogue is generally fluid and natural, although there are times when it becomes just a little stiff and/or repetitive.
The characters are delicious, and I love that neither are caricatures, which BDSM characters can sometimes be. Cameron is by no means the typical sub and is neither a doormat, nor a brat, although at times he was almost too perfect. Anton, as a Dom is dominant rather than domineering and doesn’t so much seek to control Cameron as to allow him to fulfil his need to serve. Neither is there a vast disparity in their size/strength and personality. Yes, Anton is bigger and stronger than Cameron, but Cameron is neither tiny nor frail and has a great deal of strength physically and emotionally.
The BDSM lifestyle is thoroughly explored, but gently and sensitively, as Anton and Cameron explore each other and their wants/needs. Great emphasis is placed on consent and mutual fulfillment. I like that it acknowledges the sub is just as important and powerful as the Dom. As an introduction to the lifestyle, without the harder elements, it’s a good, solid foundation.
Despite having started with a bang, so to speak, Cameron and Anton’s relationship moves forward at a steady pace. Nothing happens overnight, and Cameron is eased into the lifestyle and the relationship at his own pace, if not a little slower than he would have liked.
A couple of things did niggle at me. First, I felt that, in places, although not throughout the whole book, names, especially Cameron’s are overused, sometimes four times in a single paragraph. I appreciate it’s been drummed into us that to use he/him in m/m can be confusing, but for me, as long as care is taken to avoid confusion, they make the writing more fluid and overusing the name just slows things down and feels repetitive. Finally, and although I know that in teaching situations info dump is inevitable, it does go slightly too far at times.
On the whole though, this is a warm and sensitive book that focuses less on the BDSM itself and more on the two people and their stories. Even during sex, the focus was on words as much as action. The scenes are sizzling and highly erotic and there are nice splashes of humour.
From the blurb I had expected thigs to get strained at the end and I’d anticipated more drama. I’m not saying it’s boring by any means, but it’s generally fairly gentle and fits in with the tone of the book.
In summary, apart from some rough edges, I found this to be a well rounded, well researched and well written book. I would recommend it to anyone who likes light BDSM or would like to be introduced to it in a gentle way.
RATING: 
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