REVIEWED by Lisa and Jen B.

TITLE: Don’t

SERIES: Don’t

AUTHOR: Jack Pyke

PUBLISHER: Jack Pyke

LENGTH: 399 Pages

RELEASE DATE: February 28, 2019

BLURB: 

“Don’t… bleed for me.” ~ the Unknown.

Saying Don’t around Jack Harrison always did lead him into dangerous grounds on London streets. But now someone knows Jack’s head inside and out, and they’re about to twist all perception and lead him into an underground depravity that nearly sent him down in his youth. As Jack slips further into a dark psychological minefield, only two men offer different paths back to sanity: Gray, a man who knows Jack’s every dark thought, and Jan, the first man to show Jack a “soft lad” approach to head and heart. But with deadly games and ghosts bleeding through into Jack’s reality, it’s a fight to see who out of the three of them will survive long enough to find a way out of the vicious game played by someone known only as… the Unknown.

LISA’S REVIEW:

I’ve seen this book recommended many times and I was definitely not disappointed! I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect because I’d heard it was dark and not for everyone yet it was completely my jam.
Jack has Oppositional Defiance Disorder so he doesn’t do well when told not to do something. He comes across “The Unknown” in an online chat and then is stalked by the person.

He and Jan meet when Jan brings his car to Jack’s garage to be repaired. Jack is intrigued with Jan and agrees to date him even though dating isn’t something he ever does.

Jan seems like a nice guy but when he suggests something unusual to Jack, Jack thinks Jan is “The Unknown” who’s stalking him and he becomes violent.

When Jan walks in on Jack in a compromising position, he’s thrust into a world he knows nothing about and doesn’t want to know about, but believes learning is the only way to have a relationship with Jack.
Gray is a long-time associate of Jack’s and the only person other than Jack’s father that Jack is close with. And Gray is the person who works with Jan to teach him about the practices of the Master Dom/Master Sub organization he and Jack belong to.

The story is a mind-fuck. It’s confusing a first until details are revealed. I expected the BDSM portion to be heavier and I expected there to be much more sex than there was. Those scenes felt totally organic and exactly as intense as they needed to be. I loved the psychological thriller aspect and the way the relationships between Jack, Jan, and Gray developed. I absolutely loved the characters with their differences and how they worked around them to become something cohesive. I also was completely surprised about the bad guy(s). It was intense and exciting and I hated that I had to sometimes quit reading because of life and work. I definitely intend to continue with the series.

I haven’t read much so far this year, but this is by far my favorite read of the year. I highly recommend this story to anyone who likes psychological thrillers, romantic suspense, BDSM, m/m/m. If you’re looking for BDSM in most scenes, heavy sex, m/m/m, or you don’t care for mind fucks then this would most likely not be for you.

RATING:

Very rarely do I reread books – there are just too many new ones on my list and not enough time. However, this series happens to be at the top of my all-time favorite list taking the top spot in many categories. So when Jack was able to get this one back, revamp (why she thought it needed it was beyond me) and re-release it (yay!), I didn’t hesitate to take the opportunity to experience some of my favorite complex characters all over again. Given that this is a re-read for me, I figured I’d lure someone else in and see what some new eyes thought. Thanks, Lisa, for giving this one a shot and joining me on this read.

This is a dark and gritty story, about some extremely complex characters. Jack is the main guy here, and he has a number of issues. He is a Master Sub, Master Dom, Gray’s, Master Sub. Gray is a Master Dom in the secretive Master’s Circle (“MC”). A Master Sub is a pretty special position – he helps train doms with the guidance and supervision of his Master Dom. Gray and Jack have a long history. You sense this in many aspects of their complicated “relationship.” He looks out for Jack in all aspects, though Jack does have a life of his own with his garage, etc. It is there that he meets Jan, someone with absolutely no association to the MC or the bdsm world in general. He is the first person Jack has been interested in outside of that world, and it throws everything into a bit of a whirlwind, especially when those worlds collide.

Jan falls for Jack pretty quickly, so when he is faced with things, he decides he must make some changes in order to be a part of Jack’s life. It is Gray who comes up with the plan to make that happen sprouting the beginning seeds of their relationship. It is difficult to talk about this book on its own for me, because I have had the pleasure of becoming fully invested in all things Jack/Jan/Gray, the good, the bad and the ugly. Suffice to say, this installment only begins to scratch the surface.

One thing I equally love and hate about Ms. Pyke’s writing and storytelling is her ability to confuse me, to keep me guessing and trying to figure things out. She never makes it easy. Like I said, love and hate. One thing I always tell myself when reading her is that I must be patient and keep reading, because things do become clearer, and it is totally worth any torment the journey there may bring.