Reviewed by Becca

 

TITLE: Painful Pleasure

SERIES: Cedar Falls #5

AUTHOR: Shea Balik

PUBLISHER: Siren-Bookstrand Inc

LENGTH: 111 pages

RELEASE DATE: June 17, 2015

BLURB:

Welcome to Cedar Falls, a small North Carolina town nestled amongst the Smokey Mountains. Where the people are friendly and the men are hot.

Jax Rankin came to Cedar Falls for a new start. He never expected to meet Flynn Anderson or to fall in love the moment he laid eyes on the clumsy waiter. As a Dom, Jax was drawn to Flynn’s natural need to submit. He just needed to find a way to help Flynn accept that side of himself.
Flynn Anderson was living in a recurring nightmare. Ten years earlier his twin sister died and he’d never been able to get over the loss. When he meets Jax, he’s sure there’s no way the sexy man could ever be interested in him.
Will Jax be able to show Flynn the happiness that could found through submission? Or will Flynn miss out on the bliss Jax could give him with a little painful pleasure?

REVIEW:

I was so happy to meet little Flynn and to see him get what he needed. This was such a good little story. There is some BDSM in it. Also, there may be a bit of a trigger for some. There’s death, trauma, depression, guilt surrounding the death.

Unfortunately, it’s that time of year again. The time of year that takes everything Flynn has just to keep going. Ten years his twin has been gone. Several years since their father just up and left, telling him he was the man of the house. His whole life never being good enough. His twin was always better. To them all, it was his fault she died. He was the boy. He should have taken better care of her. Now, it was all he could do just to stay a float, since all his mother did was lay in bed and watch movies of his twin. He doesn’t want to go home. He feels like shit enough, without her adding to it. He mops up his tears, and it’s to work, and is immediately in front of a table that makes him stutter. Jax is there, with his best friend, and Ryder and Aiden. Jax is the epitome of gorgeous, with Native American looks and tattoos that span his body. Something about him makes Flynn unable to think straight. To almost not breathe. And Jax is just as gone. Jax is determined to make this little man his, but he has to get through some hell to get through what’s underneath. And make Flynn see that it’s all worth it. That he’s worth it.

I wanted to beat Flynn’s family. I get so sick to death of parents who make their kids favorite. Like one kid is better than the other. No. No. No. No one is better than the other, but because of it Flynn’s life was hell. His twin would go off on these ‘adventures’ and Flynn would get in trouble. He didn’t even want to go, but because he was the boy, he should have been responsible for her. And when he dies, the devastation he has to endure because of her. No kids should have been put through that mess. My heart just ached for him.

When Jax comes along, I’m so happy for Flynn. Jax is not going to give Flynn up for anything. He knows down to his soul, Flynn is the one for him and he’s going to prove it. He’s going to show Flynn what he’s really worth, and how loved he is. Even having his own past, he still doesn’t care. Flynn has broken through everything Jax could have very built and settled right in his very being. Flynn needed that. He needed that unwavering love and strength. For someone to believe in him and give him what he needs.

I’m so excited with this series. It has just been so good. And it keeps going.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

amazon

bookstrand

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TITLE: Bound for Your Pleasure

SERIES: Cedar Falls #6

AUTHOR: Shea Balik

PUBLISHER: Siren-Bookstrand Inc

LENGTH: 118 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 15, 2015

BLURB:

When Harley Watts moved to a small southern town, he was sure he’d hate it. As a gay man he’d never imagined he would meet anyone who would enjoy his particular kink in such a place. That was before he met sexy bookstore owner, Nathan Owens.
After Nathan Owens’s parents died in a car accident, he’d given up on his dream of finding a man who could give him what he wanted. Instead he moved back to his hometown of Cedar Falls to help his sister pay the bills. Since he didn’t think he’d ever find the man of his dreams, Nathan settled for opening the bookstore of his dreams.
Little did Nathan know Harley was more than happy to show him the true meaning of Bound for Your Pleasure.

REVIEW:

I was wondering where Harley was going to fit in and now I know. And with meeting little Nathan a while back, I was wondering about him as well. These two are perfect for each other, they just need to work out the kinks. But, then again, what relationship don’t? I know one thing, natural disasters normally make you cling to the ones you love. And in this case, it of course does. And while I would never wish harm on another human being, I can’t help but almost wish Betty Sue was stuck somewhere or blown away. If you guys have been reading, you’ll know exactly what I mean. My biggest beef with this one, while I loved this story, was Nathan’s sister.

Nathan’s sister has become the biggest bigot and homophobe. Actually, she’s just hateful to just about anyone who’s different, but Nathan gets the brunt of it. Because he’s gay, because he sells gay literature or anything pertaining to sex. Hell, half the time he feels like it’s because he breathes. Add to it, the other bitch of the neighborhood, Betty Sue, who is right next door. With them two teamed together at times, it’s even worse. The one bright spot in his day lately has been watching the sunrise, until his sister ruined that too. But he’s about to get another in the form of Harley. Harley almost makes it to Nathan’s store but his alarm goes off right before he opens the door, to inform him he has to get back to the festival. But Nathan sees him. And breathes a sighs of relief when he doesn’t come in. That man makes Nathan’s mouth water, but makes him nervous as hell too. Too bad, he doesn’t have too much longer to wait to meet the man. Harley takes him by surprise, one day, while Nathan is in the back. He enters the store and Nathan’s voice sends a shudder through him. When he replies, he hears a crash. Upon investigation, he discovers the man of his dreams splayed out on the floor and every Dom instinct rushes to the front and south. For Nathan, it’s the sub and the same. Harley immediately thinks “mine” and Nathan is praying for Harley to think that. But the instant lust and belonging comes with problems. They have to get to know each other and Harley has to get rid of the image he has of the perfect relationship. If they can’t get past the issues, as well as Nathan’s sister, it may be over before it really gets started.

Ok, so I don’t want to give much away. But Nathan’s sister is a bitch with a capital B. There is no nice word for this woman. And as much hell as she gives Nathan, and it’s bad, and everyone else, she ends up meeting her caregiver, a woman, and all of a sudden she’s in love and changed. That didn’t sit right with me. At all.

As far as Nathan and Harley, it’s clear to everyone how perfect they are for each other. They both fulfill needs in each other that no one else has. The only major problem, is Harley has this idea in his head about what a perfect relationship is. From looking at his parents. Yes, they may have a good marriage, but he never saw the behind the scenes. And maybe they didn’t have bad times. I highly doubt it, but you never know. The problem is he’s putting Nathan in a category that he can’t fill. As Harley’s sub, he tries to please his Master, but he also has a mind of his own and wants to be an equal outside of the bedroom. It’s going to take a lot of work to get to where the need to be. But any relationship worth having, takes work.

It’s a good story. Jesse is back to his usual tricks. And so is Ethan. Those two just make things so much better. They’re so funny. But it’s great too, because the sense of community and the love of the neighborhood. Everyone joins together to make it home. Now if they could just get rid of the mayor and Betty Sue.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

bookstrand

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