Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Power Bottom?
AUTHOR: Rowan McAllister
NARRATOR: Nick J. Russo
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
RELEASE DATE: April 17, 2017
LENGTH: 7 hours, 38 minutes
BLURB:
Can a pickup line from a stranger completely change the way an ordinary man sees himself?
Adrian wouldn’t have thought so, but after an ugly breakup where his self-esteem took a serious beating, he’s willing to try just about anything to repair the damage… even return to a secluded bar in rural Maryland and the intriguing stranger whose words have been on his mind since they met.
Biker, bouncer, bartender, and tattoo artist, Wyatt is a rolling stone. After fifteen years, he is tired of a life on the run, but he isn’t sure he knows how to do anything else or if he has anything besides a physical relationship to offer.
What’s supposed to be a one-off turns into another and another, and the relationship looks promising until the mob and the FBI come knocking on Adrian’s door.
REVIEW:
Power Bottom? was yet another example of my pre-judgement of a book. I’ve skipped over this title so many times, thinking it was more erotica than anything else. It wasn’t, I would say it falls perfectly into the contemporary mm romance category, with an addition of suspense thrown in for good measure.
After a rough breakup Adrian is left broken down and questioning his self-worth. In a desperate attempt to prove he’s not the bore and lousy lay his ex said he was Adrian goes back to a leather bar in search of the mysterious stranger who hit on him a few weeks back. The two hit it off right away, and what was supposed to be a one night stand turn into more and more weekends. But Wyatt has many secrets keeping him from committing to anything more than the infrequent encounter.
Some weeks later and out of the blue mysterious things starts happening. The FBI starts questioning Adrian, thugs show up demanding information about things Adrian has no clue about. In theory this book could have been really great. I love stories where the underdog rebuilds their life, rebuild themselves and realises they are worth being loved, that they are perfect the way they are – no matter what others think. I’m also a huge fan of suspense, criminal investigations and such. I love the thrill of a good chase, figuring out the clues and have them make sense.
I think the foundation was there, but it lacked in the execution and the book was more melodrama than romantic suspense. I never felt anything between Adrian and Wyatt beyond the lust, they didn’t spend much time together outside the bed for them to really have something sold or build on. So I can’t say that I believed in their relationship. I also felt that the flow between the romance and the suspense was a bit off. It was mostly an either or situation where you could almost divide the book in two, the first part was the romance, and the second half dealt with the FBI and the mob. It almost felt like two different stories and not one complete one.
I would say that Nick J. Russo’s performance of this book was the best part. As so many times before he elevated the story and made it an okay listen. Without it, I personally don’t think I would have finished this book. Russo made it easy to follow the story and keep track of all the characters as he has so many different voices and switches between them effortlessly. He also captured the personalities of both Adrian and Wyatt really well. You could feel Adrian’s insecurities pouring off him, his inner musings highlighting his lack of confidence. You also felt Wyatt’s longing to stay with Adrian, but the need to keep running was so ingrained in him that he couldn’t see a way out.
While I once again stand corrected in my pre-judgement of a book, I still can’t say that it was a hit for me. It tried but didn’t quite get there. Then again, listening to Russo is always a treat.
RATING: 
Story: 2 hearts
Narration 4 hearts
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