Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Pretty ‘n Peak
SERIES: Destination Daddies Season Two
AUTHOR: Reese Morrison
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 459 pages
RELEASE DATE: July 22, 2022
BLURB:
Austin is done being a Dom. The thrill hasn’t been there since well before his ex left him. When he agrees to visit his friends’ B&B for a Cuffd Destinations weekend, all he wants is a vacation in the fresh mountain air. He’s certainly not looking for a new boy. His life is complex enough with a stressful job and navigating his vision impairment.
When he meets Mateo, a younger man who’s exploring his desires for the first time, it’s only natural to mentor him—to support the thrill of excitement that Austin can hardly remember feeling. Perhaps he can nurture the new boy in realizing just how attractive his thick, cuddly body is, and how stunning he would be in the satin and lace he’s been too frightened to dream of.
Just to help out, of course.
Pretty ‘n Peak has a blind Daddy who’s finding himself again, a chubby boy who wants to be beautiful, impact play, lingerie, and a HEA. (And no, it’s not a retelling of a movie with a similar title…) Pretty ‘n Peak is part of the Destination Daddies Season Two multi-author series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but there are so many destinations and Daddies to discover, why not grab them all?
REVIEW:
It was nice to get to go back to visit The Meadowlark Lodge up on Mt. Hood.
Austin has given up being a Dom. His last relationship with Cam left him questioning everything about himself. And his job, that he always said he loved, is draining the life out of him. Thankfully a blessing in disguise, namely Jamie, shows up at the club with his old friend and fellow Dom Sebastian and their new boyfriend Neil, in tow. The trio encourage Austin that he needs to come back up to their place to relax at the Cuffd Destinations event they are hosting. They have been worried about their friend’s absence.
Mateo can’t believe that he entered, let alone won, the Cuffd Destinations prize of a weekend up on Mt. Hood for a Daddies/boys weekend event. He isn’t even out to his very involved large Hispanic Catholic family in the small rural town of Woodburn just down the valley from the large, open and accepting metropolitan city of Portland, Oregon. He knows he’s gay but fearful of all the repercussions that coming out may present with his family, his job (at his family’s construction business) and his church. He also had been watching a bit of porn and thinks he might not only be into Daddy/boy but pain/impact play too. But he knows he doesn’t fit the stereotypical boy image. He is a big man, both in height and weight, and he believes people see him as a top and not a submissive. Mateo’s trip to the Cuffd event opened his eyes to many possibilities. Not only being submissive to the older Dom Austin but becoming in touch with his feminine side with Jamie’s help and encouragement. However great their connection between Austin and Mateo, Austin made it clear that he was in no way looking for a partner or relationship but just being a this weekend only mentor. So why do each man keep imagining life with the other after their brief but life-altering adventure?
Having grown up in East Multnomah County I have spent a lot of time up on Mt. Hood. I skied for many years up there. And for the past decade enjoyed visiting a wonderful B & B some friends of friends own. Therefor I tend to imagine their huge log building with its beautiful rustic interior that also has a koi pond and lots of growing indoor plants like The Meadowlark Lodge has. Hiking to the Sandy River was a favorite pastime. And having worked in Downtown Portland I know this area well. The author has a firm grasp on the area and it’s culture. I was surprised to learn that they didn’t actually live there.
I enjoy that the author has her Destination Daddies and Dear Santa books based around The Meadowlark Lodge with Jamie and Sebastian. Although we are learning about a new couple in each book I enjoy the familiarity of returning to that same location for the kick off and Jamie is always hilarious. And, although it isn’t the primary theme in each book, Cuffd is the app that launches these connections.
I don’t know if this book made the impact that the others in this current series did. It was a bit more harsh in being more S/M than a caring and attentive daddy. I did love that the author isn’t afraid of disabilities and having the Daddy legally blind yet an accomplished Dom was new for me. The care that was taken to reduce the chance of injury to Mateo was enlightening. And having a man of size desiring to not only be a boy but questioning where he fell in gender identity was refreshing. And Austin was discovering a lot in this book. His battle with situational depression. His discovery of the level of deceit that Cam had that committed that altered his perception of himself. How his love the thought he had for his job had changed and the “magic had become tarnished”. And, even though he knew he was a sadist at heart, his nurturing side had progressed and grown even more. Being a Daddy didn’t represent what he thought it had and allowed him to not only mentor Mateo but fall in love with the man. Both men grew through this unique and life-changing relationship.
If you are looking for a loving Daddy that only cuddles and spoils his boy then this is definitely NOT the book for you. This book focuses a lot on impact play. Although Austin learns to be more cuddly and definitely spoils Teo with gifts that isn’t the predominate theme here. There is way more hard impact play than I’m used to in Daddy/boy books. This is a super long book but you really feel like you know both men really well by the end. Also, there is an additional bonus scene after the epilogue available for free download.
RATING: 
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