Bound By Honor (Men of Honor #1)

Sep 04, 2012 M rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: bottom-dwellers, series-i-ll-never-finish, queer-sorting-hat

Ugh, what a mess. At no point in this narrative did I have any idea what was going on. I felt like I was reading in a language that I just barely speak. It's just a mass of confusing, meandering sub-plots and flashbacks, I think (since it was so indecipherable and all).

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Jul 02, 2012 Nile Princess rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: bdsm, reviewed, m-m-romance, navy-seals, kindle-lendable

There are authors that write BDSM who immerse you in the scene so completely, you can almost smell the sex and feel the crack of the whip. Then there are others who seem like they read a chapter or two of BDSM for dummies, and decided to write a book. This felt like the latter. The scenes were very amateurish and there was nothing about Damon that screamed dom to me. It was just a whole lot of sex with no real focus on discipline. "I'll teach you to be my boy. Bedroom! Now! Ooh Aahhh." Really?

Th...more There are authors that write BDSM who immerse you in the scene so completely, you can almost smell the sex and feel the crack of the whip. Then there are others who seem like they read a chapter or two of BDSM for dummies, and decided to write a book. This felt like the latter. The scenes were very amateurish and there was nothing about Damon that screamed dom to me. It was just a whole lot of sex with no real focus on discipline. "I'll teach you to be my boy. Bedroom! Now! Ooh Aahhh." Really?

The main characters were a jumbled mess of contradictions so they never really had a clear voice.

Examples: Damon makes it clear, early on that he does not bottom. He doesn't like it. It's not for him. Yet the first time he goes on a date with Tanner, he envisions Tanner strapping down and taking him and this turns him on. Now, I know what you'll say. Well, Nile Princess, maybe he didn't want to before but there was something special about Tanner. And maybe you're right, but the author needs to tell us that! There needs to be something to qualify the earlier image we had of Damon as a strict top. Every little nuance of a character adds up to complete a vision of that character in a reader's head.

Example 2: LC describes himself, early on, as someone who is not into the scene even though he co-owns a BDSM club. Yet, on his first date with Paulo, he envisions dominating him. Even Paulo says, "I thought you weren't into that." Does anyone in this book know himself?? I felt like I had whiplash! The characters' inner thoughts need to be manifest in their actions. They can't be thinking one thing and doing something else.

The whole 'We're doing this to keep our promise to Jesse' got old real quick, and again this was due to a dual representation of Jesse. Yes, Damon loved him, but the author made sure to say that Jesse was selfish and that they had problems. Uh, am I supposed to feel empathy for this character? I couldn't care less about him, and in time that trickled down to Damon and Tanner too. You know it's bad when you start skimming everything about the main characters just to get to the morsels about the secondary ones. At fifty percent, I gave up all pretense of skimming and just completely skipped everything about them altogether.

This was a book that started off ok, but the weak dom and the confused characters left me wanting. I went on to Book 2 to read about the secondary characters that I fell in love with, and it was FABULOUS! Honestly, I would just skip Book 1 and start there.

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Jun 05, 2012 Danielle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotic, m-m, romance, series, tattooed-hero, soldier

I can't believe I've never heard of this series!!! It's brilliant. The depth of emotion between not only the leads but the secondary characters as well is both heartbreaking and thrilling. As the story moves along and you get the to hear some of the history it only adds more more desire to keep reading. Definetly a new favourite.

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Mar 30, 2011 Cole Riann rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, m-m-military, jessewave, m-m-bdsm-fetish, m-m-contemporary

This first book of the Men of Honor series by S.E. Jakes tells the story of Tanner and Damon. Tanner is an Army Ranger who has spend the last year mourning the loss of his best friend Jesse on the force and in their Special Ops team after his untimely death in battle. Left in a position where Jesse was slowly dying and all he could do for his friend was ease his pain, they have time to talk before Jesse passes and Tanner is rescued 10 hours later. He is left with a request from Jesse — to wait o...more This first book of the Men of Honor series by S.E. Jakes tells the story of Tanner and Damon. Tanner is an Army Ranger who has spend the last year mourning the loss of his best friend Jesse on the force and in their Special Ops team after his untimely death in battle. Left in a position where Jesse was slowly dying and all he could do for his friend was ease his pain, they have time to talk before Jesse passes and Tanner is rescued 10 hours later. He is left with a request from Jesse — to wait one year and then visit his boyfriend Damon, the owner of a BDSM club and a famous local Dom and repeat to him his dying wish — that Tanner sub for Damon for one night. Tanner is a soldier through and through. He is honorable, honest, tough and smart. There is no way that he can deny his friend’s request, no matter that he’s a top and has never bottomed for anyone, much less subbed. BDSM is not his scene, though he doesn’t begrudge anyone their lifestyle. Yet, in honor of his fallen friend and hoping to alleviate his lasting guilt that he couldn’t save his friend, he heads to Crave at the one year anniversary of Jesse’s death, needing to bear this one night of submission to put his grief behind him.

Damon has been grieving for Jesse for the past year, caught in a helpless cycle of denial, pain, and guilt over Jesse’s death and the failure of their relationship. He feels guilty that he fought with Jesse before he left. From past experience in the forces himself, he knows that no soldier can go into battle with other things on his mind and expect to make it out alive. He also feels guilty for the secrets he’s kept from Jesse, from everyone over his life but his best friend LC, and wonders if he had confided in Jesse, would it have made a difference in their relationship anyway? Would it have balanced a relationship that was built upon Damon fixing a broken Jesse and not asking for anything in return? When Tanner comes to the club with his request, it angers him — at Tanner, at himself, and at Jesse, who wouldn’t leave the forces for him and got himself killed. Therefore, he takes Jesse’s dying wish, and in anger, forces a public scene on Tanner, on a man who he knows isn’t a sub in a mockery of Jesse’s dying wish.

Despite their explosive first meeting, both Damon and Tanner can’t seem to stay away from one another. As the days go on, as their relationship progresses into something neither one expected, they start to realize that maybe Jesse knew what he was doing when he set up their meeting. Though both of them seem to make mistakes at every turn, they start to understand that being vulnerable to one another and together is better than being safely closed off and alone, and that what they expect of each other they should be able to live up to themselves. They have a lot to learn about themselves before a relationship between them can actually work, but it is worth it to try. Still, they are both stubborn fools and no matter how they might initially identify as a Dom or sub, or how those identities change over the course of the story, it is like pulling teeth to get either of them to really submit to the other in any way.

Though there is some variation on the roles they play (and they get very complicated when they, or we, try to understand them as either Dom or sub), both of these men are Alpha males (ergo, lots of masculine growling, fighting, and sexing). For Damon, being a Dom is a part of his life that has grown out of his fear to relinquish control in any way, to anyone. For Tanner, he hasn’t allowed himself to admit that what he really desires is to bottom. Originally, he sees this as submitting (especially since the situation is in a BDSM context) and he hates that his attraction to Damon is strong enough to get him to give up his cherry for the first time, no matter how many times he insists that he’s a top. Damon does all he can to steer the progression of their relationship into a sort of training for Tanner to become his sub, though there isn’t really anything in play but power dynamics (no whips, etc.). Their relationship is a bit of a runaway train and it is Damon’s only way of pretending that he’s in control of it. Though he has been outgrowing the BDSM community for some time, only staying with it for Jesse’s sake (who needed to submit to him), it is his only way of controlling his feelings for Tanner and the guilt he feels. On the other hand, Tanner very soon realizes that he needs Damon and more importantly, that Damon needs him, and he sets out to fight for Damon when Damon starts to break down and refuses to fight for himself. The dynamics of the characters in this story, and also the secondary characters (LC’s book is next, but he is a very important character in this book as well) are so layered that it was thrilling to read this book, which relied mostly on internal conflict to usher the plot along. I think this can be difficult for a reader to enjoy unless it is done very well, because having so much conflict within a relationship can make the book overly angsty, while at the same time turning the reader off of the characters (too whiny, TSTL, etc.). This book was set up to be an ansty read from the very beginning, but I was pleased to find out that the characters don’t dwell on their emotions too much, just enough to convey their feelings to the reader, so the book didn’t feel overly dramatic.

For the full review, please visit Reviews by Jessewave.(less)

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Aug 16, 2012 Shanyn Hosier rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance, explicit, m-m

It was very hard to decide on a rating for this book, and I really wish I could have rated it higher. Jakes' style is very readable. I liked a lot of things about the book, particularly the characterizations of tough, tortured men. The characters were very believable, all active and ex-military or cops. Though I have to say I felt more sympathy, even pity for them and their emotional struggles, rather than attraction or vicarious arousal. I'm not sure that was Jakes' intent.

This story presents a...more It was very hard to decide on a rating for this book, and I really wish I could have rated it higher. Jakes' style is very readable. I liked a lot of things about the book, particularly the characterizations of tough, tortured men. The characters were very believable, all active and ex-military or cops. Though I have to say I felt more sympathy, even pity for them and their emotional struggles, rather than attraction or vicarious arousal. I'm not sure that was Jakes' intent.

This story presents an interesting look at the now defunct "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and how demeaning it was for gay soldiers forced to endure it. I really appreciated how Jakes illustrated the issues facing closeted gays, of the stress such homophobic policies put on their lives, on the toll living the majority of one's life in public denial ends up having on familial relationships, as well as romantic ones. I applaud the author for such a compelling portrayal of a difficult situation.

The pacing of the novel seemed to stall after the beginning. Over and over, the main characters - Damon and Tanner - play a tug-of-war for power within their new relationship, alternating pushing the other away only to chase them back down a few pages later. There were more second chances afforded here than were realistic or merited, and it began to strain the plausibility of the relationship as well as become boringly repetitive. The make-up sex, while sometimes hot, didn't feel very redemptive. Though Jakes seemed to think sex solved Damon and Tanner's problems, I didn't see it. I know such is not Samhain's target audience, but I would have liked this story and this couple more if there'd been only one or two sex scenes that offered some meaningful resolution.

I'm not a prude, and my bookshelf backs up this claim. I'm a firm believer that whatever consenting adults do to get each other and/or themselves off is entirely up to them. But the first 4 chapters of this story - which amounts to a quarter of the book - are VERY hard to get through thanks to some questionable character motivations and very dubious consent (bordering on abuse, if not rape, in my opinion).

Here's an example of what bothered me: (view spoiler)[Damon allows his business partner, LC, to send the club's bouncers to retrieve Tanner, who's just exited the club after delivering a message to Damon from his dead lover and Tanner's fellow soldier, Jesse. This is how the scene unfolds...

"Renn--grab the guy in the brown leather jacket who just left. And bring a few guys--he won't come willingly."

Tanner's dragged back inside, whereupon Damon, a Dom, agrees to 'have a session' with him, which was Jesse's dying wish. Tanner agrees not because he's always wanted to sub, but feeling bound by his promise to Jesse and trusting his dead friend wouldn't put him in danger.

Tanner's eyes widened. "We're doing this here--where everyone can see?"
[Damon] "Yes. That's what Jesse would have wanted."
Tanner wouldn't have known that this was the furthest thing from the truth--that Jesse understood the value of privacy at the start of a D/s relationship. That Jesse would hate him for this..."

Then, once inside the exhibition room, open for the entire BDSM club to see, Tanner is stripped and strapped down...

Damon used a dildo--it wasn't large but it was knobbed--and worked it inside of him slowly as Tanner tried not to cry out. It hurt the way he'd known it would--he'd heard it was part of the draw for the bottom--the pinch of pain before the pleasure hit. But Tanner didn't like being this out of control, this vulnerable, and he wouldn't handle it well.

"You're tight, baby. You don't bottom much, do you?" Damon asked.

Damon, an experienced Dom, allows his anger and grief over Jesse's loss to seriously cloud his behavior with Tanner, and he knows it. He knows what he is doing is wrong, is unacceptable by BDSM standards, but does it anyway. Damon thinks to himself...

...this was not what Jesse would've wanted--not by a damned long shot. This wasn't what any sub should expect from his first time...

and

The boy--Tanner--was going to come again, whether he wanted to or not and Damon sat there and watched him struggle against the bonds...

and finally

Tanner didn't love it--not completely. There was too much humiliation in this situation--too much confusion. And even so, the boy would not go down easily. He came three times. The fourth was a dry shudder of an orgasm, since he'd been milked almost beyond his capacity, and looked to be almost painful.

"Again," Damon said, prayed that Tanner would finally resist with words, would tell him no, to stop... to end this.

"I can't." Tanner ground out the words. Over an hour had passed [with the vibrating dildo inside Tanner and pressed against his prostate], and although Damon had insisted the boy drink water, the climaxes were taking their toll. (hide spoiler)]

This stuff didn't make me hot - it made me mad! I was furious with Damon, who spends a good deal of the story wracked with guilt over his treatment of Tanner, amongst other things. He was a very hard character to forgive, and I'm not sure I ever did. I was also kind of irked with Tanner, who seemed to live in denial about a lot of things, and kept going back to Damon despite getting repeatedly hurt both physically and emotionally by him.

I know the series continues, presumably other installments focused on other characters, but I'm not sure I'll continue. For anyone interested, I have to warn that this book contains a great many male homosexual sex scenes (I won't call them love scenes, not because men can't love each other, but because these men don't seem to express affection through sex), more than one incident of what I consider dubious consent, and BDSM. (less)

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Jul 12, 2012 Tarah rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary

1.5… barely...
Went something like: story. sex. story. sex. story? nope still sex. story but still centered on sex etc. etc. Could have still liked it even with the abundance of sex, which by the way at some point became just as entertaining as reading the dictionary (no offense to those of you who find immense enjoyment in that), but what really killed (murdered, dismembered, slaughtered, annihilated... *ahem* yeah, I think you get the picture...) it for me were the characters.

Not that I didn'...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Cody Richardson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Overall: A smooth, accessible read, with distinct, memorable characters and a complex and intriguing BDSM relationship that ends in a HFN. Despite a catch-the-rapist subplot that was a bit clumsy and hurried in it's conclusion (but may be explored in greater depth in later books, as this is part of a series), Bound By Honor is a solid tale you'll be glad you downloaded.

Heat Level: 3/5; Light-Moderate BDSM.

Sex Scenes: Short, but artfully crafted; Tanner's vulnerability is both arousing and heart...more

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Jun 15, 2011 Miss Kitty rated it 4 of 5 stars

To escape the past, you have to take a leap of faith.

A promise forces two men to bare themselves…completely.

One year ago on a mission gone wrong, Tanner James failed to save the life of Jesse, his Army Ranger teammate. Before dying in that South American jungle, Jesse extracted a promise that won’t let Tanner rest until it’s fulfilled—no matter what it costs him.

Damon Price loved Jesse, but problems in their relationship had come to a head right before Jesse left on his final mission. Now a rel...more To escape the past, you have to take a leap of faith.

A promise forces two men to bare themselves…completely.

One year ago on a mission gone wrong, Tanner James failed to save the life of Jesse, his Army Ranger teammate. Before dying in that South American jungle, Jesse extracted a promise that won’t let Tanner rest until it’s fulfilled—no matter what it costs him.

Damon Price loved Jesse, but problems in their relationship had come to a head right before Jesse left on his final mission. Now a reluctant Dom and a man still in mourning, he’s not happy when Tanner appears at his BDSM club. And even less happy with Jesse’s last request—that Tanner sub for him for one night.

After a rough start, Damon realizes that the tough soldier, despite his protests, aches for someone to take control. And Tanner senses a hesitance, an insecurity in Damon that makes him wonder if he’s simply a placeholder for Jesse, or if their tentative connection could grow into something more.

For Jesse’s sake, they agree to try one weekend together. Then duty calls, and a series of attacks that have been happening near the club hit too close to home, making both men wonder if giving their hearts is a maneuver fraught with too much risk…

Warning: Contains rough language, rougher sex and warriors who fall hard for one another.

For two big time bad ass Special Forces alpha males, Tanner and Damon don't seem to know how to live their normal day to day lives. Tanner, who is tormented by the dying wish of a fallen Army brother and Damon, who has still not forgiven himself for a personal tragedy that took place over a decade ago.

SE Jakes wasted no time, throwing us into the middle of Tanner and Damon's seemingly dysfunctional and destructive quasi relationship...that neither fella was ready to be classify quite yet. Only for today...only for now...no thinking, just fucking. Both wanted and needed the other but couldn't bare to think of what that look...that touch...or that feeling might mean or bring them. They both tried so hard to mess it up for themselves that I wanted to reach out and bang their heads together in effort to make them WAKE UP!

LC, Damon's childhood friend, tries to help Damon through this rocky and unknown terrain but finds himself in difficult territory as the attacks begin and memories of a long lost but not forgotten relation begin to battle with a very present and very confident detective.

I felt myself doing the sad little puppy eyes for Damon, waiting and waiting for him to make any effort for Tanner. Special Forces calls on Tanner putting yet another roadblock in front of Damon...who is all too willing to throw in the towel after Tanner gets injured in a training exercise gone horribly wrong. Too many memories of Jesse...the fallen friend and lover who brought them together in the first place.(less)

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May 10, 2011 Yvonne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, may-cat-challenge, m-m-bdsm, loaned-book

Probably between a 3.5 to 4.0 stars I'll plead complete ignorance about the BDSM scene but I'm highly skeptical that it's a common practice for subs to be drugged into submission ( don't worry, it's not done by our good guy dom, Damon.) It seems to defeat the whole purpose. Maybe S.E. Jakes have been around some very dark places.

Anyway, once you get past the first couple chapters (where I hit pause on this book), the story really doesn't revolve around BDSM anymore, although it remains on th...more

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Feb 16, 2013 DaisyGirl rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotica-bdsm, genre-romance, i-own, m-m, other-steamy, romance-special_ops

2.5 Stars

Tanner James and Damon Price. Tanner is an Army Ranger who failed to save the life of his teammate, Jesse, one year prior. Damon is a club owner, well-known Dom, and Jesse's grieving BF. Before dying, Jesse extracted a promise from Tanner to go to Damon on the one-year anniversary of his death and sub for him for one night. One disastrous night turns into a steamy weekend. Before long, Tanner and Damon find themselves falling for each other all while a series of attacks near the club si...more

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Mar 12, 2013 Michele rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: bdsm-spanking, m-m-bdsm, favorites

This was my first S.E. Jakes novel. I enjoyed how the story unfolds. It explains the relationship between our MC's slowly. They are all military men, and they are gay. Which makes you say why? Why would these obviously intelligent men seek to enter one of the most homophobic institutions?
Damon and LC are ex-military, Delta. They are best friends, and own a BDSM club together. Damon and LC grew up together and share a similar background. They both have a past and past loves that haunts them bot...more This was my first S.E. Jakes novel. I enjoyed how the story unfolds. It explains the relationship between our MC's slowly. They are all military men, and they are gay. Which makes you say why? Why would these obviously intelligent men seek to enter one of the most homophobic institutions?
Damon and LC are ex-military, Delta. They are best friends, and own a BDSM club together. Damon and LC grew up together and share a similar background. They both have a past and past loves that haunts them both. These ghosts have prevented them from moving on with lives. A young military man,Tanner, comes to the club to honor a dying friends request. He is to talk to one of the owners, Damon, and do a scene with this man. The dying man Jesse, was Damon's boyfriend of 4+ years. Everyone at the club knows how important Jesse's relationship was with Damon and since his death Damon has been in mourning feeling guilty and angry. Angry because Jesse wouldn't give up the army in favor of his and Damon's relationship. Guilty because their relationship had been in trouble before Jesse's death.

Now, after a year of mourning, Damon begins to feel something for the young man that has caught him off guard and threatens his usual control. Tanner,considers himself bisexual. He has never been into the BDSM scene. He just knows after a mission he likes his sex rough. Jesse confided in Tanner that he thought Tanner was exactly what Damon needed and maybe they would be good for each other. He attempts to honor his friends last request and gets blind sided by a very angry Damon.

More ghosts from Damon's and LC's past is threatning everything. Men are being attacked right outside Crave, their BDSM club. The thought of the person responsible makes LC's begin remembering a nightmare he thought he put to reast long ago. Styx, a former lover to LC and friend to both men, who Law had tried to forget for more than 10 years.

Paulo, a detective assigned to the case regarding the attacks, is a member of the club. Unbeknowest to LC, Palo has been eyeing the man for some time. Now with the opportunity to get up close and personal with LC, he realizes that this man could become important in his life if only he can let go the past.

I really liked this one, which I only did for a challenge but ended up really bound to it, pun intended. I give it 4.5 stars.(less)

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Jan 01, 2013 Missy Jane rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is a fairly complex story of two men in a relationship, but fighting it all the way. Normally that would be a great read to me but there were so many ghosts in their pasts, plus in the pasts of the side characters, I'm not sure I can really say I "liked" this book.
Tanner goes to Damon's BDSM club to fulfill his promise to a dying soldier. Great opening and one that grabbed me right off the bat. Damon's initial treatment of Tanner haunted me enough to get through the first few chapters...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Tonileg rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, seriously-damaged-h-h, m-m, erotica, kindle

Why does anyone have to be only one way, only one personality trait? I guess people can change, but only if they want it. This is a story about men. There are a large cast of characters in this story and it makes for a deep and interesting story about healing and falling in love. I doubt that the two things go together, because healing is best done with out taking or making any life changing decisions as we're not at our best when we've been damaged (emotionally, physically or both). Tanner and...more

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May 12, 2011 Patti Loves FAB Romance rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotic, gay-lesbian

I got 38% in before I decided not to continue. Tanner is an Army Ranger, who is going to see a Dom to honor the final request of a dying friend, Jesse. He feels guilty he couldn't save his Jesse's life, so he feels honor-bound to go. Damon Price was Jesse's boyfriend and still isn't over his death a year later. He's angry that Tanner has come and agrees to top him, and ends up humiliating him in front of the patrons of his BDSM club. He regrets his actions and goes to Tanner, asking for a second...more

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Mar 21, 2011 Mel Bradley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Soldier Tanner James holds his word and shows up to deliver the dying wish of his good friend who died in combat one year earlier. He walks into the club searching for the owner and badass Dom, Damon. Tanner's mission is simple - submit to Damon for one night exactly one year following his friend's death. What happens when Tanner walks into the club is heartbreaking as Damon isn't sure he's able to uphold his end of the bargain. Will he be able to overcome his past to embrace the best thing for...more

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Feb 02, 2011 Cynthia (aka Artemis) rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Readers of M/M Romance

Recommended to Cynthia by: Laurie (Bitten by Paranormal Romance)

Shelves: requested-review, contemporary, e-book, m-m-romance

Read my review at Bitten By Paranormal Romance

I didn’t want to like these guys, not even a little. They were so tormented. They kept denying themselves love. I just wanted to take Damon and LC by the shoulders, shake them, and yell, “Snap. Out. Of. It.” In the end, I couldn’t help myself, I fell and hard.

When Damon Price was 18, he suffered a terrible tragedy and never fully recovered. Letting someone get close, love him was impossible until Jesse -- almost. Tanner James feels responsible for Je...more
Read my review at Bitten By Paranormal Romance

I didn’t want to like these guys, not even a little. They were so tormented. They kept denying themselves love. I just wanted to take Damon and LC by the shoulders, shake them, and yell, “Snap. Out. Of. It.” In the end, I couldn’t help myself, I fell and hard.

When Damon Price was 18, he suffered a terrible tragedy and never fully recovered. Letting someone get close, love him was impossible until Jesse -- almost. Tanner James feels responsible for Jesse’s death and wants to honor his friend’s last request. The initial encounter between Tanner and Damon is volatile and sets the tone for the rest of the book. Unfortunately, after the scene with Damon, Tanner is left shaken; disturbed and confused by the feelings that Damon has awaken within him. Tanner feels he won’t be able to do what Jesse requested of him -- he is set to self-destruct. Damon realizes his mistake and orders Tanner to spend the weekend with him.

He called himself a bastard several times over for the man he’d left behind and the one in front in him who was obviously in trouble. Probably had been for a while and Damon had been too wrapped up in himself to notice.

Tanner and Damon are highly combustible alphas who need each other desperately. Although, they want to remain blind to it, everyone else around them can see it. Including Damon’s BFF, LC. (Who has his own fair share of lovelorn problems.) Even as their relationship grows, Tanner continues to deny his submissiveness while Damon persists to believe he’s fulfilling Jesse’s last wish. Along the way, a series of brutal attacks on a few of the Crave club patrons has occurred outside of the club. Not only are Damon and LC concerned for their clientele and the business, but the attacks have brought back painful memories for both men.

Damon feels he can’t be forgiven or loved because of his past, but Tanner doesn’t give up and gives Damon one last chance. LC on the other hand, has been fooling himself, waiting (for too damn long IMHO) on a hope and a dream.

And, oh yes, you will experience man love, BDSM, the club scene and D/s.

What a breathtaking love story. Two people who are meant for each other but are afraid……
Without a doubt, these are Men of Honor. I am looking forward to reading LC’s story in Bound By Law.
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Sep 02, 2011 Agatha Raine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotic-romance, lgbt-fiction

Determined to honor Jesse, a fallen comrade, in his last wish before he died hours prior to rescue, Tanner seeks out his grieving lover according to Jesse’s instructions. His plan was to get in, get the job done, and get out with his honor satisfied, but he could’ve never prepared for what he got into when Damon bitterly accepted him. With emotional ups and downs, lefts and rights, and just plain on the ground wondering what happened, Bound by Honor is a steamy book that will leave you breathles

...more

Determined to honor Jesse, a fallen comrade, in his last wish before he died hours prior to rescue, Tanner seeks out his grieving lover according to Jesse’s instructions. His plan was to get in, get the job done, and get out with his honor satisfied, but he could’ve never prepared for what he got into when Damon bitterly accepted him. With emotional ups and downs, lefts and rights, and just plain on the ground wondering what happened, Bound by Honor is a steamy book that will leave you breathless and wanting more!

S.E. Jakes does a great job of weaving secondary plots through the main story arc of Tanner and Damon’s misbegotten romance. The sex scenes were blistering hot and the author’s exploration of the characters’ growth and development was gradual enough to intrigue without becoming a bore. The story was never suspended and deluged with information about the characters, the back-story, or about parts of the world they live in.

Overall the grammar was invisible to me, but several times the author wrote a sentence in the narration that is missing the subject completely. Often the sentence is directly referring to the previous one, but is separated by a period rather than a comma. It’s a little thing, but it trips me every time. Also, there’s a point where a conflict with the story’s timing throws me out. Tanner has left the club on foot in the middle of an ice storm after a fight with Damon. Damon spends no less than two hours, if not more, with LC talking about the attacks and comforting him after, leaving Tanner running through freezing rain, sleet, and hail for all that time. Soldier or not, he’s miraculously not suffering advanced hypothermia when Damon goes after him and doesn’t require a hospital visit, or even proper care from the self-proclaimed Dom.

Considering this book is advertised as a BDSM Novel, I was a disappointed to find there was, in fact, very little BDSM involved. What elements it had were either gross (deliberate) distortions, or a garnish for the sex scenes. I would have liked to explore a little bit more about submission and its effect on Tanner’s personality, but I thought that the conclusion on that front was appropriate, given their situations and needs. I’d have liked more description of the settings and surroundings as well, just a few personal touches to color the otherwise monochrome settings. As it is, I can pretty much imagine the book as a black and white movie with a minimal stage, and not be contradicted by the narration.

On the whole, I very much enjoyed he book. It has the honor of being the first e-book I’ve bought yet to be read twice, just for the pleasure of it. While there are number sex scenes, the book never degenerated into one annoying, pointless sex scene after the next, nor did I feel the plot was an excuse for the scenes. I enjoy watching the character’s relationship mature from “You’re a Sub. No I’m not. Yes you are. Maybe so, but I’ll never admit it!” to something deeply meaningful for both characters. This a solid, 4-star novel!

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Sep 16, 2012 Emma added it

Shelves: ex-military, bdsm, argh-what-a-jerk, kindle-loan

Wow, polarized reviews: 1s and 5s, 2s and 4s.

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Feb 24, 2012 Christi Snow rated it 5 of 5 stars

My Review:
This is a powerful book. It's incredibly sexy. It's incredibly emotional. It features two incredible alpha heroes that you can't help but to fall in love with. From page one this book propels you into this erotic BDSM story and it doesn't stop until the very end.

Tanner is bi-sexual, but something about his sex life is lacking. He's not finding fulfillment and as his military life becomes more and more dangerous, so do his sexual experiments....just trying to find that ultimate release....more My Review:
This is a powerful book. It's incredibly sexy. It's incredibly emotional. It features two incredible alpha heroes that you can't help but to fall in love with. From page one this book propels you into this erotic BDSM story and it doesn't stop until the very end.

Tanner is bi-sexual, but something about his sex life is lacking. He's not finding fulfillment and as his military life becomes more and more dangerous, so do his sexual experiments....just trying to find that ultimate release. A year ago, he was on a mission with his friend Jesse. Jesse was hit and bled out slowly in the ten hours it took for a rescue to come for them. In that time when he was dying, Jesse extracted a promise from Tanner. A promise that a year after his death, Tanner would go to Jesse's partner, Damon, and have him Dom for Tanner. Tanner has never been a sub, but he wants to fulfill Jesse's dying wish, so on the anniversary of Jesse's death, Tanner goes to the club that Damon owns to tell him what Jesse wants.

Damon is still grieving for Jesse and does not react well to Tanner's information. In fact, he reacts really horribly and puts Tanner in an awful position which sends Tanner into an even worse downward spiral sexually. Damon is dealing with his own demons. Demons that have to deal with his relationship with Jesse and demons that go even further back than that. He doesn't realize that Tanner is exactly what he needs, but Jesse recognized it.

Everything that you see in the description above. It's all there and it makes for an incredible book. There is grief. Their is guilt. There is some amazingly HOT alpha sex! The two heroes in this book are amazingly well-written. There is a lot of depth to both of them, as they deal with issues that are not easy. There are some incredible moments of vulnerability for both of these guys in this book which are just so incredibly beautiful!

I loved this book. It was everything I hoped for and so much more. Just an incredibly erotic read, but also an incredibly beautiful love story. (less)

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Mar 06, 2012 Kade Boehme rated it 2 of 5 stars

Um.... 2 stars because I LOVED Tanner... in the beginning. In the end he seemed a bit selfish. As much as I REALLY didn't like Damon at all (PROTOCOL MY ASS, YOU RAT BASTARD!) it pissed me off that noone respected when he said he just wasn't cut out to be an "army wife". Some of us can love someone with all of our hearts, and would beg that you understood that since we're not selfishly asking you to give up a career you love but just ARE NOT cut out for months of separation and the constant fear...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Monchari rated it 4 of 5 stars

My first time for this kind of novel.....
well...if you're looking for all-time-erotic scenes novel, it may be good.
I just wondered...why many of authors had set their characters as a Marine, or some cool law enforcement officers with very high skill, but just don't touch it in the story...No plot to show off when they could insert easily and strengthen the story...

For this book, I thought Tanner should be a DOM than Damon..(laugh) from his character.
And if this novel was in Japanese I bet many f...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Jayden Brooks rated it 5 of 5 stars

** I originally posted this review 4/4/11**

This was an excellent read. It had it all as far as I'm concerned. This was the first book I've read by this author - and the first thing I did when I finished was come online and look for other books. The story had a great balance of steamy scenes, intrigue, and strong emotions. I will admit that it isn’t the tragic, tear jerker that I love. But there's plenty of action going on to keep you clicking with anticipation. There were certain D/s aspects of...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Leanne rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: bdsm, mm, hurt-comfort

I found this a disappointing read. It started so full of promise with sizzling, crackling tension between Tanner and Damon. My problem with it was that there was no slow build up... lots of sex, yes, but none of that slow reveal. No peeling back of the layers of two potentially fascinating characters. As Heidi Cullinan so beautifully wrote in a recent blog post,

....the gooey chocolate center of a novel...

is the real, gut-clenching worry that the characters won't get together by the end of the b...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Liz Blue rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, m-m-romance, soldiers

I enjoyed this book--loved the premise, and found it very sexy and emotionally intense. The first half kept me glued. The ending didn't quite do it for me, though--I felt like there were some major unresolved issues in the relationship that were glossed over. And as much as we were in the heads of the characters, there were still times when their actions puzzled me. Like when (view spoiler)...more

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Mar 13, 2012 carol rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Adults only

Shelves: irish-bdsm, bdsm, free-bdsm

I haven't read many M M books before but this was a really good romantic and erotic read. I thought S.E. Jakes a man initially and was surprised to find I was wrong. I loved the formula of very male dominant army or ex army characters and how they have had to live under the 'dont ask- don't tell' rule...the fear and reality of death and dying from their lifestyles and the difficulties of building relationships, trust and love. Subsequent situations that trauma can cause whether in the forces or...more

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May 02, 2011 Pamela Craft Jenewein rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-stories

Army Ranger, Tanner James feels he let his team mate, Jesse down. Not having Jesse’s back when it matter, thus causing the man’s death in the jungles of South America. Holding and watching his friend die, Tanner promises to do the man’s bidding… visit the his lover state-side. When he does, Tanner discovers a truth about himself but helps another find that same awareness too.

Damon Price hails from the streets, but pulls himself up from those depths to become a successful business man and a reno...more

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Feb 22, 2013 NicStar rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: military, mm, series, bdsm-or-elements-of, zz-amazon-yes

Although Damon, one of the main characters, runs a BDSM club, this book felt more like an emotional journey with some light dominance and submission, rather than focusing on other elements of the lifestyle. This was a GOOD thing as the book was character focused and delved deeply into the emotions of each man. The relationship between the men was highly sexual, with these scenes well-written.

Tanner is with his fellow army buddy Jesse when he dies, but not before making Tanner promise to visit hi...more

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Jan 31, 2013 Sue rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought this was a good book.It was light on the BDSM if that's what you were looking for.It is however full of sexy Marines & Armed Forces types to drool over.It was a story about losing the only love you've ever had to death & meeting the person whose arms they died in.Its about new love,guilt and trying to start over with a creepy killer from your past making an appearance.That forces some to deal with issues from their past.Its about dealing with your new love going into battle and...more

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Feb 20, 2012 Lynnebaby rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 26, 2013 Togainunochi(Jude) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, mystery, romance

Wow, just wow. Really loved this story and the characters of Tanner and Damon are sublime. I always wonder why I am utterly drawn in, can't escape broken men. Maybe, I just believe love can mend all, right wrongs and everyone should be allowed to be loved.
Damon(owner of club Crave and Dom) meets his match in Tanner(Ranger and sub-although not to his thinking), even though it takes the entire book for him to realize it. It's a match Damon runs from for many reasons, but Tanner persists, needle...more

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title link	preview: Bound By Honor
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Bound By Honor (Men of Honor #1)

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