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Truthful Change

by Jane Davitt (Goodreads Author), Alexa Snow

3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 · rating details · 408 ratings · 61 reviews

Karl Blake's good at a lot of things: killing bad guys, rescuing hostages...and looting priceless diamonds, but when a bullet ends his career as a mercenary he discovers that he's really bad at living in a huge house with nothing to do. A shy, oddly sexy gardener with an unexpected liking for rough sex seems just what the doctor ordered for his boredom. But Adam's got secr...more

ebook, 194 pages

Published June 1st 2010 by Loose Id

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Jun 03, 2010 Wren rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-adventure, contemporary, m-m

Loved these two very hot characters. (A wounded ex-mercenary and an FBI agent)

Spoilers -----

Aiden isn't getting what he needs from his relationship with Scott. When Aiden goes undercover (he's FBI) as Adam, a gardener at Karl's estate, he has sex with Karl - the rough kind he loves. The infidelity aspect might bother some readers if that's a strong dislike. I didn't mind it, and the authors went out of their way to remind the reader that Aiden and Scott's relationship was nearing the end. There...more

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Jul 02, 2010 Leah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-bdsm, m-m-romance-challenge-bom, kink-masochism, favs, kink-humiliation, age-difference, dirtytalk, queersoldier, yummy-re-reads, queercop, m-m-romance

GAH! After the first chapter I had to reread the book blurb to ensure I was reading the right book. I frecking loved the backstory, the suspense and action, it reads like John Woo directed smexin with a lil D/s thrown in ='s SWEET! Awesome read.

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Jun 19, 2010 Soami rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: gay-with-an-edge

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

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Aug 14, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, glbt-fiction, favorites

Truthful Change was a marvy read with a gardening boy, ex military hard bodies and some rough, dirty, garden shed sex. I liked it a great deal, as one can imagine!

I think what these two authors do well is the power dynamic between their characters. How they portray their more submissive boys, like Aiden really resonates. He’s ballsy, clever and incredibly in control of himself, but you get the feeling that despite being in a relationship that there’s a missing something in his life. I also like...more

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Oct 24, 2012 LenaLena rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm

First half 4 stars. Second half 1 star. Blergh.

All that beautiful conflict: Relationship rut! Deception! Cheating! Lies! Unwelcome needs! In over your head! Attracted to a BAMF! All that beautiful conflict goes poof! in a big pink sparkly cloud of no-one-gets-hurt-breakups, badasses-turned-into-considerate-saps, auntie-sophie-we-wuv-yous, only-the-bad-guy-gets-hurt-in-the-car-chases, i-was-going-to-give-up-my-job-anyways-so-now-we-can-be-togethers and a fucking FBI agent who turns into a 'brat'...more

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Nov 23, 2012 SheReadsALot rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m-romance, bdsm, boss-employee-relations, contemporary, crime-life, damaged-hero, hot-alpha-male, cheaters, suspense, love-triangle, law-enforcement, erotic, possessive-obsessive, biter-sexy

Duplicity and Dandelions.

Duplicitous Dandelions.

I swear looking at this book's cover makes me smirk even harder. Love it.

Duplicity and Dandelions, you're wondering(WTF)?

This is my second title for "Truthful Change". It's unofficial but it fits.

Aiden is a gay FBI agent, living with his doctor boyfriend, Scott. With Aiden out working undercover a lot and Scott being well a doctor, these two are on different schedules. It seems like different wavelenengths really. Scott's the boring vanilla in A...more

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Jun 24, 2010 Jenre rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, m-m, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Before I begin, I just want to point out that there is a sort of spoiler to do with the first part of the book in this review. The reveal happens so early on (p27), and the rest of the book is so dependent on it, that I can’t avoid it in this review. If you are going to read this book and really don’t want to know, then I suggest you stop reading here. Otherwise carry on!

Karl is a ex-mercenary, forced to retire at 37 due to a bullet in the leg. After selling his company to what turns out to be a...more Before I begin, I just want to point out that there is a sort of spoiler to do with the first part of the book in this review. The reveal happens so early on (p27), and the rest of the book is so dependent on it, that I can’t avoid it in this review. If you are going to read this book and really don’t want to know, then I suggest you stop reading here. Otherwise carry on!

Karl is a ex-mercenary, forced to retire at 37 due to a bullet in the leg. After selling his company to what turns out to be a ruthless colleague, Karl settles into his new life cushioned by the profits from looted diamonds. Aiden is an undercover FBI agent sent to find out whether Karl still has connections to his former unit, now gone rogue under the new owner. Part of his job is to gain Karl’s trust through seduction, something that Aiden feels uncomfortable about, especially because he is in a relationship with another man, Scott. Aiden tries desperately to divorce his work from his home life, but when it turns out that Karl can give him what Scott cannot – rough demanding sex – Aiden is torn between his duty to Scott and their dull sex life or the new, exciting relationship he is finding with Karl. Added to that is the fact that Karl thinks that Aiden is Adam, his shy and sweet new gardener and Aiden is looking at a whole heap of lies and trouble.

Those of you who cannot tolerate infidelity in their books have probably already stopped reading. The first part of the book does involve Aiden ‘cheating’ on Scott, his doctor lover. I didn’t mind this because it was obviously part of his job, plus it also caused a fair amount of anguish in Aiden. Another reason why it didn’t bother me was because it isn’t long before it becomes obvious that Aiden and Scott are not suited to each other. Aiden is an engaging hero, he’s young enough within the bureau that he’s still a bit green and willing to put himself forward, but he’s also got enough experience to be a convincing actor in his role as Adam. I liked the way that the authors showed the switch in Aiden as he adopted his role, and also how ‘Adam’ can still be seen later in the book once he becomes Aiden again. I wasn’t sure at first whether I would like Karl. There’s a brashness about him which I found quite abrasive at first. His former occupation also isn’t the most sympathetic, nor is that fact that he has skirted the edges of what is lawful. Having said that, after a while I did find myself warming to him. I think it helped that he wasn’t infallible, both by being fooled by ‘Adam’ and physically with his healing leg wound; and that generally he’s got a sense of what is morally right, even if he turns a blind eye to illegalities. Karl also has a delightful dry sense of humour and to my surprise I began to enjoy the parts from Karl’s point of view more than I did Aiden’s. The two men complemented each other, and not just sexually, as both men find what they need in the other – in Karl’s case something to focus on and take away his boredom, and in the case of Aiden an opening up to a new way of life. The book worked at its best when the focus was on the two heroes, their blossoming relationship, and the fall out from all the lies that build as the book progresses. I enjoyed following this relationship, the surprise that both men feel about how well they get on, and how compatible they are sexually, and felt that the romance was the strongest part of the book.

Towards the end of the book, the plot moves away from focusing on the two men and Aiden’s growing discomfort about Scott into a more action based suspense plot. Whilst this still worked, I did feel that the last part of the book dragged a little as other characters are brought in. The final action piece was exciting but didn’t quite fit with what had been quite an emotionally intense, rather than action, book up to that point. This is only a minor niggle though, and I expect that some readers will like that the plot widened out from being focused just on the heroes, as it did provide a variety of setting and allow Aiden and Karl to see each other with the blinkers off.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed Truthful Change. I like books which focus on character development and there was certainly a lot of that in this book. The sex scenes are a little rough in nature, but as that is the whole point of Karl and Aiden’s sexual relationship, then I felt that worked, especially as the way they explore that side of their sexual kinks was an interesting and unusual concept. If you’re not bothered by infidelity, or characters who spend time lying to each other, and you like strong, but fallible, characters and engaging plots then this book is for you.(less)

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Jun 25, 2010 Ravyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-mm-fiction, t-bdsm, c-cops-agents-spies

For me, this book was really about the characters and their romantic and sexual development. I thought the starring couple were great together; their personalities meshed well, and the sex was totally hot. There's also a real feel of new discovery that I enjoyed for the characters portrayed in Truthful Change - discovery of new goals and priorities in their lives as well as sexual discovery. I'm not one to like tons and tons of gratuitous sex, but I really felt like those scenes were well writte...more

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Jun 09, 2010 ElaineY rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: covert-ops-sekret-organizations, romantic-suspense

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. There aren't many of these longer books (it came out to 402 pages on Medium setting in my Sony e-reader) and I started on Truthful Change with the anticipation of one opening a gift-wrapped box.

Overall, it's a good, solid FBI/undercover story and Karl, the ex-PMC chief, is everything that I look for in my romance heroes. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Aiden, the FBI agent who goes undercover as Adam, Karl's gardener.

I am truly puzzled as to why the authors chose to introduce their prota...more There aren't many of these longer books (it came out to 402 pages on Medium setting in my Sony e-reader) and I started on Truthful Change with the anticipation of one opening a gift-wrapped box.

Overall, it's a good, solid FBI/undercover story and Karl, the ex-PMC chief, is everything that I look for in my romance heroes. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Aiden, the FBI agent who goes undercover as Adam, Karl's gardener.

I am truly puzzled as to why the authors chose to introduce their protag in such a way - as a cheater who, for the next 200 pages (!!!) cheats on Scott, his live-in partner. The Prologue doesn't even show anything seriously wrong with their relationship and when the story begins, Aiden/Adam is soon sexually involved with Karl. Their scenes are hot but the spectre of Scott is constantly hanging over Aiden. If the authors had told or shown me (even better) that Aiden's relationship with Scott was unravelling and coming to an end, the book would have been a solid 5 stars. But instead, Aiden, when he's thinking about Scott (which is A LOT, believe me), his thoughts don't tell me the relationship is already on its last legs. The opposite, instead. There's a scene early on in the story (Pg 60 of my reader) where Aiden has just come home from getting his ass "fucked raw" by Karl and as he enters the house he shares with Scott, he's thinking: "They’d talked about getting married—not because either of them was eager for a wedding, really, but more as a hypothetical exercise, a someday-when-things-in-this-country-change sort of discussion. For now, though, Aiden was pretty happy with things the way they were, even if his paycheck didn’t match up to Scott’s by a long way."

Then there's the scenes with Scott where I'm having to sit through Aiden's lying, the evasive tactics, the hiding...and I keep asking myself 'why'. Why am I being made to work so hard to accept Aiden as a protagonist in my romantic fiction? Why do I have to make excuses for him, find reasons to justify his infidelity against a man who's only fault, it appears, is that he's a doctor and he doesn't have a penchant for rough sex.

There's cheating and there's cheating in romantic fiction. I won't go into the ins and outs of that here but suffice to say, the kind of cheating in Truthful Change portrays Aiden in a very poor light. Which is a pity because it was so easy to avoid - just have him and Scott break up in the Prologue. Even when I told myself to forget Aiden has a partner who loves him, the authors do not let me forget. Scott follows Aiden everywhere in his guilty conscience.

By the time I reached the part where Scott discovers Aiden has been cheating on him, it's the second half of the book and this, at page 202 pages, is already longer than most books. Later on when I discover Scott himself has been seeing someone else, it's a case of too little, too late. I'd expended so much energy trying to get over Aiden's cheating that I no longer cared about him.

The saving grace in Truthful Change is Karl and the four stars are all for him. He's hot, sexy and I was able to carry on reading this book because of him.

The story picks up in the second half and Scott is history. Whew. By then I am well and truly pissed off, of course, because I enjoyed this second half very, very much. As I turned off my reader, I could not help wondering why the authors made Aiden look like the guy that gets kicked out of the romance protagonist's life instead of the protag who goes on to find his true love. This is, after all, romantic fiction I'm reading, isn't it? It did mar the story substantially for me. I'm now left with such a bad taste in my mouth and hoping the book I'm just about to begin (Cameron Dane's Devlin & Garrick) will not feature ANY cheating of ANY kind.

Alright, so this was more of a rant than a review but if you haven't read Truthful Change yet, don't be put off by my comments here. It's a good story and both protags are well fleshed-out. If you hate cheaters, the story is still worth reading and the sex between Karl and The Cheater is hot, even though it's still pretty vanilla despite The Cheater's claim of needing rough sex.(less)

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Jun 13, 2010 Lily rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, law-enforcement-private-i, m-m, loved-it, what-i-read-in-2010

4.5 stars

"An ex-mercenary and his young and untried gardener form an unexpected bond. But all is not what it seems as secret lives and dangerous situations bring the two men together in a surprising way. I was intrigued by the blurb and was not disappointed with the story. The writing team of Jane Davitt and Alexa Snow continue to put out well written and entertaining books and I'm looking forward to reading many more of their stories in the future. Highly recommended."

Complete review posted at...more

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May 03, 2012 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had a really fun time reading this book. Karl is really macho without being too obnoxious and Adam is really sweet and rather earnest, making it an interesting contrast in personalities between the two. The interactions between the two is really intense and the sex scenes are great.

The plot is rather shallow but it was easy to overlook that since the book primarily focused on the relationship between Karl and Adam. The "bad guy" in the book is not much of a threat and we barely know anything...more

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

This story is very well written and paced nicely. The book takes place in Texas, mainly at the two homes of the main characters. However, there is plenty of drama, twists/turns and hidden agendas, with surprising action at the end. Although one of the main characters is a retired mercenary, don’t expect a lot of violence throughout, it’s more of a love story and two people learning to work through betrayal, new emotions and love.

The sex at times seems a bit gratuitous, but it’s definitely hot (a...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: age-gap, hottie-cops, m-m, my-top-fave-mm

Right at this moment, as I've literally just finished this book, I'm feeling emotionally wrecked. This book was so fantastically amazing and I absolutely loved the intense connection that was made between the main characters almost right away but that took so long to simmer into what was essentially the fireworks of the plot.

The tenderness that Karl showed to Aiden while being so rough with him was absolutely beautiful to witness and by the end of the book, I felt like I just *knew* these boys....more

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Jun 07, 2011 Yvonne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

There were parts of this story that were enjoyable including the chemistry between Aidan/Adam & Karl but I did have some trouble connecting emotionally to the characters in the story. This may be because of how both characters are portrayed & the inconsistencies in the story.
(view spoiler)...more

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Feb 05, 2013 Magen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: hot-alpha-males, m-m-bdsm, favorites

Ahh!! LOVED IT! Aiden is an FBI agent assigned to investigate Karl an ex-mercenary for possible illegal activity. Without giving too much away, because that is half the fun of this book, it is just a great read. The sex is OFF THE CHARTS HOT and their chemistry is perfect. Aiden is tired of his tame personal and sex life and really wants something more which Karl provides in spades. While Karl is both rough and tough, there is also some sweet sensitivity that comes through that makes you love hi...more

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Nov 18, 2010 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, bdsm, ebook, done, gay, owned, romantic-suspense

Very good kinky m/m romance about a retired mercenary who becomes fascinated by his seemingly innocent gardener...

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Sep 03, 2012 Jacqueline rated it 4 of 5 stars

LOVED IT! Enough Shoot um up bang bang. And OMG the chemistry was to die for.

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May 26, 2011 C.M. Torrens rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m_m, contemporary, read-in-2011

Oh man, this is a great book. The characters wonderfully written and the plot well executed. Just a great read all around.

Aiden is an undercover FBI looking into a connection between Karl and the bad guy Simes. After being shot Karl is force to retire and sells his company to a real dirt bag that Karl hadn't expected to be as much of a murderous SOB as he turned out to be.

In the beginning Aiden tries to separate his feeling and those of the undercover personality he's portraying, but the lines...more

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Jun 19, 2011 Bubbles Hunty marked it as not-for-me

Shelves: cheaters

don't like cheaters

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Apr 27, 2013 ttg rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: challenge-read, m-m, reviews, favorites

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I thought it was a good romantic suspense novel with sympathetic characters and a nice heavy focus on the relationship and its development.

I'm going to put most of this behind a spoiler tag because a big conflict happens early on in the book, but isn't mentioned in the official blurb. I talk about it in my review throughout, so thus, spoiler warnings.

(view spoiler)...more Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I thought it was a good romantic suspense novel with sympathetic characters and a nice heavy focus on the relationship and its development.

I'm going to put most of this behind a spoiler tag because a big conflict happens early on in the book, but isn't mentioned in the official blurb. I talk about it in my review throughout, so thus, spoiler warnings.

(view spoiler)[What I liked: This is the second coauthored book I’ve read by Davitt and Snow (after the enjoyable Laying a Ghost), and I like their style a lot. I find it nicely straight-forward, not padded, and also somehow I “sink” into it, so I’ll read for a while, come up for air, and then see that I didn’t get through much of the book, but I felt very satisfied with what I read.

I liked the characters a lot, how they balanced between each other, and how the authors balanced the secrets between them. For the first half of the book, they’re balancing three characters. There’s ex-mercenary Karl, who retired after getting injured on his last job and is both bored and a little lost on how to spend his excess of spare time and money. (Karl kind of reminds me of Kael from Angel and the Assassin, but is more socially aware and less BDSM. Still carries that mix of badass, and keen observer, as well as loves controlling in the bedroom.)

Then there’s Aidan, the FBI agent tasked with uncovering Karl’s ties to his former mercenary company that has gone rogue on recent missions. (Aidan is also avoiding thinking about how his long-term relationship with his live-in partner is no longer working.) Then there’s “Adam”, Aidan’s undercover alias, a young inexperienced gardener that has caught Karl’s eye.

I really dug how the characters and their conflicts developed, how Aidan started blurring more of the lines while he was playing “Adam”, the slow thaw and undoing of Karl as he grew to care about one man, and then how he faces those feelings when eventual truths comes out. Karl and Aidan have a very sexy chemistry that also is very sweet as Karl’s hidden protective teddy bear nature seeps out between his scowls and manhandling ways. (Ironically, Karl is more of the “white hat,” with his honest, straight-forward nature and strict code of conduct, and Aidan is more “gray” as he accepted a job that would force him to lie and seduce, ergo cheating on his partner.)

I know a lot of people don’t like cheating in romances. I don’t like it either, but I thought how it was handled here was done really well, and should minimize rage feelings. Aidan isn’t exonerated for his actions, but things work out in a way better for all the characters. (And one of the smaller themes of the story are realizing what you really want in life and going for it.) So, if you don’t like cheating, I wouldn’t let that scare you away from this book.

The sexy times were also very sexy. They were a little plentiful, but I also felt like they were adding to the characters’ growing relationship, how they built it and how they rebuilt it. I loved their dynamic, and how Aidan was able to release more of his wants of being dominated in the bedroom, and Karl is actually very romantic for a guy who wants the control all the time. (I have such a soft spot for Alpha Grinches who find their hearts growing three sizes larger BECAUSE OF LOVE!) Overall, I loved their chemistry, and they were a great pair to read about.

What was harder: Overall I really liked the book. It has a few ticks of using nouns instead of pronouns (“the younger man”, “the FBI agent” but they weren’t overused so I was able to slide on by and stay happy. There were a couple parts that I found a little over-the-top or unrealistic, especially with a case where the government knows an agent has slept with someone they had investigated, but I just “went with the flow” on that one and still enjoyed myself. (My favorite one was later in the book when (view spoiler)

In general, I really enjoyed how the characters communicated, especially when they were dealing with the aftermath of lies and rebuilding trust and intimacy. (No one slammed the door and ran away to have emo-separation-time in the rain. Refreshing! I especially appreciated Karl’s character, who even while hurt, would push an issue to find the truth. And I also appreciated that Aidan stepped up when Karl challenged him at those times.)

As a heads-up, this book is 95,000+ words, so way longer than what GR and Amazon have for page counts.

So, tl;dr--I liked it! These authors did a nice job, and I dug the characters, their conflicts, and their relationship. There’s no sequel unfortunately, but I would totally dig one. I wouldn’t mind reading more about these guys. (hide spoiler)](less)

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Sep 30, 2012 Susan65 rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 Stars

This story started out a bit confusing because the two guys in the prologue were not the same guys in the beginning of the story. That was just a slight bump since around 15% the plot thickened and all was revealed…and made sense. I was hooked then and liked where it was going. I really enjoyed this a lot until about 55-60%, but then I kind of lost interest and wasn’t able to get it completely back. Karl was an ass, a complete alpha ass but I liked him that way and it fit his character....more

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Jul 11, 2011 Paris rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, kindle

Pretty boring stuff. 90% sex. The rest is just water. In Romances you always know the ending - HEA. So ending isn't that important. What important is the story behind the HEA. So when the story is poor the ending doesn't really bring you the happiness that you were looking for. You just don't even care about the HEA for main characters.
The sex scenes are long and also pretty boring, no endge, no fantasy. I wanted to skip them all the time. Only there was nowhere to skip.
A brainless read. I'm gla...more

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Jun 20, 2012 D rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: wish-list-from-gb3-bookshelves, bingo-challenge-4, mercenary-soldier-military

TAGS: rough, hot sex, military, ex-mercenary, FBI, deception, murder

Oh, oh, this was gooood. The beginning of the story kinda threw me there. Is this about Aiden and his partner? It didn’t match up for me somehow. As I read on, the story changed. I was like, wait, what just happened? Is it two stories? But after reading more, it finally came together. Woo, it got intense.

Early on it was kinda hard for me to read without wincing knowing that Karl was getting’ his chain yanked and being deceived...more TAGS: rough, hot sex, military, ex-mercenary, FBI, deception, murder

Oh, oh, this was gooood. The beginning of the story kinda threw me there. Is this about Aiden and his partner? It didn’t match up for me somehow. As I read on, the story changed. I was like, wait, what just happened? Is it two stories? But after reading more, it finally came together. Woo, it got intense.

Early on it was kinda hard for me to read without wincing knowing that Karl was getting’ his chain yanked and being deceived just to get information. Somethin’ about that just made me cringe.

Adam Marshall is a landscaper contracted by the Home Owners Association and tends to Karl Blake’s gardening. It doesn’t take long for Adam to tend to Karl by the pool either. This story should be called The Suduction of Adam.

Aiden works for the FBI. He assumes different identities to do undercover work. He’s gone undercover many times over, but this one is different. Careful hunny, the lines are starting to blur. We also find Aiden in a relationship that is on the fizzled side of the pop. It’s not just work that’s keeping him and his partner from having quality time together. Now keep your lies straight, Aiden. Come on now, you can do this.

Karl Blake, ex mercenary now retired. He once owned a PMC (private military company). Some of those assignments dealt with lots and lots of money, murder, smuggling diamonds. He’s a hardcore, take no shit get the information get the hell out kinda guy. He likes his sex rough-you got one night-hard and fast. He hates dandelions in his yard.

This assignment has Aiden on the trail of the man who took over the PMC from Blake when he was forced to retire. A company now out of control in a bad way under the new owner. It’s up to him to get as much information from Karl as he can.

Both MC’s struggle with some pretty hard emotions. Which was just the right amount angst for me. The sex between them flares and sizzles throughout the story. I like the way the authors described those scenes…front row seats I tell ya! Although this story pressed a few hot buttons (on both sides of the spectrum), it still held my attention. I wanted to see where it wound up…and it ended nicely. Good choice.
(less)

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Nov 15, 2011 Emanuela ~plastic duck~ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: bdsm-power-exchange-slave, rainbow-gay, glbt, romance

I am not very happy with this book and I can't quite figure out why.

One thing that I can say for sure is that I liked the writing. The prologue was a bit stilted, but then the story flowed without problems. The rest? It left me confused and a bit bored.

I couldn't really connect with the characters, I honestly wasn't invested either in their individual well being or in their relationship. Aiden - the undercover agent - was more fleshed out, especially in the beginning, when he had to fake being a...more

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Aug 23, 2010 Elisa Ramblings added it · review of another edition

Starting this novel I was having the impression of have already read it, cute gardener draws attention of older (and experienced) gay man; older gay man offers to be the “playfield” for cute gardener, to test the waters, and the boundaries, in all security and without strings attached.

But already at the end of chapter 2 the story took a different route, and even if it was about FBI agents spying on former mercenaries, the path led to a very personal story, about Aiden/Adam who is not able to sp...more Starting this novel I was having the impression of have already read it, cute gardener draws attention of older (and experienced) gay man; older gay man offers to be the “playfield” for cute gardener, to test the waters, and the boundaries, in all security and without strings attached.

But already at the end of chapter 2 the story took a different route, and even if it was about FBI agents spying on former mercenaries, the path led to a very personal story, about Aiden/Adam who is not able to split between his job and his personal life; he has to have sex with Karl, for the sake of his undercover assignment, but he is not able to consider it only a job, problem is that sex with Karl is way better of what he has ever experienced with his in-living boyfriend Scott.

Nothing out of the ordinary, only more passionate sex that apparently Scott is not able to give him; Aiden doesn’t want excitement, he is not searching for a dominant lover, even if he is an FBI agent, Aiden basically remains the linguistic student who was recruited by the Agency as soon as he was out of college. With Scott he has a good life, and if he was the teacher he was supposing to be, that life would have been probably perfect: Scott, an emergency doctor, the one with the demanding job, and Aiden more or less willing to shape his life around it. But with his work as an FBI agent, Aiden had the chance to see something more, to realize that even if he likes Scott, he is not really in love with him.

Karl is like a punch in the gut, he immediately takes root in Aiden’s mind and heart, and it’s really difficult to play the innocent man with him. Aiden wants to prove to Karl that he can be the right partner for him, that he is not the naïve boy he is posing.

The first half of the book is all about Karl and Aiden, about their relationship, and Aiden’s mission is almost inexistent. But even when the dangerous plot takes place, it’s always less important than the possible evolution of Karl and Aiden’s story.

The story is mostly about Aiden, about his point of view. Even if Karl is an imposing character, he gave me the idea of a balanced man, not easy to burst of rage; he starts his relationship with Aiden almost out of boring, he continues it since it’s good, and when Aiden’s true identity comes out, he has almost no reaction, if not for a somewhat annoyed feeling, like someone had crushed down his house of cards.

There is a lot of sex and it’s good; Karl knows how to play Aiden in the right way, and yes, in this case, sex comes way before love and it’s good even without it.

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Jul 19, 2010 Danielle rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I read the blurb and decided to give this book a try. I was immediately thrown for a loop after reading the prologue. I was like "who are these guys?" because I didn't remember seeing their names in the synopsis. It very quickly became clear why.

Aiden is an FBI agent who is undercover as Adam the gardener. He is investigating Karl to see if he has retained any ties to the PMC he used to own. One of the reasons Aiden was chosen for this assignment is because he is gay. If at all possible, he is s...more

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Jun 24, 2010 Kassa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Truthful Change is an ultimately light, easy read that I pretty much enjoyed reading but has some significant hurdles. I also don’t really understand the authors’ choices in creating the various situations. It’s almost as if the authors ratcheted up the drama, then got caught so took easy outs instead of prolonging the angst. While this works because I wouldn’t have wanted to read endless angst and anger in this particular offering, I also think I ended up being more uncomfortable with the vario...more Truthful Change is an ultimately light, easy read that I pretty much enjoyed reading but has some significant hurdles. I also don’t really understand the authors’ choices in creating the various situations. It’s almost as if the authors ratcheted up the drama, then got caught so took easy outs instead of prolonging the angst. While this works because I wouldn’t have wanted to read endless angst and anger in this particular offering, I also think I ended up being more uncomfortable with the various issues than others readers will be – judging by the wealth of positive reviews. The best I can say is if you can read this story with the light hand that is intended and not get swept up in the drama, it’s a nice beachy read. If you’re like me and can’t help but get involved in the issues, you may not like it as much.

The story starts with a prologue showing FBI agent Aiden having a sex with his love in partner, Scott. They’re a happy but busy couple and staying connected is getting difficult. The first thing you should know that’s not very obvious is that Scott/Aiden is not the main couple. Why a book would put this out there first I think is the first problem but keep in mind that the real love connection is Aiden/Karl so don’t get too attached to Scott. Now fast forward some undisclosed amount of time and Aiden is posing as gardener Adam for ex-mercenary Karl. Karl is the subject of an FBI investigation and they’ve sent gay Aiden in to have sex with Karl and learn what he can during pillow talk.

Except the plan goes awry when Aiden really, really, really gets off on the rough sex they’re having and starts to have feelings for Karl. Aiden must deal with his existing relationship to Scott and then handle Karl’s feelings of betrayal when his secret is out. As if all of this messy emotional stuff isn’t enough, there’s also the matter of the FBI investigation to Karl’s old mercenary group. Angst, drama, hot sex, car chases, and action galore.

The plot is pretty decent but it stays very superficial. The FBI investigation is just a vehicle to throw Karl and Aiden together and that works for what it is. The later scenes involving the stakeout and subsequent action are pretty boring and alter what works about the book so I really wish the story had found another way to prolong the happy ending than using that. It’s not horrible but after enjoying watching Aiden/Karl interact for so long, I didn’t particularly enjoy the later wrap up of the investigation. But that’s me and this is, among everything, a rather mild compliant.

The characters are really the star here. Aiden and Karl have explosive chemistry and a rough, raw style that simply shines. Their interaction carries the book and helps it over the significant infidelity hurdle saddled from the very beginning. I had a hard time with Aiden cheating on Scott since it seems so unnecessary. Why have Aiden in a relationship at all? This piece feels manipulative and Aiden especially is not always likable as he describes his relationship with Scott in mostly positive terms. You can tell Aiden is not desperately in love with Scott and really...the smoking hot sex with Karl is reason enough to jump ship so I get why this happened. I just didn’t think it was necessary to drag out the infidelity then wrap it up with such a weak, unbelievable resolution. I didn’t believe Scott’s later actions at all and thought the story was taking an easy out regarding a situation it purposefully developed.

If you can get over that, and a lot of readers can, then the relationship between Karl and Aiden is worth the price of the book. Not only is the sex hot but their passion is clear and conversations interesting. I liked watching these two together and the best parts of the book are not only the sex – have I mentioned it’s incredible? – but also as these two circle around each other and finally fall in love. This has a lot of great scenes of quiet intimacy and Karl especially is a great character. His fear and need are juxtaposed to his arrogant, confident personality and delivers an eye catching and well developed character. Some of the later scenes are too easy, such as Karl repeatedly defending Aiden’s betrayal after barely a moment’s anger, but really by this point the book isn’t trying to do things in a necessarily realistic or complex way. The problems are meant to be set up and resolved easily as a showcase to Karl and Aiden’s relationship. When you see it that way, the story really works as a light, absorbing read.

The writing is decent, though the beginning especially tends to go off on internal monologues where a character tells the reader everything they need to know. The set up and background are all told and this is distracting. However once Karl and Aiden pick up and their chemistry starts sparking, a smoother more active voice takes over. The dialogue is quick and punchy with nice prose and a good style. If you’re looking for something fun, absorbing, and smoking hot, I’d recommend Truthful Change. Just be sure to read for Karl/Aiden connection and not worry about the other things, it’ll help.
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Jun 20, 2012 Trish rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: bingo-challenge-read, erotic, m-m

maybe 3.75

this started out great, held my interest most of the book. the MC's had chemistry, the plot was good.. not heavily plot oriented but enough to keep the story moving along. the sexy scences were steamy!

and halfway through i thought this may be a 5 star.. but then 75% it just fizzled a bit for me :(

can't tell ya why in this review b/c of spoilers but i also thought the epilogue was never gonna end LOL!

overall it was a good read so i compromised with 4 stars.

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Nov 22, 2010 Josh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Capably written. Liked the characters and their conflict (though I felt the latter was under-realized). Found the plot entertaining but for me the story was overwhelmed by the sex. I liked the dynamic very much -- the guy used to being in control finds himself submissive to another -- I thought the sex was well-written and perfectly hot, but it was just too much. I skimmed the last third of the book. Still, I realize that what became tedious for me is probably a major selling point for most.

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Jan 08, 2011 Cherie Noel rated it 5 of 5 stars

This writing team packs a one-two combination powerful enough to take the World Heavy-Weight title without breaking a sweat...if you haven't read everything by them, start piling up your pennies to buy everything they've written...if you haven't read anything by them, this is a damn fine book to start with...get it fast, lock yourself away from the world and read, read, read...you'll be glad you did!

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About Jane Davitt

Jane Davitt is English, and has been living in Canada with her husband, two children, and two cats, since 1997. Writing and reading are her main occupations but if she ever had any spare time she might spend it gardening, walking, or doing cross stitch. She's recently taken up yoga and loves discovering her ability to bend.
Jane has been writing since 2002 and wishes she'd started earlier. She is a...more

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Quotes from Truthful Change

“Boyfriend?” He was smiling slightly.

Karl rolled his eyes. “Not if you’re going to be like that about it.”

“What, happy?” Aiden teased. “You supposed to want your boyfriend to be happy, you know.”

“I want you to be happy,” Karl muttered. “I just don’t want you to be a smug little bastard about it.” — 2 people liked it

“Shit, Karl, you can’t say that in front of a federal agent,” Aiden protested, his eyes wide.

“I’m not. I’m saying it in private to my…” Karl shrugged. “Boyfriend, partner, whatever the hell title you want, if fucktoy’s not acceptable, and I’m guessing it isn’t.”

“It really isn’t,” Aiden said, a warning snap in his voice, “and neither is threatening to kill people.” — 1 person liked it

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