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Crucial Lessons

(Brothers LaFon #1)

Joseph Lance Tonlet (Goodreads Author)

3.86 · Rating details · 503 ratings · 148 reviews

Alexander LaFon lives a nightmare, but he deals with it. Deals with the fact that his mother abandoned him as an infant, deals with the fact that his father is never home, and deals with the fact that his older brother, Jeremiah, tortures him.

He dreams of escaping his mobile-home prison and finding a normal life. Of breaking free of his agony, finding a woman to love, beco ...more

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Paperback, 78 pages

Published February 28th 2015 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

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Dec 31, 2018 Shile rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mm, mind-fuck, lgbtqiap, 2019, darkness-my-old-friend, its-taboo-do-not-judge, what-the-hell-did-i-just-read, 2018, mm-bdsm

Oh well! that ends my 2018.

This book is disturbingly good!

Miah is a psycho.

Alex is Alex.

Stay away from this, because Kittens! Kittens! poor Kittens.

See you next year! I hope yours ends with a bang read like mine.

Happy new year!!

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Jan 27, 2015 Jack Pyke rated it it was amazing

Shelves: thriller, violence, very-dark-psychological-thriller, doesn-t-play-by-the-rules, dub-con, dangerous-sex-play, just-so-bloody-good, contemporary, mind-play, m-m

Okay, I've been itching for so long to get this review out, and now I've bugged (and bugged and bugged) the author for his permission...

Where to start? Where the mother-in-all hell to start?

It’s got to be Miah.

I have a list of qualifiers and describers as long as a novel that I can use to describe Miah LaFon: sexual sadist, brutal, aggressive, obsessive, controlling, psychopath... He’s unlovable, untouchable, a cold bastard in so —so- many ways, but the best thing about him? He wouldn’t give a ...more

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Apr 21, 2018 Jan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: kink, mindfuck, dark, do-not-judge-taboo, guilty-pleasure, lgbtq

**** 4.5 Stars ****

It’s no secret that I have a penchant for taboo reads

and as any other read, they don’t always work.
The good news is that Crucial Lessons is a mesh of all elements I look for in a taboo read.
But then, this is Joseph Lance Tonlet, an author that always impresses me. There is something in his writing that fascinates me. It takes me out of my comfort zone, it leaves me squirming and uncomfortable, just the way I like it.

This story is incredibly wrong, in fact, this is sick and d ...more

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Mar 10, 2015 Rissa (an M/M kinda Girl!!) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, favorites, showcase-me

OH.MY.FUCKING.GAWD!!!

Did I just read that? Yep!

Did I like it...and even enjoy it?? Yes and Hell Yes!

Miah & Alexander have so quickly wormed their way into my life. I NEED more of this twisted f*ckeduppedness that JLT can give us.
My question is...how long do we have to wait for the next one?!

This book was rec'd to me because I was in the mood for 'twisted'..it sure as shit delivered! Thanks to those who mentioned this one.

*** Note to Fellow Readers: Please pay attention to ALL the warnings & tag ...more

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Feb 05, 2015 Debra rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: cliffie, m-m, abused-mc, non-con-dub-con, part-of-series-or-serial, dark-and-disturbing, short-or-novella, family-affair

What a beautifully twisted tale! This story had me on the edge of my seat, gut churning the entire time. This is not a romance, but it is a dark and disturbing story of physical and psychological torture. If you've made it through and "enjoyed" stories like The Flesh Cartel #1: Capture and Antidote you'll probably like this one too, but take the warnings seriously if you are thinking of picking this up.

Opening and closing with the men as 30 year old adults, the majority of the story takes place What a beautifully twisted tale! This story had me on the edge of my seat, gut churning the entire time. This is not a romance, but it is a dark and disturbing story of physical and psychological torture. If you've made it through and "enjoyed" stories like The Flesh Cartel #1: Capture and Antidote you'll probably like this one too, but take the warnings seriously if you are thinking of picking this up.

Opening and closing with the men as 30 year old adults, the majority of the story takes place when they are in their late teens, with one horrifying look at the boys when they were as young as 10. Miah is a psycophath and his younger (by only 9 months) brother Alex is the unfortunate focus of his abuse. In fact it's an obsession. Miah wants complete control of Alex. He wants to own every inch of him.

Miah has instilled a fear for his life in Alex, so he takes the abuse when it comes, but he yearns for the quieter times when Miah's attention is on him. As much as he hates what Miah does, he still wants those scraps of tenderness that occasionally come, as few as they may be and knowing they will result in even more suffering. Alex finds out that he does have limits one day and that is the last the brothers see of each other for 10 years, though Alex has never been out of Miah's thoughts.

Joseph Lance Tonlet did a great job in portraying the unapologetic brutality of Miah and his laser focus on Alex. His stated reason for why he tortures Alex seems, however, to be in direct conflict with some of his actions, especially in light of how he unsuccessfully tried to satisfy his needs since the men were separated. The ending chapter proves the lengths Miah will go to in order to get Alex back, but we know little about what Alex has been through in the last 10 years and I am not willing to believe he is the same person he used to be. I'm hoping he'll be able to give Miah a run for his money in the next part. I can't wait to peel back some more layers on these two.

BR with Bev -- I'll schedule us for Part Two as well! ...more

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Sep 21, 2014 JustJen "Miss Conduct" rated it it was amazing

Shelves: dmc, ebook, mm, shorty, bgirls

A review by The Blogger Girls.

I truly don’t know where to start with this review. I was blown away with the storytelling abilities of Mr. Tonlet in Grif's Toy, and though this story is so very different from that one, the underlying skill is what still strikes me the most.

I guess it can’t be said enough that this story is not for the faint of heart; that the warnings are there for a purpose and should be heeded seriously. With that out of the way, this is the extremely twisted tale of two brothe
A review by The Blogger Girls.

I truly don’t know where to start with this review. I was blown away with the storytelling abilities of Mr. Tonlet in Grif's Toy, and though this story is so very different from that one, the underlying skill is what still strikes me the most.

I guess it can’t be said enough that this story is not for the faint of heart; that the warnings are there for a purpose and should be heeded seriously. With that out of the way, this is the extremely twisted tale of two brothers, one who is an extremely disturbed and sadistic bastard, and one who is…not.

This story starts in current day giving you a sense of how things are being played out now, but it quickly goes back to the horrors of their childhood. Jeremiah (Miah) lords over Alex, often in very cruel ways. The lessons he chooses to force Alex’s compliance are nothing short of chilling. My heart was in my throat through much of this, and I just wanted to wrap Alex up and steal him away from Miah, while at the same time, hoping Miah gets what is coming to him in spades.

Disturbed, sadistic and manipulative bastard. That is Miah on the outside. On the inside, he is very complex, and the whole time, you just want to understand, though I don’t think we ever truly will, what the heck is going on in his brain. The level of psychological, let alone physical, trauma he inflicts on Alex is a bit mind blowing. Does he care, even a little? Clearly he must on some strange level to have basically made Alex his life’s work.

Alex is so sweet and conflicted and just trying to survive. My heart broke for him so many times until he finally makes his break. How he managed to make a life for himself is beyond me, though, as I said earlier, Miah has not given up, even all these years later. The level of Miah’s control seems to have no boundaries, nothing holding him back from doing whatever it takes to bring back Alex and restore things to the level they were throughout their young lives. Just when you think Miah can’t stoop any lower…

This is one of the most powerful short stories I have ever read. You will zip through this on the edge of your seat, cry and scream at the words being told and yet long for more at the end. The words just flow and you won’t want to skip a single one. If you like these kind of deeply dark psychological mindfucks, I highly recommend and strongly urge you to pick this story up. It does not disappoint on any level. I cannot wait to see where Mr. Tonlet is going to take us in the next segment, but I have no doubt it will be another amazing ride.
...more

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Apr 04, 2015 Ann rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mm-series, shorts, broken-boys, fubar, boymeetsboy-review-books, bejeezus-scary, somecest

Beautifully fucked up.

The kind of book that made me question my moral compass, because holy hell I should not be so damn intrigued by Jeremiah LaFon. He’s a sadistic psychopath with absolutely no fucks to give about anyone else’s opinion. It’s a seriously well done character study into the mind of Miah and his brother Alex. Alex gave the story its balance and a character to root for and empathize with. Growing up as the victimized brother to Miah’s brand of attention would do some hardcore dama Beautifully fucked up.

The kind of book that made me question my moral compass, because holy hell I should not be so damn intrigued by Jeremiah LaFon. He’s a sadistic psychopath with absolutely no fucks to give about anyone else’s opinion. It’s a seriously well done character study into the mind of Miah and his brother Alex. Alex gave the story its balance and a character to root for and empathize with. Growing up as the victimized brother to Miah’s brand of attention would do some hardcore damage to anyone’s mind.

For a short story, there was a great amount of history given and it made me “get” the dicked up family dynamics. I think it’s because the author did a great job of showing and minimal telling. It made Miah’s character that much more frightening. A few well-placed thoughts and actions of his gave a world of story in one or two paragraphs.

There were a couple of moments that were really tough for me to read. Wait, who am I kidding, there were a lot of moments. But, what I’m getting at it is you need to pay attention to the tags for the story. My breaking point could have been with the animals, if there had been any additional that would have been it for me like it would be for many. I bring this up because you should know that it wasn’t gratuitous or overly graphic. Disturbing? Absolutely. But, it had a point and spoke to Miah’s mind in a way that gives huge impact to the reader and to Alex.

The nighttime conversations between Miah and Alex were just as disturbing as the beatings Alex took. For me, the quitest moments can bring the greatest unease. They can lull the victim (and reader!) into a false sense of security and make us step back from the edge a bit and drop our guard. That’s pretty much the worst plan to have but damn I wanted that moment for Alex so badly even though it was doing him no favors in the long run. No matter what, Miah is his brother and Alex loves his brother.

I cheered for Alex when he was finally able to make his break, but also wasn’t naïve enough to believe that would be it. The escape was a tease and the end broke my heart and intrigued the hell out of me. While the story doesn’t end on a cliffhanger per se, it does open the door to a whole new chapter for this extremely disturbed relationship. I’ll be right there ready to read it too. Of course I’ll have to have something on deck that is so sickeningly sweet I’ll get a cavity just reading it, for brain cleansing purposes, but it’s totally worth every word.

...more

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Feb 04, 2015 Lisa Arbitrary - AttentionIsArbitrary M/M Blog rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to Lisa Arbitrary - AttentionIsArbitrary M/M Blog by: Silkeeeeeereads

Shelves: adult, arc, m-m, erotica, non-con, bdsm, short, brutal, serial, angst-level-high

~ ~ ~

--I wrote the following review nearly a month ago. Per the author’s request I held my review until the book's release. As I prepare to post it now, I realize that my reservations on continuing with the series have mellowed. I’m more anxious to get to book 2 than I would have thought. This review reads a bit different from my norm, simply because when I wrote my initial thoughts I was a mess. Head fuck describes this all the way around. But I'll refrain from using that term too much, because ...more

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Oct 17, 2018 Moony Eliver rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to Moony by: Jan

Shelves: kinky, shorts-standalone, lgbtqia, lather-rinse-reread, m-m, 2018, depravity-is-my-jam, taboo-my-boo

This is the first time I’ve given 5 stars to a standalone short story. And I recommend it to no one.

In good conscience, I can't suggest you go into the kind of emotional turmoil that I’ve just been through. I learned that I have what's at least a soft limit, and this one slammed up against it with a couple of instances of (view spoiler). I had to do some breathing techniques and remind myself it was fiction and hope against hope that it would be worth it.

It was.

I’m ...more

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Feb 08, 2015 ☆☆☆~Bev's World of Books~☆☆☆ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: shortie-under-150-pages, just-so-damn-good, oh-the-angst-intense, lgbtq-mm, part-of-a-series-or-serial, favourite-series, torture-violence, brutal-gruesome, dark-disturbing-sad-times, mind-games

The author's warnings are there for a reason. This is NOT a sweet and fluffy romance read...so if that’s what you’re after, step away from that one-click button and your kindle, do NOT pass go, do NOT collect £200. 5 dark and very disturbing stars from me.

Well Mr Tonlet, what can I say?? It was everything that I was expecting..and more, so much more. Like some of the darkest things I’ve read...maybe on steroids, hehe. I’m not going into the dynamics of the story; it’s covered fairly well in The author's warnings are there for a reason. This is NOT a sweet and fluffy romance read...so if that’s what you’re after, step away from that one-click button and your kindle, do NOT pass go, do NOT collect £200. 5 dark and very disturbing stars from me.

Well Mr Tonlet, what can I say?? It was everything that I was expecting..and more, so much more. Like some of the darkest things I’ve read...maybe on steroids, hehe. I’m not going into the dynamics of the story; it’s covered fairly well in the blurb at the top, but there are a whole load of adjectives I can and WILL use, just to describe ONE of the brothers, Jeremiah or Miah, who is a complete and utter psychopath..so if you are wavering about reading this one, these should make your mind up for you...cold, calculating, detached, depraved, perverted, horrific, degenerate, twisted, sick and thoroughly immoral, which by my definition is transgressing accepted moral rules....I think you get the picture.

A ‘person’ like Miah, well they should lock him up and throw away the key for good shouldn't they BUT is Alex really any better?? Someone who sort of accepts that being tortured, beaten and sexually abused...all in the name of brotherly love is normal...or as near to normal as these two can get?? Yes, there’s certainly an element of Stockholm syndrome about it, but Alex keeps coming back for more, he ought to be able to escape before his brother finally kills him...so you have to wonder if he’s actually more into the mental and physical abuse that’s being heaped on him than he lets on cos it shows his brother loves him, which I know sounds weird but could it be true??

Anyhoo, back to that ending in 'real time' (just like 24!!). Talk about a cliffy!! Alex MUST have something on Miah surely cos he would know that Miah would do anything, yes ANYTHING to get him back even after all this time, he’s so desperate to regain possession of his brother. Will that little freak Rod help Alex to bring about his brother’s downfall (and hopefully death) or will there be yet another twist in the tail?? I can’t wait to find out. Thanks JLT!!

Thanks to Deb for another good buddy read. We can certainly pick them!! ...more

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Apr 06, 2015 Tina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: part-of-a-series, heartbreaking, dark-disturbing

“I. Don't. Like. You. That's why," hissed Miah.

Damn, this was a brilliant first part of a story, an immensely powerful mindfuck! I don’t even have the words to express how much this book fucked with my head.

I was caught up in Miah’s narration right from the beginning, the psychotic bastard kind of fascinated me. His character is complex and perfectly elaborated. Miah is a sadist, lives are nothing to him… plus he’s a sexual sadist, who gets aroused from inflicting pain and humiliati ...more

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Dec 07, 2014 Angela Bee Bee rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: man-on-man, arc-from-author

This book was banned from Amazon for content. But you can still get it at Barnes and Noble Brothers LaFon, Part One: Crucial Lessons
Or visit https://josephlancetonlet.wordpress.c...

It’d been the first crack that had actually split his younger brother’s skin, and Miah frequently returned to the fledgling laceration with near hallowed reminiscence.

There are no words to describe the fierce protectiveness a mother feels for her son's penis. We apply petroleum jelly to his circumcision wound with as ...more

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Dec 12, 2014 Sue bowdley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites, dark-read, perfect, taboo

I really don't know how to start this review,......wow....counts to ten and breathes would be good.....Joseph is definitely in the Dark Reads group and can now join the corner I've put Jack L Pyke,Lynn Kelling and Kol Anderson in....He has good company.....This is quite a brutal story and I really don't know how to say any of this......I read this one in paperback even though I had the kindle version and I'm not sure if that made it better..Felt good holding an actual book.....Now about this boo ...more

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Jul 27, 2016 True Loveislovereview rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbtq, 2016

Fucking Hell was my first comment.

When you can read behind the tags/labels you will find a incredible good written story.
It will hold you by the throat
Against all knowledge I was waiting for some regret. There has to be some....
Nope, none, nada (of course).
Be aware their are people who are not sane in the head. It's reality.
And the way it was written down in this story my God.....Awesomeness ....... Obeisance JLT ! ...more

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Sep 21, 2014 Bey Deckard rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-again, memorable, erotic, adult, designed-cover, mind-games, shorty

This will get a good, proper review from me soon. However, in the meantime... yeah, what Jack said. ...more

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Mar 09, 2015 Amy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow, that was all kinds of messed up! And I loved every minute of it. Except the animal cruelty. I think I may have just found my first hard limit.

I hope we don't have to wait too long for book #2. I'm dying to see where things go with Miah and Alex :) ...more

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Feb 06, 2015 Toni FGMAMTC rated it it was amazing

Shelves: m-m, dark, taboo, psychology, psychological-thriller, plot-twist, depraved

This is my first book from JLT. I had no idea if he was a good writer or not. After finishing this, I have to say, he's got the skills. I read the warnings before starting this book. I like dark so I moved forward.

This novella is about two brothers. Miah is a true psychopath/sociopath. He's willing to go to inhuman lengths without batting and eye. His greatest pleasure is physically and psychologically torturing his little brother Alex. Alex lives in hell made by a brother he cannot reason with ...more

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Mar 03, 2015 Brandon Shire rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: glbt, contemporary-fiction, dark

What a dark, twisted piece of debauchery. Loved it. Definitely NOT for everyone.

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May 19, 2017 Natalia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was fucked up so I really liked it, but I should have waited for the series to be complete! It was too short :(

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Feb 28, 2015 K rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

OH MY GOD!!! What a sick fuck! I recommend having your drink of choice close by because 1.) You will need it and 2.) Once you start you won’t want to stop. Not only did I not move while reading this story, I read it again, and again. It’s a scary place, in Miah’s mind, but it’s also intriguing and had me completely captivated.

Joseph Lance Tonlet, once again, brings his genius creativity and imagination to our tablets with Brothers LaFon. First…please read the author’s warnings before you take ...more

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Jan 27, 2015 Caroline Brand rated it it was amazing

Shelves: m-m, taboo, incest, abuse, trauma, non-con, rape, spanking, definite-re-read, short

REVIEWED FOR PRISM BOOK ALLIANCE

4.5 Stars

This is a short introduction to brother’s Alexander and Jeremiah LaFon that packs a punch as we learn just how disturbed their relationship is as they grow up.

If you look up the word sadist in the dictionary its description is nowhere near strong enough to describe Jeremiah who seems evil to the core.

The story is told in flashbacks as Jeremiah, or Miah as we come to know him, tortures and abuses his younger brother in a bid to keep him close and compliant ...more

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Feb 28, 2015 Christi Kirzner rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Joseph, you have written quite a challenge for me to process and finish, all 55ish pages of it. I say that as a compliment, because despite the subject matter which is difficult for me (I warned you I was wimpy), the way you have written these two people is fantastic. I see Miah's name on the page, at the beginning of the chapter and I grimace and I want to yell at Alex to run and get away from him, shake some sense into him. As a reader, to have such a strong reaction to a fictional character, Joseph, you have written quite a challenge for me to process and finish, all 55ish pages of it. I say that as a compliment, because despite the subject matter which is difficult for me (I warned you I was wimpy), the way you have written these two people is fantastic. I see Miah's name on the page, at the beginning of the chapter and I grimace and I want to yell at Alex to run and get away from him, shake some sense into him. As a reader, to have such a strong reaction to a fictional character, means it was written WELL...I have given this story 5 stars, not necessarily because I enjoyed reading it, because it was difficult for me, but because you made me think and look past the overt actions of the MC's and think about what other elements where at play for them. Could something "beautiful" exist in the dark, savage atrocity that was Alex's existence and Miah's behavior.

Miah...he's is sick beyond my wildest imagination, but the psychological dynamic between these two brothers is definitely something I have pondered, thought about, wondered about since I finished reading and I still can't wrap my head around it. In its most disturbed and complicated and warped form, this story is about Love, through brutal control and possession. Although Miah says how much he dislikes Alex I think that there's a lot more to it for him. This is a classic case of "thou doth protest too much". He is sinister, mean, degrading and brutal and what he does is nonconsensual but the route of where his intentions are coming from, I believe stem from Love.

Alex... clearly loves Miah, despite the brutality and cruelty and just wants Miah to accept him for him. Because he loves him. End of. He's frightened and terrified of Miah, yet submits to Miah over and over, knowing each time could mean his own demise, but does so, I believe, because he just wants Miah to love him back.

The sadistic and masochistic dynamic in play to accomplish this feat, does leave me questioning my crazy notion that there is love behind all the ruthless, inhumane cruel behavior, and that maybe Miah really does just despise Alex and wants nothing more than the feeling he gets over controlling, dominating and scaring the crap out of someone. But I genuinely believe there is more at play. That level of brutality and intense desire to control and possess stems from passion which stems from a strong emotion, such as love.

...more

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Mar 30, 2015 Bey Deckard rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: memorable, read-again, own, fiction, adult, angst, series, designed-cover, contemp, shorty

Yea gods. It was even better on rereading it.

This is one of those books where I feel like when I say that I enjoyed every twisted minute of it, I'll wind up on some watch-list somewhere. *grins*

Wonderfully written with scenes of abusive sadism lovingly wrought... A powerful dynamic where love can be ugly and hate beautiful.

I especially loved the reveal, so to speak, at the end. Nice touch.

Can't wait for the next one.

...more

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Jan 31, 2015 Wendy❤Ann rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sex-bdsm-kink, 5stars, series, sex-partner-brothers, sex-dubcon-noncon, free-stuff-review, app-marvin

Reviewed for

Hearts On Fire Reviews - 5 hearts

Well damn, I’m not often close to speechless, but this one did it. Shock and awe were present in equal parts as the story unfolded. It took a while for the words to come…

Giving a 5 heart rating for a story that isn’t remotely romantic, sweet or heartfelt is definitely something that gave me pause; however, there’s no question it’s worthy of 5 of something (and more). I’m just not sure what the appropriate symbol would be to represent the darkness in this story and the mastermind that brought it to life so brilliantly.

Have you ever watched a scary movie and been so fatally attracted that you couldn’t pull away despite knowing it was going to scare the bejeebers out of you and maybe give you nightmares? That was me reading this book. There were times that I literally had to pause, look away, and take a deep fortifying breath in order to forge ahead into the looming darkness and face the evil lurking there. There were a couple of other times that I flinched – literally flinched as my system absorbed the shock of what I’d just read.

And yet, despite all the darkness (or perhaps because of it), the characters and the nature of their relationship held an overwhelming fascination as potent as any amazing love story I’ve ever read. Jeremiah, or Miah as his brother referred to him, is the type of person that would have mental health professionals salivating to get a chance at pinning him under a microscope and trying to solve him like a puzzle: what could have happened in his life to make him into a living monster; how could he carry out his tortuous actions without any apparent feelings; and why his brother – was it hate that drove his actions or a twisted kind of love that required complete and utter control?

If you are like me, someone who enjoys dark, dangerous and twisted as much as you like sweet and romantic, then my advice to you is proceed with caution, pay attention to every tag and warning describing this story, strap yourself securely into your seat, and prepare to be jolted out of your comfort zone. This story couldn’t be more different than the author’s debut novel – Grif’s Toy – but every bit as gripping and memorable. I think it speaks volumes about Joseph Lance Tonlet’s amazing range of talent for storytelling. I’m waiting anxiously for the second LaFon Brothers book as well as the sequel to Grif’s Toy. Patience isn’t my best virtue, so I hope my wait won’t be too long!
...more

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Feb 23, 2015 carol rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Adults who don't mind serials

Recommended to carol by: Jack L. Pyke

Shelves: evil, emotional, dark, m-m, gay, psychological, horrific, domination, anal-sex, sadism

Where do I start...this has warnings, it is about as dark and twisted as they come, there is animal torture that horrified me, and I actually found this the hardest to get through. Then there is serious sadistic abuse, physical, sexual and perhaps worst of all emotional by one dominating, psychopathic older brother, Jeremiah/Miah, to his younger brother, Alex, who is forced to submit and endure. I say psychopath and mean it. See the classification of this condition and watch all the attributes a Where do I start...this has warnings, it is about as dark and twisted as they come, there is animal torture that horrified me, and I actually found this the hardest to get through. Then there is serious sadistic abuse, physical, sexual and perhaps worst of all emotional by one dominating, psychopathic older brother, Jeremiah/Miah, to his younger brother, Alex, who is forced to submit and endure. I say psychopath and mean it. See the classification of this condition and watch all the attributes appear through this story.
The way Miah persists, pursues the object of his urges and singleminded desire/need over time. The lengths he will go to to achieve his aim, of regaining control is without compassion, empathy or emotion as he shows with young Jack. Yes, Miah is one to be avoided.

I was into this story, wanting Alex to bite back, maybe for justice to occur but often in real life this happens late in the day, or maybe never.

Now my grouse and why I'm dropping a star, I buy a book, novel, novella, or novelette and this comes as novellette and at £1.99 for 56 pages isn't cheap. I expect in this a story, complete, and this isn't but could be my fault as I missed the Part one...and here I am with a blasted serial again. I, as do most readers want a whole complete story. Whatever the length, it's the quality that counts. I hate serials. Feel cheated and hate wanting to know what happens next but can't find out...until...whenever.

I'm prepared to pay up to £5-6 for an e-book read if good and decent length. I want my writers to gain some reward for their hard work and what I hope is a creative good read for me, but like most I'm on a budget and I do feel used when I buy in serials of around 50 pages at £2 a time, so for a 350 page novel you end paying £12-£14 for something that comes in fits and starts and that by the time we get to the end I have forgotten the start or the year I started it. Alternative is to wait years and hope it is compiled into one book. This was my grouse about The Flesh Cartel and other serials too.

So reader beware, potentially a dark five star read but as it is delivered in stages it's only 4 stars from me and as much as I want to know what happens next I may not hang around to see! ...more

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Feb 28, 2015 Beth rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

OK where to start… this is a short, intense, dark, unapologetic story. The author himself has made the following tags: GAY, EROTICA, FORCED SUBMISSION, THRILLER, NON-CON, INCEST, KIDNAPPING, CHILD ABUSE, ANIMAL CRUELTY. If any one or more of these are triggers for you, please step away now. This is not the book for you.

That being said, this book is a crazy, wild, disturbing ride. It’s a short story of about 80 pages. The plot moves along quickly as we first are introduced to Jeremiah (Miah) LaF ...more

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Jul 28, 2016 Diverse rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: july-2016-reads

This is labeled book one so I am ready to continue following these brothers. Now, this isn’t a typical taboo for you book. No, not in the slightest. We aren’t dealing with love at all. Not on either side. Why? Because Jeremiah (Miah) isn’t sane. See, I studied psychology and forensic psychology in school and I spent the entire time reading this book, profiling Jeremiah. He’s a cocktail I tell ya. He has Narcissistic Personality Disorder that caries the traits of psychopathic and Machiavellian-is ...more

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Mar 01, 2015 Fiona Warner rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

It's taken me a few hours to unscramble my thoughts and emotions after reading this latest offering from the wonderfully original Joseph Lance Tonlet. I read the entire lament of Alex and Miah in one go and don't think I took a breath or blinked once. It was a phenemonel introduction to The Brothers LaFon and I'm already under Miah's wicked spell. His impressive skills at inflicting grave evil on his younger brother had me quivering in my boots and like any good horror story I wanted to stop loo ...more

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Feb 21, 2015 Gigi marked it as back-burner-for-now · review of another edition

Shelves: mm-healing-comfort, short-stories

Even though I pre-ordered this and am ready to go, I've decided to wait on this until the series is complete. ...more

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Feb 25, 2015 Jennifer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-stars

Uh...holy crap! I need more! Now!

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About Joseph Lance Tonlet

Joseph Lance Tonlet

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Joseph is a born and raised Southern Californian with a twenty-year stint of living in the Midwest. He loves the laid-back lifestyle of San Diego and considers himself lucky to live where people dream of vacationing.

A lifelong reader of m/m fiction, he began his writing career one night sitting at his MacBook and has never looked back. He writes to bring the characters he dreams about to life.

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