What do you think?
Rate this book
Island Tales #3
Leather and Longing
When Paul agrees to work as a live-in companion for his brooding, impossibly sexy boss, he expects long silences and tense dinners, not a locked box in the attic that will change everything.
Adam Kent has retreated from the world, his life as a powerful Dom carefully packed away along with his heart. Newly blind and fiercely private, he has no intention of letting anyone get too close, and that includes the young man who’s just moved into his home.
But Paul isn’t just anyone. Paul is curious. Paul is hungry for something he’s never dared to touch. And when he stumbles across Adam’s hidden past—the leathers, the restraints, the secrets—he can’t stop himself from wanting more.
Adam thought his days of control and surrender were over. But Paul’s infectious fascination and simmering desire awaken something dark and undeniable inside him.
Is Paul searching for a lover? A guide into a world he’s only imagined? Or something even deeper?
Someone strong enough to truly claim him?
In the darkness of Adam’s world, Paul might finally discover what he’s been missing. But some desires come with a price… and some temptations can’t be undone.
This book was originally published under the title Submitting to the Darkness.
It has been re-edited and expanded. And given a title that really fits.
Adam Kent has retreated from the world, his life as a powerful Dom carefully packed away along with his heart. Newly blind and fiercely private, he has no intention of letting anyone get too close, and that includes the young man who’s just moved into his home.
But Paul isn’t just anyone. Paul is curious. Paul is hungry for something he’s never dared to touch. And when he stumbles across Adam’s hidden past—the leathers, the restraints, the secrets—he can’t stop himself from wanting more.
Adam thought his days of control and surrender were over. But Paul’s infectious fascination and simmering desire awaken something dark and undeniable inside him.
Is Paul searching for a lover? A guide into a world he’s only imagined? Or something even deeper?
Someone strong enough to truly claim him?
In the darkness of Adam’s world, Paul might finally discover what he’s been missing. But some desires come with a price… and some temptations can’t be undone.
This book was originally published under the title Submitting to the Darkness.
It has been re-edited and expanded. And given a title that really fits.
406 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 8, 2015
18 people are currently reading
335 people want to read
About the author
K.C. Wells
160 books1,863 followersK.C. Wells lives on an island off the south coast of the UK, surrounded by natural beauty. She writes about men who love men, and can’t even contemplate a life that doesn’t include writing.
The rainbow rose tattoo on her back with the words 'Love is Love' and 'Love Wins' is her way of hoisting a flag. She plans to be writing about men in love - be it sweet and slow, hot or kinky - for a long while to come.
If you want to follow her exploits, you can sign up for her monthly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cNKHlT
You can stalk – er, find – her in the following places:
E-mail: k.c.wells@btinternet.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KCWellsWorld
Twitter: @K_C_Wells
Website: https://www.kcwellswrites.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/k.c.wells
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/k-c-w...
And for those who like things a little hotter?
There's KC's alter ego, Tantalus, who writes gay erotica.
The rainbow rose tattoo on her back with the words 'Love is Love' and 'Love Wins' is her way of hoisting a flag. She plans to be writing about men in love - be it sweet and slow, hot or kinky - for a long while to come.
If you want to follow her exploits, you can sign up for her monthly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cNKHlT
You can stalk – er, find – her in the following places:
E-mail: k.c.wells@btinternet.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KCWellsWorld
Twitter: @K_C_Wells
Website: https://www.kcwellswrites.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/k.c.wells
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/k-c-w...
And for those who like things a little hotter?
There's KC's alter ego, Tantalus, who writes gay erotica.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
September 16, 2015
~4.5~
This book is so my cuppa: hurt/comfort, age gap, light kink with D/s overtones, friendship, steam in spades, and the sweetest HEA.
I love books with imperfect MCs, and Adam Kent is definitely one. At 40, Adam, a best-selling author of political books and a Dom, has to readjust to living without his sight.
Once vibrant and independent, Adam has become a near recluse, angry at the world, hiding behind dark glasses.
Adam does not want a caretaker. He resents the implication that he can't take care of himself. But Paul, who's 23 and a physiotherapist, won't be deterred.
Paul is lighthearted, kind, and steady; he's determined to help Adam, and he doesn't put up with Adam's bullshit.
Adam and Paul dance around each other. Adam lashes out, and Paul fights back, gentle but firm.
The passion simmers beneath the surface ... until it combusts.
Damn but K.C. knows how to write a sex scene. The kink in this one is just right. Adam and Paul are insanely hot together, at once dirty and tender, rough and sweet.
I loved that Paul took care of Adam while giving Adam tools to manage on his own. It was beautiful to watch Adam start living again. Adam just blossoms with Paul around.
There is minor drama with Adam's sister and horrid nephew. When Paul stands up for Adam and gets all fierce, I just melted.
I liked seeing the MCs from the first two books again. We revisit with Mark and Sam, as well as Taylor and David, but this book CAN be read as a standalone.
I love this series. Every time I read one of the Island Tales books, I want to move to the Isle of Wight.
This is such an enjoyable, romantic story. I was so happy that it was a full-length novel and not a novella. I could not get enough of these men!
This book is so my cuppa: hurt/comfort, age gap, light kink with D/s overtones, friendship, steam in spades, and the sweetest HEA.
I love books with imperfect MCs, and Adam Kent is definitely one. At 40, Adam, a best-selling author of political books and a Dom, has to readjust to living without his sight.
Once vibrant and independent, Adam has become a near recluse, angry at the world, hiding behind dark glasses.
Adam does not want a caretaker. He resents the implication that he can't take care of himself. But Paul, who's 23 and a physiotherapist, won't be deterred.
Paul is lighthearted, kind, and steady; he's determined to help Adam, and he doesn't put up with Adam's bullshit.
Adam and Paul dance around each other. Adam lashes out, and Paul fights back, gentle but firm.
The passion simmers beneath the surface ... until it combusts.
Damn but K.C. knows how to write a sex scene. The kink in this one is just right. Adam and Paul are insanely hot together, at once dirty and tender, rough and sweet.
I loved that Paul took care of Adam while giving Adam tools to manage on his own. It was beautiful to watch Adam start living again. Adam just blossoms with Paul around.
There is minor drama with Adam's sister and horrid nephew. When Paul stands up for Adam and gets all fierce, I just melted.
I liked seeing the MCs from the first two books again. We revisit with Mark and Sam, as well as Taylor and David, but this book CAN be read as a standalone.
I love this series. Every time I read one of the Island Tales books, I want to move to the Isle of Wight.
This is such an enjoyable, romantic story. I was so happy that it was a full-length novel and not a novella. I could not get enough of these men!
September 21, 2015
Woo-hoo!
This was my favorite K.C.Wells book to date! It really ticked all my boxes.
- An imperfect hero with disability, living like a recluse and acting like an asshole. Check. Adam lost his vision and is having a hard time adapting to his current situation. Very well sketched character and the stages he went through were very realistically portrayed. I really felt for him every time he had a break down.
-The caretaker theme. Check I like this trope a lot. And although Adam kept denying he needed any help, it was obvious he wouldn't have made it without Paul.
-The kink is just right. Pretty light, more like Adam helping Paul explore his dark side.
- Plenty of steam. Adam and Paul are so hot together. I want to be a fly on that library's wall!
-Perfect setting. The Isle of White is apparently a great place for romance and it reminds me of Greece so much!
And if you want declarations of love on page in your books, you 're gonna love this.
“Say the words, babe.” The hitch in Paul’s breathing made his heart beat faster. “Adam?” Adam kissed him. “Say the words I’ve never heard from another man’s lips, not for me.” He laid his soul bare with that whispered truth. “Oh, God.” Paul leaned into him, his body pressed up against Adam, so warm and vital. Paul brought his lips to Adam’s ear. “I love you, Adam Kent.”
Ele is happy.
*Review cross-posted on Reviews by Jesse Wave. *
August 25, 2017
What the fucking fuck? WHAT THE FUCK?!
So now going blind is an opportune plot device for crappy romance books? How fucking ableist and appropriating!
How fucking inconsiderate to stack everything in favour of the wooby domly Dom, who is capable of changing where he lives, from one lap of luxury to the next. Who also is able to adapt his profession and income at the drop of a hat. As if.
How fucking convenient to have him have a sexy personal 24/7 helper just when he becomes helpless. How bloody idiotic to have the man rant about getting help, when the vast majority of disabled people DREAM of a fucking bloody hour or two of help PER FUCKING WEEK and DO NOT GET IT! How fucking practical for the story that this wondrous helpmeet is also into BDSM. As fucking if that was fucking likely, dammit!
I can't eat enough for how much I want to puke over this fucking ableist ditty of absolute and inconsiderate SHICE! This is certainly one of the worst books and solecisms I came across since "The Garconniere". How an author can be that tactless and present such an asinine Disney version of disability and blindness is beyond me.
So now going blind is an opportune plot device for crappy romance books? How fucking ableist and appropriating!
How fucking inconsiderate to stack everything in favour of the wooby domly Dom, who is capable of changing where he lives, from one lap of luxury to the next. Who also is able to adapt his profession and income at the drop of a hat. As if.
How fucking convenient to have him have a sexy personal 24/7 helper just when he becomes helpless. How bloody idiotic to have the man rant about getting help, when the vast majority of disabled people DREAM of a fucking bloody hour or two of help PER FUCKING WEEK and DO NOT GET IT! How fucking practical for the story that this wondrous helpmeet is also into BDSM. As fucking if that was fucking likely, dammit!
I can't eat enough for how much I want to puke over this fucking ableist ditty of absolute and inconsiderate SHICE! This is certainly one of the worst books and solecisms I came across since "The Garconniere". How an author can be that tactless and present such an asinine Disney version of disability and blindness is beyond me.
September 14, 2015
I had the pleasure of beta reading this story and I say pleasure because it didn’t take long before I realized Paul and Adam were going to be one of my favorite K.C. Wells couples.
In a few short months 40 year old Adam, has gone from a vibrant, active, man in control, to a blind, depressed recluse. He is convinced that along with his eyesight, everything he had a passion for is lost to him now, from sailing, to his career as an author, not to mention his ability to be a Dom. He has cut himself off from everyone and holed up in the library of his home. He doesn’t need the caretaker his sister insists on hiring and just wants to be left alone, but this new companion is different from the others he has scared off and Adam doesn’t know what to do about that. When Adam decides to scare Paul away by hitting on him and threatening to bend him over his knee, Adam is in for a big, unexpected surprise.
Paul is 23 and recently out of school, having trained in physiotherapy. He is practical and aware of what Adam is going through. He needs this job and is not going to throw Adam a pity party. No matter how mercurial and often downright rude Adam is, Paul is determined to help him get some control back. It doesn’t hurt that Adam sexy as hell, especially when that cold mask cracks just a bit. Paul’s got a great support system of friends, including Sam and Mark and Taylor and David who were the focus of the prior books, if only they didn’t insist on trying to set him up. They mean well, but he can’t tell them that what he wants is to experience something a little less vanilla.
Just as Adam has good and bad days, so does their road to romance. When it finally seems they are forging a good working relationship, things move two steps back, but Paul is not deterred and is willing to give back as good as he gets. As they go from grudging employer/employee to working as a team, their interest in each other simmers and their first unexpected encounter left my jaw hanging open.
The beauty of the story is watching Paul help Adam realize that there is very little he has to give up once he accepts his condition and learns to adapt. Paul is so tenacious and invested in helping Adam, I couldn’t resist loving his character and in the end, neither could Adam. When Adam begins to step back out into the world, finding the things he always loved aren’t completely lost to him, he is revealed to be a passionate and sexy man who may actually have a sense of humor.
I know I’ve said it before, but seriously, K.C. Wells knows how to write sex scenes and Adam and Paul are no exception! Whether it’s dirty and quick or tender and slow, vanilla or with a hint of kink, the men have sizzling chemistry that only intensifies once their feelings get involved.
If BDSM is not your thing, don’t let that put you off of this story. The BDSM element is there and adds a little kink, but it is not hardcore. It is focused on Paul wanting to experience some kinks he has only fantasized about and while Adam is more than willing to help Paul he fears that his disability will hinder him from really satisfying Paul’s needs if he wants to explore some heavier kinks.
There is a bit of outside drama and conflict stemming from Adam’s sister’s interference in his life as she tries to “help” him. It is also the catalyst for some great moments when Paul shows just how far he is willing to go to help and protect Adam.
The setting of the Isle of Wight is again brought to life by the descriptive writing. If you’ve read the prior stories you’ll be glad to see all those familiar faces back, but the story is a standalone so you can jump right in and I definitely recommend that you do it.
In a few short months 40 year old Adam, has gone from a vibrant, active, man in control, to a blind, depressed recluse. He is convinced that along with his eyesight, everything he had a passion for is lost to him now, from sailing, to his career as an author, not to mention his ability to be a Dom. He has cut himself off from everyone and holed up in the library of his home. He doesn’t need the caretaker his sister insists on hiring and just wants to be left alone, but this new companion is different from the others he has scared off and Adam doesn’t know what to do about that. When Adam decides to scare Paul away by hitting on him and threatening to bend him over his knee, Adam is in for a big, unexpected surprise.
Paul is 23 and recently out of school, having trained in physiotherapy. He is practical and aware of what Adam is going through. He needs this job and is not going to throw Adam a pity party. No matter how mercurial and often downright rude Adam is, Paul is determined to help him get some control back. It doesn’t hurt that Adam sexy as hell, especially when that cold mask cracks just a bit. Paul’s got a great support system of friends, including Sam and Mark and Taylor and David who were the focus of the prior books, if only they didn’t insist on trying to set him up. They mean well, but he can’t tell them that what he wants is to experience something a little less vanilla.
Just as Adam has good and bad days, so does their road to romance. When it finally seems they are forging a good working relationship, things move two steps back, but Paul is not deterred and is willing to give back as good as he gets. As they go from grudging employer/employee to working as a team, their interest in each other simmers and their first unexpected encounter left my jaw hanging open.
The beauty of the story is watching Paul help Adam realize that there is very little he has to give up once he accepts his condition and learns to adapt. Paul is so tenacious and invested in helping Adam, I couldn’t resist loving his character and in the end, neither could Adam. When Adam begins to step back out into the world, finding the things he always loved aren’t completely lost to him, he is revealed to be a passionate and sexy man who may actually have a sense of humor.
I know I’ve said it before, but seriously, K.C. Wells knows how to write sex scenes and Adam and Paul are no exception! Whether it’s dirty and quick or tender and slow, vanilla or with a hint of kink, the men have sizzling chemistry that only intensifies once their feelings get involved.
If BDSM is not your thing, don’t let that put you off of this story. The BDSM element is there and adds a little kink, but it is not hardcore. It is focused on Paul wanting to experience some kinks he has only fantasized about and while Adam is more than willing to help Paul he fears that his disability will hinder him from really satisfying Paul’s needs if he wants to explore some heavier kinks.
There is a bit of outside drama and conflict stemming from Adam’s sister’s interference in his life as she tries to “help” him. It is also the catalyst for some great moments when Paul shows just how far he is willing to go to help and protect Adam.
The setting of the Isle of Wight is again brought to life by the descriptive writing. If you’ve read the prior stories you’ll be glad to see all those familiar faces back, but the story is a standalone so you can jump right in and I definitely recommend that you do it.
October 29, 2021
I really enjoyed this and I really, really liked Adam and Paul together as a couple. They were so good for each other, even though I was struggling with Adam at times. It hit a little close to home though, having had a stressful work week working with - that's right, eyes.
did-not-finish
September 23, 2015DNF for casting adult men as ingenues, being weird about virginity, and committing crimes against italics.
August 14, 2017
I love this series, and this time I had the pleasure to beta read this particular story too. 4.5 stars from me.
For fans of this series, do not fear...Mark and Sam from book 1 Waiting for a Prince make several appearances as do Taylor and David from book 2 September's Tide, and most if not all of the action takes place in/around Steephill Cove.
This time we meet Paul Vaughan, a Caulkhead (born on the island) and who's a friend of Mark, Sam and Taylor... and Adam Kent, a relative newcomer to Steephill but who knows the place well as he spent many happy days there as a child. Adam has suddenly gone blind and bitterness and grief for the life he enjoyed but has lost (or so he believes) swamp him. Petulance and a desire to take his black mood out on anyone he can is pretty much the norm, and any helper that his sister Caroline hires meets a whirlwind of obstinate rage, and they usually don't last the day. But Paul is made of much sterner stuff, and has a secret which Adam can definitely help him with.
Of course, we discover that Caroline and her son Dean are not the really helpful relatives that Adam needs, and have their own hidden agenda regarding the house that Adam has inherited from his grandparents, but...well, read the story and find out what happens.
***There is a little BDSM in this story, so if that is a trigger point for you, I'd suggest you ignore it cos the story really is good.***
January 23, 2026
When Paul takes a job as live-in companion to his brooding, impossibly sexy boss, he expects awkward silences—not a locked box in the attic that will change everything. Adam Kent has shut himself away, his life as a powerful Dom buried along with his heart. Newly blind and fiercely private, he has no intention of letting anyone in… especially Paul. Paul has tasted just enough of BDSM to know he craves more. Discovering Adam’s past feels like fate...because who better to guide him than the man who’s lived it? What begins as measured lessons quickly ignites into scorching passion, and soon their rules blur into something neither man can resist. Raw desire, dangerous trust, and unexpected tenderness push them to the edge...until surrender means more than pleasure.
This was a warm, beautiful story of two hard-headed men, first being" friends with benefits", and then realizing that they had somehow become and wanted so much more. I will admit I thought they would never get to the "more" part:) There was also drop-in visits from couples from the first two stories in the series, which always makes me happy. I hate losing people that I like:)
Adam's sister has hired Paul to be his caretaker. Adam was a successful author and had very recently completely lost his eyesight. As you would expect, he was not taking this very well...who would? Adam had not only lost his vision but also it could, and probably would, mean the end to his successful writing career. He is miles beyond merely bitter...he has become down-right sullen and mean. To call him "hard to get along with" would be a massive understatement. Paul seems to understand his meanness and gruffness and quickly becomes the best caretaker imaginable. At this point I was waiting and hoping for Adam to "get with the program". In the meantime, Paul could have qualified for sainthood. He does everything he can think of that is humanly possible to help Adam move on and see that in spite of what life has dealt him he CAN have a life and be an author again. I loved how Paul went above and beyond to ensure that this would happen.
Oh, and let us not forget that Adam had previously been into the BDSM lifestyle big-time. He had been a big, macho Dominate, and our Paul was very interested in that lifestyle as a "sub". Paul and Adam embraced that lifestyle head-on and actually ended up building a great friendship along with a hot, sweet romance that had seemed at first to be the last thing on either of their tables. At this point, I wondered where K.C. Wells was going to go with the story, but let's say it was an adventure to watch, if even at times I felt a little frustrated.
In spite of Adam's attitude to begin with, there is not one single ounce of hardcore drama here; just a big misunderstanding that they finally actually talked about...Humm...can you imagine that? ...go figure. Characters that actually "talked" about their feelings and differences??? Oh...and Adam's sister, Caroline and her son...just wait until you meet those two! Thank you, Ms. Wells...I really did enjoy everything about this book. 5 beautiful shinny stars.
This was a warm, beautiful story of two hard-headed men, first being" friends with benefits", and then realizing that they had somehow become and wanted so much more. I will admit I thought they would never get to the "more" part:) There was also drop-in visits from couples from the first two stories in the series, which always makes me happy. I hate losing people that I like:)
Adam's sister has hired Paul to be his caretaker. Adam was a successful author and had very recently completely lost his eyesight. As you would expect, he was not taking this very well...who would? Adam had not only lost his vision but also it could, and probably would, mean the end to his successful writing career. He is miles beyond merely bitter...he has become down-right sullen and mean. To call him "hard to get along with" would be a massive understatement. Paul seems to understand his meanness and gruffness and quickly becomes the best caretaker imaginable. At this point I was waiting and hoping for Adam to "get with the program". In the meantime, Paul could have qualified for sainthood. He does everything he can think of that is humanly possible to help Adam move on and see that in spite of what life has dealt him he CAN have a life and be an author again. I loved how Paul went above and beyond to ensure that this would happen.
Oh, and let us not forget that Adam had previously been into the BDSM lifestyle big-time. He had been a big, macho Dominate, and our Paul was very interested in that lifestyle as a "sub". Paul and Adam embraced that lifestyle head-on and actually ended up building a great friendship along with a hot, sweet romance that had seemed at first to be the last thing on either of their tables. At this point, I wondered where K.C. Wells was going to go with the story, but let's say it was an adventure to watch, if even at times I felt a little frustrated.
In spite of Adam's attitude to begin with, there is not one single ounce of hardcore drama here; just a big misunderstanding that they finally actually talked about...Humm...can you imagine that? ...go figure. Characters that actually "talked" about their feelings and differences??? Oh...and Adam's sister, Caroline and her son...just wait until you meet those two! Thank you, Ms. Wells...I really did enjoy everything about this book. 5 beautiful shinny stars.
September 20, 2022
I should have loved this because the main tropes/topics (MC loses sight late in life, a BDSM dynamic, forced proximity situation) are right up my alley. While I want to commend the author for clearly having done lots of research on blindness, I wasn’t a fan of the narrative choices made regarding Adam’s blindness. I also didn’t like the author’s approach to the BDSM relationship or the romance in general. There wasn’t anything wrong with any of these things (excluding one glaring error related to braille – more on that later) but I went into the story hoping things would go in a certain direction and the author decided she liked another direction better.
(Just a small note but I’ve seen some reviewers label this story as BDSM-lite, which I disagree with. )
Adam’s Blindness
As I said, you can tell the author had done tons of research into blindness, specifically, losing one’s sight late in life. She busted straight through some common myths, like the ‘superman senses’ one that claims losing one’s sight means the person’s other sense automatically become heightened. Instead, she demonstrates how Adam has to adjust to using his other senses and how he becomes more sensitive to the information they provide and thus, he relies more on them. One of my favorite scenes in the story involved Adam going grocery shopping with Paul and the author did such a great job having Adam using his sense of touch and smell to experience the grocery store in a whole new way and do most of the shopping on his own. I’m so grateful she decided to write this story as a duel-POV because getting to experience the world through Adam’s senses was a great experience.
Paul did a great job finding the right balance between being a source of support versus letting Adam try things on his own, like when Paul would tell Adam where certain things are located and how Adam can safely get there but letting him get there on his own. Or how Paul described things to Adam when he knew Adam would want to know about them but not telling Adam about every little thing, which would just overwhelm him.
The author included tons of auditory accessibility technology that’s available on phones, TVs, computers etc and that make life much easier for a visually impaired person. The changes in Adam’s mobility were shown, with Adam going from only sticking to a very small area in the house to him using a combination of his cane and trailing (using hands on walls/furniture to track where you are) to get around, to him using his cane to navigate outdoors and eventually having him only using minor trailing without his cane while inside as he becomes more familiar with moving around indoors. All of this was great. My problem is that these things only took up a small part of the story.
Adam’s blindness was the source of my main interest in the story and that’s why I was disappointed that the issue was handled like a subplot. Adam isn’t doing well at the start of the story and Paul has to fight a bit to get him to cooperate and move forward with life and that was fantastic. But then Adam basically decides overnight to change his entire outlook on life and he suddenly becomes well adjusted and happy with his circumstances. There are barely any setbacks and while the author tells us that Adam sometimes has dark days, these are never shown.
This trend of telling instead of showing continued to be the main way that Adam’s blindness was handled in the rest of the story, with very few exceptions (like the shopping trip or the cake baking, which were two of my three favorite scenes). Paul introduces Adam to a huge array of auditory accessibility technology with a long info-dump detailing how everything works and then we’re told Adam spends time practicing how to use the stuff and how he struggles a bit but quickly gets the hang of it. Only small snippets of this were shown. We’re told Adam has a tactile watch but there are no details provided on how it works, when he got it or how long it took him to learn to use it. I’m familiar with different types of tactile watches and how they work but I’m betting most readers aren’t and it would have been nice to add some more details. We’re told Adam goes from struggling to navigate around the house using his cane and trailing to suddenly having Paul commenting about how well Adam is getting around the house without his cane but only small glimpses of this were shown. Adam’s progression was realistic but I wanted to see it on-page and not getting that was disappointing.
In particular, I was disappointed that during the BDSM scenes, Adam’s blindness was rarely an issue. I understand that the author might have done that to make a point but the majority of the smut scenes would have been the same if Adam were sighted, which defeated the purposes of giving the character such a unique trait.
As a small but annoying aside, I hated that the author did such a stellar job with her research but completely messed up regarding the topic of braille. (If the topic of braille doesn’t interest you, please skip to the next bolded section).
Throughout 99% of the book, braille was a non-issue and that’s fine. The use of braille in modern western society is a very complex issue but regardless, Adam has access to plenty of tactile-based and auditory-based accessibility gadgets so he could easily spend the rest of his life not having anything to do with braille. So I was fine with the author ignoring it...except there was a little throwaway line right near the end where we’re told that Adam does know how to read braille. This disappointed me on multiple levels because Adam knowing how to read braille is completely unrealistic and the author should have done enough research to reach that conclusion.
Adam claims he learned braille during the month directly after he lost his sight when he had been assigned a support worker who specializes in helping newly blind people acclimatize. This makes zero sense, no matter how you look at it.
First – Adam was traumatized and in shock during that month. He claims he couldn’t pay attention to anything that he was taught, so he wouldn’t have been able to learn braille either. Even if he had enough focus to pay a little attention, that wouldn’t have been enough for him to do something as complex as learning braille.
Second – Adam’s mental state is normal for that situation, which is why no support worker would ever consider teaching somebody braille during those crucial weeks. The support workers are in high demand and are only available for each person for a limited time so that time needs to be spent teaching the newly blind person how to safely navigate around their home and not hurt themselves. Time needs to be spent on the essentials, such as teaching somebody how to use their phone to call for help, use the bathroom, prepare basic food/drink etc. Since the majority of support workers are sighted, they can’t read braille properly anyway and even the ones who do, don’t know how to teach it. But in any case, nobody would waste time trying to teach braille to somebody in that situation.
Third – even if we pretend that Adam was in the right head space to learn braille, it makes no sense that he would have become fluent in it within 1 month. Maybe you can learn uncontracted braille in a month if you devote several hours per day to practicing and your fingers’ natural tactile sensitivity is already high. But it’s implied that Adam can read signs/labels present in public and those signs must be written in contracted braille. Learning contracted braille takes months if somebody fully devotes their energy to it. For many people, it takes years to become fluent enough that they can easily read things.
What annoys me about this mistake is that the author had a perfect opportunity to educate people about braille and correct the misconceptions most people have about it. Paul could have assumed that Adam can read braille and Adam could have corrected him, explaining that it’s impossible for Adam to have learned braille within that short time and it’s too complex of a task for him to bother with since he has other accessibility gadgets that can do what braille can.
BDSM Relationship & Romance
I wasn’t a fan of the romance or the BDSM relationship in this one. Both MCs approach their relationship as a fuckbuddy situation with zero emotional connection. For Paul, he’s excited that Adam is a dom and he wants to explore the kinky things he’s always been curious about. For Adam, he loves sex and he’s missed it so having a live-in fuckbuddy is perfect. Both of them agree to keep things casual with no feelings involved. But that’s where my problem came in because the author did a good job making the smut scenes clinical and emotionless (as intended) but that meant they weren’t appealing to me. The MCs would constantly ramble in their heads about how they’re developing feelings for each other, but only one of the many sex scenes demonstrated that they held affection towards each other. This was done on purpose because that one scene where they do cross boundaries that they promised not to was the one that changed things in the plot, but it meant I didn’t find any of the other sex scenes appealing. It didn’t help that I felt zero chemistry between the characters and I got irritated that the author shoved sex into every nook and cranny, even where it wasn’t needed. Like the beautiful scene where Adam helps Paul bake a cake (the first time Adam cooks semi-independently), but Paul purposefully shapes the cake into a penis-with-balls thing and they both think this is very sexy. Like I said at the start of the review, there’s nothing wrong with any of this but it didn’t work for me.
The BDSM relationship was also a bit weird. The lack of affection and emotional connection between the characters made the scenes feel clinical. But my biggest problem was how the author handled specific kinks in the story.
I loved how Adam’s disability impacted which kinks he could safely participate in and which he didn’t, but this issue was pushed into the background because most of the focus was on Paul being a newbie sub who doesn’t know what he wants or likes. As I said earlier, I wanted the focus to stay more on Adam’s blindness so I would have liked the entire BDSM relationship much more if Paul and Adam were both experienced in BDSM and the focus had been on Adam learning how to be a dom without his eyesight.
Small Issues
In addition to the big issues listed above, I had some smaller problems with the story. While I liked the drama regarding Adam’s sister and nephew, the narrative already felt cluttered with the other plotlines so this family drama was rushed and underdeveloped. I wish the author had chosen two of the three plotlines (blindness, BDSM, family drama) and gotten rid of the third.
Another problem was that I hated how the beginning and end sections included an excessive number of scenes featuring side characters, specifically the MCs from previous books. The majority of these scenes were pointless and featured the previous-book couples being lovey-dovey and the author stuffing in references to the past books. Some readers love this but I hate it because it shoved the current book MCs into the background. I couldn’t tell any of the side characters apart and I quickly started skimming all scenes that involved them and I missed nothing because when the characters weren’t being lovey-dovey with each other, they were giving Paul or Adam common sense advice that added nothing to the story and made our current book MCs look like morons.
The author did try to make some of the scenes relevant by giving the side characters and Adam shared interests, but the situations felt like plot conveniences. So Adam is a writer but thinks being blind means he can’t write anymore? Well, the MC from the previous book is also a writer and we get a whole scene where he goes on and on about how famous he is and what he’s working on. This didn’t help Adam’s situation at all. Plus, the scene where the character (who is a gay romance author) has fans recognize him at a coffee shop and he proudly claims that the reason their town has had a huge increase in the gay population is because he wrote a series based in the town felt cringey. Another example: so Adam used to crew boats and he’s missed it? Well, one of Paul’s friends just happens to own a boat and he’s happy to take Adam out and let Adam steer the boat for a while. I’m surprised the author didn’t have Paul conjure up a friend who was blind, since that would have completed the set.
Some scenes with the side characters worked, like the one previous-book MC who is a hairdresser and he cuts Adam’s hair the first time Adam agrees to venture into town with Paul. Or having Adam contact an old friend of his who is also a dom, who agrees to flog Paul on Adam’s behalf.
Lastly, I felt Adam acted a little entitled and spoiled, despite this not making sense for his character. The man was in the military and had a variety of different careers so he’s always been independent. One of the big issues he has to deal with as a result of his blindness is that he wants to be independent but he has no choice but to rely on others for help for certain things. But the problem is that the author kept switching between Adam being Mr. Wannabe-Independent versus Adam being Mr. Entitled-Snob.
Throughout the entire story, Adam never once cleans up after himself. Paul does the laundry, washes the dishes and cleans all the rooms. Adam is perfectly capable of learning how to do many of these things and even if you argue that some of these things are part of Paul’s job (which I disagree with once his title was changed to personal assistant), Adam’s desire for independence should have made him rail against Paul doing all of this work for him. The coffee thing was the same, even if the author approached it in a different way. Throughout the whole story, Paul makes and brings Adam a cup of coffee every single morning while Adam could do it himself. The author makes the point near the end of the story of having Paul buy Adam a heat-sensitive mug that tells Adam when he’s poured a certain amount into it, but I had issues with this. There are many accessibility gadgets that aren’t really necessary but just exist to take money from people and mugs like that are a perfect example. Adam could easily learn how to safely pour coffee into a mug and not over pour it (anybody can learn this by attempting to pour a hot liquid into a mug with their eyes closed). I know the author must have found the special mug during her research and she really wanted to use it in the story and she wanted to save it for the end, but it was pointless and it made Adam look like a spoiled brat who was perfectly fine having somebody else prepare, pour and bring him a cup of coffee every single day. This is not how somebody desperate for every ounce of independence acts.
Overall
I want to be fair to the author so I’ll emphasize that the majority of my problems with the story were me-problems and not issues with the story itself. For the most part, the author did a great job portraying the reality of Adam’s blindness and I like how she incorporated BDSM into the situation, which made the story unique and interesting. Unfortunately, I went into the story with certain expectations and they weren’t met but I do recommend this story if you’re looking for well researched examples of blind MC.
(Just a small note but I’ve seen some reviewers label this story as BDSM-lite, which I disagree with. )
Adam’s Blindness
As I said, you can tell the author had done tons of research into blindness, specifically, losing one’s sight late in life. She busted straight through some common myths, like the ‘superman senses’ one that claims losing one’s sight means the person’s other sense automatically become heightened. Instead, she demonstrates how Adam has to adjust to using his other senses and how he becomes more sensitive to the information they provide and thus, he relies more on them. One of my favorite scenes in the story involved Adam going grocery shopping with Paul and the author did such a great job having Adam using his sense of touch and smell to experience the grocery store in a whole new way and do most of the shopping on his own. I’m so grateful she decided to write this story as a duel-POV because getting to experience the world through Adam’s senses was a great experience.
Paul did a great job finding the right balance between being a source of support versus letting Adam try things on his own, like when Paul would tell Adam where certain things are located and how Adam can safely get there but letting him get there on his own. Or how Paul described things to Adam when he knew Adam would want to know about them but not telling Adam about every little thing, which would just overwhelm him.
The author included tons of auditory accessibility technology that’s available on phones, TVs, computers etc and that make life much easier for a visually impaired person. The changes in Adam’s mobility were shown, with Adam going from only sticking to a very small area in the house to him using a combination of his cane and trailing (using hands on walls/furniture to track where you are) to get around, to him using his cane to navigate outdoors and eventually having him only using minor trailing without his cane while inside as he becomes more familiar with moving around indoors. All of this was great. My problem is that these things only took up a small part of the story.
Adam’s blindness was the source of my main interest in the story and that’s why I was disappointed that the issue was handled like a subplot. Adam isn’t doing well at the start of the story and Paul has to fight a bit to get him to cooperate and move forward with life and that was fantastic. But then Adam basically decides overnight to change his entire outlook on life and he suddenly becomes well adjusted and happy with his circumstances. There are barely any setbacks and while the author tells us that Adam sometimes has dark days, these are never shown.
This trend of telling instead of showing continued to be the main way that Adam’s blindness was handled in the rest of the story, with very few exceptions (like the shopping trip or the cake baking, which were two of my three favorite scenes). Paul introduces Adam to a huge array of auditory accessibility technology with a long info-dump detailing how everything works and then we’re told Adam spends time practicing how to use the stuff and how he struggles a bit but quickly gets the hang of it. Only small snippets of this were shown. We’re told Adam has a tactile watch but there are no details provided on how it works, when he got it or how long it took him to learn to use it. I’m familiar with different types of tactile watches and how they work but I’m betting most readers aren’t and it would have been nice to add some more details. We’re told Adam goes from struggling to navigate around the house using his cane and trailing to suddenly having Paul commenting about how well Adam is getting around the house without his cane but only small glimpses of this were shown. Adam’s progression was realistic but I wanted to see it on-page and not getting that was disappointing.
In particular, I was disappointed that during the BDSM scenes, Adam’s blindness was rarely an issue. I understand that the author might have done that to make a point but the majority of the smut scenes would have been the same if Adam were sighted, which defeated the purposes of giving the character such a unique trait.
As a small but annoying aside, I hated that the author did such a stellar job with her research but completely messed up regarding the topic of braille. (If the topic of braille doesn’t interest you, please skip to the next bolded section).
Throughout 99% of the book, braille was a non-issue and that’s fine. The use of braille in modern western society is a very complex issue but regardless, Adam has access to plenty of tactile-based and auditory-based accessibility gadgets so he could easily spend the rest of his life not having anything to do with braille. So I was fine with the author ignoring it...except there was a little throwaway line right near the end where we’re told that Adam does know how to read braille. This disappointed me on multiple levels because Adam knowing how to read braille is completely unrealistic and the author should have done enough research to reach that conclusion.
Adam claims he learned braille during the month directly after he lost his sight when he had been assigned a support worker who specializes in helping newly blind people acclimatize. This makes zero sense, no matter how you look at it.
First – Adam was traumatized and in shock during that month. He claims he couldn’t pay attention to anything that he was taught, so he wouldn’t have been able to learn braille either. Even if he had enough focus to pay a little attention, that wouldn’t have been enough for him to do something as complex as learning braille.
Second – Adam’s mental state is normal for that situation, which is why no support worker would ever consider teaching somebody braille during those crucial weeks. The support workers are in high demand and are only available for each person for a limited time so that time needs to be spent teaching the newly blind person how to safely navigate around their home and not hurt themselves. Time needs to be spent on the essentials, such as teaching somebody how to use their phone to call for help, use the bathroom, prepare basic food/drink etc. Since the majority of support workers are sighted, they can’t read braille properly anyway and even the ones who do, don’t know how to teach it. But in any case, nobody would waste time trying to teach braille to somebody in that situation.
Third – even if we pretend that Adam was in the right head space to learn braille, it makes no sense that he would have become fluent in it within 1 month. Maybe you can learn uncontracted braille in a month if you devote several hours per day to practicing and your fingers’ natural tactile sensitivity is already high. But it’s implied that Adam can read signs/labels present in public and those signs must be written in contracted braille. Learning contracted braille takes months if somebody fully devotes their energy to it. For many people, it takes years to become fluent enough that they can easily read things.
What annoys me about this mistake is that the author had a perfect opportunity to educate people about braille and correct the misconceptions most people have about it. Paul could have assumed that Adam can read braille and Adam could have corrected him, explaining that it’s impossible for Adam to have learned braille within that short time and it’s too complex of a task for him to bother with since he has other accessibility gadgets that can do what braille can.
BDSM Relationship & Romance
I wasn’t a fan of the romance or the BDSM relationship in this one. Both MCs approach their relationship as a fuckbuddy situation with zero emotional connection. For Paul, he’s excited that Adam is a dom and he wants to explore the kinky things he’s always been curious about. For Adam, he loves sex and he’s missed it so having a live-in fuckbuddy is perfect. Both of them agree to keep things casual with no feelings involved. But that’s where my problem came in because the author did a good job making the smut scenes clinical and emotionless (as intended) but that meant they weren’t appealing to me. The MCs would constantly ramble in their heads about how they’re developing feelings for each other, but only one of the many sex scenes demonstrated that they held affection towards each other. This was done on purpose because that one scene where they do cross boundaries that they promised not to was the one that changed things in the plot, but it meant I didn’t find any of the other sex scenes appealing. It didn’t help that I felt zero chemistry between the characters and I got irritated that the author shoved sex into every nook and cranny, even where it wasn’t needed. Like the beautiful scene where Adam helps Paul bake a cake (the first time Adam cooks semi-independently), but Paul purposefully shapes the cake into a penis-with-balls thing and they both think this is very sexy. Like I said at the start of the review, there’s nothing wrong with any of this but it didn’t work for me.
The BDSM relationship was also a bit weird. The lack of affection and emotional connection between the characters made the scenes feel clinical. But my biggest problem was how the author handled specific kinks in the story.
I loved how Adam’s disability impacted which kinks he could safely participate in and which he didn’t, but this issue was pushed into the background because most of the focus was on Paul being a newbie sub who doesn’t know what he wants or likes. As I said earlier, I wanted the focus to stay more on Adam’s blindness so I would have liked the entire BDSM relationship much more if Paul and Adam were both experienced in BDSM and the focus had been on Adam learning how to be a dom without his eyesight.
Small Issues
In addition to the big issues listed above, I had some smaller problems with the story. While I liked the drama regarding Adam’s sister and nephew, the narrative already felt cluttered with the other plotlines so this family drama was rushed and underdeveloped. I wish the author had chosen two of the three plotlines (blindness, BDSM, family drama) and gotten rid of the third.
Another problem was that I hated how the beginning and end sections included an excessive number of scenes featuring side characters, specifically the MCs from previous books. The majority of these scenes were pointless and featured the previous-book couples being lovey-dovey and the author stuffing in references to the past books. Some readers love this but I hate it because it shoved the current book MCs into the background. I couldn’t tell any of the side characters apart and I quickly started skimming all scenes that involved them and I missed nothing because when the characters weren’t being lovey-dovey with each other, they were giving Paul or Adam common sense advice that added nothing to the story and made our current book MCs look like morons.
The author did try to make some of the scenes relevant by giving the side characters and Adam shared interests, but the situations felt like plot conveniences. So Adam is a writer but thinks being blind means he can’t write anymore? Well, the MC from the previous book is also a writer and we get a whole scene where he goes on and on about how famous he is and what he’s working on. This didn’t help Adam’s situation at all. Plus, the scene where the character (who is a gay romance author) has fans recognize him at a coffee shop and he proudly claims that the reason their town has had a huge increase in the gay population is because he wrote a series based in the town felt cringey. Another example: so Adam used to crew boats and he’s missed it? Well, one of Paul’s friends just happens to own a boat and he’s happy to take Adam out and let Adam steer the boat for a while. I’m surprised the author didn’t have Paul conjure up a friend who was blind, since that would have completed the set.
Some scenes with the side characters worked, like the one previous-book MC who is a hairdresser and he cuts Adam’s hair the first time Adam agrees to venture into town with Paul. Or having Adam contact an old friend of his who is also a dom, who agrees to flog Paul on Adam’s behalf.
Lastly, I felt Adam acted a little entitled and spoiled, despite this not making sense for his character. The man was in the military and had a variety of different careers so he’s always been independent. One of the big issues he has to deal with as a result of his blindness is that he wants to be independent but he has no choice but to rely on others for help for certain things. But the problem is that the author kept switching between Adam being Mr. Wannabe-Independent versus Adam being Mr. Entitled-Snob.
Throughout the entire story, Adam never once cleans up after himself. Paul does the laundry, washes the dishes and cleans all the rooms. Adam is perfectly capable of learning how to do many of these things and even if you argue that some of these things are part of Paul’s job (which I disagree with once his title was changed to personal assistant), Adam’s desire for independence should have made him rail against Paul doing all of this work for him. The coffee thing was the same, even if the author approached it in a different way. Throughout the whole story, Paul makes and brings Adam a cup of coffee every single morning while Adam could do it himself. The author makes the point near the end of the story of having Paul buy Adam a heat-sensitive mug that tells Adam when he’s poured a certain amount into it, but I had issues with this. There are many accessibility gadgets that aren’t really necessary but just exist to take money from people and mugs like that are a perfect example. Adam could easily learn how to safely pour coffee into a mug and not over pour it (anybody can learn this by attempting to pour a hot liquid into a mug with their eyes closed). I know the author must have found the special mug during her research and she really wanted to use it in the story and she wanted to save it for the end, but it was pointless and it made Adam look like a spoiled brat who was perfectly fine having somebody else prepare, pour and bring him a cup of coffee every single day. This is not how somebody desperate for every ounce of independence acts.
Overall
I want to be fair to the author so I’ll emphasize that the majority of my problems with the story were me-problems and not issues with the story itself. For the most part, the author did a great job portraying the reality of Adam’s blindness and I like how she incorporated BDSM into the situation, which made the story unique and interesting. Unfortunately, I went into the story with certain expectations and they weren’t met but I do recommend this story if you’re looking for well researched examples of blind MC.
September 9, 2015
I love KC Wells’s Island Tales. They are set on an island that she loves among people based on individuals that she either knows or imagines with her terrific creativity. Submitting to the Darkness is one of her best.
Adam has been stricken blind, quite suddenly. It is a tragedy of immense proportions for a man who loved his job as a writer and reader who loved sailing and other outdoor activities. Crushingly, Adam is a Dom who takes his responsibilities to a sub very seriously. He must be able to watch his submissive closely to know how he is doing and without vision he believes he can no longer live the lifestyle he loves.
Adam’s sister, who at first seems to be a bit of a cold fish, hires Paul to be a live-in companion for Adam, with the warning that Adam will try to drive Paul away, and so he does. Adam is offensive, cruel, and has already caused several hired companions to leave within days if not hours. Paul is a whole other challenge, though, and is determined to find a way to bring some meaning back to Adam’s life. Adam doesn’t make it easy, though. It requires the efforts of a team: Paul and his friends try to find the key to the lock on Adam’s heart, and then, as the blurb says, there are the boxes in the attic.
The fact that both Adam and Paul are gay factors into the story in such a satisfying way, both sexually and as men who might understand each other given a chance. This is a romance novel with many glimpses into what kindness and love can do to change a man, sighted or not. A lovely story with just a peek into a BDSM lifestyle.
Adam has been stricken blind, quite suddenly. It is a tragedy of immense proportions for a man who loved his job as a writer and reader who loved sailing and other outdoor activities. Crushingly, Adam is a Dom who takes his responsibilities to a sub very seriously. He must be able to watch his submissive closely to know how he is doing and without vision he believes he can no longer live the lifestyle he loves.
Adam’s sister, who at first seems to be a bit of a cold fish, hires Paul to be a live-in companion for Adam, with the warning that Adam will try to drive Paul away, and so he does. Adam is offensive, cruel, and has already caused several hired companions to leave within days if not hours. Paul is a whole other challenge, though, and is determined to find a way to bring some meaning back to Adam’s life. Adam doesn’t make it easy, though. It requires the efforts of a team: Paul and his friends try to find the key to the lock on Adam’s heart, and then, as the blurb says, there are the boxes in the attic.
The fact that both Adam and Paul are gay factors into the story in such a satisfying way, both sexually and as men who might understand each other given a chance. This is a romance novel with many glimpses into what kindness and love can do to change a man, sighted or not. A lovely story with just a peek into a BDSM lifestyle.
September 14, 2015
This book is the reason I like KC Wells. Her work not only only includes passion but all the feelings one associates with a good romance novel.
Imagine being at the stage in your life when you have found critical and financial success, you have served your country in the military, and had adventures sailing from the US to the UK. OH and you are a Dom. Suddenly life changes. You find yourself blind, lost and frightened at the age of 40. You are wallowing in self pity and ready to give up. Wells does a great job capturing all those feelings but, she doesn't leave Adam to flounder long on his own.
Paul is hired to be his companion. Paul is 23 and has a warm loving heart. He also has a backbone of steel and isn't afraid to push back. He won't allow Adam to push him into quitting. Paul is also different in that he encourages Adam to adapt but to continue living. With the right software and aides for the vision impaired, Adam starts gaining his independence.
Ahhh.. but the passion part. Paul is curious about BDSM. He and Adam start exploring and find out some surprising things - they both only want to indulge in BDSM lite and they have fallen in love. Ah... the warm mushy feelings when they finally TALK to each other and share their feelings.
Great job Ms. Wells!!
Imagine being at the stage in your life when you have found critical and financial success, you have served your country in the military, and had adventures sailing from the US to the UK. OH and you are a Dom. Suddenly life changes. You find yourself blind, lost and frightened at the age of 40. You are wallowing in self pity and ready to give up. Wells does a great job capturing all those feelings but, she doesn't leave Adam to flounder long on his own.
Paul is hired to be his companion. Paul is 23 and has a warm loving heart. He also has a backbone of steel and isn't afraid to push back. He won't allow Adam to push him into quitting. Paul is also different in that he encourages Adam to adapt but to continue living. With the right software and aides for the vision impaired, Adam starts gaining his independence.
Ahhh.. but the passion part. Paul is curious about BDSM. He and Adam start exploring and find out some surprising things - they both only want to indulge in BDSM lite and they have fallen in love. Ah... the warm mushy feelings when they finally TALK to each other and share their feelings.
Great job Ms. Wells!!
January 8, 2018
forse non è perfetto ma poco ci manca,ha tutto:trama buona,personaggi interessanti e molto hot
la parte sensuale non prevarica la storia,la parte romantica ha la sua importanza in una giusta amalgama
la parte sensuale non prevarica la storia,la parte romantica ha la sua importanza in una giusta amalgama
September 12, 2015
This was my favorite in this series by far. Paul and Adam were vivid in my mind from the very first page. Somehow the author manages to have sweet, angst and kink wrapped up into a ball of fluffy goodness.
What happens when a man loses everything that has meaning in his life in a few short weeks? I would imagine that Adam's bitterness and downright cruelty is a very true reaction. He has lost his occupation, the reading for pleasure that is obviously a large part of him. He has even lost his sexual identity. How does someone pick up those pieces and move on?
Adam doesn't. He lets himself drown in depression and pushes away anyone that tries to reach out. He hides himself away, lashing at anyone who tries to help. Until one man refuses to be chased away.
Paul was wonderful. He researched to find out how to help. His goal from the beginning was to help Adam learn how to live independently and take back what had been lost. He tried to see things from Adam's point of view, never once treating him as an invalid, okay there was one time, but it was more accidental as Paul's need to take of Adam went slightly too far. That was what I liked about him. He wasn't perfect just determined.
The BDSM elements were handled perfectly, never overwhelming the characters. That is what this author shines at. She shows over and over that no matter what a couple's kink is, it is the emotions and ways they try to give what the other needs that make for a stable, loving relationship.
And in this book she illustrates, in one of most intense, and well-written BDSM scenes I've ever read, the dangers of giving too much and not letting your partner know your true feelings.
What happens when a man loses everything that has meaning in his life in a few short weeks? I would imagine that Adam's bitterness and downright cruelty is a very true reaction. He has lost his occupation, the reading for pleasure that is obviously a large part of him. He has even lost his sexual identity. How does someone pick up those pieces and move on?
Adam doesn't. He lets himself drown in depression and pushes away anyone that tries to reach out. He hides himself away, lashing at anyone who tries to help. Until one man refuses to be chased away.
Paul was wonderful. He researched to find out how to help. His goal from the beginning was to help Adam learn how to live independently and take back what had been lost. He tried to see things from Adam's point of view, never once treating him as an invalid, okay there was one time, but it was more accidental as Paul's need to take of Adam went slightly too far. That was what I liked about him. He wasn't perfect just determined.
The BDSM elements were handled perfectly, never overwhelming the characters. That is what this author shines at. She shows over and over that no matter what a couple's kink is, it is the emotions and ways they try to give what the other needs that make for a stable, loving relationship.
And in this book she illustrates, in one of most intense, and well-written BDSM scenes I've ever read, the dangers of giving too much and not letting your partner know your true feelings.
January 5, 2023
What a nice read!!! I'm a sucker for disabled/impaired MCs so this story of a blind used-to-be Dom, Adam, was exactly what I'm looking for to relax!
The story is sweet in terms of Paul's (Adam's companion/assistant) steady and not obtrusive care of Adam, his ability to see past his boss' blindness, to encourage the man to take small but persistent steps forward in his exploration of a more independent life...
But don't be fooled! It's not only a sweet story! There's a considerable splosh of BDSM as Adam helps Paul explore his "darker side", his fascination of some of the gear Adam has accumulated throughout his Dom years.
Add to that a spoonful of fluff - especially the aftercare scene - and you'll get a delightful combination! :)
I know that Submitting to the Darkness is Part 3 of the Island Tales but I just couldn't resist reading it first (because of Adam, honestly!) and it definitely made me want to read Parts 1 and 2! Even more as I got glimpses at the other 2 couples - which was lovely but not revealing to0 much as to spoil the pleasure of going back to their stories.
Definitely a recommendable read! ;)
The story is sweet in terms of Paul's (Adam's companion/assistant) steady and not obtrusive care of Adam, his ability to see past his boss' blindness, to encourage the man to take small but persistent steps forward in his exploration of a more independent life...
But don't be fooled! It's not only a sweet story! There's a considerable splosh of BDSM as Adam helps Paul explore his "darker side", his fascination of some of the gear Adam has accumulated throughout his Dom years.
Add to that a spoonful of fluff - especially the aftercare scene - and you'll get a delightful combination! :)
I know that Submitting to the Darkness is Part 3 of the Island Tales but I just couldn't resist reading it first (because of Adam, honestly!) and it definitely made me want to read Parts 1 and 2! Even more as I got glimpses at the other 2 couples - which was lovely but not revealing to0 much as to spoil the pleasure of going back to their stories.
Definitely a recommendable read! ;)
September 26, 2015
I absolutely loved this book! It has everything that twists my trigger in a good romance. Imperfect MC's, age gap, well understood kink, sexual tension, interesting location, relationship building, and above all, great writing. Their love for each is real and wholly believable. I enjoyed this immensely, a great escape. You read a KC book and it soothes the mind, nothing that makes your brain hurt. Lovely.
August 25, 2017
It's been a while since I read the first in this series and I forgot all about this one but damn I'm glad I got round to it......I loved this one and I think this is my favourite..I totally understood why Adam was like he was at the start....No one is going to go through what he has and be ok with it...Paul stood his ground and gave as good as he got...These two were absolutely perfect together but really should have spoken sooner but it's an amazing read....easy and little angst....It was also good meeting up again with the MC's from the first two books...Makes me want to go re-read them now....I'd love another book in the series maybe with Eric...There's something there with him x
September 19, 2015
This book gave me two characters I could relate to. Paul Vaughn is kind, good hearted and not altogether sure of himself. While he may be curious about submission and playing with the thought that he might to explore that, he is nobody’s pushover and stands up for himself and what he knows is right just as easily as he’ll push his own needs away when he feels somebody else’s needs are more urgent. All of these qualities make him the perfect caregiver for Adam Kent.
When the book starts Adam is the polar opposite of Paul. Cantankerous, easily irritated and angry with his body and the unfairness of life in general, he just wants to be left alone so he can wallow in his depression. This might have made him a horrible character, except that his feelings and reactions make perfect sense. Of course Adam is upset and angry. He lost his eye-sight over the course of three weeks and as far as he’s concerned, the rest of his life went with it. How can he be independent, a writer or a Dom if he can’t see? He’s made up his mind that he’s better off on his own and determined to make sure nobody sticks around to try and take care of him. Of course, he wasn’t prepared to come up against a force named Paul.
I loved the way Paul’s quiet determination slowly but carefully coaxed Adam out of his depression. Maybe Adam has to push his way through anger before he can start on the road to recovery, but Paul is prepared for that – even if knowing what is happening and why doesn’t necessarily make it any easier to deal with unreasonable outbursts or the conflicting signals Adam is sending him.
I loved the process these two men went through. I hurt for them when they thought they were wrong for each other while I, the reader knew, exactly how perfect their fit was. And I adore the way that particular issue was resolved.
I should probably say something about the title, because I think it was rather cleverly chosen. Paul has caught a glimpse of the world of BDSM and thinks he might be interested in a closer look at what he privately calls ‘the dark side’. So, does the title refer to his journey down that particular road? Or does the title reflect Adam’s very literal need to submit to the darkness which has surrounded him ever since he lost his eyesight? I won’t tell, of course, but I will say that I liked the way this title and all its nuances played out in the book.
And then there is something I’ve loved in most if not all of K.C Wells’s books This lady is a genius when it comes to giving the reader angst which is neither contrived nor drawn out. In fact, in this book it wasn’t the conflict itself that had me on the edge of my seat but rather the certainty that conflict was coming - and knowing exactly why - while not knowing what form it would take and how long it might take Adam and Paul to fix the issue. For me, who isn’t a huge fan of angst, it was a perfect scenario.
And then I come to the heat levels in this book. I’ve read plenty of hot books in the past. This has been the first time ever I’ve felt the need to contact the author mid-read and have the following conversation (and this is an exact copy from Facebook messages):
Woman, that book of yours needs to come with a health warning. Js
???
I'm sure I don't know what you mean.....
Let's put it this way. Yesterday afternoon, flying back to Ireland ad reading Submitting to the Darkness I had a thought I've never had before; as in, 'just as well I'm not a man and don't have a cock'.
HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAA
That would have been very uncomfortable. Especially since I was wearing tight trousers.
So yeah, I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I had to take my time reading it because of other commitments but knowing the story was waiting for me gave me something good to look forward while I went about my business. In K.C. Wells I may have found the M/M romance writer who comes closest to my personal set
When the book starts Adam is the polar opposite of Paul. Cantankerous, easily irritated and angry with his body and the unfairness of life in general, he just wants to be left alone so he can wallow in his depression. This might have made him a horrible character, except that his feelings and reactions make perfect sense. Of course Adam is upset and angry. He lost his eye-sight over the course of three weeks and as far as he’s concerned, the rest of his life went with it. How can he be independent, a writer or a Dom if he can’t see? He’s made up his mind that he’s better off on his own and determined to make sure nobody sticks around to try and take care of him. Of course, he wasn’t prepared to come up against a force named Paul.
I loved the way Paul’s quiet determination slowly but carefully coaxed Adam out of his depression. Maybe Adam has to push his way through anger before he can start on the road to recovery, but Paul is prepared for that – even if knowing what is happening and why doesn’t necessarily make it any easier to deal with unreasonable outbursts or the conflicting signals Adam is sending him.
I loved the process these two men went through. I hurt for them when they thought they were wrong for each other while I, the reader knew, exactly how perfect their fit was. And I adore the way that particular issue was resolved.
I should probably say something about the title, because I think it was rather cleverly chosen. Paul has caught a glimpse of the world of BDSM and thinks he might be interested in a closer look at what he privately calls ‘the dark side’. So, does the title refer to his journey down that particular road? Or does the title reflect Adam’s very literal need to submit to the darkness which has surrounded him ever since he lost his eyesight? I won’t tell, of course, but I will say that I liked the way this title and all its nuances played out in the book.
And then there is something I’ve loved in most if not all of K.C Wells’s books This lady is a genius when it comes to giving the reader angst which is neither contrived nor drawn out. In fact, in this book it wasn’t the conflict itself that had me on the edge of my seat but rather the certainty that conflict was coming - and knowing exactly why - while not knowing what form it would take and how long it might take Adam and Paul to fix the issue. For me, who isn’t a huge fan of angst, it was a perfect scenario.
And then I come to the heat levels in this book. I’ve read plenty of hot books in the past. This has been the first time ever I’ve felt the need to contact the author mid-read and have the following conversation (and this is an exact copy from Facebook messages):
Woman, that book of yours needs to come with a health warning. Js
???
I'm sure I don't know what you mean.....
Let's put it this way. Yesterday afternoon, flying back to Ireland ad reading Submitting to the Darkness I had a thought I've never had before; as in, 'just as well I'm not a man and don't have a cock'.
HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAA
That would have been very uncomfortable. Especially since I was wearing tight trousers.
So yeah, I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I had to take my time reading it because of other commitments but knowing the story was waiting for me gave me something good to look forward while I went about my business. In K.C. Wells I may have found the M/M romance writer who comes closest to my personal set
October 4, 2015
From the moment I read the blurb for this novel, I was fascinated with the characters and what sounded like a long, hard road to the happy ending I always hope for. And K.C. certainly made me wait! Adam is in such a bad place after going blind (and who could blame him!), that he barely makes it out of bed each morning, and definitely is not in the mood for civil behavior. Combine this with Paul, who has a big heart, is extremely considerate, and wants nothing but to help Adam (and that is before he falls for him!) and you have a pretty heart-wrenching recipe for angst, drama, and yes, the odd tear as I was reading. Well done, K.C., for a wonderful story with amazing characters who have to deal with some very real issues. For me, this is the best book in the series so far!
Adam has gone blind and fallen into a deep depression. He thinks his life is over, and all he wants to do is hide and for people to leave him alone. Luckily he has a sister who, despite all her faults (and she has a few!) insists on hiring help for him. But Adam is determined not to become dependent on anyone. He has already lost his ability to write, and he’ll never be a Dom again, but he will be damned before he lets someone else run his day-to-day life. When Paul is hired by Adam’s sister, Adam is determined to chase him off just like he shocked all the previous “companions” into running for the hills. And let me warn you - he is a real bast*rd to Paul. It was hard to take seeing him be so nasty to such a nice guy, there really is no excuse. Watching Adam work through his issues was fascinating, the gradual change obvious – and the final decision point was masterfully set up and executed. I think I was holding my breath for several pages!
Paul just wants to help. He can see beyond Adam’s more-than-gruff exterior to the man who is hurting underneath and does his best to help. He has a lot of good ideas and makes a real difference to Adam’s life in a very short time, but when he finds out Adam is a Dom, his employer becomes irresistible to Paul. He has been fascinated with BDSM for a while, but has never had the courage to “submit to the darkness” inside him, as he calls it. Their first forays into sexual play intrigue Paul, but when Adam stipulates “no emotional attachments”, Paul is in trouble. He has been emotionally attached for a while before they start getting physical, and he would accept any condition to keep going. Can you see where the pain is coming from? Ouch!
Like the first two books in the ‘Island Tales’ series, this story is set on the Isle of Wight. I was happy to see Mark and Sam, Taylor and David, and Taylor’s friends from school are still around and doing well. Not just that, they are up to their usual teasing selves, but jump in to help the moment there is something wrong. Steephill Cove is fast becoming a very familiar place, and I hope that Eric’s story will be next so I get to return once more!
If you like multi-layered characters struggling with significant physical and deep emotional issues, if two men who are made for each other but take their sweet time in understanding how well they fit are your thing, and if you’re looking for an intense, emotional read that is as hot as it is spellbinding, then you will probably like this novel as much as I did. It touched me deeply and fascinated me to no end.
NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Adam has gone blind and fallen into a deep depression. He thinks his life is over, and all he wants to do is hide and for people to leave him alone. Luckily he has a sister who, despite all her faults (and she has a few!) insists on hiring help for him. But Adam is determined not to become dependent on anyone. He has already lost his ability to write, and he’ll never be a Dom again, but he will be damned before he lets someone else run his day-to-day life. When Paul is hired by Adam’s sister, Adam is determined to chase him off just like he shocked all the previous “companions” into running for the hills. And let me warn you - he is a real bast*rd to Paul. It was hard to take seeing him be so nasty to such a nice guy, there really is no excuse. Watching Adam work through his issues was fascinating, the gradual change obvious – and the final decision point was masterfully set up and executed. I think I was holding my breath for several pages!
Paul just wants to help. He can see beyond Adam’s more-than-gruff exterior to the man who is hurting underneath and does his best to help. He has a lot of good ideas and makes a real difference to Adam’s life in a very short time, but when he finds out Adam is a Dom, his employer becomes irresistible to Paul. He has been fascinated with BDSM for a while, but has never had the courage to “submit to the darkness” inside him, as he calls it. Their first forays into sexual play intrigue Paul, but when Adam stipulates “no emotional attachments”, Paul is in trouble. He has been emotionally attached for a while before they start getting physical, and he would accept any condition to keep going. Can you see where the pain is coming from? Ouch!
Like the first two books in the ‘Island Tales’ series, this story is set on the Isle of Wight. I was happy to see Mark and Sam, Taylor and David, and Taylor’s friends from school are still around and doing well. Not just that, they are up to their usual teasing selves, but jump in to help the moment there is something wrong. Steephill Cove is fast becoming a very familiar place, and I hope that Eric’s story will be next so I get to return once more!
If you like multi-layered characters struggling with significant physical and deep emotional issues, if two men who are made for each other but take their sweet time in understanding how well they fit are your thing, and if you’re looking for an intense, emotional read that is as hot as it is spellbinding, then you will probably like this novel as much as I did. It touched me deeply and fascinated me to no end.
NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
September 16, 2015
Original Blog Post: Review Request: Submitting to the Darkness (Island Tales #3) by K.C. Wells
Review by: multitaskingmomma
My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Okay, I admit it. When it comes to Island Tales series by K.C. Wells, I just forget about life and drop for a good read. It's one of my favorites after all. It helps a lot the characters are so real, and their love stories are toothache worthy. It is Submitting to the Darkness which I can claim as my favorite.
Then again, so was Waiting for a Prince and September's Tide.
It's really hard to choose.
I will settle for: my new favorites. There.
We have a blind main man who lost everything, or so he thought, in just two weeks. Acute glaucoma can cause havoc to the unexpected and being a successful author of political history books, he thought his life was over. Not being able to see his sub reach the peak is a thought that drives Adam miserable. So he moves to the Isle of Wight into a big house that soon proves too much for him to handle. Add in the complication of not knowing where everything is or lies, he injures himself constantly. Getting miserable by the second, he withdraws into himself and pity.
Paul is getting frustrated. He's out of school but he is not getting any job. His father drops the ultimatum of finding one by handing him the ad for a housekeeper/companion. Paul goes in, eyes wide shut. Of course he meets the hard headed and miserable Dom. Could he handle this bearded, injured man?
This is a really light read and I just breezed through this in one afternoon. It does have the BDSM elements but contrary to other Wells books, this one is treated in a much lighter manner and is not in the face of the reader which is good for those who are not into that scene. I especially liked how Adam 'saw' Paul's reaction and loved how he handled the whole thing.
On a side note: I do so love how the other guys from the series popped in and out to add in their two cents worth of (un)solicited advices. Their contribution to the love life of Adam and Paul was especially endearing and hilarious.
Review by: multitaskingmomma
My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Okay, I admit it. When it comes to Island Tales series by K.C. Wells, I just forget about life and drop for a good read. It's one of my favorites after all. It helps a lot the characters are so real, and their love stories are toothache worthy. It is Submitting to the Darkness which I can claim as my favorite.
Then again, so was Waiting for a Prince and September's Tide.
It's really hard to choose.
I will settle for: my new favorites. There.
We have a blind main man who lost everything, or so he thought, in just two weeks. Acute glaucoma can cause havoc to the unexpected and being a successful author of political history books, he thought his life was over. Not being able to see his sub reach the peak is a thought that drives Adam miserable. So he moves to the Isle of Wight into a big house that soon proves too much for him to handle. Add in the complication of not knowing where everything is or lies, he injures himself constantly. Getting miserable by the second, he withdraws into himself and pity.
Paul is getting frustrated. He's out of school but he is not getting any job. His father drops the ultimatum of finding one by handing him the ad for a housekeeper/companion. Paul goes in, eyes wide shut. Of course he meets the hard headed and miserable Dom. Could he handle this bearded, injured man?
This is a really light read and I just breezed through this in one afternoon. It does have the BDSM elements but contrary to other Wells books, this one is treated in a much lighter manner and is not in the face of the reader which is good for those who are not into that scene. I especially liked how Adam 'saw' Paul's reaction and loved how he handled the whole thing.
On a side note: I do so love how the other guys from the series popped in and out to add in their two cents worth of (un)solicited advices. Their contribution to the love life of Adam and Paul was especially endearing and hilarious.
October 5, 2015
Paul applies to work as a live-in companion to Adam, an author of political books who has recently gone blind. When he arrives at the mansion that is Adam’s home he learns that none of his predecessors has managed to keep the job for longer than a few weeks and that Adam is far from accepting that he is blind – instead shutting himself away from the world, rarely venturing out of the library and fighting against everything, Adam is far from ready to move on. Paul is determined to keep his job and to help a man he feels needs him despite Adam’s cold and mean behavior to anyone who tries to get close to him. But Paul is not prepared for his feelings when he sorts through Adam’s moving boxes and finds a large array BDSM gear.
I always enjoy KC Wells’ books but this was the first Island Tales book I’ve read. I loved it. I liked Paul and Adam, so well written and such different and interesting characters. I liked Adam’s slow change when he realized his life wasn’t over. Paul is a lovely character who sincerely wants Adam to get better but at the same time struggles with his own ‘dark side’, an attraction to BDSM he hasn’t accepted yet.
I understand some of Paul’s friends are characters from the first books (which I one-clicked immediately) but this book can be read as a standalone.
Totally recommend this book.
I always enjoy KC Wells’ books but this was the first Island Tales book I’ve read. I loved it. I liked Paul and Adam, so well written and such different and interesting characters. I liked Adam’s slow change when he realized his life wasn’t over. Paul is a lovely character who sincerely wants Adam to get better but at the same time struggles with his own ‘dark side’, an attraction to BDSM he hasn’t accepted yet.
I understand some of Paul’s friends are characters from the first books (which I one-clicked immediately) but this book can be read as a standalone.
Totally recommend this book.
September 22, 2015
4.5 stars
I forgot about this series to be honest, and I certainly wasn't expecting a new book. But guess what, this surprise was a good one, because this book is the best in this series and it hit all my buttons. There's love and friendship, trust and intimacy, vulnerability and strength and the cherry on my cake ...... kinky sex. Really, this book was amazing!
Adam's blindness is like a stick up his butt; really, he's such an asshole! He tends to lash out at anyone who tries to help him, but Paul fights right back, and that made me giddy with anticipation. These two couldn't have been more perfect for each other, because Paul finds ways to help Adam while giving him back his freedom. I loved seeing Adam stop existing and start living again, become more confident and take control of his life.
The relationship between them is a very nice bonus, because the sex is a perfect mixture of tenderness and intensity, dirty and sweet with a touch of kink. Perfect, right?
I enjoyed catching up with the couples from the previous books, although it's been such a long time since I read book #1, I had to go back and briefly refresh my memory about the guys. Excellent addition to this series and looking forward to more!
I forgot about this series to be honest, and I certainly wasn't expecting a new book. But guess what, this surprise was a good one, because this book is the best in this series and it hit all my buttons. There's love and friendship, trust and intimacy, vulnerability and strength and the cherry on my cake ...... kinky sex. Really, this book was amazing!
Adam's blindness is like a stick up his butt; really, he's such an asshole! He tends to lash out at anyone who tries to help him, but Paul fights right back, and that made me giddy with anticipation. These two couldn't have been more perfect for each other, because Paul finds ways to help Adam while giving him back his freedom. I loved seeing Adam stop existing and start living again, become more confident and take control of his life.
The relationship between them is a very nice bonus, because the sex is a perfect mixture of tenderness and intensity, dirty and sweet with a touch of kink. Perfect, right?
I enjoyed catching up with the couples from the previous books, although it's been such a long time since I read book #1, I had to go back and briefly refresh my memory about the guys. Excellent addition to this series and looking forward to more!
September 13, 2015
OMG. All the stars for this book!!
I loved this...it had everything I want in a good book...age gap, disability, some hurt/comfort, a good group of characters included from previous books, hot and mildly kinky loving, slight conflict, and a wonderful HEA!
This is one of my favorite stories I have read from this author (and I pretty much love everything I have read from her). I'm assuming the next story will be about their friend. I hope the wait won't be too, too long for more in this series!
I loved this...it had everything I want in a good book...age gap, disability, some hurt/comfort, a good group of characters included from previous books, hot and mildly kinky loving, slight conflict, and a wonderful HEA!
This is one of my favorite stories I have read from this author (and I pretty much love everything I have read from her). I'm assuming the next story will be about their friend. I hope the wait won't be too, too long for more in this series!
October 12, 2015
Nice romance with a tiny bit bdsm. Yep, it does have a couple of bdsm scenes but they aren't the main focus of this story.
Loved the former Dom Adam... and cute Paul whose tastes are a little kinkier than expected.
I enjoyes reading the story and look forward to reading the previous books of the series.
November 20, 2016
5*****
Exceptional writing, age gap, hurt/comfort, grumpypants mc w/a disability, scorching hot sex, believable and realistic progression into love, NO DOORMATS, NO ANGST, NO CHEATING, NO DUB CON. Other than a bit of miscommunication that is cleared quickly, this was a perfect Sunday reading.
Highly recommended!
Exceptional writing, age gap, hurt/comfort, grumpypants mc w/a disability, scorching hot sex, believable and realistic progression into love, NO DOORMATS, NO ANGST, NO CHEATING, NO DUB CON. Other than a bit of miscommunication that is cleared quickly, this was a perfect Sunday reading.
Highly recommended!
September 30, 2015
4.5 stars
October 2, 2015
AMAZING! I love K C Wells.
February 1, 2016
I liked this one better than the rest from this series. I hope that she writes Eric's story.
January 12, 2018
quattro e mezzo
September 29, 2015
4.5 Heart Review by Danielle
A great new addition to the Island tales series. Completely different then the other two and I really liked that.
I also liked the fact that what for me was missing in the second part I found back in this part with the mentions and the connection with the main characters from the other books.
They aren’t present in a way that the book wouldn’t work as a standalone as they just are mentioned as friends but to me it added a nice extra to the already wonderful story.
Paul is adorable. He is sweet, kind and innocent but in a not childish or inexperienced way. He’s just a wonderful guy. Adam is tough the “former” dom and there were times I wanted to whip his ass (pun intended).
Adam is a writer and as I mentioned, a former dom who went blind rapidly and unexpectedly. He’s having a hard time adjusting to the situation and the caretakers his sister hires for him are being easily tuned out.
That changes when Paul is hired and uses a different approach in handling Adam, especially as he doesn’t let him bully him away.
When Paul decides that it has been long enough he steps up and with the help of his friends as the blurb says he manages to get Adam out of the depressive funk he seems to be in constantly.
The teasing aspects of this story are fun, the gentle probbing, the curiousity makes it sparkle and it’s very refreshing. Both men are more then hot together.
This story is a romantic tale about friendship, connecting and getting past issues and worries including the struggle it may take.
There is a little bit of drama/angst in there but it is how that gets resolved that your knees buckle, and it’s so adorable and so well fitted.
I also liked the peek into the bdsm world and this time from a different perspective through both Adam’s and Paul’s eyes.
And as usual when I read a K.c Wells book the urge to ask questions, like what is the deal with Eric and a certain beautiful eyed tattood hottie perhaps…….?
Wonderful story, well written and very entertaining
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
A great new addition to the Island tales series. Completely different then the other two and I really liked that.
I also liked the fact that what for me was missing in the second part I found back in this part with the mentions and the connection with the main characters from the other books.
They aren’t present in a way that the book wouldn’t work as a standalone as they just are mentioned as friends but to me it added a nice extra to the already wonderful story.
Paul is adorable. He is sweet, kind and innocent but in a not childish or inexperienced way. He’s just a wonderful guy. Adam is tough the “former” dom and there were times I wanted to whip his ass (pun intended).
Adam is a writer and as I mentioned, a former dom who went blind rapidly and unexpectedly. He’s having a hard time adjusting to the situation and the caretakers his sister hires for him are being easily tuned out.
That changes when Paul is hired and uses a different approach in handling Adam, especially as he doesn’t let him bully him away.
When Paul decides that it has been long enough he steps up and with the help of his friends as the blurb says he manages to get Adam out of the depressive funk he seems to be in constantly.
The teasing aspects of this story are fun, the gentle probbing, the curiousity makes it sparkle and it’s very refreshing. Both men are more then hot together.
This story is a romantic tale about friendship, connecting and getting past issues and worries including the struggle it may take.
There is a little bit of drama/angst in there but it is how that gets resolved that your knees buckle, and it’s so adorable and so well fitted.
I also liked the peek into the bdsm world and this time from a different perspective through both Adam’s and Paul’s eyes.
And as usual when I read a K.c Wells book the urge to ask questions, like what is the deal with Eric and a certain beautiful eyed tattood hottie perhaps…….?
Wonderful story, well written and very entertaining
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews