Never Say Goodbye

Slippery When Wet #3

by Jenna Byrnes

Damien Hall has never done an honest day's work in his life. On his own from a young age, his street wiles got him by until he ended up in Corcoran State Prison for theft. Five years later, he's moved in with a man who only wants him for one thing, nightly hot sex. But he's off the streets, and Damien thinks the trade-off is worth it.

Travis Slater wrangles horses for a living, and wants to wrangle Damien in his off hours. He sees potential in the man who suffers from extremely low self esteem, and quickly falls in love with him. He hopes to take Damien and leave, knowing they can make their own way in the world.

Damien isn't so sure, and is terrified at the thought of being homeless again. When his employer admits the real reason Damien was hired, it's decision time. Do what's easy or do what's right? Only Damien can decide.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Erotica, Contemporary, Gay, Fiction

55 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2009

About the author

Jenna Byrnes could use more cabinet space and more hours in a day. She’d fill the kitchen with gadgets her husband purchases off TV and let him cook for her to his heart’s content. She’d breeze through the days adding hours of sleep, and more time for writing the hot, erotic romance she loves to read.

Jenna thinks everyone deserves a happy ending, and loves to provide as many of those as possible to her gay, lesbian and hetero characters. Her favorite quote, from a pro-gay billboard, is “Be careful who you hate. It may be someone you love.”

For the latest news, visit Jenna’s website at http://www.jennabyrnes.com/

Reviews

[Nichole (DirrtyH) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damien is recently out of prison for some issues with sticky fingers. A super rich guy he knew before prison, Charles, has offered to let him stay at his house and be his pool boy. Except he doesn't have to do any pool work; he's really there to warm Charles' bed. It's a decent arrangement all around.
But when Charles goes to San Diego for two weeks and Damien is left behind to get to know the new stable boy, everything changes.

I really enjoyed this story, even though the ending bordered on over-the-top/ridiculous. There was a pretty hot sex scene in the stables with some decent dirty talk. ;)

[Vero · Rating 1 out of 5]

I disliked the uninspired story telling. No real story, bad case of insta-love and a cliched sob story to explain, that the MC was a prostitute and criminal, but through the insta-love and the hotness of the new guy he comes to see the light... there was really nothing at all for me in that novella/short story.

[Elisa Rolle]

Reading this book I realize that this is a co-authored series by Jenna Byrnes and Jude Mason about 4 young men just out of Corcoran State Prison and probably the man they helped inside there. This is the time of Damien, an ex-hustler and thief who went inside for small theft. He is out on parole and the only job he found was as pool-boy for a former customer. It's quite obvious that his job is not to clean the pool, and if we had some doubts, they are soon cleared from the first scene, where Damien is having sex with Charles. That scene made me wonder if I hadn't misunderstand the story, since actually Charles doesn't come out like a bad character and Damien seems to not have an hard life with his new job.

But then Charles goes out of the scene, on a business trip, and Damien is left alone with the new stable man, Travis. Travis is handsome and sincere, and after the first not so good encounter with Damien, he actually comes out like a nice and very next door good boy type of man. At first Damien is reticent to have an affair with Travis, even if more or less a business agreement, he has a relationship with Charles and he doesn't want to betray their contract. But then something happens and Damien changes his mind. Here probably is the most interesting aspect of the novella, the proof that Damien is really young and with a very unsteady upbringing; it's true that Charles didn't tell everything to Damien, but Damien needs very little to surrender to temptation with Travis. On the other hand, it's quite clear that Charles is not a good man and instead Travis is exactly the good boy that Damien needs to redeem himself. So, is Damien a positive character? I believe not. Is he a character with possibility? Probably yes.

For sure the author manages to write a novella that is basically a nice erotic piece but that has also a basic plot, not so expected. The fact that Damien is not the usual mistreated and misunderstood teenager that, even if he went through hell, managed to remain a "fallen" angel; basically Damien is more a demon with possibility to arise to an upper level.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1606595334/?...

[Ro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably more of a 2.5. An ex-con, Damien, is the "pool boy" for Charles, a euphemism for personal rentboy. Travis is the new wrangler in the stable. They start off on the wrong foot, but Travis falls in love fast. Charles is not what he seems, and is cheating on their "relationship". The ending is a bit simplistic for all the threats and possibilities.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok m/m romance about an ex-con who's been hired as a live-in lover by a wealthy and unscrupulous man. Had the insta-love thing, which is never a favorite of mine.

[Rhi1981 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, enjoyable read. While many people commented on the implausibility of the ending, it didn't bother me because I just enjoyed it. A nice escape from real life.

[Antonella · Rating 1 out of 5]

See review by Tami

[Tara Mcmillan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doesn't completely tie with the last two books and I would've liked to see the confrontation with the cops. Other than that, it was a sweet, heartwarming story.

[qx · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5