If It Drives (Market Garden, #7) in Riptide Publishing

Feb 06, 2014 BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley-reviews, m-m, oblreview, bdsm, d-s

Sexy bosses abusing their authority with their subordinate is alluring. In If it Drives, there is no power struggle or abuse. Instead it's a seduction by the subordinate. James's life is in turmoil. He's stressed. His wife divorced him. The rent boy he enjoys on occasion no longer works at Market Garden, the speciality m/m brothel. A bit lost, he doesn't notice Cal, his driver's crush. Cal's been working for James for a while now. Cal develops feelings for James and isn't sure how to act upon it Sexy bosses abusing their authority with their subordinate is alluring. In If it Drives, there is no power struggle or abuse. Instead it's a seduction by the subordinate. James's life is in turmoil. He's stressed. His wife divorced him. The rent boy he enjoys on occasion no longer works at Market Garden, the speciality m/m brothel. A bit lost, he doesn't notice Cal, his driver's crush. Cal's been working for James for a while now. Cal develops feelings for James and isn't sure how to act upon it. When he finally gives in to his urge, it doesn't turn out as he expected.

Duos Witt and Voinov do it again. In this novel, they bring a fresh perspective to why someone would go to a brothel. They also show it from the perspective of someone who is in love with the person frequenting the brothel yet not able to act upon his desires. The character development for this series is becoming better and better. With each character receiving their own story, a reader becomes more addicted to this series.

The reader will grow to feel something for both Cal and James. Their situation isn't ideal. How will they make it work? This is the beauty of team Witt and Voinov. Their conflicts are realistic and heart aching. Cal yearns to do so much for James. He wants to be "the one". James is not used to someone meeting his desires and keeps people at arm's length. One of the saddest commentaries about James is why he pays for sex. When James' reason is revealed, it is a sharp stab into Cal's heart. I gasped in sympathy when Cal's heart breaks.

The relationship building between these two characters is so good to watch. It's not perfect. They move forward a step and then back several. The ups and downs make the story more relatable. It injects more emotion which in turn causes the reader to become more invested in a happily ever after outcome. There is more to just these two men getting off. A favourite character in this series makes a guest appearance to help these two men. Nick, the rent boy who is a dominant is here to help Cal learn the basics in a power exchange.
�One of my favourite lines from Nick also makes me shiver with arousal. It also makes me appreciate how well both authors understand the kinky lifestyle.

“I’m a sexual sadist. That’s my reputation at Market Garden, and it’s who I am. The only difference between me and somebody who goes around hurting and maiming people to blow their rocks is that I understand consent and make sure I have it. And I don’t actually deal real damage.” He leaned back. “It can be unsettling, especially when you’ve been indoctrinated about what’s acceptable in bed, but all that is a cultural construct anyway. (loc. 1414-1417)

The BDSM in this story is intoxicating. There are little to no toys involved in the BDSM scenes. It's a lovely view of a baby dom being mentored by an experienced dominant. The authors capture Cal's nervousness and expose his elation as he goes through his first scene. This erotic power exchange is smoking hawt and yet sweet.

This m/m romance is recommended to kinky readers who like their happily ever afters.

*provided by NetGalley ...more

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May 05, 2017 Molli B. rated it really liked it

Shelves: genre-romance, part-of-a-series, length-novel, genre-m-m, format-epub, 2017-shelved, 2017-read

I'm reading this way out of order, so I read this before the other Nick and Spencer stories, but it worked fine as a standalone. Sexy, like the others, and I thought the way Cal approached and learned about James's likes was interesting and well done.

This series is pretty fluffy, but the writing is good and the characters are fun and I've enjoyed all of the pieces I've read. ...more

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Feb 03, 2014 Bucletina rated it really liked it

Ser testigos de un momento, del fragmento de una historia, de aquel pedazo de vida de dos personajes cuyos autores quisieron compartir con nosotros. Es una instancia, sólo eso. No necesita estructuras fijas, prearmadas y predeterminadas. Ni ingredientes forzados y pesados. Y en ese camino nos deja un intenso momento, un regalo. Y Cal es...profundo, interesante, diferente gracias a la mano de su creador, pura y exclusivamente. Qué bien que hacen estas cosas, eh? Gracias a sus autores. Me siento u ...more

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Jan 07, 2014 Jen rated it really liked it

Shelves: m-m, gallahger-witt, voinov

James and Cal

Interesting. Another emotional one in the Market Garden series. Full review to come on Fiction Vixen Book Reviews ...more

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Dec 25, 2013 Adara rated it really liked it

So I thought this might be another story about Rolex, but I wasn't certain. It's not though. If you're wondering about the red tie on the cover, it's because the rentboys refer to him as Red Tie. The driver, Callum, thinks his boss, James, might be self-medicating with the rentboys he sees. He'd much rather be the one his boss needs. But Cal is fairly certain those needs are special and seeks help from one of James's ex-rentboys, Nick, who is known for being a sexual sadist.

This story is told fr ...more

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