Counterpunch (Belonging, #2) in Riptide Publishing

Sep 04, 2011 Emanuela ~plastic duck~ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: rainbow-gay, favorites, post-apocalyptic-dystopian

I would love to write something clever about this story, but I can't, because I'm floored. I want to re-read it all over again.

I don't watch boxing, I think I got fed up when, due to the time zone, it was the only thing on TV during the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988, but I adored the documentary When We Were Kings, about Foreman and Ali's match in Zaire, and also Sylvester Stallone's Rocky. And how can I forget Cinderella Man or Raging Bull. I am afraid I don't understand a thing about the sport, I would love to write something clever about this story, but I can't, because I'm floored. I want to re-read it all over again.

I don't watch boxing, I think I got fed up when, due to the time zone, it was the only thing on TV during the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988, but I adored the documentary When We Were Kings, about Foreman and Ali's match in Zaire, and also Sylvester Stallone's Rocky. And how can I forget Cinderella Man or Raging Bull. I am afraid I don't understand a thing about the sport, but I find the stories behind it very fascinating.

This book read like a movie. I rarely read a book so fast and I think it was because of both the writing style, tight, with a wonderful rhythm, and the gripping story. In an alternate universe where slavery is legal, Brooklyn has been sold into slavery after being convicted for murder. He is owned by a company which dictates every aspect of his life. When he's not training or fighting, Brooklyn is rented out to women and men for their sexual entertainment. Brooklyn wasn't born into slavery, he was a cop, he had a family, but there was also a dark streak in him that he can recognize and it's hard for him to control. It's difficult for him to resign to his new life, to submit to violence and exploitation, but there's also in him a yearning for something more, for a dream. In his old life it was something as simple as doing his job, having a wife, kids, a house. In his new life it's to fight the next opponent, the next champion, the freemen's champion.

When he meets Nathaniel, Brooklyn finds a man who doesn't need to rape him to have a piece of him. Nathaniel gets slowly under Brooklyn's skin, with gentleness and trust. He removes Brooklyn's constraints and conquers him. Nathaniel is mysterious, but he is also kind and generous. He represents everything good Brooklyn can wish for, a considerate and equal lover, a drop of dangerous hope. I must confess that I didn't know what to wish for, because I was so afraid for Brooklyn that I didn't know if I wanted him to believe in Nathaniel's help, I just didn't want him to be disappointed once again. I liked that neither Nathaniel nor Brooklyn were black and white characters, but had heavy shades of gray. We root for Brooklyn because he is the underdog, not because he is a fallen angel: his dark side is never forgotten and it makes him real. Nathaniel is not the perfect knight in shining armour.

The fighting scenes made me feel like I was there, they were not too technical, but detailed enough to give us a glimpse of what was happening. As I said before, the writing is essential, it flows with Brooklyn's story and sometimes it takes us deeper into his mind and feelings, letting us literally see his intimate thoughts. I don't know why lately I am more fascinated by the sex scenes were the intercourse is more connection than consummation and here there's a wonderful example of an offered submission which is not acted upon. Wonderful.

There's not ONE negative thing I can say about this book. If you are worried about the non-con aspects of the story, they are hinted at, but they happen behind closed doors. The world building is incredibly interesting, Nathaniel's considerations about the slave economy gave a deeper layer to the setting and there are a few issues which come incredibly close to things we are seeing everyday on TV. It should be made into a movie. Highly recommended! ...more

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Sep 17, 2011 SueM rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, futuristic, cop-agent-military-pi, bdsm, abuse-assault-rape-torture, alternate-worlds-au, prisoner-slave, dub-con_non-con, betrayal

4.5 stars.
Those familiar with Voinov's darker style will immediately recognize his voice in this novel. Brooklyn, a former cop found guilty of killing a rioter, is sentenced to slavery for life. He no longer is married, he has no possessions beyond his clothes, and he must act on the whims of his owners. Mostly, those whims are based on boxing, and he is well on his way to champion status. But on occasion, those whims also demand him to provide sexual service to whomever he is sold to - male, fe ...more

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Sep 02, 2011 Adara rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is a completely different look at the Belonging universe than Anchored or Where He Belongs gives us. This story looks at things from the POV of a freeman who was sold into slavery after being made an example of and sentenced to life for the accidental death of a protestor while serving as a riot guard. In this story, Brooklyn, or Brooklyn Marshall when he is referred to by his freeman name, resents having his freedom taken away and being treated like a slave, being abused by guards, and bei This is a completely different look at the Belonging universe than Anchored or Where He Belongs gives us. This story looks at things from the POV of a freeman who was sold into slavery after being made an example of and sentenced to life for the accidental death of a protestor while serving as a riot guard. In this story, Brooklyn, or Brooklyn Marshall when he is referred to by his freeman name, resents having his freedom taken away and being treated like a slave, being abused by guards, and being sold for sex to the highest bidder. He also takes boxing from a hobby to pro heavyweight status to make money for his co-owner collective, known simply as the Management.

Brooklyn wants to fight the freeman heavyweight champion, Dragan Thorne, but the freemen don't have to fight against slaves, and most of them are so out of shape they couldn't take him on anyway. So he aspires for the slave heavyweight champion and calls out Thorne along the way. He catches the eye of the Management, and also of Nathaniel Bishop, who buys Brooklyn immediately after the fights, and forces pleasure on him instead taking it from him, confusing Brooklyn in the process. They reach an understanding of sorts while Brooklyn is training, slowly falling for each other, despite their circumstances and unequal status.

One of the things which captivated me so much about Anchored was the really strong emotions evoked by Daniel's slave circumstances. Brooklyn's are no less emotion-evoking. His thoughts throughout the story center around bringing freemen to their knees by forcing them to celebrate a slave boxer, his prowess and heart in the ring being the only thing they can't take away from him. But he might lose it anyway when he accidentally kills an opponent during a match. So, will that break Brooklyn's spirit and keep him from achieving his goal of beating Thorne, or will he be defeated by something more personal? By a reminder of what life was like when he was free? By Nathaniel?

One of the things that I tend to despise is when stories stop too quickly and don't follow through enough on the epilogue details. Even though I think this story stopped short of what I would usually prefer in the way of clean-up, I don't think that it was wrong to do so in this case. It was somewhat abrupt, but the way in which the details were presented made me feel that I wasn't cheated.

This is a fabulous addition to the Belonging universe with very different emotions due to very different circumstances. It's an awesome ride, just like Anchored was, but in a very different way.

So, I'm giving this 4.5 stars, rounded down until I determine re-readability. =) ...more

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Nov 17, 2011 Lady*M rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m-romance, alternate-universe, sports

People who know my reading habits know that I hate or, at least, strongly dislike slave fiction. Truthfully, if this book wasn't written, I would have never tasted the world of Belonging. The fact that I chose to read Counterpunch shows how much I trust this author and, after finishing the book, I can say that my trust was not misplaced.

Brooklyn is a magnificent character. I identified with his rage, with his hurts, his guilt and his pride in his skills. It is rare that I support almost every ch People who know my reading habits know that I hate or, at least, strongly dislike slave fiction. Truthfully, if this book wasn't written, I would have never tasted the world of Belonging. The fact that I chose to read Counterpunch shows how much I trust this author and, after finishing the book, I can say that my trust was not misplaced.

Brooklyn is a magnificent character. I identified with his rage, with his hurts, his guilt and his pride in his skills. It is rare that I support almost every character's decision, even those that might hurt them badly and that was the case here. He is never broken, even when he think he is. Simply magnificent! Brooklyn is larger than life and everything and everyone else pale compared to him.

The writing was great (how else can authors make their characters this captivating), but that was not a surprise for me, because I prefer Aleksandr's solo books. I don't know how to explain it really, but there is just something in his books that speaks to me, on some essential, even primitive level. And, Brooklyn is probably my favorite among his characters (though I have a soft spot for Kendras as well).

So, why four stars then? Mainly, it's the ending that lowered the rating. It was... too tidy? And, at the same time... too open? From the place of complete desperation and loss, Brooklyn's fate, suddenly, completely turns around. (view spoiler) That was the too tidy part. On the open side, I'm still not completely sold on the romance between him and Nathaniel. No matter how well Nathaniel treated him, Brooklyn was still the slave when their relationship started. And no matter how good his intentions were, there was too much deception and manipulation on his side for me to really embrace the romance. Can we have a sequel, please? (view spoiler) I would like to see the progression of their relationship and maybe more about some of the characters, like Cuban twins, Cash or Thorne. Another, very little niggle (because it really wasn't necessary for this story) was that I wanted to know more about Brooklyn's past (his family situation, which was clearly bleak, and as a cop).

Overall, this was a great book and I finished it in one sitting. More importantly, I will certainly reread it and that is always the biggest compliment I can give to an author. Highly recommended. ...more

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Dec 20, 2011 Shirley Frances rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mm-read, mm-series, read-2-review, reviewed, glbt, 2014

Shame on me for having the first edition of this book in my library and not reading it.

I know!!!

Well color me a fool who has seen the light. I loved it!

First, I have to admit that I am not usually a fan of alternate universe-themed book (main reason why I had not read my copy!), but if done correctly and with enough modern-day references I can get lost in the story easily. And that was the case with Counterpunch.

I admit I have a soft spot for most of Voinov's book. I love his writing style; t ...more

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Sep 24, 2011 Wendy❤Ann rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: sex-partner-mm, sex-bdsm-kink, 5stars, theme-violence, app-kindle, loanable, sex-dubcon-noncon, genre-alt-universe

Every bit as good as I expected and more! I expected dark, and gritty, and edgy to the point of making you wince or squirm in your seat. I definitely got all of those things, but also got more than expected in the way of intensity, a sense of realism, and tender emotions (vulnerability, calm, hope, love) vs. just rage and barely controlled tolerance. The characters were richly developed and believable whether you loved them or hated them. The pacing of the story was exceptional. Each chapter was ...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Sarah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book stays with u. Wow packs quite a punch

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Nov 22, 2011 Emma rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Solid 4.5
Won’t write much, since enough is written and written exquisitely well.

Aleks engaging us in gory clandestine fights that are staged for the amusement of bejeweled racy- trash and an affair so unreachable yet so decadently irresistible will always leave you wanting more.
The axis of the plot; how his honor, strength, and craving for his identity and his existence, rotated with his passion for the life he lost and wanted to regain is not the only page turner. Minute and terse but such vivi ...more

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Nov 22, 2011 Leanne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: hurt-comfort, gfy, mm, keeper-shelf, favorites, best-of-2011, made-me-cry, nice-n-angsty, restricted-freedom, wow

Too utterly wrung out by this story to write anything thoughtful or complex.

Counterpoint, like the previous two in the Belonging series, pushed all my buttons in the best possible way. Delicious tension between the two MC's, a terribly tortured hero in Brooklyn, a newly made slave with very few choices in his life other than to fight or die in the ring. Not a fan of boxing myself, I never felt bogged down by info dumping and lingo and the description of the fights themselves were gritty and simp ...more

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