Wins and Losses (The Flesh Cartel #5) in Riptide Publishing

Aug 18, 2013 Debra ~~ seriously slacking on her reviews ~~ rated it really liked it

Shelves: part-of-series-or-serial, m-m, short-or-novella, dark-and-disturbing

Oh Nikolai, you crazy bastard, I just want to punch you in the face every time you open your mouth. The mind games keep going in this episode as Nikolai continue his quest to sever the brothers' loyalties to each other.

Poor Dougie, just barely keeping hold of himself. As much as he knows what is happening to him, the constant abuse and mind games are wearing him down. Nikolai keeps watering those seeds of doubt as to how Mat would feel about Dougie's actions. Nikolai tells Dougie that he was onc ...more

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Nov 08, 2012 BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme rated it liked it

Shelves: slavery, m-m, sadistic, lcf, bdsm, taboo

Another winner! This is a 3.5 star book. The mind-fucking is heating up as sadistic Nikolai tortures both Dougie and Mat mentally. Nikolai is quite gentle in this installment. He doesn't beat either one of them, but he does force them to unwillingly submit to his conditioning. I love how Nikolai messes with the two brothers.

Mat is learning how to keep fighting even though he needs to be broken. The way Nikolai forces them is pretty hawt. His lessons are interesting because if Mat was just a litt ...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Lilli *slowest reader ever* rated it really liked it

Shelves: m-m, contemporary, slavery, dark-and-devastating, nothing-romantic-at-all, scary-shit, violent-and-disturbing, abuse, kill-them-all, mindfuck

4,5 stars.

Well, hello Stockholm Syndrome.

In this instalment Nicolai cranks up his mindfucking a notch or ten. And it’s rather uncomfortable, if I might say so. In many stories that involve slave scenarios the reader usually doesn’t get to see much of how Stockholm Syndrome actually evolves. If you want to find out how it could work, read this episode.

Although it seems on first sight as if Nicolai is well on his way to accomplish his mission with the brothers, the lines really are blurring now, ...more

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Feb 01, 2013 Leigh rated it really liked it

4.5 Stars!!

Review can also be found at Under the Covers Book Blog

In this 5th installment of THE FLESH CARTEL: WINS & LOSSES, the egotistical, maniacal, wicked sadist and mind-fuck extraordinaire, Nikolai, continues his torture of Dougie and Mat and really begins to work hard to divide the brothers. No, they still have not seen each other and only know the other to also be in Nikolai’s not-so-little house of torture because Nikolai has told them so. He knows that both Dougie and Mat – and Mat esp 4.5 Stars!!

Review can also be found at Under the Covers Book Blog

In this 5th installment of THE FLESH CARTEL: WINS & LOSSES, the egotistical, maniacal, wicked sadist and mind-fuck extraordinaire, Nikolai, continues his torture of Dougie and Mat and really begins to work hard to divide the brothers. No, they still have not seen each other and only know the other to also be in Nikolai’s not-so-little house of torture because Nikolai has told them so. He knows that both Dougie and Mat – and Mat especially – continue to behave in ways because each puts the other at the forefront of his thoughts and actions.

Nikolai is sooooo damn good at what he does, torturing my beloved Mat and Dougie, both in very different ways. And he continues to make great strides in molding them to be exactly how he wants them. It’s not perfect yet, but he is getting there, and God, how I love to hate this man for the success that he is.

Dougie, although a straight man, has begun to begrudgingly enjoy the pleasures of the flesh that Nicolai has given him. And while he feels like Mat would think him a coward for his feelings and his reactions to Nikolai, it is hard to stop himself. His mind is breaking down in other ways as well: in some instances, he sees affection from Nikolai and begins to wonder if Nikolai is expressing love; in other instances, he is seeking it out. Similarly, Mat tries to continue to be strong and full of pride for both himself and Dougie, but admittedly, he knows that Nikolai has broken him in both mind and spirit as well.

Mat has a lot of introspection in this book. At Nikolai’s urging, he sits down and writes a list of all the joys for which he lives. Also, as part of Nikolai’s plan to strengthen him back up to being “fighting fit,” Mat receives from him exercise equipment to help him get back in shape.

As in prior episodes, Nikolai keeps reminding the brothers of their choices…that they have a choice in everything that happens, except that supposed freedom of choice is wrapped in layer upon layer of electrified barbed wire fencing so that there really is no choice at all. Especially when the consequences of those choices is the equivalent of being thrown upon that electrified barbed wire fencing while soaking wet.

A couple of interesting insights to Nikolai’s way of thinking come through in this episode. As Mat notes, when he calls him a derogatory name, Nikolai reacts in a way that shows a “chink in his armor.” I find it interesting as well that Nikolai is a hypocrite of infinite proportions. He blasts Mat for noting that “winning” is a joy of his, when in fact, Nikolai lives to win. And in order to do so, he has to torture his slaves to achieve his goals. But hypocrisy, sadist-loving asshole aside, he does his job, and he does it well.

Like the last episode, WINS & LOSSES truly further demonstrates Nikolai’s A-game in a mind-fuck of epic proportions. His torturous methods provide him the results he wants, and just his words (and lies) alone are the impetus in helping to divide the brothers as he needs them to be. Once again, Belleau and Haimowitz knock this episode out of the park while further developing a profound psychosexual thriller that this series truly is.

*Review copy provided by publisher ...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Evaine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: e-books, m-m, psycho-sexual-thriller

The Flesh Cartel #5 - Wins and Losses This installment of The Flesh Cartel packs as heavy an emotional punch as the first of the series did for me. Just when you think there might be a bit of a let up in what Mat and Dougie are forced to experience and endure, WHAM, Heidi and Rachel gut-punch you. This is some seriously well-written stuff, my friends. I had thought the brothers' world small and shrunken before, but in this volume, it shrinks and tightens around them even more. The hurt, the pain ...more

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Nov 28, 2013 Wendy❤Ann rated it really liked it

Shelves: sex-partner-mm, series, app-stanza, sex-dubcon-noncon

I can’t seem to find the time to read this entire series all at once, so it’s killing me that the torture and head games will seem to stretch out even more than they already do. This one wasn’t quite as bad (relatively speaking) as the others so far, but I’m anticipating it’s really just the lull before the storm (an illusion). We’ll see…

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Dec 11, 2012 Marie33 rated it really liked it

Wins and losses indeed. Mat and Dougie are still suffering at Nickolais hands. This part was more about Dougies "transformation" than Mats.

As with all the others it was brilliantly written and horrifyingly descriptive. A book you don't want to read but wouldn't be able to put down to save your life. ...more

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