Strain (Strain, #2) in Riptide Publishing

Feb 28, 2014 Monique rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbt, all-time-favourites, favourite-series

One of my favourite sub genres within M/M Romance is Post Apocalyptic novels, I love the raw grittiness of them, where life is stripped down to baser instincts and the most intrinsic and essential need to just survive becomes paramount, mix that with some D/s power exchange and BDSM elements, throw in a slow burning, intense and extremely erotic relationship between two MC’s and I’m ecstatic. Especially, when the author does it all to perfection and Amelia Gormley did just that, she captured my
One of my favourite sub genres within M/M Romance is Post Apocalyptic novels, I love the raw grittiness of them, where life is stripped down to baser instincts and the most intrinsic and essential need to just survive becomes paramount, mix that with some D/s power exchange and BDSM elements, throw in a slow burning, intense and extremely erotic relationship between two MC’s and I’m ecstatic. Especially, when the author does it all to perfection and Amelia Gormley did just that, she captured my attention and sated my imagination and need for dark and depraved reads which hit all my kink buttons. From the very first page I was captivated and my heart held hostage by both Darius and Rhys… I loved them! It’s a remarkable story and the plot development and world building is such that you are there, you can see it all with your own eyes and you can feel the desolation of humanity… when clinging onto any tiny sliver of hope becomes all consuming, and that is exactly what this book was to me, ALL CONSUMING for the duration. I just couldn’t put it down! I want MORE, really I do, and I will get to that at the end because I can see some serious stalking taking place until Ms Gormley concedes and writes a book 2!!

So if you read the blurb, you may think this is going to be some kind of fuck fest and in essence I suppose it is, because it’s a do or die situation. There are also elements of non con and dub con in this book along with a little knife/blood play which isn’t to everyone’s taste, but of course my depraved mind just soaks it all up. Having said that, there is so much more to this book, it’s about the emotional and psychological impact on our two MC’s of Rhys’s possible death and their fight for his life, with the uncertainty of it all creating a bond between them, giving that glimmer of hope for the future. But Rhys’s survival touched more than just Darius, because now all the Jugs were invested in ensuring Rhys contracts the virus needed for immunity.

It was agonising to watch Rhys, inside he was just a child that wants love and affection, a boy that still needed to grieve for his lost family, he is sweet and idealistic with a innocence that should have been nurtured. I had a constant knot and ache in my chest for his desperate loneliness. Now he has to fight for his life with sex, a lot of sex, as in several times a day sex, with a parade of soldiers… the humiliation and degradation of it making him shut down emotionally… because Darius was the only man he wanted, with Darius Rhys comes alive inside whilst the others leave him feeling numb.

Darius is a leader, stoic, guarded and tough with comfort and compassion unfamiliar to him, hardened as he is by the harsh and stark realities of their existence. But Rhys ignites something within Darius he finds hard to control, the Alpha strain the Jugs were infected with, kicks in his dominate side, causing overwhelming jealousy and a need to protect… Conflicted and fearful of his sexual desires that seem to have become more deviant in nature because of Rhys’s responsiveness and need to be controlled, he withdraws. Which of course causes all kinds of conflicting emotions in Rhys, struggling with his conscience because of his own desires and zero life experiences with which to draw from except for a zealot priest with a god complex and his son who both physically and mentally abused him.

This is a very emotional journey for both men, who seem to have found a connection, a trust and understanding in a world where they are surrounded by devastation and death, where every moment is precious, they at last have something other than surviving the next day to hope for.

Strain ends on a HFN, but as I said earlier, I wanted more… I wanted to see their intimacy and passion grow, I wanted more from Darius, to see into his heart and watch him totally let himself go and just love… and I wanted to see how Rhys would fit into life at the Fort… because there are a whole host of great secondary characters in this book that I also want more from! I went through hell and back with these two men, I fought revs and unfriendlys with them, I sweat blood and tears and also walked every god damn mile with them. I was filled with nervous anxiety and apprehension and just when I felt the calm, it was over… GUTTED!!! This book is a five star read, without a doubt, It’s excellent and if I knew there was a book 2 on the horizon then it would be up there on my fav shelf… but that little niggle of wanting more, actually forget that, I NEED MORE, is what’s holding it back from the five stars it so deserves. So Amelia, I may become a woman possessed until I get what I need!

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Feb 21, 2014 G.B. Gordon added it

It's 2am, because I couldn't put it down. 'nuff said until my brain is functional again.

Right, here with slightly more brain (pardon the pun):
A dark, gritty, post-apocalyptic dystopia? The blurb sounded right up my alley. And, holy kink, batman, was I ever right.

I had to get over the initial set-up of the premise, which was a tad too glib to not reveal the set pieces being moved just so, to conveniently force the actor down one particular corridor. I didn't mind the set pieces as much as being a ...more

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May 17, 2014 Cassandra rated it it was amazing

Shelves: e-romance

I was very impressed with this book. There were a few themes, within the story, that I usually am not very comfortable with, but it didn't take away from the plot of the story. This was a very enjoyable read and it made you feel for most of the characters. ...more

1 like · Like · see review