Book – Begging to Serve (The Hampton Road Club #5)
Author – Morticia Knight
Star rating - ★★★★★
No. of Pages – 144

Cover – Nice!
POV – 3rd person, dual POV (with POV's from Aaron, Ned and Saul, too)
Would I read it again – Yes!

Genre – LGBT, BDSM, Romance, 1920's


** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY PRIDE PUBLISHING, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine



Warnings: BDSM elements (spanking, obedience, club, pain play), brief mention of fisting (but not on page)


*sigh*

I really don't want to say too much, because I've only just stepped out of the bliss of reading it, so bear with me.

My favourite book of this entire series has always been book 1. It's that way with most series, because book 1 always makes the lasting impression and is the one that tells you if you want to read more or not. That was how it was here. Every book after that was the same 5 star material, while not quite knocking book 1 off that top spot.

This one did.

Forever and always (unless there are more to come? Michael and Javier? Please?) this will be my favourite book of the entire series.

As I predicted, George and Bruno got their 3rd part, though I'm sad that we didn't get to see it ourselves. I'd also have loved to have seen Francesco's story with Theo, since he's such a feisty character. Then again, I just want to read everyone's story. Even little Henry and maybe Irwin, who had both been so feisty too. I'd pretty much read any book in this series, no matter who it was for.

I'm not sure if it was something that made it better and more enjoyable or not, but we started off not knowing much about Colin, other than a brief background from the previous book, and knowing zero about Roddy, who we hadn't met until now. Apart from Aaron and Sam, all the previous couples had known each other for a while, before coming together.

Colin was his usual feisty, innocent and not-quite naive self that I loved in the previous book. He showed a little more spunk here, standing up for himself and following his instincts. I love that, although a submissive, he really held on to the need to save himself for his “right man”. Roddy, on the other hand, was someone a little lost, perky and fun-loving, positive and always looking for something he could never find. When they first saw each other, I swear I stopped breathing for a second.

I haven't grinned and giggled out loud like this since book 1. I also haven't cried so far and if this one had been any longer, at the end, I'd have been in floods!

~

Favourite Quotes

I highlighted so many quotes here that there isn't room for them all, so I'm just going to pick a few of my favourites.

“He let out a sigh. Soon. I'll be someone's good boy soon.”

“Oh, darling. Now that I've met you, I doubt my sausage will ever be cold again.”

“Being thrilled and excited was wonderful, but it wasn't the same as having the surety of knowing you had all you'd ever need right by your side.”

Review originally posted at Sinfully.

This fifth book in the series focuses on 18 year old Colin, who we briefly met in the previous book when Master Ned rescued him from the bathhouse he was working in and brought him to the Hampton Road Club. Although characters return from earlier stories, you could read this one as a standalone. If you haven’t read any other books in the series, they are generally sweet romances, with a healthy dose of kink, between young, innocent subs and older Doms. Set in the 1920’s when homosexuality was a crime in the US, the men of the Club have to remain especially discreet about many things we take for granted today

Colin’s having a bit of trouble finding a good fit at Hampton Road as far as both a job and finding a Master. His compulsion to organize more often than not results in him not following instructions and getting yelled at and as far as finding a Master, Colin has turned away anyone who has approached him in the three months he’s been there. He is obviously interested in being a submissive and exploring kinks as he hasn’t tried to hide his eager appreciation for all the live shows in the club, but he is holding out for Mr. Right.

Master Saul has become a father figure to Colin, who has no remaining family of his own, and is intent on finding him both suitable work and a Dom who will meet his needs. The big problem is that Colin is hoping for a Dom close to his own age and nobody at the Club fits that need. He sends Masters Ned and Aaron on a mission to hunt down some younger potential doms when Roddy literally runs into them while trying to escape a beating from the man he had gotten a bit rough with during a hook up in an alley. They return to Hampton Road with a bruised Roddy and Colin is instantly attracted and compelled to take care of Roddy.

Colin is an interesting character who has two distinct side to his personality. Living with and taking care of his grandmother until her death, he is very innocent in some aspects of life and is still a virgin even after having been living at the club for three months. He is certain that he wants someone to serve and take care of and he is interested in exploring his kinks, but he is treated as a child by some of the Masters there, especially Master Saul (Colin resents that to some extent but would do anything to please the man who has been so good to him). Although his submissive side is strong, Colin shows he is not a doormat or a child. I liked seeing the stronger aspects of his personality come out as he immediately stakes claim to Roddy when he arrives at the club and stands up for and asserts himself to the Masters.

With Roddy being a young (22) inexperienced Dom, I was excited for something different than what the series had offered so far. It turns out that Roddy is just as sweet as Colin, even when he is in “Master mode”. Like Colin, Roddy is immediately protective and possessive. He seems to know just what Colin needs to calm him and he understands his compulsions. He is also obviously thrilled that Colin is willing to give his submission to him so fully, something Roddy doesn’t really understand at first.

The sex in this story was definitely hot, but a bit lighter on the kink than in prior books. Colin has never had a physical relationship before and I did like the way Roddy was able to be both caring and aggressive, meeting all of Colin’s needs.

Although I liked both the characters, the story felt rushed and left me a little disappointed. I expect relationships to move rather quickly in this series and Colin and Roddy’s moved very fast. There is a time jump from them knowing each other for a few days to weeks later when they are living together, and then they are separated for another significant period of time. For me, this pacing took away from seeing them settle into the relationship on both the D/s and vanilla side. I never got a real feeling for Roddy’s growth into a “Master” and I was hoping to see Colin explore a few more kinks after being told how eager an audience member he was for all the live demos at the club.

I enjoyed seeing Colin get his man and again found the 1920’s setting adds quite a bit to the story. While I personally wanted to see a bit more, I think those who like sweet love stories with just a bit of kink will enjoy this newest entry into the series. Rumor has it that the story fans of the series have been asking for – Francesco and Theodore – will be the next one up. I know I’ll be eagerly awaiting it.

Begging for It (Asking for It #2) by Lilah Pace

Jonah and Vivienne’s erotic bond—living out raw scenarios of captivity and force—began as no-strings sex between strangers who shared the same desires. Now the intimacy between them is turning into love, but it’s a love built on fantasies so extreme that exploring them makes guilt inescapable. But the risks they're taking are far more dangerous than they'd imagined.
A stalker is terrorizing the city, and one of Jonah’s ex-lovers names him as a potential suspect to the police. Standing by a man under suspicion could cost Vivienne everything. But when Jonah’s stepfather takes advantage of the scandal to seize control of the Marks family fortune, Vivienne is drawn into her lover’s broken family and twisted past. Only then will she learn how dark the truth really is..

Review:
I started off as a larger fan of the first book because at least there was a form of normalcy but to me the second book committed suicide. This took fantasy strapped it to a bulldozer and rammed it into a wall until all you're left with is the rubble of what was once a fairly nice establishment.
I mean I finished Asking for It in a couple hours while Begging for it took me over a month to finish because I spent so much time just being sick to my stomach.
I used to genuinely like Viv - granted she had her issues but she wasn't the person she has become in this installment and while we are on the topic of issues I seriously think her therapist needs to be fired from her job. Effective immediately. Like what the fuck?
I have to give the author credit for nearly making me nearly hurl on my couch before I had to heave in my bathroom for twenty minutes because not many people have the ability to evoke strong emotion in a reader so cheers to that however that wasn't the feeling I was hoping to return to when I opened up this book.
I know so many people are going gung ho on Viv and her fantasy play but when did she become this horrible selfish self centered childish emotionless manipulative monster lashing out to get what she wants and to get her way?
I really liked Viv in the first book, she was a person you could feel for, relate to and as a person really like only now shes careened off a cliff into crazyville. Who is this person?
I didn't care for this book at all. I didn't appreciate the hate mongering toward a man that only wanted to make her happy and practically give up his soul to fulfill her every whim.
I didn't like the relationship dynamic, I didn't like the reasoning or frankly any of it. And stalker? Seriously? This story didn't need more added to it. Horrible.

Review:
1 Star


Reviewed By: Krissy's Bookshelf Reviews
http://kkmalott.booklikes.com/


Note: I received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review from Berkley

Some secrets should only be shared in the dark.

Jonah and Vivienne’s erotic bond—living out raw scenarios of captivity and force—began as no-strings sex between strangers who shared the same desires. Now the intimacy between them is turning into love, but it’s a love built on fantasies so extreme that exploring them makes guilt inescapable. But the risks they’re taking are far more dangerous than they’d imagined.

A stalker is terrorizing the city, and one of Jonah’s ex-lovers names him as a potential suspect to the police. Standing by a man under suspicion could cost Vivienne everything. But when Jonah’s stepfather takes advantage of the scandal to seize control of the Marks family fortune, Vivienne is drawn into her lover’s broken family and twisted past. Only then will she learn how dark the truth really is…

 

 

 

 

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