Confession time.

 

The first Collars & Cuffs book I ever read was Dance with Submission, the fourth title in the series. I adored the book and determined to read the prequels as soon as possible. And then other new releases distracted me. I read Damian’s Discipline, Make Me Sour and recently Dom of Ages, and still I hadn’t gone back to read the first three books.

As I write this, the authors of these books are working on the last title in the Collars & Cuffs series and I’ve decided that I HAVE to have read all the earlier titles before I reach the end of this amazing story.

 

It is funny business going back to the first book in a series when you’ve already read later storylines. I know these men, probably better than I should, maybe even better than the authors did when they wrote An Unlocked Heart. Before I started reading I was afraid that might spoil this reading experience for me, but the opposite turned out to be true. The feelings I had while reading this book were those you get when a couple you’ve known for a while decides they know and trust you well enough to tell you all about how they ended up together. By the time they stop talking you feel even closer to them than you did before. And that’s exactly how I felt when I finished reading this book; two characters I’d already grown to love had crawled their way even deeper into my heart.

 

The blurb tells you all you need to know about the story so I’m going to limit myself to those details that really grabbed me.

 

Leo has been on his own, with no desire to connect with another man for two years when he sets eyes on Alex. In the hands of a lesser author this might have led to chapter after chapter of soul searching and Leo feeling guilty because he was ‘betraying’ his deceased lover. K.C. Wells gave Leo a different journey. After two years the edge has worn off his grief and while he may not know it yet, he is ready to reconnect and love again. His journey to the moment when he realises he’s found exactly who and what he needs in his life, is a thing of beauty.

 

Alex’s journey is equally breath-taking. This shy young man blossoms under the influence of Leo’s attention. Submitting to Leo doesn’t diminish Alex; it makes him stronger—grow into himself. It is a gradual, slow, almost imperceptible and yet undeniable process. Alex doesn’t do a 180. He is true to himself all the way throughout the story (and the series), he just becomes comfortable with who he is and watching him get there filled me with joy.

 

There is a reason I love K.C. Well’s books so much. She strikes exactly the right balance between angst and relief for me. The emotions her characters experience ring true and are recognisable even though these are gay men and I—clearly—am neither gay nor male.

 

Oh dear, I’m so caught up in all the feels this book gave me, I’m completely forgetting to mention how incredibly hot it is. Whether Leo and Alex engage in a BDSM scene or tender love making, they smoulder; especially because it’s always obvious it is about more than ‘just’ sex for both of them.

 

Without fail, K.C. Wells pulls me into her stories within a page or two and keeps me emerged until I’ve read the very last word. I want to live in the world she created. I want to meet these men and give them hugs. It is time to admit that I have, some time ago, fallen head over heels in love with the men who populate the Collars & Cuffs universe.

An Unlocked Heart - K.C. Wells,Nick J. R...
- Narrator Nick J. Russo

2,5 stars



I can be very short about this. There was a lot that I liked. I liked the narrator, the romance between Alex and Leo was sweet,
but after reading a few BDSM books, I must say it's not really my cuppa!!!

I can live with the submitting but the "boy" and "master" talking really turns me off... I just don't like it.

So basically I really loved the book until 50%. That's when the dom/sub relationship kicked in between Alex and Leo. And for me it went downhill from that point.
It's probably me but I just kept rolling my eyes..

The last scene in the group room when Alex and Leo had sex at the BDSM club...

He was conscious of wanting his audience to see Leo’s total mastery over him. Behind him, he heard Leo’s quickening breath as he watched the sight before him, and Alex made sure to moan, knowing how much Leo loved to hear him when they fucked.
“That’s it, boy.”

This book is what I needed, it has been a while since I read a book that captivated me like this.

This book is perfect the story of Leo and Alex is so touching and full of emotions, that make you fall in love deeply with them, their story and thrive in the words written that tell it so beautifully.

This book pulled me in from the first pages to the last one leaving me with a contented feeling and a state of joy and love.

I really loved this book, It was simply perfect from the characters to the story to the writing just amazingly perfect.

And K.C. Wells is now definitely one of my favourite authors, actually I screamed "I love you K.C. Wells, finally someone is a agreeing with me that that horrible trilogy of an exeuse of a book FSOG is an insult to Doms and Subs and the BDSM community as a whole" when I reached page 23 and Thomas and Leo was having a conversation about BDSM books, I also loved that she mentioned other authors and their BDSM novels in the book giving me advice as what to read next.

To me this book wasn't so much as BDSM relationship as it was a story of finding love and another chance in life and about two men who were somehow lost till they found each.

If someone want to read a book about BDSM relationship , a real one with meaning they should definitely pick this book.

re-read July 2014 A. During Between my Kate Sherwood marathon I was in need of a kinky guilty pleasure re-read. The sub hero in An Unlocked Heart appears like the male incarnation of your average Harlequin Presents heroine in all the best ways :D. This is still my favourite novel in the series which I stopped reading after the third instalmen.



What is it with gay romance authors, that most of them seem to have two initials instead of a normal first name? L.A. Witt, K.C. Wells, S.L. Armstrong, A.M. Riley ...? Not that I mind, but it seems kind of funny to me right now, like a secret code LOL.

Here's what I liked about the story: The toppy hero, Leo, is seriously hot with the right combination of subtle alpha (no bulldozer here), a well-developed take charge attitude and with a soft heart inside that he isn't ashamed to share with his lover and partner, Alex. I just about swooned during the scene where he asks Alex out on a date, it was beyond sexy and subtly, superbly shows the early developing of their D/s relationship (my absolute favourite part in the story!)

Alex is the proverbial virgin and new to everything except internet porn and masturbation. He's a cutie and insecure, but not in a stubborn way, he just needs some time to overcome his shyness and develop trust to speak about his desires, as is well portrayed as the story progresses.

Leo introduces Alex slowly to BDSM which makes the whole story all that hotter, and I am very, very, very happy that, although there's a Sex Club involved (and I am not the biggest fan of those), there's no gangbang in the story and a nice reassurance from the author that the two heroes will stay exclusive. (I just prefer the exclusive part, as I don't find the whole "being shared" thing too sexy.)

Now, to what I was missing in An Unlocked Heart: The story is set in Manchaster and written by a British author, but, to my ear, totally missing the British voice. Having lived several years in the UK myself, I am a sucker for the slang, and I also love it when I get the go and feeling for the place/city/town where the story is set in. So far Manchaster - which I have never been to - stays exchangable for me.

K.C. Wells makes several references in the book to well known gay BDSM authors, the novels offering Alex and Leo a way of talking about BDSM and sex scenes. I know, I am probably small-minded, but I just don't like those. It kind of pops my fiction bubble and my being all immersed in the romance. The first time I encountered this, it was with a Karen Marie Moning book, I was so unsettled that the book went from "keeper" straight to "is going to be sold" status. I tried to block it out this time, more or less successfully.

I often read reviews where people complain about the sappy ending, which I personally hugely prefer to a rashed conclusion. Leo and Alex are made for each other, but talking about marriage after a few months together seemed fast, even for me, especially since Alex is so young (only 22) and has little experience of ... about everything.
And talking about Alex. He is a college graduate with a degree in marketing, I think. Due to economics he jobs as a waiter and does so until the very end of the story. Being a waiter is a honest and good profession, but it worried me that he never made any plans of looking for a job closer to his field of study. It seemed very passive to me, as I can't imagine him being happy with it in the long run.


I think the last part was what bothered me the most with this story, but it's a good and solid book worth every dollar and definitely not my last K.C. Wells story. A strong B+

Edited to add: After a few really bad reads I reread my favourite scenes from the book, and wasn't it lovely. I am curious about the next installment in the series, it seems to be something where Leo's business partner Thomas is involved with.

3rd re-read May 22nd

If there is a thing like a fluffy BDSM book, this is it!



It was fluffy, it was cheesy, it was absolutely ridiculous, but I've read it 3 times now and I still really like it.... There is something about the big Dom with a heart of gold and the shy submissive who needs someone to take care of him that gets my heart racing.

Don't expect ANY credibility.



---------------------

Leo has lost his lover and sub 2 years ago in a car accident. He has been closed off to everyone and hasn’t let anyone in since then. All of that changes when his eye catches Alex, a waiter in the restaurant he frequently visits. Leo is immediately attracted to Alex and his shy manners. He sees a natural submissive in him.

Alex is very impressed with Leo, but also a bit terrified. When Leo asks him out he hesitantly accepts. He really likes Leo but is also a bit overwhelmed by his presence. The two start dating, but Leo has yet to tell Alex about the BDSM club he owns… and that he is a Dom. But of course Alex finds out anyway. He feels very hurt that Leo has this other life he has not told Alex about. But after a few weeks Alex understands he overreacted and decides to ask Leo to tell him more about the BDSM world. Alex get more intrigued by the minute and starts to picture himself as a submissive hoping to please his master…

I loved the fact that Leo was a sensitive Dom. He took his time to build a relationship with Alex before they became Dom and sub. But even when they were Master and submissive, they were still Leo and Alex. I really felt the love and not just the domination.