Wow. This was superb, with realistic characters that were fully fleshed out, and a profound message that permeated the book from pretty much start to finish.

“Because life is not a fairy tale” is the Brothers Grime slogan. Yes, this novel delivers a romance and a story that is as close to a fairy tale as possible, while still firmly planted in realistic settings.  

Eddie Vasquez, uncle, brother, son, has been hiding this dyslexia for nearly all his life. He knows his limitations, works around them with what technology offers, but hates the fact that he struggles to read. Oh, and he's also head over heels in lust, possibly love, with his niece Lucy's teacher, B. Andrew Daley.

I knew I was in for a treat when the book started out with Eddie preening in front of the mirror to make sure he looks his very best when dropping off Lucy at school, because Mr. Daley (he who hands out Teacher's Pet pencils to his favorite pupils) might be there.

Gosh, this could have been so good.

Alas, it suffered from plot line overload, tried to do too much within the number of pages and needed a serious editor/proofreader to fix the numerous issues I had with this novella.

First off, the POV switches - that didn't work for me. I found it difficult to follow the mindset of Michael's first person POV to Blake's third person POV. An omniscient narrator would have been better for this to give this book a bit more coherency. 

Secondly, the characterizations for both Michael and Blake were uneven and choppy, with some whiplash-inducing changes that didn't always make sense. And while the abuse and PTSD from his childhood would account for Blake's personality switches, there's nothing in Michael's past, other than his heartbreak, that would explain why he is trying to dominate Blake and force him into submission. Hence the dub-con tag on this - I couldn't help but feel that Michael was in a position of power over Blake from the start and that any intimacy that happened between them wasn't fully consensual, especially not in the beginning. 

Short story that was quite well done and didn't need to be any longer to work. I didn't like the portrayal of David, the Dom - he seemed a little hesistant - but that might be bc of how they meet and considering it's their first scene. 

This book needs a proofreader as some words were missing and some punctuation wasn't in the right spots or not applied where it should have been. I also have to wonder about David being listed as Alan in the blurb - was this a last minute name change? If so, someone needs to update the blurb. 

For 30 pages on my Nook, there was a good amount of characterization, some insights into Benjamin's thoughts, and a nicely done sex scene. I anticipated the ending to some extent, with David not being as gullible as Benjamin thought. I liked the last couple of pages quite a bit, and smiled when closing the file. I think David will have his hands full with his new sub. 

It's certainly not a romance in the traditional sense. I did like the sensible portrayal and explanations of BDSM, though I questioned the sanity of Benjamin going home with David in David's car, and no means of his own transportation. I suppose a lot of one-night stands happen that way, without any thought to safety, and I guess it's perhaps different when  you're a guy. 

Anyway...not a bad short. Nice enough to make me want to read more by this author. 

I received a free ARC from the publisher. A positive review was not promised in return. 

This book pushed all my buttons and made me cry a lot. Partly, I cried in helpless rage when Peter's story comes out bit by bit, and partly in sheer joy from watching this beautifully broken young man flourish under Thomas' capable hands.

So, you had best have tissues at the ready.