This is book #3 in the Four Kings Security series.  This book can be read as a standalone novel.  For reader understanding, and to avoid spoilers, I recommend reading this sexy series in order.

 

Eduardo AKA “Lucky” has been hot for Mason for a long time.  When he finally gets the chance to test the attraction out, he is shocked to find the man he wants so badly has similar fears in the commitment area.  Will there pasts doom hem from the start?

 

Mason has run into a problem at work.  He will have some time to consider his future.  While he is waiting, spending some time with a man he finds so potent could either be a good, or bad idea.

 

This series is on fire!  I love each character.  Cool how they are all in these stories like we are watching a TV show.  This story is full of heat, heart, and humor.  Typical of such a great author, it moves along well and keeps you wanting more.  The sexy times are seriously sexy with sparks all over!  I give this a 4/5 Kitty's Paws UP!

Humans are social animals descended from a long line of hunter gathers who lived in small social groupings of extended families (i.e. tribes). We are programmed to care about what other people think of us. Rugged individualism is probably an imaginary facade in most cases. This book explores ways in which peer pressure can be adjusted to create positive behavioral changes.

The book provides examples of how efforts to motivate people with information or by using fear simply don’t work and sometimes have the opposite of the intended effect. Advertisers have known for many years one way to sell a product is to associate it with the “in crowd.”

We’ve heard about how peer pressure can cause people to behave badly (or stupidly). This book suggests that it can also cause good behavior and then proceeds to provide examples related to controlling AIDS, quitting smoking, improving grades, fighting terrorism, overthrowing oppressive governments, and improving infant mortality. This book refers to it as the "social cure."

This book has convinced me that the social cure is real. The problem is that it's difficult to create the required peer group to exert the required social pressure to cause the desired behavior.

Some quotes that caught my eye:

Quoting from “The Nurture Assumption” by Judith Rich Harris:

“She argued that once parents have passed along the genes, they have very little influence over their children--except to choose their child’s peer group.”

Referencing a study published in JAMA:

“Among children aged three to six, more knew Joe Camel than they did Mickey Mouse.” (prior to 1997 when Joe Camel ads ceased)

Other miscellaneous quotes:

“... joining a group that meets once a month will increase your happiness as much as doubling your income.”

“The short answer to the question of what makes people happy is this: other people.”

Referencing the results of study of body weight issues:

“...weight is socially contagious. If your friends are overweight, your are also likely to be overweight, even controlling for other factors. The contagion also works in the other direction; people with thin friends are more likely to be thin. Oddly, the connection also skipped a link--in the study, participants were significantly more likely to gain weight if a friend of a friend did, even if the friend who connected them gained no weight at all.”

hysterical laughter!

I thought the title seemed a bit overreaching when I first read about this book, but I was hopeful. Wouldn’t it be lovely to discover that something as simple as peer pressure could actually transform the world?Of course, as I had anticipated, the title was too good to be true. Rosenberg offers up story after story of ways that peer pressure is working to improve the world. Reducing rates of smoking. Cutting AIDS levels. Improving calculus scores in African-American men. Improving rates of infant mortality. All happy stories.A good book, yes. A cure-all? No.I suppose by now I should approach any book that offers quick fixes with skepticism instead of starry-eyed eagerness. As should we all. Still one can always dream….

Marie Sharp is turning sixty. Turning sixty, for Marie, is a relief. She can drop all pretense; no more attempts to learn Italian, no more hikes into remote regions of the world, and no more silly bookclubs. I like the character of Marie. She offers inspiration for us all. Why not start at fifty-one?