As the landlord of The Dragon’s Lair and leader of The Black Dragons Motorcycle Club, Axel Carmichael has seen it all and done it all. He’s a respected and experienced dom. Nothing shocks him any more, and nobody catches him off guard.When Bayden rides up to The Dragon’s Lair on a bike worth more than most men earn in a year, and immediately demonstrates that he has far more attitude than sense, … than sense, it’s easy for Axel to write him off as a silly little rich boy who’s about to get himself killed.
But, there’s more to Bayden than meets the eye. He’s no silly little boy, rich or otherwise, and werewolves aren’t easy to kill.
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This is a book I don’t hear about that often, but it deserves every bit of its 5 Stars! I’m choosy with my BDSM themed books and this one hits all the right notes. A solid, sexy, reliable dom and a reckless, independent sub who desperately needs someone to protect and control him. Sexy and sweet!
I found myself rereading this book and loving it again, a week after the first time. That earns a book an easy 5 stars from me.
In this alternate-world contemporary, werewolves were discovered, captured, and declared second-class citizens by humans a few generations ago.
Axel is a gay man who runs a biker bar, which is also a club for gay men who are into BDSM. He leads The Black Dragons Motorcycle Club, and acts as the top Dom in the bar as well, as owner and keeper of the rules. There are men in his club he cares about, plus some hangers-on who like the scene, or the bikes, or are just curious, and some folks who drop by just to drink. He’s content, but a little solitary.
Then one night the door opens and a young man in a leather jacket comes inside, leaving his classic bike parked out front. He takes off his sunglasses, and his eyes make it clear he’s a werewolf. His fierce determination to take on any bet, any fight, makes him interesting, and the hint of submission when he looks at Axel, and only Axel, makes him desirable. Axel is a man looking for a sub to care for, and from that first night, in this tough, surprising, silent and defensive young man, Axel has found his mission.
Bayden has very little of his own – the bike his grandfather gave him, the clothes he stands up in and a few more, the mother and sick grandfather who let him help them out with money now and then, and his pride as a wolf. There may be laws that say he’s a lesser breed, rules and customs that let humans shake him down or send him out of their establishments like a dog, but he walks his line. No trouble, but no concessions. Let them take from him, but only if they pay. He trusts no human. But when he sees the big blond clearly-alpha man behind the bar, and finds out that in this one place he will be treated as no more and no less than any human customer, he feels that icy mistrust cracking, just a little bit.
This book has the mix of angst, trust-building, sex, and personal growth that appeals to me. The clash of wolf and human culture, and the misunderstandings that arise naturally from it, caught at my heart. The BDSM is notable, but a lot of the focus is on the D/s relationship, and the SM part is not the primary focus of the story. This is a story about trust, and care, and learning to fit two very-different people into one relationship that nurtures them both. This book pulled me into that zone where anything that interrupts my reading is resented, where the characters shine more brightly than real life, and where I come out of the story with regret there was no more and the best kind of hangover.
It is a long time ago since I last read a BDSM/kinky book as this and I have totally forgotten how good they are if the author knows what they are doing. But it is the first time I read it with M/M and let me tell you.. It only made it better!
I loved Bayden from the beginning. He is such a badass man but at the same time, you can feel that he has to be handled with care if he let you in. The laws against Werewolves are so wrong and that means him and any other werewolves are getting treated so badly that when Bayden meets Axel he is so confused about what to do because he expects the bad treatment but it isn’t coming.
My heart hurt for Bayden for what he and his family had to suffer through just to get by and how that every other werewolves were getting the same treatment. Sometimes he came off as clueless because he had never tried people to be nice to him so he truly didn’t know what happened or what to do.
“My mother was right -it’s the humans who seem different that are the most dangerous of all”
Axel touched his cheek and made him turn to face him. “Pup?”
“I’ll do anything for you, sir,” Bayden whispered. “That’s what makes you dangerous. Other humans can’t hurt me. I’d never give them the chance. But you… I’be a fool not to be afraid of you”
Even though Bayden is the sub in this book he is not a sub to anyone other than Axel and see’s himself as more dom than most men but not with Axel.
Axel is one patient man let me tell you that. He is so perfect for Bayden and knows he have to tread carefully around him or he will bolt. Axel knew from the beginning in the book he wanted Bayden but he took his time with him, never pressured him and started out with just making himself Brayden’s safe place to come to when he had made a new bet.
“I don’t think you’re going to start a riot, but until you prove you have more survival instincts than a seriously stressed out lemming, you’ll stay at the bar.”
There were some hard subjects in this book but it was written with such a soft touch that it didn’t hurt to read it, it was just the way it was and i love that because this book would quickly have been too much to handle if I had to hurt so much every time something terrible happens or they talked about it.
So are you looking for a good M/M book with some serious hot Dom/Sub and bondage in it this is your book and i can’t recommend it enough for you.
I absolutely LOVED this book. It’s almost 600 pages, which is extremely long for me, but it didn’t feel too long. It was a case of a really great story that stayed with me for several days, when usually I devour a book this good very fast and then feel sad it’s over. When I finished Axel’s Pup, I felt nothing but satisfaction.
The book follows Axel and Bayden’s D/s relationship from the moment they meet, and the main plot lies in Axel (the Dom) breaking down Bayden’s barriers slowly through reward and punishment. It’s clear Kim Dare understands the BDSM lifestyle, and I found Axel’s pub to be pretty similar to BDSM party venues I’ve visited in real life. Axel is a Dom I wish was here in real life too. He’s not perfect because nobody is, but he’s the best representation of a Dom I’ve seen in fiction. The fact that Bayden is a werewolf in a society in which werewolves are looked down upon and discriminated against adds an interesting layer to the story. This is where the main external conflict lies: at the beginning of the story, Bayden makes money by taking bets with humans, something Axel is against (for good reason). Axel and Bayden also have overcome the fact that Axel is human and Bayden isn’t, resulting in some glorious scenes in which Kim Dare presents werewolf dynamics in a unique and interesting way.
This book isn’t perfect, and there were a few typos, but that’s something I can forgive in a book this long. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series, even though I don’t usually read series (unless each book has a different couple). I just adore Kim Dare and her rare ability to write realistic D/s that at its best has me sobbing into my pillow. If you want a solid BDSM story with some truly scorching sex scenes, a cast of interesting supporting characters, and a lot of heart, this book is it.
It doesn’t get better this this. I have re-read so many times.