How can Heath find happiness again when he’s terrified of the things he loves?After a reckless scene gone wrong, Heath is floating alone though life, unable to trust anyone enough give up control. Everything changes when he accepts a dinner invitation from a handsome younger man.Beau is a twenty-four year old student with a strong personality who he knows exactly what he wants in life. And right … in life. And right now, he wants Heath. It doesn’t matter that Heath has a traumatic past, and it definitely doesn’t matter when they find out Heath is one of his professors.
The reemergence of someone Heath used to know sends their relationship into a tailspin, and leaves Beau questioning everything he thought he knew about himself. To save his relationship with Heath, he has to turn to the support system he’s never had before…his long lost brothers.
Heath has finally rediscovered the liberation in restraint, but now Beau needs to find the freedom promised from being truly unfettered.
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Unfettered is a 67,000 word standalone MM romance.
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I fell in love with this book and these characters from the moment they started interacting in the restaurant on their first meeting. They were so real and so well written that I could actually feel Heath’s discomfort and his instinctual responses of submission to Beau as well as Beau’s comfort in his own skin and ease of interacting with Heath. Their D/s dynamic was just amazing to watch develop. There was the perfect amount of angst and heartache to make the ending all the sweeter.
The plot, the characters, the emotions – it was all there and all right. The thing that was a total standout for me in this book was the craft with which it was written! The words were beautiful! The feelings and the dynamics between the MCs were so perfectly described, the words pulled me right in! That’s a true skill to be blunt and to the point, but do it with such finesse! Awesome read!
This book wrecked me in the best way. I’m a huge fan of BDSM/kink relationships in books, and this one was spectacular. I really appreciate how realistic the D/s dynamic was: we see safewords being used, top drop, and discussion of scenes instead of the Dom magically knowing exactly what the Sub wants
Heath isn’t the perfect submissive, he’s been hurt and is still reeling, but Beau has patience and knows Heath is worth the work. Compelling and well written.
I would rate this 3.75 stars.
Heath is a 39 year old Sub who has suffered past trauma with his Dom. When he meets 24 year old Beau on a dating app, they have more in common than he could have imagined. With their first date, the dynamics slot into place nicely. Having Heath’s point of view creates a nerve-wracking tension, while having Beau’s point of view cements his confidence and maturity. The author creates a nice push and pull. This gets intense on the second date with Heath telling Beau about his ex. Beau handles Health’s abuse well throughout the relationship. Once Heath finds out Beau is a student, and in a class he is subbing for, things get complicated. On the one hand it’s taboo sexy, on the other hand it’s wrong of Beau to put Heath in this position as his Dom. I think that is why the author makes it Heath’s decision to out them to a colleague Michael. But then it’s just dropped with no mention of the ethics of Heath grading Beau’s work at the end of the semester.
One focus is on Beau’s five half brothers and that family dynamic, yet I can’t figure out if this is only to try and give Beau more depth, or if they are added so the author can make this a series and give them their own books. Of all the brothers, Cameron keeps pushing for a relationship with Beau and I’m not really sure why. Heath’s sister and her wife are also included, but considering he speaks to her daily, she is still not not given a lot of life. Michael is given the least to do even though he unintentionally plays a pivotal part. There is a plot twist with a big reveal, but that too seems glossed over: there is more emotional resonance coming from the postscript by the author, than the story she fictionalized about it. For me, I enjoyed Beau’s top drop and his crisis of faith in himself, yet his real emotions weren’t explored. At this point I successfully felt Heath’s frustration with Beau not trusting his own judgment. The reader is not really privy to how Heath worked out how to trust his judgment after what happened with Mac.
This is an erotic romance that basically goes from one hot, graphic, explicit and messy sex scene to another. They do build a relationship, but the dialogue gets stuck on awkward talk of family or Health’s job. I enjoyed the sex and there were moments I really liked the characters: it’s just that after being privy to so much of their intimacy, I still don’t feel like I know them very well from their own points of view. For instance, what does Beau want to do after he graduates? I have no idea. Their collaring and planning their lives together is romantic, it just would have been even more so if I would have been more emotionally invested. Think of this as high on kinky sex, and low on plot and character development with suprisingly low angst for the subject matter.
I will go right to what I loved and what made this book something I so thoroughly enjoyed and that was Heath’s submission. Even as he was overrun with fears and doubts from an abusive past, he still wanted nothing more than to submit, it came as easy as breathing for him.
Reading about Heath kneeling by Beau’s side was cathartic because I could feel his utter relief as he was allowed to do so. How he was so natural in his desire to please, to simply be anything Beau could have wanted.
While I like reading about strict Masters, I love one that doesn’t need anything more than his words to bring his sub to new heights. And Beau was that, instead of withholding, he gave until it hurt.
Another thing I loved was how the book showed how being submissive didn’t take away Heath’s voice or sense of self, he didn’t loose his voice. Some books take it to the point where the sub can only speak when spoken to, but I like an assertive sub that still lives for his Master.
The letter from the author at the end of the book gave it a deeper meaning and it hit home harder.