But novice Jay Kress challenges his teacher like no other. Still bearing the bruises of an encounter outside the bounds of safe consensual play, Jay is desperate to submit to the man who saved himâand shamed by his desires.
Henry recognizes the dangers of a relationship built on hero worship. Heâll teach Jay how to stay safe, thatâs all. He wonât take advantage of the younger manâs trust. He wonât share his fantasies about his dark-haired, athletic student. Heâll never claim this submissive for his own... Â
{Please note: Due to some referencing of the previous books, this review will be a tad spoilerish. Apologies, it just couldnât be avoided.}
As this review is likely going to be fairly lengthy, I want to start with what I feel is the most important point; and that would be: this book does not work as a stand-alone. Which is not a bad thing, though I think in this particular case it is a bit confusing. On the surface, it seems as though this book would function well as a prequel and introduction to the Neighborly Affection series , but long time fans will likely understand the wisdom in this book being treated as it is, as book four. There are just so many questions answered, and so much subtext.
From the very beginning of this series, I wantedâright along with Aliceâto know what Henry was thinking. There was this continually building need to get out of Aliceâs head and crawl around in Henryâs for a while. Having his âvoiceâ allows us to go back to the first three books and read between the lines. It adds richness and perspective, and so very many âOh, THATâS why he did that!â moments. Which is precisely the issue with the idea that this might get treated as an introduction, rather than a companion piece. Because read out of order it functions as a giant spoiler (or at least a cheat sheet) to the whole series.
In the first three booksâall from Aliceâs perspectiveâwe are constantly wondering what Henry is thinking, and why Jay reacts the way he does to specific triggers. And as much as I desperately wanted to know what Henry was thinking then, I am glad now that I didnât have that option. Because it is important as the series progresses, that we learn and grow along with Alice, and this is something that would have been simply impossible with this much insight into Henryâs psyche.
Additionally, I really feel that to truly understand the relationship dynamic between Henry and Jay, you need to start with their backstoryâŚerâŚ.future story? One of the things I love most about this book is how conflicted Henry is throughout. He normally exudes such confidence that it is oddly reassuring to see him falter. And I just feel that is something that could not have as much impact if the reader doesnât already understand how much love exists between this couple in the future.
This is the story Iâd both wanted and dreaded. Still incredibly hot at times, this book is understandably a quite a bit less sexual than those previous, as we are dealing with the direct aftermath of Jayâs brutalization. Though the book takes place after the initial traumaâand is not remotely graphicâI donât think a mild trigger warning would be unwarranted, as what Jay experienced was definitely psychological and physical abuse, as well as rape. And this book does deal heavily with the resulting mental traumas.
At times, this book is hard to read. As a long time fan, the Jay that I know is sweet, exuberant, bubbly and funny. And after getting to know him so well in the previous books, it is incredibly painful to see him so damaged. For a rather large part of this book he is so starved for contact and affection that he is not just lacking in self-esteem, but also in any sort of self-preservation.
Written entirely from Henryâs perspective, we are treated to a view of him weâve never seen beforeâand one that is much more aggressively dominant than I had expected. And as the book takes place largely at the club, we get a bit of a refreshing sneak peek into many other forms and styles of bdsm. I especially enjoyed seeing more of Emma and finally âmeetingâ Victor, bittersweet though it was.
This entire book is delicately balanced and incredibly interesting from a psychological stand point. I am never one for the idea of bdsm as therapy (believing that it sets the wrong example and emphasis), and I am glad to say that although on the surface it seems that could be what is going on here, it is pretty clear that is not the intent. The plot is based largely on the idea of correcting Jayâs horribly mis-learned habits in order to keep him from allowing more harm to be done to himself. And Henryâs complete restraint as he tries to drive home this lesson is utterly fascinating.
In conclusion, this book is amazing. Lovely and beautiful, it is truly a love letter from Henry to Jay, as well as something of a gift to long time fans. If youâve not read this series before, I highly recommend that you to give it a chance. JustâŚdo yourself the favor of starting at the beginning.
For the sake of full disclosure it must be stated that I received this book, free of charge, from Netgalley.
