The Way She Reads

““You make everything better, Sir,” Olly murmured, his voice heavy with fatigue.

“No, we do love. Together (…)””

You have to feel sorry for Olly. Here we have the nicest of men with the softest heart imaginable and somehow trouble and danger seem to stalk him. At first glance this young sub seems so ill equipped to deal with everything life throws his way but then you think and look again and realise that first impressions can be deceptive.

We get to see a different side to Olly in this book. Or rather, we get to see the full scale of the man we’ve only seen glimpses of so far. I had never any doubt that underneath Olly’s flighty silliness lived a strong and smart man; he had to have been just to survive what happened to him in Reaching the Edge. And every now and again this ‘other’ Olly would shine through in the other books too. In Driven to the Edge, however, Olly’s strength and intelligence spring to the forefront as he deals with stress, confronts danger, and solves mysteries that have others bewildered.

And just as we get to see another side to Olly, we also get a glimpse at another aspect of his relationship with Joe. While Joe may be the Dom and very much in charge and it may be Joe’s job to keep Olly balanced and centred, that doesn’t mean Joe doesn’t need Olly’s love and support just as much as Olly needs him. In fact, if this book shows something in all its glorious beauty it is that (BDSM) relationships are successful only when the two partners complement each other, when they can lift each other’s burdens and feel safe being either strong or in need of strength, depending on the situation.

““I’m supposed to look after you. That’s how this dynamic works.”

“It works how we want it to work.” Olly planted a big wet kiss on Joe’s lips. “Just for tonight, I’ll take care of you.””

I challenge anybody to read these books and not fall hard for Olly (and almost as hard for Joe, Aiden, Heath…. Need I go on?). As much as I enjoy reading about (well-written) BDSM dynamics in general, I can’t deny that the diverse relationships in these books have captured a special place in my heart. And slap bang in the middle of that special place are Olly and Joe, shining their love for all to see, enjoy, and maybe envy just a little.

Once again the balance between suspense, love, and mouth-watering kink was just about perfect. Once again I found myself captivated by the story and reading as fast as I possibly could while making sure not to miss a single well chosen word. It is a delightful form of addiction, only overshadowed by the realisation that I’m getting perilously close to the end of this favourite among series.

Christmas at the Edge

The blurb

Christmas at The Edge will be extra special this year.

Joe and all the staff have been secretly plotting to get Olly the one thing he wants more than anything in the world—well, apart from Joe of course. The only problem is, this present comes with four paws and a tail. Combined with Olly, that’s a whole stocking full of mischief.

My thoughts

There’s really not a whole lot I can say about this short story except that it’s all about Olly AND a puppy. Combine the sweetest, brattiest, funniest and most wired-to-the-moon sub with a four-legged bundle of energy and you’ve got yourself a swoon worthy case of cuteness-overload, laced with an enticing side of BDSM-sexiness. Reading doesn’t get much more enjoyable than this.