Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Fresh from catching his lover in bed with another man, Dominic Scotto is grabbed off the street and taken hostage. The identity of his kidnapper is a mystery, what the man wants, though, not so much. Shackled and trapped, Dominic’s resilience is put to the test as his captor carries out a carefully crafted plan to divest him of his secrets.

With the heir to the Scotto empire naked and bound before him, the man known as Smoke will do whatever he must to get the answers he seeks. Amid a firestorm of anger and distrust, between pain and pleasure, two men reach for each other in the darkness, but it’s not over yet. Under the sun’s harsh brightness, Smoke remains elusive, a man without a face or name, and Dominic is still a target mired in secrets.

Be Warned: m/m sex, rimming, knife play, BDSM

 

Book Review

If this isn’t one of the most twisted, morally questionable, and yet fascinating books I have ever read, I don't know what is. Stockholm Syndrome, when the kidnappee falls for his abductor, is not what shocked me about this book, since I had almost expected it. What was truly surprising was how the kidnapper fell for his victim – and I kept wondering what was going on, some sort of "reverse Stockholm Syndrome"? Just for the fun of it, I Googled it, and lo and behold, the "phenomenon" exists, and even has a name: Lima Syndrome! Defined as "A phenomenon in which kidnappers become so concerned for their hostages that they free them without using them as bargaining chips" (by Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc.) , that is exactly what happened in this book. Let nobody say reading m/m isn’t educational!

Dominic sort of broke my heart at the end of book two, when it became clear he was a lot more in love with Wes than I had thought, yet Wes chose to return to Jayce. And then in this book, Dominic gets kidnapped, tortured and humiliated, only to have to face some very uncomfortable truths about himself as well. He may be rich, but he certainly doesn’t have an easy life. All he wants is to find someone who loves him, but he's having an extremely difficult time of it.

Smoke is the abductor here, a mercenary paid to "extract information" from Dominic regarding his father's theft of investment money. He starts out all cruel and efficient, but gradually falls under Dominic's spell. Now, while I am not certain that is realistic, it certainly made for a good story. And after all, if Lima Syndrome exists, it looks as if Smoke isn't the first crook with this problem.

If you like your stories with a touch of violence that turns into pleasure, if you enjoy reading about men who come from different worlds yet end up finding common ground, and if you want to find out what happened to Dominic after the end of book two in this series, then this is the story for you. Just be ready for a few very tense, not-so-nice-and-fluffy scenes in the beginning.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Evernight Publishing for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novella, 27610 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	15-October-2013
Price	$3.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-makemeblaze-1318707-147.html