Chara Croft

Trendy Asheville, NC is the last place Rene would have thought he’d be heading when he takes a few vacation days. Probably because first, he doesn’t actually get vacation days, and second, because he never goes anywhere. Too many anxieties. Too much responsibility. Too little faith that what he really wants is actually out there. But when a “Daddy” he meets online invites him to a kinky weekend to discover whether or not Rene can be the kind of boy he thinks he wants to be, he takes a leap of faith and… sinks. Stranded, rejected, and without anywhere to lay his head, Rene’s only choice is to share a room with a stranger. A stranger who helps Rene discover that he does want a Daddy, but it’s not just Daddy’s boy he wants to be. Pretentious Asheville, NC is the last place Edward would have thought he’d be heading when he takes a few vacation days. Probably because first, he has no use for vacation days, and second, because he never goes anywhere. Not since his husband passed away and took Edward’s heart with him. But when his attorney refuses to follow Edward’s directive to sell a property he owns, Edward rises to the bait and goes to check out the tiny boutique hotel himself to find out just what’s so special about it.

The hotel is fully booked for an event on the only weekend Edward can get away, but he’s the owner. so there he is. They will find him a room… and they do. At the expense of a nervous, beautiful boy who Edward’s burst of temper has all but put out on the streets. Stepping in to take care of him is the least Edward can do, even if that means falling down a rabbit hole of kink that he never expected and discovering that maybe his heart didn’t die with his husband after all. D/s relationship was unusual to say the least. It absolutely worked perfect for these characters though. The build up and relationship development in the beginning was so sweet and just bumped the story up another notch for me.… (mer)

I loved the care that Braxton, Tate and Flynn showed each other throughout this story. Braxton is the protective older brother but is also the "daddy" figure to his brother Tate (without the *cest) Flynn is shy and super quiet sometimes. Best friend Tate is moving away and thinks that Flynn needs a real Daddy to show him the love and affection he deserves. When it was decided that they would attend the Kinkmas event for Cuffd, Braxton decided that he needed to help Flynn even though he was straight.

Braxton doesn't want to imagine anyone else being with Flynn and wants to experience all of Flynn's firsts for himself only. Their spicy scenes are sweet but also have the amount of heat that most of us love to see. Braxton ends up doing some hard self-reflection and comes to terms with the fact that he can't ever walk away from sweet Flynn.

Flynn sometimes has quiet moments in this story and it is understood by Braxton so he doesn't make him feel guilty for doing so.

I hope at some point we get to see Tate's story as well!

This story was a 5/5 for me. I received an ARC from Chara and this is my honest review.… (mer)

Can I just say what a little spitfire Deke is? He instantly knew that he wanted Marshall from the get-go and was going to do whatever it took to make Marshall realize it. Deke is a v!rg!n and hasn't ever experienced a k!nk relationship before. When he helps Marshall with the pet show fundraiser, he finds out that kitten play may be what will convince Marshall to really see him in a new light.

Marshall can't resist Deke and has to come to terms with the fact that Deke isn't as innocent as he once thought. He also has to learn to trust his heart and know that Deke is in it for the long run.

There were many funny moments sprinkled throughout that made me laugh and gave the story a lighter feel. I've read all of Chara's books (with the tab00 ones being my favorites) so this was definitely a delight to read.

I received an ARC from Chara in exchange for an honest review.… (mer)