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Deconstruction
Escort Tomas and homicide detective Vic have been together three years and expect many more--until Vic's case, a string of hustler murders, hits too close to home. While Vic grows more tense and distant, Tomas finds himself increasingly tangled in the erotic games of a client, Jon, who plays on Tomas's most secret needs. When the killer strikes at the club where Tomas works as a dancer, everything spins into a dizzying mix of sex and love, miscommunication and murder.
Can they stop the killer before things go horribly wrong? Or are they already too late?
Can they stop the killer before things go horribly wrong? Or are they already too late?
107 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 20, 2011
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90 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 24, 2013
Is it hot in here? The sex in this story is steamy and seamy, dark and dirty… thick on the page… there is a lot of it. But it’s also integral to the plot. It defines what Tomas is all about. He’s a walking Id; he wants sex more than anything else and for some reason, his live-in lover, Vic, who he proclaims to love, is not enough.
Tomas, tall, blond and ripped, is a popular stripper/exotic dancer and hustles on the side. It’s a dangerous way to make a living, not only because someone is targeting hookers, leaving their dead bodies around town, but because selling himself feeds a dark kink he’s quickly losing control to.
Previously, Vic didn’t have a problem with how Tomas made his living, in fact he found it hot. But after three years, it’s all growing old. To make things worse, Vic is a cop investigating the murdered hookers, he can’t help but see Tomas in them. His work is hitting too close to home. He’s getting tired of Tomas’ late nights with other men, and he’s fearful Tomas is putting himself in danger. A relationship at a crossroads…
Tomas is one kinky dude (cops and leather fetish, bondage, public sex, humiliation) and his kinks hold him in thrall and in shame. His hang-ups are super hot because he’s so lost in them. He has a regular client, Jon, a crooked vice cop who’s got Tomas’s number and wants to take advantage, push him as far as he can. But Tomas plays this coy denial game with him that only serves to ramp up the heat. It’s such a tease and the build up to who will do what when is delicious.
Meanwhile, Vic is willing to give Tomas what he needs too. Dang, the guy is a cop after all, and role-play in his uniform and those sexy knee-hi, formfitting, shiny black leather boots is just what Tomas likes.
”He crossed the room… fell to his knees. Vic sat on the edge of the bed and rested his boot heels on Tomas’ shoulders, nudged him forward. Tomas… turned his head, dragged his mouth over leather, inhaled. The sweet-dark smell made him groan; Vic digging his heels into Tomas’ shoulders so that he could feel every ridge and scuff on the bottom of the boot made him nearly come…”
How does he do it? This guy, a prostitute with a kink for cops, has two cops hot for him. Tomas’s little boy lost, fallen boy-scout persona is what keeps them cranked up. But where does lust stop and love begin?
Lest we forget, there is a murder mystery lurking in the background that brings this passion play to a head. I’m not completely convinced at the end of the story that Tomas has reached any resolution with his darker temptations, whether Vic will be able to hold his attention. But I sure liked these complicated guys and the tension the author sets up. It’d be great to read more about them. There doesn’t seem to be a sequel but I’ll definitely be checking out this author’s other stuff.
July 11, 2011
This one had a lot of potential but left me feeling unsatisfied. The setting is great: dark, sleazy and gritty, but it just wasn't enough. Here are a few things that would have made it better for me:
a) If Jon had not been such a total asshole. Not only towards Tomas but also towards Vic and everybody else. Total dickwads who don't know when to keep their mouth shut are simply there for the reader to hate, not because they are interesting characters. He'd have been more threatening as an evil character if he hadn't been so loud about it, and he would have been way more interesting as a character if he'd have actually cared about Tomas a little bit. If he'd been in any way conflicted about what he was doing.
b) If the guy whodunnit hadn't been a total cardboard cutout. The mystery is a little thin as it is, since the book only has 10 characters or so, so his identity isn't a shock in any way. But we get no insight in what, or why, or who this guy is. Just your regular mass murderer. I realize this isn't a murder mystery per se, but an m/m, but if you introduce this kind of external drama, you gotta do something with it.
c) If the tension of Tomas's profession was explored more deeply. Where is the line between being a dancer and being a prostitute? How do you get treated by regular people, like by the nurses in the hospital? How do you feel about yourself? What do you keep separate and special for the one you love? Where do you see yourself in 10 years when your body starts to sag? These things are touched on, but not enough to my taste.
a) If Jon had not been such a total asshole. Not only towards Tomas but also towards Vic and everybody else. Total dickwads who don't know when to keep their mouth shut are simply there for the reader to hate, not because they are interesting characters. He'd have been more threatening as an evil character if he hadn't been so loud about it, and he would have been way more interesting as a character if he'd have actually cared about Tomas a little bit. If he'd been in any way conflicted about what he was doing.
b) If the guy whodunnit hadn't been a total cardboard cutout. The mystery is a little thin as it is, since the book only has 10 characters or so, so his identity isn't a shock in any way. But we get no insight in what, or why, or who this guy is. Just your regular mass murderer. I realize this isn't a murder mystery per se, but an m/m, but if you introduce this kind of external drama, you gotta do something with it.
c) If the tension of Tomas's profession was explored more deeply. Where is the line between being a dancer and being a prostitute? How do you get treated by regular people, like by the nurses in the hospital? How do you feel about yourself? What do you keep separate and special for the one you love? Where do you see yourself in 10 years when your body starts to sag? These things are touched on, but not enough to my taste.
June 14, 2011
Yes, I did turn out liking this alot. I also didn't sleep until I finish this, and am glad that it was short, otherwise I may probably not have slept the whole night.
I like that the author was able to make me feel almost how Tomas felt. At first, the sex between he and Jon were hot, until they disintegrated into something dark and gritty, and I felt disgusted, just how Tomas did.
I'm happy it had an HEA, though ;)
I like that the author was able to make me feel almost how Tomas felt. At first, the sex between he and Jon were hot, until they disintegrated into something dark and gritty, and I felt disgusted, just how Tomas did.
I'm happy it had an HEA, though ;)
August 11, 2011
A smoothly written book about a stripper/ escort and his homicide cop boyfriend, caught between their mutual speechlessness. There was a solid background mystery about a serial hustler killer which posed a realistic threat and kindling for Vic's fears. And I hated Jon with a vengeance, may his dick fall off with rot!
I came to care deeply for Tomas and Vic, cheering for them to get back together. The end was somewhat open, but hopeful.
I came to care deeply for Tomas and Vic, cheering for them to get back together. The end was somewhat open, but hopeful.
August 4, 2011
After reading Kit Zheng's smoking hot free story, "Wish Fulfillment," I had to check out her novel Deconstruction, since it follows the same pair. Deconstruction finds Tomas and Vic in an established relationship, but their jobs are beginning to drive them apart. Tomas is a stripper and an escort; Vic is a police detective.
I loved the physicality of this book. There's a lot of sex, and the writer describes bodies, textures, sensations and emotions in vivid detail. The style is incredibly smooth and easy to read. I sympathized with the characters and their complicated relationship. There was no easy value judgement presented that if the couple really had true love, Tomas would stop being an escort, but the psychological effects of working in the sex industry are also included. It's not just like any other job. But then, neither is being a police detective, and Vic "takes his work home" too much as well.
A weakness of this book was that the narration follows both Tomas and Vic, but we don't see nearly as much of Vic, so it felt a bit unbalanced. The ending also didn't seem to fully resolve their relationship issues. Other than that, I greatly enjoyed the story and appreciated the engaging mix of complicated relationship issues, hot dirty sex and suspense. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a bit of D/s in their m/m, and if you're into police fetish stuff then this is absolutely, 100% the book for you. Kit Zheng's style is fantastic, and I'm definitely going to be looking at more of her stories.
I loved the physicality of this book. There's a lot of sex, and the writer describes bodies, textures, sensations and emotions in vivid detail. The style is incredibly smooth and easy to read. I sympathized with the characters and their complicated relationship. There was no easy value judgement presented that if the couple really had true love, Tomas would stop being an escort, but the psychological effects of working in the sex industry are also included. It's not just like any other job. But then, neither is being a police detective, and Vic "takes his work home" too much as well.
A weakness of this book was that the narration follows both Tomas and Vic, but we don't see nearly as much of Vic, so it felt a bit unbalanced. The ending also didn't seem to fully resolve their relationship issues. Other than that, I greatly enjoyed the story and appreciated the engaging mix of complicated relationship issues, hot dirty sex and suspense. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a bit of D/s in their m/m, and if you're into police fetish stuff then this is absolutely, 100% the book for you. Kit Zheng's style is fantastic, and I'm definitely going to be looking at more of her stories.
July 31, 2012
I'll say straight away that this isn't my usual type of read - I became a fan of Kit Zheng's writing through their historical/fantasy/speculative work, but I'm willing to give anything they write a go.
I'm glad that I gave this book a chance. As always, Zheng's tight, deceptively simple writing style and believable characterisations carry the narrative effortlessly. Even though it's mainly about the complicated (some may say dysfunctional) relationship between the main protagonists, the overarcing plot is also a gripping crime tale. It’s a measure of how good a story is when I was actually thinking about it when I couldn’t be reading it. I was dying to know who the killer was – I thought it was Jon, then I even thought it was Vic for a short while. The final solution I found more believable than either of those options though and the action was well paced.
I found Tomas frustrating and rather whiney. I wanted to sit him down and give him a lecture about treating his nice boyfriend badly. I really liked Vic though. I think they’ll be able to work it out… maybe… if they both try and communicate more. Jon makes a satisfyingly vile villain. And I was actually rather taken with Teddy as a supporting character too.
Another strong story from a very strong writer. Recommended.
I'm glad that I gave this book a chance. As always, Zheng's tight, deceptively simple writing style and believable characterisations carry the narrative effortlessly. Even though it's mainly about the complicated (some may say dysfunctional) relationship between the main protagonists, the overarcing plot is also a gripping crime tale. It’s a measure of how good a story is when I was actually thinking about it when I couldn’t be reading it. I was dying to know who the killer was – I thought it was Jon, then I even thought it was Vic for a short while. The final solution I found more believable than either of those options though and the action was well paced.
I found Tomas frustrating and rather whiney. I wanted to sit him down and give him a lecture about treating his nice boyfriend badly. I really liked Vic though. I think they’ll be able to work it out… maybe… if they both try and communicate more. Jon makes a satisfyingly vile villain. And I was actually rather taken with Teddy as a supporting character too.
Another strong story from a very strong writer. Recommended.
October 28, 2011
Novella about the relationship complications between Tomas, a stripper/part-time hooker, and Vic, a cop; they've been together three years and are beginning to feel unhappy for reasons neither of them can articulate. Vic is especially worried about Tomas now that a serial killer has begun targeting local male prostitutes, and especially frustrated that one of Tomas' regular clients is a dirty cop from Vic's own district. (Tomas tells Vic anything he asks about clients, except for names, contact info, or anything personally identifying.) Tomas pursues boundary-testing and consensual but not very safe or sane scenarios with Jon, the dirty cop, the more recklessly the more his relationship with Vic degrades.
I liked this quite a lot; humiliation is a really bad squick for me, and this is the first time I've felt like I could understand what other people see in it. And Vic and Tomas are darling.
Unfortunately, the publisher is cheating their authors out of royalties, so I can't recommend people buy this. :( Here's hoping to a quick rights reversion and republishing by another press.
I liked this quite a lot; humiliation is a really bad squick for me, and this is the first time I've felt like I could understand what other people see in it. And Vic and Tomas are darling.
Unfortunately, the publisher is cheating their authors out of royalties, so I can't recommend people buy this. :( Here's hoping to a quick rights reversion and republishing by another press.
September 21, 2011
A prostitute in a 3 year relationship with a cop. And they love each other.
SUUUURRREEEEEE.
I mean how the hell was Tomas functioning in society with half a fucking braincell? Oh wait, he was a walking semen receptacle. They could have put a trash can in clothes and it would have served the same purpose as he did in this story.
I wanted to vomit to clear my head of this.
SUUUURRREEEEEE.
I mean how the hell was Tomas functioning in society with half a fucking braincell? Oh wait, he was a walking semen receptacle. They could have put a trash can in clothes and it would have served the same purpose as he did in this story.
I wanted to vomit to clear my head of this.
January 26, 2012
3.5 stars. Good kinky m/m mystery about a stripper who lives with his cop boyfriend and turns tricks on the side to help make the mortgage. But things aren't going the greatest for them right now as secrets build up between them...
September 12, 2011
I'm hoping this book is the start of a series as the characters are fascinating and complex and the storyline is interesting. I want to read more about Tomas and Vic. Recommended
January 23, 2012
3.5 stars
I don't know how I could read something so far up my alley, but somehow I liked it. I think the prose had something to do with it. Not for the sensitive ones, though.
I don't know how I could read something so far up my alley, but somehow I liked it. I think the prose had something to do with it. Not for the sensitive ones, though.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews