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Fog: A Novel of Desire and Retribution
Outside an isolated cabin, winter fog caresses spruce trees. Inside, two men, lovers, have enacted a plan of revenge, kidnapping the handsome son of the man who wronged one of them. Al, the accomplice, has stalked Rob for weeks, and his infatuation for the young man has grown deeper than he ever anticipated. So much so that he finds himself drawn to protect Rob from the rage and vengeance burning away his partner Jay's insides. Caring for their bound and gagged captive,with each passing day Al finds his power over Rob a potent and irresistible aphrodisiac and his heart dangerously moved. But Jay has no intention of ever allowing the young man to escape. The winner of the 2012 Pauline Reage Novel Award!
228 pages, Paperback
First published August 13, 2011
29 people are currently reading
1227 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Mann
105 books89 followersJeff Mann’s poetry, fiction, and essays have appeared in many publications, including Prairie Schooner, Shenandoah, Laurel Review and The Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide. He has published three award-winning poetry chapbooks, Bliss, Mountain Fireflies, and Flint Shards from Sussex; two full-length books of poetry, Bones Washed with Wine and On the Tongue; a collection of personal essays, Edge: Travels of an Appalachian Leather Bear; a book of poetry and memoir, Loving Mountains, Loving Men; and a short fiction volume, A History of Barbed Wire, which won a Lambda Literary Award. He teaches creative writing at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
January 6, 2018
Somehow, somewhere I took a wrong turn and I ended up in THIS fantasy.
...and I just kept going.
Since I can't remember other reviewers mentioning anything about the funky fetishes in Fog, I suppose duty's calling. This may or may not be your cup of tea: there are lustful references to hairy body parts and fattiness (mostly beer-bellies) on almost every other page. If you're a hygiene freak, please note that the MC's are not particularly fond of showers and enjoy graphic, smelly, raunchy sex. With or without consent.
I give my fur-matted chest a rub, then my matted beer-belly, than my swaying... (...)I scrub the smelly brown moss of his armpits. (..) cleaning the crack, its dense fuzz. I soap up his long, hairy legs.(...) the bushy beard. (..) all that rich, fucking lovely fur on your calves. And those little goatees you...
I took some parts out for modesty reasons, but you get the idea right?
All silliness put aside, I would never give a book a lower rating just because I don't share the author's particular kink. To each his own and, in a way, I'm grateful for the new knowledge I gathered during my Google search for big, beefy, beer-bellied hairy, leather daddies. I even have to admit that some of the more healthy looking ones look pretty kick ass. Just curious though: are there any straight leather daddies out there as well? Do they exist?
I shouldn't let all the hairiness push the dark elements of Fog to the background though! For this book is gritty and grim and deals with rape, abduction, psychological disorders and - supposedly - Stockholm Syndrome. Especially in the beginning there are a few scenes that are rather hard to swallow and deserve a big, fat 'not for the faint of heart' stamp of approval.
However, as cringe-worthy as the beginning of Fog was, the overall story-line pretty much went downhill from there. It appeared as if the author let his own fantasies prevail at the expense of his story. The ending was utterly unbelievable and horribly sappy.
Imagine being an athletic young man with a love for gymnastics, weightlifting and jogging, a pretty girlfriend and a bright future. Then one day you get kidnapped by fat, hairy fucked-up men who beat you up and rape you with and without . They keep you in the cold, blindfolded, bound and gagged. Now answer these questions:
1)Would you attempt to have a after you've been taken and brutalized?
2) Would his beer-belly and hairiness suddenly ?
3) Would you crave your killed soon?
4) And would you joke about maybe being?
'Contrived' is the word some reviewers used for Fog. And I tend to agree. This story took a crazy unauthentic turn. I kept trying to tell myself that there was a reason behind the victim's sudden bizarre behavior. Personally, I thought he was faking his But after all the hardship the author had me endure, for me this turned out to be a porn fantasy with a plot that only served the twisted sex scenes.
I ended up feeling a little mocked.
Still, although I don't think the first person narrative completely worked here, Mann's writing style is pretty good. He paced his story wonderfully and made sure it didn't drag on aimlessly. I still think I may check out Purgatory.
...and I just kept going.
Since I can't remember other reviewers mentioning anything about the funky fetishes in Fog, I suppose duty's calling. This may or may not be your cup of tea: there are lustful references to hairy body parts and fattiness (mostly beer-bellies) on almost every other page. If you're a hygiene freak, please note that the MC's are not particularly fond of showers and enjoy graphic, smelly, raunchy sex. With or without consent.
I give my fur-matted chest a rub, then my matted beer-belly, than my swaying... (...)I scrub the smelly brown moss of his armpits. (..) cleaning the crack, its dense fuzz. I soap up his long, hairy legs.(...) the bushy beard. (..) all that rich, fucking lovely fur on your calves. And those little goatees you...
I took some parts out for modesty reasons, but you get the idea right?
All silliness put aside, I would never give a book a lower rating just because I don't share the author's particular kink. To each his own and, in a way, I'm grateful for the new knowledge I gathered during my Google search for big, beefy, beer-bellied hairy, leather daddies. I even have to admit that some of the more healthy looking ones look pretty kick ass. Just curious though: are there any straight leather daddies out there as well? Do they exist?
I shouldn't let all the hairiness push the dark elements of Fog to the background though! For this book is gritty and grim and deals with rape, abduction, psychological disorders and - supposedly - Stockholm Syndrome. Especially in the beginning there are a few scenes that are rather hard to swallow and deserve a big, fat 'not for the faint of heart' stamp of approval.
However, as cringe-worthy as the beginning of Fog was, the overall story-line pretty much went downhill from there. It appeared as if the author let his own fantasies prevail at the expense of his story. The ending was utterly unbelievable and horribly sappy.
Imagine being an athletic young man with a love for gymnastics, weightlifting and jogging, a pretty girlfriend and a bright future. Then one day you get kidnapped by fat, hairy fucked-up men who beat you up and rape you with and without . They keep you in the cold, blindfolded, bound and gagged. Now answer these questions:
1)Would you attempt to have a after you've been taken and brutalized?
2) Would his beer-belly and hairiness suddenly ?
3) Would you crave your killed soon?
4) And would you joke about maybe being?
'Contrived' is the word some reviewers used for Fog. And I tend to agree. This story took a crazy unauthentic turn. I kept trying to tell myself that there was a reason behind the victim's sudden bizarre behavior. Personally, I thought he was faking his But after all the hardship the author had me endure, for me this turned out to be a porn fantasy with a plot that only served the twisted sex scenes.
I ended up feeling a little mocked.
Still, although I don't think the first person narrative completely worked here, Mann's writing style is pretty good. He paced his story wonderfully and made sure it didn't drag on aimlessly. I still think I may check out Purgatory.
January 17, 2016
4,5 stars!
Fog belongs to one of those books that makes you feel wrong to talk about enjoying while reading it. The plot is dark, horrifying, painful, disturbing and absolutely NOT for the faint hearted...
It deals with emotionally difficult topics: rape, kidnapping, abuse, Stockholm Syndrome, hate, vengeance and sexual torture. So, yes, take it as a WARNING and don't read it, if all THESE are outside your comfort zone.
To your note: I'M NOT INTO SOMETHING LIKE THIS EITHER. NORMALLY.
But
I made/make/will make a BIG EXCEPTION for Jeff Mann.
I'm going to read EVERYTHING he wrote or will release.
I LOVE his writing. His writing is AMAZING, captivating, addictive and sooooooo INTENSE. Even if it will make you feel physically nauseous on some pages, you won't be able to put it down. Well, I couldn't. Again, I have no idea what it says about me. Did I mention that it is soooo DIRTY KINKY HOT?! Yes, it is.
I'm though glad that my first book by this author was Purgatory: A Novel of the Civil War, and my second - Salvation: A Novel of the Civil War. To simplify: the story of Ian, a soldier of the Confederate army, and a Yankee Drew Conrad out of The Civil War Novel series have many parallels with the story of Rob, a kidnapped young man, and Al, a partner and accomplice of a kidnapper Jay from Fog, but the background and the characters are very different. WHY? Because those two books belong to my highlight of the year 2015. AND. I got to know the WAY Jeff Mann develops his stories, and I knew that in spite of a violent and rough start I'll be rewarded at the end with a very romantic ending. I was right. I And I LOVE IT.
While reading Fog, I've been switching between an eBook and an audible.
Audible.
I have to admit that I prefer Mikael Naramore as a narrator. I don't know if it's because I loved Purgatory: A Novel of the Civil War a bit more than Fog(that he narrated), or maybe because I liked the narrating of Julian Davison a bit less. I was surprised at the beginning, because the voice of Julian Davison sounded like a voice of a....er...at least over sixty years old man. Later I found out that Al was twice as old as Rob, but forty something is not over sixty, right? I got used to this voice while listening to it, and I just enjoyed the story a lot to complain, but Julian Davison wouldn't have been my first choice, if I had to decide.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
***To tell the truth, if you won't get a magic and delicate poesy of this extraordinary novel, I'm sorry for you.
Want to read
September 15, 2013I love bears. Aren't they adorable?
Unfortunately this book contained rapey, redneck bears.
No rating for now since, uh, someday I might finish this book. It's not terrible. Just not my thing, which I knew going in. This is how I felt while reading: bored, disbelieving, uninterested - oh hey, scrapple.
Thankfully Loco took mercy on me (*cough* pregnancy pity *cough*) and we ended our dual torture. HOORAY!!
(Original "review")
Visions of furry bellies and chubby hands have already traumatized me, thanks to this review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
My dear friend Loco thought it would be fun if I read this questionable book while she read a book of my choosing....
I'm thrilled to share she is very much looking forward to my selection. In fact, she can't contain her excitement! She's elated, overjoyed, and filled with love and gratitude for me.
Unfortunately this book contained rapey, redneck bears.
No rating for now since, uh, someday I might finish this book. It's not terrible. Just not my thing, which I knew going in. This is how I felt while reading: bored, disbelieving, uninterested - oh hey, scrapple.
Thankfully Loco took mercy on me (*cough* pregnancy pity *cough*) and we ended our dual torture. HOORAY!!
(Original "review")
Visions of furry bellies and chubby hands have already traumatized me, thanks to this review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
My dear friend Loco thought it would be fun if I read this questionable book while she read a book of my choosing....
I'm thrilled to share she is very much looking forward to my selection. In fact, she can't contain her excitement! She's elated, overjoyed, and filled with love and gratitude for me.
November 12, 2012
Un-Fucking-Believable... Excellent book! Will write up tomorrow
June 10, 2023
Goodreads says this is my third re-read but I'm pretty sure this is about #5. Still my absolute favorite of Jeff Mann's books. Still five stars.
----------------------------------------
So technically my rating for this book would be about 55 stars not 5 and, given the content, I think I am beginning to scare myself. :=)
My brain is still pinging around in my skull but just to get a few thoughts out there. This is an unbelievably HOT and well written book. It is extremely dark and gritty, and definitely not for everyone. The BDSM is not for beginners; throw in the pretty graphic rape scene, the knife play and the musky, manly lovemaking and WELL, you've counted alot of people out but... BUT the prose is so poetic and beautiful, and the characters so vividly drawn that you can't help but become totally immersed in the drama surrounding these three men. The book addresses very taboo subjects but, within that, there is a humanizing of the characters, even the 'bad' ones that makes it a very nuanced and three-dimensional story. I do have a soft spot for big, beefy bears and so I LOVED Al. Jeff does BDSM the way I like it, which is with a thoughtfulness and gentleness outside of (and sometimes during) 'play' and with a window into the 'master/daddy's mindset. Through it we see how the dom is as dependent on the sub as the sub is on him. Apart from all this, Al was just a good, kind, loyal (and kinky) man who was in a dysfunctional relationship and wanting to please his husbear.
I found the ending quite fitting and realistic and this is definitely a book I will read again and again AND AGAIN. Will look for more by this author.
ETA: Re-read Sep 14, 2015. Yeppp, still absolutely love it. I would so love a sequel, though I guess the ending here is fitting. I just want more!
----------------------------------------
So technically my rating for this book would be about 55 stars not 5 and, given the content, I think I am beginning to scare myself. :=)
My brain is still pinging around in my skull but just to get a few thoughts out there. This is an unbelievably HOT and well written book. It is extremely dark and gritty, and definitely not for everyone. The BDSM is not for beginners; throw in the pretty graphic rape scene, the knife play and the musky, manly lovemaking and WELL, you've counted alot of people out but... BUT the prose is so poetic and beautiful, and the characters so vividly drawn that you can't help but become totally immersed in the drama surrounding these three men. The book addresses very taboo subjects but, within that, there is a humanizing of the characters, even the 'bad' ones that makes it a very nuanced and three-dimensional story. I do have a soft spot for big, beefy bears and so I LOVED Al. Jeff does BDSM the way I like it, which is with a thoughtfulness and gentleness outside of (and sometimes during) 'play' and with a window into the 'master/daddy's mindset. Through it we see how the dom is as dependent on the sub as the sub is on him. Apart from all this, Al was just a good, kind, loyal (and kinky) man who was in a dysfunctional relationship and wanting to please his husbear.
I found the ending quite fitting and realistic and this is definitely a book I will read again and again AND AGAIN. Will look for more by this author.
ETA: Re-read Sep 14, 2015. Yeppp, still absolutely love it. I would so love a sequel, though I guess the ending here is fitting. I just want more!
October 5, 2011
If you've never read Jeff Mann before - either his prose or his poetry - then you are likely about to be both shocked and impressed. If you have read Jeff Mann, then it will not surprise you when I say that the balances between violence and compassion, eroticism and fear, assault and tenderness and an ever-present dance between destructiveness and hope are constantly tipping and shifting in FOG. Mann has a facility with binding the erotic with the dangerous and bringing the BDSM to such a highly charged place you can smell the sweat on the page - and in FOG, this is so painfully brilliant in its execution that I ended up gobbling the book in two sittings, turning the pages faster and faster and unsure whether I was racing towards a story doomed to disaster, or one where there might actually be some sort of hope for the damaged souls.
The narrative's set up will sound straightforward: a man wronged by a police officer in the past - Jay - has his partner Al kidnap the police officer's son - Rob - and the three men are together in a cabin during a particularly cold and icy winter. Jay has a dominant relationship with Al, but Rob's arrival sparks something in Al that threatens all of their safety and futures - a possessive compassion.
These three men, each broken in their own way, orbit each other in a spiral of assault, imprisonment, beatings, love, sex, blood, submission and domination that is so genuinely enthralling you'll be hard pressed - as I was - to put the book down. As things grow more tangled and the emotions of Al become more conflicted, the reality that not everyone is likely to make it through this time alive becomes all the more apparent, and the tension rises viscerally for the reader. As erotic as it is disturbing - and it is both - FOG lives up to its name. The lines blur, and the world around these three characters grows more and more narrow, closing in around them and leaving them with no clarity to find a way out.
I can't recommend this one highly enough. It's dark, yes, but it's just so damn poetic and beautifully written that even the cruelest moments are stunning.
The narrative's set up will sound straightforward: a man wronged by a police officer in the past - Jay - has his partner Al kidnap the police officer's son - Rob - and the three men are together in a cabin during a particularly cold and icy winter. Jay has a dominant relationship with Al, but Rob's arrival sparks something in Al that threatens all of their safety and futures - a possessive compassion.
These three men, each broken in their own way, orbit each other in a spiral of assault, imprisonment, beatings, love, sex, blood, submission and domination that is so genuinely enthralling you'll be hard pressed - as I was - to put the book down. As things grow more tangled and the emotions of Al become more conflicted, the reality that not everyone is likely to make it through this time alive becomes all the more apparent, and the tension rises viscerally for the reader. As erotic as it is disturbing - and it is both - FOG lives up to its name. The lines blur, and the world around these three characters grows more and more narrow, closing in around them and leaving them with no clarity to find a way out.
I can't recommend this one highly enough. It's dark, yes, but it's just so damn poetic and beautifully written that even the cruelest moments are stunning.
April 9, 2013
I was really disappointed with this book. I wanted DARK DARK DARK!!! But I got DARK, LESS DARK, then in my opinion FLUFF!
I just struggled with how Rob and Al's relationship ended up!!! It seriously made me think
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Then again this is my opinion I know lots of people who love this book so please don't take my word for it.
I just struggled with how Rob and Al's relationship ended up!!! It seriously made me think
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Then again this is my opinion I know lots of people who love this book so please don't take my word for it.
Read
December 12, 2014DNF page 18 of 217
Maybe one day, now I don't feel like suffering like that.
Maybe one day, now I don't feel like suffering like that.
November 6, 2012
What an absorbing, uncomfortable, mesmerizing read this was! Much as I like dark and taboo, the contemporary kidnap/held in bondage/torture trope is a difficult one for me. It rings too close to home for comfort, it’s too easy to put myself in the victim’s place. The element of it being man on man abuse doesn’t make it any less easy to identify with the victim in Fog. Here is the difficulty and the brilliance all wrapped up in one.
Rob (young and beautiful) is kidnapped by partners Jay and Al (burly bears), as revenge for a wrong Jay perceives was done to himself. They want to make Rob pay for the sins of his father who put Jay in prison some years ago. What I didn’t count on was this author’s ability to mess with my head while I was reading. Is Rob really a compliant victim? Does he have his own agenda? How would I react in his position? Does this feel real? How far will Al and Jay go in this orgy of revenge and lust?
I squirm, I feel for Rob, I’m sucked in by the erotic connection between the three men, I find myself sympathizing with one of the abusers, and I never quite know what is going to happen next. Jeff Mann gives us a muscly, no-frills, homoerotic romance. Adding to my squick with contemporary capture/abuse is an element of horror too. The main setting is an isolated house in the woods, in the back country of a Virginia holler. A creaky, cold house forever shrouded by fog or ice, pummeled by rain or sleet. Pervasive fog and cold, also an allegory for the three protagonists’ separate realities.
An edgy, difficult subject: wonderful writing and a compelling story.
Rob (young and beautiful) is kidnapped by partners Jay and Al (burly bears), as revenge for a wrong Jay perceives was done to himself. They want to make Rob pay for the sins of his father who put Jay in prison some years ago. What I didn’t count on was this author’s ability to mess with my head while I was reading. Is Rob really a compliant victim? Does he have his own agenda? How would I react in his position? Does this feel real? How far will Al and Jay go in this orgy of revenge and lust?
I squirm, I feel for Rob, I’m sucked in by the erotic connection between the three men, I find myself sympathizing with one of the abusers, and I never quite know what is going to happen next. Jeff Mann gives us a muscly, no-frills, homoerotic romance. Adding to my squick with contemporary capture/abuse is an element of horror too. The main setting is an isolated house in the woods, in the back country of a Virginia holler. A creaky, cold house forever shrouded by fog or ice, pummeled by rain or sleet. Pervasive fog and cold, also an allegory for the three protagonists’ separate realities.
An edgy, difficult subject: wonderful writing and a compelling story.
November 3, 2012
This book was dark and disturbing at times, but also tender, emotional and thought provoking. A really satisfying book, which I would recommend.
May 15, 2012
This one is so not going to be right for everyone. To be honest, I'm not even sure it was right for me. It has all the makings of things that creep me out. Erratic characters, drug use, abuse, violence, and lots & lots of body hair. Not things that usually make me jump up and down or make my little heart go pitter patter. But damn, did I really enjoy this read. It was amazingly poetic and fascinating to get inside the minds of such fucked up characters.
I will admit to a certain amount of queasiness during the first 20%. We all know what happens so there's no need for spoiler tags. Just know that I almost decided to quit at that point realizing that even though a certain part of my sick mind found it interesting, most of me was saying "Turn back, this is not familiar or good territory for you to be wading into." And throughout to entire story, my mind kept screaming WTF! This is not normal for us! There are descriptions that made me cringe and words that made me roll my eyes. I couldn't understand Jay at all, could barely fathom being as ridiculously devoted as Al, and could mostly only feel sorry for Rob. But I kept reading, and the more I did, the more I could begin to see things through each of their eyes. I know Jay was fucked up beyond repair, and in his mind he was just trying to find some peace. I know Al was afraid of going back to the lonely sap he was before meeting Jay and still needed to feed his kinks, but also wanted to retain his goodness. And I know Rob had the heart of a survivor. Even if survival came at the cost of everything he had in him. It is honestly amazing how wide the spectrum of humanity stretches.
It all ends the only way it can. None of these men will ever be the same. They have been through too much and been changed too deeply to be any semblance of who they were before the incident. But again, the human instinct for survival and desire for love leads us all to do some pretty desperate things.
I will admit to a certain amount of queasiness during the first 20%. We all know what happens so there's no need for spoiler tags. Just know that I almost decided to quit at that point realizing that even though a certain part of my sick mind found it interesting, most of me was saying "Turn back, this is not familiar or good territory for you to be wading into." And throughout to entire story, my mind kept screaming WTF! This is not normal for us! There are descriptions that made me cringe and words that made me roll my eyes. I couldn't understand Jay at all, could barely fathom being as ridiculously devoted as Al, and could mostly only feel sorry for Rob. But I kept reading, and the more I did, the more I could begin to see things through each of their eyes. I know Jay was fucked up beyond repair, and in his mind he was just trying to find some peace. I know Al was afraid of going back to the lonely sap he was before meeting Jay and still needed to feed his kinks, but also wanted to retain his goodness. And I know Rob had the heart of a survivor. Even if survival came at the cost of everything he had in him. It is honestly amazing how wide the spectrum of humanity stretches.
It all ends the only way it can. None of these men will ever be the same. They have been through too much and been changed too deeply to be any semblance of who they were before the incident. But again, the human instinct for survival and desire for love leads us all to do some pretty desperate things.
January 11, 2013
I ravaged this book for the first 65%, couldn't read it fast enough, loved it, then... Yes, it went down hill. It could just be me, but it got all hearts and flowers in a situation that was anything but. Yeah, yeah, Stockholm Syndrome you might say, but it still didn't ring true to me and got way to sappy. When all the flowery stuff came into it, I really just wanted to finish the book. Rob just didn't feel real to me with his reactions. And people have said this is dark... No, I didn't think so, because the unrealism lightened it into a m/m romance that left me going, "Really? No, come on. I just don't feel it." Sorry to everyone who likes this book, but I like realism and this was so far from it I fell of the side of the earth. I'm sure all you romantics will love it, but I'm not a romantic, but a realist junkie.
"Sweet, adieu. I'll keep my oath." Shakespeare (Al liked Shakespeare)
"Sweet, adieu. I'll keep my oath." Shakespeare (Al liked Shakespeare)
November 30, 2011
An excellently written story about the eroticism of bondage and captivity
with a surprising ending.
With an odd mix of compassion and cruelty Fog was intense,fascinating and always just one little step away from being too much...
with a surprising ending.
With an odd mix of compassion and cruelty Fog was intense,fascinating and always just one little step away from being too much...
February 6, 2013
So deliciously dark. I need to stop reading novels like this, they're too... distracting.
September 13, 2012
Ever wonder what it's like to be kidnapped for an extended period of time, fearing for your life the majority of the time, then be released? Ever tried to mentally put yourself in the shoes of the Colombian presidential candidate released by the FARC guerrillas? How does it affect the victim, how do they survive?
The physical setting in this story is perfect for its purpose: a house up in the mountains, cold, lonely, quiet, isolated. The emotional setting also serves to make the plot believable. The characters are guys you and I would interact with and probably not even look at twice. Both have their traumatic past experiences, to differing degrees, that makes their behavior in the story understandable, criminal though it may be. The victim is, for me, the absolutely best developed character I've read in a good, long while. Rob just got a hold of my heart from the first scene and never let go.
The plot, then, moves along with perfect pacing. I could barely put this book down to work and sleep. Thoughts of where I wanted it to go and all the places it could go, invaded my every waking hour. By the time the climax of the story came along, I was biting my nails. The ending was truly satisfying to me, it made sense, it fulfilled my every expectation and more.
I think the constant shift of emotions, from one extreme to the other, created by the author is the main reason why this book is so brilliant. It's a tug-of-war between hope and despair, horror and beauty, violence and compassion, with one emotion always winning over the other by a small edge. How much is fear an integral part of the erotic thrill of BDSM? And talking about that last particular aspect, I loved the way the author has Al verbalize how he feels about Rob and his submission. It's lyrical versus the downright dirty and raunchy. Genius!
Be warned, this is not for those of delicate sensibilities. There is one graphic rape, some humiliation, knife and blood play, and BDSM. If any of the above is a no-no for you, stay away. Otherwise, dive in, because this dark and gritty tale must not be missed.
The physical setting in this story is perfect for its purpose: a house up in the mountains, cold, lonely, quiet, isolated. The emotional setting also serves to make the plot believable. The characters are guys you and I would interact with and probably not even look at twice. Both have their traumatic past experiences, to differing degrees, that makes their behavior in the story understandable, criminal though it may be. The victim is, for me, the absolutely best developed character I've read in a good, long while. Rob just got a hold of my heart from the first scene and never let go.
The plot, then, moves along with perfect pacing. I could barely put this book down to work and sleep. Thoughts of where I wanted it to go and all the places it could go, invaded my every waking hour. By the time the climax of the story came along, I was biting my nails. The ending was truly satisfying to me, it made sense, it fulfilled my every expectation and more.
I think the constant shift of emotions, from one extreme to the other, created by the author is the main reason why this book is so brilliant. It's a tug-of-war between hope and despair, horror and beauty, violence and compassion, with one emotion always winning over the other by a small edge. How much is fear an integral part of the erotic thrill of BDSM? And talking about that last particular aspect, I loved the way the author has Al verbalize how he feels about Rob and his submission. It's lyrical versus the downright dirty and raunchy. Genius!
Be warned, this is not for those of delicate sensibilities. There is one graphic rape, some humiliation, knife and blood play, and BDSM. If any of the above is a no-no for you, stay away. Otherwise, dive in, because this dark and gritty tale must not be missed.
February 3, 2012
This is very well written and wonderfully descriptive story. Some parts were a bit brutal, some were sad, and some were sweet. There were some ackkk, ewwww, and awwww moments throughout. Trying to understand the mentality of Jay and Al, and after a while, Rob, was difficult. I found Al to be a total contradiction. He's a mountain man, backwoods sort of fellow, yet he is very well educated, with a college degree who loves, can quote, and seemingly understands poetry. He is sadistic and brutal at times, yet loving and caring at others. I had a great time trying to figure out which way this story was going to go. What would happen when Jay came back? Would he and Al have a go at Rob together? Would Al stick to the pact? Would Rob? My mind was always one step ahead trying to answer these questions. There is a time gap near the end that I wish was more detailed, but, other than that, I really enjoyed this book.
November 20, 2011
Just kill me now. This is a depressingly sad book. I really liked it. Jay is one f-ed up mo-fo from his prison sentence. Well, I hate to break the news to the bugger - "You do time, to pay for the crime". Do people not know this? Seriously, armed robbery is generally frowned upon. AND people who get caught - you end up in prison. Is this something that is a shock? That the government keeps a secret in the USA? I mean, I know Paris Ho-bag or Lindsay Whore-han could be naked, getting f-ed in the ass and snorting coke in front of hundreds and STILL not be arrested, but peasant people like the rest of us get jail time.
Anyway, Jay's (Jeff) revenge kidnapping and ass raping of Rob goes totally sideways. Bringing his lover Al into helping the sexual slavery ended up messing up their relationship too. Sigh. I have to say, this is one of those guilty pleasure books where I enjoyed the very obvious raping of a straight boy by two very bear big dicked gay men. Yes, I am that pervert. Who knew? (Don't answer that! I know who you are!)
Mr. Mann's book was well written and totally turned the evil captors and innocent victim upside down. I felt this was a lose-lose book all together. No one won. I like this. Now if there was just a Chinese person thrown in here, it would make sense, because you know, they never have happy ever afters and somebody always dies in their movies. I digress. If you want an angsty m/m non con book where it's the lines have been fogged up between good and bad, I recommend this book. It's a fast read.
Anyway, Jay's (Jeff) revenge kidnapping and ass raping of Rob goes totally sideways. Bringing his lover Al into helping the sexual slavery ended up messing up their relationship too. Sigh. I have to say, this is one of those guilty pleasure books where I enjoyed the very obvious raping of a straight boy by two very bear big dicked gay men. Yes, I am that pervert. Who knew? (Don't answer that! I know who you are!)
Mr. Mann's book was well written and totally turned the evil captors and innocent victim upside down. I felt this was a lose-lose book all together. No one won. I like this. Now if there was just a Chinese person thrown in here, it would make sense, because you know, they never have happy ever afters and somebody always dies in their movies. I digress. If you want an angsty m/m non con book where it's the lines have been fogged up between good and bad, I recommend this book. It's a fast read.
November 21, 2011
This one is right up my alley. Captured guy - at the mercy of two others. Boy did I run through some emotions on this one! Many of the reviews are spot on for this. I did not see that ending coming either. This one will have you going back and forth with your emotions -- seriously. I felt exhausted after reading it! If you like this type of novel then this is a must buy.
June 8, 2014
Powerful writing. For once, the fact that it was present tense didn't irk me. In fact I was half way through before I realized. I'm not sure if that's testament to the fact that the story and characterisation swept me along so much or the skill of the writer. I suspect both.
The subject matter is confronting, but what I liked best was that the GMC was consistent throughout and the emotional as well as the physical consequences of every deed rang true. Plausible? Likely? Who cares? The story is more about the character's needs and desires as much as what they do and why they do it. It's not m/m romance but there sure is a lot of love in it, and I don't mean sex.
Edited after listening to the audio version kindly supplied to me by the author.
This was my first audio book and I saved it for a solo seven hour drive from Lismore to Moree, via the Bruxner Way/Highway, a little travelled two lane road which at times winds through wooded hills. For half the journey I saw only three other cars on the road
The length was perfect. By the time I hit the busy Newell Highway, it had finished. But the lonely journey was not only enlivened by listening to a riveting story, the isolation also matched it perfectly. I felt as trapped and isolated in the car as the characters were in their hideaway.
Having read the story before, I knew what was coming, so I was able to concentrate more on the way it unfolded.
How could you go from such a dire start to a HEA?
Jeff has also written a short story and a novella on a similar theme (included in "History of Barbed Wire") that are like sketches artists like Rembrandt and Michelangelo did before creating their final masterpiece. Working on the hand or a section of the whole.
Jeff's shorter pieces didn't have an HEA though, so as an author I found it fascinating the bits that were added to make the ending, not only logical but immensely satisfying.
I enjoyed hearing the story, the narrator's voice changed a bit in the middle, not sure if it was just a reflection of different recording sessions or a different narrator, but both versions were fine.
The subject matter is confronting, but what I liked best was that the GMC was consistent throughout and the emotional as well as the physical consequences of every deed rang true. Plausible? Likely? Who cares? The story is more about the character's needs and desires as much as what they do and why they do it. It's not m/m romance but there sure is a lot of love in it, and I don't mean sex.
Edited after listening to the audio version kindly supplied to me by the author.
This was my first audio book and I saved it for a solo seven hour drive from Lismore to Moree, via the Bruxner Way/Highway, a little travelled two lane road which at times winds through wooded hills. For half the journey I saw only three other cars on the road
The length was perfect. By the time I hit the busy Newell Highway, it had finished. But the lonely journey was not only enlivened by listening to a riveting story, the isolation also matched it perfectly. I felt as trapped and isolated in the car as the characters were in their hideaway.
Having read the story before, I knew what was coming, so I was able to concentrate more on the way it unfolded.
How could you go from such a dire start to a HEA?
Jeff has also written a short story and a novella on a similar theme (included in "History of Barbed Wire") that are like sketches artists like Rembrandt and Michelangelo did before creating their final masterpiece. Working on the hand or a section of the whole.
Jeff's shorter pieces didn't have an HEA though, so as an author I found it fascinating the bits that were added to make the ending, not only logical but immensely satisfying.
I enjoyed hearing the story, the narrator's voice changed a bit in the middle, not sure if it was just a reflection of different recording sessions or a different narrator, but both versions were fine.
March 10, 2013
I really had trouble deciding on a rating for this one. It started out so disturbing and emotional, I devoured it. The ending was sweet, if slightly strange. The journey from making me feel slightly sick to thinking this was a little too sweet had me gripping my kindle until I feared I would break it.
I don't want to ruin this for anyone who hasn't read it yet, so all I can say is, even though parts of this were disturbing by the end I was very glad that I had read this book. Not sure if that helps anyone, but I am still trying to work out my own thoughts as this book runs around in my head.
I don't want to ruin this for anyone who hasn't read it yet, so all I can say is, even though parts of this were disturbing by the end I was very glad that I had read this book. Not sure if that helps anyone, but I am still trying to work out my own thoughts as this book runs around in my head.
July 26, 2013
This felt real to me. Great story!
February 26, 2014
Darkly thought-provoking..with a tender ending. Disturbingly brutal..yet deeply moving. Harshly-detailed elements made for one authentically-terrifying ride and read.
January 12, 2015
Can I give this book ten stars...I really didn't know if I was gonna like this book but I loved it...It was really well written and the ending was just perfect...Jeff/Jay and his lover Mark/Al kidnap Rob the son of the cop who killed Jays previous lover and sent him to prison for ten years where he wasn't treated nicely....I absolutely hated Jay....Even knowing what happened to him i hated him....He raped/cut/abused Rob so bad for something he did....(If you break the law...you go to jail...simple)...So Rob suffered at Jays hands but then you have Al....He loved Rob from the start after spending months watching him...He was really quite tender to Rob...Ok there were times when he abused him..beat him all because Jay told him to...But he also showed him tenderness and kindness...They were left alone quite a lot when Jay went away on "business"....The friendliness between them grew and I found me wanting them to be together and get rid of Jay...It didn't happen like that but the ending was really well done...I felt sorry for Al ....and I felt sorry for Rob ....He needed the tenderness back..He needed to feel what he felt when he was with Al and that just made the perfect book x
November 22, 2011
On my to-read list for a long time, I started it last night and read until 1:30 a.m. then woke up at 6:00 a.m. to read more. Couldn't put it down.
Rob was abducted to pay for the sins of his cop father by an ex-con, Jay (Jeff) his father had arrested and his lover, Al (Mark). It's narrated by Al. Jay's revenge fantasies center on making Rob pay for Jay's repeated prison rapes so his rape of Rob is as rough and cruel as possible.
Al is Jay's accomplice because he loves Jay, warts and all, but he isn't a cruel man and while he's been stalking Rob prior to the abduction, he's fallen into lust with Rob and he treats Rob with as much kindness as he can get away with Jay.
Jay takes off on a road trip soon after the abduction, leaving Al and Rob together and that's the beginning of the end.
The tables have turned and Al's dominant side is allowed to flourish with Rob and Rob accepts Al's comfort and sexual advances. Rob had already experimented with his bicuriousness and is very attracted to his burly bear.
There is no win-win in this story but there is hope.
I'm looking at bears in a new way.
When I've digested this story a bit more, I'll come back and read more as I think this will be a reread.
Rob was abducted to pay for the sins of his cop father by an ex-con, Jay (Jeff) his father had arrested and his lover, Al (Mark). It's narrated by Al. Jay's revenge fantasies center on making Rob pay for Jay's repeated prison rapes so his rape of Rob is as rough and cruel as possible.
Al is Jay's accomplice because he loves Jay, warts and all, but he isn't a cruel man and while he's been stalking Rob prior to the abduction, he's fallen into lust with Rob and he treats Rob with as much kindness as he can get away with Jay.
Jay takes off on a road trip soon after the abduction, leaving Al and Rob together and that's the beginning of the end.
The tables have turned and Al's dominant side is allowed to flourish with Rob and Rob accepts Al's comfort and sexual advances. Rob had already experimented with his bicuriousness and is very attracted to his burly bear.
There is no win-win in this story but there is hope.
I'm looking at bears in a new way.
When I've digested this story a bit more, I'll come back and read more as I think this will be a reread.
January 11, 2012
One of the few books written by a male author in this genre that I devoured. The mix of non-romance elements (like Al being a bear and loving it dirty, sweaty and smelly) with the poetry of the descriptions of their surroundings, the tenderness of Al, and the characterizations are superb and left me melancholic and satisfied. Read the first review, it analyzes far better than me. I'd like to add a lot more superlatives, I'm so impressed, but it's redundant. Just read it.
October 17, 2015
The book left me with a sick feeling in my stomach. And, a sublime book reviewer might put in, that is what a good book should do: unleash, provoke...I indeed felt provoked. The first person narrator f**ked with my brain. For a long time I was lulled with his 'self-pity' and 'kindness'.
October 6, 2014
*Audio Book*
Talk about feelin dirtyyyy after listenin' to this one! Wowza!
Talk about feelin dirtyyyy after listenin' to this one! Wowza!
January 18, 2019
I had to think about this one for a little while. The writing is perfect. The plot was dark and brutal. However, I felt a little let down. I kept feeling like something was missing. I’ve read a lot of books that were similar were innocent victims are taken hostage by brutal captors, but this book just has a sweetness that the others were missing. My guess it’s because of Al and the fact that he falls in love with Rob.
Some people say that they were surprised by the ending. I guess I was as well, but I liked it.
Some people say that they were surprised by the ending. I guess I was as well, but I liked it.
May 18, 2019
Very enjoyable!
June 20, 2012
Simple. Heart-rending. Difficult. Stomach-turning. Lyrical. Oppressive. Creepy. Romantic. Emotional. Depressing. Tense. Complex. Thought-provoking. Poetic. Disturbing.Fog was all of the above.
Warning:
As a (self/proclaimed) experienced reader of non-con, I truly (and very emphatically) found that this book contained one of the most difficult scenes I have ever read. This is because it is set in a real-life situation, with no fantasy or fiction-like feel to blunt emotions. To be frank, I felt like I would vomit. I put it down several times, and almost quit the book entirely (if it weren't for other reviews/comments indicating there was (kind of) an end to this black rainbow.
Mann is, in turns, a very lyrical and very blunt writer. Perhaps more than any writer I've read recently, he effortlessly sets a scene that varies from creepy to vivid to tense. The setting is a key part of the setting:
"If I didn’t know better, I’d say that someone had plastered the windowpanes with translucent paper, that we were moored inside a pearl"
Furthermore, Mann never let's you forget - a life is on the line:
"We don’t want to give Rob any auditory evidence, in case we decide one day to let him loose, which is a big If. "
"A pit in the forest floor is a more preferable denouement, as far as Jay is concerned"
"Why does suffering have to be a black wind-borne seed sprouting more of the same"
"From a far distance, a train whistle sounds. Wind picks up, roaring in the chimney, making the house creak. “Oh, God,” Rob gasps. His shivering begins anew. “Sounds like death. Doesn’t it sound like death to you?"
What seems deceptively simple, is rather complex - in fact, I originally considered the simplicity of some scenes a negative of the story, until I looked deeper:
"The gag’s unnecessary, but I savor the feeling of power it gives me to control his speech."
“Hurt me? No. Hell, no. You’re helpless. You can’t hurt me."
"Just you and me and the fire inside and the ice outside"
“None of this is real. This is all a mad erotic dream,”
I have so much I could say about this book. There is so much I wanted to touch on in this review- I could go on forever. I'll refrain, as it will seem I'm nitpicking, whereas I'm truly reveling. I'll just say that this is a thought provoking book- very hard to take, but if you can stomach it, it is worth it.
Warning:
As a (self/proclaimed) experienced reader of non-con, I truly (and very emphatically) found that this book contained one of the most difficult scenes I have ever read. This is because it is set in a real-life situation, with no fantasy or fiction-like feel to blunt emotions. To be frank, I felt like I would vomit. I put it down several times, and almost quit the book entirely (if it weren't for other reviews/comments indicating there was (kind of) an end to this black rainbow.
Mann is, in turns, a very lyrical and very blunt writer. Perhaps more than any writer I've read recently, he effortlessly sets a scene that varies from creepy to vivid to tense. The setting is a key part of the setting:
"If I didn’t know better, I’d say that someone had plastered the windowpanes with translucent paper, that we were moored inside a pearl"
Furthermore, Mann never let's you forget - a life is on the line:
"We don’t want to give Rob any auditory evidence, in case we decide one day to let him loose, which is a big If. "
"A pit in the forest floor is a more preferable denouement, as far as Jay is concerned"
"Why does suffering have to be a black wind-borne seed sprouting more of the same"
"From a far distance, a train whistle sounds. Wind picks up, roaring in the chimney, making the house creak. “Oh, God,” Rob gasps. His shivering begins anew. “Sounds like death. Doesn’t it sound like death to you?"
What seems deceptively simple, is rather complex - in fact, I originally considered the simplicity of some scenes a negative of the story, until I looked deeper:
"The gag’s unnecessary, but I savor the feeling of power it gives me to control his speech."
“Hurt me? No. Hell, no. You’re helpless. You can’t hurt me."
"Just you and me and the fire inside and the ice outside"
“None of this is real. This is all a mad erotic dream,”
I have so much I could say about this book. There is so much I wanted to touch on in this review- I could go on forever. I'll refrain, as it will seem I'm nitpicking, whereas I'm truly reveling. I'll just say that this is a thought provoking book- very hard to take, but if you can stomach it, it is worth it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews