Necessity's Door

Riptide Rentboys: The 2012 Collection

by Fiona Glass

Being an openly-gay detective in Birmingham comes with its share of problems. For one, the pay is awful. For another, Jake always gets stuck with the crappy undercover jobs. Like posing as a prostitute to catch the new crime boss in town—a man notorious for rough sex with pretty young rentboys.

Jake’s latest op is fraught with difficulties, all of them men. Like his partner, Mac, who he’s secretly fancied for months. And his new client, Graham, who he keeps sleeping with for reasons far beyond maintaining his cover. And of course there’s the target, Frank Warren, who’s much harder to lure than anyone had anticipated.

The longer the job drags on, the tougher it gets for Jake to juggle his own needs with those of the job. They may be closing in on Warren, but Jake’s heart—and his sense of right and wrong—are slipping through his fingers. Mac is there to back him up, but is he really the man Jake needs? Tough to know among all those lies Jake's been telling himself and everyone else.

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Romance, LGBT, Short Stories, Crime, Queer

49 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 26, 2012

About the author

Most of Fiona's books involve history, the paranormal and romance in varying (and varyingly weird!) combinations. They include gay ghostly romances December Roses, Trench Warfare, and Ghosts Galore, and gay vampire romance Echoes of Blood.

Fiona lives in a slate cottage within stone-throwing distance (never a good idea in Glass houses...) of England's largest lake. She enjoys history, gardening and photography, and rarely has her nose far from the pages of a book - or a cup of tea.

You can sign up to her free monthly newsletter, with updates about her writing, books, trips out, history, ghosts, snippets, and occasional free stories, here: https://www.subscribepage.com/fionaglass

Reviews

[Monika · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected more from this story, the blurb was good the cover was great but the story inside was lacking. I liked Jake as an MC but the rest of the characters had no personality, which made it difficult to get lost in the story. Jake going undercover as a prostitute was good but having him sleeping with “clients” was totally unbelievable and his undercover job of catching the new crime boss was really thin, there was no build up and the end of that part of the story was lackluster and very disappointing. Jake falling in love with Graham all happened way to fast and at first I was looking for Graham to end up being the bad guy. Its unfortunate this could have been a good little short, the premise was good but the execution not so much.

This story just didn't work for me, it’s unfortunate this could have been a good story.

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

With its storyline of an undercover cop playing the role of prostitute, Necessity's Door fits in seamlessly with the other titles in Riptide Publishing's Rentboy Collection. While there's a feeling of implausibility in Jake's actually going with the men who stop for him, it didn't hamper my enjoyment of this story in any way.

At the start of the story Jake is definitely in turmoil after his boyfriend walks out on him taking all of Jake's savings. It's made him a bit desperate to make ends meet. Add in his current assignment working as a rentboy to track down a drug dealer and you see Jake at an all time low mentally. He's lonely both mentally and physically and it's led to some reckless decisions. I understood his feelings of frustration and desperation and how easily that can lead you astray.

Mac was a good and loyal friend and I appreciated his honesty with Jake in all matters. He was a good moral compass for Jake and I can see why Jake was attracted to him. Graham too was just what Jake needed. He brought some much needed humor to his life and made him feel cared for. I wish we'd gotten a more vivid impression of Graham though. The glimpses we get feel like just that, glimpses without much substance.

Considering the subject matter the sexual interludes aren't very graphic and are often summed up in two or three sentences. The story flows along nicely but the ending felt a bit rushed and too perfectly tied up to ensure a HEA. This doesn't detract from this enjoyably written story with likable characters put in an intense situation. Fiona Glass has created an emotionally intense story featuring conflicted yet admirable characters which has me clamoring for more of her works and brings the Rentboy Collection to a satisfying conclusion.

[Adara · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting short novella about an undercover officer posing as a rentboy. He gets caught between his job and his life when he meets a real john who's not part of his mission but he has to go with the guy to maintain his cover. And he likes it. A lot. And then he gets paid, and no one really knows about it, so even though he should declare it, he's got some financial difficulty riding him and that money could help, and no one will know, so what's the harm, and if the guy keeps coming back and no one knows, is it still maintaining his cover, or is it more...

The confusion of right and wrong, reality and fiction fuses into one big mess for Jake. It's a well-thought out dilemma, in my opinion, and the whole thought process felt very... human. Completely understandable where he's coming from, and why it would be so easy to just...

I LOVED the voice of this piece. I've read several stories which were written in British English, but the colloquialisms were almost non-existent. Not so here. The colloquialisms are what made this story for me, part of what made it so human--a more natural interaction.

If I had had a gripe, and I really don't, it would have been the ending, because I wanted more--I wanted to be a fly on the wall for the coming conversation--but I realized it really didn't make sense to go there with this story. It would have drug on to go there. So, after thinking about it, I have no gripes.

So, 4.5 stars, rounded down until I determine how rereadable I find it.

[L-D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't expect this to be so short. I think that even with the length, the author did manage to put some interesting things into her story. I liked the overall premise of Jake as an undercover policeman, but I was having trouble coming to terms with Jake's situation. I couldn't really get into the novel because I kept having to stop and ask myself...really? Cops that go undercover as hookers don't actually SLEEP with their tricks, right? They just bust them and move on. Since I was having trouble accepting that aspect of Jake's undercover role, it was hard for me to really get into the story. I am sure that undercover cops do a lot of sordid things if they go undercover in the mob, like do drugs or hurt people but I was just skeeved out by the things Jake had to do for the sake of his job.

Then I had trouble connecting with the characters' relationships within the book as well. I wasn't feeling the relationship between Jake and his married, closeted trick, Graham. I wasn't really too impressed with Graham being the kind of man who is living a lie with his wife, and then going off to get hookers on the side.

[Ayanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concerns, concerns, concerns. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That sort of stuff.

I'm still unsure about the whole actually having sex on an undercover op thing, but beyond that whole dubious premise, it was quite good. I mean, parts of it DID seem rather like a series of comedy of errors, but the emotions of the characters were explored rather nicely.

I kind of would have wanted more development, but in that whole implications area more...

Abrupt ending, HFN, *shrug. I mean, for its length, it wasn't bad? Again, though, the whole sanctioned-sex-on-an-op thing I still question the veracity of. (yay, ending a sentence with a preposition!)

[Sars · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started off well but kind of went downhill very fast. Issues with the undercover operation aside, the ending was very disappointing. It felt rushed as well. Possibly would have been a better story if the author had time to flesh out the other characters a bit more.

[jules0623 · Rating 2 out of 5]

The whole 'cop actually hooking while undercover as a hooker' premise a little far-fetched, tbh. This was an alright read but I just couldn't get past my incredulity.

[Barb ~rede-2-read~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm torn between two and three stars on this. It's been on my TBR since 2012 and it's fairly short but I'm finally committed to clearing out the old books.

I liked Jake, the MC, but didn't care for his job - undercover prostitute cop -- trying to bring down a crime lord. And yes, he really has sex with not only him but with other customers. That wasn't explicit but also felt wrong in that it was treated so lightly.

I guess the whole plot is kinda worn and bogus nowadays but there were some things that I appreciated so giving the benefit of the doubt with 3 stars.

[Elizabetta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't get behind this one. The idea of an undercover cop posing as a prostitute actually sleeping with suspects and debating keeping the cash just didn't work for me. Maybe if it had been built as grittier. To me, Jake comes off as a mess with nothing to really redeem him. This is part of the Riptide Rentboy 2012 collection. Comprised of 4 books, as a whole I'd rate the collection a 3.5 but mostly for Belleau and Vane's Cruce de Caminos which remains my favorite.

[Lasha · Rating 1 out of 5]

An undercover cop posing as a hooker, but sleeping with his "johns" to maintain his cover. What? Not plausible in the slightest. An editor at Riptide, whose books I normally enjoy, should have caught that the premise is not realistic in the slightest. And from other reviews it seems I am not alone.

Beautiful cover though.

[Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

.5 stars

Run, run far away. Don't waste your time or money on this totally ridiculous book. I can't believe it's gotten more then one star ratings. I can suspend belief when it does to books but I would believe in the teachings of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster before I believe the crap this book was selling me.

[Evaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable story about a gay undercover cop and the pickle he manages to get himself into with his on the job partner, their quarry and the innocent fellow that stumbles into the picture.

A bit of romantic fairytale type fluff, but you know what? Sometimes that kind of story is exactly what one's soul needs after a few dark reads in a row.

I'd read work by Fiona Glass again. :)

[Liz (Bugetta) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one. The writing was really good but it was not a romance; there is no HEA and not even an HFN. It was more about the MC moving on from a bad breakup and a guy he can't have and finding someone in a very unconventional way who could love but you don't get that story. I would like to read that story though!

[Katy Beth Mckee · Rating 4 out of 5]

When this story started I was so sure where it was going. Toward the middle I didn't see how anything good would come of the the mess Jake's world had become. To get to the end was surprising in it simplicity.

[Lacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read, if a bit thin at times. Also, the ending, way too convenient/abrupt. Still, I enjoyed the brief glimpse into the lives of the characters and would be willing to read more of Glass' work.

[Tracy's Place · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this story. It was nicely written. I liked the plot and characters.

[Luta Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

eh we'll give it a go

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything got tied up a little too neatly and quickly at the end, but I liked the story and main characters.

[Kristie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh... I have so many issues with this I don't know where to start, so I won't.

[G.B. Gordon]

Couldn't suspend disbelief enough to make it work for me.

[Jilrene · Rating 2 out of 5]

somewhere between "it was ok" and "I liked it" I didn't believe any of it. Just too far fetched.