Hoarse Play

The Briar Rose #1

by Sean Michael

Having moved out east, Matt and Adam have renovated the big old house they bought, turning it into The Briar Rose, a BDSM B&B. With Adam's experience as a professional sub and Matt's patience and knowledge, they hope to help other couples find their way in the BDSM lifestyle.

Their first guests are Jackson and Burger, a well-known singer and his manager. The couple are not exactly what Adam and Matt expect, but they do what they can to help the other men learn to communicate and find trust.

Singer Jackson has just had an operation on his vocal chords and has been ordered not to speak for at least two weeks, something he's having a hard time doing. Burger brings Jackson to the Briar Rose in the hopes of not only keeping the singer resting and quiet, but in rekindling their on-again-off-again love affair and making it on-again, permanently. Can they find what they need at The Briar Rose?


Matt and Adam first appeared in Sold, a Hammer novel, and are the foundation for the new Briar Rose series by Sean Michael.

Genres: BDSM, M M Romance, Contemporary, Erotica, Gay, Romance, M M Contemporary

126 pages, ebook

First published August 28, 2012

About the author

Often referred to as "Space Cowboy" and "Gangsta of Love" while still striving for the moniker of "Maurice," Sean Michael spends his days surfing, smutting, organizing his immense gourd collection and fantasizing about one day retiring on a small secluded island peopled entirely by horseshoe crabs. While collecting vast amounts of vintage gay pulp novels and mood rings, Sean whiles away the hours between dropping the f-bomb and persuing the kama sutra by channeling the long lost spirit of John Wayne and singing along with the soundtrack to "Chicago."

A long-time writer of complicated haiku, currently Sean is attempting to learn the advanced arts of plate spinning and soap carving sex toys.

Barring any of that? He'll stick with writing his stories, thanks, and rubbing pretty bodies together to see if they spark.

Reviews

[Serena Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever wanted to read stories about a gay BDSM B&B? This new series is your chance. I thought the idea of a BDSM B&B was wonderful when it first appeared in Sold (one of the Hammer novels), but seeing it put into action was even better. And as a start to a new series this novella really worked for me. The focus is divided equally between Adam and Matt, the owners of the B&B, and Jackson and Burger, their first two guests. This is a good way of setting the tone for Adam and Matt, since in a way, they are as new to the reader in this first book as their 'temporary' guests. I imagine they can fade more into the background over time, but I was glad they played such an important role in the first book.

Adam and Matt are an established couple, pretty certain in their roles, and now live their dream of running a B&B. Not just any B&B though, they plan to offer a safe place for other D/s couples, as well as advice, support and teaching for those who need it. And this first guest couple certainly tests their understanding and patience!

Jackson and Burger are at a very different place in their relationship. Jackson is a rock star, and exhausted, a recent operation on his vocal cords is still healing. He's supposed not to speak for two weeks, and that is more difficult for him than expected. Burger is his manager and on-again-off-again lover, but he wants his relationship with Jackson to be permanently on. Not just because he knows what Jackson needs, deep down, but also because he loves the man. It takes them quite a while to work out their new way of relating to each other, and some of the experimentation on the way is extremely hot.

If you're a fan of stories about more than one couple, with all men getting about equal attention, if you like your books with lots and lots and lots of kinky sex, and if you enjoy watching D/s come into a relationship as a solution to a problem one or both men have had, you will probably like this novella. I certainly look forward to the next one.




NOTE: This book was provided by Torquere Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[Tam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because I was curious to see what happened to Matt and Adam of Sold when they decided to go off and set up a BDSM B&B where they could help people learn about BDSM. Adam had done a lot of shows/training. He also had an eating disorder which his relationship with Matt helped him tackle. (It does note that it’s not perfect, but better.)

Their first couple coming are Jackson and Burger. Jackson is a famous singer whose throat is on the cusp of giving out on him following surgery and Burger has been his off-again on-again lover and full-time manager and friend. He’s determined to be on-again, permanently, however party-boy Jackson is pissed about the whole concept of going away, and scared about his physical status.

Now the thing is, beyond suspecting that Jackson likes getting spanked, Burger really had no reason to come to a BDSM B&B, but … The story goes back and forth between the two couples with sex scenes with both couples. They very rarely interact and in fact Burger and Jackson barely come out of their room for the whole six weeks, and in true SM fashion, seem to rarely eat. This behaviour kind of throw Adam off who wants to help people, but Matt convinces him they are. There is one flogging scene where they show Burger and Jackson, Adam being flogged, but it’s pretty much two stories of two couples, who happen to be in the same house.

If you like fisting you get double the fun. No, not double fisting *shudder*, but out of the blue Burger goes at Jackson, neither of whom seems to have done this before and there is an enema/fisting scene with Matt and Adam. So we all know a SM books is sex, sex and more sex. But I actually went through and counted the number of pages that DON’T have sex on them, or aren’t leading up to sex, or intimating that sex is right around the corner. That is 32% There were 40 pages that did not have overt sexual activity on it, and of those, probably 10 had discussions about sexual activities but in a more conversational manner.

I was madly skimming by the end. I was happy to see Adam and Matt working together and Adam in a healthy place, I didn’t really need to see several sex scenes with them to prove it to me. I also found the similarity between the two couples and the sex scenes made it seem repetitive. There wasn’t any great gap between the two except obviously that Adam was more traditionally submissive and slightly nervous, but nothing stark that stood out for me between the two couples.

This is obviously meant to be a series, with other couples who come to the Briar Rose to learn and connect, but I seriously hope we can back off on the sex some, and especially that between Adam and Matt. They are deliriously happy with each other, there is no point to it, except to fill up the pages. Very little of the conflict between the two guests is talked about beyond one blow-out (which leads to fisting) and then we are told they are holed up in their room connecting, but none of the conversations are shown, we just have to trust that somewhere in those six weeks they figured out how to make it work.

I would give another edition a try, because I’d kind of like to see them actually showing another couple how to wield a crop or use a butt plug or SOMETHING, because this was just kind of a big fat nothing for Adam and Matt and I didn’t blame Adam for feeling like he didn’t do anything. They didn’t, besides provide a place for them to stay.

If you are in the mood for non-stop sex, snap it up. If you liked Adam and Matt and want to see how they are doing like I did? It might be worth a read. If you are interested in seeing another couple work out their relationship? Not so much, unless seeing them have sex five or six times is enough of a “solution” for you. Disappointing for me.

[Serena Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever wanted to read stories about a gay BDSM B&B? This new series is your chance. I thought the idea of a BDSM B&B was wonderful when it first appeared in Sold (one of the Hammer novels), but seeing it put into action was even better. And as a start to a new series this novella really worked for me. The focus is divided equally between Adam and Matt, the owners of the B&B, and Jackson and Burger, their first two guests. This is a good way of setting the tone for Adam and Matt, since in a way, they are as new to the reader in this first book as their 'temporary' guests. I imagine they can fade more into the background over time, but I was glad they played such an important role in the first book.

Adam and Matt are an established couple, pretty certain in their roles, and now live their dream of running a B&B. Not just any B&B though, they plan to offer a safe place for other D/s couples, as well as advice, support and teaching for those who need it. And this first guest couple certainly tests their understanding and patience!

Jackson and Burger are at a very different place in their relationship. Jackson is a rock star, and exhausted, a recent operation on his vocal cords is still healing. He's supposed to not speak for two weeks, and that is more difficult for him than expected. Burger is his manager and on-again-off-again lover, but he wants his relationship with Jackson to be permanently on. Not just because he knows what Jackson needs, deep down, but also because he loves the man. It takes them quite a while to work out their new way of relating to each other, and some of the experimentation on the way is extremely hot.

If you're a fan of stories about more than one couple, with all men getting about equal attention, if you like your books with lots and lots and lots of kinky sex, and if you enjoy watching D/s come into a relationship as a solution to a problem one or both men have had, you will probably like this novella. I certainly look forward to the next one.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book suffers from glaring editorial neglect. “Jacks” is repeatedly treated as a plural word instead of singular when trying to make it possessive (Jacks' instead of the correct Jacks’s), and continuity errors—like stating contradictory stay lengths for a pair of guests: either four weeks (Location 34) or six weeks (Location 207)—go unchecked. The character Burger is mistakenly called “Briar,” the name of the B&B (Location 757).

The word lovely appears 100 times, often as a pet name and then again as an adjective within the same paragraph, diluting its impact. The tone is relentlessly gentle, lacking contrast or narrative texture. Even the BDSM elements strain credibility: a fisting scene escalates from a single finger to a full fist in what reads like three minutes, with no realistic buildup.

More troubling is the emotional dynamic. Jackson rarely seems like he wants to be there, and his thoughts and boundaries are routinely dismissed—not just by the characters, but by the author. Burger is positioned as the unquestioned authority, while Jackson’s discomfort is ignored or overridden. If this story is meant to reflect growth and understanding within a BDSM context, it fails to show any concern for Jackson’s mental welfare, which feels not just careless, but dangerous.

This book needs both tonal and structural editing, and a far deeper understanding of emotional responsibility.

[Cole Riann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review posted at The Armchair Reader.

I'm very hit and miss with Sean Michael's books. I suppose it depends on my mood, but then I do find that this author, though in general heavy on sex, has a few different styles. This book is in probably the typical style that people expect from this author and I think I've read enough by now that I'm just over it. I don't mind sex heavy books. But without intimacy, which is based with information and getting to know the characters individually and together, then the sex is boring and flat. When the whole book is full of that kind of sex, I just about had to make myself read instead of skim.

This book is the first of a spinoff series of the couple (Matt and Adam) from Sold, in the Hammer series. I haven't read all of those books, including Sold, because I couldn't really get into them, but I was intrigued by the setup of this series. Matt and Adam have bought, built up and renovated an old house and made it into a BDSM Bed and Breakfast. They're nervous, but solid in their relationship and hoping to help other couples learn, discover or offer a safe space to explore their desires and relationships.

Their first couple is Burger and Jackson. Jackson is a superstar musician who has developed nodes on his vocal cords. He needs to preserve the voice that he's damaged by a hedonistic lifestyle. That lifestyle has grown out of control lately, seems to grow out of control cyclically in coordination with his on and off again relationship with Burger, his manager. They've known each other forever and fight like crazy. But, Burger has had enough and decides that Jackson really needs him this time, and they needs to find a way to create a permanent balance.

All of the problems I had with this book and in the relationship between Jackson and Burger in particular stem from the fact that we never get to know either one of them. What we do know is what I've written in summary above. Further than that, only a few things. We don't know why Burger is called Burger, which surprised me. We know very little about the history of their relationship. We don't know much about the situation Burger is rescuing Jackson from. More than that, they rarely communicate. I say communicate specifically because I don't want to confuse the issue with talking. The basis of the story is that Jackson can't talk, because of his damaged vocal cords. He does it anyway, I think probably as a way of pushing Burger's buttons, but the level of actual communication, the sharing of feelings, ideas or building a new way of understanding each other is almost nil. Because of that I had a hard time sensing any chemistry between them. I think this is important because it only has to do with the level of sex in the sense that the sex keeps them from those things. That is frustrating for me as a reader because true intimacy, which breeds the sexual chemistry that is so important in a romance, comes from some form of communication. It falls flat for me when the sex works against intimacy, and therefore feels forced and fake.

So I couldn't get into this. The other problem for me was the established relationship, but I suspect that comes mostly from the fact that I didn't read their original book. If I had, I might have made it through their scenes (which are roughly 50% of the book) happy to see them again. I didn't know them, so the fact that they didn't have any conflict or progression of plot other than the day to day runnings of a new B&B (which we don't see much about either), made me completely uninterested in them.

Aside from that, there isn't much to tell. There are two fisting scenes, one for each relationship. One of these is fine, but one squicked me out just a little because it was on the fly with little preparation. I hate to sound crass, or really mention this at all since it … well ugh, but there was no cleaning involved prior and I could not stop thinking about gross things better left unsaid… *shudder*

So I think it is safe to say that I couldn't get into this at all. I'm still a fan of this author but I think for the most part I'll avoid her BDSM titles, at least for a while. I never seem to learn my lesson!

[Lucia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is actually about two couples, Matt and Adam, who own the B&B, and Jack and Burger, a singer and his manager. That this book was about two couples, didn't really work for me. When I finally got into the story of one couple, the perspective was changed to the other couple, which brought me out of the story a lot of the time. I know a book written by Sean Michael often has a lot of sex in it, but this time, it was too much for me. I felt like there was almost no backstory and when it seemed like it finally would get some backstory, there would be a sexscene or the story would switch to the other couple.
Another little thing that bugged me was the name of te B&B. The series is called the Briar Rose, the summary calls it the Briar Rose, but in the book it was named the Rose Briar. Just a little detail, but once I notice such things, it bugs me...

This is my personal opinion and normally I really enjoy the books of Sean Michael. Maybe because I was spoiled with a lot of very interesting couples in the past this one just didn't work for me :)

[Sammy Goode · Rating 4 out of 5]

When author Sean Michaels puts pen to paper and decides to write raw emotion, subs finding acceptance of their role, Doms coming into their own and realizing love and respect for their sub--well magic tends to happen and Hoarse Play is by no means an exception.

Jackson and Burger are on again/off again friends with benefits. In between Jackson self-implodes on drugs, booze and mindless sex and Burger melts down with one temper flare up after another. Needless to say, communication is not high on the list for this couple. So it is a stroke of genius that the most effective communication that will occur between these two men will take place when one cannot speak at all.

Due to overwork and abuse, Jackson's throat is done in and a much needed surgery has left him hoarse and in dire need of rest. Burger has decided that two weeks at a BDSM B&B is the place to be.

And here is where a five star novel dropped to a four. The author never explains why--why a BDSM inn?? I mean, quite frankly, these two guys had plenty to work out relationship-wise without throwing in something they have never discussed much less tried--BDSM. And, honestly, Michaels opted to never really explain why they ended up there.

That rather important and lacking plot point left me shaking my head through much of the book--especially since the B&B owners did not understand why Jackson and Burger were there either. From the beginning of this novel, it is explained that this is a last ditch effort for Burger to make Jackson see that they should be together.

So why add the element of BDSM to the list when their emotional plate was already full? The whole question hung there for the duration of the novel--and never really got resolved. This, to me, was a major flaw. Then, came the next element that simply left me scratching my head in confusion.

Here was a couple who were just beginning to experiment with spanking, and using a gag (mainly to keep Jackson quiet) and all of a sudden there was fisting. No, I am not going to explain fisting. Please go look it up if you don't know what I am speaking about. However, needless to say, it is a pretty big sexual exchange and it really did not ring true that these two men would know how to do it safely much less do it with seemingly no qualms. I mean Jackson could barely wrap his mind around a spanking but he was ok with fisting?? No, that was way over the top for me.

So...what did work and why the four stars? Well, let's go back to those opening paragraphs. Sean Michaels is a pro at writing both believable and (quite frankly) beautiful emotional angst and love. I fell in love with Jackson and Burger--they were vulnerable, wounded and so very much in love with each other--yet bent on denying themselves and their love.

As their story unfolded, we watched as excuse after excuse fell way and like the peeling of an onion, we finally got to the tender center and watched love bloom and heal and replace all the excuses that kept these two men from connecting.

The story was never slow or plodding but nicely paced and their moment from bickering estranged lovers to partners was convincing and compelling to watch. The side story of B&B owners Adam and Matt provided a backdrop of what a fully meshed BDSM couple looked like and gave us hope that Burger and Jackson would eventually morph into one as well.

Hoarse Play is at its core a delightful story of healing and redemption and love and I encourage you to pick it up and give it a go. I do think that even the most wary among us will find that this BDSM novel dwells more on the gentle expression of slightly kinky love rather than the sometimes overwhelming explanation of the mechanics involved.

[Charly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad, but could have had more emotional punch if it had been longer

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 7/10

PROS:
- I liked seeing how Adam and Matt, who originally appear in Sold, have grown as a couple. My favorite thing to see was how Adam doesn’t stress as much about food.
- My expectation of the structure of the story wasn’t at all how the story ended up progressing. What amused me the most about this was that Adam’s and Matt’s expectations were in line with mine, so I got to see the two men puzzling out how to handle things when their guests don’t turn out to be quite how they imagined.
- I love how Sean Michael shows his characters’ thoughts as a part of the exposition rather than putting in a bunch of “he thought”s all over the place. Instead of something like this, for example--“Wasn’t that nonsense? Jackson thought”--Michael writes it like this: “Nonsense. Right? Nonsense?”
- Most of the BDSM scenes this author writes in his various stories are private: two or three men in their own home or in a secluded room at a club. Occasionally there’s a scene that takes place on a stage for the purpose of entertaining a crowd. In this story, there’s a scene that is performed for a small audience, but the purpose of the scene is education rather than titillation. I liked it.

CONS:
- I wanted there to be a bit more of an epiphany in Burger and Jackson’s relationship. They’re together for good at the end, and they’re acting like most of the important issues have been worked out, but I didn’t get to SEE them all get worked out. So I felt as though as least a couple of key scenes had been left out of their story.
- I know I mention this in almost every Sean Michael review I write, but it’s a persistent problem, so I feel compelled to keep bringing it up. The editing could use some serious help. Some of the issues are minor, like the book’s title referring to the Bed and Breakfast as the “Briar Rose” when it’s referred to as the “Rose Briar” within the story. Other issues are obvious and could have been caught with a simple read-through.

Overall comments: I would certainly recommend reading Sold first if you plan on reading this story. I thought Burger and Jackson’s story was just so-so, and the chapters concerning Adam and Matt will have a lot more meaning for you if you’ve got an idea of how they met and what their background is.

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was great to revisit with Adam and Matt. I enjoyed their book Sold from the Hammer series. It’s good to see how their dream of a BDSM B&B is working out. It was also good to see how their relationship has progressed in the time since the end of their book.

With the opening of the B&B and their first guests Adam is excited to help others learn about BDSM. However things do not go as he thought they would. The couple, Jackson and Burger, are not really a BDSM couple. But they are open to certain aspects of it.
Jackson and Burger have been on again off again for years. They always break up after big arguments.

Now that Jackson is recovering from throat surgery Burger has decided to take him away and help get their lives back on track along with their relationship. A lot of hurts feelings and doubts get put to rest between them.

I think they actually made a good couple the first quests at the Briar Rose. They help to show Adam and Matt that not all the couples that come will be as deeply involved in the BDSM world as they are. It helps them to learn that some couples are just looking for a safe place to explore themselves as well as their likes and dislikes.

Of course like most books by Sean Michael the sex content is high. There is a lot of sex going on between the two couples. It gives a good rounding of kink and BDSM throughout. Some is actually sweet, while others are definitely on the raunchy scale.

All in all a decent start to the Briar Rose series.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *

[Katy Beth Mckee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this new sub-story to the Hammer series. This story was really much lighter than I was expecting but it was a beautiful introduction to Matt and Adam's interactions as a couple and as they work on their new business. Jackson and Burger were not what was expected and their story was really very beautiful. Full of love and a desire to find what will be best for them long term.

I thought the blending of the blending of the two couples worked well for this first installment of the new series. I think I needed to be reintroduced to Matt and Adam and I thought blending it with their first guests worked really well. Burger and Jackson story was interesting but on its own it might have seemed a bit bland. Can't wait for the next guest and to see what they bring to the mix.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about Briar Rose which is a B&B run by a dominant and his submissive partner (Matt and Adam respectively). The concept is that they work with couples who either want to explore the BDSM lifestyle or are already in the lifestyle and want to work on some issue or become a stronger couple. The first couple is Jackson who is a famous singer. He's just had vocal surgery and is not allowed to talk. He comes with his manager, Burger. Jackson has no idea why they are there. He thinks it's just to recover. The two have been a couple on and off for years. Burger has decided he wants them to become a permanent couple It's an interesting story about two people who love each other but can't quite figure out how to be together.

[S.K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read Matt and Adam's story but after reading this I will keep an eye out for it. I loved seeing the two different couples and how they interacted. Thought Burger was fabulous, so committed to making Jackson see how important he was - not just the music, but for himself as a person. Really enjoyed this - the sex scenes were intense but the feelings behind them all were more so. Fab.

[Dodie · Rating 2 out of 5]

That was my first Sean Michael book. I expected a lot of sex scenes. I like sex scenes.
But this time I felt like they drowned the possible plot. You know it's bad when you start skipping over pages desperately looking for dialogue. (When found it felt very generic, flat and repetitive though. Lots of "I need you.", "I've got you.", "I love you", etc. without it actually feeling intimate.)

And I had so much hope for the book, too. Because, hello?! A BDSM B&B? This is a genius idea.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked Matt and Adam and I was looking forward to this spinoff from the hammer series. The story was less about Matt and Adam and more about their first guests at their B&B.

There were parts of the book that I liked and parts that I didn't like. Adam, who I adored in the hammer series, eh - he just was really flaky in this book. Even whiny in parts.

[Tamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet little story. Jackson and Burger learn to deal with each other on a new level when Jackson's voice needs a rest from performing and Burger needs to find a way for them to connect.

Enjoyed.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up to 3.

[C.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Looking forward to the next book in this series!

[Lakeisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a rehashed Velvet Glove story. I'd like my money back!

[Sue bowdley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one...I haven't read the Hammer series yet but I didn't feel lost reading this...Another superb read from Sean that can easily be read as a stand alone x