Fettered

by Lyn Gala

Dylan Carter has always played second fiddle to his perfect older brother, but now that brother is implicated in a terrible crime, and Dylan's family is imploding. Dylan can’t hide anymore. Knowing he’s falling apart, he searches for something or someone to hold him together—and lands in a BDSM bar called the Stonewall.

Dylan doesn’t understand Miss Dolphinia, the hard-drinking queen who seems determined to play matchmaker. But more confusing is the way the powerful men in leather make him feel. In her wisdom, Miss Dolphinia sends Dylan off to a back room for his introduction to the world of erotic spankings and bondage.

Dylan’s teacher—for want of a better word—is the very dominant Vin Hauser. Vin likes to play hard, but he’s honest with himself—he knows all those men want is a strong hand, not a long-term relationship. Yet Vin can’t help but hope Dylan might be different.

With controversy over his brother’s sins stirring up danger around him, Dylan needs Vin’s support more than ever. But until he and Vin learn to trust each other, Dylan will have to face his fear and the growing threats alone.

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

330 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 21, 2013

About the author

Lynsey "Lyn" Gala started writing in the back of her science notebook in third grade and hasn’t stopped since. Westerns starring men with shady pasts gave way to science fiction with questionable protagonists which eventually gave in to any story with a morally ambiguous character. Even the purest heroes have pain and loss and darkness in their hearts, and that’s where she likes to find her stories. Her characters seek to better themselves and find the happy ending (or happier anyway), but it’s writing the struggle that inspires her muse. When she isn’t writing, Lyn Gala teaches in New Mexico.

She first cut her teeth on fanfic: gen, slash, het, and femslash. She prefers to focus on plot: mysteries and monsters and disasters, oh my, but sex can and does happen. Some of her stories focus on power exchange, bondage or bdsm. In her worlds, tops and bottoms are all mature, consenting adults. In fact, stories where they aren't squick her badly, so don't expect to find abuse stories in her journal.

Reviews

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms Gala, paints a vivid picture for every scene, delves deep into each character and tells a tale that will keep you enthralled and captivated from beginning to end… EXCELLENT!

This book is FABULOUS and I LOVED it! Full of emotion, dark in places disturbing in others and peppered with humour and lines that had me laughing… and not forgetting the sizzling tantalisingly, delicious and tortuous sex!!! The plot is riveting, not for one moment was I skipping or did I become bored. The writing was amazing and the characters were brought to life by the written word… So. Very. Clever.  Their voices were clear and every nuance and idiosyncrasy played perfectly in my mind, they were totally three dimensional and like a sponge I soaked up every word and it pulled on all my heart strings.



As a child growing up, you perceive your life as normal. Even in a home that is full of love, that love can turn to blindness and it is not until you have more life experiences that you realise that what you thought of as normal is actually dysfunctional… and the children, well, they carry that baggage with them and somewhere along the line, something has to give!



Dilly Carter is 19 years old, his brother has been accused of rape, which has had a profound effect, not only on him but the family as a whole… they are fractured, near to breaking point and the strain of the impending court case is just exasperating matters. Carmin, his Sister, well she is all mouth engage before brain, his mother is bearing the burden of it all and seems to be the only one convinced of his innocence, his father, always one to keep the peace and not known for his forthrightness spends more time at work to pay for the Lawyers. And Dilly, the baby of the family who is an expert at avoiding confrontation and more akin to harmony than conflict feels guilt by association. Only Dilly’s troubles go deeper than that, he is aroused by the images he has seen on screen of the evidence against his brother, whips, gags ropes… they excite him! (OK, Rihanna S & M comes to mind here!) was he damaged in some way? a genetic anomaly that had affected both him and his Brother? … he had to find out!



Poor Dilly is all at sea, without a paddle and the sharks are circling… as soon as he enters the local BDSM Club Stonewall!  Miss Dolphinia! She is a larger than life character that I just adored, definitely not one to cross and she puts the shark’s in their place pronto. That is all except for... Vincenzo Hauser a Dom, dark, brooding, cold and emotionless and Dilly is totally out of his comfort zone, but his body’s curiosity is getting the better of him and he needs someone to sate the hunger thrumming through him. Vin is interested enough to provide a service for the inquisitive little subby who has no idea what he wants or needs but Vin certainly gives Dilly enough to convince him he has found it!

Vin is just gorgeous, well from his description and all the totally x rated visions that were flashing through my mind he was lush and certainly had me drooling and panting for more! He is also totally pissed off with Miss Dolphinia playing matchmaker. He has been hurt and betrayed in the past and it’s not somewhere his heart wants to go in a hurry, he certainly wasn’t looking for anything more than one or two nights of play because when Vin falls, he falls hard and fast, is controlling and manipulative, bordering on obsessive…  So instead he pushes Dilly away with his brutal honesty of exactly what he could expect.



These two characters are flawed and damaged totally at odds with themselves, but I love how the relationship grows and Dilly slowly breaks down Vin’s hard edges and wheedles his way into Vin’s life with a lot of help from the amazing Miss Delphinia… and the fact the he is as cute as his name suggests, too irresistible to be ignored, and Vin’s jealousy and over protective streak are not pretty either, something else for Miss Dephinia to take advantage of, and Oh… does. She!!  Dilly, see’s the danger in this dark, tall and handsome man, but Vin doesn’t scare him, somehow he completes him. What Dilly needs is for someone to take control, take away all the decisions, the hurt, pain and worry. He no longer wants to be the boy who’s job it is to fit in and not make waves, the one to maintain the status quo. He is such a sweet soul, innocently honest to Vin’s more brutal version, but he is lost and wants to fly, not have to think about it all, and every fibre of his being is calling on Vin to be the person to do it.

“I like that you do your own thing and don’t change for anyone. I like that you’re so unbending that maybe there’s room for me to fit myself in the cracks of your life because I like your cracks a lot more than the cracks I have been living in”

The BDSM in this is what they refer to as old school, so if you are looking for sugar kink BDSM or even the practices of safe words and in depth discussions… forget it! There was a point in this where I really wasn’t happy, where we had a scene with Dilly and Guard another Dom and it  was so annoyingly safe and sickly sweet I was so desperate to get the cocky, arrogant and moody Vin back on page, who may have been a sadist and an arse but he was a damn sexy one! As for the scenes between Dilly and Vin… well, suffice to say my hormones were definitely not the cause of my hot flushes!  I fell in love with these characters, they truly found a place in my heart as well as some of the secondary characters and I hope that Lyn Gala will bring us more from Stonewall as I can certainly see a book in Miss Delphinia! I am loving this old school BDSM and I really, really want more and a re-visit to see how Dylan and Vin are getting on would also be appreciated!



Thank you Ms Gala, I thoroughly enjoyed your book... loved every word!


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[Emma Sea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have an overwhelming urge to give this five stars because of Dylan.

I've had some poor luck with new releases lately, and Lyn Gala has singlehandedly redeemed the m/m BDSM genre for me.

At no point does this book commit a fail. There are a few things I wish were different, and it's not a perfect book. But honestly, I recommend this to all my GR friends who like BDSM. And it's long!

Gala does an amazing job of showing us inside Dylan's head and what submission does for him. And there is zero Sean Michael-ish Mine, Yours, So Big, or the sub having all the personality of a twinky, ADD mushroom. Dylan is a whole person; he's funny, pensive, oblivious, caring, shy, bold. Dylan is 100% the best sub character in any book I've read.

Vin is necessarily more of a cypher to the reader, but he's believable and rather delicious. I would have liked him to be a few years older. 25 is very young to have completely emerged from monkeymind.

I also would have liked more sex. Possibly this is because the sex scenes are so delicious and detailed that no matter how much Gala gave me it wouldn't be enough. Gah, the sex! How wonderful is it to read about sex between a controlling sadist who knows it and loves being one, and a masochist who is just finding his way, but isn't ashamed of being who he is? Ans: Very wonderful.

Please, please, Lyn Gala, may we have a second book? With fisting? I promise to be very good.

Also, I have fallen in love with Miss Dolphinia.

[Steelwhisper · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, I let this simmer for a while before adding a review.

1.5* and it's just barely okay, I consider this book super-cheeky in a not so nice way towards lifestylers--and an open razor in the hand of newbies. It's also astonishingly sexist, misogynic, and transphobic. What a list.

But the writing first, and I had major problems with that. I truly wonder what Dreamspinner are doing there, or what sort of editor they have, because this book suffers heavily from "m/m-speak", muddled imagery and the "no-pronoun"-disease. It's not even the first out of this press with these problems recently, so this makes me wonder. They used to have better editing. While I get where these problems originate, they are easy enough to cure with some consideration of sentence structure, accepting that an occasional epithet is no thing worse than death, and that names won't cure every problem. Nor do vulgarities by the way.

This book poses, within the stipulations of Gary, Vin, Dilly and Miss Dolphina, that "modern BDSM" is lacking in some way, has become too safe, sane and consensual, whereas "the Old Guard" was how the 'real men' take it. This, of course, is not only utter nonsense, it is misrepresenting early Leatherfolk, current BDSM, and it suffers from something, that Jay Wiseman reacts to like this:

"The problem is exactly here: When "these people" step forth and claim that certain attitudes -- and, more to the point -- certain relatively specific _behaviors_ are deserving of special respect and adherence because "this is how the old guard did it" or "this is the secret teaching of the True Inner Circle SM Society" the needle on my Bullshit Detector starts to quiver.
...
So I guess my bottom line is this: The more specific a given "teacher" gets about making solemn pronouncements regarding the proper ways to behave or not behave on the basis of a statement like "this was how the Old Guard did it" and the more isolated the environment in which such "teachings" are so imparted, and the less experience that the "worthy recipient" of such teachings has, the more I believe that this recipient is likely to be at risk for being conned.

Let this "teacher" stand forth at something like a Living in Leather conference, and openly hold forth on these "Old Guard" teachings to a room filled with people who have at least 20 years of RT experience behind them, and let's watch what the needles on _their_ Bullshit Detectors do."

and

"My final point is often-not-subtle implication that these supposed "Old Guard" teachings are somehow better than the "regular" teachings. This always makes me scratch my head a bit. Was there some kind of "post Old Guard" decline in SM teachings, traditions, customs, and so forth that I failed to notice? When did "the 'hood" go into decline?

I would suggest that everyone who wants to cut the bullshit out of this book here, and quite a few others as well, reads these three essays, written by one of the most renowned American BDSMers:

http://jaywiseman.com/SEX_BDSM_Old_Gu...
http://jaywiseman.com/SEX_BDSM_Old_Gu...
http://jaywiseman.com/SEX_BDSM_Old_Gu...

The misrepresentation makes me angry on more than one level, because it makes me, a lifestyler, an accomplice, it seeks to pander to rather base and trite mechanisms on the part of the reader, but most importantly, it negates the achievements of exactly the old Leatherfolk that it abuses for an own agenda, and it endangers newcomers who know no better. That is vile in content and in direction.

However, I had more problems than just that. Dilly is written as a minor. He comes over barely into puberty, and not like an adult he should be at his age. In consequence he has no business being described being and doing what he does. I felt complicit in some sort of ultra-creepy sex with minors agenda, which was rather squicky.

Then, the only halfway acceptable Dominant (Guard) is actively ridiculed by the author, while Vin, who is an only slightly less sociopathic version of rapist Gary, is being enabled in his rather insane behaviour towards Dilly. Everything you learn not to allow for, including being separated from others, is done to Dilly. No, just because he ends up finding it hot, is no justification.

By the way, kidnapping and unlawful incarceration is a crime regardless of the purposes you do it for. "For your own good" doesn't count. And vigilante-style self-justice and activities may appeal to some, but certainly not to this reader here. Presenting these as acceptable is, again, ultra-creepy.

Just because a boy, especially a young one, has a hard-on doesn't equal consent (which someone writing about rape ought to really know!). By the way, I nearly retched bile over reading about a girl, sexually abused all her childhood along, actively "asking for it" to achieve a plot point. Euw.

There's more, but I'd better stop right here. I can't and don't understand how anyone could call this "good BDSM". Instead this book is enabling rape-culture (though I suspect the author wanted to do the opposite) and presenting such a completely warped picture of BDSM, that it skeeves me out.

[SheReadsALot · Rating 5 out of 5]

FIVE STARS, my rating let's just get this out the way.

Now, how are you? Doing good? Great, come here. Let's sit a little bit. I want to discuss how I felt about "Fettered"...more intimately...with you.

I found this story well written, all the characters had depth, their reactions to conflict totally believable. (Alright my one niggle is the ages of the two lovers but when applying it to the story on a whole, I guess it works/fits) No matter if you loved or hated them, it just...worked.

Let me break down each facet that made this story so wonderful for me.

Dylan: Sweet, submissive Dylan. He was great. He was even better with Vincenzo. I hate the family he suffered through. I despise mothers like his. And luckily his Dom knight came in a fixed that shitstorm that was his life.

Vincenzo:

His name alone makes my toes curl. He could have had a face like a brick and the name adds some cool points. Lucky for him, he can back up the sexiness. I loved his possessiveness. I was in raptures over his dirty talk. I'd love to switch places with Dylan any day.



Miss Dolphinia: Yesss!!!

A smart mouthed, ballsy ass transvestite with bigger balls than you can even fathom. She's by far, one of my favorite secondary characters I've read this year.

I'd like to create a superhero ass kicking tag team. Together we'd be:

I have our team name, t-shirts and logo already created in my head. ;P

And if you don't like her (can't see why you won't):


Now onto the more disappointing characters, the Carter family, the whimpy father, bitchy sister (who suffered a terrible ordeal - but her personality leaves more to be desired) and that thing that gave birth to Dylan and co. Mothers like her give a bad name to parenting - you know the types - their kids are perfect and everyone else is jealous of her shitty ass kids (in her case- a sociopath child).



Now while I did not expect the story to go so deep or dark in the direction it did (does not involve either main character), it was handled quite well. Vincenzo stepping in like a super BDSM man and cleaning up Dylan's issues? No complaints here.

And then the black sludge of shit that is Dylan's brother, Gary.

Gary!!There are no words to describe you that are foul enough to describe the amount of loathing I feel for you. Thank goodness you're a fictional character because I'd like to have a closed room, my tag team partner Miss Dolphinia and metal bats.

Seriously dude:



Fucking pussy.

He does get what's coming to him, so I was happy with the outcome.

And moving onto brighter pastures where yummy sweet subs get chained and fucked so effortlessly, I totally suggest you read this story. It's entertaining without having to rely on dramatic crutches.

Mmm...I'm going to reread a favorite scene right now, I enjoyed this story so much.

[Lisa Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, I liked this one very much! More please!

It's so refreshing to see another side to BDSM. By that, I mean no BDSM 101 here. No calm, deliberate discussion about safewords, soft limits, hard limits and all the rest. This is about desperate needs, not cold negotiation.
The MC Dylan tries that with Guard, and it's weird and awkward.

For what it's worth, at that point in the book I liked Guard a lot more than Vin, but later, when Dylan explains how he worries he wouldn't fit into Guard's perfectly ordered life, with all his rough edges, I completely understood his point.

The background story here -- the upcoming trial of Dylan's brother Gary on rape charges -- was solid. At times it felt like Gary was getting a bit too cartoon-villainish for me, but the rest of this book was so strong that was easy enough to overlook. I loved the portrayal of Dylan's parents -- facing their worst nightmare, and trying to hold their family together without realising it was broken a long time ago.

Miss Dolphinia was fantastic. I would love to see more of her. I particularly loved her when she rescues Dylan from an enraged Gary:

"The king of the jungle had just met the queen of the fucking universe."

Miss Dolphinia rocks.

[Optimist ♰King's Wench♰ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've seen numerous reviews that start by saying things like "5 Bazillion Stars" and, quite frankly, been a little skeptical of them. I'm not going to regale you with gifs of stars, hearts, or fireworks. Suffice to say, if I could give Fettered more than 5 stars, I would.



Fettered is the story of Dilly's transformation into Dylan. I'm going to break form a little bit here because I know many of you find BDSM off-putting; so, let's set that aside, for now. Dilly is a genuinely good person. He doesn't like to see people in conflict so, he tries to diffuse it by using his charm. He cares about people. He wants to help them in any way he can. Yes, he's 19 and makes some impulsive and ill-advised decisions but he's not stupid. In a lot of ways he's innocent and avoids confrontation like the plague but he has a voice and he's not going to be talked into something he doesn't want. He just might not say anything when people insult him or stand up for himself. He's self-deprecating, funny, charming and in a near constant state of horniness.

Actually, all of the characters are complex and flawed except for Gary. Gary's a sociopath in Dom's clothing, plain and simple. A sociopath who's ripping the Carter family apart a the seams without remorse. Alicia Carter, the matriarch, is fiercely loyal to her family and defends all of them. Blindly. And, yes, she's in denial about a great many things. Ed, the patriarch, is stoically trying to hold everything together while his business slowly dwindles because of his sociopathic son's behavior; he's not kidding himself about Gary, but he can't say anything for fear of shattering his wife's delusion. Carmine, the sister, is stubborn, brash, meddlesome and highly opinionated. And then there's Dilly, the mediator and baby of the family. Basically, they're your typical dysfunctional family.



Fettered is told from Dilly's perspective and I have to say, Ms. Gala did a fantastic job of talking in a 19 year old voice. He talks about his "cracks" needing to be filled but really, he fills in others. He molds himself into their lives, smoothes the rough edges, makes people better or stronger by easing some of their burden. Actually, he doesn't even really understand what he is, all he knows is he has these desires to be tied up, cuffed and spanked, held down and controlled all of which makes him afraid he's like his brother; so, he goes to Stonewalled for "answers" and gets pounced on like steak in a lion's den. He also meets Vin and Miss Dolphinia.

Miss Dolphinia is, hands down, one of the funniest secondary characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Miss Dolphinia owns Stonewalled and nothing gets past her. She's "a relic of an age that died. She’s into condoms optional, negotiation-free sex where the flag you’re wearing is all the information anyone needs.” She's also hellbent on getting Vin and Dilly together and resorts to some rather unorthodox methods.

Quick side note: I knew what grey meant and guessed right on black but… JAYSUS!!!!
I had NO idea there were so many! Check this out: http://user.xmission.com/~trevin/hank...

Vin is "scary". He describes himself as obsessive, possessive, irrational at times, jealous, has a temper and is, at times, paranoid. He's got a checkered past and is just a little bit dangerous all of which is catnip to Dilly. Vin has been deliberately avoiding commitment since his last relationship went down in flames including a narrow miss on an indictment; but, Dilly is persistent.

Quick side note: The moon sequence… I have no words. Cutest high sub ever. Seriously. I kept thinking about Moonstruck for some reason. I think it was the Italian-American thing.



Vin and Dylan's story isn't an easy one. Their path isn't paved by gumdrops and Skittles. There are some questionable happenings. Things that, I admit, made me a bit uncomfortable. Things that I thought lent credence to their journey. These aren't cookie cutter characters who meet each other and everything goes swimmingly thereafter so, if you're looking for that, I wouldn't recommended Fettered to you. Through his experiences over the weeks which Fettered covers, Dilly begins to really look at his life and the kind of person he wants to be. He begins to shed his childhood persona to become Dylan. He makes some tough decisions, faces some things about himself, his family and comes into his own. Here's the thing, the change is subtle. He doesn't transform into someone else and therein lies the difference between Fettered and so many other books. Essentially, he's still the same self-deprecating, funny, charming guy; he's just a better version of that guy and a little more honest.

I like my characters with some grit, to be relatable, possibly a little dark and maybe even do some things that are ill-advised as long as they make sense for the character. There's no self-created drama here. All the events transpired in an organic way, nothing felt forced or outlandish. The BDSM is really, REALLY good. It might be intense for some but it's not the centerpiece of Fettered.

Ms. Gala is new to me and I hate to jump the gun after one book; however, there's a distinct possibility that she could end up on my authors to stalk list. You've been warned, Ms. Gala. Fettered came highly recommended and it met or exceeded all of my expectations which is quite a feat in and of itself. The only drawback is my pickle supply took a serious hit while reading it.

[* Meli Mel * · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 4.5 Stars ***





Dylan Carter's brother can do no wrong. That is what he grew up hearing. But now his brother Gary is being accused of rape and his family is slowly falling apart. Dylan just wants to get away from it all.

Dylan is trying to figure out why he can't stop thinking of whips and handcuffs. He goes to the Stonewall, a BDSM bar, to look for answers. Here is where he meets Miss Dolphinia, a queen that confuses and scares the hell out of him but also makes him feel safe. She wants to set him up with a Dom that is sure to be perfect for him, Vin Hauser.

Vin Hauser doesn't do relationships anymore. He does one or two night stands at most, but that is it, and then he moves on. His last relationship affected him deeply. Now with Dylan, he seems to want more. He just hopes Dylan feels the same way.

Trigger warning: off-page violent hetero rape.



I really enjoyed this book! It was different from any book I have read that was BDSM.

To start, I felt bad for how Dylan's family was suffering with Gary being accused of rape. Gary has been a bully to him for most of his life. Dylan has learned to pretty much not draw any attention to himself. That's how he likes it to be and how he wants it to remain. While Gary was always been the child in the spotlight. But this current problem has put a strain on the family. Everyone is trying to hold it together while Gary's problem is affecting everyone in some way. Gary I completely hated. He was such an arrogant bastard. Just a complete douchbag. I loathed him.



Dylan's sister Carmine has no filter. She says it how she sees it. It is no secret how much she hates Gary. She thinks Gary is capabale of being guilty. Dylan's mom is Gary's defender and believes he is innocent. While his dad remains opinionless and just tries to keep everything balanced. Dylan is tired of being swayed this way and that way with how he should feel and think about the issue. He wants to forget about all these problems for just a few moments.

I love it when he goes to the Stonewall and meets Miss Dolphinia, the transvestite. She is such an interesting character! She is vibrant, sassy and ballsy and I freaking loved it! Dylan's innocence attracts 'sharks' and Miss Dolphinia is there to save him and point him in the direction of Vin. Vin interested me from the start. He seemed to be dangerous, intense and sexy. Vin gives Dylan a taste of what the BDSM world is like and Dylan is hooked. I really don't blame him because Vin was one hot-ass DOM!



The only thing I felt I needed was Vin's POV. I would have liked to get to know him better. Even though I liked him and the way he was possesive, protective, and supportive of Dylan, I felt like I needed more for me to fully connect with him. I didn't understand some of the things he did. So his thoughts would have been very awesome to have. Still he was so damn hot that he had me panting in many scenes. I also absolutely loved seeing Dylan and Vin interact with eachother. Dylan made a very great submissive. Seriously melted the panties off me.



The sex in this book was different for me. I am so use to seeing safe words and such that when Vin said he didn't use them, I got kinda scared there for a moment. But it actually worked for them. This aspect of the book was quite realistic from anything I had ever read before. It wasn't all done in an overly 'sweet' manner, which I was surprised to love.

Overall this book was really great. But it wasn't perfect. I think the transition from certain scenes to the next could have been done differently. Maybe somes scenes could have been switched to make it flow better. Otherwise the writing was fabulous. I loved the characters and hope there will be a sequel where I will get to know Vin more, and hopefully his POV? The abuse in this book was really realistic to me and the way the characters reacted to it. There was one moment where I totally didn't see it coming. I don't want to spoil it, but I was shocked with disgust and sadness. The ending left me wanting more because it ended quite abruptly, but loved nontheless. Seriously, it was a really great read and I recommend you give it a try.

[Simsala · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me by surprise how much I disliked this book.
I absolutely couldn`t relate, not to the story, not to the characters.
I felt sorry for Dylan - unable to stand on his own two feet he got handed over by an overbearing Miss Dolphinia from an overbearing mother (there had to be a reason why he became submissive, right?) to an overbearing Dom instead of simply walking away. He sure as Hell loved to wallow in misery. And there it was again - the combination weak sub/controlling Dom who came to the rescue with a whip attached to his hip.
The older brother as over-the-top villain was as unbelievable as the sister. Again the question - what kept her glued to this family? I didn`t get it. The perils of Hotel Mama....

I struggled through this book with lots of skipping and eye-rolling. I guess the one-thousand-and-one blushes from Dylan in numerous shades of red kinda fascinated me.

[Kaje Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dilly is a nineteen-year-old guy whose family is imploding. His older brother has been arrested for rape, and based on a childhood of low-level cruelty, Dylan is sure he's guilty. In the face of his mother's obliviousness, his sister's bitter anger, and his father's workoholic tendencies, Dilly is left trying to get a grip on where he stands. And one of the hardest parts is that, as much as he abhors his brother's actions, he has secret fantasies of bondage and pain. But as the sub, not the Dom, and definitely not around his brother or anyone like him. So Dilly heads to a BDSM bar he's heard of, to see if he can get himself figured out. He walks in looking for someone to ground and restrain him, and anchor him enough for his world to make sense. Somehow.

The bar is run by Miss Dolphinia, aka Lee, a smart, toppy, genderfluid Dom who sees Dilly and thinks he would be perfect for a young Dom she cares about. And in her own devious way, she arranges to get them together. Dylan is interested in Vin from the first moment he sees him, but he's too confused to know exactly what he does want. In his untaught submissiveness, he's catnip to all the Doms at the bar. But fortunately Miss Dolphinia has chosen well, and Vin's interest is also caught, and held.

Vin is a Dom who doesn't play by official rules, but by an instinctive sense of the game. He could have been all kinds of wrong for Dilly. But from the moment he tells the younger man to use his real name, Dylan, because he doesn't have sex with children, Vin helps Dylan get a better sense of himself. And with his sadistic brother wandering around, Dylan can use all the champions he can find.

This book has an actual plot, some BDSM scenes that are inventive and not too drawn out, and some great secondary characters, including Carmine, Dylan's sister, and his parents who are flawed, but not caricatures. It was a fast read, and on the moderate scale for BDSM, with Dylan's journey to find himself at all levels, not just in bed, making this well worth reading.

[Jo * Smut-Dickted * · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good novel about a young, inexperienced sub, Dylan. Vin, the Dom, is not much older (though he seems much older in this book than his age) and he has a past imperfect. Dylan is embroiled in a home life that includes a serial rapist brother, a mother who thinks her kids can do no wrong, a sister with a lot more going on than she says (and she certainly says a LOT!), and a father who is about to have the blinders removed. When you add into that Dolphinia, a cross-dressing leather club owner, you get a mix of people that will make you sit up and take notice.

I enjoyed Dylan - although his submissiveness was strong he did have a very recognizable and distinct voice. I thought Vin was creepy at first - I think primarily because of unexplained past events and his age. He had his own business and he just "felt" so much older. Many (not all) of the 25 year olds I know are not nearly this self assured or confident - but then I don't know anyone in the lifestyle of this age who is a Dom (I mostly know subs - most of the Doms I know are much older!). It felt odd at times to have him have such a event filled past when he was barely out of teens himself. However I still enjoyed his character - particularly how he cared for and understood Dylan.

Dolphinia was a hoot - and a great character to add, well, character!

Overall I very much enjoyed it. I waffled a bit on 4 or 5 and decided I'd round up - really more in between but some real strengths here with the exploration of Leather culture and BDSM (not real explicit but fascinating nonetheless), the way the relationship developed between Vin and Dylan, and the messed up family dynamics (after all what one of us doesn't have some of these in our closet? LOL) it had to go up to the best!

[Awilk -never sleeps- · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Lyn Gala just blew my mind. Fettered was unlike anything I had read. This was an old school BDSM story. There wasn't pages and pages of the main characters talking about contracts and setting up play scenes.

Dylan was submissive. Vin was Dominant. They both knew this, and they didn't spend all their time having to talk about it. They just, eventually, happily gave each other what they needed.

How these two men found each other was also unique. Dylan was trying to work out how his brother became so wrong. Instead he found something that was so right for him. I also liked how they had to struggle a little to find their way, but this didn't take too long, so the story could move at a great pace.

The background story of the trouble that Dylan's family was facing was also well written and interesting. I felt for his parents and sister as much as I did him. I would have liked a little more back story about Vin, but even without it, I still ended up falling for him.

There was a wonderful cast of secondary characters. A certain busy body queen very nearly stole the whole show. Those who have read this, know who I mean, and if you haven't, you are in for a real treat.

I will admit that I would have liked a little more steam, as what there was here was so well written. Plus I love to read good kink, and this book had very good kink.

Fettered was a book I would happily tell all my m/m loving friends to read. I just wish I could forget it, so I could have the joy of reading it for the first time again. I can't, so I will be have to be happy with re-reads, of which I feel there may be a lot of.

[Kat]

Well, shit. I was totally nomming at the start, but then I found myself DNF'ing around the 75% mark.

[Ery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent BDSM exploration story with a very interesting subplot. There are three things that Gala did exceptionally well that really set this story apart:

Atmosphere: the tone of the book was somewhat a dark thrum. The author skillfully set that tone immediately, and maintained it throughout- not a small skill. This was a story you couldn't tell the ending from chapter 1. Yay!

Characters: All if the character were real, lifelike, and (generally) sympathetic. There were a fair number of characters in this story, and NOT ONE got lost in the mix.

BDSM: Gala took a common theme in m/m romance and made it unique. Zie eschewed the common route of safewords and 'safer' pay for a darker, riskier side, BUT IT WORKED. Normally I would be complaining heartily at the liberties taken, but 1) this fit the characters perfectly 2) It furthered the tone and tension of the book, and 3) It heightened rather than minimized the relationship between the two MCs.

And if, on occasion I wanted to slap Dilly (ahem, Dylan) for his naïveté, well, that fit too.

Bravo, Lynn Gala, Bravo.

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has it all and was simply perfect. Vin and Dylan were amazing together, the story had you hooked from the word go and there were some of the hottest BSDM scenes I've read. I loved it and want more.

Oh and I'd like to know more about Miss Dolphinia/Lee's amazing life!

[Kate Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really, really disliked this book. I'm thinking honestly 2* might be generous... I decided to sleep on it after finishing to see if anything redemptive came to mind, but so far... nope.

Firstly, the writing. It made me want to scream and if I hadn't been reading on my preshus, preshus kindle this book would have gone out the window on a number of occasions. I simply cannot believe it got past an editor and a press like DSP would put something like this out when it's clearly not ready. The repetition almost killed me. Because it's not enough to use a metaphor, you have to keep bashing the reader over the head with it just to ensure they get the point. Mixing similarly-themed metaphors is also, apparently, de rigueur, hence we ended up at one point with Dilly swimming out of his depth with sharks at the deep end of the pool.

Then there's the inability to use a personal pronoun. So we get ridiculous sentences like "Dilly couldn't believe what Vin was doing to Dilly", or redundant ones like "Vin reached into Dilly's pants and grabbed Dilly's hard cock." (And here was me thinking Dilly kept someone else's hard cock in his pants...)

Then there's the actual story. Here be spoilers, so continue at your own peril and don't say you weren't warned :-)


Firstly, Dilly. He's not 19, he's 12. He might be a noob to BDSM but he's not a virgin and he's not a baby, so why write him as one? Changing his name to Dylan does nothing to mitigate that when he's only changing his name because Vin told him to. Oh, and what kind of arsehole tells you, right after he's fucked you, that he doesn't like your name and you need to change it?

Which brings me on to Vin. The dude is just...unhinged. Talk about instalove! Instaobsession, maybe. Because whatever else this story is, it is not a love story. The love lament of a born victim, maybe. He's a classic abuser; within days of meeting he's separated Dilly from his family and friends (and although you can argue the pros and cons of that, it's still not healthy behaviour), told him upfront that he's going to install a tracker on his phone so he always knows where he is, and announced that he intends to punish Dilly in their scenes for making him act that way. He's jealous and possessive and abusive and Dilly is even written as being genuinely scared of him (when Vin goes after Gary, Dilly acknowledges that he's "terrifying").

Then there's the 'moral' (ha!) of the story. Because I get exactly what the author is getting at: that contemporary BDSM has become too tame, too safe, too reliant on safewords and contracts and negotiation. It's a call to arms to return to the old ways, to a culture where such safeguards aren't necessary.

Except the story's logic fails to support this. Gala attempts to draw distinctions between two 'bad' so-called Doms - Vin and Gary - who are both abusive in the eyes of Guard, one of the new breed of SSC Doms that Gala so looks down on. Gary, she argues (via Vin) isn't really a Dom at all, he's just an abusive man who got into BDSM as an easy way to find willing victims. Vin, on the other hand, is misunderstood. He didn't imprison his ex, he was trying to get him off drugs. Entirely understandable. Except Vin himself admits that his conduct with his ex wasn't exactly above board, and there's a bigger logical conundrum here. Because how is Gary finding victims in a culture that's obsessed with safety and consent and boundaries? By hovering at the fringes of course, with the groups who don't follow those rules - exactly the kind of group that Miss Dolphina runs.

But it seems every character within this book is either a rapist or a rape victim. Dilly's fascination with BDSM seems to start with his brother's arrest for rape, and he even considers the possibility of both himself and his sister being raped by Gary. Kinda belies his horrified response when it turns out to be at least half true.

But hey, Carmine baited her own rapist and probably engineered the whole thing, so it's all good. And at the end Gary's going to prison where he's going to end up becoming a victim himself. Poetic justice, right?

There's also smaller niggles that got my goat - the equation of submission with infantility; the use of Dilly's erection to evidence consent (no matter how inappropriate said erection may be - Dilly is quite literally always up for it); the idea that consent can be read and understood from a stranger's body language without needing to be explicitly given (especially when on a number of times Vin fails to understand the depth of Dilly's response to his actions); the kink noob who seems completely au fait with all the terminology and tools of the trade; the persistent emphasis on Dilly watching gay porn (because here was me thinking a gay man was watching something else...); the transphobia inherent in the first chapter (no, it is not cool to make your MC an ignorant little shit just because he's never seen someone crossdressing before)... I could go on.


Overall, I cannot recommend this novel. How anyone can consider this a love story is beyond me, and what it lacks in heart it fails to compensate for in good writing. Especially coming from a press I usually trust to release quality books, I was very disappointed.

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

~~ BR WITH MY GIRL, MISH ~~

2.5 stars

I like this author, and I like BDSM themes, but I didn't love this book properly. The name Dilly made my skin crawl, and like his name, Dilly came across as very juvenile, definitely not like a man who should be tied up, spanked, and fucked.

Dilly's relationship with Vin, especially at the beginning, felt unbalanced. I don't know enough about the BDSM community to comment, but the derision ladled on safe words and contracts made me a bit uncomfortable.

The book dragged quite a bit, and got bogged down on Dilly's relationship with his family and his brother's psychopathic ways. I loathed the brother (who was very much the intended villain here) AND the sister (even though she was intended to be a victim). The sister acted much younger than her age too. The family dynamics were all off.

Frankly, I didn't even like Miss Dolphinia. She came across as manipulative and did not read like a sympathetic character to me.

Dilly only became Dylan because Vin made him. I didn't feel the love and tenderness. Some of the scenes were hot (I could have done without Dilly's scenes with Guard at the beginning), and I'm glad Gary got what was coming to him.

The writing was fine. But overall this book bored me and creeped me the fuck out, not a good combination.

[Lilia Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great couple, fantastic sex--some of the best BDSM scenes I've read in ages. Vin seriously knows how to dominate, and Dylan is completely convincing as a sub--Gala manages to show why he'd crave such a thorough domination without making him seem like a mindless twink.

Dylan's passivity is obviously a defense mechanism, and something that ironically his relationship with Vin will force him to confront and to an extent overcome. A lot of the story is really concerned with Dylan's family and what happens when a family member is guilty of something really heinous. I found those dynamics very convincing, though Gary is such a complete and utter monster, that he strained credibility somewhat.

The only part I disliked was the bit with Guard, the other dom. For some reason the book seemed to veer into tendentiousness here--given that Guard is arguing for safety and communication between partners who are complete strangers, I found it odd that Gala would spend so much time criticizing him, especially given the backstory of Gary's abuse of trust and refusal to respect limits.

But given the scorching sex and intense dynamic between the leads, this book is overall a great read. Gala is turning into a new favorite author of mine.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet young man seeks loving sadist.

Loved Vin and Dylan. Vin's sorta like the last unicorn in this story--you don't realize it at the time, but it slowly becomes clear and boy does this story have a strong undercurrent of dissent regarding the ongoing rhetoric in the BDSM world between the two groups and clearly aligns with one. All that is just humming under the surface of Dylan and his family's whacked world. Whoa...gotta suck as parents to wake up and see what you didn't do after the fact.

Favorite quote: "You know, looking at you younger men, I do wonder how any of us survived our twenties. It’s such a tumultuous and hormonally challenged decade.”

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok.

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 5 out of 5]

First impressions are important, especially in a BDSM scenario. Dylan, aka Dilly, first learned of BDSM by seeing his sadistic brother's tools on a news broadcast. His brother is being tried for raping and torturing women. Dilly isn't looking to torture women or wield the whip. Instead, he lusts after men flogging and spanking his ass until he squirts. A young eighteen year old, he's both innocent and completely naïve.

This book is much lauded among many BDSM m/m readers. In the BDSM book club in Goodreads, members are fawning over this book. They wax about hawt BDSM scenes and engaging characters. Can this book live up to the hype? Why yes it can.

Ms. Gala writes moving characters. Dilly may at first come across as a too stupid to live character. Dilly is bumbling boy and an all-around pussy who can't stand up for himself. This perception of Dilly is not that far off. Initially he is very frustrating and makes a reader want to grab him by the shoulders and shake him hard. Maybe slap him around a little bit so he will toughen up. However, it's more complicated than it initially appears. Dilly isn't stupid. What he is, is a survivor. My heart bleeds for Dilly. He's emotionally abused by his evil older brother, Gary. He's pushed around by his headstrong sister, Carmine. The only role Dilly knows and clings to is one who is passive and stays invisible. This one explanation of how Dilly sees himself breaks my heart.

Dylan searched for the right way to say what he was feeling without coming off totally in need of therapy.

“I’m good at fitting in the cracks, you know? I’m good at working around other people, and I don’t need to be seen.” (p. 200-201)

Dilly's relationship with Vin is summed up neatly with another poignant insight.

"I like that you do your own thing and don’t change for anyone. I like that you’re so unbending that maybe there’s room for me to fit myself in the cracks of your life because I like your cracks a lot more than the cracks I have been living in.” (p. 201)

Vin is a troubled Dom. He's young yet experienced in life a bit more than most. He is not socially awkward; instead he's someone who does his own thing. The best way to describe Vin is as an alpha sheepdog. There are three kinds of people in the world. There are sheep, sheepdog and wolves. Most people are sheep, like Dilly. Then there are dangerous predators like Dilly's brother who is a wolf. The sheep are protected by sheepdogs, like Vin. I'm a sheepdog so I completely ken Vin's mentality. His need to protect to the point of paranoid is understandable. As a sidenote, his desire to GPS and audio bug Dilly may seem overly possessive and borderline obsessive. However, as a submissive like me who loves to submit, this hit my kinks pretty hard and made me wet.
 
Ms. Gala creates fabulous characters in this story. Everyone character is unique and she painfully peels back the layers on them to expose their truths. How she can create such rich leads and secondary characters while adding in a great plot and hawt BDSM scenes is beyond me. She doesn't skimp on her secondary characters. We learn about stuffy Guard, scary Miss Dolphina, crazy Carmine, Dilly's oblivious parents and evil Gary. Each one of these characters are necessary to complete this Greek Tragedy tale.

The BDSM in this story is supernova hot arousing. It's not so much the scenes, but the fact that Vin is a Dom with a capital D. His specialty is D/s. He can and does enjoy doling out SM with the best of them, but he is amazing with his D/s. His dirty talking can cause spontaneous orgasms. Here is an example of his ability to make a submissive melt and weak the knees.

“So, you need build up? Should I tell you what I plan for you?” Vin asked with a teasing note in his voice. “Maybe I should tell you how I want to go get a chastity device. I could plug that beautiful ass of yours, lock that prick in plastic, and use leather and locks to put it all safely under my control. I can imag[in]e you squirming with need, your cock filling up and pressing against that plastic as you mewl and twist in my hands. Is that the sort of conversation you’re expecting?”
…
“I’m going to tie you down and run my fingers over your body. I’m going to pull at your nipples until they harden under my hands and then taste the salt-sweat as I kiss my way over your vulnerable chest. I’m going to explore every curve until I find that one spot that when I suck on it, you thrash and fight those cuffs until every muscle stands out. And then I’m going to keep sucking that spot. I’m going to mark you and listen to you beg as you squirm and strain.”
…
“I’m going to flip you over onto your stomach and chain your legs to the corners of the bed so that you’re open to me, spread wide open. Then I’ll run my fingernails over that beautiful ass, watch as the white lines pink up and get extra sensitive before I bring my hand down and smack you, and then I’ll taste that heated skin, nip it until you mewl and beg me to pound into you.” (p. 217)

Be still my rapidly beating heart! Where's a towel? I think I leaked all over my chair reading this little snippet. This isn't the only time Vin turns up his Dom-ness. Each time is hotter than the last and shows just how good Vin is at placing a submissive in subspace. Ms. Gala nails down the dream Dom with impeccable precision and it's so good to read. Too bad her Doms are into other males. This m/m novel is highly recommended to kinky readers who love angst and a Greek Tragedy turned upside.

* Provided by BDSM Book Reviews

[Katrina Passick Lumsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised by this one. It's a hell of a lot grittier than I'd have thought, and if you're looking for corny sentimentality and ooey gooey platitudes, this is most definitely not the book for you. It's rather intense in its unflinching portrayal of harsher bdsm. These are guys who don't have time for contracts, discussing limits, and safewords, they just wanna play, and play hard. And while most of the time I wouldn't be okay with something as potentially dangerous as bdsm being treated with seeming flippancy, once you get to know the characters, you realize they're not being flippant, they're merely refusing to place bumper pads around their kink.

Gala handled this topic masterfully, putting a somewhat new (definitely underutilized) twist on the genre. There's no abuse, but also no pussyfooting around. She presents sadism and masochism as gray areas, wherein no one's kink is highlighted by a backdrop of black or white, but a subtle shade of their own individual need. Vin is both sadist and comforter, friend and tormenter. Dylan is both slave and master, victim and perpetrator. We watch the subtle shift in both characters as they settle into their unconventional relationship. Vin develops a softness that in no way detracts from his dominance, and Dylan draws from his experiences a strength that allows him to begin the process of growing into a man. Early in the book, when everyone is still referring to Dylan as "Dilly", a childhood nickname that Dylan has never liked, Vin tells him that it's a child's name and refuses to call him anything but Dylan. But it isn't until much later on that Dylan stops referring to himself as Dilly and decides it's time to be Dylan. I loved the shift, and I applaud Gala for employing that subtle tactic to showcase Dylan's burgeoning maturity.

All in all, a great read both in terms of plot and characters. The psychology is fascinating, and the kink rather eye-opening.

[BevS · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did like this, but nothing beats Marcus and Thomas in 'Rough Canvas' as far as I'm concerned

I have read the other reviews, and I have to agree with Deirdre in that there is absolutely no mention of the 'L' word in the pairing up of Dylan and Vin, but having said that, the sub plot involving Dylan's psychopathic elder brother Gary was compelling, and for me, that kept the book from falling into a 3 star+ story.

I grew to like Dylan, and I felt that as he grew older, he would develop a really good character. Vin, of course, was an alpha male, used to having his own way and being in charge, and very protective of Dylan when they did pair up. I really liked the character of Miss Dolphinia/Lee, and Dylan's sister Carmine was a pain in the ass sometimes, but whose brothers and sisters aren't?? Dylan's mum unfortunately seemed to have several screws missing as far as her elder son was concerned, she just accepted everything he did and was completely blind to all his faults, and there were many!! Dylan's dad just seemed to want a quiet life, and whilst I suppose you can't blame him, I did feel that he could and should have done a helluva lot more.

[Rissa (an M/M kinda Girl!!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!

This book was fabulous! And as my 1st Lyn Gala book, she may have ruined me for any other of her books. :P

I was pulled into this book right from the start it was wonderfully written. It's great to be engrossed in a book that you want to know what's going to happen next with every single character not just the the main MCs. We get painted such an amazing picture of Dylan and his entire family as well as Vin, Guard and Miss Dolphinia (and The Stonewall) that I felt like I could spot them anywhere.

Vin doesn't follow the rules at least no rules that he hasn't set and then sometimes he strays from those as well....so fricken HOTT! Dylan is submissive through and through. His 'timidness' for lack of a better word work great for his character.

When you go into this book be prepared to feel every one of your emotions go crazy! Whether you are laughing, agonizing, biting your lip to stop from yelling, wanting to punch someone in the face, enjoying, loving, smiling or squirming in your seat because of the sheer hottness of the sex scenes or anything inbetween...I don't doubt that you will love this book!

[Kassa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really surprised by Fettered. I didn’t expect anything bad, after all it’s Lyn Gala and I quite like her books, but I was surprised by how good this one was. I think that’s due to the more intense subject matter and how it’s handled. The concept and plot are good and the story isn’t afraid to delve into pretty dark areas. It’s also not afraid to show a kink that may not be for everyone but definitely works between the main characters. The writing is very good, but what really shone here are the characterizations. The various cast members all have shades of interesting gray and it definitely hooked me to want to read more.

The plot is somewhat complex – the best books usually are – but it revolves around 19 y/o Dilly wandering into a gay leather bar to try to understand his sudden cravings. His older brother has recently been arrested on rape charges and pictures of his BDSM tools make the news. Dilly is intrigued about these items and wonders how they’d feel so he heads to a gay bar to try to make it happen. There he meets 24 y/o Vin, a big bad Dom with a lot of issues. Although Vin is usually a play with them and leave them type of guy, he can’t help falling for Dilly.

There are a lot of characters in this story but Dilly, later Dylan, and Vin are the main couple. They work well together as Vin is a sadist with big control issues while Dilly is lacking a lot of spine and wants to be controlled in just about every single way. Dilly doesn’t come across as weak so much as ineffectual and needing that kind of guidance in his life. Vin doesn’t seem over the top, perhaps a bit extreme, but his needs fit well with Dilly’s wants and desires. Together their sex life is hot and plentiful while they support and encourage each other. My only qualms with these two are that Vin seems much, much, much older than 24. I had a hard time reconciling his relatively young age with the fact that he’s had two, very serious, long-term relationships since he’s been an adult. That gives him no room to really mature considering the details of those relationships. I constantly thought Vin was in late 20’s or early 30’s. Also Dilly is pretty immature at 19 and while that’s not to say it can’t be true love, I expect he’ll grow and change over time.

As for the secondary characters, they are very absorbing. To start with, Miss Dolphinia is remarkably fabulous while staying three-dimensional. She easily could have been a caricature but there’s some considerable depth and nuance to the character. This one impressed me quite a bit. She’s so well written and engaging. Unfortunately Dilly’s family is less well rounded but I appreciated the added dimension to them. They don’t feel rote or easy, but more so flawed in a very human, if aggravating, way. I did feel the resolution with the sister was too pat. It felt too easy considering everything and I didn’t really buy into her explanations for everything. That said, I really appreciated the considerable time spent on the family members to bring them to life. They’re not just pawns used to further the plot but essential people that have an affect on Dilly’s life and outlook.

The writing is very good, though not always the cleanest. I liked the imagery used, but sometimes I couldn’t envision the scene or details very well as the language got a bit twisted on itself. I would have to stop and really work out the scene in my head, for example when Dilly’s crawling around putting the file together, because I couldn’t quite get the picture from reading. However, these are minor issues for me since the characterization and more intense plot smoothed over any problems. I enjoyed reading this a lot and would recommend it for both fans of the author and those new to Gala’s writing. I may not read this one again but I hope there are some future books with these characters, or a new couple in the same world.

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blistering BDSM. Passionate bonds. Sickening sibling.

Wow, this was intense to say the least. I feel like I just endured a crash course in the nitty-gritty, down and dirty truths of BDSM 101. My previous experience with doms and subs did little to prepare me for the intensity of this world. It was a vivid look into the physical and mental mindset of the needs and demands accompanying the lifestyle.

Dylan’s on a quest for answers and finds himself in dangerous waters when he strolls into Stonewall, a hard-core BDSM club in town. His home life is shattering and he believes he may figure out some of the reasons why his brother is who he is behind their doors.

Vin is the chosen tutor for Dylan by the audacious drag queen club owner, Mrs. Dolphinia. He gives Dylan his first lesson, one which he won’t be forgetting anytime soon, and finds himself fighting a tidal wave of emotions. Vin doesn’t do anything part way; it’s all or nothing and he’s afraid of putting himself or someone else in the ‘everything’ category again.

Mrs. Dolphinia is larger than life, and consumes the scenes she partakes in. There is a method to her madness and she isn’t afraid to step up and tumble with the big dogs if necessary. A notable character that shines from each page, I found her extremely enchanting.


The sex was searing and plentiful; emotions ran hard and heavy and I relished in Dylan’s growth. He certainly grew in substantial ways. I found myself eager to see trust build and survive between Dylan and Vin.

Yet, I couldn’t get past his brother.

The entire situation disgusted me, and I found myself nauseous again and again when his story came to light. No- con is difficult for me, and this particular case knocked off an entire star in my book. However, if their story continued without this tainted character I would happily pursue more of Vin and Dylan.

*3.5 fiery and forceful stars*

[Don Bradshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed on Hearts On Fire... http://heartsonfirereviews.com/

Dylan has always lived in the shadow or his abusive brother Gary and his out spoken sister Carmine. His parents were champions at denial and Dylan quickly learned to hate confrontation in his totally dysfunctional family life. Dylan's mother was big on preaching that family sticks together but the family is now being pulled apart by the stress of Gary being arrested as a serial rapist. Dylan doesn't know where to go to escape until he sees Gary's bondage tools and id turned on by them. He pays a visit to Stonewall, the most liberal of BDSM clubs owned by Miss Dolphinia and meets the sexy and dangerous Vin.
This is the first book of Ms Gala's that I have read and it was excellent. Her writing style is clear, clean and wonderfully descriptive. Told from Dylan's POV the story opens with Dylan knowing absolutely nothing about the BDSM lifestyle and walking into the hardcore Stonewall and slowly growing into the perfect sub. The dual plots were woven together very well and never took away from each other. Both of the plots were intriguing and showed the many facets of the complex characters. Dylan and Vin were damaged individuals with tons of baggage but they balanced one another in a way that me love them both. All of the secondary characters from the deranged Gary to the hilarious Miss Dolphinia to Dylan's neurotic mother were all well fleshed out and made for an interesting and varied cast of characters. Part of the beauty of the story was that every character was flawed in some way but they embraced those flaws like a lifeline. They were so very real and natural if fairly dysfunctional. The sex was hot as hell and was no half way sweet BDSM. Yes there was a HEA but Vin was very aware that he was a sadist and Dylan held tightly his masochistic side. This was not a light and easy romance story but a story about pain and suffering both physically and mentally that pulled me in and wouldn't let me go. I cannot recommend this excellent book highly enough.

[Chippy Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book, thought aspects were sweet, mostly relating to Dilly, also thought aspects were hot, especially anything related to Dilly and Vin together, and I liked the family drama and the surprise twist. So, I'll divide my review into three categories:

SWEET

EVIL

SEXY


THE SWEET

Dylan/Dilly



This guy was adorable, so cute, the perfect twink, the perfect character to fall for, to want to protect like Vin does. I absolutely loved this character, and he's now my second favourite twink outside of Corey Connor from Behind the Tears.

Dilly has always been treated as a boy, hence why his family call him Dilly instead of Dylan. But by the end of the book he becomes Dylan. He learns to stand up for himself, to live his own life, even though people patronise him, the worst suspect being his evil brother Gary, who is on bail on rape charges. And it's through Gary we get:

Evil

He also brings suspense. He's a horrible character, but without him the book wouldn't have had the exciting storyline. And the author also very cleverly weaved a surprise through the story for us in regards to Gary, a horrible family secret that will definitely surprise you, but it makes sense when you find out.


Lastly, here's the Sexy part of the story:


Vin



Vin was a complete honey, a dark sexy saviour for Dylan, someone who is made out to be dangerous, but to me wasn't, instead he is overly protective and definitely obsessive, but for him it works, and he is definitely hot, hot, hot. I don't usually like BDSM books that much, because they are too caught up with rules, and Vin is the same, he doesn't like the safe words or rules that the character Guard uses. And I agree with him, because, as long as you have a trusted partner, stuff the vanilla safe words, that isn't sexy in my opinion, Vin's version of BDSM IS VERY SEXY!!!

And one last thing, I have to mention the lovely lady below:

Miss Dolphinia



She was a great character who really added to the book. I really liked her and her club.

Will I recommend this book. YES! Although it isn't great, it's a good read. I personally didn't find it that dark, like a lot of people did, because I'm used to a lot darker stories, but if you want to venture into something with a touch of darkness and some hot BDSM M/M sex, read on!

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is diffidently NOT for everyone...even if you are huge fan of M/M romances. There is romance between the two characters of Dylan and Vin, but not the kind that will appeal to everyone by any stretch of the imagination. I have to say that I had a great deal of admiration for Dylan and the courage he showed dealing with his brother, and Vin was sexy and lovable even if some of his tastes did run to the unimaginable. With that being said I have probably just sold a hundred or more copies to those folks that are now curious:) The story also deals with a lot beyond romance and self-discovery. Dylan's family had some very deep-rooted issues and dynamics. I wanted to just kill his brother and shake some common sense into his mother. Then we come to what happened to Carmine, his sister. I didn't expect it but can't say I was really surprised. There were several other twists that introduced many more conflicts that felt far too real and totally possible. I loved the old "drag Queen", Miss Dolphina. I don't believe I have ever had a character quiet like her appear in a anything I have ever read. She is so much more than I ever imaged her to be. I have read bondage themed books before but none as graphic as this one. The entire story reiterated that sometimes, for some people, it can be more than hard to find yourself and your place in this world. That family isn't necessarily always biological but can be made up of those who accept you for who and what you are, and that being true to yourself is the key to finding your happiness, and no one should be judged for it, whatever form that it may take.

[Camy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first third of the book comprised the set up of the story and read rather blah to me. Then possessive Vin made his appearance and everything perked up. (Vin read older than 25 to me throughout the entire story but the explanation for this is given at the end).

Between Vin's very yummy control and Lee, who's great, I started to become more immersed and was glad that I had borne through the first 30%. Regretfully though, soon after it all flattened again and the work remained firmly in the archetypal, moralistic realm.

This was a lesson on BDSM, old and new - it's older, more organic form and the newer, draw up a contract rubbish that passes for it to some; a commentary on gender roles with Carmine in particular leading the examination of feminine and masculine behaviour; and a parsing on the difference between a bully and a Dom. As such, there was little story here for me, and little to which I connected.

The outline and purpose of this tale were very transparent to me and the sex did not serve to distract considering I did not find it especially hot.

All in all, a bit thin on the ground.

[Gigi]

I figured out why I haven't been able to get into this one. Not because it isn't fantastic, but because Dylan is just too young for me. Sad face.