Damaged

Uniformity #2

by Ethan Stone

Correctional Officer Zane Davis didn't think commitment was in the cards but when he meets Brett Emerson everything that once seemed impossible is now all he can think about. Correctional Officer Zane Davis thought being bi-sexual and afraid of commitment meant he was destined to be alone until he meets someone who changes everything. There is an instant attraction when Zane meets Brett Emerson on the job. The fact that Brett is engaged to a woman doesn't dampen Zane's attraction. Brett and Zane become friends as they also work to uncover corruption at the prison. The friendship deepens and turns to romance, but will Zane survive the danger he puts himself in when he finds out how far up the corruption goes?

Genres: M M Romance, LGBT, Romance, Ebooks, Contemporary

222 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2013

Reviews

[Aki | nose buried in books | ❤️ | · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐
I liked this one better than the first book.
In this one there was more focus on the relationship rather than the mystery (that it was better in the previous book, imo).
There was also more steam and I appreciated Zane, whom I had hard time to like in book one, he did a real 360° turn around and it suited him fine.

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finding "the one" is something Zane Davis never expects to happen. When he falls for the geeky prison case worker, Brett Emerson, it's a surprise to both of them. Because Brett is engaged to be married to woman and Zane doesn't think Brett is his type. This story could be just a sweet m/m romance but it is so much more. Mr. Stone crafts a well-written suspense while two men grapple with their forbidden desires.

Mr. Stone once again does an excellent job of showing the difficulties of being gay in a working profession which is against it. He makes good points about how sexuality shouldn't be a factor for doing a good job, yet somehow, people think it's their business. The way Mr. Stone clearly demonstrates how gay men fear to be ousted from the closet is hard to witness. As a reader who cares not for sexual orientation, it is a good reminder that in the real world, many people are not as openminded. Private lives are ripped apart by narrow-minded assholes. What is more alarming and realistic is how Zane's professional ability is called into question because of his sexual preference. This is very frustrating and Mr. Stone does an excellent job of showing how it can play out in real life. Now in this story, it works out. In real life, I'm not so sure it would be quite this easy.

The plot of this story is well-written. Mr. Stone creates a good suspense story with clues and detective work. This makes the book more meaty and enjoyable. It's not a fluffy angsty romance. It's a well-constructed mystery complicated by personal matters. The blending of the romance to mystery is done seamlessly. Mr. Stone is quickly becoming the author to read for m/m contemporary suspense.

What is so good about this book is that even without the m/m conflict, the book can easily stand on its own. The addition of the m/m romance adds a layer which increases the complexity and enjoyment. It also makes the reader think and try to figure out who is the perpetrator and why they want to cause trouble. This book is recommended to m/m romance lovers who enjoy a good suspense.

[JustJen "Miss Conduct" · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review written for The Blog of Sid Love.

In this segment, Zane appears to have done an almost complete turnaround since his relationship with Kash. Now that he has met Brett, a counselor at the prison) he doesn’t seem to want the player life anymore. That’s great news, but Brett has a few issues of his own to be dealt with first, not the least of which being his engagement to Caitlyn. Zane, believing Brett is the one for him, decides to wait and let their friendship grow.

Things heat up at work when Zane has a few run-ins with some prisoners. Things get more dangerous for Zane as he is threatened with retaliation, and a small mystery ensues surrounding the Aryan Warriors that puts Zane on the hitlist. Ironically, Caitlyn is the one to save the day when the work issues escalate for Zane.

Meanwhile, Brett has called off his engagement after realizing he simply cannot give Caitlyn what she needs. This all ties back to Brett’s initial issue from childhood which he still has not come to grips with. He realizes he wants to be with Zane but given that issue still haunts him, he has trouble getting past it enough to move forward with being with another man. Zane sticks by him though, and it pays off for them after a while. And when they finally take that next step, it is fabulous to watch. I really liked them together and couldn’t wait for the comfort level to rise enough for them to finally christen their relationship with full-blown sex.

I’m really enjoying this series. It’s quite interesting getting to see how things are done from the corrections officers’ side. There is sexiness, excitement and mystery all wrapped up in one tidy story, and I’m really looking forward to reading more.

[Natalija · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've yet to read anything by Ethan Stone that I didn't love. Damaged is the second book in the Uniformity series and while it can be easily read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading Compromised first. I absolutely loved it from start to finish and now I'm eagerly looking forward to the next book in the series (if I'm not mistaken, it Dylan Hoss' story). A definite recommendation from me!

[UnusualChild{beppy} · Rating 3 out of 5]

synopsis:
zane is bisexual, but doesn't think that he can settle for one person until he meets brett. zane works for the correctional department as a guard, and he doesn't want anyone to know that he also fancies men because he fears reprisal from his co-workers. the attraction between himself and brett is really strong, however, even though brett is engaged to a woman. one day, a woman invites zane home for a threesome, and the man in the threesome turns out to be brett. even though that doesn't happen, brett and zane start to develope a friendship, and then more. while that is happening, brett and zane have to work at finding out about the corruption within the system.

what i liked: i liked that zane realized that one person could be enough for him; that when feelings were involved, he could be monogamous. i liked that brett and zane didn't rush into things, that they built a friendship first, even though they were attracted to one another.

what i didn't like: that zane always rushed headlong into things and didn't make the best decisions with regards to his safety and that of those around him. he didn't report some incidences that he should have and tried to take care of things himself.

[Brandilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Zane. He just can’t win. He also can’t seem to keep it in his pants. Somehow, I still want him to find his happily ever after. Brett is a bit nerdy, a bit out there, a bit engaged to a beautiful woman. So how do they make their way to each other? This is a romance novel after all.

Damaged is a story of coming out, of finding yourself, of finding love where you least expect it. It is a case of friends becoming lovers. It is a case of people making stupid decisions. It is a case of people finding ways to make up for those decisions. It is a case of people being adults and owning their decisions.

Find the Full review at Prism Book Alliance http://www.prismbookalliance.com/?pos...

[Marinieves · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book 2 of the Uniformity series.


Correctional Officer Zane Davis is afraid of commitment.

Zane meets case worker Brett Emerson and the attraction is immediate.

Brett and Zane become friends as they also work to uncover corruption at the prison.

The friendship deepens and turns to romance, but Zane is in danger he puts his life at risk during the corruption investigation.

Zane and Brett relationship is different , slow pace and it showed they genuinely care about each other.

Zane became the man Brett needed.

Good story ...

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zane is a prison guard and in the prior book he has shown he wants to be a player, no commitment for him. Brett is a prison administrator, engaged but clearly conflicted. Their relationship builds very slowly and perhaps that's what Zane needed, to get to know a person outside of the bedroom. His patience with Brett is noteworthy. I liked the plot/mystery here, although Zane's hunches are maybe a BIT too frequent to be real. But I liked that it's a different setting and that many real world issues are dealt with, homophobia, racism, corruption.

[The Novel Approach · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the first book in this series, I had a soft spot for Zane Davis. I know he may not have been the most popular character due to his being less than faithful in Compromised, but I think he redeemed himself, and his honesty made him a character I could respect.


See the entire review at The Novel Approach: http://thenovelapproachreviews.com/20...

[Kobie · Rating 2 out of 5]

this felt very porny at first. Then, I decided it was like reading a first draft with no editor. My pet peeve: "and I loved it. " Authors, if you write this sentence, please delete it upon editing. The other issue was glossing over parts that needed more information and giving too much information on unnecessary things. last complaint is that the mediation sessions read like a courtroom proceeding. that felt inaccurate to me.

Somehow, the story pulled me through to the end.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this one as much as the first. Zane's dialogue seemed too educated. Like the author didn't immerse themselves into the character... the character became the author. Not that I know the author at all, just a thought while reading it. Zane's complete 180 was a bit too easy. I liked the struggles with the inmates and the officers.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A GREAT SERIES, A GREAT BOOK. THE PLOT WAS WONDERFUL WITH TWISTS, AND TURNS. THE CHARACTERS WAS GOOD, BRETT, AND ZANE WAS WONDERFUL. THE SECONDARY CHARACTERS WERE GOOD ALSO. A MUST READ.

[Tonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

It just keeps getting better and better. I am loving this series!

[Tristan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book made me want to give this one a try because I wanted Zane to be happy.

All I can say is my weekend reading this series was filled with fluff....

OK read 3.1 Stars

[Elisa Rolle · Rating 5 out of 5]

2014 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)