Staged Whispers

by Cassandre Dayne

When secrets and tragedy threaten to destroy three lives, will the friends and lovers learn to face their personal demons or succumb to the horror of tragedy?

Cole Dumont, Dylan Wyler and Brandon Foster were old chums who decided just out of college to open Forever Green Lawn. Their business catering to the wealthiest families in Fort Lauderdale, their pristine reputation afforded them every indulgence. Unable to disclose their gay lifestyle, they sequestered their dark desires, sharing passion as well as their lives. Terrified to admit their needs, they all hid behind a mask. The reasons were too damning to admit – at least for one of the men.

When a horrifying accident nearly claimed Dylan’s life, Cole and Brandon were given a last request, one they were unable to refuse. As Dylan’s mysterious past finally became known, a serious of mysteries dragged them all into a private hell. The truth was far too damning.

129 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 31, 2013

About the author

Cassandre Dayne is the award winning, bestselling author of over 200 novels and stories in several genres including BDSM, spanking stories, LGBT, D/s, dark pararnormal and romance. Her pieces are called edgy and terrifying as well as thought provoking and sensual. She’s also the radio host of The Edge, a blog talk radio show highlighting artists who take their work to the “edge”.

You can find her works on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iTunes. Her upcoming series – Texas Oil will be released from Blushing Books later this year. She resides somewhere in Virginia with her husband and two special golden retrievers, MacGyver and Indiana Jones. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her enjoying a glass of wine, listening to metal music and enjoying the outdoors.

You can find her at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cassandre-Da...
Amazon: https://amazon.com/author/cassandredayne
Bookbub: https://bookbub.com/authors/cassandre...
Blog: www.cassandredayne.wordpress.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/cassandredayne
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/cassandredayne

Reviews

[Pixie Mmgoodbookreviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 - 3 Hearts

Review written for MM Good Book Reviews

http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/

Cole, Dylan and Brandon have been best friends and lovers for years, but they have all hidden secrets, which they have kept from each other. The three men opened their own business together, but have had to hide their sexual preferences from their clientele. Dylan’s past starts to haunt him, and Brandon and Cole have to fight for their lover, but some secrets are just too shocking to admit and Dylan ends up in a horrific accident.


This story is a good combination of horrors of the past, slight paranormal and distancing yourself from trauma, with a huge dollop of hot sex thrown in. Dylan is starting to be haunted by his past and it is driving him insane, but he keeps it hidden from Cole and Brandon so they don’t know what horrific things he has done in his past. Cole adores his men, but has kept his abilities hidden from them in fear of how they would treat him; he can sense something is seriously wrong with Dylan, but can’t get Dylan to open up. Brandon is more of the peacekeeper; he loves both his men, but doesn’t know what to do about the friction between them all.


I will be honest, while reading this book sometimes I thought ‘why don’t you confront him?’ or ‘why are you taking your time?’ because it seemed like there would finally be a confrontation, but the next scene they would be ‘shooting the shit’ or getting into an erotic encounter, and while that was hot, it was frustrating. I must admit the storyline was very good, with the emotional trauma being transferred into something that was more tangible and haunting, and uncertainty and fear playing a large part in all the men’s insecurities. The ending is something that shocked me because just as Dylan, Brandon and Cole seem to be getting their happy ever after, a phone call shatters Cole’s peace.


I will recommend this to those who love slight mysteries, haunting pasts, hot sex, strong love and an ending that is happy and shocking.

[Secretly Reading · Rating 2 out of 5]

STAGED WHISPERS had great promise as an MMM menage but its lack of resolution with both plot and romance ruined the story for me.

Cole, Dylan and Brandon have been roommates, lovers, and business partners for years. But lately, Cole and Brandon feel like something is haunting Dylan and when Dylan faces a life threatening situation, the men know their fears are true.

This synopsis caught my attention but what the synopsis doesn't say is this is a sinister, almost-horror plot. Dylan's threat is straight out of a scary movie which would be fine if it had resolution but it doesn't. The plot ends in a more confused place than it began and as a reader, I was irritated by this. It's not listed as book one in a series but it absolutely should be if Dylan's threat is to have any resolution.

The plot's lack of resolution wouldn't be so bad if the romance portion was resolved but it wasn't either. Dylan, Cole and Brandon have excellent sexual chemistry and they have emotional issues they need to deal with in order to have a meaning relationship together. I was very hopeful at novella's beginning but again, the ending finds the three men in less of a resolved relationship than they started.

STAGED WHISPERS didn't live up to its set up in my opinion, which saddens me because it could have been a really good novella.
*originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews*
*review copy from publisher*

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really don't know how to rate this book. The characters were OK. (I really did like Dylan though.) The sex was hot (although not enough scenes for me). The dialogue between the characters was stilted and juvenile. I didn't feel much connection between the characters. The story itself was good and actually kept my interest and had me wondering what would happen next. I don't want to spoil too much, but I thought up until the last 10% of the book, I was reading a paranormal. It didn't pick up much, but (and that's a HUGE but) the last 10% really kind of blew me away. I totally didn't see what was coming, even though I probably should have. And the end. Oh God the end! I actually cried. When a book forces emotion on me, I have to give it at least 3 stars.

[Kay Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a M/M/M erotic novel and may not be for every one. Mrs Dayne writes another book breaking the traditional love story mantra. In this book she writes about the love of 3 men with one another. The love they share, the tragedy they face, and the decisions they have to make as what seems to tear their world apart, Can the love they have and hold and keep them together or will the fates of life pull them apart.

[Mandy*reads obsessively*]

Maybe another one for my ménage addiction. :)

[Michael Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

My full review of Staged Whispers can be found on my web site.

[Nomarfan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't feel like this story is complete. The ending isn't what I would call a HEA or even a HFN. It felt very much like a cliffhanger and the story didn't pull me in enough to find out if this book has a sequel to find out if these men will get their HEA.