Rent Me

Rent Me #1

by Brina Brady

Previous cover edition for ASIN B00KLNSLBQ.
For alternate cover edition see here

Russian mobster spanks his rent boy. Ouch!

Rent Boy Brennen wants to belong to his lover Dmitri Dubrovsky. The Russian mobster controls every inch of his life in and out of bed. Brennen works for Dmitri’s escort service. His only desire is to please his lover. When Dmitri marries Nika, his lover moves him out of their home to an apartment in Beverly Hills and tells him nothing has changed.

What is Brennen going to do now?

Brennen does not understand his lover’s Russian culture not allowing homosexuality. Two different cultures and age difference clash.

Warning:
This is a Gay adult consensual story focused on themes of corporal discipline punishment and explicit sex with light elements of BDSM between adult men over the age of eighteen.

Genres: M M Romance, BDSM, Romance, Contemporary, Erotica, Crime, LGBT

436 pages, ebook

First published May 27, 2014

About the author

I read and write M/M Gay Erotica/Romance novels.

I am a retired high school teacher with a Master's Degree from California State University of Long Beach and UCLA.

I taught various high school subjects including the following:world history, math, Algebra, Careers, CAHSEE prep, Independent Studies,science, Adult School, Orientation, and even middle school for three years. Let's not talk about the middle school experience. I prefer teaching high school seniors.

During the day, I read and write. I enjoy taking writing classes in my spare time.

Reviews

[Emma Sea · Rating 1 out of 5]

O_o

There's all these reviews saying the book is well-written, and I'm genuinely wondering if I downloaded a different book.

I'm open to the possibility that the author somehow mistakenly uploaded to Amazon the fic she wrote when she was 14, instead of the finished book everybody else on GR read.

The book I read was structureless, dry, utterly unsexy wtfuckery.

At least, maybe it did have a structure. You know what I thought of, suddenly, at 82%? Waiting for Godot. Now, if your work reminds a reader of Beckett, maybe you're doing something right.

Maybe Brady has written a devastating absurdist critique of the m/m genre, in which Dmitri and Brennan wait endlessly and in vain for the arrival of self-awareness.

The book opens with kept boy, and part-time escort, Brennan, half-annoyed, half-pleased at Dmitri's return from his honeymoon with new wife Nika: Dmitri has married to sustain his legacy.

Sharing a lover was a big change. He hated it. But he missed Dmitri so much. The sickness in the pit of his stomach refused to leave him.
“ . . . My driver brought me straight here from LAX.”
“Where is Nika?”
“Nika is none of your damn business.” His voice softened, “I missed you.”
“I thought with you being married now you wouldn’t want…”
“Stop!” Dmitri interrupted. “I told you Nika has nothing to do with us. I haven’t had a decent blowjob since we were together.”
. . .
“I missed you. But it feels different.” Dmitri’s lips felt so good on his nipples. He didn’t know how else to describe his own confusion of needing him and not wanting him all at the same time. Nika being in his Dmitri’s life did not work.

Brennan services clients. Brennan goes to BDSM bars. Brennan goes on a four-hour round trip drive so Dmitri can beat his ass with a belt.

And at 82%, they have this conversation:

“We are lovers, right?” Dmitri asked.
“You still have Nika in your life, and she comes first.”
“I told you I am working on a solution for us.”
“But you did marry her when we were together so that tells me something about us. You never told me you were dating her, and then one day you told me you were getting married. You fucked her while you were fucking me, and I never knew until you said you were getting married. That said a lot about what you think of us. Maybe you want me to be your whore and not your lover anymore. But whatever it is, let me know what you want from me. I can’t take this pain anymore, not knowing where I belong in your life.”

Yes, we have achieved a complete circle. It was a special moment for me, I can tell you, to have read through 4850 locations of uneasy, angular sentences, lying in leaden ranks, to discover we are still at the side of the road, finding boots that somehow fit.

And I would be Pozzo (in Act II, obvy), made blind and filled with utter despair by my encounter with the text, tripping over scenes like this:

“I find it hard to believe such a sexy boy doesn’t have any boyfriends. Did you ever have a Dom?”
“Not a full time one.” He turned on his flirt mode to reel in Master Ethan.
“If you are interested in becoming my sub, I want you to prove to me that you are willing to obey me by getting your nipples pierced.” Master Ethan handed him a business card. “Ask for Francisco, and tell him I sent you. Get some ear piercings, too if you like. I will pay for it.”
“I have no problem doing that, sir.” What would Dmitri say if he showed up with pierced nips? Would he suspect something was going on without him?
“I’d like to talk to you again. Write a list of your soft and hard limits. List the traits you want in a Dom, too. I will not even consider a sub that lies to me. See you next Friday or sooner if you can get back here before then. I’m here every night. But don’t bother unless your nipples are pierced.”
“Yes, sir.”
“What is your name, boy?”
“Brennen Brady.”
“Nice name, but I will call you boy if you become my sub.”
“I will do anything for you and obey you to the letter.” Brennen’s voice sounded like he was begging.

It is incomprehensible to me why so many people love this book.

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars. An extra 1/2 star for hot, yet disturbing, sex.

I'm rating this book even though I DNFed at around 45%. I don't actually enjoy giving authors low star ratings, but I'm mystified that this book actually made it on the market in its current state.

This book is a clusterf*ck of issues. I'm perfectly fine with kink. In fact, really filthy daddy kink and humiliation kink is my favorite sort of kink, so I'm a little more risque than even some readers. But, honestly, this book was a hot mess.

Imagine a book that combines all of these elements:

Russian mafia boss; abused/abandoned gay teen semi-adopted by Russian mafia guy as a PRE-TEEN; teen entering into a master/slave-type relationship with the guy who is the dad-figure; the now 21-year-old becomes a rent-boy (for some random reason); Russian mafia guy married a woman; Russian guy's brother lords over 21-year-old also ... I can't even go on with the WTFery.

Despite the fact that the plot made no sense to me, the plot also showcased a horribly abusive, TERRIBLE BDSM-style relationship. Even if the plot made sense and seemed to have a story-line (which it didn't), it would have been a TERRIBLE story-line.

To make matters worse (MUCH WORSE), the editing is some of the most atrocious editing that I've seen. The characters don't use contractions, which sounds stiff and awkward, there are POV switches and super confusing sentence structures, and the sentences are short and choppy with repetitive formats.



SEE WHAT I MEAN.

I'm sure that the author is a lovely person, but this reads like bad fanfic. I'm not kidding (I wish I was). No bueno.





*Reading as part of my GRL reading challenge for 2016- my quest to read new-to-me authors before the convention*

[Optimist ♰King's Wench♰ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know. Psychos need love too. The best way I can describe this book really, truly is like a David Lynch film. Normally, I can get in the general vicinity of where a book is going. The only thing I could come up with here was Brennen ending up face down in a gutter with his throat cut, his skinny jeans down around his ankles and ‘Rent Me’ written across his butt cheeks. <---not what happened. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t entertained by this nutbaggery, though. Kinda like a Lynch film in that is leaves you with a ‘Huh? WTF just happened?’ feeling afterwards.

When I read the blurb I had a Russian version of The Sopranos in my head. Tony bending Christopher over tables and car hoods would’ve been so fucking hot, but the mafia angle wasn’t the focus. Rent Me is told entirely through Brennen. Brennen is temperamental, vain, insecure… wait, wait. Let me save all that and say it succinctly. He’s a hot mess. THIS SONG describes him better than anything I can say. Ever.

Ms. Brady dropped a lot of psychiatric buzz words and she did an excellent job of presenting Brennen as a product of his environment and upbringing. I understand why he is the way he is and as I said, she did an excellent job of putting the reader inside the mind of a mentally ill MC, but that doesn’t mean Rent Me was an entirely pleasant experience. I did chuckle more than once at the antics on display by all involved. Brennen is 21 going on 12 and very exhausting. I still find it ironic that the two Mafiosos are more stable than him. Not by much but still…

Dmitri and Mischa are brothers who are Russian mafia whose empire is based in LA. Brennen was taken in by them after they rescued him from a lunatic named Adrik when he was 12. The dynamic between the three of them is… weird as hell, pseudoincestual. Brennen sees them as family but he fucks Dmitri and wants him to be his Master. Both brothers frequently spank him when he acts out, just flat out smack him across the face or worse. *shakes head* Lynch film. In case you haven’t figured it out Brennen acts out All. The. Time. Particularly if Dmitri has to spend more than 5 minutes away from him with his old lady, Nika, or just 5 minutes period.

I need him to breathe. He is my everything.

Dmitri LURVES Brennen. He has plans for them to be together F.O.R.E.V.E.R. but he’s tight lipped as to how. Obviously, this calls for Brennen to respond by latching onto… well, pretty much anyone who pays attention to him for a minute or so. The next thing you know Brennen decides he’s going to give this whole girl thing a try and picks a kleptomaniac! *refer to gif #1*

I don't feel good about myself unless I have tons of people wanting me for sex.

Oh, man…

*wipes eyes*

Christ Almighty! This thing really has to be experienced firsthand. Hop on board this crazy train, folks. I haven't even scratched the surface here. The storyline is completely nonsensical. These characters are freak shows. The situations that arise are akin to a bad acid flashback. And somehow all these whackadoodles know each other! Utter and complete weirdness.

Kink: Mafioso + kink = not exactly SSC, maybe RACK, though I'm going with kinky fuckery and that's my final offer. The escort stuff was in the same vein-some of it was sort of hot, most of it was like a Lynch film minus the dancing dwarves. Opportunity wasted there.

Writing: Needs improvement. Far too much redundancy and repetition; too much emphasis on the mundane; too many descriptions of things rather than an actual plot. I couldn’t care less that Brennen carries minty toothpaste in his backpack. The dialogue is stiff as a board and much of it felt stilted. The characters all sound exactly the same. There were some continuity errors: one cannot crawl on one’s hands and knees when one’s hands are cuffed behind one’s back without being a stellar contortionist. However, Ms. Brady did introduce me to the terms ‘boy clit’ and ‘whorebagel’. A heartfelt, Thank You for those gems.

*pets new words*

For those of you out there (and I know you are. Don’t lie) that enjoy reading about dysfunctional, codependent, abusive, possessive, irrationally jealous crazy trains that are bigoted, like to break stuff and screaming is their default conversing voice… WHOOOOOOWEEEEEEEEE! You guys just hit ALL the jackpots!

I'm going with 2 Hearts for the Lynchyness entertainment value and Brennen's characterization.

[Danny Tyran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is this really a first novel? If it is one, we did not realize so the writing is clear and professional. This author writes better than most authors in this genre and even authors writing in any other genre of novel. She has an excellent vocabulary and knows how to express clearly what she wants us to understand.


Characters

Brennen Brady: The MC. He is a 21-year-old man who has a history of rapes and abuse of all kinds during his childhood. His mother, an alcoholic and drug addicted prostitute died when he was 12, leaving him in Adrik’s hands, a stepfather who has only one idea in mind: make the boy pay for his mother’s death (Brennen’s mother died when the boy was alone with her).

Dubrovsky Brothers:
Dmitri: Brennen’s rescuer. He took Brennen away from Adrik, with whom the boy lived since his mother’s death. Dmitri is a member of the Russian Mafia. Brennen lived first in a father-son relationship with Dmitri. This relationship turned into a lover relationship.
Mischa: Dmitri’s brother and hit man for the Mafia. Mischa has a bad temper and can react very sharply when something does not please him. However, it is him that Dmitri chose to be Brennen’s bodyguard.
Adrik: One of Brennen’s mother’s lovers. He lived with her just before her death. He is the one who tortured and raped Brennen after his mother's death. Adrik was a member of the Mafia, but now he is in debt and pursued by his creditors. So he changed his name and lives in a hideout.

Jesse: Brennen’s roommate. He lives with the MC in his apartment in Beverly Hills. Brennen regards him as a friend. But Jesse was actually hired by Dmitri to spy and report to him all Brennen’s actions.

Nika: The woman who becomes the wife of Dmitri at the beginning of the novel and who hates Brennen because Dmitri still loves his protégé.

Bella: One of Brennen’s classmates at USC. Brennen finds her very attractive and invites her at a restaurant and at home. They are surprised in bed about to f*ck by Dmitri.

Professor Brady: Brennen’s biological father that Brennen didn't know. He teaches at USC. Brennen, who has not seen since his mother’s, only meets him when the professor replaces a colleague.


Lies and deceits scattered throughout the novel

Throughout the story, we discover with Brennen all the things that have been hidden by everyone around him, particularly by Dmitri, who is the mastermind behind all these concealments.

• Adrik hid to Brennen that he met Professor Brady, the boy’s biological father. Professor Brady had gone to look after his son when his mother died. So Adrik let Brennen believe that his father had abandoned him.
• Dmitri, whom Brennen considers as his boyfriend, cheated on him with women, because he was looking for a wife. He said nothing to Brennen, who discovers the truth the day Dmitri announces his upcoming wedding. Dmitri hid to Brennen for months that he didn’t fuck with Nika, leaving the young man suffer every day when imagining Dmitri and Nika making love together.
• Dmitri hired Jesse to spy on Brennen. Obviously, Brennen knows nothing about it. He considers Jesse as his only friend. Brennen learns everything at the end of the story while Jesse, who has enough of Mischa’s anger, decides to drop espionage and move in a hideout.
• Mischa, who never stops to say to Brennen that he loves him like a little brother, is actually in cahoots with Dmitri. Everything Mischa does is planned and reviewed by Dmitri. Dmitri knows everything even when Mischa points his gun at Brennen’s head, forces the boy to get naked, hogties and transports him to the cabin into his car’s trunk and then beats the boy. All that, “to give Brennen a lesson”. A lesson of what? Of cruelty? Even if he said afterward that his gun was not loaded, it is an unacceptable behavior, especially with regard to a young man with a tormented past like Brennen.
• During their first visit to the cottage, Dmitri "punishes" Brennen by hitting him with his belt for his antics during the marriage (very understandable behavior given the circumstances). He gives the boy three unacceptable options, in the hope that Brennen choose to drop his work for the escort agency. Dmitri continues to strike the boy in the hope that Brennen eventually say he’ll quit his job. Not only the reason given for this beating (punishment for his misbehavior) is false, but more importantly, while Brennen has not abdicated, Dmitri still forced him to stop his job. Then Dmitri stays without seeing Brennen for days, leaving Brennen worrying about the reasons for this silence and being frightened to be rejected by him. Then he dares tell Brennen: "No one would hurt you the way Adrik did." Another lie. And who would hit a kid in the same way that his stepfather and abuser did (with a leather belt)? No need to be a psychologist to understand that it can wake up very bad memories and create damages in the kid’s mind and heart.
• Dmitri hid to Brennen that he knew Professor Brady, that Brennan’s father had wanted to take charge of the boy; but Dmitri, wanting to keep Brennan, had convinced his father that he was better to take care of the kid. Professor Brady was debt-ridden, so he decided to give his son guardianship to this Mafioso! Dmitri then paid the debts of the teacher, but kept Brennen into his custody. Dmitri said that he loves too much the boy to give him back to his real father. The latter, now freed from his debts, the professor could have very well taken care of his son. But Dmitri hid all these details to Brennen, who continued to believe that his father had abandoned him and that everyone except Dmitri had his fate to heart.
• Dmitri also lied to Brennen when he said that he didn’t give Mark Miller, Brennen’s favorite client, to Viktor. Viktor was Dmitri’s former lover (maybe not so former than that). Dmitri claimed later that Viktor went to live in Russia, but in reality he had given Viktor his American escort agency.
• Bella is friend with Nika, Dmitri’s wife. She was at Dmitri’s and Nika’s wedding party and she noticed Brennen dancing there that day. But she said nothing to Brennen about her friendship and the fact that she had already met him until, at the very end of the story, Brennen asked her about all this.
• Brennen was interested in a dominant named Master Ethan, whom he met in a bar. Dmitri hid him he knew that dominant, and they communicated with each other.
• At the end of the story, Nika lies to Dmitri about the quarrel she had with Brennen. She was indiscreet and cruel to Brennen, who got angry against her and slapped her in the face. Nika accuses Brennen to be constantly violent towards her.
• Brennen hid things to Dmitri several times: when he met his biological father at university or his first date with Bella, his web site filled with photos of himself naked or videos in which he put on a show. Brennen lied at the end of the story about the fact that he f*cked with Bella.
• There is a gap between Brennen’s inner voice and what he says to people. While he wonders about the trust or even the love he can afford to give to people, about the injustice of the treatment they showed towards him, he comes to think, “I hate you!” about Dmitri and Mischa when they mistreats him, but he still tells them, “I love you.” When is he lying? When he thinks he hates them or when he tells that he loves them?

Although Dmitri keeps hiding things and lying to Brennen. Yet he continues to say to the boy that he should trust him. And when Dmitri asked Brennen if he has ever lied to him, Brennen replied: "Not that I remember." Does Brennen have memory problems?

At an advanced time in the story, Brennen wondered why it so hard for him to trust people. Why would he trust anybody? Everybody lie constantly to him or hide him important facts?

Comments on the story

I think that Brennen suffers from Superman syndrome. Not that he thinks himself to be Superman, but he sees Dmitri as his rich savior, his superman. He is so grateful to have come out of the grip of Adrik that he falls in love with his rescuer and comes to believe that he cannot live without Dmitri.

But it is Dmitri who generated the idea of helplessness, inability to live on his own in the boy's mind. Brennen works for the Dmitri’s agency. And Dmitri, his boss, places all his wages in a bank account which Brennen will not have access to before he is 35 years old! Brennen lives in an apartment paid for by Dmitri, but he cannot greet friends there for fear that they would discover his and Dmitri’s homosexuality. This is also the reason for the marriage of Dmitri: to keep up appearances on his heterosexuality with his family and his Russian friends. Dmitri gives Brennen money to meet his needs; so Dmitri knows exactly what he spends. Although Dmitri put the Brennen’s name on all his possessions’ papers, what can Brennen do with it? Nothing. Brennen also says that he don’t care about all this money which he does not have access to anyway. What he wants is to feel loved. And it’s not with a married man and in the absence of friends that he may feel really loved.

Brennen can do NOTHING without Dmitri knowing it through the employees of his company, his brother Mischa and Jesse. Brennen is emotionally and financially dependent on Dmitri.

What amazes me most is that while Brennen complains about Dmitri being a control freak, acting as if he was his father and treating him like a child, Brennen asks Dmitri to become his dominant. But I guess for the author, a D/s relationship is only held in the bedroom. In any case, if it is held elsewhere someday, as the end of the novel suggests, Brennen will certainly find Dmitri more controlling than ever. He may well not like it at all.

Evaluation of novel

I preferred to believe that this is a deliberate choice by the author to picture all her characters, even Brennen occasionally, as secretive and liars in order to sprinkle her novel with events that lead to revelations. All these revelations spice her story and give it pizzazz.

The author seems to have understood very well how to lead her readers to ask questions about her characters and events. Throughout the story, the readers, as Brennen, wonder who they should trust or not, who they should love or hate.

This novel is the story of the ups and downs of a young man’s life coming out of an abusive relationship to fall into another full of deceptions. All those who are usually fascinated by stories about children’s or teenagers’ plight will certainly be charmed by this story.

Regarding the erotic part, it is mainly at the beginning of the novel that sex is described in more detail. The author has not abused of it; which suits me perfectly.

Regarding BDSM, it is more mentioned than accomplished. Many times Dmitri plans to "play" with Brennen, but something prevents it. Once or twice, Brennen is paddled by Dmitri. Mark, the lawyer, is better at taking original posture to f*ck than to dominate. There is one scene with him with Brennen handcuffed and blindfolded, but they only f*ck. We cannot consider the times Mischa or Dmitri beat Brennen with a belt as BDSM (they are non-consensual and done to punish the boy, not to give pleasure). The scene with many clients sprinkling a blindfolded Brennen with beer against his will and letting him believe that they were peeing on him cannot be seen as BDSM either (more abuse). The scene with the guy Brennen called the Prince is just cruelty, since Brennen cannot free himself and has no safeword. This leaves just a few scenes classifiable as BDSM. For me, BDSM means that there is consent from all partners, that the sub is able to terminate the scene by a safeword or the possibility of leaving, and that there is more or something else than just bounded sex. From this point of view, there is not much BDSM in this novel. But the author said that there were soft BDSM elements, so she didn’t lie to us.

As I said in the beginning, the author writes better than the vast majority of current writers. She did her research on Russian habits and was able to use some elements of this knowledge appropriately. She knew very well how to give life to her characters that make us think of people we met on the street so they are alive. She has also been very successful in supporting her readers’ interests throughout her story.

See my other reviews here: http://heartsonfirereviews.com/?tag=D...

[Sabinemama · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is what happens when guardianship romances go bad.

There is NOTHING sexy about Brennen, the scarred man-boy who isn't capable of controlling any aspect of his own life. Dimitri pays all the bills, doesn't give Brennen access to the money he earns, orchestrates Brennen's entire life. The author has written these characters in such a way that I CANNOT believe Brennen is capable of consenting to any kind of relationship whatsoever at any point in the story, yet there seems to be an expectation that when Brennen says he wants Dimitri that somehow makes the control and manipulation romantic? Confronting the manipulation and deception only to decide it's what he wants does not mean he's grown as a character. We're supposed to believe he wants Dimitri to be his dom when Brennen has never had any control over his life to surrender? Being willing to surrender control he never had does not make it consensual!

Infantilization is no more sexy and endearing in m/m than it is in m/f romance. And in guardianship romances, it's just not okay. As it is, it reads like some creepy pedophile fantasy trying really hard to be a romance novel.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Creepy, that's the best word I can come up with for this book. Brennan is a escort who does it because he needs to feel everyone wants to have sex with him. He had a shit childhood but was rescued by Dmitri when he was 12 (I think). Anyways, it's supposed to be a love story between Brennan and Dmitri but Brennan is having sex all over the place and Dmitri is married to a woman. Brennan acts like a 12 yr old the entire book. It's exhausting and also why it's creepy. All this dirty sex, BDSM, spankings etc...with someone who's still emotionally a child. Ewwww! And it read stilted and amateurish which made it a very painful 260 pages.

[CrabbyPatty · Rating 2 out of 5]

OMG .... straight-up irritating with a heaping side of WTfuckery. I thought the book was poorly written, with no natural flow and stilted dialogue. The main characters were one-dimensional. Also the entire plot was borderline creepy, with Dmitri and Brennan's relationship wavering between father/son and dom/sub.

Visit my blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews

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

A review by The Blogger Girls.

I started out feeling one way about this book, and ended up feeling a bit different. There were things I really liked, and some not so much.

Dmitri and Brennan have a very different relationship. Dmitri basically saved Brennan when he was fourteen I believe, from his abusive stepfather. He took Brennan under his protection and offered him safety and security, as well as money and an education. However, when Brennan turned eighteen, they became lovers. They had been living together in a sort of D/S relationship with Dmitri the controlling dominant partner.

However, feeling he needed to keep his sexuality a secret from his Russian family and friends, he got married and moved Brennan to his own apartment. So, basically, at this point, Brennan is a kept man. To counter his having to deal with Dmitri’s marriage, Brennan works as an escort at Dmitri’s agency, much to Dmitri and his brother, Mischa’s, disapproval.

I actually really liked Dmitri for the most part, although his constant reassurances of working on a plan to fix things so he and Brennan could be together got a little tiresome. So too, did much of Brennan’s behavior. He was repeatedly begging Dmitri and Mischa to treat him like an adult, yet his behavior often spoke otherwise. Granted, he was at a bit of a loss after Dmitri’s wedding and his position in Dmitri’s life and really didn’t know how else to change things, but still, it was a bit much at times.

Underlying all of this is Brennan’s desire for Dmitri to be his dom, something which Dmitri continually tells Brennan he is not ready for. Other than some bondage and rough sex, and a few punishments/beatings here and there, none of this really came into play during this part of the story.

So, I was kind of going along unsure of how I felt about this story for quite some time. However, about 3/4 of the way through, the characters started to grow on me more and more. We started to see that there was more to Dmitri than met the eye, as more and more secrets unfolded. I still didn’t know who to trust, just as Brennan didn’t, especially when more lies were uncovered. By the end, I was riveted to see how things would turn out. Brennan finally grows a pair and goes out on his own, though he doesn’t last too long before he finds himself in trouble.

Things wrap up fairly nicely in the end with a sweet moment leaving me looking forward to seeing these guys again. I enjoyed the writing style and felt this was a solid story for a first-time author. I’m excited to see what she comes up with next.

[Krissy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had such potential but unfortunately fell flat on its face. The writing wasn't all that great and I was completely turned off by the scene where Brennen has sex with Bella in the bathroom. That scene was completed unnecessary. I'm not a fan of cheating between the MCs in my books. I don't care if they cheat with the other MC on the current significant others in their lives but not on each other. If the one MC works as an escort/rentboy/porn star and the other is aware of the fact then that is different. But once the MC sleeps with somebody outside of work then that is cheating and I do not like it. Especially if it made no sense in the story.

Plus there were so many editing errors with the audio version. I lost count with how many sentences the narrator messed up then went back to correct himself. And once he even paused to clear his throat! All of these mistakes were left in the audiobook. Not cool.

[Nadine · Rating 1 out of 5]

So...that was a weird reading experience. I only can say this made no sense, but i wanted to finish it to know how it would end. The writing is quite poor and the story not well developed. I still had to finish the book even though I was telling myself every two words "what the hell?", "why??"...
So, you're on your own on this one!!

[Blondie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brennen is a smart kid who is knows what he wants but has a little trouble figuring out how to get it. He makes some mistakes that all young people make but then things just spin out of his control. This a book about a young man's journey in figuring out what is important and what is not. Brennen tends to be a spoiled brat sometimes but I could not help but to love him.

Dmitri is a Russian Mob boss who takes Brennen under his wing and they fall in love but between Brennen choosing to be a rent boy and Dmitri's deeply instilled Russian traditions thing start to fall apart. Dmitri can be a controlling and conniving sob but he has his reasons and he also has a better side the side that just wants to take care and protect Brennen.

In this book Brennen is put through some pretty tough situations and the author does a good job with fleshing him out in the end you really get sense of his growth. He matures quite a through or even because of it all.

This book is a great book for those who like a bit of taboo with their mm erotic romance.

[Dre · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kept waiting for Brennen to ditch Dmitri for good, but he always caved. All of the immaturity and back-and-forth drove me crazy. If Brennen would have stuck to his guns even once with Dmitri, I probably would have rated this higher.

[Angela Bee Bee]

Rent Me (Rent Me Series Book 1)


Own Me (Rent Me Series Book 2)

[Andrea AKA Catsos Person]

Unfortunately I own this. I hope it was a freebie.

See Heather Ks review for the reason I don't want to read this!

[justanya · Rating 1 out of 5]

Where do I begin...
There are so many things WRONG with the message in this book.

No. It's not ok for your partner to embarrass you in front of people or to be so controlling, you don't have friends.

No. It's not ok to make light of bisexuality by saying Brennan is "99% gay 1% straight" though he's NEVER been with a female nor desired one. He then ends up "dating" one to make his Master jealous.

No. It's not acceptable to constantly drive home the fact that he shouldn't hit a woman (read the scene ), yet Brennan is illogically, consistently abused by DMitri, his brother and in the end D'Mitri's wife. No he shouldn't hit woman it's also not okay for women to hit men. Keep your claws to yourself.


This book reads like twisted Stockholm syndrome. For Brennan to be so smart, getting ready to go to law school, he makes a lot of really stupid choices. This kid has no clue what love and respect really is.

I don't like writing negative reviews but I think this book condones things I personally find unacceptable. I especially don't like how it trivializes bisexuality as if being bi is a choice.

Missed me by a mile. Nonsensical. Disrespectful. Not my cup of tea. I'm hoping it's bad editing.

[Kora Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second book by Brina Brady that I've read and was equally just as pleased with. Brina has this unique flavor to her writing. I call it the "gentle yummy" factor. Because though the characters have this very honest and true essence about them that gives them a bit of edge, they always seem to hold an underlying fundamental gentleness to their nature. A beautiful texture to their essence that I just cant help but love. And yet, gentle as they may intrinsically feel, they are still very sexual creatures, driven by lust and passion and raw emotion. The corporal punishment scenes were hard to read but, in fairness, just served to give the characters more depth and dimension in the way they respond to circumstances. Throughout the story, I longed for Dmitri to fix his mess up and yearned for Brennen to have the hole Dmitri left inside him filled once more. They are an unorthodox lot for sure, like all of Brina's characters seem to be, their mindsets and mentalities far from my own, but that merely makes for a nice change of pace. One I can always count on with Brina's books. Gentle Yummy... Yes, I think all of us need to drown in that kind of haven every once in a while...

[Pam Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brina has done a brilliant job on her first book. The story line is strong and very easy to follow with a lot of Hot Sex, BDSM, and yet a very strong love between Dmitri, a Russian Mobster, and Brennen, a young college student, a male escort, and Dmitri's lover when Brennen turns 18 and continues throughout the story These two characters are very well developed and very lovable and the love they share is strange, but deep. Dmitri is older than Brennen, but their devotion to one another is astounding. Dmitri has married a woman due to an arrangement which causes a lot of drama. This story has a lot of twists and turns, emotionally and physically, and punishments are a mainstay. I loved this book. It was extremely Hot and arousing, but it also tugs on your heart as their relationship is strained in so many ways. This is a Must Read!! If you love MM SEX, Romance, Love, and BDSM, you will love this. Can't wait till the next book of this series comes out. Highly recommend this!!

[Pamela Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. Brina does such a great job describing her characters and their lives that you get a mental image of all of them which really helps you to connect with the characters. Maybe I see a bit of myself in Brennen but I can really see what drives him and what affects him, especially jealousy about the man he loves. Brina takes you on an amazing journey of growth, trust and love.
Brennen's jealousy leads him to become an escort, he just can't handle that Dmitri has someone else in his life. Dmitri is more loyal than Brennen thinks and the pain he feels from Brennen being an escort, is kept to himself because he wants Brennen to be happy. Both of these men need to learn how to make their relationship work, and that nothing should get in the way of their love for one another.
There is going to be a sequel and I just can't wait to read more about Brennen, Dmitri and Mischa! I highly recommend this book!

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a child of horrendous abuse, Brennen doesn't know who to truly trust and who to love. He knows Dmitri loves him; but how much and in what aspect? Brennen will push and act bratty to test everyone around him. His love for Dmitri will lead him to self-destruct. Who will be strong enough to dominate Brennen and lead him to a place of inner peace? I know, but I highly suggest you read to find out too.

Brina Brady's cast of characters are so relatable and realistic. "Rent Me" had me reading like a fiend to the very end. It was titillating, sensuous and Oh So Naughty! *Lick* After I was done I was begging for more from these characters. Write Brina, write like the wind!!! I need more :)

[Amanda Eisenthal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings about this book.
Enjoyed Brina's writing style- it flowed quite well.
Really connected with Dimitri's character- he was by far the best part of the book IMO.
Brennan on the other hand, sometimes I just wanted to smack him upside the head- I just found his entire attitude and demeanour, childish. I understand he was a lot younger but still, petulant child comes to mind. I wanted him to grow up severely and that spoiled the book for me. He just annoyed me too much!
I'll certainly try more of her books though.

[Sarabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would award zero stars if able. The good reviews baffle me. There is not a redeemable atom in this entire story. I like gritty, that's not the problem. It's badly written, the dialogue is atrocious, premise ridiculous and steeped in behavior that should have both characters institutionalized. I spent more than 200 pages with both of them and feel nothing but contempt for either of them. The "romance" angle and hea is delivered conveniently wrapped up in a nice easy package if that matters to you. Trust me, skip it.

[Mary Pruitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book almost got me into tears throughout the whole book, but of course, the ending came out very happy. This whole book got me into a movie mode in my brain, feeling what the characters are feeling. That is just me. Hearing all these mistakes that Brennen have made in his life and getting punished by his lover, Dmitri. Reading the bad past about Brennen of what happened to him, that is very emotional to think about the childhood he went through. Very wonderful book and am reading Own Me right now! Thanks, Brina!!

[W.S. Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of reading this author's manuscript and providing feedback before it was published. That said, Brina weaves an intricate tale involving Brennan. You feel for the guy and hope he does well, and you question why he permits himself to be abused so much, emotionally and physically. The relationships between characters are explored to great detail.

Because of the subject matter, this is definitely NSFW

[Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first story I’ve listened to by this author. For it being the author’s first book I think it is a great start for the series. The characters are well developed. The story flows right along and kept me interested. I have to admit as a character I didn’t really like Brennen. Even though things have been bad for him he is just too juvenile in his behavior. It’s his behavior that is a big part of the story though. The relationship between Brennen and Dmitri is a real soap opera. I also kept wondering just what Mischa might do next. I think James Talbot overall did a good job with these characters. The only fault I could find what I felt Dmitri sounded a little too whiny for a mobster sometimes but I don’t know if that is the story or a narrator. I liked it enough I look forward to the next in the series. I was given a free copy from Audiobooks Unleashed and this is a voluntary review.

[Kim Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start to this series. Great characters. This is a mm contemporary story set in USA. Can’t wait to read the other books in this series.

[Hendy Hendrawan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodness!!
I'm so happy finally I can read this book and its sequel, thanks to the author though, she gave me the books so I can read it. I hope my review isn't bias, but it really is my honest to God.



What I love about this book is the story, it's anti-maintstream. Not all heart and flower thing, but really is the two main characters is full of emotion. Too bad though this book (and the sequel) is Bren's POV. I wanna know what inside Dmitri's head too! Well, the advantage from that is my jaw dropped whilst reading confession letter Dmitri to Bren. I mean, really no sleeping around?! But I'm sooo effing relieve to hear that.

Dmitri is a Russian mob and he's in love with Brennan, the kid that he took from Adrik, Brenn's mother ex-BF and an abusive bastard, since he was 12. Dmitri becomes a father figure then to Brenn, since he's also his legal guardian, protector and sugar daddy? I mean he goes to expensive school and everything. Brenn wish is Dmitri command, but that doesn't necessarily makes Brenn a money oriented boy. He's pretty independent and rebellious, He became one of Dmitri's escort in his agency. Yeah an escort, I hate that first about him, but in line with the development of the story, I understand him wholeheartedly. The angst, teen rebels and all.

Brennan's teen life is very lucky. He got a man like Dmitri who would do anything for him, even though Dmitri can be an ass and very very very I mean very over protective. But what I still don't get it though is why Dmitri allowing Brenn became an escort (yeah I know the reason) but whyyyy? It's against every Dmitri's nature towards Brenn. And since Brenn had an abusive past with Adrik, why Dmitri and Mischa still punished him with such an abusive way? God!!! I swear,reading this book is like riding a roller coaster.

Honestly, Brenn's life is too close from home for me. That's why this story is touch me deeply. And I love every second of it, even the bad ones. And Brina, your writing style is excelent. Love it!

[Lisa Cullinan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start to this series!

I loved Rent Me! This story revolves around the lives of Brennen, an escort, and Dimitri and Mischa, two brothers from Russia who juggle around their love, power and muscle to keep Brennen safe (mostly from himself!). Dimitri, who is fourteen years older than Bren, is everything to him. Father figure, daddy, lover, Dom, and closest confidant. Mischa, also loves and cares for Brennen, and will discipline Bren when he steps out of line. He disapproves of his brother and Bren's relationship, but will reluctantly tolerate it because he loves them both. Brennen has had a horrible childhood and these two brothers want to do right by him. The funny thing is, Bren really deserves the discipline. His heart is in the right place all the time but he never thinks about the consequences of his poorly made decisions until it's too late. And ... every time, Dimitri and/or Mischa are there to bail him out.

I couldn't help but feel bad for Bren because his self esteem and confidence was almost non existent ~ he was abused and neglected from such a young age and his story broke my heart ~

"... hiding under his covers at home to avoid everyone seemed like a worthy idea. People only hurt him. Why couldn’t this man love me? What was so wrong with me that no one wanted me? Not even my own mother."

This story has everything; mild BDSM, passion, humor, angst and love, all in equal parts. The attention to detail throughout the whole book gave my minds eye the perfect visual to navigate the pages of this enchanting story. I highly recommend this book and I'm looking forward to starting the second one in the series just to see what mischief and trouble Bren gets himself into and what Dimitri and Mischa need to do to bail him out ... again!

[Loves2Read · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. There is a lot of angst but most of it is caused by Brennen himself. He's very contrary throughout the whole book--"oh, I love him and want to be with him forever," "I hate him. I'm never going to be with him again." It's a constant back and forth. And then Dimitri just keeps saying "I'm working on fixing it, soon" without giving any hint on how. There also was some beating punishments that seemed rather harsh for someone who had been abused as a young boy. I probably wouldn't have finished it, but I wanted to see how Dimitri 'fixed everything' and even that was rather anticlimatic.

[Stephncaitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. I gave it 4 stars because it was well-written and kept me up all night to see how it ended. I felt bad for Brennen and wanted to see him grow and discover his self worth. That's why I couldn't put it down. Unfortunately, I didn't get the warm and fuzzy that I wanted. Also, I never grew to like or understand Dmitri. I still think it was a good book and recommend it to anyone who doesn't require a warm and fuzzy ending.

[Morningstar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok to start I loved the plot for this book. The writing style was difficult for me and the constant back and forth of Bren on whether he hated or loved Dmitri truly was just toooo much!!! I also wish that Bren's sex scenes with his clients were not so detailed except maybe the one with the Prince and the group of Russians because those seemed important to the Bren-shouldn't-be-an-escort story line.

Even with the things that I didn't like about this book, I couldn't put it down!!!