Breaking the Mold

Club Rapture: Risk Aware #3

by Kate Hawthorne

RIGGS
Three years after the unexpected death of my husband, I’m finally coming out the other side of my grief. I have a successful tattoo shop that’s on the brink of expansion, I have my best friend, and that’s plenty. I’ve become good at finding entertainment and pleasure when I need it, but it’s the last thing I’m thinking about when a distressed client passes out in my arms after his first tattoo. The only thing I expect even less than that is running into him at Club Rapture with his hand down his pants and an expression I am desperate to see more of.

Smith Covington is too naïve, too young, and too irresistible.

SMITH
It’s exhausting to live in the shadow of the three men I admire most, so deciding to rebel against their idea of me isn’t something I put too much thought into. Walking into Ink and Ember and getting half of my arm tattooed turned out to be more than I bargained for, and developing a massive crush on Riggs Ember doesn’t make things easier for me either.

My brothers are not pleased when I show up to our weekly dinner with fresh ink and a hickey, and they’d be even less thrilled if they knew what kinds of things I did with Riggs after hours. For the first time in my life, I feel like I’m chasing the things I want, not the things my brothers want for me.

Riggs is so focused on the exploration of my pleasure, it’s hard to think about anything else—not the differences in our wants, not the looming presence of his dead husband, and certainly not the appearance of someone from his past who threatens the stability of everything we’ve built. Riggs and I are broken in different ways, but is our love strong enough to support the weight of a future we never thought possible?

CW: death of a spouse (off page, before the events of the book)

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 26, 2026

About the author

With over two dozen published romances to her name, Kate Hawthorne has built a recognizable brand around telling emotional stories that pack a figurative (and sometimes literal) punch.

Existing on a steady diet of wine and coffee, Kate spends her days dreaming up angsty stories full of heat, kink, and heart. Kate now lives in Louisville, where she writes romance, reads romance, and hides from the humidity.

Visit her website at http://www.katehawthornebooks.com

Reviews

[Sarah☀️ Somerville · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was sweet, but there wasn’t a lot going on with the main characters. The author seemed more interested in visiting with characters from previous books and setting up characters for future books.

[Zoë · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 🌟 rounded up

Smith and Riggs story is so cute (and incredibly spicy 🥵). I loved both men and their relationships with friends and family. Not a whole lot happens externally in this story but a lot of personal growth comes out of both MMC’s.

Riggs is a tattoo shop owner with the worst kind of heartache lingering from his past. He’s a quiet guy with interests and desires that have scared off people in the past and caused Riggs to be self conscious about his wants.
Smith is the youngest (that we know of) Covington brother and he’s lived his life in the shadow of his older brothers, especially the eldest Marshal. He’s been given an unfavorable hand in life that’s been hard for him to move on from. In short their dad is an absent man who throws money at all his problems. Smith wants to make more decisions for himself and somewhat impulsively decides to get a tattoo.
After he embarrassingly passes out in to Riggs arms near the end of the tattoo and accidentally steals his hoodie, smith finds himself in need of a distraction. His bff Asha invites him to Rapture and it just so happens that a handsome tattoo artist is there that very same night.
Riggs and Smith explore their…complementary… desires and it’s like each man has finally taken a breath of fresh air after not realizing they were holding it all in.

The spice here was next level and right on target for Kate’s books. This is pure pleasure Dom and baby masochist vibes with a wonderful Ace rep. I personally feel like a lot of Ace reps I read lean toward the Ace except for you or honestly more Demi vibes. I say this knowing full well sexuality is a spectrum and can shift over time. But this was a beautiful representation of Ace Dom! 5/5 🌶️

I was so happy to see Smith get his HEA! I’ve loved him since book one and his love with Riggs is just so pure and deep.

My only complaint is I wish we got more of them I feel like we just got started and settled in when it ended.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s very sexy and navigating asexuality and kink was interesting to read. But there’s not much plot besides complicated relationships with brothers. I didn’t feel any sense of tension or stakes. Everything that could have created an issue was just easily resolved. Towards the end it didn’t hold my attention super well.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this. As an asexual person, and as someone who loves kink, particularly when it starts to get to extremes.

I found it really interesting how it navigated Smith trying to find himself as an individual separate from his brothers and Riggs finally breaking free from the shadow of his late husband.

Will definitely be listed with some of my favourites.

[ML · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come.
Loved this book.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but it needs better proofreading. There are a lot of occasions where the wrong word is used.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review coming.

[Fay MMBookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars review to follow after zzzs.