Saints United [For Love of Authority 3]

For Love of Authority #3

by Rhiannon Ayers

[Menage Amour: Erotic Consensual BDSM Menage a Trois Romance, M/M/F, exhibitionism, furniture play, food play, sex toys, HEA] Andre "AJ" Johannes fell in love with his college roommate - he just didn't realize it until it was too late. After spending one unforgettable night in Ryder St. Claire's arms, fate forced them apart. But Ryder still haunts his dreams, and AJ's always wondered what might have been. Seven years later, AJ is starting over. New job, new city, new life - and all of it without his wife and son. Marian divorced him and took sole custody, leaving AJ to wonder if the rest of his life will end up as useless as his shattered marriage. Little does AJ know he's got a couple of Saints looking out for him. Ryder St. Claire married Lyss three years ago, and the two of them have been searching for their third - the man who will offer his submission and give them everything they cannot give each other. But can they overcome years of emotional abuse to convince AJ he deserves to be happy? ** A Siren Erotic Romance

Genres: BDSM, M M F, Menage, Erotica, Romance, M M Romance

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 31, 2014

About the author

Rhiannon Ayers has lived in many cities over the years, having grown up the daughter of parents who suffered from wanderlust. Currently, she and her husband reside near the Gulf of Mexico with their children, both the two- and four-legged variety. An artist to the bone, Rhiannon spends her days dreaming up snappy headlines and creating eye-catching artwork for clients all over the world, though telling stories has always been her first love. After writing her first epic adventure series at the tender age of eight, she went on to garner several creative writing awards, including the prestigious Vanderbilt Award for Excellence in Creative Writing. Becoming a published author is her single greatest achievement to date.

Rhiannon loves getting feedback from readers. Please email her at rhiannon.ayers@yahoo.com.

Reviews

[♂♀♂ Mary's Menage Reviews ♂♂♀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must say that Saints United is pretty special to me, for many different reasons. I will not list them all but the main one is pretty high on my list: credibility!

I am always complaining that authors who write “BDSM” are rarely giving the lifestyle justice. I am fine with a couple of romanticized parts because after all we all want to read a romance and not the dirty reality of what we have in life. So, re-arranging some truths can be acceptable, to a certain point. I always say that the most outstanding stories I have ever read were authors that wrote what they obviously know. And it has nothing to do with fantasy, paranormal or sci-fi. Authors can write those genre and know what they are talking about because they all did one thing. This thing is crucial. This thing is totally mandatory… they did their research! One reason I like to read the dedications and bios. It gives me an idea who is the author or in which set of mind the author was when she finished her story.

So the question is: how to research the lifestyle in order to write about it without looking like a newbie? Many possibilities: They can participate to BDSM convention like Dre Charley is offering each year in NYC. If the price is too expensive, then they can contact any BDSM organization in their main city. Vanilla people can meet during munches. It is a great, rare opportunity to meet not only experienced Dom(me)s, but also submissives and switches.. If you follow some protocol and respect, then they will welcome people who truly want to learn. They can also, if they are lucky, assist in real sessions/demonstrations such spanking, wax, shibari and more. And finally if none of that is possible, they can do what is the easiest, totally affordable… surf on the net, join groups, read and learn!!!

I will never understand nor excuse authors that do not do their homework and write a blurred, deformed version of the lifestyle. Again, I do keep in mind it is a romance, not a biography and most readers are not into the lifestyle or wish to learn all the gory details. But many authors are abusing the BDSM readers’ infatuation with the label, and they label their story BDSM when there is none in the story. And that irks me no-ends. (if you want to know how much it irks me, clic HERE)

Saints United by Rhiannon Ayers is just… right. This story is not the only D/s menage story that felt right, but I will add it to my pile of not only “must read” but also “outstanding” story.

Some authors have it, some don’t. What? Talent! Plain and simple. But talent would be nothing if knowledge was not there too.

This story stirred all the emotion from the characters you can think of. Three characters but I felt it was truly the story of one. The story started with him and ended with him. Oh! Do not get me wrong, you will have your happy menage ending, and yes, you will know everything about the other characters. But, I truly felt the story was about the main character: the slave.

Now. You probably have preconceived notions about slaves. No surprise here. I had too. I truly thought that a slave was more submissive than a sub which is the short for submissive anyway. Well, it is not. A slave lives and breathes to please his/her Dom(me)s. His pleasure is only to please. His pleasure comes always after and that is the way he/she finds satisfaction and peace and has his/her needs fulfilled. A slave does not need orders because his/her life is dedicated to anticipate and give without expectation. A slave is trained to perform, and those lessons are meant to be followed from the time they are given until the order is changed. A slave embraces the Dom(me)’s training and fulfills his/her duties without question. Training is required, but the slave is expected to absorb the lessons and repeat them without prompting.

A submissive, on the other hand, needs more direction. His/her needs can be very different from one to another. One will need discipline, one will need pain, one will need control. But, at the end of the day, a submissive will wait for orders, not anticipate them. And this is a major difference. A sub actually craves being given orders. Dom(me)s will train the sub as well, but the sub actually prefers specific orders so that they know, without doubt, that they are performing well.

A slave performs, period. If they get rewards it is because the Dom/me feels like giving them. Subs perform FOR rewards.

So yes, it is complicated. And my very short explanation does not give the full spectrum of who is who.

Saints United will give you the opportunity to know about slaves living the lifestyle. Just remember to always separate titles and individuals. Everyone is different, and there is no such thing as identical slaves. Never believe that what you read is totally the truth… and the only truth! But, the slave you will meet in Saints United is very close to any slave you could meet in real life and for me, it made all the difference. But be prepared, because you will need tissues. Yep, this story is THAT emotional.

It is a full journey. And what I loved was that the timeframe in between events was not rushed. Because that’s the way it is in real life. To live a successful D/s relationship takes time. Nothing new on the planet here because any kind of relationship, vanilla or not, takes time, understanding and communication. To rush a relationship in a romance makes no sense and no logic and few weeks and months can make all the difference to understand the reasons and consequences.

What I found interesting was also the dominants. A Dom male and a Switch female. The Dom is dominant in the bedroom only and the switch is submitting in the bedroom but is dominant with the slave in the bedroom and the slave is slave in and out the bedroom… still following me? lol

The D/s relationship is one of the most realistic I have ever read. Not only because of the dynamic but also because of the feelings. Rhiannon Ayers did not try to portray a vanilla character turning into a slave overnight, which I always find ridiculous. Each character knew exactly who they were and what they needed. And this story is all about physical and love connection, going thru jealousy, insecurities, fears, rejection, despair but also love, hope, understanding and passion. A character cannot be one dimension. And what made this story incredible is the way Rhiannon Ayers found the right words to express all those emotions with three different characters.

Saints United is a long novel. I personally love long novel because I connect more with each character. I follow their journey and each step make me think and anticipate what potentially will happen.

Well, many times I was frustrated. Frustrated because I did not understand them. Frustrated because I wanted to know the epilogue. I was so into those characters that I was ruminating why they did this or that. But, throughout the story, I got my answers. I understood. I wish you the same journey I went thru. I was truly incredible.

I fell in love with AJ. Fact. Oh I loved Ryder and Lyss, do not get me wrong! But I fell in love with AJ. And this is one character and story that will be printed in my brain and I will remember well many months and years from now.

I wish you the same unique experience. Now, go! Buy and read Saints United immediately dammit! :D

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

4.5 star review by The Blogger Girls.

This is one of my favorite MMF series. They are each about menage relationships, but all have contained a main male/female couple who love each other but who both realize they are unable to completely fulfill the other’s needs in one way or another. They seek out a third (man) to fill those missing links.

In this story, Ryder and Lyss are happily married but both are dominants. Ryder is also bisexual. While they have been making do, Ryder is missing being with another man, while Lyss is missing dominating. They agree on finding a third partner but have yet to find the right fit. It would seem Ryder is holding out for someone special.

AJ was Ryder’s college roommate. They each secretly crushed on each other for their four years of college, only acting on their feelings on their last night as roommates. AJ ran, unable to face the idea of a relationship with Ryder, and moved on to a “normal” life with Mariana. After she became pregnant, they married, but AJ never forgot or could get Ryder out of his mind or dreams. This caused some major problems eventually leading to his divorce. His bitter ex-wife, thinking he was cheating on her (with a man no less) used it against him as a way to have his custody of their son revoked completely. At a major loss, he turns to his friend and BDSM club owner, who helps him relocate to a new city to start over.

With the help of mutual friends, AJ is reunited with Ryder. He takes some convincing to be ok with the idea of being in a triad. Not wanting to scare AJ into running again, Ryder and Lyss take things very slow with AJ. There is some lack of communication with these guys, as AJ has no idea that Ryder and Lyss are in the lifestyle, let alone dominants, just as Ryder and Lyss have no clue that AJ has any experience with it whatsoever, or that he is actually a submissive. Thanks to their friends again, their eyes are opened and their relationship is on the right track.

Things go really well for some time. The scenes with these three together are really hot and very well done. Thoroughly enjoyable. However, before they can really get settled, things take a major turn for the worse, sending AJ into an even bigger downward spiral. My heart was truly breaking for the three of them. Ryder and Lyss eventually take control of things, and while the road isn’t smooth or easy, they get back on track.

I have enjoyed each of the stories in this series, all for the same basic reasons. They each contain strong couples bringing in a third as their equal partner. The m/f scenes, while fewer than the mmf or mm scenes, are just as well done and quite steamy. The scenes with Ryder and AJ? Super hot, whether just kissing, to going all the way and everything in between. The BDSM aspects are also really well done and easily believable. Overall, I found this another very easy, fast-paced read that I didn’t want to end. I’m a huge fan, and I really hope there will be more coming from this extremely well-written mmf series.

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ménage lovers who look for kinky BDSM triad, this series is for you. This story can be read as a standalone although my guess is it would be more enjoyable if the first two books are read in order. In this one, AJ is computer geek who is heavily conflicted about his desires and what he wants to do. He's a submissive male who loves kink but it has burned him so badly that he's in denial. He is currently on hold with his life and just barely making it through the day.

First, the BDSM in this story is erotic and delicious. The sex slave auction is a bit exaggerated compared to reality but it could happen. What is alarming about this book is how well Ms. Ayers captures the problems of being in a triad or in the lifestyle. There is a lot of prejudice and outright hatred for those who are not conformist to society's rules. This means there can be a huge negative impact to jobs and even breaking up a family. The worst possible scenarios of a person's personal life being exposed are captured and played out in detail in this book. I'm both horrified and scared. Horrified that people and companies are so terrible. Scared because it can easily happen to anyone I know in the lifestyle who is also poly. Many of these people are in positions of authority, be it an executive or law enforcement. Many of them are in the medical field, too. I no longer have to imagine the damage which could occur if their kink is exposed.

Second, the characters in this book are great. I liked the character development through AJ coming out of his self-inflicted limbo to his servant-slave happiness and then to his shell-shocked destruction. Ms. Ayers does a phenomenal job of hitting a person below the belt and keep kicking when they are down. Honestly, I couldn't figure out how this could be a happily ever after with all the heinous media circus.

Lastly, this book isn't all about gloom and doom. It's a great representation of lovers returned and united against the world. Just like in life, there are parts filled with happiness and fun. The dialog in this story is smooth and amusing. Ms. Ayers does a good job of balancing the negative with the positive. Her ability to turn a situation around so that it isn't fixed to how it was before, but into a new and better fit is admirable. In this world, a shut door is only to open others and more appealing rooms to walk into.

Recommended for kinky ménage lovers who want their cake and eat it, too.

[Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the book a lot! If there was the option to give this book 3.5 stars, I probably would have rated it this way. Very interesting characters and very interesting dynamics. And an unique way to experience D/s. I loved how this book showed that everyone experiences BDSM differently. I also loved how everyone loved each other and the sex was very hot. So I think I will probably read book 1 and book 2 of this series also.
The only thing I really didn’t like was the dramatic scene at almost the end of the story (the ex-wife of AJ first shoots their son and then herself). I felt it could have been less dramatic and I did not feel like it added something to the story. To be honest it detracted a bit from it in the end. It is the choice of the author in which direction she leads the story, but I hoped for a different direction (I probably would have had less of a problem with it if his ex-wife shot herself, and if AJ had to learn to integrate his kid into his new life). Although I loved the epilogue, I could not get the feeling back of a real HEA. But I am honest, I do not like this much drama in my books if I feel that this drama doesn’t have a real purpose in the book, so this is a personal pet peeve ;)

[Кат · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning: triggers Triggers TRIGGERS
If you have any issues regarding emotional trauma, then I warn you this book contains violence of an alarming nature.
Saints United is the third book in the For Love of Authority series. I enjoyed the three and each had some disturbing aspects but due to the horrifying violence in this book, I must say I was unable to give this book more than four stars. I cannot give more details without giving spoilers. In the end the MMF triad finds their HEA but it was not an easy road.
p.s. I hope the next book is about Austin Parker; he deserves an HEA.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warning: this book contains scenes of a very violent and horrifying nature. Those sensitive to such scenes should avoid this book. This review may contain spoilers.

When his best friend signs him up to participate in a slave auction at a popular BDSM club, Andre "A.J." Johannes is incredulous. Yes, he needs to break out of his shell after a devastating divorce, but they've been over this, and A.J. just isn't interested. Not much anyway. Kinda. Sorta. Shit.

Alyssana (Lyss) St. Claire needs to find a boyfriend for her husband Ryder...ultimately a true and equal third. As a Domme married to a Dom, they're both looking for a submissive, and Ryder's bi side would love a permanent man in their lives. When they find out that the man Ryder loved and lost in college is now in town, the possibilities that suddenly open are endless! But A.J.'s ex did a real number on him, can he ever trust his feelings again?

SAINTS UNITED is the third book in the For Love of Authority series by the talented Ms. Ayers. I've read (and loved) the first two in this series and while this was a good addition to the series, it can also be read as a standalone. While the storyline was well done and the book overall was quite well written, I didn't enjoy the SLAVE aspect of the book. Maybe it's just the term that puts me off, or maybe it's the thought of living like that outside of the bedroom full-time, but ether way something about it didn't connect for me.

That said, the sex was hot as hell and the non-BDSM elements were generally appealing. I loved the St. Claire's; they were a loving and supportive couple who knew what type of person they needed in their life. A.J., while sympathetic, was not my favorite character. Far too wishy washy and needy for my tastes, he just frustrates me in most scenes. I didn't buy into the insta-attraction between Lyss and A.J. either; it felt forced. I did like Lyss overall though and thought her switch persona was fun and diverse.


***Alert: May contain spoilers***

The last 1/4 of SAINTS UNITED was so horrific and unexpected that I literally almost threw up. Ms. Ayers did not need to resort to this type of writing to make us enjoy this book! Personally it went way beyond my comfort zone and COMPLETELY destroyed my enjoyment of the book. The aftermath was poignant and while technically well written, it triggered a most negative reaction from this reader.

Bottom Line: SAINTS UNITED was an erotic yet tortuous read, well written yet beyond gut wrenching. The unexpected turn wasn't what I signed up for, and I wouldn't have chosen this book if I'd have known the road it went down. - See more at: http://glbt.theromancereviews.com/vie...



- See more at: http://glbt.theromancereviews.com/vie...

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one fabulous story! My eyes are tearing as I remember the heartbreak suffered by the characters. And, my heart is pounding as I recall the incredible passion and other emotions the author delivers. The prologue was so riveting and enigmatic that I was running to a friend, shoving my Kindle in her hands and saying, "Here, you've got to read this". When I hear the word, "ménage", it conjures up images of hot, raucous sexual abandon with three or more participants. That is all well and good. Everyone needs a little literary R&R, something different to clear the mind for your next can't-forget-it read. And while there was hot sex aplenty in "Saints United", it was so much more! It was a ménage Romance with a capital "R", enhanced by the very genuine, descriptive emotions Rhiannon Ayers imbued her characters with. You feel their love, their fears, their joys and insecurities. This was a story that was less about sex and more about love - love between three people and their path toward it. If you read ménages to titillate then "Saints United" will fit the bill. But, it will also get under your skin and in your heart as you follow Ryder, Lyss and AJ on they journey toward love. "Saints United" was a can't-forget-it book for me.
Received via BookStrand

[Yuki · Rating 1 out of 5]

C'est terrible, la fin ne rime à rien et très mal exécutée. À mon avis, lorsqu'on perd un enfant dans des circonstances aussi dramatiques on reprend rarement le cours de sa vie normalement ainsi. Sa façon de résoudre ce fait qui est en soit accablant est plus que décevant. Vraiment n'importe quoi (•_•). (Le mec qui laisse traîner son flingue et ne se sent même pas coupable pour le fait que son arme est servi à tuer un enfant est une merde et celui qui le pardonne est un tordu en recommençant leur relation bdsm comme si rien ne s'était passé, oui j'y crois non!! (-_-) minable).

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Saints United, Rhiannon proves beyond any doubt that she is the undisputed Queen of Ménage! But it’s not just the sex that makes her books so gripping. She has the most unique way of layering real meaning and emotion inside of her characters. Each one has a different journey but it only makes them a stronger part of their greater whole.

No one can heat up a page and make you feel every word quite like she does and it’s something that you have to experience for yourself…

[Jane Cullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one had a real story/plot in it and was not just smut which I enjoyed a lot. Some parts of the story were a bit unbelievable or was it only because of the time aspect. I simply wanted this book to be longer. The characters and the character development were very good. I loved them all. The smut scenes were versatile and hot, too. I will check out more books from her and from this series.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book and thought that it was well written and hot. I felt like there was a lot of drama at the end that I didn't necessarily need. Why does every ex-wife have to be crazy? Also, can you actually lose your nursing license for belonging to a bdsm club? It seems like you wouldn't, but I have no way of knowing.

[Life Without Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rarely does an author write a story that can make me cry but Ayers did it with this one. This is a very emotional and moving story, the sex is off the charts hot but it is the story that made me put it on my Must Re-Read list. My favorite of the series so far, just amazing.