Jamie: The Wayward Boys Book 1

by Auden Knight

Jamie

I’ve spent years surviving.

Keeping my head down. Staying disciplined. Protecting the one thing my abusive stepfather can’t take from my future.

Control keeps me safe. Distance keeps me untouchable.

Then I meet Arnie.

He’s precise, observant, impossible to ignore — and my new private tutor. I’m already struggling to keep up with my degree. The last thing I need is a man who sees straight through me and offers me something I’m not ready to want.

Because Arnie’s world is built on trust, power and relationships that don’t follow anyone else’s rules.

And the more time I spend with him, the harder it becomes to ignore the pull of Professor Simmons and Freddie, or the possibility that what I thought I knew about desire, intimacy and family was never the whole story.

Here, control isn’t always taken. Sometimes it’s given.

But learning to surrender means confronting the shame I’ve spent years burying — and trusting people who could hurt me in ways I’ve never allowed before.

Can I learn that letting someone in doesn’t mean losing myself?

Or will the past always have the final say?

THE WAYWARD BOYS is a MM romance about submission, healing, chosen family and discovering that love doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s rules.

Themes

MM romance and gay awakeningD/s dynamics and praise kinkForbidden desireHurt/comfort and emotional healingChosen familyDual POV. HEA guaranteed.

Genres: BDSM

253 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 8, 2026

Reviews

[Sully (sulliedjedi) · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 51% – 1 star, because leaving KDP's template answers on the copyright page for cover design credit is just silly. Silly and sloppy.

This sounded great on paper: tutor turned Dom, D/s, kink-awakening, trauma recovery.

The writing style was difficult for me to get into and I was bored.

ISBN-13: 9781234567890
ISBN-10: 1477123456
Cover design by: Art Painter

When you see that text on a copyright page it's because the author used the template examples.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review for (Wayward Boys-1) Jamie by Auden Knight

Tropes for this story:

Shame/Healing
Praise Kink
D/s
Hurt/Comfort
Gay awakening
M/M Romance
healthy non-monogamy


I am very picky about reading books that have non-monogamy, but if it is done well, then I can read and love the story. This one mostly hit that. What Jamie goes through is hard to read. The abuse and things his abusive stepdad caused him were sad. This story sounded like it was going to be a great read. Don't get me wrong; it was a good story, but more for others, I think. I live the BDSM D/s lifestyle, so I was looking for a good telling of the lifestyle that others have with these tropes. Arnie helped Jamie a lot to settle his life down and to give him what he was in need of. I just had wished some of the story was different. But those are my feelings, not the author's. This author took the time to write a story that will hit for a lot of people, so I'm hoping they get good things back from this story.

Nicole Harvey

[Deb Kel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jamie is struggling to keep everything together, juggling his final year of university, a difficult home life, and the weight of everything he’s been through. Then he meets Arnie, his new tutor, and suddenly Jamie is introduced to a completely different world, one built around trust, communication, boundaries, and finding freedom in letting someone else take control.

I really liked Jamie’s journey throughout this book. There’s a lot for him to work through, and I appreciated that his healing wasn’t treated as something that could happen overnight. Arnie was patient with him while still encouraging him to discover what he actually wanted, rather than simply telling him what he should want.

The D/s dynamic was an interesting part of the story, particularly seeing how Jamie learned that control could be something willingly given rather than something taken away from him. I also enjoyed the growing sense of found family and the connections Jamie develops along the way.

An interesting start to the Wayward Boys series, with plenty of emotion, healing, and new beginnings. I'm curious to see where the series goes next.

[sycokittykat - Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Struggling college student by day - glittery sex symbol by night

Oh Jamie was such a fun read. He comes off one way at school but when the sun goes down the show begins.

Jamie is drowning and needs someone to take control and help him find his way. When a teacher suggests a tutor to help he has no idea what he is getting into but it is life changing. Arnie Is definitely not what he expected but he is exactly what he needs.

After seeing what happened with Jamie's stepfather it's no wonder he doesn't let anyone in. I loved seeing him find what he needed to finally let go of the past.

Also Jamie and Freddie together were hysterical. I loved that Jamie found his voice and started asking for what he wanted or needed.

These two were exactly what was missing from their lives. They found the balance they both craved.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jamie's life is a mess, in his studies, in his dorm, too much work, not enough sleep. His professor makes him get a tutor, Arnie but he's an unusual one who takes over his life. He recognizes Jamie's submissive tendencies and as a Dom, wants to bring him into the D/S lifestyle. Arnie guides him in impact, pain and primal play, through trauma and past abuse and through acceptance for all his sides. This debut novel also contains consensual sharing, written well but not my thing.

[Sarah Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the dynamics in this book Jamie’s life is a big mess and Arnie has his hands full helping him out but when they come together and Jamie falls for the kink lifestyle and arnie at the same time it’s sweet love story cannot wait to read Freddie’s story he’s such a brat and Simmons has his hands more than full with him