Caught and Collared: Book One of the Larkspur Series

Larkspur Series #1

by Morgan May

Aden Brand, a quiet, self-contained Russian literature professor, returns home to deal with the death of his estranged father, Gale. Gale, a groundskeeper, worked for and lived on the grounds of the wealthy Bellamy family, raising his only son on the fringes of opulence. Aden returns to the Bellamy estate to deal with his father’s belongings, and to a home he hasn’t seen since his father disowned him at 18.

Now unwillingly thrust in the middle of the Bellamy family’s lives again, Aden soon crosses paths with Kristoffer Rask. Husband of heiress Celia Bellamy, Kristoffer has been keeping secrets since the summer Aden was sent away, and secrets Aden hasn’t told anyone else since. The secret? Aden is a submissive: his only sense of emotional safety comes from being dominated, collared, and owned. And Kristoffer is the only person to ever meet those needs for Aden, despite the pain their brief affair has carried for 17 years.

Unable to get free from the hold that Kristoffer has on him, Aden is drawn back into Kristoffer’s orbit. Together they must now face their shared past, regardless of what it may cost them both.

Genres: M M Romance, BDSM, Romance, Erotica

214 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 6, 2016

About the author

Morgan May is a writer of diverse, body positive LGBT/queer erotica and contemporary romance fiction.

Reviews

[Line · Rating 1 out of 5]

NO! NOPE! NADA! NEJ! NIET! NEVER AGAIN!
This book started okay. I thought it was flowing well, even though there are a few spelling mistakes and a missing word, or extra words here and there.
When it came down to it, I could ignore these mistakes; the plot and MCs however, I could not ignore!

I sort of thought that Kristoffer' and Celia's marriage was arranged, but all of a sudden we have full, explicit on-page sex between K&C... Before Celia is going out on a date with another man, it was so freaking creepy, and weird -IMO!
If the marriage was arranged, and if Kristoffer had not said: "I love Celia with all my heart", I could sort of, maybe, squinting with my head turned, kind of ignore their marriage and accept that Aden suddenly wants Kristoffer to bring him home... Maybe!?
IF the marriage between K&C was written differently; but it was not. It was written like these two LOVE each other, even though they both have relationships on the side... *eyeroll*
I am ALL FOR people loving whoever they want (as long as NOBODY gets hurt) but I am not interested in reading about a MF relationship in a MM-book, especially one riddled with lies.
Also being submissive is NOT synonymous with being weak. And if I was Aden, I would SERIOUSLY say: "Thanks, but NO thanks," when K 'asks' him out.
I have NO clue, how A thinks this will turn out well for him!

I don't care for this so-called open relationship AT ALL (again I am all for people loving who they want, as long as nobody gets hurt, I just don't like reading about open relationships.).
I think the relationship between K & C is kind of lazy, and K will still be married to C when he's done fucking all of his 'boyfriends'.
Nowhere in the blurb is the open relationship/cheating mentioned (when K & A wants to go at it, K tells A that C doesn't know, even though he hinted earlier that he told her everything... So on top of the creep- and lazy-factor, K is now also a liar!)
Both MCs are bisexual and I have no issues with that, but when I read a MM romance I have NO interest in reading how K fingers C, before she rides him...


I thought this would be a second-chance, star-crossed-lovers thing with a BDSM theme, but what we have: are callous MCs with open relationships, 4 different POVs when I threw in the towel (around 40 percent) unsympathetic characters -the MCs especially- and a plot I had serious trouble imagining a HEA for. This was a return for refund for me after 3 hours.
So yeah, be aware that some pretty MAJOR plot things are NOT mentioned in the blurb!

[Tristan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

Oh man, this book is a mess. It's a pity so because there were potentials, and the writing can be good at time. However, these are quickly overshadowed by issues that slowly creeps in through out the course of the story.

The story started with Aden receiving the news of his dad's passing, and moved "home" to clean out the house. I guess the author wanted to capture this sense of grief and regret as Aden moving through the house, and the book almost did it in the beginning. However, the romance (if you can even call it that) took over, and this whole nostalgia theme was stringed alone for the rest of the ride like an afterthought, stripping away any potential emotional impact. Part of the problem is the author's tendency on the scatter past segments that they snuck in every now and then to deliver this aspect of the story. But these abrupt transitions between the two timelines were more of an irritation rather than adding any sentimental value to the story. Too often, they blended together and muddled the experience.

The story was a whole different kind of mess. It contain cheating, where Krist was still married to his wife through out the whole book. Even though they are in an open-relationship, all the lying and sneaking around didn't sit well with me. Krist commitment to the marriage and his wife made it hard see how he can also be in love with Aden. In fact it sounds more like a flimsy excuse of an uncommitted cheater. The constant reminder his marriage drain any enjoyment I would have had with the sexes, which take up about 50% of the book. Then there is that whole people falling into bed after a long period apart. What's with this trend? Especially when one is married and the other just lost his father. Krist character was unlikable, for a dom he was also a doormat - a spectator to the story . He was more like a pretty-prize hanging on the wall while Aden and the wife tearing at each other for it.

Then there is poor Aden who was being pull deeper into the rich-people-drama web. Through out all the whole book, I was hoping he would break free and run for the hill. Alas, good judgment is not one of his strong suit.

Top it all is one of my worst pet-peeves: mf sex scene in mm books. I just doesn't enjoy or see the point in it. All it did was cheapen the book into an erotia, while the author worked so hard to bring up the serious issues. Here also laid the core problem with the book. It wants to be a moody, heart-wrecking journey, yet it spent too much time rolling in the wrong bed.

[Kristy Maitz · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a ridiculous story plot.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot of potential here, but you have to wade through quite a bit of mess. The book needed a better editor, for one. I'm not normally one to notice those things, so it was unfortunate. The pacing felt off and weird, and would jump from present to past or different POVs.

I mostly enjoyed the dynamics, but there was a lot I felt that was told and not shown.

[Loz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. Sexy times were fun, characters seemed realistic. Drama was high and haughty. Good m/m queer smut.

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel personally attacked 😂

[Fay Bishop · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read

I enjoyed this very much but I've only given it three star because of the grammatical errors which spoilt it a bit however I look forward to reading the sequel

[Kaila · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was an interesting story.. parts of it i wasnt so sure about.. like one of them being married and somehow still getting together. it was still a good story and the kink factor was yummy. i enjoyed it so im glad i got to review it

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, but slow

Good story, but slow. My biggest issue with this book is that the author didn't let you know if its the present or past, and you have to get a few paragraphs into the chapter before you know.