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The Underground Club #2
Limitless
Even within the context of the Underground BDSM Club, Joshua’s desires are dark and extreme. Hopelessly addicted to pain and the high it gives him, he has no limits. Joshua would quite literally rather die than use a safeword, and he accepts that might be his fate. As much as he depends on others, he has yet to find a man who can gain his trust, and he has little hope that he ever will.
For Nash, acquiring Joshua from another Dom at the club is only the first step in what will be a long and arduous road to lure the young man back from the brink of self-destruction. He must do the impossible and win Joshua’s trust, and he must be the one to set limits in their exploration—something he’s unaccustomed to as a Dom. But Nash knows dominance doesn’t always mean pushing a submissive’s boundaries. It’s about establishing a bond and fulfilling another man’s needs. In Joshua’s case, he’ll have to strike a balance between meeting the young man’s expectations and drawing firm lines that will save Joshua from himself.
For Nash, acquiring Joshua from another Dom at the club is only the first step in what will be a long and arduous road to lure the young man back from the brink of self-destruction. He must do the impossible and win Joshua’s trust, and he must be the one to set limits in their exploration—something he’s unaccustomed to as a Dom. But Nash knows dominance doesn’t always mean pushing a submissive’s boundaries. It’s about establishing a bond and fulfilling another man’s needs. In Joshua’s case, he’ll have to strike a balance between meeting the young man’s expectations and drawing firm lines that will save Joshua from himself.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 2, 2016
19 people are currently reading
241 people want to read
About the author
S.J.D. Peterson
52 books1,018 followersIt's been an amazing journey since DSP first contracted Lorcan's Desire in January 2011. I've published 2 free reads with the M/M Romance group, my back list is growing, met some great people and have made some amazing friends.
I'm still in shock that I'm listed among the many talented authors at Dreamspinner Press! The little voice in the back of my head is screaming, "You are so out of your league."
Shhhhh I won't tell them if you don't :)
You can call me Jo, everyone does :)
I'm still in shock that I'm listed among the many talented authors at Dreamspinner Press! The little voice in the back of my head is screaming, "You are so out of your league."
Shhhhh I won't tell them if you don't :)
You can call me Jo, everyone does :)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
April 17, 2017
Okay! So either I've lost all my knowledge of BDSM-speak due to the gap between two reads, or there is something off about the way the books of this series have been written. Why can I not have a decent conversation? Why can't the author dumb it down some so that some uninformed readers like me could get it?
I so wanted to understand where Joshua was coming from, but all my struggling efforts were in vain. I couldn't get into the story, I wasn't able to connect fully with the MCs, and I finally give up. This is not for me.
I so wanted to understand where Joshua was coming from, but all my struggling efforts were in vain. I couldn't get into the story, I wasn't able to connect fully with the MCs, and I finally give up. This is not for me.
November 6, 2016
3.5 stars, rounded up.
Limitless is the second book in The Underground Club series. Nash was briefly introduced in Override, and Joshua mentioned. Though this is the second book in the series, it can be read as a standalone. The only time we see the MC's from book 1 is when the scene where Nash is introduced is replayed from Nash's POV. So, even if you have not read Override, feel free to read this one first.
I recall thinking as I was starting Limitless that the author was probably saving all the angst for this book. I wasn't wrong, there. Joshua is one messed up young man. He grew up in the foster system and went straight into an abusive D/s relationship when he barely even knew what the lifestyle was. He used pain as an escape and, unfortunately, his low self-worth also left him ripe for abuse. He was brought to Flint, Michigan by a Dom who then abandoned him, so it's really no wonder he has trust issues now.
Nash has been enamored of Joshua since he first laid eyes on him. Master Troy had been bringing Joshua to The Underground Club for a couple months, but their interactions set Nash's teeth on edge. He wants to rescue Joshua but from everything he can find out, Joshua is pretty messed up. He pushes his Doms into harsher and harsher punishments and refuses to safeword. He's a Dom's nightmare. But Nash wants to try where the others have failed, so he agrees to take Joshua if Troy will let him out of their contract.
But Nash had no idea what he was getting into. He really didn't. But then again, neither did Joshua. Joshua was not used to any amount of kindness being shown to him. He's been told how worthless, disgusting, disappointing, etc., he was and he tended to believe that. Nash would have none of that, though, and through a great amount of patience and trial and error, made some small breakthroughs with Joshua. Joshua just broke my heart with every bit of honesty he managed. He hasn't had it easy and he doesn't expect it to change. But part of him still has hope.
I want to say, also, how grateful I was that Nash strongly encouraged Joshua to seek professional help for his issues. BDSM was not used as a cure here. There were methods that Nash tried that helped Joshua some, but a kink friendly
counselor is what was really needed, and I was ecstatic when that route was taken. Joshua had been using intense pain as an escape, but Nash didn't want that. So kudos to the author for this!
I am left hoping that Nash's and Joshua's story will be continued. The ending of Limitless felt abrupt and unsatisfying. Joshua is just starting to make progress and I am hopeful that he will continue to get better, but I want something more solid. The ending was a rather tentative, but hopeful, HFN.
All in all, I enjoyed Limitless and found myself more engaged in the story than I was Override. With the abrupt ending, though, I'm giving Limitless 3.5 stars, instead of a full 4.
------------------
ARC of Limitless was generously provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
Limitless is the second book in The Underground Club series. Nash was briefly introduced in Override, and Joshua mentioned. Though this is the second book in the series, it can be read as a standalone. The only time we see the MC's from book 1 is when the scene where Nash is introduced is replayed from Nash's POV. So, even if you have not read Override, feel free to read this one first.
I recall thinking as I was starting Limitless that the author was probably saving all the angst for this book. I wasn't wrong, there. Joshua is one messed up young man. He grew up in the foster system and went straight into an abusive D/s relationship when he barely even knew what the lifestyle was. He used pain as an escape and, unfortunately, his low self-worth also left him ripe for abuse. He was brought to Flint, Michigan by a Dom who then abandoned him, so it's really no wonder he has trust issues now.
Nash has been enamored of Joshua since he first laid eyes on him. Master Troy had been bringing Joshua to The Underground Club for a couple months, but their interactions set Nash's teeth on edge. He wants to rescue Joshua but from everything he can find out, Joshua is pretty messed up. He pushes his Doms into harsher and harsher punishments and refuses to safeword. He's a Dom's nightmare. But Nash wants to try where the others have failed, so he agrees to take Joshua if Troy will let him out of their contract.
But Nash had no idea what he was getting into. He really didn't. But then again, neither did Joshua. Joshua was not used to any amount of kindness being shown to him. He's been told how worthless, disgusting, disappointing, etc., he was and he tended to believe that. Nash would have none of that, though, and through a great amount of patience and trial and error, made some small breakthroughs with Joshua. Joshua just broke my heart with every bit of honesty he managed. He hasn't had it easy and he doesn't expect it to change. But part of him still has hope.
“I want to belong. I want to stop feeling like I’m a fuckup, and I want to stop feeling like I don’t matter.”
I want to say, also, how grateful I was that Nash strongly encouraged Joshua to seek professional help for his issues. BDSM was not used as a cure here. There were methods that Nash tried that helped Joshua some, but a kink friendly
counselor is what was really needed, and I was ecstatic when that route was taken. Joshua had been using intense pain as an escape, but Nash didn't want that. So kudos to the author for this!
I am left hoping that Nash's and Joshua's story will be continued. The ending of Limitless felt abrupt and unsatisfying. Joshua is just starting to make progress and I am hopeful that he will continue to get better, but I want something more solid. The ending was a rather tentative, but hopeful, HFN.
All in all, I enjoyed Limitless and found myself more engaged in the story than I was Override. With the abrupt ending, though, I'm giving Limitless 3.5 stars, instead of a full 4.
------------------
ARC of Limitless was generously provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
December 8, 2016
3.5 stars rounded down because still no 1/2 stars here on GR and this one didn't quite make it to 4 stars for me.
Before I start trying to explain this one. Let's just take a minute to admire that cover. I mean seriously that guy is hot! Dark hair, nice trim beard, long legs all dressed up in leather and those abs? Seriously that's all just one yummy package. Ok, I might have spent a little time with this cover but can you blame me?
Now as for the book. I was really, really looking forward to this one. We were introduced to Nash and Joshua in the first book of this series and from the word go, I liked Nash. The guy just did it for me and Nash well he liked...no he wanted Joshua and he's the type of man who usually gets what he wants. What he didn't know was that when he got Joshua, he was getting one seriously messed up sub, but that's ok because once he found out, he didn't change his mind. He still wanted him, so needless to say I liked Nash even more.
We weren't really given a lot of info on either of these men in the first book and while this was their story I still feel like there's a lot more to know about Nash and Joshua, especially Joshua since this book was predominantly told from Nash's perspective.
I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more if there had been a bit more info about Joshua and more story from his perspective. He's one seriously damaged guy. He uses pain to escape from basically the world and himself. He uses the high he gets from the pain to keep himself from thinking too much. It's a dangerous game he's playing and one that could get him killed and almost has in the past.
Nash's responsibility as Joshua's DOM isn't just to help him establish safe boundaries. With Joshua, it's to help him find them and learn how to use them because Joshua doesn't believe in using safewords...he'd rather die. Joshua's past seems to be a melting pot of abandonment, abuse and neglect that I felt like we only ever saw tiny glimpses of given how messed up this young man is.
I had a harder time feeling the connection between Nash and Joshua than I did with the MCs in the first story and I think that was due in part to the fact that I just needed a bit more of Joshua's perspective to balance things out. I loved how much Nash cared and how hard he was willing to try and above all else I was grateful that while Nash used the D/s relationship that he and Joshua were trying to establish to help Joshua, it always felt like it was being done as an interim measure with the real goal being to get Joshua to willingly agree to seek the professional help he so desperately needs.
Nash knew that while he wanted to, and could, be the DOM who met Joshua's needs, he could only do that once Joshua was in a healthier frame of mind and that was something that he knew he wasn't equipped to deal with. The fact that he put so much time and effort into Joshua's mental and physical well being showed that Nash was definitely the perfect DOM for Joshua.
My biggest disappointment was the ending it was abrupt and it came just at the point when I was really starting to get into their story and feel a solid connection between these two men. I really needed more and I'm hoping that it'll happen in the form of another novel or even a novella, something to give these two the solid HEA they deserve and will have so definitely earned...especially Joshua.
"Limitless" may not have been quite what I was expecting but I'm totally on board for more and I have faith that whatever didn't quite happen in this book for me is coming down the road so I have no plans to miss out on more Donovan and Seth or hopefully more Nash and Joshua and I have a sneaky suspicion that we haven't seen the last of Troy and only the beginning of Malcolm and a certain twink bartender named 'Conrad'...tell me that's not a story in the making?
********************
An ARC of 'Limitless' was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Before I start trying to explain this one. Let's just take a minute to admire that cover. I mean seriously that guy is hot! Dark hair, nice trim beard, long legs all dressed up in leather and those abs? Seriously that's all just one yummy package. Ok, I might have spent a little time with this cover but can you blame me?
Now as for the book. I was really, really looking forward to this one. We were introduced to Nash and Joshua in the first book of this series and from the word go, I liked Nash. The guy just did it for me and Nash well he liked...no he wanted Joshua and he's the type of man who usually gets what he wants. What he didn't know was that when he got Joshua, he was getting one seriously messed up sub, but that's ok because once he found out, he didn't change his mind. He still wanted him, so needless to say I liked Nash even more.
We weren't really given a lot of info on either of these men in the first book and while this was their story I still feel like there's a lot more to know about Nash and Joshua, especially Joshua since this book was predominantly told from Nash's perspective.
I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more if there had been a bit more info about Joshua and more story from his perspective. He's one seriously damaged guy. He uses pain to escape from basically the world and himself. He uses the high he gets from the pain to keep himself from thinking too much. It's a dangerous game he's playing and one that could get him killed and almost has in the past.
Nash's responsibility as Joshua's DOM isn't just to help him establish safe boundaries. With Joshua, it's to help him find them and learn how to use them because Joshua doesn't believe in using safewords...he'd rather die. Joshua's past seems to be a melting pot of abandonment, abuse and neglect that I felt like we only ever saw tiny glimpses of given how messed up this young man is.
I had a harder time feeling the connection between Nash and Joshua than I did with the MCs in the first story and I think that was due in part to the fact that I just needed a bit more of Joshua's perspective to balance things out. I loved how much Nash cared and how hard he was willing to try and above all else I was grateful that while Nash used the D/s relationship that he and Joshua were trying to establish to help Joshua, it always felt like it was being done as an interim measure with the real goal being to get Joshua to willingly agree to seek the professional help he so desperately needs.
Nash knew that while he wanted to, and could, be the DOM who met Joshua's needs, he could only do that once Joshua was in a healthier frame of mind and that was something that he knew he wasn't equipped to deal with. The fact that he put so much time and effort into Joshua's mental and physical well being showed that Nash was definitely the perfect DOM for Joshua.
My biggest disappointment was the ending it was abrupt and it came just at the point when I was really starting to get into their story and feel a solid connection between these two men. I really needed more and I'm hoping that it'll happen in the form of another novel or even a novella, something to give these two the solid HEA they deserve and will have so definitely earned...especially Joshua.
"Limitless" may not have been quite what I was expecting but I'm totally on board for more and I have faith that whatever didn't quite happen in this book for me is coming down the road so I have no plans to miss out on more Donovan and Seth or hopefully more Nash and Joshua and I have a sneaky suspicion that we haven't seen the last of Troy and only the beginning of Malcolm and a certain twink bartender named 'Conrad'...tell me that's not a story in the making?
********************
An ARC of 'Limitless' was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
February 21, 2017
3 Hearts
This ended up being very different to how I thought it would be. I was expecting an angsty healing story and it ended up being a big cuddle fest.
Not that that’s a bad thing, but I was constantly in anticipation for the inevitable shoe to be dropped and it never happened. I think this is largely to do with Nash being the prominent POV. He's so positive in his belief of Joshua and that made us, the readers, feel positive as well. The few times we were in Josh's head we saw his conflict about his self worth and trust in Nash, I would've liked to have had more of his POV to understand him better.
Joshua had a rough childhood and then was a full-time submissive to an abusive master. One of the biggest disappointments of this book was, we never found out what really went on between Josh and his Master. There are snippets divulged, but I never really understood what happened to make Joshua so desperate to escape his reality. And to escape his reality, Joshua uses pain… alot of it! That's where Nash comes in. He’s instantly drawn to Josh and when he hears that Josh has never safe-worded and doesn’t have any limits, he takes it upon himself to help Josh.
Nash was most definitely my favourite part of this book. He’s strong and supportive, he takes things at Josh’s pace yet doesn’t let him get complacent. It was really interesting seeing Nash’s read on Josh as they explored some basic scenes together. I liked how during their scenes Nash was vigilant of any indication that Josh may have actually reached a limit, even if he didn’t express it verbally.
The sex and BDSM scenes weren’t bad but they were fairly basic, a flogger here, a paddle there, maybe I’ve just read too many BDSM books, but I was expecting something more hardcore.
I also thought this ended way to abruptly, we were finally delving into Josh’s issues and how they were going to be worked through and then it ended. I needed much more of a conclusion for these two.
I would recommend this if you liked Override, it's a good sweet story with lots of comfort and little bit of hurt and absolutely no conflict. It really wasn't what I was hoping for though and therefore was a little bit of a disappointment.
This ended up being very different to how I thought it would be. I was expecting an angsty healing story and it ended up being a big cuddle fest.
Not that that’s a bad thing, but I was constantly in anticipation for the inevitable shoe to be dropped and it never happened. I think this is largely to do with Nash being the prominent POV. He's so positive in his belief of Joshua and that made us, the readers, feel positive as well. The few times we were in Josh's head we saw his conflict about his self worth and trust in Nash, I would've liked to have had more of his POV to understand him better.
Joshua had a rough childhood and then was a full-time submissive to an abusive master. One of the biggest disappointments of this book was, we never found out what really went on between Josh and his Master. There are snippets divulged, but I never really understood what happened to make Joshua so desperate to escape his reality. And to escape his reality, Joshua uses pain… alot of it! That's where Nash comes in. He’s instantly drawn to Josh and when he hears that Josh has never safe-worded and doesn’t have any limits, he takes it upon himself to help Josh.
Nash was most definitely my favourite part of this book. He’s strong and supportive, he takes things at Josh’s pace yet doesn’t let him get complacent. It was really interesting seeing Nash’s read on Josh as they explored some basic scenes together. I liked how during their scenes Nash was vigilant of any indication that Josh may have actually reached a limit, even if he didn’t express it verbally.
The sex and BDSM scenes weren’t bad but they were fairly basic, a flogger here, a paddle there, maybe I’ve just read too many BDSM books, but I was expecting something more hardcore.
I also thought this ended way to abruptly, we were finally delving into Josh’s issues and how they were going to be worked through and then it ended. I needed much more of a conclusion for these two.
I would recommend this if you liked Override, it's a good sweet story with lots of comfort and little bit of hurt and absolutely no conflict. It really wasn't what I was hoping for though and therefore was a little bit of a disappointment.
July 25, 2022
Nash ha sido Dom por los ultimos 10 anos y nunca se habia sentido tan atraido por un sub como lo esta por Joshua y lo mal que cree que su Dom lo esta tratando. Por eso hace todo lo posible para que el joven quede en sus manos, solo para descubrir que esta tratando con una persona que tiene muchos mas problemas de los que el cree capaz de solucionar. Asi que con la ayuda de su disciplina, paciencia, amor y un psicologo, esta decidido a hacer a su sub feliz.
Joshua siempre ha sentido placer en el dolor, desde que tiene 15 anos sabe que eso es lo unico que trae paz, y lo unico que quiere es olvidar su pasado y tener paz. Por eso cuando Nash le pide que acepte ser su Dom, Joshua cree que va a ser como los muchos Doms con los que ha estado, asi que intenta comportarse como siempre, solo buscando el castigo que lo llevara a su paz. Asi que cuando comienza a darse cuenta de que Nash no es como ningun Dom que haya conocido, su vision del mundo del BDSM comienza a cambiar, ahora solo tiene que intentar darle a su Dom su verdader sumision y aceptar la ayuda que este pueda brindarle, pero, Sera suficiente?
Un libro con una trama sencilla, total y completamente diferente al anterior, lo unico que los une es el club y Malcom. La trama se perfilaba como trauma psicologico, Joshua tenia el potencial de ser alguien con una fuerte fuerza de voluntad y un pasado dificil, pero que ha sido golpeado por la vida desde temprana edad. Pero eso no fue lo que entrego el libro, no se sintio en absoluto la personalidad de Joshua, dejandolo plano y vacio. Igual me paso con el personaje de Nash, tambien tenia todo el potencial para ser un personaje "rompe-barreras", pero tambien resulto vacio, aburrido. Asi que resulto en una trama plana, aburrida, y con baches de los que me gustaria en un libro.
Me decepciono, que la pareja del libro anterior no apareciera, me hubiera gustado mucho una conversacion Donovan-Joshua, o Joshua-Cain, pero solo aparecio Seth con la misma escena de conversacion del libro anterior. Algo interesante resulto Malcom, pero mas como apoyo que otra cosa. No hay ningun otro tipo de intereaccion con ninguno de los otros subs del club, y eso me hubiera gustado, ver la relacion entre Joshua y otro sub.
Pero bueno, me entere que el proximo tambien es de esta pareja, tal vez ahi muestren un poco mas de las interacciones que me gustaria ver y un poco mas de profundidad en la trama y los personajes.
Joshua siempre ha sentido placer en el dolor, desde que tiene 15 anos sabe que eso es lo unico que trae paz, y lo unico que quiere es olvidar su pasado y tener paz. Por eso cuando Nash le pide que acepte ser su Dom, Joshua cree que va a ser como los muchos Doms con los que ha estado, asi que intenta comportarse como siempre, solo buscando el castigo que lo llevara a su paz. Asi que cuando comienza a darse cuenta de que Nash no es como ningun Dom que haya conocido, su vision del mundo del BDSM comienza a cambiar, ahora solo tiene que intentar darle a su Dom su verdader sumision y aceptar la ayuda que este pueda brindarle, pero, Sera suficiente?
Un libro con una trama sencilla, total y completamente diferente al anterior, lo unico que los une es el club y Malcom. La trama se perfilaba como trauma psicologico, Joshua tenia el potencial de ser alguien con una fuerte fuerza de voluntad y un pasado dificil, pero que ha sido golpeado por la vida desde temprana edad. Pero eso no fue lo que entrego el libro, no se sintio en absoluto la personalidad de Joshua, dejandolo plano y vacio. Igual me paso con el personaje de Nash, tambien tenia todo el potencial para ser un personaje "rompe-barreras", pero tambien resulto vacio, aburrido. Asi que resulto en una trama plana, aburrida, y con baches de los que me gustaria en un libro.
Me decepciono, que la pareja del libro anterior no apareciera, me hubiera gustado mucho una conversacion Donovan-Joshua, o Joshua-Cain, pero solo aparecio Seth con la misma escena de conversacion del libro anterior. Algo interesante resulto Malcom, pero mas como apoyo que otra cosa. No hay ningun otro tipo de intereaccion con ninguno de los otros subs del club, y eso me hubiera gustado, ver la relacion entre Joshua y otro sub.
Pero bueno, me entere que el proximo tambien es de esta pareja, tal vez ahi muestren un poco mas de las interacciones que me gustaria ver y un poco mas de profundidad en la trama y los personajes.
December 5, 2016
The first book in this series was completely angst free. This one upped the stakes and hit us with some good angst. I'll review this soon. Still not sure of my rating.
did-not-finish
December 30, 2023DNF @ 35%. No rating.
First of all - the writing style is terrible and that wasn't the case with the author's earlier work that I've read and enjoyed. Most of the dialog was overly formal, which didn't fit the contemporary setting at all. I think the author wanted to make the doms come across as very suave and badass so making them sound like they were members of aristocracy living in the 1800s would accomplish that, but the dialog just sounded unnatural and pretentious. Some examples:
"Now it is I who doesn't want to interrupt."
xxx
"I see you've already poured me a drink. Am I to assume this means I'm not going to like what you have to say?"
xxx
Then there were random times when the author added in a bit of slang (which was good) but it badly clashed with the rest of the unnatural, overly formal dialog:
"I've been going nuts so you'll forgive me if I bypass the pleasantries. Besides, I can tell by the look on your face you're about to burst with the knowledge you've obtained."
xxx
Joshua's dialog had the opposite problem. The guy is the sub in the scenario and despite him being 25 years old (in comparison to Nash's 32), the guy talked and acted like a teenager. Sure, the guy has been abused for his entire life so his views of the world aren't going match a general 25 year old's, but having him use words like 'weirdo' and adding the word 'totally' into a lot of sentences made him come across much younger than he was, which creeped me out.
It's strange because I've read and loved other books by this author and those books were written years earlier than this one, yet they didn't have any of these issues. I think the author decided that having the dom characters' and sub characters' dialog follow certain speech patterns would help establish the characterizations of both types of characters and enhance the BDSM atmosphere...? But it didn't work for me. The narrative portions weren't well written either with lots of short, choppy sentences and zero flow. Lots of 'he did this' followed by 'then he did that'.
However, if I had been enjoying the story, I could have put up with the bad writing style. My second problem is that the summary didn't specify that part of the BDSM dynamic between the MCs would be domestic/service oriented BDSM and I have zero interest in that. The summary hadn't made it clear that Joshua had been living in 24/7 master-slave situations for years and that this dynamic would continue when he accepted Nate as his new dom. I thought Joshua would be living his own life and he and Nate would only meet up for BDSM scenes that focused on pain play and they would address some of Joshua's trauma issues through those scenes, which was what attracted me to the story. In actuality, Joshua comes to live with Nate immediately and it's clear that they both want Joshua being Nate's 24/7 houseboy (doing chores, being submissive 24/7, the inclusion of domestic discipline and punishments etc), which isn't a scenario that interests me.
Since I didn't read far enough to see how the author handles Nate and Joshua's relationship dynamic long term and a lot of readers seem happy with the way Nate helps Joshua deal with his severe trauma over the course of this book and the next one (The Edge), I'm going to mark this one down as being not my cup of tea but I won't rate it.
First of all - the writing style is terrible and that wasn't the case with the author's earlier work that I've read and enjoyed. Most of the dialog was overly formal, which didn't fit the contemporary setting at all. I think the author wanted to make the doms come across as very suave and badass so making them sound like they were members of aristocracy living in the 1800s would accomplish that, but the dialog just sounded unnatural and pretentious. Some examples:
"Now it is I who doesn't want to interrupt."
xxx
"I see you've already poured me a drink. Am I to assume this means I'm not going to like what you have to say?"
xxx
Then there were random times when the author added in a bit of slang (which was good) but it badly clashed with the rest of the unnatural, overly formal dialog:
"I've been going nuts so you'll forgive me if I bypass the pleasantries. Besides, I can tell by the look on your face you're about to burst with the knowledge you've obtained."
xxx
Joshua's dialog had the opposite problem. The guy is the sub in the scenario and despite him being 25 years old (in comparison to Nash's 32), the guy talked and acted like a teenager. Sure, the guy has been abused for his entire life so his views of the world aren't going match a general 25 year old's, but having him use words like 'weirdo' and adding the word 'totally' into a lot of sentences made him come across much younger than he was, which creeped me out.
It's strange because I've read and loved other books by this author and those books were written years earlier than this one, yet they didn't have any of these issues. I think the author decided that having the dom characters' and sub characters' dialog follow certain speech patterns would help establish the characterizations of both types of characters and enhance the BDSM atmosphere...? But it didn't work for me. The narrative portions weren't well written either with lots of short, choppy sentences and zero flow. Lots of 'he did this' followed by 'then he did that'.
However, if I had been enjoying the story, I could have put up with the bad writing style. My second problem is that the summary didn't specify that part of the BDSM dynamic between the MCs would be domestic/service oriented BDSM and I have zero interest in that. The summary hadn't made it clear that Joshua had been living in 24/7 master-slave situations for years and that this dynamic would continue when he accepted Nate as his new dom. I thought Joshua would be living his own life and he and Nate would only meet up for BDSM scenes that focused on pain play and they would address some of Joshua's trauma issues through those scenes, which was what attracted me to the story. In actuality, Joshua comes to live with Nate immediately and it's clear that they both want Joshua being Nate's 24/7 houseboy (doing chores, being submissive 24/7, the inclusion of domestic discipline and punishments etc), which isn't a scenario that interests me.
Since I didn't read far enough to see how the author handles Nate and Joshua's relationship dynamic long term and a lot of readers seem happy with the way Nate helps Joshua deal with his severe trauma over the course of this book and the next one (The Edge), I'm going to mark this one down as being not my cup of tea but I won't rate it.
December 2, 2016
Reviewed at Sinfully.
3.5 stars
Joshua has had a lifetime of abuse and abandonment. SJD Peterson doesn’t delve too deeply into the details, but gives us enough to know where his mindset comes from. He believes he has nothing much to offer anyone and will do just about anything, take any pain, as evidenced by the prior dangerous and disastrous D/s relationship he barely got out of with his life, to find oblivion for a little while. Abandoned by that Dom, Joshua is lost and is looking for a Dom as a way to stay off the streets, not the best way to go about things.
Nash has had his eye on Joshua since he first saw him and he’s not too happy with the way he believes Master Troy is treating him. He’s heard from others at the club that Joshua has no limits and is a pain junkie. He wants nothing more than to take Joshua as his boy, but he thinks he might be in over his head, especially once the truth of Joshua’s situation comes out.
It may sound strange, but despite the BDSM, the many sex scenes and the short time they are together, the relationship progresses in a quiet, tender manner. Nash is insistent on letting Joshua know he is desired, not just for the pain he can take or the submission he offers, but for the kind man he is as well. The line blurring between Dom/sub and lovers, definitely has Joshua off-kilter, but it seems Nash knows just how to balance the two to give Joshua what he needs on all fronts.
There is no magic BDSM cure and I was glad to see Nash encourage Joshua to get professional help. Nash does use scenes to help Joshua see that he doesn’t need endless pain, but can satisfy his needs through his submission as well and learning to trust in Nash. Joshua’s past is heartbreaking, but the story didn’t feel overwhelmed by angst. It does color the present though and as much as Joshua has trouble believing he can find happiness he also feels the need to run when he starts to get a little taste of it. Nash, on the other hand, fears that Joshua will heal and leave him behind.
After all the time that is spent getting Joshua and Nash to agree to continue to work together, the ending was quite abrupt and left with a HFN; in fact I expected to find another chapter or Epilogue when I swiped the page and that disappointment did drop this from 4 to 3.5 stars for me. They have reached common ground as far as their contract goes, but still have a long road ahead of them in the relationship, especially when it comes to Joshua’s problems.
For anyone going into this story, know that it’s really about the start of a new relationship and the building of trust enough for Nash and Joshua to go forward. Joshua now wants and believes that he deserves what Nash offers and the two are happy to work towards their ultimate goal. I don’t know whether we will get more of these two in the future, but I would like to see what they could build as Joshua really begins to put his past to bed.
3.5 stars
Joshua has had a lifetime of abuse and abandonment. SJD Peterson doesn’t delve too deeply into the details, but gives us enough to know where his mindset comes from. He believes he has nothing much to offer anyone and will do just about anything, take any pain, as evidenced by the prior dangerous and disastrous D/s relationship he barely got out of with his life, to find oblivion for a little while. Abandoned by that Dom, Joshua is lost and is looking for a Dom as a way to stay off the streets, not the best way to go about things.
Nash has had his eye on Joshua since he first saw him and he’s not too happy with the way he believes Master Troy is treating him. He’s heard from others at the club that Joshua has no limits and is a pain junkie. He wants nothing more than to take Joshua as his boy, but he thinks he might be in over his head, especially once the truth of Joshua’s situation comes out.
It may sound strange, but despite the BDSM, the many sex scenes and the short time they are together, the relationship progresses in a quiet, tender manner. Nash is insistent on letting Joshua know he is desired, not just for the pain he can take or the submission he offers, but for the kind man he is as well. The line blurring between Dom/sub and lovers, definitely has Joshua off-kilter, but it seems Nash knows just how to balance the two to give Joshua what he needs on all fronts.
There is no magic BDSM cure and I was glad to see Nash encourage Joshua to get professional help. Nash does use scenes to help Joshua see that he doesn’t need endless pain, but can satisfy his needs through his submission as well and learning to trust in Nash. Joshua’s past is heartbreaking, but the story didn’t feel overwhelmed by angst. It does color the present though and as much as Joshua has trouble believing he can find happiness he also feels the need to run when he starts to get a little taste of it. Nash, on the other hand, fears that Joshua will heal and leave him behind.
After all the time that is spent getting Joshua and Nash to agree to continue to work together, the ending was quite abrupt and left with a HFN; in fact I expected to find another chapter or Epilogue when I swiped the page and that disappointment did drop this from 4 to 3.5 stars for me. They have reached common ground as far as their contract goes, but still have a long road ahead of them in the relationship, especially when it comes to Joshua’s problems.
For anyone going into this story, know that it’s really about the start of a new relationship and the building of trust enough for Nash and Joshua to go forward. Joshua now wants and believes that he deserves what Nash offers and the two are happy to work towards their ultimate goal. I don’t know whether we will get more of these two in the future, but I would like to see what they could build as Joshua really begins to put his past to bed.
November 28, 2016
“Limitless” is the second book in the “Underground Club” series by SJD Peterson.
We have met Nash at the end of the first book. He is a Dom in the underground club and has been living the BDSM lifestyle for a decade. He is attracted to Joshua, a sub of another Dom in the club. Nash is not a fan of how Joshua’s Dom treats him and he doubts that he is being mistreated.
Joshua is a pain junkie and he does not know or cares for any safe limits. Nash makes it his mission to save Joshua from himself. He becomes Joshua’s new Dom and tries to understand the pain behind the young man’s recklessness. What he finds is more tragic and painful than Nash could have anticipated. But Nash is determined to help the emotionally scarred man. It would require consideration, understanding and more importantly love in his part to heal the broken man he finds himself falling in love with.
Unlike the first book which was sugary sweet, this book has lots of emotional angst. Joshua had a barrage of problems which were very dangerous considering his history. He was into BDSM because of the high which came from the pain rather than his need to submit. He has been abused by his previous Dom and severely taken advantage of. Joshua was into BDSM for completely wrong reasons. I liked the part where Nash takes up the initiative to provide therapy for Joshua. Nash is very understanding and supportive of Joshua throughout and I liked how he tries to teach Joshua the true pleasures behind submitting. He instills in Joshua the complete trust a sub should have for his Dom by giving up control.
This book had everything required for a BDSM novel but I didn’t find the romance satisfying. Nash is attracted to Joshua and vice versa but the connection between them does not develop along with the explicit BDSM sex. The ending was inconclusive. It cannot be called an HEA because there were many things left unanswered. I hoped to see “healing through love” which would have happened if the story was extended a little.
The ending was more HFN than HEA. Joshua is shown as a work in progress and I am hoping we will get more glimpses of his growing relationship with Nash through the later books in the series.
*This review has been cross posted at GayBookReviews*
We have met Nash at the end of the first book. He is a Dom in the underground club and has been living the BDSM lifestyle for a decade. He is attracted to Joshua, a sub of another Dom in the club. Nash is not a fan of how Joshua’s Dom treats him and he doubts that he is being mistreated.
Joshua is a pain junkie and he does not know or cares for any safe limits. Nash makes it his mission to save Joshua from himself. He becomes Joshua’s new Dom and tries to understand the pain behind the young man’s recklessness. What he finds is more tragic and painful than Nash could have anticipated. But Nash is determined to help the emotionally scarred man. It would require consideration, understanding and more importantly love in his part to heal the broken man he finds himself falling in love with.
Unlike the first book which was sugary sweet, this book has lots of emotional angst. Joshua had a barrage of problems which were very dangerous considering his history. He was into BDSM because of the high which came from the pain rather than his need to submit. He has been abused by his previous Dom and severely taken advantage of. Joshua was into BDSM for completely wrong reasons. I liked the part where Nash takes up the initiative to provide therapy for Joshua. Nash is very understanding and supportive of Joshua throughout and I liked how he tries to teach Joshua the true pleasures behind submitting. He instills in Joshua the complete trust a sub should have for his Dom by giving up control.
This book had everything required for a BDSM novel but I didn’t find the romance satisfying. Nash is attracted to Joshua and vice versa but the connection between them does not develop along with the explicit BDSM sex. The ending was inconclusive. It cannot be called an HEA because there were many things left unanswered. I hoped to see “healing through love” which would have happened if the story was extended a little.
The ending was more HFN than HEA. Joshua is shown as a work in progress and I am hoping we will get more glimpses of his growing relationship with Nash through the later books in the series.
*This review has been cross posted at GayBookReviews*
February 5, 2024
“I want to belong. I want to stop feeling like I’m a fuckup, and I want to stop feeling like I don’t matter.”
Nash, a Dom and respected member of Club Underground sees sub Joshua and wants him, badly, but Joshua belongs to another master, an abusive one Nash believes. With the help of the club owner and the willingness of Joshua’s current owner Nash finds himself responsible for Joshua.
Nash is beyond thrilled but quickly learns that Joshua is a very messed up sub, Nash had the feeling that Joshua was simply going through the motions. The real Joshua hid behind the mask of the perfect little sub he was portraying. Nash had to bring Joshua back from the edge and secure him within a safe boundary, but before he could do that, the walls Joshua surrounded himself with would need to come down.
Nash is committed to make this relationship work, he even admitted to be in love with Joshua.
This wall would have to be taken down painfully slowly, one brick at a time.. With gentle but firm pushing from Nash and a some highly intense BDSM scenes, Nash succeeds slowly to win Joshua’s trust. He not only opens up more to Nash but he even starts to set his own boundaries from a limitless pain level to a limited one.
With the help of Nash, who is totally committed to this relationship, Joshua slowly starts to believe in his own worth and accepts Nash’s help in seeking professional help.
Told from a dual POV, keeps you interested and making you understand the actions of both men. I loved reading about Joshua’s inner turmoil and my heart broke for him several times.
We slowly learn about Joshua’s background, about his struggles in live and Nash’s reaction to them Jesus fuck, this roadmap of torture across Joshua’s body wasn’t proper anything.
I definitely did not care for the ending, it was too abrupt even with the promises made. It left me with way too many questions.
For his gift of submission, I will see to it that Joshua’s needs are met and that he never regrets giving such a gift.
I did not care too much for the first book in this series, it left me a bit unsatisfied. I did not understand why it was part of the Underground Series as there was hardly anything going on in the club. While in this one the club and its owner were more prominent, still I would have love to read about one or more scenes at the club.
Part of a series that is best enjoyed when read in order:
December 1, 2016
Review by The Blogger Girls.
The previous book, Override, was very low on angst, and much lighter than I had been expecting, but this story promised a bit more, which had me a wee bit excited. These can easily be read on their own, but I definitely recommend reading Override as well.
Joshua is a young man with some major issues. From his upbringing in foster care, to his bad taste in Doms, he has not had very much in the way of caring. What he has gained, however, is a pretty high tolerance and even need, for pain. He reminded me of a neglected puppy who would misbehave believing that even bad attention was better than no attention. Having almost no limits puts him in more than one dangerous situation, since he all but refused to use his safeword.
Nash sees something in Joshua and believes he can help. The problem is that, just as with a scared puppy, if Nash doesn’t go about things the right way, it will just scare Joshua off, running into more potential danger. I loved his plan of retraining Joshua on his need for pain, showing that he can find pleasure in more than just the pain, along with a new way of looking at things.
It was very difficult for Joshua to actually trust, which was ironic given how much is required in the BDSM scene. But luckily, Nash is a good guy, doesn’t take advantage and actually wants Joshua to genuinely give him his trust and accept it in return. I loved the struggle of watching Nash fight with his feelings for Joshua against what he knew was best for Joshua’s best interests.
This was another winner for me, and I’m really enjoying this world. I loved that this installment was a little more involved with bigger issues being dealt with. BDSM was not used as a means to an end – Nash continually encouraged Joshua to seek therapy outside of the scene and basically reshaped Joshua’s perception of it all, but in a good way. The one big disappointment for me was the abrupt ending. But we get a nice HFN, and I’m hoping we get to see glimpses of these guys in future stories.
December 2, 2016
Right off the bat, I have to say that I liked Limitless
much
better than Override. I think that this book was written much better and the timing of the plot flowed much smoother than it did in Override.
I really enjoyed the MC’s. Nash’s relationship with his mentor reminded me a lot of the relationship between Leo and Thomas in K.C. Well’s Collars and Cuffs series, for those of you who are familiar with it. They knew each other so well that there was an unquestionable trust and intimacy that lingered between them, despite their physical relationship being in the past.
Joshua was completely broken. His sense of self-worth and confidence was completely destroyed. Because of that, this book was a little emotionally heavy. I wouldn’t say there was particularly an HEA at the end, but the future did look bright for Nash and Joshua so it balanced out enough that I wasn’t left in a sour mood at the end of the book.
These two together worked really well. Despite Joshua’s personal issues, Nash decided to take him in and care for him anyway. He cared for Joshua immensely, as proven by how far he was willing to go to make sure that Joshua got better and remained in his life. Certain parts of this book got a little heated and the chemistry was undeniable.
I would definitely recommend this book!
Reviewed by Jordan at Alpha Book Club.
Disclaimer: This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own and not influenced by the author or the publisher in any way.
I really enjoyed the MC’s. Nash’s relationship with his mentor reminded me a lot of the relationship between Leo and Thomas in K.C. Well’s Collars and Cuffs series, for those of you who are familiar with it. They knew each other so well that there was an unquestionable trust and intimacy that lingered between them, despite their physical relationship being in the past.
Joshua was completely broken. His sense of self-worth and confidence was completely destroyed. Because of that, this book was a little emotionally heavy. I wouldn’t say there was particularly an HEA at the end, but the future did look bright for Nash and Joshua so it balanced out enough that I wasn’t left in a sour mood at the end of the book.
These two together worked really well. Despite Joshua’s personal issues, Nash decided to take him in and care for him anyway. He cared for Joshua immensely, as proven by how far he was willing to go to make sure that Joshua got better and remained in his life. Certain parts of this book got a little heated and the chemistry was undeniable.
I would definitely recommend this book!
Reviewed by Jordan at Alpha Book Club.
Disclaimer: This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own and not influenced by the author or the publisher in any way.
January 29, 2025
I have been salivating waiting for this second book in SJD Peterson's 'The Underground Club' series. I really enjoyed the first book but I was looking for something with a lot more grit. The glimpse I was given of 'Limitless' at the end of the previous installment pretty much ensured that I was going to find the angst, pain, and drama I was looking for in Nash and Joshua's story.
Joshua pulls at every single string Nash has with the history Nash and his friends at the club discover about him. It's no wonder Joshua can't trust any man after being someone's slave for three years who abused him so badly his body still carries the scars and then he abandoned Joshua at the hospital after the second time he had to be revived. Nash knows it's going to be a challenge to take Joshua on but his gut keeps telling him it's the right thing to do.
“I….” Joshua was silent for a long moment before he lifted his head and met Nash’s gaze. “I want to belong. I want to stop feeling like I’m a fuckup, and I want to stop feeling like I don’t matter.”
Please find my full review at Rainbow Book Reviews
Joshua pulls at every single string Nash has with the history Nash and his friends at the club discover about him. It's no wonder Joshua can't trust any man after being someone's slave for three years who abused him so badly his body still carries the scars and then he abandoned Joshua at the hospital after the second time he had to be revived. Nash knows it's going to be a challenge to take Joshua on but his gut keeps telling him it's the right thing to do.
“I….” Joshua was silent for a long moment before he lifted his head and met Nash’s gaze. “I want to belong. I want to stop feeling like I’m a fuckup, and I want to stop feeling like I don’t matter.”
Please find my full review at Rainbow Book Reviews
December 7, 2016
Review might follow later.
June 20, 2018
Edit on second read: I think I’d go up a half point for this. Thank goodness I’ve got the next book, the continuation of Nash and Joshua’s story, because that’s what I was missing.
While reading this, I was reminded of The Guards of Folsom series. Book one was good but had no intensity and was pretty fluffy. While this one didn't have a lot of tension either, it did have a good hurt/comfort theme. I appreciate that SJD Peterson does not use BDSM as a way to cure deep-seated issues. Best of all, it was a trip to my personal kink heaven!
Nash had an immediate attraction to Joshua the first time he saw him in the club. He watches him but Joshua is a sub to another Dom, Troy. Nash notices something amiss between the two and finds out that Joshua has an unhealthy desire for pain and refuses to use his safewords. After some negotiating with Troy, assisted by Malcolm, the club owner, Joshua agrees to be Nash's sub.
Another part that was done well, was how Nash was shown to be careful and observant of Joshua's actual limits and wasn't afraid to turn to Malcolm for advice. He also suggests therapy, early on, to Joshua but he resisted. The desire for pain and refusal to safeword is something Nash can fix and it is marvelous to see. There was spanking, flogging, crops, paddles and a cock cage! Total crack for me and it was the panty-dropping sex that SJD does so well. There is angst, as bits and pieces of Joshua's past are revealed. He'd never learned to trust a Dom, since he'd had some very bad ones and pushed and manipulated them to get the oblivion of pain he wanted.
My quibble was that bits and pieces were all we got. There were good POV switches and it was clear that Joshua had almost no self esteem. He is just starting to face his problems but we don't get to see it much. There is a solid HFN and I'm certain we'll see them appearing in future books but I'd rather have had that focus continued in this story. The ending was too abrupt to be completely satisfying. Nevertheless, it was highly enjoyable and very highly recommended for moderate S&M and believable Doms.
While reading this, I was reminded of The Guards of Folsom series. Book one was good but had no intensity and was pretty fluffy. While this one didn't have a lot of tension either, it did have a good hurt/comfort theme. I appreciate that SJD Peterson does not use BDSM as a way to cure deep-seated issues. Best of all, it was a trip to my personal kink heaven!
Nash had an immediate attraction to Joshua the first time he saw him in the club. He watches him but Joshua is a sub to another Dom, Troy. Nash notices something amiss between the two and finds out that Joshua has an unhealthy desire for pain and refuses to use his safewords. After some negotiating with Troy, assisted by Malcolm, the club owner, Joshua agrees to be Nash's sub.
Another part that was done well, was how Nash was shown to be careful and observant of Joshua's actual limits and wasn't afraid to turn to Malcolm for advice. He also suggests therapy, early on, to Joshua but he resisted. The desire for pain and refusal to safeword is something Nash can fix and it is marvelous to see. There was spanking, flogging, crops, paddles and a cock cage! Total crack for me and it was the panty-dropping sex that SJD does so well. There is angst, as bits and pieces of Joshua's past are revealed. He'd never learned to trust a Dom, since he'd had some very bad ones and pushed and manipulated them to get the oblivion of pain he wanted.
My quibble was that bits and pieces were all we got. There were good POV switches and it was clear that Joshua had almost no self esteem. He is just starting to face his problems but we don't get to see it much. There is a solid HFN and I'm certain we'll see them appearing in future books but I'd rather have had that focus continued in this story. The ending was too abrupt to be completely satisfying. Nevertheless, it was highly enjoyable and very highly recommended for moderate S&M and believable Doms.
December 2, 2016
REVIEWED FOR PRISM BOOK ALLIANCE
3.5 Stars
This is the second book in The Underground Club series and has a very different feel to the first book. Easily read as a standalone there is a lot more angst to this story and more of a HFN ending that perhaps the author will expand on further along in the series – I felt it ended abruptly and there were a lot of issues not dealt with.
Joshua is messed up. There is no better description for the young man who had a pretty awful and often times abusive childhood and who learnt very quickly what he would need to do to survive. His craving is for pain. Finding out about BDSM was an eye opener for a man who is naturally a sub with a craving for pain but even then he didn’t always fare that well with Dom’s that didn’t or couldn’t understand what he needed. He also plays without safewords and is reticent to discuss why with Nash.
Nash is an experienced Dom, a little set in his ways and with a tendency towards being a bit OCD. He has been taken with Joshua since first setting eyes on him and is less than impressed with how he perceives the boys current Dom looks after him. Here is a man with a good heart, a huge case of lust and absolutely no idea just how damaged and messed up the apple of his eye is – but that good heart wins out and he ends up taking Joshua home with the hope of making something permanent with him.
Although after an initial hiccup or two this pair worked relatively well together I felt a lot of the issues weren’t answered and only skimmed over. Joshua was certainly in a better place by the end of the book and Nash had had his eyes opened to the full extent of Joshua’s need to heal but again it was only touched upon. I guess this felt like half a story – perhaps an epilogue would have helped, I’m not sure, but it feels like Joshua and Nash’s story needs to be finished.
3.5 Stars
This is the second book in The Underground Club series and has a very different feel to the first book. Easily read as a standalone there is a lot more angst to this story and more of a HFN ending that perhaps the author will expand on further along in the series – I felt it ended abruptly and there were a lot of issues not dealt with.
Joshua is messed up. There is no better description for the young man who had a pretty awful and often times abusive childhood and who learnt very quickly what he would need to do to survive. His craving is for pain. Finding out about BDSM was an eye opener for a man who is naturally a sub with a craving for pain but even then he didn’t always fare that well with Dom’s that didn’t or couldn’t understand what he needed. He also plays without safewords and is reticent to discuss why with Nash.
Nash is an experienced Dom, a little set in his ways and with a tendency towards being a bit OCD. He has been taken with Joshua since first setting eyes on him and is less than impressed with how he perceives the boys current Dom looks after him. Here is a man with a good heart, a huge case of lust and absolutely no idea just how damaged and messed up the apple of his eye is – but that good heart wins out and he ends up taking Joshua home with the hope of making something permanent with him.
Although after an initial hiccup or two this pair worked relatively well together I felt a lot of the issues weren’t answered and only skimmed over. Joshua was certainly in a better place by the end of the book and Nash had had his eyes opened to the full extent of Joshua’s need to heal but again it was only touched upon. I guess this felt like half a story – perhaps an epilogue would have helped, I’m not sure, but it feels like Joshua and Nash’s story needs to be finished.
December 7, 2016
4.49 stars. This was a really good comfort/hurt BDSM romance. It reminded me of my favorites from K.C. Wells, Trusting Thomas and Make Me Soar.
I found the process of Nash discovering and resetting Joshua's pain threshold fascinating. His multi-directional approach was neat. The addition of pleasure and affection to the mix was wonderful. It was refreshing to see that Nash was presented as human, not all-knowing, and referred to his mentor.
Minus 0.51 stars for the HFN ending. It would have been nice to have an epilogue several months out - maybe a scene at the club. But I did like the fact that this author recognized that Joshua's recovery was WIP and BDSM was not the magic cure all.
I found the process of Nash discovering and resetting Joshua's pain threshold fascinating. His multi-directional approach was neat. The addition of pleasure and affection to the mix was wonderful. It was refreshing to see that Nash was presented as human, not all-knowing, and referred to his mentor.
Minus 0.51 stars for the HFN ending. It would have been nice to have an epilogue several months out - maybe a scene at the club. But I did like the fact that this author recognized that Joshua's recovery was WIP and BDSM was not the magic cure all.
December 10, 2016
The story of Nash and Joshua.
Joshua is a damaged sub and Nash has long wanted Joshua for himself and to get him away from the Dom he is currently with.
However, Joshua is going to be a lot of work and Nash isn't sure he really wants to try, until he is.
Although part of a BDSM series, there was very little BDSM in the book. I thought it was quite a shallow book. There were a lot of problems with Joshua that were skated over. It seemed that for a while a cock cage actually helped him.
This is supposedly book 2 in the series but only a loose connection with The Underground Club. Seth from book 1 got a passing mention.
I was a little disappointed with this book, it could have been a lot more.
Joshua is a damaged sub and Nash has long wanted Joshua for himself and to get him away from the Dom he is currently with.
However, Joshua is going to be a lot of work and Nash isn't sure he really wants to try, until he is.
Although part of a BDSM series, there was very little BDSM in the book. I thought it was quite a shallow book. There were a lot of problems with Joshua that were skated over. It seemed that for a while a cock cage actually helped him.
This is supposedly book 2 in the series but only a loose connection with The Underground Club. Seth from book 1 got a passing mention.
I was a little disappointed with this book, it could have been a lot more.
June 5, 2017
While it's edgier than, it's still written in the same jumble-of-ideas with no plott points as the first book. I think it's more like the writer's style than lack of skill.
November 30, 2016
Title: Limitless
Author: SJD Peterson
Series: The Underground Club Book 2
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Reviewer: Mollien
Release Date: December 2, 2016
Genre(s): Male/Male BDSM
Page Count: 200 pages
Heat Level: 4 flames out of 5
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Blurb:
Review:
This is the second book in The Underground Club series. I did not read the first book and if you haven’t read it, you will not be lost. This is pretty much a standalone book in this series. I really enjoyed reading this book. I wanted to help Nash help Joshua. Joshua is addicted to pain. It is his only release. When he feels pain, he doesn’t have to feel anything else. Dom Nash wants to fix the beautiful, broken Joshua. Going outside his normal Dom/Sub thinking, Nash has to win Joshua’s trust or Joshua may fine the ultimate escape where he will never feel anything again. The chemistry between this Dom and Sub is a slow build of trust and desire. The pacing is pretty even. This story has a good story line to go with the 4 flames of kinky hotness. Great ending with really good character development.
Categories
PLOT 4 Stars
CHEMISTRY: 4 Stars
PACING: 4 Stars
ENDING: 5 Stars
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 5 Stars
Review Copy of Limitless provided by the Dreamspinner Press I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. Reviewed by Mollien from Alpha Book Club
Author: SJD Peterson
Series: The Underground Club Book 2
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Reviewer: Mollien
Release Date: December 2, 2016
Genre(s): Male/Male BDSM
Page Count: 200 pages
Heat Level: 4 flames out of 5
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Blurb:
An Underground Club Tale
Even within the context of the Underground BDSM Club, Joshua’s desires are dark and extreme. Hopelessly addicted to pain and the high it gives him, he has no limits. Joshua would quite literally rather die than use a safeword, and he accepts that might be his fate. As much as he depends on others, he has yet to find a man who can gain his trust, and he has little hope that he ever will.
For Nash, acquiring Joshua from another Dom at the club is only the first step in what will be a long and arduous road to lure the young man back from the brink of self-destruction. He must do the impossible and win Joshua’s trust, and he must be the one to set limits in their exploration—something he’s unaccustomed to as a Dom. But Nash knows dominance doesn’t always mean pushing a submissive’s boundaries. It’s about establishing a bond and fulfilling another man’s needs. In Joshua’s case, he’ll have to strike a balance between meeting the young man’s expectations and drawing firm lines that will save Joshua from himself.
Review:
This is the second book in The Underground Club series. I did not read the first book and if you haven’t read it, you will not be lost. This is pretty much a standalone book in this series. I really enjoyed reading this book. I wanted to help Nash help Joshua. Joshua is addicted to pain. It is his only release. When he feels pain, he doesn’t have to feel anything else. Dom Nash wants to fix the beautiful, broken Joshua. Going outside his normal Dom/Sub thinking, Nash has to win Joshua’s trust or Joshua may fine the ultimate escape where he will never feel anything again. The chemistry between this Dom and Sub is a slow build of trust and desire. The pacing is pretty even. This story has a good story line to go with the 4 flames of kinky hotness. Great ending with really good character development.
Categories
PLOT 4 Stars
CHEMISTRY: 4 Stars
PACING: 4 Stars
ENDING: 5 Stars
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 5 Stars
Review Copy of Limitless provided by the Dreamspinner Press I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. Reviewed by Mollien from Alpha Book Club
December 3, 2016
Note: This book was provided to me by the publisher through Hearts on Fire Reviews in exchange for an impartial review.
Man, I wanted to love this story! It started out so good, giving me hope that we’d get to explore complex characters, including a strong, experienced Dom and a sub who has never safeworded. And then…
If you like complexity and angst in your characters, Joshua is the perfect candidate for you. He’s a sweetheart with a dark past and even darker outlook for his future. Son of a drug addict and unknown father, he was raised in foster homes until he was fifteen when he hit the streets and lived hand to mouth until he discovered BDSM around age eighteen. We aren’t given his full background since he’s reluctant to speak of it but as the story ends it appears that might be filled in during a future book.
He’s a sub who’s being humiliated when Nash spots him in the Underground Club, his friend Malcom’s BDSM club. An experienced Dom, Nash is more than smitten with the cute man and quite suspicious of his current Dom’s behavior with him. Based on this alone, he confides to Malcolm that he wants Jushua and hopes to get Troy, the current Dom, to release Joshua to his care. As the story goes on, we learn that he fell in love with Joshua at first sight. It felt to me as if that fact never meshed with the personality and experience we’re told Nash has. In other words, to me, Nash never lived up to the Dom image the author painted for him. In fact, he does indeed win Joshua away from Troy and it’s quite evident by the scenes we witness that Nash is very sexually attracted to the boy. And yet, when we are privy to Nash’s thoughts, his introspections are mostly about how he can get the boy to recognize his pain threshold.
This may be a long way of saying that I felt there were too many sex scenes and not enough BDSM scenes with Nash as a Dom working on Joshua’s issues. And Nash constantly doubted himself, seeking counsel from Malcolm. On the other hand, Nash did make some progress with Joshua, both working on his ability to safeword, and with getting Joshua to open up a bit about his past history and experiences. And most importantly, he encouraged Joshua to seek psychological treatment for his issues.
The story ends abruptly at a point that felt like it should have been the middle. I kept waiting for progress in the playroom, more work on Joshua’s boundaries, more exertion of control and domination from Nash, but instead, it just ended. If there’s no part two, I’m going to be disappointed that I even rated this as high as three stars. To be honest, I’d only recommend it at this point to someone who doesn’t mind a cliffhanger and is willing to hope for more. And even in that case, I think readers would be better off waiting until the next book comes out.
Man, I wanted to love this story! It started out so good, giving me hope that we’d get to explore complex characters, including a strong, experienced Dom and a sub who has never safeworded. And then…
If you like complexity and angst in your characters, Joshua is the perfect candidate for you. He’s a sweetheart with a dark past and even darker outlook for his future. Son of a drug addict and unknown father, he was raised in foster homes until he was fifteen when he hit the streets and lived hand to mouth until he discovered BDSM around age eighteen. We aren’t given his full background since he’s reluctant to speak of it but as the story ends it appears that might be filled in during a future book.
He’s a sub who’s being humiliated when Nash spots him in the Underground Club, his friend Malcom’s BDSM club. An experienced Dom, Nash is more than smitten with the cute man and quite suspicious of his current Dom’s behavior with him. Based on this alone, he confides to Malcolm that he wants Jushua and hopes to get Troy, the current Dom, to release Joshua to his care. As the story goes on, we learn that he fell in love with Joshua at first sight. It felt to me as if that fact never meshed with the personality and experience we’re told Nash has. In other words, to me, Nash never lived up to the Dom image the author painted for him. In fact, he does indeed win Joshua away from Troy and it’s quite evident by the scenes we witness that Nash is very sexually attracted to the boy. And yet, when we are privy to Nash’s thoughts, his introspections are mostly about how he can get the boy to recognize his pain threshold.
This may be a long way of saying that I felt there were too many sex scenes and not enough BDSM scenes with Nash as a Dom working on Joshua’s issues. And Nash constantly doubted himself, seeking counsel from Malcolm. On the other hand, Nash did make some progress with Joshua, both working on his ability to safeword, and with getting Joshua to open up a bit about his past history and experiences. And most importantly, he encouraged Joshua to seek psychological treatment for his issues.
The story ends abruptly at a point that felt like it should have been the middle. I kept waiting for progress in the playroom, more work on Joshua’s boundaries, more exertion of control and domination from Nash, but instead, it just ended. If there’s no part two, I’m going to be disappointed that I even rated this as high as three stars. To be honest, I’d only recommend it at this point to someone who doesn’t mind a cliffhanger and is willing to hope for more. And even in that case, I think readers would be better off waiting until the next book comes out.
November 28, 2016
ღ´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•` ღ4.5 Limitless Stars
Abused sub Joshua had captured Nash's attention. A Dom at heart, Nash knew what he wanted, but Joshua belonged to another. Spending time with the sub made him even more sure that he had to get the man away from his Master, and quickly.
Finding out Joshua may just be too much to handle, Nash slowly comes to the conclusion that he could take the boy on. Negotiating between the two would require compromise. And with Joshua being so broken, it would talk more than love for Nash to reach his boy.
Submission was more than pain and handing over one's will. It was about learning the ins and outs of gaining trust from deep within and relying on the other person to accept what was laid on the table.
Nash was able to forgo instant satisfaction and work within Joshua's time frame to reach the broken man buried so far inside that he could and would see the sliver of sunshine awaiting him.
SJD Petersen writes BDSM and is able to draw on the meat of the matter, wringing out the angst and pain out and leaving you satisfied. This was a touching yet haunting story and I look forward to reading about these two progress in the future.
I voluntarily and honestly reviewed this book without bias or persuasion from Dreamspinner Press.
Reviewed by Cee from Alpha Book Club
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•` ღ4.5 Limitless Stars
Abused sub Joshua had captured Nash's attention. A Dom at heart, Nash knew what he wanted, but Joshua belonged to another. Spending time with the sub made him even more sure that he had to get the man away from his Master, and quickly.
Finding out Joshua may just be too much to handle, Nash slowly comes to the conclusion that he could take the boy on. Negotiating between the two would require compromise. And with Joshua being so broken, it would talk more than love for Nash to reach his boy.
Submission was more than pain and handing over one's will. It was about learning the ins and outs of gaining trust from deep within and relying on the other person to accept what was laid on the table.
Nash was able to forgo instant satisfaction and work within Joshua's time frame to reach the broken man buried so far inside that he could and would see the sliver of sunshine awaiting him.
SJD Petersen writes BDSM and is able to draw on the meat of the matter, wringing out the angst and pain out and leaving you satisfied. This was a touching yet haunting story and I look forward to reading about these two progress in the future.
I voluntarily and honestly reviewed this book without bias or persuasion from Dreamspinner Press.
Reviewed by Cee from Alpha Book Club
December 2, 2016
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.75 stars
Limitless is the second book in SJD Peterson’s Underground Club series, although the book can stand alone just fine. The series is linked by the connection to the club, and the MCs from the first book don’t even appear here, so you can easily pick this one up without the first.
What drew me most to the story is Joshua and his issues with pain and his emotional health. I think Peterson does a nice job exploring that here. We see right away that he has some considerable mental health issues and, in particular, a problem addressing anything from his past. We also see how he is basically just surviving, going from Dom to Dom to have someone to look out for him, but never really getting what he needs. In fact, Joshua has trouble even articulating what he needs (even to himself). So I liked the way we see his growth and how he improves over the course of the story. I appreciated that we see him getting some therapy in addition to his role as a submissive with Nash. And I really appreciated that things aren’t magically fixed right away, or even completely fixed at all at the end of the book, given the severity of Joshua’s issues.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
3.75 stars
Limitless is the second book in SJD Peterson’s Underground Club series, although the book can stand alone just fine. The series is linked by the connection to the club, and the MCs from the first book don’t even appear here, so you can easily pick this one up without the first.
What drew me most to the story is Joshua and his issues with pain and his emotional health. I think Peterson does a nice job exploring that here. We see right away that he has some considerable mental health issues and, in particular, a problem addressing anything from his past. We also see how he is basically just surviving, going from Dom to Dom to have someone to look out for him, but never really getting what he needs. In fact, Joshua has trouble even articulating what he needs (even to himself). So I liked the way we see his growth and how he improves over the course of the story. I appreciated that we see him getting some therapy in addition to his role as a submissive with Nash. And I really appreciated that things aren’t magically fixed right away, or even completely fixed at all at the end of the book, given the severity of Joshua’s issues.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
December 9, 2016
If you are in the mood for an angst-filled romance between two men this is the book for you. Nash is a Dom, seeking a full-time sub who really wants to serve him. Joshua is a sub with a past that leads him to making demands on himself and his Dom that no one should fulfill. Pain-slut is barely descriptive of Joshua’s kink.
Joshua claims he seeks peace but he can only find that through intense scenes that include unlimited pain. He knows and accepts that this may lead to his death but feels powerless to overcome his addiction (his word) to pain.
When Nash sees Joshua being treated in a manner that Nash thinks is abuse he becomes determined to claim Joshua as his own and train Joshua to be not only his sub but a happy man. Easier said than done. Much easier said. While Doms are expected to push subs to their limits it is Joshua who pushes Nash.
It takes a great deal of patience and hope for Nash to even begin to accomplish what he sets out to do with Joshua. It takes Joshua a tremendous amount of trust and bravery to allow Nash to change what Joshua expects not only from his Dom but from himself.
With all they had to overcome in this story it is no surprise that the ending is an HFN rather than an HEA, but for now that is enough.
Joshua claims he seeks peace but he can only find that through intense scenes that include unlimited pain. He knows and accepts that this may lead to his death but feels powerless to overcome his addiction (his word) to pain.
When Nash sees Joshua being treated in a manner that Nash thinks is abuse he becomes determined to claim Joshua as his own and train Joshua to be not only his sub but a happy man. Easier said than done. Much easier said. While Doms are expected to push subs to their limits it is Joshua who pushes Nash.
It takes a great deal of patience and hope for Nash to even begin to accomplish what he sets out to do with Joshua. It takes Joshua a tremendous amount of trust and bravery to allow Nash to change what Joshua expects not only from his Dom but from himself.
With all they had to overcome in this story it is no surprise that the ending is an HFN rather than an HEA, but for now that is enough.
November 21, 2016
~I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads Review Team~
I really liked this book. I liked Nash and Joshua and I liked the speed of the story. There was a build-up and we got to really know Joshua. You could tell Nash really cared about Joshua and wanted what was best for him and that he wanted a future. My only complaint about this book is the ending, it seemed abrupt and I felt like I was left hanging, I was expecting an epilogue or something. Maybe we will see more of these two in the next book? I hope so because just when things were sorting out and getting good the book just ended.
Characters: well written
Sex: yes
Religious: no
Would I recommend to others: yes
More than one book in the series: yes
Genre: M/M BDSM
Would I read more by this author: yes
~Wicked Reads Review Team~
I really liked this book. I liked Nash and Joshua and I liked the speed of the story. There was a build-up and we got to really know Joshua. You could tell Nash really cared about Joshua and wanted what was best for him and that he wanted a future. My only complaint about this book is the ending, it seemed abrupt and I felt like I was left hanging, I was expecting an epilogue or something. Maybe we will see more of these two in the next book? I hope so because just when things were sorting out and getting good the book just ended.
Characters: well written
Sex: yes
Religious: no
Would I recommend to others: yes
More than one book in the series: yes
Genre: M/M BDSM
Would I read more by this author: yes
~Wicked Reads Review Team~
September 25, 2018
Good story--3.5 rounded up to 4 because I love this author. Joshua made my heart ache; due to his past, he's hardwired to crave extreme and dangerous play in his sexual life. Seth is an experienced Dom who takes notice of Joshua, although Joshua belongs to another Dom. Seth begins to realize that taking Joshua under his wing is going to be more complicated than he thought--because something about the troubled sub short-circuits his logical brain, and speaks directly to his heart.
While I enjoyed this book, I am really hoping that there will be another book in the series, and I have my fingers crossed that it will be Cain and Tristan's story. Although they weren't mentioned in this book, their interactions in the first Underground Club book, Override, sparked my curiosity. And I can't help but wonder if there will be something more to their burgeoning friendship.
While I enjoyed this book, I am really hoping that there will be another book in the series, and I have my fingers crossed that it will be Cain and Tristan's story. Although they weren't mentioned in this book, their interactions in the first Underground Club book, Override, sparked my curiosity. And I can't help but wonder if there will be something more to their burgeoning friendship.
April 11, 2020
Quote from chap 17-18, and then a summation of my issues with this book. I know this is near the end of the book, but it's not very "spoiler-y".
Nash assumes SO much about Joshua. And the way Nash acts, reacts and views Joshua annoy me. There is no bases to Nash's reactions. I mean, I can infer things, but I can't support them with examples that make sense.
Basically the plot is Nash likes Joshua's appearance and falls in love with the image of this boy. Then "steals" him from his Master who Nash thinks is abusing him Joshua then becomes Nash's 24/7 sub.
No romantic relationship has been built nor a physical one. Nash makes a ridiculous amount of assumptions about Joshua (obviously they are true, otherwise this story would be VERY awkward), however none of them are supported by the TEXT until much much later. And because we are almost only in Nash's POV, there is so much we (as the reader) have to go along with that aren't being properly told to us through dialog (E.g Joshua's past, why are we in Nash's POV for all of it?). Nash's thoughts on Joshua's past aren't facts, they are thoughts. We are told Nash thinks Joshua is manipulating him, so we can't even be sure that what Joshua is saying is true, yet is we don't assume such, then this story is very very gross.
This was not a great read. It's been a long time since I've read a story where it feels like the author is trying to force my emotions/alliance without the knowledge/experience to do it. Nash forces you to pity/feel sorry for Joshua while at the same time telling us that he doesn't feel the same way. He shoves down your throat that Joshua is a broken little boy cause he is the cure, when he hasn't done anything. He either has such a huge ego or the author does. Guess which one I think is true?
Also as I'm siting rereading what I wrote, a thought keeps coming back to me: Love does not cure trauma. And I think that this is my main issue with this book. Nash is in love with Joshua, and therefor believes he can cure him. There is multiple times in this book where you are told that love will be the answer (just not in those words), love is the cure to all.
Nash assumes SO much about Joshua. And the way Nash acts, reacts and views Joshua annoy me. There is no bases to Nash's reactions. I mean, I can infer things, but I can't support them with examples that make sense.
Basically the plot is Nash likes Joshua's appearance and falls in love with the image of this boy. Then "steals" him from his Master who Nash thinks is abusing him Joshua then becomes Nash's 24/7 sub.
No romantic relationship has been built nor a physical one. Nash makes a ridiculous amount of assumptions about Joshua (obviously they are true, otherwise this story would be VERY awkward), however none of them are supported by the TEXT until much much later. And because we are almost only in Nash's POV, there is so much we (as the reader) have to go along with that aren't being properly told to us through dialog (E.g Joshua's past, why are we in Nash's POV for all of it?). Nash's thoughts on Joshua's past aren't facts, they are thoughts. We are told Nash thinks Joshua is manipulating him, so we can't even be sure that what Joshua is saying is true, yet is we don't assume such, then this story is very very gross.
This was not a great read. It's been a long time since I've read a story where it feels like the author is trying to force my emotions/alliance without the knowledge/experience to do it. Nash forces you to pity/feel sorry for Joshua while at the same time telling us that he doesn't feel the same way. He shoves down your throat that Joshua is a broken little boy cause he is the cure, when he hasn't done anything. He either has such a huge ego or the author does. Guess which one I think is true?
Also as I'm siting rereading what I wrote, a thought keeps coming back to me: Love does not cure trauma. And I think that this is my main issue with this book. Nash is in love with Joshua, and therefor believes he can cure him. There is multiple times in this book where you are told that love will be the answer (just not in those words), love is the cure to all.
December 2, 2016
3.5 Stars ~ Limitless is the second book in The Underground Club series, and while the first was a much lighter read, this second book is filled with angst and troubled main characters. There really isn’t much overlap from book one to book two, so if you haven’t read the first book in the series, no worries, you can read this one first.
Joshua and Nash are introduced only briefly in the first book, Override, they are not together as Dom and sub at that point, as Joshua belongs to another man. At first, Nash’s only concern is to get Joshua away from this other Dom, a man who he is afraid is abusing Joshua. The first part of the book is Nash’s journey to “free” Joshua and discover his secrets. It is a journey where he begins to discover that Joshua is an extremely troubled young man, and that there is quite a bit more to Joshua than the sub Nash sees at the club. Joshua grew up in foster care, an experience so horrendous he began cutting himself for the mental and emotional release it offered to him. Finding a seedy BDSM club at a young age, his background and low self-esteem left him vulnerable to the darker side of the lifestyle. His first contracts with Doms were all about pain, Joshua’s pain and whatever abuse those so-called Dom’s could make him endure—his last Dom leaving him for dead in the emergency room. All this background on Joshua paints a picture of a man who still uses pain as his drug of choice; instead of cutting himself, he uses BDSM as a way to cope with his addiction. Joshua’s needs are for not just a Dom but a man who will help him heal.
Nash hasn’t had a full-time sub in several years. His obsession with Joshua begins to overwhelm him as he discovers more about the man’s background and his needs. I really appreciated the way that Nash is portrayed in this story. He is an incredibly responsible man and Dom, and he goes about systematically learning all he can about Joshua before taking him on as a sub. On several occasions he admits to being in over his head with Joshua’s needs, and SJD Peterson does a fantastic job tackling the mental health issues portrayed in this book. The addition of a kink friendly counselor, and the small but significant ways Nash uses control over Joshua to help Joshua gain control over himself, are refreshing.
I totally enjoyed this book. My only beef was the ending; it ends rather abruptly, like the author thought, “Well, that’s all they need to know for now,” so be forewarned. We get a HFN with Nash and Joshua, and that really is the most we can expect with the issues both men have yet to face. We leave them at the end, working on those issues and on their relationship, so I really hope we will get glimpses of them again in future books as I really need to know that things work out for them both.
Limitless is not your typical romance; it is about the establishing of a BDSM relationship between two men who need each other and, as such, that takes a firmer foundation. The sex is hot, the BDSM elements satisfying, and the story stays above the subject line—it doesn’t get bogged down by the weighty elements involved in it. I enjoyed this book as much as the first, and I am looking forward to the next in the series.
Reviewed by Carrie for The Novel Approach Reviews
Joshua and Nash are introduced only briefly in the first book, Override, they are not together as Dom and sub at that point, as Joshua belongs to another man. At first, Nash’s only concern is to get Joshua away from this other Dom, a man who he is afraid is abusing Joshua. The first part of the book is Nash’s journey to “free” Joshua and discover his secrets. It is a journey where he begins to discover that Joshua is an extremely troubled young man, and that there is quite a bit more to Joshua than the sub Nash sees at the club. Joshua grew up in foster care, an experience so horrendous he began cutting himself for the mental and emotional release it offered to him. Finding a seedy BDSM club at a young age, his background and low self-esteem left him vulnerable to the darker side of the lifestyle. His first contracts with Doms were all about pain, Joshua’s pain and whatever abuse those so-called Dom’s could make him endure—his last Dom leaving him for dead in the emergency room. All this background on Joshua paints a picture of a man who still uses pain as his drug of choice; instead of cutting himself, he uses BDSM as a way to cope with his addiction. Joshua’s needs are for not just a Dom but a man who will help him heal.
Nash hasn’t had a full-time sub in several years. His obsession with Joshua begins to overwhelm him as he discovers more about the man’s background and his needs. I really appreciated the way that Nash is portrayed in this story. He is an incredibly responsible man and Dom, and he goes about systematically learning all he can about Joshua before taking him on as a sub. On several occasions he admits to being in over his head with Joshua’s needs, and SJD Peterson does a fantastic job tackling the mental health issues portrayed in this book. The addition of a kink friendly counselor, and the small but significant ways Nash uses control over Joshua to help Joshua gain control over himself, are refreshing.
I totally enjoyed this book. My only beef was the ending; it ends rather abruptly, like the author thought, “Well, that’s all they need to know for now,” so be forewarned. We get a HFN with Nash and Joshua, and that really is the most we can expect with the issues both men have yet to face. We leave them at the end, working on those issues and on their relationship, so I really hope we will get glimpses of them again in future books as I really need to know that things work out for them both.
Limitless is not your typical romance; it is about the establishing of a BDSM relationship between two men who need each other and, as such, that takes a firmer foundation. The sex is hot, the BDSM elements satisfying, and the story stays above the subject line—it doesn’t get bogged down by the weighty elements involved in it. I enjoyed this book as much as the first, and I am looking forward to the next in the series.
Reviewed by Carrie for The Novel Approach Reviews
December 2, 2016
3.5 Stars
This is the second book in the Underground Club series and, while we saw a quick glimpse of Joshua and Nash in the first book, it can be read as a standalone.
One of my biggest pet peeves in BDSM fiction is the lack of journey, the lack of trust building, and the lack or necessary communication. The expectation that a two people can meet at a BDSM club and establish blinding trust with a few trigger words (or, God help me, "the voice"), burn me something fierce. So, when a book comes out that deals with that journey, those tenuous baby steps on the way to lasting trust that forms the foundation between Master and sub, I want to read it.
There is something about Joshua that calls to all of Nash's dominant instincts, as well as his protective ones, and he makes a lot of assumptions without knowing all the facts. When the truth about how truly broken Joshua becomes known, he questions his ability to help him, but he also cannot leave him to his own devices. Unfortunately, Nash isn't strict enough to provide the structure Joshua needs or sadistic enough to provide the pain he thinks he needs, and the little breakthroughs Nash thinks they're having are only confusing Joshua more.
This is amplified by the imbalance in their relationship. Nash's interest in Joshua was multi-faceted and definitely romantic, whereas Joshua only saw him as someone who would provide for him (from the basic necessities to the pain). They come to an agreement without knowing much about each other and keep getting tripped up. By the time they agree that Joshua needs real help and decide they need to figure out their relationship, it's impossible to see how all the pieces fit. Are they boyfriends? Master/sub? Some middle ground? And what happens when Joshua faces his demons? Will he outgrow Nash?
I think my biggest problem was that I never felt real interest from Joshua that wasn't self-serving or masochistic. For sure, I never felt that Joshua actually liked Nash as a man in any sort of romantic way. But as the story came to a "we're working it out" ending, I found myself hoping for a sequel because I want to see Joshua's growth and (hopefully) see these two men find a meaningful HEA together.
I received an ARC from the publisher for an honest review
This is the second book in the Underground Club series and, while we saw a quick glimpse of Joshua and Nash in the first book, it can be read as a standalone.
One of my biggest pet peeves in BDSM fiction is the lack of journey, the lack of trust building, and the lack or necessary communication. The expectation that a two people can meet at a BDSM club and establish blinding trust with a few trigger words (or, God help me, "the voice"), burn me something fierce. So, when a book comes out that deals with that journey, those tenuous baby steps on the way to lasting trust that forms the foundation between Master and sub, I want to read it.
There is something about Joshua that calls to all of Nash's dominant instincts, as well as his protective ones, and he makes a lot of assumptions without knowing all the facts. When the truth about how truly broken Joshua becomes known, he questions his ability to help him, but he also cannot leave him to his own devices. Unfortunately, Nash isn't strict enough to provide the structure Joshua needs or sadistic enough to provide the pain he thinks he needs, and the little breakthroughs Nash thinks they're having are only confusing Joshua more.
This is amplified by the imbalance in their relationship. Nash's interest in Joshua was multi-faceted and definitely romantic, whereas Joshua only saw him as someone who would provide for him (from the basic necessities to the pain). They come to an agreement without knowing much about each other and keep getting tripped up. By the time they agree that Joshua needs real help and decide they need to figure out their relationship, it's impossible to see how all the pieces fit. Are they boyfriends? Master/sub? Some middle ground? And what happens when Joshua faces his demons? Will he outgrow Nash?
I think my biggest problem was that I never felt real interest from Joshua that wasn't self-serving or masochistic. For sure, I never felt that Joshua actually liked Nash as a man in any sort of romantic way. But as the story came to a "we're working it out" ending, I found myself hoping for a sequel because I want to see Joshua's growth and (hopefully) see these two men find a meaningful HEA together.
I received an ARC from the publisher for an honest review
November 26, 2016
Limitless (The Underground Club #2) by S.J.D. Peterson
3.5 stars
M/M BDSM
Triggers: Abuse, prostitution hints
I was given this book for an honest review by Wicked Reads.
This is the first book in the series that I have read.
Joshua is struggling... he has an owner who isn't altogether a favorite of Nash's. Troy is somewhat cavalier with his pets and when Nash sees old scarring on Joshua, Nash jumps to a wrong conclusion.
Nash and Joshua have a bumpy start - Troy agrees to release Joshua from their contract, but only if someone will take Joshua on right away. Nash wants to be that person. However, Nash doesn't really know what makes Joshua tick - why he doesn't have limits.
While Joshua learns that not all Doms are always taking, he also learns that what he perceives as his "calm" might not be calm at all.
Nash tries to help Joshua, but both realize that in order for this paring to work, they both must trust each other - to learn why their type of relationship works.
I do wish that this story had more to it - I felt that it was cut short. While I enjoyed the dynamic and the story flowed nicely, I think it would have been more effective if we had seen an epilogue at least. This story left too many questions.
3.5 stars
M/M BDSM
Triggers: Abuse, prostitution hints
I was given this book for an honest review by Wicked Reads.
This is the first book in the series that I have read.
Joshua is struggling... he has an owner who isn't altogether a favorite of Nash's. Troy is somewhat cavalier with his pets and when Nash sees old scarring on Joshua, Nash jumps to a wrong conclusion.
Nash and Joshua have a bumpy start - Troy agrees to release Joshua from their contract, but only if someone will take Joshua on right away. Nash wants to be that person. However, Nash doesn't really know what makes Joshua tick - why he doesn't have limits.
While Joshua learns that not all Doms are always taking, he also learns that what he perceives as his "calm" might not be calm at all.
Nash tries to help Joshua, but both realize that in order for this paring to work, they both must trust each other - to learn why their type of relationship works.
I do wish that this story had more to it - I felt that it was cut short. While I enjoyed the dynamic and the story flowed nicely, I think it would have been more effective if we had seen an epilogue at least. This story left too many questions.
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