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Now You See Me
Miguel wants to be noticed.
Miguel Cordero Ruiz always considered himself straight, but his sexy anatomy professor, Dr. Cummings, is making him seriously rethink that. While the professor who lives across the street is supposedly a “bird watcher,” it's rumored he’s really spying on the male students who live in Miguel's building. When rumor is confirmed as fact, Miguel decides to give the professor a show he won’t forget.
Aldrich is afraid of being seen.
Aldrich Cummings has led a lonely existence. That all changes when he sees his gorgeous new neighbor moving in across the street. When he discovers the guy he’s been secretly watching from his office window is not only aware of his audience, but is enjoying it, Aldrich is even more entranced. Miguel is his student, and therefore off-limits, but what the administration doesn’t know won’t hurt them.
It was supposed to be harmless and meaningless voyeurism.
As time passes, the desire between them burns so brightly it inevitably explodes. Both will face consequences if the university finds out what the professor and his student have been getting up to. They will need to navigate the obstacles in their path to find the happiness both have been searching for.
Now You See Me is a steamy 78,000 word stand-alone MM novel. It contains one not-straight Navy vet, one professor afraid of being touched, nosy relatives, nosier neighbors, troublesome colleagues, voyeurism, The Pleasure Chest, a bondage staircase, binoculars, a Maginot Line made from pillows, and a HEA for two men who deserve happiness.
Miguel Cordero Ruiz always considered himself straight, but his sexy anatomy professor, Dr. Cummings, is making him seriously rethink that. While the professor who lives across the street is supposedly a “bird watcher,” it's rumored he’s really spying on the male students who live in Miguel's building. When rumor is confirmed as fact, Miguel decides to give the professor a show he won’t forget.
Aldrich is afraid of being seen.
Aldrich Cummings has led a lonely existence. That all changes when he sees his gorgeous new neighbor moving in across the street. When he discovers the guy he’s been secretly watching from his office window is not only aware of his audience, but is enjoying it, Aldrich is even more entranced. Miguel is his student, and therefore off-limits, but what the administration doesn’t know won’t hurt them.
It was supposed to be harmless and meaningless voyeurism.
As time passes, the desire between them burns so brightly it inevitably explodes. Both will face consequences if the university finds out what the professor and his student have been getting up to. They will need to navigate the obstacles in their path to find the happiness both have been searching for.
Now You See Me is a steamy 78,000 word stand-alone MM novel. It contains one not-straight Navy vet, one professor afraid of being touched, nosy relatives, nosier neighbors, troublesome colleagues, voyeurism, The Pleasure Chest, a bondage staircase, binoculars, a Maginot Line made from pillows, and a HEA for two men who deserve happiness.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 13, 2019
195 people are currently reading
932 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 205 reviews
April 22, 2020
***Reread/Listen 4/19 - 4/22 & Rating upped to 5.00***
The release of this gem on audio and said audio done by Kirt Graves was my impetus to revisit this, that I loved it more the second time around is a joy.
Through KG's voice the characters shine. The easy way in which Miguel navigates his sexual awakening or acceptance of his bi side is refreshing and is proactive pursuit of something with Aldrich is everything from sweet, romantic, and all about acceptance. Miguel accepts, more importantly, respects Aldrich's boundaries, and it pays off beautifully. Aldrich's slow but steady melting into Miguel's care is a thing of beauty. Miguel's family, Luna, and Dev where just icing on a love story that makes room for the different without preachiness or condescension.
***4.5***
Sadly I had no time to review when I finished reading, so this will be brief. *sigh*
This is my third? Lynn Van Dorn read and I think I like her. A lot.
I think this story is being marketed as an age-gap, D/s relationship, and it is, but only as an expediency to get around Aldrich's social inadequacy problems, and it works for Miguel. Win. Win.
Miguel has come out of the Navy and decided to go to college to become a radiologist. Aldrich is one of his professors and coincidentally his neighbor. A neighbor who lives across the street, and likes to watch. It turns out Miguel likes being watched. More winning.
I loved how infinitely patient Miguel was with Aldrich, how he went, doggedly, for what he wanted, and how, in the end, Aldrich is powerless before the force that is Miguel. My other favorite thing that I love, love, love about Lynn Van Dorn is what I call her "casual inclusiveness". Her characters represent the spectrum of current American society without belaboring the point, which IMO packs more of a punch than many other books/authors who want to push a social agenda in detriment to the story.
Recommend.
The release of this gem on audio and said audio done by Kirt Graves was my impetus to revisit this, that I loved it more the second time around is a joy.
Through KG's voice the characters shine. The easy way in which Miguel navigates his sexual awakening or acceptance of his bi side is refreshing and is proactive pursuit of something with Aldrich is everything from sweet, romantic, and all about acceptance. Miguel accepts, more importantly, respects Aldrich's boundaries, and it pays off beautifully. Aldrich's slow but steady melting into Miguel's care is a thing of beauty. Miguel's family, Luna, and Dev where just icing on a love story that makes room for the different without preachiness or condescension.
***4.5***
Sadly I had no time to review when I finished reading, so this will be brief. *sigh*
This is my third? Lynn Van Dorn read and I think I like her. A lot.
I think this story is being marketed as an age-gap, D/s relationship, and it is, but only as an expediency to get around Aldrich's social inadequacy problems, and it works for Miguel. Win. Win.
Miguel has come out of the Navy and decided to go to college to become a radiologist. Aldrich is one of his professors and coincidentally his neighbor. A neighbor who lives across the street, and likes to watch. It turns out Miguel likes being watched. More winning.
I loved how infinitely patient Miguel was with Aldrich, how he went, doggedly, for what he wanted, and how, in the end, Aldrich is powerless before the force that is Miguel. My other favorite thing that I love, love, love about Lynn Van Dorn is what I call her "casual inclusiveness". Her characters represent the spectrum of current American society without belaboring the point, which IMO packs more of a punch than many other books/authors who want to push a social agenda in detriment to the story.
Recommend.
September 5, 2019
What do you get when you cross an ex-military, kinda-sorta-maybe-not-entirely-straight, Latino boy headed back to college with a kinda-sorta-pervy, voyeuristic, touch-deprived, slightly older teacher that lives across the street from said boy?
This AMAZING story!
I absolutely love the voice to Lynn's stories. They are snarky, real, seriously hot one minute and then touching the next, and it just works for me. She writes such great characters (and minor characters that are real and great, too!) that are so imperfectly perfect for each other, and I love her writing.
At several places in this story I just wanted to hug Aldrich - although, no, because he probably wouldn't like that. What he does like, is to watch Miguel and his fit bod, and I don't blame him! LOL. But Aldrich has had a rough childhood and adulthood, and it takes someone as wonderful and gentle as Miguel to see how wonderful Aldrich is and to work with him on his fears and issues, rather than ridicule and ignore them.
Absolutely ate this up, couldn't stop reading until I got to the end. Can't wait for what she writes next!
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.
This AMAZING story!
I absolutely love the voice to Lynn's stories. They are snarky, real, seriously hot one minute and then touching the next, and it just works for me. She writes such great characters (and minor characters that are real and great, too!) that are so imperfectly perfect for each other, and I love her writing.
At several places in this story I just wanted to hug Aldrich - although, no, because he probably wouldn't like that. What he does like, is to watch Miguel and his fit bod, and I don't blame him! LOL. But Aldrich has had a rough childhood and adulthood, and it takes someone as wonderful and gentle as Miguel to see how wonderful Aldrich is and to work with him on his fears and issues, rather than ridicule and ignore them.
Absolutely ate this up, couldn't stop reading until I got to the end. Can't wait for what she writes next!
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.
May 4, 2020
What a stunningly erotic story!
A teacher-student love affair with a number of unique twists, Lynn Van Dorn’s Now You See Me is amazing from cover to cover. These wonderful, complex characters have fantastic chemistry and Van Dorn doesn’t waste a moment.
Kirt Graves does a spectacular job with the narration. I love his gruff, gravely voice, and his accents are perfectly suited for this one. Simply marvelous!
an audiobook copy of Now You See Me was provided to me for the purpose of my honest review
A teacher-student love affair with a number of unique twists, Lynn Van Dorn’s Now You See Me is amazing from cover to cover. These wonderful, complex characters have fantastic chemistry and Van Dorn doesn’t waste a moment.
Kirt Graves does a spectacular job with the narration. I love his gruff, gravely voice, and his accents are perfectly suited for this one. Simply marvelous!
an audiobook copy of Now You See Me was provided to me for the purpose of my honest review
September 30, 2019
Really enjoyed this ... a slightly off center vibe which had me reading late into the night. Vulnerability, trust and a great deal of courage / sass got these two to fall in love. I adored the snark and the persistence... beautiful
nah-not-my-jam
April 29, 2020Audio 5 stars
Story dnf @ 12%
Story dnf @ 12%
January 9, 2021
2,75*
I must say that after reading the blurb for the book I expected something very different. I was super excited about it actually. My rating is close to 3* but the thing is... I cannot really say I liked the book. More like... it was alright, yeah. But I've read books that I've rated with 3* that I enjoyed more than this one, unfortunately.
It was kinky, had lots of sex, lots of issues on Aldrich's side but Miguel seemed to connect with him well. The "I love you"s came way too early, while I was just thinking "Oh here we go again" and wondering what are the qualities that our main characters like about each other beside good sex and Miguel being understanding when it comes to Aldrich's issues. This phenomenon where characters bond over sex and fall for each other thanks to sex seems to be very popular in M/M romance books but I'm not a fan of it at all.
Miguel having an affair with his professor and knowing all the risks but still telling about it to his roommates that he has known for... what, 4 months and Aldrich not really having any sort of conversation with Miguel about the fact that their relationship is against rules and it's supposed to be secret just made me very annoyed. But of course we need the main character to have besties who will take his side and yell at the other main character when he's acting like an asshole! *sigh*
Well, this wasn't the book for me.
I must say that after reading the blurb for the book I expected something very different. I was super excited about it actually. My rating is close to 3* but the thing is... I cannot really say I liked the book. More like... it was alright, yeah. But I've read books that I've rated with 3* that I enjoyed more than this one, unfortunately.
It was kinky, had lots of sex, lots of issues on Aldrich's side but Miguel seemed to connect with him well. The "I love you"s came way too early, while I was just thinking "Oh here we go again" and wondering what are the qualities that our main characters like about each other beside good sex and Miguel being understanding when it comes to Aldrich's issues. This phenomenon where characters bond over sex and fall for each other thanks to sex seems to be very popular in M/M romance books but I'm not a fan of it at all.
Miguel having an affair with his professor and knowing all the risks but still telling about it to his roommates that he has known for... what, 4 months and Aldrich not really having any sort of conversation with Miguel about the fact that their relationship is against rules and it's supposed to be secret just made me very annoyed. But of course we need the main character to have besties who will take his side and yell at the other main character when he's acting like an asshole! *sigh*
Well, this wasn't the book for me.
April 18, 2020
5 stars audio
3 stars story
3 stars story
October 31, 2023
⭐️ 4.5 stars ⭐️
Professor and student forbidden romance.
Was this basically a very hot and slightly kinky smut-fest?
Yes, but what made it so enjoyable and unique was the emotions and meaning behind the sex.
The smut served a purpose, which was to build Aldrich’s trust in Miguel, and when it’s meaningful it makes the experience so much better for me.
Also loved the use of the safe words and open discussion about the limits. We love healthy relationships.
I’ll definitely have to look into more from this author, because I have nothing negative to say about this book, only positive vibes.
Tropes and NSFW info (spoilers):
- Puerto Rican MC
- Age gap
- Light BDSM and bondage
- MC with touch-aversion
- Voyeurism kink
- Phone sex
- Frotting & rimming
- Mentions of childhood trauma
- SA attempt of side character
- Vers MCs (one switch scene on page)
"As long as you'll let me near you, I'll be here, wanting you back. Wanting you first. Wanting you so much it hurts sometimes."
Professor and student forbidden romance.
Was this basically a very hot and slightly kinky smut-fest?
Yes, but what made it so enjoyable and unique was the emotions and meaning behind the sex.
The smut served a purpose, which was to build Aldrich’s trust in Miguel, and when it’s meaningful it makes the experience so much better for me.
Also loved the use of the safe words and open discussion about the limits. We love healthy relationships.
I’ll definitely have to look into more from this author, because I have nothing negative to say about this book, only positive vibes.
Tropes and NSFW info (spoilers):
- Puerto Rican MC
- Age gap
- Light BDSM and bondage
- MC with touch-aversion
- Voyeurism kink
- Phone sex
- Frotting & rimming
- Mentions of childhood trauma
- SA attempt of side character
- Vers MCs (one switch scene on page)
March 19, 2021
This is my first Lynn Van Dorn book and I had fun reading it. It was well written and surprisingly funny. It has the right amount of kinky and dirty with a story on the side, it held my interest from the beginning to end.
August 22, 2022
Sort of cringe
September 16, 2019
A Joyfully Jay review.
4 stars
This story is a great combination of sexy and sweet. There is a lot of heat here as Aldrich enjoys watching Miguel — and Miguel very much enjoys being watched. The men like to play with a bit of a professor and naughty student vibe, with Aldrich directing Miguel into all sorts of things for “extra credit.” (To be clear, there is never any indication that these guys are using sex for grades; this is all a game between them.) It is fun to see how the slightly stuffy and prickly Aldrich lets loose with a bit of kink and some dirty, sexy fun and the guys are a really great match in the bedroom.
What I particularly liked here is how Miguel accepts Aldrich for exactly who he is. Aldrich has had a lonely life and some difficult relationships with men who made him feel bad about himself. He is very touch averse and there are some things he just can’t handle. Right from the start, Miguel completely accepts Aldrich and takes what Aldrich can give. He figures out ways to make Aldrich comfortable so that they can enjoy themselves together, without ever pressuring Aldrich to move past his comfort zone.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
4 stars
This story is a great combination of sexy and sweet. There is a lot of heat here as Aldrich enjoys watching Miguel — and Miguel very much enjoys being watched. The men like to play with a bit of a professor and naughty student vibe, with Aldrich directing Miguel into all sorts of things for “extra credit.” (To be clear, there is never any indication that these guys are using sex for grades; this is all a game between them.) It is fun to see how the slightly stuffy and prickly Aldrich lets loose with a bit of kink and some dirty, sexy fun and the guys are a really great match in the bedroom.
What I particularly liked here is how Miguel accepts Aldrich for exactly who he is. Aldrich has had a lonely life and some difficult relationships with men who made him feel bad about himself. He is very touch averse and there are some things he just can’t handle. Right from the start, Miguel completely accepts Aldrich and takes what Aldrich can give. He figures out ways to make Aldrich comfortable so that they can enjoy themselves together, without ever pressuring Aldrich to move past his comfort zone.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
October 5, 2019
4.25 stars from me.
Talk about complete opposites...Miguel, previously in the Navy and now a mature student at 24 and Aldrich, his 37 year old professor who was an experienced voyeur and wasn't aware that one of his new students was his latest 'victim'. I loved the texting between them, and the fact that Miguel gradually managed to break down Aldrich's many barriers/brick walls, which had been placed there by the death of his parents, his disgraceful aunt/guardian who made her young charge fully aware that she couldn't wait to get rid of him and live her own life again, and a series of unsuitable 'boyfriends'. Yes, he had kinks but needed someone to love him for who and what he was, and Miguel so wanted to do that. I liked the secondary characters too especially Luna, and was extremely happy that Dr Wesley Free would get what was coming to him.
The only other story I've read by this author was Damage Control, which although good, was in desperate need of an editor. I'm glad to say this one was fine as it was.
Talk about complete opposites...Miguel, previously in the Navy and now a mature student at 24 and Aldrich, his 37 year old professor who was an experienced voyeur and wasn't aware that one of his new students was his latest 'victim'. I loved the texting between them, and the fact that Miguel gradually managed to break down Aldrich's many barriers/brick walls, which had been placed there by the death of his parents, his disgraceful aunt/guardian who made her young charge fully aware that she couldn't wait to get rid of him and live her own life again, and a series of unsuitable 'boyfriends'. Yes, he had kinks but needed someone to love him for who and what he was, and Miguel so wanted to do that. I liked the secondary characters too especially Luna, and was extremely happy that Dr Wesley Free would get what was coming to him.
The only other story I've read by this author was Damage Control, which although good, was in desperate need of an editor. I'm glad to say this one was fine as it was.
January 18, 2022
I have to be honest here: this book was on my tbr for quite some time (I think ever since it's release), and I picked it up because of a book challenge. But am I glad I did! This was a wonderful, sexy, erotic feel good story with real interesting characters and I fully enjoyed it.
The title intrigued me too. According to the blurb there would be voyeurism, and I never realized I was into that, until I read about it. But while reading, I realized the title also meant something else.
Aldrich is a man who's been hurt in the past. After his parents died, his aunt took him in, but there wasn't much affection between the two. Then he had several relationships with men who betrayed him and never understood the things he needed and the things he was afraid of. They found him either pathetic or simply laughed at him. That didn't give him much courage to ever be with a man again.
But then he meets Miguel. One of his students and the one that comes to live in an apartment across from his house. Aldrich loves to secretly look at him, and when Miguel finds out that he does, he plays along. After they meet in person, Miguel tries to persuade Aldrich into something more and when he does, Miguel discovers how Aldrich suffers from fear of touch among other things. And for the first time, Aldrich seems to have found someone who truly sees him as he is. Someone who understands him and acknowledges him.
Their relationship was beautiful. It was sexy, erotic and genuine. Even if it was taboo (professor-student), the author did not emphasize that. The story focused on their romance, and how Aldrich learned to trust again, to have faith in Miguel, who was quite a bit younger, but who seemed to have so much patient, understanding and determination.
I really enjoyed the writing. The characters were well fleshed and I loved them, cheered for them. The secondary characters were funny and just as determined as Miguel. This was my first book by this author, but I'm definitely looking into reading more of her books.
The title intrigued me too. According to the blurb there would be voyeurism, and I never realized I was into that, until I read about it. But while reading, I realized the title also meant something else.
Aldrich is a man who's been hurt in the past. After his parents died, his aunt took him in, but there wasn't much affection between the two. Then he had several relationships with men who betrayed him and never understood the things he needed and the things he was afraid of. They found him either pathetic or simply laughed at him. That didn't give him much courage to ever be with a man again.
But then he meets Miguel. One of his students and the one that comes to live in an apartment across from his house. Aldrich loves to secretly look at him, and when Miguel finds out that he does, he plays along. After they meet in person, Miguel tries to persuade Aldrich into something more and when he does, Miguel discovers how Aldrich suffers from fear of touch among other things. And for the first time, Aldrich seems to have found someone who truly sees him as he is. Someone who understands him and acknowledges him.
Their relationship was beautiful. It was sexy, erotic and genuine. Even if it was taboo (professor-student), the author did not emphasize that. The story focused on their romance, and how Aldrich learned to trust again, to have faith in Miguel, who was quite a bit younger, but who seemed to have so much patient, understanding and determination.
I really enjoyed the writing. The characters were well fleshed and I loved them, cheered for them. The secondary characters were funny and just as determined as Miguel. This was my first book by this author, but I'm definitely looking into reading more of her books.
June 14, 2023
Never left a review the first time I read but I remember loving this book years ago.
Just listened to the audio and it’s probably a good thing I listened to TJ Klune’s Green Creek before this because it’s what sold me on Kirt Graves. I previously didn’t enjoy him. This was good. The book itself has some issues but it’s hot and endearing. Lowered my rating from 5 to 4 stars but it’s still probably on of my favorite Lynn books. Probably my only favorite by her since I tend to not enjoy her writing most of the time.
Just listened to the audio and it’s probably a good thing I listened to TJ Klune’s Green Creek before this because it’s what sold me on Kirt Graves. I previously didn’t enjoy him. This was good. The book itself has some issues but it’s hot and endearing. Lowered my rating from 5 to 4 stars but it’s still probably on of my favorite Lynn books. Probably my only favorite by her since I tend to not enjoy her writing most of the time.
December 14, 2022
Nifty authorial trick: take a behavior that should be DNF-and-run-for-the-hills offputting, and make us sympathize with the character in question. In this case, the behavior is nonconsensual voyeurism, and Lynn Van Dorn reconciled me to the idea that a desperately lonely person who hasn't experienced genuine in-person affection since early childhood might, with considerable internal struggle and self-recrimination, find himself spying on the naked guy across the way. Thus MC1, Aldrich. Someone touches him, he freezes up -- not a recipe for maintaining relationships, if you even felt worthy of them in the first place. At the book's opening, Aldrich is sure no one will ever care for him, what with the touch aversion and, so he's been told, the coldness.
Now, the naked guy being nonconsensually watched isn't MC2, Miguel -- that episode is already in the past. Miguel is all about letting Aldrich watch him walk around naked, work out naked, wank naked, basically do whatever naked, as soon as he finds out it's a possibility. The growth of their relationship entails some very hot sex in which Aldrich, who can enjoy touch that he initiates and controls, bosses around "Oh hey! Turns out I'm not only bi, I'm also subby AF!" Miguel. This being a romance, in which the love of a good man will Fix Things, Aldrich eventually comes to take pleasure and comfort in Miguel's touch too.
This sounds like a four-star read, no? Not fundamentally credible but a good excuse for the aforementioned hot sex. Well, the hot sex is my whole reason for giving this book two stars, and maybe they should just be 1-1/2.
I was uneasy with the treatment of Miguel's Puerto-Ricanness, but I can't really think of anything specific to pin my uneasiness on, so it might just be that Now You See Me doesn't really manage any deep characterizations -- Aldrich comes closest to being fully rounded, but at some point I realized that despite his plausibly painful backstory I never felt drawn into his emotional state -- I'm not sure that's a clear way to put it, but it's the best I can do at the moment. Anyway, since nobody's all that deep here, Miguel's ethnicity might not be the reason for his two-dimensionality. However [ominous drumroll] ... check out this bit, in which Miguel's newly out younger brother, Josue, and Josue's twin, Julia, are laughingly complaining about their mother's efforts to set Josue up:
"And now this Asian rando keeps texting me dick pics!"
*sucking air through my teeth*
[Julia speaks:] "Asian rando is kinda cute. He looks like he has a starter dick."
*sucking more air through my teeth*
Run this through your internal editor minus "Asian" and, what do you know, turns out that descriptor serves no purpose whatsoever, unless it's to remind us of the canard that Asian men have little dicks. So that was another star knocked off, and shame on me because I went on reading. For my sins I got to the epilogue, in which Miguel and Aldrich, five years later, are living together in Aldrich's house and *sucking so much air through my teeth I'm giving myself hiccups* getting off while they spy on the het couple in Miguel's old apartment, who are also getting off. No, it's not consensual, but it seems to be okay because the het couple are both assholes.
At this point, of course, Aldrich no longer has the extenuating circumstance of desperate loneliness and being untethered to other people. Miguel never qualified for the extenuation to begin with.
I don't know, I'm all about the morally gray protagonists (*blows kisses to Jess Whitecroft and Gregory Ashe*). And it would take more energy than I've got right now to work out why, when a certain character in Ashe's Borealis Investigations series does something I'm not even going to put under a spoiler tag, but if you know you know, I love him anyway, whereas noncon voyeurism, which is nowhere near in the same league, retrospectively ruins the whole story. I suppose it's something to do with how the acts in question are grounded in the ongoing story. Ultimately, Now You See Me left me with the icks.
Now, the naked guy being nonconsensually watched isn't MC2, Miguel -- that episode is already in the past. Miguel is all about letting Aldrich watch him walk around naked, work out naked, wank naked, basically do whatever naked, as soon as he finds out it's a possibility. The growth of their relationship entails some very hot sex in which Aldrich, who can enjoy touch that he initiates and controls, bosses around "Oh hey! Turns out I'm not only bi, I'm also subby AF!" Miguel. This being a romance, in which the love of a good man will Fix Things, Aldrich eventually comes to take pleasure and comfort in Miguel's touch too.
This sounds like a four-star read, no? Not fundamentally credible but a good excuse for the aforementioned hot sex. Well, the hot sex is my whole reason for giving this book two stars, and maybe they should just be 1-1/2.
I was uneasy with the treatment of Miguel's Puerto-Ricanness, but I can't really think of anything specific to pin my uneasiness on, so it might just be that Now You See Me doesn't really manage any deep characterizations -- Aldrich comes closest to being fully rounded, but at some point I realized that despite his plausibly painful backstory I never felt drawn into his emotional state -- I'm not sure that's a clear way to put it, but it's the best I can do at the moment. Anyway, since nobody's all that deep here, Miguel's ethnicity might not be the reason for his two-dimensionality. However [ominous drumroll] ... check out this bit, in which Miguel's newly out younger brother, Josue, and Josue's twin, Julia, are laughingly complaining about their mother's efforts to set Josue up:
"And now this Asian rando keeps texting me dick pics!"
*sucking air through my teeth*
[Julia speaks:] "Asian rando is kinda cute. He looks like he has a starter dick."
*sucking more air through my teeth*
Run this through your internal editor minus "Asian" and, what do you know, turns out that descriptor serves no purpose whatsoever, unless it's to remind us of the canard that Asian men have little dicks. So that was another star knocked off, and shame on me because I went on reading. For my sins I got to the epilogue, in which Miguel and Aldrich, five years later, are living together in Aldrich's house and *sucking so much air through my teeth I'm giving myself hiccups* getting off while they spy on the het couple in Miguel's old apartment, who are also getting off. No, it's not consensual, but it seems to be okay because the het couple are both assholes.
At this point, of course, Aldrich no longer has the extenuating circumstance of desperate loneliness and being untethered to other people. Miguel never qualified for the extenuation to begin with.
I don't know, I'm all about the morally gray protagonists (*blows kisses to Jess Whitecroft and Gregory Ashe*). And it would take more energy than I've got right now to work out why, when a certain character in Ashe's Borealis Investigations series does something I'm not even going to put under a spoiler tag, but if you know you know, I love him anyway, whereas noncon voyeurism, which is nowhere near in the same league, retrospectively ruins the whole story. I suppose it's something to do with how the acts in question are grounded in the ongoing story. Ultimately, Now You See Me left me with the icks.
June 5, 2020
I rarely get too excited about contemporary stories, but this one was pretty great. Excellent audio narration, as well.
September 18, 2019
Arc provided courtesy of Lynn Van Dorn
All reviews are voluntary and my honest opinion.
Now you see me is a little different. I had some issues settling in. It wasn't the pacing, you just really feel Aldrich's awkwardness bleeding off the pages.
By the halfway point, I finally settled in and really started to feel invested in the characters.
Part of the reason I love Lynn Van Dorn's books is she's always taking a new kink and just shoving you in the deep end. Some books skim along the surface the entire time and there's a superficial quality to the lifestyle, but Van Dorn gives you these gritty, real characters, they arn't perfect, they have misunderstandings about life and each other, they make realistic mistakes. Her world and character building are excellent.
The main thing that kept throwing me off was, surprisingly, the character's name -- Aldrich Cummings. I think I could have taken one or the other, but after the student bequeathed nickname -- nsfw -- and a little cringy -- I could do either Aldrich or Cummings, but combined, they don't just imply awkwardness in my mind, but a decrepit sort of nonagenarian I had trouble meshing with the reality of a hot blond academic who grew up playing video games and was only in his mid-thirties.
Once I got past that, and Aldrich started spending time with Miguel, things got a lot smoother.
My feeling is the book will either be hit or miss for most people, simply because of the voyerism. If voyerism is a hard limit for you, I'd take a pass.
That aside, even if you're a little stuck initially, or having issues with the moral gray area, stick it out. Once you come to terms with Aldrich's loneliness and self loathing, and why he feels the way he does, he was much more sympathetic, and most likely demi-sexual. Miguel very much suited him as a partner. Aldrich turns out to be pretty awesome in the end, and Miguel is such sweet a cinnamon roll top. Luna is probably one of my favorite supporting characters ever, she's like the kink guru. I'll be reading this one again.
Notes and Warning Tags: Dub-con and Non-con voyerism. Discussion of rape, coercion, and predatory behavior by a non-MC.
4.5/5
All reviews are voluntary and my honest opinion.
Now you see me is a little different. I had some issues settling in. It wasn't the pacing, you just really feel Aldrich's awkwardness bleeding off the pages.
By the halfway point, I finally settled in and really started to feel invested in the characters.
Part of the reason I love Lynn Van Dorn's books is she's always taking a new kink and just shoving you in the deep end. Some books skim along the surface the entire time and there's a superficial quality to the lifestyle, but Van Dorn gives you these gritty, real characters, they arn't perfect, they have misunderstandings about life and each other, they make realistic mistakes. Her world and character building are excellent.
The main thing that kept throwing me off was, surprisingly, the character's name -- Aldrich Cummings. I think I could have taken one or the other, but after the student bequeathed nickname -- nsfw -- and a little cringy -- I could do either Aldrich or Cummings, but combined, they don't just imply awkwardness in my mind, but a decrepit sort of nonagenarian I had trouble meshing with the reality of a hot blond academic who grew up playing video games and was only in his mid-thirties.
Once I got past that, and Aldrich started spending time with Miguel, things got a lot smoother.
My feeling is the book will either be hit or miss for most people, simply because of the voyerism. If voyerism is a hard limit for you, I'd take a pass.
That aside, even if you're a little stuck initially, or having issues with the moral gray area, stick it out. Once you come to terms with Aldrich's loneliness and self loathing, and why he feels the way he does, he was much more sympathetic, and most likely demi-sexual. Miguel very much suited him as a partner. Aldrich turns out to be pretty awesome in the end, and Miguel is such sweet a cinnamon roll top. Luna is probably one of my favorite supporting characters ever, she's like the kink guru. I'll be reading this one again.
Notes and Warning Tags: Dub-con and Non-con voyerism. Discussion of rape, coercion, and predatory behavior by a non-MC.
4.5/5
September 5, 2022
Extraordinary but at the same time disturbing.
This isn't the usual professor-student affair, it's a rather strange dynamic between these two where the student is more sexually experienced and the prof becomes dominant despite his intimacy issues. You need an open mind to read this, I think it can be unsettling for some. For the bdsm aspect, it's rather mild, but it's loaded with sex scenes and the scenes themselves are quite disturbing.
So much for the warning. I enjoyed the book very much, mostly due to the personality of Miguel, who is so very affectionate to his professor, even though the professor carries a lot of problems with him and is more like a block of ice than a human being.
It was beautiful to watch Aldrich slowly melt away under Miguel's influence. And the growing of emotions is not a small slow thing, but overruns both of them, so to speak.
Someone needed to love this man, who rejected touch and intimacy and the company of others. Aldrich wanted loving, and he wanted it with a depth that Miguel could sense, but not see, much like astronomers could detect black holes. It was a chasm that frightened Miguel every bit as much as it drew him. Let me help you. Let me love you.
I loved the fantastic chemistry and the wonderful writing.
well and the funny parts:
Aldrich's first, wild instinct was to run. Quit his job, sell the house, go to the Galapagos Islands, and hang out with penguins for the rest of his life. Penguins, as far as Aldrich could tell, gave zero fucks when you stared at them.
This isn't the usual professor-student affair, it's a rather strange dynamic between these two where the student is more sexually experienced and the prof becomes dominant despite his intimacy issues. You need an open mind to read this, I think it can be unsettling for some. For the bdsm aspect, it's rather mild, but it's loaded with sex scenes and the scenes themselves are quite disturbing.
So much for the warning. I enjoyed the book very much, mostly due to the personality of Miguel, who is so very affectionate to his professor, even though the professor carries a lot of problems with him and is more like a block of ice than a human being.
It was beautiful to watch Aldrich slowly melt away under Miguel's influence. And the growing of emotions is not a small slow thing, but overruns both of them, so to speak.
Someone needed to love this man, who rejected touch and intimacy and the company of others. Aldrich wanted loving, and he wanted it with a depth that Miguel could sense, but not see, much like astronomers could detect black holes. It was a chasm that frightened Miguel every bit as much as it drew him. Let me help you. Let me love you.
I loved the fantastic chemistry and the wonderful writing.
well and the funny parts:
Aldrich's first, wild instinct was to run. Quit his job, sell the house, go to the Galapagos Islands, and hang out with penguins for the rest of his life. Penguins, as far as Aldrich could tell, gave zero fucks when you stared at them.
September 24, 2019
2.5 rounded down
I...have very mixed feelings on this book, which I've realized is super common for me and this author. Something about the stories this author writes doesn't 100% jive with me, but there are enough good things overlapping that I keep coming back for more in hopes that this time will be perfect...
Anyway, to start with the good. I really liked both of the MCs quite a lot, both individually and together, and their chemistry was seriously off the charts. The sex here was insanely hot, and their dynamic really, really worked for me. There are quite a few sex scenes throughout the book, but it never felt excessive or boring to me. I liked the POC rep with Puerto Riccan Miguel and I thought Aldrich's touch aversion was interesting. Legitimately, the sex was so hot I almost rounded this up, but in the end, there were too many issues for me to do so.
For the things that didn't so much work for me...
-As mentioned above, I really liked the POC rep, but I felt like the author was trying too hard. The amount of Spanglish used here often felt a little forced and over-abundant. I've spent a lot of time around latinxs and though this wasn't bad by any means, and I actually *super* appreciate that the author worked to ensure the representation was meaningful and not just in name, there were a number of times where it felt a bit clunky, and I wondered if they had a sensitivity reader to maybe polish that. Suuuper small thing, though!
-I found the whole Luna/Dev background thing to be a little weird/random? Luna being a Domme and super kinky felt like it suddenly came out of left field and then was a little overkill and I wasn't sure what purpose it was serving. Relatedly, and this may just be personal preference, but meddling friends and family is a huge squick for me, and I thought a lot of Luna's actions here were crossing a line. There is a scene where she starts yelling at Aldrich for his treatment of Miguel, and he tells her it's none of her business, and she keeps yelling saying that it is and... No. It's not. Yeah, he was shitty, but it really doesn't involve you and I found her violation of his personal space to be really uncomfortable.
-Going along with that, when the relationship is transitioning to something ~more~ I was really put-off by Miguel's blithe dismissal of the real-world consequences of hooking up with his professor. Yes, Aldrich had other fears, but he also was absolutely right to be concerned about LOSING HIS FUCKING JOB and the fact that Miguel kept dismissing that as unimportant was really immature and short-sighted, and frankly showed more lack of respect for Aldrich's boundaries
-The non-consensual voyeurism was borderline for me. I can kind of handwave because fiction, and Miguel is so obvi into it, but it got into uncomfortable territory when Aldrich/others were acting like Dev (who'd reported Aldrich to his Dean for spying on a previous roommate without their consent) was in the wrong when... No, he wasn't, that's not okay behavior in the real world. And then the epilogue really put me off with Miguel and Alrich spying on the new neighbors, but it's "okay" because the dude is homophobic and his girlfriend is "a bitch". No. Like, if you want to write hot kinky voyeurism, I'm clearly all for it. But when you start trying to justify it as totally okay in the narrative, that's when I have issues.
-Right after they admit their feelings and basically become a couple, Aldrich has a thought that is basically "I'm not ready to bottom for Miguel. I may never be ready. I'm worried that's a dealbreaker." though he doesn't say this out loud. Literally DAYS later, and in like the next chapter, he's bottoming and, of course, loving it, because love makes your physical reactions to being penetrated suddenly change! I can totally appreciate the emotional impact the author was going for, to physically show the emotional change in their relationship, but it made ZERO sense how quickly it moved, and the result was that all that emotional impact was totally lost, because I was just there in confusion like, oh, magic dick, of course. I mean, the *author* is the one that wrote Aldrich struggling with the concept of bottoming, so for them to completely do a 180 in a chapter left me with a bit of whiplash.
-To go with that, in a much smaller critique, I really enjoyed the sort of light D/s vibe they had going, and I found it pretty unsatisfying that that entire dynamic basically evaporated the second they officially became a couple. There were still a few sex scenes, but they were all more vanilla and smushy, and I didn't love this implication that kink isn't for "real" relationships.
-The entire climactic moment with the asshole professor was so fucking random and unnecessary and weird. It 100% felt like the author got 3/4 of the way through the book, realized she'd written her way out of any kind of tension to provide the book with a climax, and then came up with this random-ass sexual assault plot to engineer some. It felt super out of place, inorganic, and just uncomfortable.
-The suddenly married epilogue, while very common in the genre, felt really out of place in this book (also common in this genre) and the entire epilogue was random and not satisfying, IMO.
LOL, okay, I clearly had a lot to say. Honestly, this all makes it sound like I dislike the book more than I did. I actually generally enjoyed myself, but there were enough constant issues that my enjoyment was continuously underlined by this nagging frustration and disappointment...
I...have very mixed feelings on this book, which I've realized is super common for me and this author. Something about the stories this author writes doesn't 100% jive with me, but there are enough good things overlapping that I keep coming back for more in hopes that this time will be perfect...
Anyway, to start with the good. I really liked both of the MCs quite a lot, both individually and together, and their chemistry was seriously off the charts. The sex here was insanely hot, and their dynamic really, really worked for me. There are quite a few sex scenes throughout the book, but it never felt excessive or boring to me. I liked the POC rep with Puerto Riccan Miguel and I thought Aldrich's touch aversion was interesting. Legitimately, the sex was so hot I almost rounded this up, but in the end, there were too many issues for me to do so.
For the things that didn't so much work for me...
-As mentioned above, I really liked the POC rep, but I felt like the author was trying too hard. The amount of Spanglish used here often felt a little forced and over-abundant. I've spent a lot of time around latinxs and though this wasn't bad by any means, and I actually *super* appreciate that the author worked to ensure the representation was meaningful and not just in name, there were a number of times where it felt a bit clunky, and I wondered if they had a sensitivity reader to maybe polish that. Suuuper small thing, though!
-I found the whole Luna/Dev background thing to be a little weird/random? Luna being a Domme and super kinky felt like it suddenly came out of left field and then was a little overkill and I wasn't sure what purpose it was serving. Relatedly, and this may just be personal preference, but meddling friends and family is a huge squick for me, and I thought a lot of Luna's actions here were crossing a line. There is a scene where she starts yelling at Aldrich for his treatment of Miguel, and he tells her it's none of her business, and she keeps yelling saying that it is and... No. It's not. Yeah, he was shitty, but it really doesn't involve you and I found her violation of his personal space to be really uncomfortable.
-Going along with that, when the relationship is transitioning to something ~more~ I was really put-off by Miguel's blithe dismissal of the real-world consequences of hooking up with his professor. Yes, Aldrich had other fears, but he also was absolutely right to be concerned about LOSING HIS FUCKING JOB and the fact that Miguel kept dismissing that as unimportant was really immature and short-sighted, and frankly showed more lack of respect for Aldrich's boundaries
-The non-consensual voyeurism was borderline for me. I can kind of handwave because fiction, and Miguel is so obvi into it, but it got into uncomfortable territory when Aldrich/others were acting like Dev (who'd reported Aldrich to his Dean for spying on a previous roommate without their consent) was in the wrong when... No, he wasn't, that's not okay behavior in the real world. And then the epilogue really put me off with Miguel and Alrich spying on the new neighbors, but it's "okay" because the dude is homophobic and his girlfriend is "a bitch". No. Like, if you want to write hot kinky voyeurism, I'm clearly all for it. But when you start trying to justify it as totally okay in the narrative, that's when I have issues.
-Right after they admit their feelings and basically become a couple, Aldrich has a thought that is basically "I'm not ready to bottom for Miguel. I may never be ready. I'm worried that's a dealbreaker." though he doesn't say this out loud. Literally DAYS later, and in like the next chapter, he's bottoming and, of course, loving it, because love makes your physical reactions to being penetrated suddenly change! I can totally appreciate the emotional impact the author was going for, to physically show the emotional change in their relationship, but it made ZERO sense how quickly it moved, and the result was that all that emotional impact was totally lost, because I was just there in confusion like, oh, magic dick, of course. I mean, the *author* is the one that wrote Aldrich struggling with the concept of bottoming, so for them to completely do a 180 in a chapter left me with a bit of whiplash.
-To go with that, in a much smaller critique, I really enjoyed the sort of light D/s vibe they had going, and I found it pretty unsatisfying that that entire dynamic basically evaporated the second they officially became a couple. There were still a few sex scenes, but they were all more vanilla and smushy, and I didn't love this implication that kink isn't for "real" relationships.
-The entire climactic moment with the asshole professor was so fucking random and unnecessary and weird. It 100% felt like the author got 3/4 of the way through the book, realized she'd written her way out of any kind of tension to provide the book with a climax, and then came up with this random-ass sexual assault plot to engineer some. It felt super out of place, inorganic, and just uncomfortable.
-The suddenly married epilogue, while very common in the genre, felt really out of place in this book (also common in this genre) and the entire epilogue was random and not satisfying, IMO.
LOL, okay, I clearly had a lot to say. Honestly, this all makes it sound like I dislike the book more than I did. I actually generally enjoyed myself, but there were enough constant issues that my enjoyment was continuously underlined by this nagging frustration and disappointment...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2019
This author has been on my TBR for months, and I was so lucky to get an ARC of Now You See Me because this book was, in a word, flipping glorious! Oops, was that two words? Honestly though two words isn't enough to describe how great NYSM is. We meet Miguel, a radiology student recently out of the Navy and his neighbour across from across the street and professor Aldrich. Aldrich might just be a bit of a vouyer, and Miguel, he just might like that, a lot. As a kinky and slightly unwise relationship the two men navigate their complex issues with aplomb, aplomb and a lot of smoking hot sex. I mean like really good sex. The author has not made us bang our proverbial head against the wall with a lot of heartwrenching emotions on this one, yeah, a professor really shouldn't date a student, but we don't have to wallow in agony about it. There are a lot of serious and intense emotions but overall this is a low on angst, seriously sexy story that I enjoyed immensely.
Now You See Me will be released September 13
#lynnvandorn #nowyouseeme #bookreviews #bookstagram #books #bookworm #book #booklover #booknerd #kindle #amazon #readersofinstagram #bookobsessed #fiction #amreading #bookstagrammer #booklovers #bookaholic #bookblogger #igreads #bookshelf #bibliophile #goodreads #mmromance #ilikeboyswholikeboys #review
Now You See Me will be released September 13
#lynnvandorn #nowyouseeme #bookreviews #bookstagram #books #bookworm #book #booklover #booknerd #kindle #amazon #readersofinstagram #bookobsessed #fiction #amreading #bookstagrammer #booklovers #bookaholic #bookblogger #igreads #bookshelf #bibliophile #goodreads #mmromance #ilikeboyswholikeboys #review
October 5, 2019
I really enjoyed this!! The voyeurism was pretty hot and I loved Miguel with Aldrich. He was patient and loving when most men would (and have) make Aldrich feel less than because of his aversion to touch and love of observing.
Miguel allowed Aldrich to become comfortable with him, and not rushed. And once it happened, there was no holding back.
Great read!!
Miguel allowed Aldrich to become comfortable with him, and not rushed. And once it happened, there was no holding back.
Great read!!
June 14, 2020
This was a really interesting read.
Sure, it might be more sexy times than plot.
Sure, it wasn't the deepest of books.
But,
It was interesting. A whole new take on the trope.
And it was hot.
So, so hot.
I'm a bit emotionally drained from reading it though. Not gonna lie.
Sure, it might be more sexy times than plot.
Sure, it wasn't the deepest of books.
But,
It was interesting. A whole new take on the trope.
And it was hot.
So, so hot.
I'm a bit emotionally drained from reading it though. Not gonna lie.
June 18, 2021
I really enjoyed this one 🥰
Kirt Graves takes some getting used to but the story was good enough for me to get over the subpar narration.
December 15, 2020
The history is great. I really liked the characters. Their flaws. Their emotion. Their relationship. It was really sweet and really great. If it was for that alone I would give 5 stars.
But...
The sex scenes and bdsm stuff did not work for me. I did not like it one bit. The whole Dom/sub thing just annoyed and irked me when I read. Just not my cup of tea, so, unfortunately it brought my enjoyment on the book a lot down. In the first half of the book there is a lot of bdsm stuff that I really did not like and almost DNFed because of that. But someone told me the history was worth it. He was right, the story is worth it, because it's wonderful... But the other stuff are there too, so I can't just forget it. So, that's why the 3 stars.
But...
The sex scenes and bdsm stuff did not work for me. I did not like it one bit. The whole Dom/sub thing just annoyed and irked me when I read. Just not my cup of tea, so, unfortunately it brought my enjoyment on the book a lot down. In the first half of the book there is a lot of bdsm stuff that I really did not like and almost DNFed because of that. But someone told me the history was worth it. He was right, the story is worth it, because it's wonderful... But the other stuff are there too, so I can't just forget it. So, that's why the 3 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2022
3.5/5
This was very engaging and steamy. Age gap, professor/student, with voyeurism and a dash of BDSM. I really appreciated that Aldrich was a touch averse guy and doubly appreciated how Miguel found ways to work with that. They had a really interesting dynamic going, though seemed to act way out of character occasionally which threw me off at times.
There was a side plot with a professor inclined towards inappropriate relations and abuse of power that I’m not sure was done justice… it felt kind of shoehorned in. But I did like the various closures we got for Aldrich’s traumas and his past and Miguel with his fairly traditional Puerto Rican family.
Also, the sex was really well written and there was direct confrontation of biphobia and bi-erasure. Solid read!
This was very engaging and steamy. Age gap, professor/student, with voyeurism and a dash of BDSM. I really appreciated that Aldrich was a touch averse guy and doubly appreciated how Miguel found ways to work with that. They had a really interesting dynamic going, though seemed to act way out of character occasionally which threw me off at times.
There was a side plot with a professor inclined towards inappropriate relations and abuse of power that I’m not sure was done justice… it felt kind of shoehorned in. But I did like the various closures we got for Aldrich’s traumas and his past and Miguel with his fairly traditional Puerto Rican family.
Also, the sex was really well written and there was direct confrontation of biphobia and bi-erasure. Solid read!
Read
February 4, 2022DNF 25%
March 16, 2023
Icy prof sees hot
student; accepts touch; finds love.
Plus SA drama.
3.5 rounded up.
student; accepts touch; finds love.
Plus SA drama.
3.5 rounded up.
November 15, 2020
Hot and oddly sweet :). Excellent narration by Kirt Graves.
September 17, 2019
3 Stars...?
I really don’t know how I felt about this one. There were some aspects, like the kinky steam and Aldrich’s issues that I found compelling, while others, like the speed they got together ( I would’ve liked some more tension first) and the constant pets names left me annoyed. I mean, I don’t even hate pet names but Papi was said 95! times and prof/professor another 108 times. It was just too much. Every time Miguel used them I was disconnected from the scene.
They had a sweet connection and the pervy voyeur stuff was actually pretty hot, but it just wasn’t a home run for me. It seems like I’m in the minority though so maybe give it a shot if it’s peaking your interest, and you’re unbothered by pet names.
I really don’t know how I felt about this one. There were some aspects, like the kinky steam and Aldrich’s issues that I found compelling, while others, like the speed they got together ( I would’ve liked some more tension first) and the constant pets names left me annoyed. I mean, I don’t even hate pet names but Papi was said 95! times and prof/professor another 108 times. It was just too much. Every time Miguel used them I was disconnected from the scene.
They had a sweet connection and the pervy voyeur stuff was actually pretty hot, but it just wasn’t a home run for me. It seems like I’m in the minority though so maybe give it a shot if it’s peaking your interest, and you’re unbothered by pet names.
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