I really struggled to get into this book. I loved the blurb but it didn’t live up to it’s promise.
I was so intrigued by a king being into ageplay, so imagine my surprise when it was just a nickname for Henry King, the CEO of an architecture firm. He’s handsome and wealthy and lonely. It was never really explained how he was a billionaire, because architects don’t make that much money… But he’s exactly what Jaxon wants in a daddy, so when he ends up having an asthma attack on his first day as Henry’s assistant, and Henry helps him out, Henry discovers how much he loves caring for someone. From there they very quickly jump into a daddy / boy relationship, before it’s even a romantic relationship. It felt very forced and very rushed and I just didn’t get it.
When Jaxon later reveals he’s also a little, Henry jumps in, which is great. But it still felt forced. Jaxon didn’t seem like a little at all. Not even like an older little. It really didn’t read like he regressed at all. More like an adult just putting on a costume. There was no real mental shift. It was really strange.
This was really strange, because I feel like this could have been great. But there were so many issues. It felt like the authors were almost hesitant to write a daddy / boy with ageplay relationship. Henry was not a good daddy, sure he was good at paying for stuff, but when it came to actual care? Nah. Jaxon’s health is a huge part of this book, and he’s really neglectful when it comes to making sure he’s healthy. At one point Jaxon has a really bad asthma attack after forgetting his inhaler in the car, and when he tries to get Henry’s attention, he just brushes him off. And when Henry does eventually show up, he’s full of excuses and no apologies. And the sad thing is, it all could have been avoided. I feel like a proper daddy would be making sure that their boy is never without their inhaler, especially if it is something that is literally keeping them alive! There was also a distinct lack of consent and safe word chat, no talking about boundaries, and no aftercare. Which is just so not okay.
In the end, this just had so many issues, and I hate writing reviews like this, cause it sucks, but unfortunately too much of this was just not okay.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy of this book.