Break for Them

Golden Retrieval #2

by Emily Alter

Sama has three things he truly enjoys in life: the kinky club he owns, the cam shows he streams, and his best friend slash bodyguard. Not necessarily in that order.

Blas is the club’s bouncer, and the hunk who gives Sama everything he wants when the camera is on. He’s also hopelessly in love with his friend.

Aníbal doesn’t understand their dynamic, but he understands sadism and he knows he has what it takes to satisfy Sama’s more masochistic needs.

It seems impossible for Blas and Aníbal not to clash at every turn, especially when the future of the club Sama and Blas have put everything into is in danger. There’s one topic they agree on, though, and that’s Sama—the boy who wants nothing but to break for them.

Break for Them includes: sounding, figging, heavier impact play, sex workers, best friends who don’t see what’s in front of them, friends who don’t understand what took them so long, and sadists who have never known community and don’t know what to do with it.

Genres: BDSM, Polyamory, LGBT

253 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 7, 2022

Reviews

[True Loveislovereview · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sama and Blas are best friends/lovers and run a kink club together. The club is only open from Friday to Sunday. They live together above the club. Blas is the bouncer.
The other days of the week are filled with other activities. Sama is a sex worker before the camera, plays for the payers. There’s one particular customer who pays well.
Blas helps Sama out now and then, with a good fuck, some sounding, or other stuff. There are endearments, also protective possessive behavior.

Anibal comes from old money. He found his camboy in real life at the club. Blas is alert with the guy hanging around Sama.

So, we got a Dom, a sadist, and a submissive who loves to get everything the two can give. Their dynamic was, uhm, well it started strange, unbalanced, then became awkward, there’s jealousy, then slowly it turns into something better, even good.
In the beginning, I wanted to smack one of them around the face, so dang annoying and disrespectful he was. When they finally worked through their struggles they found a way to have hot scenes, got more respectful, still enough sarcasm, and that was fun.

Overall an intriguing story, nicely written, with interesting, flawed, vulnerable characters, the story got better the further it got.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Break for them is a disaster. It is full of unlikable characters and confusing time jumps and scenes. Like I cannot explain how they manage to put a time jump within a sentence but they did. I'm really disappointed by this because I know that the author is queer and kinky and I expected like a super stellar romance novel but I just don't even know what I read. All of the actual ✨scenes ✨ are half-assed and incomplete but they expect a reader to get invested with only seeing bits and pieces of all of our characters' lives and relationships. None of the characters are likable and they are all intensely flawed and do not fit together in any way shape or form. I feel like there's a really great opportunity here for some harder BDSM and poly rep but it just fell flat.

[Abrianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this. It's a friends-to-lovers book, with very well-put-together kink dynamics and wonderful storytelling. I loved the premise of the submissive getting tired of the Doms dancing around each other and so the sub takes things in his own hands. It's so much fun watching these three find their footing. If you're looking for well-done kink and subs who know what they want this book is for you.

[Flick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet MMM with a good dose of kink

Poly romances are difficult to get right in my view and whilst this one is good it didn't quite hit all the right notes for me. That being said, I still think it's a good read and was enjoyable. There was an interesting dynamic with Sama and Blas already having a connection (if a largely oblivious one) and Anibal coming into that dynamic. I admit I wasn't in love with Anibal at first but I could see how he could add to Sama and Blas' dynamic. Whilst I liked the characters and could see how they could work well I think there just wasn't enough there for me to be entirely satisfied relationship wise. I'm not sure that the book needed to be longer so much as there just needed to be more there showing the relationship build so that you got that connection and could see how they worked together. This definitely isn't angst free but it's not terrible angst wise (there are definitely some heartbreaking moments but it's more along the lines of insecurity based angst than full on meltdown). As I said, I liked it and it was a fun read.

[Suzanne Irving · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love in Spain lies mainly in the pain

Sorry sorry sorry but I couldn’t resist. This book is set in Spain and it does involve pain so yeah the love in Spain does lie mainly in the pain. Don’t know if this review will pass the bots of a certain company but I hope it does because I’m proud of that title.
All kidding aside I really enjoyed this book. Even just the fact that it’s set in Spain as opposed to the US is a refreshing change and it’s fun reading about bits of another culture. I love the way this book is framed so you have two friends who only realize what they mean to each other when a third person enters the equation. There is some stuff about the club and their lives but most of the book is about the developing relationship which has some extreme elements that Emily Alter deals well with in making things seem as realistic as possible. Very fun read.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a kinky sexy mess but I loved it!! Sama is a sex worker and a cam boy. He also runs a kinky club with Blas, his friend/Dom who also helps out with his cam shows. Anibal is one of Sama's fans on his cam show and is so enthralled with Sama, that he goes to the club to meet him in person. Thus starts this hysterical beginning of a poly relationship with Blas, jealous of Anibal but trying to understand and give Sama what he needs. The writing was a little disjointed but the dynamic between the three men is what elevated this to 5 stars for me. The growly Blas, the arrogant Anibal and ever so sweet, pain slut, Sama. They just worked. The kink was definitely a little more hard core than my usual reads and have to say, it's been a while since I've read a book with figging - Whew!! This is my first book with sounding and ouch! But the solid relationship between the characters balanced out the kink. This is a new to me author and dug around their back list for more goodies.

[Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like dark and I enjoy kinky stories but this took me a little off guard. Sama and Blas have been somewhat “friends” for a while. Mostly due to the nature of Sama’s online performances and the club Sama owns. Both have been in love with the other but neither have the courage to address the issue. Blas being the club bouncer and performing with Sama online, he always keeps a protective eye on Sama. They are verily scrapping by when one of their followers Anibal, who is attracted to Sama, seems to put a wedge between Sama and Blas. Anibal brings something to Sama that meets his masochistic needs that Blas can’t fulfill. How this story flows into the relationships between these three keeps things very interesting.

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samael, Blas and Anibal story was intense and sweet, with a side of teasing, loving moments as well as sad ones when insecurities ran high.
They are absolutely lovable together, and it was interesting to see how they compromised it, get over their differences, and in the end supporting each other when counts.
I liked the kinky side and the way at first Samael is the one that brings them together and makes them aware of their feelings.
I loved how their relationship blooms and how they come to accept their worth and get over their insecurities in their journey to happiness.
I loved the story and I'm looking forward to see what happens next.

[Kassandra Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

I loved the blurb but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it. I made it 37% before I had to give up. I realized that the same thing happened with the first book in the series and I’m still not sure if it’s a regional thing, the story, the author or me. Something is off and I don’t know if it’s the characters or the storyline or what but nothing held my interest. I may be in a book funk so I will try and re-read this one at another time.

I recommend reading the sample to see if it’s right for you.

I received a free copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ida Umphers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of poly romances but only when the author pays attention to the complications inherent in such relationships and the absolute necessity for open communication about everything starting with emotions and consent and going from there. This author gets that right and shows in very interesting ways what can happen when that communication isn't there. Everything between Sama, Blas and Anibal is constantly evolving. I found the combination of the D/s relationship with the SM one interesting and well done. I enjoyed the first book in this series, but I think this one is even better.

[Juniper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sama, Blas, and Anibal’s story is one with lots of feelings— there’s something deeply earnest (and fiercely ardent) about the way these guys lean into their emotions, and watching them learn how they’ll all fit together and how to work past their insecurities can be intense. It’s rewarding when they do get there, and as characters they each have enough depth and layers to be interesting in their own right, so it’s relatively easy to want things to work out for them— all in all, an absorbing read.

*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

[Malia Winger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was not what I expected at all! I thought I was getting a kink filled friends to lover story with Blas and Sama. But the addition of Anibal was the extra boost this couple and story needed. I'll admit I didn't see how it was going to work but it did! However the thing I loved most about this story is that there no BIG TRAUMA the characters had to endure to get to their HEA. There were hurdles but they were normal relationship issue, it was refreshing to have the conflicts not hinge on the kink in the relationship.

[Dixiecowgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding a balance in relationships sometimes takes three. Sama, Blas, and Anibal’s story is one with interesting characters that are flawed, make mistakes and are vulnerable characters, The dynamics are complex and we get to experience their emotional interactions and growth.

This is book two of the Golden Retrieval series.

I was gifted this book from Gay Romance Reviews and i freely give my honest opinion and review.

[Maria771 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of Sama, Blas and Anibal. It is the 2nd book in the Golden Retrieval series. Please read the trigger warnings. I am not usually a fan of poli stories and S/D is involved, but it absolutely worked in this one I love that the struggles and that they have to work for their relationship. For me it made it more real and relatable. Definitely recommended.

I received this book as an Arc and I am happily reviewing it voluntarily.

[Teamama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong second entry in an enjoyable series

Poly & kinky romance. Well written characters make this second book in the Golden Retriever series a winner. The relationships evolve slowly, with ups & downs. Anibal's pov contains some of the best descriptions of a sadism headspace I've encountered. I look forward to the next installment.

[smatchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t love this book. I had a hard time relating to the characters, and the ongoing conflict between Blas and Anibal was just annoying. The only character I liked was the cat. Blas was slightly better, but Sama and Anibal were too self-involved. The sexy scenes seemed incomplete at times. Overall not my favorite.

[Mal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story here had good potential but the book needs to be twice as long. The story arc for the MMM is sadly very rushed and I just wanted to know all of them more. Good kink and a good premise overall.

[Jill Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great book overall—the storyline is really good and I felt like I connected with the characters! I got hooked pretty early on and couldn’t seem to put it down! I think the story could’ve evolved into something more as I don’t feel the MMM was explored very much.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

He has three things he loves and enjoys his life. There are two other men around him and their lives will be tied to the others in an unexpected way. How will it all go? Can they make things better? Will he pull them all apart? See just how it will all go

[Nina Diab · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I wasn't feeling the dynamic between Sama, Blas, and Aníbal in the beginning. I liked Sama and Blas together. Adding Aníbal into the mix brought out a lot of drama. Though it eventually all worked out between the three of them, and there was lots of steam. 4 stars.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great relationship building focus. Writing style really got into their heads.