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Enthralled #2
Breathing
Colin Dobson has everything he ever imagined -- excitement, travel, and night after night of possessive passion with his new lover, Rowland Campbell. Safe in the arms of his vampire lover, for the first time in his life the sheltered young hemophiliac has nothing to fear. There's only one thing marring their prefect relationship. Colin is finding it increasing difficult to sleep with a corpse -- until an unexpected trip to a mystical tattoo parlor and a run in with an old nemesis puts things into perspective.
ebook
First published March 28, 2008
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About the author
Laura Baumbach
48 books311 followersLaura Baumbach is the best-selling, multi-award winning, acclaimed author of short stories, novellas, novels and screenplays. Most recently, Mexican Heat, written in collaboration with Josh Lanyon, has been chosen as a FINALIST for Best Gay Romance in the 2009 Lambda Literary Awards, a FINALIST in the 2010 EPPIE Awards, and has received an Honorable Mention at the 2009 San Francisco Book Festival. Laura was nominated for Best GBLT Author 2008 in the LRC's Best Of Awards for 2008. Her adventure story The Lost Temple of Karttikeya won the 2008 EPPIE Award for Best GLBT novel. Her sequel to the best-selling novel A Bit of Rough, Roughhousing, was 2007 Reviewers' Choice Award Winner.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
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April 21, 2009Enthralled was a short story about a suicidal young hemophiliac man, Colin, who finds love for the first time in the arms of an ancient vampire, Rowland.
Now, in another short story, we taste a very erotic little interlude in their common life: Colin is Rowland's thrall, and Rowland wants to be sure that everyone knows that Colin is his and his only, and he wants also to protect the man when he is not around. So he takes Colin to a special tattoo parlor, where another vampire does magical tattoos embedded with ancient chants and spells.
Colin has to face a very difficult trial for a man who was used to not be near to needles and similar: his special tattoo is placed all around is buttocks and groin. But Rowland is near him to "distract" the man from his embarassing position...
As all the Alpha men of Laura Baumbach, Rowland is a big muscular man who can be gentle and caring for his little companion. There is no doubt who is the leading partner in this couple, and Colin needs and wants a firm hand in his life. He is totally dependant from Rowland, and in his case it's not only a behaviour choice: the blood exchange with Rowland prevents Colin's illness to progress.
For sure I recommend to read Breathing after have read also Enthralled, cause all the relationship between Colin and Rowland could only be understand if you have an idea on how they met.
An almost "classical" vampire story, for much classica can be an M/M romance :-)
http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/26...
March 7, 2013
The secret to vampire wealth: Bottled splooge.
Really, just think about it. According to this book, it pretty much heals everything and comes in - if romance authors are to be believed, bucketful quantities - and can be easily bottled. Forget gold. That shit ain't got nothin' on healing splooge.
Also marketable: cure to partner's insecurity. Hire a tattoo artist and possibly fake thugs to blow the both of you into high heaven and then save said partner. No pulse? Not breathing? So low on the list of things that matter that it don't matter none now. Baby, I would walk through fire for you.
C'est de l'amour.
Alzheimer though, that's a bit hard to naysay, even for love. In the first book, Rowland had - and I quote - '... a name even he had forgotten.' But that's alright, sweetheart; old age happens to the best of us. Nothing a little vacationing in a home can't fix. Some mahjong and bridge and you'll be as good as new.
But now in this second book apparently everyone knows his name, and he knows it enough to recognize it too. So not only has he forgotten his name, he forgot that he forgot his name so now he remembers it.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is why you should keep sugardaddies old enough to remember your name for his will, and human enough to die.
Really, just think about it. According to this book, it pretty much heals everything and comes in - if romance authors are to be believed, bucketful quantities - and can be easily bottled. Forget gold. That shit ain't got nothin' on healing splooge.
Also marketable: cure to partner's insecurity. Hire a tattoo artist and possibly fake thugs to blow the both of you into high heaven and then save said partner. No pulse? Not breathing? So low on the list of things that matter that it don't matter none now. Baby, I would walk through fire for you.
C'est de l'amour.
Alzheimer though, that's a bit hard to naysay, even for love. In the first book, Rowland had - and I quote - '... a name even he had forgotten.' But that's alright, sweetheart; old age happens to the best of us. Nothing a little vacationing in a home can't fix. Some mahjong and bridge and you'll be as good as new.
But now in this second book apparently everyone knows his name, and he knows it enough to recognize it too. So not only has he forgotten his name, he forgot that he forgot his name so now he remembers it.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is why you should keep sugardaddies old enough to remember your name for his will, and human enough to die.
July 29, 2017
3.5
I was left with wanting more on a deeper level. There were parts in which I raised my eyebrow as they were kind of off, but it was interesting to read. I hope there are more of these two to come.
I was left with wanting more on a deeper level. There were parts in which I raised my eyebrow as they were kind of off, but it was interesting to read. I hope there are more of these two to come.
June 29, 2018
Hot damn! So not the experience I had in the tattoo artist's chair!
August 25, 2009
Returning to Rowland and Colin, Baumbach’s vampire and human lover duo, we’re treated to a highly erotic trip to a tattoo parlor to protect Colin from vampires and humans alike. Guess Rowland forgot to mention exactly where the tattoo was going to be placed, but thankfully Colin is willing to be distracted by his sexy lover. Unfortunately Colin seems to be hung up on the fact that Rowland no longer breathes and doesn’t give off those tiny indicators of emotions like humans do. It takes an explosion and an intense romantic encounter to remind Colin that not breathing has its advantages too.
This sequel takes place some unknown months after these two initially meet. Presumably they are traveling or doing whatever it is vampires and their thralls do with their lives, but staying away from the threat of other vampires or hunters. Colin once again is absolutely lovely as an alternating innocent with his ignorance about potential threats and forlorn, wanting his lover to be more human like he is. Due to Colin’s limited experience with people before Rowland in addition to Rowland’s quiet tight-lipped manner, he has trouble understanding Rowland’s thoughts and feelings. Colin can’t rely on traditionally human clues to puzzle out his lover, thus frustrating him.
Rowland is his usual taciturn self but shows a much more romantic and connected side of his emotions, even if it’s in his own way. His desire to mark and protect Colin, when clearly this isn’t usually done, shows his deep connection to the younger man. The intensity between these two fairly sizzles across the pages from the first scene on. I almost included the last scene of the book in the review, as it’s deeply satisfying to any romance lover. However, instead I’ll simply say you should read these two short books in order and enjoy the impact of that moment and the phrases for yourself.
Typical tight writing and great characters round out this short story and series with just enough action that will leave you wanting more. The dark nature of vampires is definitely a welcome change to the more domesticated version of blood sucker commonly found and in combination with the author’s classic style and voice, make this an easy winner. (Not to mention one of the better Changeling covers)
This sequel takes place some unknown months after these two initially meet. Presumably they are traveling or doing whatever it is vampires and their thralls do with their lives, but staying away from the threat of other vampires or hunters. Colin once again is absolutely lovely as an alternating innocent with his ignorance about potential threats and forlorn, wanting his lover to be more human like he is. Due to Colin’s limited experience with people before Rowland in addition to Rowland’s quiet tight-lipped manner, he has trouble understanding Rowland’s thoughts and feelings. Colin can’t rely on traditionally human clues to puzzle out his lover, thus frustrating him.
Rowland is his usual taciturn self but shows a much more romantic and connected side of his emotions, even if it’s in his own way. His desire to mark and protect Colin, when clearly this isn’t usually done, shows his deep connection to the younger man. The intensity between these two fairly sizzles across the pages from the first scene on. I almost included the last scene of the book in the review, as it’s deeply satisfying to any romance lover. However, instead I’ll simply say you should read these two short books in order and enjoy the impact of that moment and the phrases for yourself.
Typical tight writing and great characters round out this short story and series with just enough action that will leave you wanting more. The dark nature of vampires is definitely a welcome change to the more domesticated version of blood sucker commonly found and in combination with the author’s classic style and voice, make this an easy winner. (Not to mention one of the better Changeling covers)
July 1, 2010
The first fantasy gay short story that I have reed(beside the first book, I mean), and I found it quite good. Better that the first book actually, especially at the end of the story. I bet almost of us have heard "Life is not measured by the brearhs you take but by the moments that take your breats away.", or something that close to this. But when you heard it from an ancient vampire who have not been breating for so many centuries, it's just make the quote more touching! It's just like you see it from different perspective. And, what make me more love it, is that after he said it, Rowland add 2 more sentences that make me love it more.
"In over two tousand years, you have been the only one to make me wish that I could breath again"
"And you alone would be able to take it away again. You are my only 'moment'"
Wow... it's just make me want to scream. Hehehe
"In over two tousand years, you have been the only one to make me wish that I could breath again"
"And you alone would be able to take it away again. You are my only 'moment'"
Wow... it's just make me want to scream. Hehehe
January 10, 2010
I guess this deserves a DOUBLE WOW. I read this right after "Enthralled", and oh my GOSH!! One thing I always treasure, a story that stirs emotion. This one is a charmer; for a story less than 40 pages. In this sequel, Rowland brings his human lover, his thrall, to as Spellbinder, to give a tattoo to Colin's body, as a protection because it will show everybody that Colin belongs to him. The process of the tattoo making is erotic and sexy as hell. This story also achieves another level of their relationship, as seen precious Colin is to Rowland. I LOVE IT!
April 2, 2013
Wow, the written passion, between Rowland and Colin in the second short story in Enthralled series, was emotional and heady. Our MC's are interesting coupled pair, that's why I'm sad their stories are to short.
March 1, 2012
This sequel was interesting and I would have loved to learn more of Rowland's world and the powers of the tattoos and the hunters...but instead there was quite a bit of sex in such a short!
May 23, 2012
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews