X-Factor

by Sean Michael

Game designer Henry Delloit loves his life, his mountain community, his isolated dream home and the snow. He also loves that the X-treme Games blow into the area for a month every year, bringing with them hundreds of athletes.Ecco Rasmussen loves boarding; he needs it in fact. He knows he'll never make it to the big times but as long as he can get on his board and go he doesn't care. The only fly in the ointment is his manager Blake Dobbs. The man is possessive and mean and believes he owns Ecco. Given the way he's isolated Ecco and holds all the money, not to mention the way he treats the boarder, Ecco figures maybe he does. When Henry and Ecco meet at the Branchberry Games, it's lust at first sight. An injury on Ecco's qualifying run gives them the opportunity to spend some quality time alone together at Henry's home, away from the crowds and out from under Blake's thumb.Will lust have the opportunity to turn into love? More importantly, what will Blake do when he finds out?

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Sports, Erotica, Abuse, Contemporary, Gay

166 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2010

About the author

Often referred to as "Space Cowboy" and "Gangsta of Love" while still striving for the moniker of "Maurice," Sean Michael spends his days surfing, smutting, organizing his immense gourd collection and fantasizing about one day retiring on a small secluded island peopled entirely by horseshoe crabs. While collecting vast amounts of vintage gay pulp novels and mood rings, Sean whiles away the hours between dropping the f-bomb and persuing the kama sutra by channeling the long lost spirit of John Wayne and singing along with the soundtrack to "Chicago."

A long-time writer of complicated haiku, currently Sean is attempting to learn the advanced arts of plate spinning and soap carving sex toys.

Barring any of that? He'll stick with writing his stories, thanks, and rubbing pretty bodies together to see if they spark.

Reviews

[Serena Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I admit it. I'm a sucker for a cute guy needing to be rescued from a big brute. Even better if the rescuer is the usually quiet type who doesn’t strike anyone as a hero. This fun story has both. It’s about snowboarder Ecco – the one who could do with some help – and game designer Henry, who had no idea what he was getting in to when he started flirting with one of the athletes of the X-treme games. All he expected was – maybe – some fun, but once Henry and Ecco get to know each other, things change. I liked this illustration of what a little hope and love can do in terms of helping someone take back control of their life.

Ecco is a snowboarder who is desperate. He is in so much trouble that he doesn’t even know where to start. He just wants to snowboard and have some fun, but his manager, Blake, has different ideas. I think Ecco gave too much power to Blake before he realized the danger, then fell into a pattern of expecting abuse, and now has a very hard time figuring out how to get away. Without ID, money, or an idea where to go should he succeed, he doesn’t stand a chance. And anyway, he has tried to et away from Blake before – with disastrous results. When Henry comes along and seems happy to help him out, Ecco manages to pick himself up and starts effectively fighting Blake’s totally unprofessional and unwelcome possessiveness.

Henry is a quiet guy, a game designer, and a man with a big heart. He loves watching the X-treme games and flirting (or more) with the athletes, but he has never gotten more deeply involved. He also seems to think he is too old for them, but some of the athletes are not all that young themselves, so I suspect he is using it as an excuse. Meeting Ecco changes this for Henry. Not at first, when their interactions are purely lust-based. But when Henry begins to figure out that Ecco is in trouble, things change and Henry gets far more involved than he’d thought possible.

If you like athletes and the men they fall in love with, if you want to see a young man heal from years of mental and emotional abuse, and if you’re looking for an entertaining read with a lot of action between the sheets before it turns suspenseful and intense, then you will probably like this novel.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[Serena Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I admit it. I'm a sucker for a cute guy needing to be rescued from a big brute.

Ecco is a snow boarder who is so desperate, in so much trouble and so clueless in the beginning that it was almost too much. But when Henry, a game designer, comes along to help him out, he manages to pick himself up and start effectively fighting the brutal manager who suppressed him and stole from him for years. And yes, there was a lot of sex, but I saw it as part of the healing process for Ecco. A very tangible way for him to see and feel that there's a different life to the one he'd been forced to lead.

I really liked this illustration of what a little hope and love can do in terms of helping someone take back control of their life.

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars out of 5
Henry is a game designer who lives a somewhat isolated life in his mountain home. He's an avid winter sports fan and is looking forward to the next few weeks as the X-treme Games are coming to town. When he sees snowboarder Ecco he's immediately drawn to the cute blond and strikes up a conversation. They make plans for dinner that same night and Henry goes home looking forward to spending more time with Ecco but a bit concerned about the man he saw Ecco with just before leaving.

That man is Ecco's abusive and possessive manager, Blake. Holding onto all of Ecco's important documents and controlling all of his moves, Blake constantly makes it clear to Ecco that he owns him. After getting away from him with only a bump to the head Ecco meets Henry for dinner. The guys have a wonderful time flirting and getting to know each other and by the time the night is over they've made plans to get together after the Games are over.

But things go from bad to worse for Ecco after a fall during the qualifying runs results in Blake breaking into his room and beating him. The next day, bruised and battered, he meets up with Henry after his turn on the course. When Henry sees Ecco and notices his reaction to the obviously angry Blake he offers Ecco a place to rest up and heal for the next few days. They manage to leave without Blake following them and Henry takes Ecco to his home on the mountain.

From this point on the story is trademark Sean Michael with practically every other scene being a sex scene. I did like both Henry and Ecco and the development of their relationship was nice as they were able to spend a lot of time alone together before the latter part of the story which brought Blake back into the picture. There are a few very minor supporting characters in the story as well but for the most part it's just Henry and Ecco and a few scenes with Blake.

This leads me to what I didn't like which was Ecco and the abusive relationship he's been in for years. It just didn't make sense to me. He appears to be a smart strong man yet has allowed Blake to control and hurt him for a long time. Normally an abusive relationship is centered on the victim being in love with the abuser but that's not the case in this story. However, by the end of the story he does recognize that he needs to stand up to Blake and while the resolution to the storyline was a bit too convenient it did work with the overall storyline.

While I enjoyed the author's descriptive writing throughout the story as he 'shows us' the beautiful mountain scenery and the exhilaration of extreme sports I wasn't quite as happy with Ecco's way of talking. He's in his late 20s yet talks almost like a teenager with his constant use of words like 'cool' and 'dude'. Aside from Ecco's relationship with Blake and the way he talks I did like this story. It's fast paced, the characters are developed enough to be engaging and the sex scenes, while quite numerous, are well written and hot. The plot is rather predictable but the flow of the story is good making this a quick and easy read.

If you don't have a problem with abusive relationships and enjoy reading contemporary erotic romances featuring likable characters who meet, quickly fall into bed and then in love this story should appeal to you. Fans of Sean Michael will enjoy reading the author's latest story as well.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been a while since I read a book by Sean Michael. Now I remember why I tend to shy away from his books. Ecco/Christian is a snow boarder who is competing at the X-Treme Games. He is clearly in some trouble dealing with his abusive manager, Blake. Ecco meets Henry, a software engineer who follows the snow boarding games. So these two meet and, like most of SM's books, spend most of their time ripping each other's clothes off. Ecco has a break from competitions and after a particularly nasty run-in with Blake, he decides to spend time at Henry's house. I wanted to see more relationship development, more of a focus on the seriousness of the abuse that Ecco is experiencing and what Henry can do to extricate Ecco from this situation. But that's not what I got. Lots of smexy bits, superficial emotion along with some instalove. I did like the end where we finally move out of the bedroom and see Ecco and Henry really come together.

[Sara]

I am not quite sure how to rate this book. On one hand I liked it. I liked how Henry first chats up Ecco after his handstand show off routine and all the flirting they did. I liked their first date and I even was okay with the first bit we get with Ecco and Blake. But then things got weird for me and it's more than likely a case of it's me and not the book.

I won't drag this review out... this was my first read from the author and I am worried we don't mesh. There were things that happened in this book that made me uncomfortable with how they were dealt with. I mean, there was a lot of sex throughout that teetered on the line of way too much for me but then again the sex was hot. But then again, there was a lot of sex with a man who is not only injured from a snowboarding accident that resulted in a broken wrist and concussion but that same man was beaten by his manager/ex-lover. Beaten to the point that his new lover comments on how bad the bruises all over his body are and then proceeds to go after the D because orgasms trump injury, right?

I think, had abuse not been part of the story I would have enjoyed it more. I am all for dudes getting their freak on at all times and I am married so I get that guys can have toes chopped off and bleeding like a fountain and if offered sex, they'll have a go at it. But it was the issue of abuse, of Ecco being abused by Blake and how all of that was handled that made this not work for me.

Ugh.

The name changing game was super sweet until the names weren't kept consistent. One minute Ecco was Ecco and the next his was his real name with Henry and I got lost with keeping up.

So yeah...

Would I try another story by the author? Sure. I just think this was an unfortunate introduction to their work.

[Delta · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really quick read, but not especially noteworthy. The smexy bits were good, but the plot line with the manager was borderline disturbing. If you like a "damsel in distress" type of story, then you will probably like this one.

[BWT]

DNF 24%

I'm really cringing at the abuse side plot, and it's bringing me down big time. Putting a pin in it for now. Maybe one day I'll pick it back up.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I get ready to read a sports themed book I usually assume I will like it, but not love it. How many times can we re-read the same story really? I was totally wrong! I'm a big girl, I can admit it.

Henry, a video game designer lives in a secluded mountain area in a gorgeous house with a spectacular view. His house is far enough away from town to feel like he's in the middle of nowhere, but close enough to go see the X-treme Games when they are in town.

Ecco is an older (by snowboarding standards) boarder that will probably not make it big, but loves the sport just the same. The only thing that can dim his love of the snow is his psycho manager Blake.

Henry and Ecco meet after one of Ecco's practice runs and after some drinks and flirting agree to meet for dinner later. After a great meal with good company and relaxing conversation the attraction takes root.

Ecco hurts himself during a practice run and ends up in a cast. His manager goes crazy and hurts him even worse. When Henry sees Ecco the next day he knows he would do anything to help him escape. The two quietly slip away for a few weeks at Henry's place to let Ecco heal.

After two weeks in paradise Henry knows he would do just about anything to make Ecco safe and Ecco knows that he needs to make a clean break from Blake once and for all.

The story was so entertaining. I every time I had to put it down I would get mad, real life is so inconsiderate.

There were enough snowboarding terms in the book that you could tell the author knew about the sport, but not so many that I didn't have a clue what was being said. It was a great balance. I loved that Ecco wanted to be the one to fix his own mess and the Henry was strong enough to let him try without his help. Their banter back and forth was endearing and their was just enough of the conflict with Blake to keep it from getting boring.

This was a great read. I'm excited to read more of Sean's work.

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

3.75 stars

When I got the chance to review this book, I was super excited! Snowboarders! Competition! Right up my alley. Add in that it is written by one of my go-to authors and I devoured this book within a few hours.

Readers should be aware that there are scenes of domestic abuse that occur within this story that are graphic. Ecco has suffered abuse by Blake for years. He’s tried several times to escape, but because Blake controls nearly every aspect of Ecco’s life, including the money, Ecco is forced to do whatever it is that Blake wants him to do. Arriving at the Branchberry Games, his hopes were to just get on his board and ride. What he wasn’t expecting was to have Henry flirt with him and ask him to dinner.

Henry is a rich geek who borders on being a bit nerdy. He’s made a nice hunk of change designing video games. It’s enough money that he has an isolated dream home with beautiful mountain views and can afford to spend a month watching the X-treme Games when they come to town. Ordinarily he looks forward to flirting with the athletes, and this year was no different…until he met Ecco and realized that there was something seriously wrong going on between Ecco and Blake. Stepping in, Henry is ready to protect Ecco any way that he can. I really liked Henry because he is not the type of character you expect to play the role of the hero.

Read Wendy’s review in its entirety here.

[Morgan Skye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ecco (aka Christian) is a snowboarder who is being abused by his manager. He gets injured and ends up seeking refuge with Henry, a game designer who has a crush on Ecco.

**

This story plain didn’t work for me.

For one thing, I never really liked Ecco. He was really immature, weak and I think, portrayed as not very intelligent. I honestly didn’t see any redeeming qualities other than he can board well and therefore I wasn’t really invested in his relationship with Henry.

I also never understood why Henry just didn’t confront the manager for Ecco when he found out about the abuse. The drama with the manager seemed over the top soap-opera- esque.

The way these guys interacted with one another felt like two teen-age boys at a skate-park rather than two grown men – one of whom is a professional. This was cute at first and felt like the author was really trying to keep things “real”, but then it got tiring and felt forced as the book went on.

There was a lot of sex and I think maybe too much? (Dare I say it?) For example – Ecco is really beat up and just out of the hospital – he goes home and engages in vigorous sex – that didn’t feel really realistic and instead felt extraneous. I’m not sure all the sex really helped this story out or if it was too much – but fans of Sean Michael know what to expect as far as that’s concerned.

I just don’t think this book was my style – I still love the author and will continue to look for other books by her in the future.

[Andrea Goodell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sean Michael is normally an automatic yes for me, and more times than not it’s a solid win.

Unfortunately, with this one, while well written as normal. The subject was not my cup of tea. The snowboarding slang, even though the guy was almost thirty. (I get it, it was his culture, his life) Also while I enjoyed the ‘getting to know’ but felt the ending of the Blake’s demise went too fast.

Henry and Ecco learning each other was fun, Ecco teaching Henry the finer points of all things snow, snowboarding etc. And Henry teaching Ecco, well to live, to trust. All the while having this elephant sitting in corner.

Everyone in that area having Henry’s back and by proxy Ecco because of the relationship and love at the end. And in return everyone in the snowboarding family looking out for Ecco all made up a warm and fuzzy feel good story overall.

The description of the home and area made me almost want to be knee deep in snow, instead of sunny, Florida… almost.

Great HEA ending, after the Blake, thing.
I was given a copy in exchange for an honest review by Crystals Many reviewers

[Cindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not a bad story, really. Ecco is a competing snowboarder who has a psycho manager. Henry is a fan who catches Ecco's eye, as well as the rest of him. The entire story is based on Henry and Ecco getting to know each other and Ecco hiding out from the manager. I love a story where someone swoops in to rescue someone who is being abused. BUT........... I found myself actually making fun of the book quite a bit more than reading it. Dude! Gnarly! For reals! Rock on! Man! Oh, and my favorite: Duders! I could so go on and on about how annoying that was but I won't. I did actually like the story, though I felt that it was more about Henry and Ecco than the plot of the story..... which I'm assuming was the manager thing. The silliness in the dialogue will not prevent me from reading another of this author's books.

[Juniper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sean Michael has never been on my list of must-reads, but I quite liked the sound of this story enough to be tempted to buy. Not a particularly stellar decision on my part.

Sadly, though, it was purely a vehicle for smut - sex scene begets sex scene begets yet another sex scene. So many orgasms in one night, the poor man must have been absolutely drained. I ended up skipping over them in the end in the vain hope of finding a plot-line. The premise of an abusive relationship was quite interesting but wasn't really developed enough & then, was quite suddenly resolved.

I didn't actually hate it - there were some redeeming features between the sex scenes......... give me a little while as I try to think of them.

[Wendy❤Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised with what felt like a bit more depth to the plot and context of the story in this Sean Michael novella. I’m not really up on my snow sports lingo, but I could readily imagine the characters as they were portrayed and the setting as being realistic. I liked the little bit of suspense and anxiety that built around Echo having to deal with a nasty situation involving his manager. As usual from having read a number of other books by this author, the relationship comes pretty easily to the two main characters – Henry and Echo. There’s definitely a healthy dose of sex and love going around, but that’s also why I keep coming back! Enjoyed it:)

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had never heard or read anything about this book but was on the hunt for a title that started with a X for my A-Z book title challenge and saw it. I like when there is an abused or traumatized MC that gets his or hers HEA and this book had that. I felt that you didn't really get to know the characters though and that there was a little too much repeating of certain phrases for me to love the book.

[Sassafrass · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my venture into a purely m-m book. This was a sweet love story. It wasn't overly sexual and the sex scenes weren't very graphic or anything. There was a decent plot. It had a nice HEA and I was really rooting for h/h. I can't wait to delve into more m-m stories and this was a nice introduction, but a little too sweet for my usual taste.

[Barb ~rede-2-read~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very pleasant story about a snowboarder and a nerd/geek/fan of the sport. There's lots of sex, so much so that the guys must have been dehydrated, but there is a plot and I liked it more than average so moved it from 3.5 to 4 stars. There's lots of luv, some hurt/comforting, an escape from an abusive manager, and a nice HEA.

[SA · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess this is why I don't read romances! It wasn't terrible but I found myself skipping ahead five or ten pages at a time, stopping to read the charming bits where Ecco was opening up more. If you like the genre, it's better than many, and it's definitely hot.

[SueM · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
As expected from a Sean Michael novel, this story had plenty of sex scenes, yet it still was a relatively sweet story of a man overcoming years of psychological, physical and emotional abuse to emerge out the other side with love and laughter in his life.

[Dani Elle Maas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this story but and coming from me that will sound strange but it didnt need this much sex
it was a wonderful sport story on its own
and the too much sex did the story more harm then it did good

[Renee (ren213) · Rating 2 out of 5]

All the snow boarding lingo was pretty annoying.

[Mariana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Lora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but needed more backstory. More of Ecco's past and how he came to be with Blake, etc..

[jules0623 · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Way too much sex and Christian was identified as a man in his late twenties but sounded like a 14 year old bogan.

[Anke]

Where did my review/rating go? It's marked 'read' in my calibre and I'm sure I read it, but somehow here on GR there is nothing?!

[Kobie · Rating 4 out of 5]

the characters are always lovely in Sean Michael's stories.