Bound To Please

Playing for Keeps #2

by Kimberly Gardner

Jason doesn't do monogamy, and as a much sought-after Dom he doesn't have to. But when he gets the chance to play with Benny, his sweet young assistant who wants only to please him, Jason holds back.Benny's no sub, but for a chance to be with the sexy Dom he's sure he can change. Except he's only fooling himself, and deep down he knows it.Enter Rain, a sexy badboy who's got a taste for the lash and pretty young things, like Benny. What's a man to do when the two men he lusts after are determined that even a hook-up is not in the cards? Why, orchestrate one single night of pleasure, of course.But when the whip comes down, and one night isn't enough, it's love, not leather, that's bound to please. This story was previously released elsewhere but has been re-edited and revised for Loose Id.

Genres: BDSM, M M Romance, Menage, M M M, Contemporary, Romance, Erotica

332 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, back before computers, before email, before the internet–Imagine that!–a book junkie was born. That was me.

Fast forward three decades to a soft spring day in 1997, and find me contentedly reading my eleventy-thousandth romance novel. Sighing, I closed the book and say, “I can do that.”

Voilà! A writer was born!

Don’t worry, I’m not going to walk you through the intervening years day by day, project by project, rejection by rejection. A journey like that would involve far more wailing and gnashing of teeth than even I, with my flare for drama, could stand.

What I will do, is tell you that over the years I have written a little of everything including: a novel-length contemporary romance, two screenplays,

dozens of flash fictions and prose poems, short stories of varying lengths, novellas and most recently gay erotic romance.

Gustave Flaubert said, “Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work.”

And I do. I live in a three-story Victorian with my husband, three cats and a yellow lab named Oliver. Most days I write (at least a little) and read quite a lot.

As to whether my work is violently original … achieving that goal may take the rest of my regular and orderly life.

Reviews

[SheReadsALot · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will most definitely read more from this author. The blurb actually is not as great as it could be. Because hello...hot f-cking plot ahead!

Jason is the owner of BDSM club and also erotic photographer. He's also a Dom with a sweet, sexy young personal assistant named Benny who's crushed on the older man but hasn't the balls to approach him in that way. Enter Rain! My favorite character of the three, he's a blue haired, model/ new stripper/semi-retired gay porn actor who has no qualms with being sexy. Oh he was so necessary for Benny and Jason, their third and submissive to Benny's sweet innocence and Jason's Dom.

Why no 5 stars you wonder?

Rain could only carry this sex show so far. There's some secret activity that Rain participates in that are questionable but I didn't feel they were answered thoroughly enough. And the bad guy? He just disappears.

But...

There's some yummy kink thrown in - corset piercings! A few good scenes thrown in. Was it hardcore BDSM action, no. But it was strong enough for me. LOL

[Gabriel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I fought my way through this book. It felt like I had to climb mountains and part oceans to get to the end of it. And what thought was I left with in the end?

NO!

Yeah, just a big fat NO right there, because this book? This book takes everything known about BDSM and shakes it up a little & decides to just say "Fuck it". Therefore, what ends up being this so-called BDSM book is actually a poor version of how a non-kinky guy tries to finds his way with a Dom and a full-time pain slut and sub.
Sounds interesting? It truly isn't.

One of the biggest problems I had was that none of the characters truly showed any feelings. Instead of was like I was on the monotone train with no light at the end.
If they did show emotions, I deeply apologize for not picking up on it due to the extremely bad way it was shown from the author's side.
Especially Benny was bad & considering he was one the main characters in the book that is getting off on a bad start. But I never got any change in him. Whether he was in love, mad or happy, the writing didn't change to show these emotions. Instead I was left with reading about a 2D character.

Rain was just plain annoying. Or, I liked him in the beginning, but afterwards? Nah ah.
He is the one who ends up in problems. He is the one with the bad sorta ex-boyfriend. He is the one who is the deeply committed sub and of course he is the one who comes with the biggest load of baggage.
Cliché? Oh yes it is.
Jason was just bad as a Dom. If this had been my first book in the world of BDSM, I might actually have thought it was good. But I have read my fair share by now & I can tell that I didn't get one vibe from him through the pages.
Yes, I got the alpha vibe, but never one where I thought "wau, this is clearly a Dom". In all honesty, he seemed a tad whiny at times.

Now, the BDSM.
Was that what I was reading? Or was it just a lot of BDSM-y words thrown in where it seemed most appropiate after the author had scanned the Wikipedia page on the subject? It felt more like the latter.
The main reason for me not getting the BDSM in this one was because of the whole Jason/Rain/Benny. I had thought, as I read the summary, that Benny was a submissive, but hadn't delved into it yet nor explored it.
But no, I am treated to a relationship with a Dom/sub pairing & a person who isn't the slightest bit submissive nor interested in being a dom. Does that sound like something that is going to work out? Because it sure doesn't to me. Quite the opposite; it sounds like something doomed to failure right from the get go.
It was absolutely ridiculous to read about & with a summary/cover that pointed towards a BDSM book completely misleading, as well.
I cannot express in words how many times I had to shake my head and felt like banging my head against the wall, while reading - but trust me, it was a lot of times!

So, would I recommend this book? No, never.
I wouldn't even recommend it to people who have decided that wanted to read & learn about BDSM, because this does in no way reflect a healthy Dom/sub relationship.
I definitely won't recommend it to people reading and getting into menages, as the author haven't gotten the slightest grasp on that part at all.

2 stars for the cover. The book itself gets 0.5. Seriously.
I'm just too dumbfounded that this can even be classified as BDSM. I'm not putting it on my shelf, that's for sure. Nor on my menage one.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 out of 5 stars

Jason is a Dom in a relationship of sorts with Rain, a blue-haired model, former porn star and wanna be stripper/dancer. Benny is Jason's PA and secretly in lust with his boss. Jason has feelings for Benny but he doesn't do vanilla so leaves Benny alone. Rain and Benny hook up and conspire to show Jason just how good they would be, all together.

I really liked this follow up to Phoenix Rising. All three of the protagonists are well drawn and likable men, the storyline is interesting, fast-paced and exciting and the sex scenes are scorching hot. The secondary characters and side plots are seamlessly woven into the men's evolving relationship and I felt the author did a really good job of showing the emotional connection growing between Jason, Benny and Blue.

Keep in mind this is a menage (m/m/m) and while it is BDSM themed it's relatively mild but may not be to everyone's taste. Bound To Please is a very well written story and I highly recommended it.

[Elisa Rolle]

Bound to Please explains perfectly one of the reasons why I understand the existence of a ménages a trois, while I usually am a monogamy supporter.

Benny is in love with his boss Jason, a Dom and the owner of a BDSM private club (he is one of the character in Phoenix Rising, the previous book by Kimberly Gardner set in the same community). With his body and heart Benny is willing to give anything to Jason, but with his mind he is scared by all the different layers a BDSM relationship can have. Jason knows that, if he pushes the boy, Benny would probably agree to a Master / slave relationship, but deep inside it’s not what he wants.

Enter Rain, former porn actor and now fetish model; he is one of the models Jason is using for his exhibition, and he is more than willing to be the guinea pig for the most extreme of Jason’s pictorial fantasies. Rain is a happy to go guy, sex is something good and full of joy, and he lives it like that, willing to share his body with a freedom that Benny envies. But Rain is not selfish, obviously, and he finds in both Jason than Benny something he needs: Jason is the authoritative figure he needs to have an appearance of stability in his life, and Benny is the buddy friend he wants to not forget that, indeed, life is a good thing.

There is a complex work of balance in the trio: Jason needs both Rain than Benny, since the two together fulfil all his desires, his sweet and his hard side; Rain needs both Jason than Benny; and Benny needs both Rain than Jason, Rain to help him understand that there is not to be feared in the type of relationship the darker side of Jason needs. No one of them is complete without both of his lovers, missing one of them would be the end of the whole relationship.

I like all the characters, but for sure the boys, Benny and Rain, are the best; Jason is good but he fades on the background when the boys are around, something that is strange considering he is the Dom. Benny and Rain, purple and blue hair, are like boys at play, I have always the feeling to hear someone laughing when they are in a room. Jason is not their puppeteer, he is the one who is fallen in their net; I have this image of Benny and Rain building a net with colourful rope, and Jason totally caught in the middle.

There is a lot of sex, some of it also quite extreme, but above all I have this feeling of esthetical beauty: each scene is like a carefully planned painting, with full and deep colour, it’s a very visual feeling. On this matter, at the beginning the cover led me in the wrong direction: it gave me the idea of a futuristic / fantasy romance, and so I didn’t realize that indeed, this is a totally contemporary novel, and moreover, the sequel of Phoenix Rising.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1608200442/?...

[Tere · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading for the second time this book, I'm bound to give it 5 stars, even if before I stated otherwise. This second read gave me a better appreciation of the book and made me overlook its faults, much like in A Thread of Deepest Black, the characters (protagonists and secondary alike -hell, secondary characters are as real and brilliant as our main trio, which I appreciate wholeheartedly)

Merely by mistake I picked up this book, I still haven't read Phoenix Rising but fortunately this didn't diminished my enjoyment at all. This was my first threesome book, one I truly enjoyed and cherished, and it opened this genre to me, one I didn't really care about before.

While I'm biased with society views on monogamy, which I support, I totally support this particular threesome. In this book it's totally plausible and it's for the benefit of all of the boys. They all need it, embrace it and enjoy it, they're better and stronger being together. The author give the three of them the time to find their important role in the relationship, none of them is replaceable. Jason actually describes the situation pretty accurately, even before the threesome is established as an official relationship:

Was that what he really thought? That he was nothing more than a third link in a chain, interchangeable with any one of a dozen other willing and eager pretty boys?

Because that was definitely not the case with these two. In fact, Jason couldn't imagine it, exchanging either of his boys for someone else.

Even though the book is narrated from Benny and Jason's POV, I felt Jason was always least interesting than Benny and Blue, but nonetheless a great character, a lovable lover and Dom. Maybe I feel like that because I sympathised so easily with Benny, I could totally understand his insecurities and worries. I was feeling almost the same for Rain when the scene between Mario and Benny in the dungeon came and I was all over Benny again, feeling for him and wanting him to be happy.

Rain is was the most complex character in the book, a lover, a sub, a slut, a great kid and such a nice guy. He never meant to hurt anyone despite his past. In fact, Benny and Rain are my favourite pair from the threesome, they're just so cute together. The book is filled with tender moments between the boys -being in pairs or the three of them together-, a decent amount of angst and a beautiful HEA, one I believe will last, unlike other threesomes I get the feeling won't last much longer after the last page.

One of the things I wish had been different is that the author presents us some nice subplots involving the secondary characters, but they're not addressed at the end of the book, so they're left hanging at the end. I wish they'd have their own books eventually (Mario and Shannon definitely deserve one, though I wouldn't mind a second book focused on Benny, Rain and Jason).

Other thing I didn't particularly like was the way Rain's problem was solved. In fact, I didn't understand why was that necessary, since the characters provide enough drama just with their own insecurities without needing to add this twist. The little encounter between Jason and Don was weird and the resolution was pretty rushed. This was my main issue with ranking this book, but really, after the second time, I put that on a balance and the strengths of the book far overshadow the least polished details.

At the end I LOVED the book, specially because I first picked it for it bdsm theme and ended loving the romance it brought. That's my favourite kind of turn these books can give me. There is sex, but really, that's far from what I enjoyed the most about this book.

[Charly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story about 3 guys who are all necessary to the relationship

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 7/10

PROS:
- The 3 main characters complement each other well. This is a threesome relationship in which I really feel that each of the guys is necessary--there aren’t two main guys with one who’s a third wheel emotionally. Naturally, each of them FEELS at one point or another as though he’s a third wheel, but those feelings simply lead to a healthy amount of angst (without going overboard, in my opinion).
- Most of the sex scenes are well done, and some of them are pretty dang hot.
- There’s a decent amount of drama in the story--miscommunication, struggles to understand other characters and/or oneself, ugly experiences from the past, etc.--but for whatever reason, I didn’t feel while reading the book that there was TOO much drama. I guess it’s not terribly realistic, but it didn’t strike me as melodramatic, either.
- Gardner has a writing style that flows well and is easy to read quickly. I breezed through this book, not because it’s a heart-pounding page-turner all the way through, but because the writing is well-paced and for the most part, clean.

CONS:
- The relationships moved maybe a little bit too fast for me. For example, Rain refers to Jason as “Master” pretty much right from the start, before they’ve established much of an emotional connection, and it isn’t much later before Rain says that he wants to devote himself to Jason as his slave.
- I found the ending just a little disappointing. I liked the way the story ends with the three main guys, but there’s no final sex scene once they’ve reconciled and we see them all happy and living together (there’s no sex scene for the last 90 pages of the book, in fact). In addition, several secondary characters’ stories are left unresolved. Maybe Gardner’s planning on sequels, though.
- This has little to do with the story itself, but it should be said: the blurb on the back cover of the book doesn’t capture the true essence of the plot--not to mention the fact that it doesn’t even MENTION Rain--and the author’s last name is misspelled on the book’s spine. As typos go, that one’s bad.

Overall comments: In case you’re thinking that this book is about a couple after reading the publisher’s blurb…it’s not. This book is about a threesome. The BDSM element is not as heavy or as pervasive as I thought it would be (not really a complaint; just a fact). Still, I thought it was an enjoyable read, and Gardner has an easy-flowing writing style that’s not amazing but is conducive to fast reading.

[Ryoma Gartre · Rating 2 out of 5]

1 star and a half. (because the cover looks sexy.)

Ok, I began reading this because I was really curious how the menage was going to play with a dude who wasn't into Submission.

The beginning was good even thought some parts were overdone, like the attraction Benny felt for Mario, then all flows easily until the scene when the first threesome happens, the video was almost overlooked, i would have liked it if it had played more in the scene, but it was ok.

Then we move on and little by little all begins to fall apart, Characters begin to act too dramatically and too many plots are put on game, plots we don't actually see the resolution of, but it was still bearable.

When the story moves just after the the gallery exposition it turns in to a dramafest, everything is drama, drama and more drama, specially from Rain and Benny, Rain, from being the character i liked the most in the beginning turns into the character i hated most in the end, and what's up with the setup? Rain is the Sub be in all the scenes involving him and Benny, he's always the dominant and the one doing the fucking, the only time when Benny fucks Rain was faded to black, and Dear lord, the scene with Rain's "manager" was wrong, i mean is a private club isn't there security? why the hell didn't they helped Jason and why the hell did they let the bad dude run away?, and the actions of both Rain and Benny are Harlequin worthy, I did skip pages due to all the drama which was over the top.

and What I hated the most is the quantity of unanswered questions/plots left in the air, what happened with Shanon's ex-boyfriend?, What was the true reason behind Mario closing his dungeon/club? Did Adam and his boyfriend resolved their issues regarding the house?

And the thing that drive me to read this book wasn't handled in the way I was expecting, if you ask me hierarchically was Jason/Rain/Benny, I was expecting something different, but the author took the easy way, in the end Benny was treated like a sub, the only difference between him and Rain was that Rain was a "pain-slut" as he and Jason denominate him and Benny wasn't, it wasn't at all what I was expecting.

[Felicia (Ferishia) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first heard of Kimberly Gardner when I read Phoenix Rising and I loved the characters of Adam and Jimmy. So it was no brainer to read this one. Benny, who appeared occasionally in Phoenix, appears in this one. He is secretly attracted to Jason, the owner of the BDSM club where he works. Jason is also a fetish artist and takes provocative BDSM pictures. He's recent model Rain is also attracted to him. Enter 3some! But where Rain makes the perfect sub/slave, Benny finds he cannot be either and his afraid of losing Jason. Jason is attracted to the angel-faced Benny and knows he doesn't fit into his world of BDSM but that doesn't stop him from wanting him. The relationship is both easy and complicated between them. Benny tries hard to be what he is not, a sub, going as far as approaching Jason's friend for help. I'm not that into BDSM and some of the happenings/descriptions did make me wince, but I still enjoyed the story. Benny is the glue that holds them together but he doesn't know it. Jason knows that all three of them need to be together, but he is hesitant to reveal what he really feels for Benny. Rain is afraid that Jason and Benny do not need him, so he tried to leave them thinking it would be best. I give this a 3.5 stars and will probably re-read it like I did Phoenix because I loved the characters.

[Vivian ♪(┌・。・)┌ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was actually really enjoyable, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the menage actually felt like it worked for me, and that it seemed stable enough that it could actually hold up beyond the book's Happily Ever After (because we've all thought at one point, that after a book has ended, shit could be going down and we wouldn't even realise. Or maybe I'm the only one delusional enough to think that the world of books actually exists in some alternate universe.)

I think at the beginning I had trouble getting into things because I didn't read the blurb, and I didn't realise there was a menage, so in my mind there were about four prospective lovers and I was confused as hell and very turned off especially since right near the beginning Jason was getting a blowjob by Rain. Urgh moment.

But then things cleared up and I was able to enjoy the smooth, easy-to-read writing. Not amazing, but still a pleasure to read.

Overall I enjoyed this book very much, and I certainly wouldn't mind reading other books by this author.

[Betryal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptionally written, great plot line. I enjoyed the way this story developed and the final in the end results. For some reason Blue Ruin kept coming to my mind by Katrina Strauss and I'm thinking it's more because I was captivated with the way Blue's hair was just that blue and Rain's hair was also blue. But even though I'm saying this don't get me wrong both stories were in no way similar even though they are both BDSM and both characters have blue hair.

I look forward to reading more by Kimberly. Bravo M'lady!!

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent kinky m/m romance about a young man who's secretly in love with his boss, a photographer and dominant who owns a bdsm club. When the dominant starts working with a hot new model and former porn star, everything changes. (Usually I don't read menages, because most authors can't make the emotional/romantic connections between three people convincing. Kimberly Gardner can.)

[Brandilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+* I really enjoyed this story. Truly from the first page I did not want to put it down. The only reason it is not a 5* read is that I would have LOVED to have Rain perspective on things here and there, it almost made him feel expendable (almost). I will certainly read more from this author.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loooooved this book! BDSM, threesome, steamy sex, a little bit of angst with a HEA, stripping and porn and all that naughtiness just yay. I lied that there was tension with Benny not really knowing that he was a submissive or that his submission could look differently to Rain's and still please Jason. Benny isn't a masochist and I like that he is different to a lot of the typical sub boys in books written around the lifestyle. I feel like the author showed that there was more to submission than pain and that the three of them brought different strengths to the relationship. Overall 5 for me!

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[Life Without Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, no closure on Jimmy and Adam other than Adam isn't happy Jimmy bought a place in NY to be with him when he's there. I know this book is about Jason, Rain and Benny but I still wanted some closure from the first book. This one ends as a HEA although the three seem to really struggle to get there. I actually liked the first book more than this one but still a good read.

[Line · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not my day for books.
I had HIGH hopes for this one, because I loved Benny in the sample.

But then; UGH, Jared kept making false assumptions (I thought that was a bad trait for a Dom??), Rain was ALL over the place and Benny could not open his mouth and articulate what he wanted (and then he decided to channel Rain, and I thought this just keeps getting weirder!)
But what really ruined it for me; The sex between Jared/Benny and Jared/Rain when the other wasn't present/asleep. Benny was in a sort of relationship/fuck-buddy arrangement with Rain, but he wanted Jared. And Jared REALLY wanted Benny, but then he wanted Rain. And then Benny was his Angel and his boy, and he wanted to collar Benny, but then Rain was his boy and perfect and... And the sleeping with either Rain or Benny when the other didn't know/wasn't there read very deceitful to me.
Also the chemistry was lacking (or maybe I just thought it was a REALLY bad way to start the relationship.) But the chemistry between Mario and Benny was sizzling, and I kept thinking: 'YOU GO BENNY, choose Mario in stead!'
If I've understood one thing from reading M/M/M-books it's that articulating and setting up boundaries in the relationship, help make the relationship equal, which is important since there is a possibility that one will 'always' be on the outside of the other two.
The beginning of the 'relationship' was deceitful and not making sense, which is why I gave up on the book...

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

There really wasn't anything wrong with this book, other than the characters were sometimes a bit slow on the uptake, a bit thickheaded. That's common in a bunch of books.

But nothing wrong isn't the same as being a good book. It was quite well done menage relationship. But I didn't love the sex. Or the characters. Or the plot. Or the ending. It didn't get me involved. It didn't give me anything new. It just basically bored me. I thought Marcus was the most interesting character... but he appeared twice and was never resolved. He's a sad, but true, stereotype. But he was the only character I felt sorry for. Mostly I just felt sorry he was appearing in this book.

This book had the potential to do some fun things and get into the different types of submissives and relationships, but I don't think it lived up to that.

[Zee♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written ménage with a reasonable plot and likable characters. Benny is not a sub but he’s in love with his boss Jason who is a Dom. Benny seems to have no chance at all with Jason until he meets model, ex porn star and pain slut Rain. Rain helps Benny hatch a plan to seduce Jason. The three of them are very hot together, but oh how they made falling in love so complicated with secrets and lies and lack of communication. Each one of them frustrated me at some point in the book. But I really liked how they each played an important part of their ménage even if it took a bunch of drama for them to figure it out. The BDSM elements are light and the secondary characters are interesting parts of the story. The epilogue at the end is sweet but I would have liked a little more of them living together as a threesome. 3.5 stars

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jason, Benny, Rain - These are the three main characters. When I first started reading the book I kept feeling like I had read it before. It really followed another book. You have. a photographer, his assistant, and a model. There is an established Dom/Sub relationships. I kept reading and soon realized that I had not read it before. I did enjoy the book. I had a few times when I worried if the characters would ever get all together. Something always came up to keep them apart. That just made it so much better when they did.

[Shaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. The characters all spoke to me. I won't say that I liked them all, in fact at all times I had an issue with either Jason, Rain or Benny lol. But if a character touches me, in whatever way that may be, then for me the book is a success.

I would have liked to have had a little more about the way the guys all learn to live as a threesome. I found that was overlooked, but then again, I'm greedy and I always want more!

[Darla Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually like group sex or scenes but this book allowed the characters to show their personalities and how they could complement each other which is what happens in every good relationship. Characters were all hot! I really like Rain, how could you not? He is just a sweet guy with no self protection, he really needed the others to be complete! Good story.

[Magen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good MMM BDSM book here. Jason is a Dom and erotic photographer who falls for his assistant Benny and model Rain in unexpected ways. All three men have interesting backgrounds and desires they bring to their new found threesome. The story manages to take a few twists and turns then the usual sex, sex, sex MMM books one reads which made for a fairly good, erotic read.

[Nichole (DirrtyH) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

A bit disjointed and the end was a little abrupt in my opinion, but overall a very enjoyable book. The BDSM is pretty mild for those who don't like stuff too hardcore, but it is an M/M/M menage story.

[Sakuko · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give the book 3 stars, since it kept me entertained throughout, but damn, the book has issues.

It felt like a cross between a cheep porn plot and a soap opera. Disjointed scenes with a lot of sex, flat characters without much ... character, barely any talking but a lot of drama.
There where also a lot of sub-plots that did not seem to have a reason to exist, since they went nowhere and had no context, like Mario and whatsHerName Domme's breakup with her boyfriend. Maybe it was a callback to the first book? I just felt it was more pointless drama without any payback. Other plotlines where just quickly milked for their drama and then quickly abandoned but never really closed, like the CD theft and Rain's roommate (Markus?).

And then the whole Benny is not a sub thing. I felt maybe the author did not get the difference between submission and masochism? Because Benny acts like a sub and is treated like a sub most of the time. That he's a bit reluctant about the more painful practices and doesn't like humiliation is no indication that he is not one, imo. D/s can have a lot of flavors and no sub likes everything.
Or maybe it was just a very forced plotpoint to make the threesome a necessity.

All in all the book just did not get me invested in the characters, but it was fun, in a train-wreck kind of way and there where some interesting sex/kink scenes like the needle play and the corset piercings.

[Ya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

5 stars

Bound to Please is the second book in Kimberly Gardner’s Playing for Keeps series. This is the second edition of the book, newly released, revised, and re-edited through Loose Id. Let me present to you my favorite of the two, and that’s saying something because where I’m not opposed to ménages (far from it), I usually have a hard time finding them remotely believable. But this book takes believable to a whole new level. You see, in my mind’s eye, when I think about three people in a relationship—whether it be three men, three women, two man and a woman, or two women and a man—I can’t get past wondering about the level of jealousy they must have suffered in the beginning or may suffer day to day. This book, this author, makes those questions reality and, in turn, makes the relationship between Jason, Benny, and Rain so very real and poignant.

It’s that realism that draws me to these guys, especially to Benny, which is where this story begins, so I think I’ll start with him too. Purple haired Benny is more than he seems when the book opens. He’s sort of awkward and learning who and what he is. Jason has never really given him a chance to learn about what being submissive means, so his questions have gone unanswered until Jason’s old friend Mario shows up. Mario sort of turns their world on its ear. He shows up out of nowhere and basically tells Jason that Benny is a sub and is Jason’s for the taking, but does Jason listen? That’d be a resounding no. You see, this story for Benny is self-discovery. One moment he was floundering and the next he knows what he wants but not how to get it. Benny’s journey is the one in which he learns that being submissive is more than kneeling at his Master’s feet and taking a lash or two. When Benny finally gets Jason, really gets him, he realizes that he can’t have Jason without Rain too, because as subservient as Benny is, he’s not the masochist that Jason needs. The vulnerability and doubt, the insecurity and jealousy, it causes is eye opening and healing for Benny, but it doesn’t come easy. He has to work for it. They all do.

Read Crissy’s review in its entirety here.

[Angela Goodrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s better than an m/m book? An m/m/m ménage. Having met Benny and Jason in Phoenix Rising, I was excited to read Bound to Please. Despite the brevity of their interactions in the first book, the attraction between Benny and Jason was quite obvious. As this is a romance, I knew they would get their happy ending, I just didn't realize exactly how happy of an ending it would be.

Although Benny and Jason are attracted to one another, Jason refuses to pursue anything because as a Dom who knows himself, he knows that he won’t be satisfied living a vanilla life and Benny is vanilla. While Benny is jealous of the rendezvous he witnesses between Jason and his newest model, Rain, he finds himself drawn to Rain. Accepting that he can’t have Jason, Benny begins seeing Rain. Rain sees the attraction between Benny and Jason and sets out to help the two men connect, but his intentions are not entirely altruistic because he plans to be right there in the middle of it – literally. When the plan works and the three spend the night together, my Kindle was freaking melting it was so hot – the visual nearly short-circuited my brain. And while the chemistry between the three men was so apparent, it was frustrating how they got in their own way by insisting it was all casual. When the thread began to unravel and everything started to fall apart, my heart was breaking for them. But I was absolutely devastated for Benny when his plan to seek out training as a sub backfired so thoroughly.

Thankfully this is a book and everything worked out as it should, but the journey from attraction to connection to heartbreak to happily ever after is one heck of a ride. Bound to Please was an excellent read with lots of drama, lots of hot sex, and a great storyline. Ms. Gardner has produced a wonderful addition to the Playing for Keeps series. While I suspect that the next book will be about Shannon, I do hope that Mario gets bumped to the front of the line as I need to know what's really going on with him. So please, Ms. Gardner, write quickly!

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

[Joelle Mendes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never expected this book to make me feel this way...

When I started this book, I thought I was in for some sexy fun with maybe a bit of kinkiness with a side of hot sex. I never imagined that these boys would break my heart. This book took me longer to read than usual. I could only read small bits here and there for a few days but each time I sat down with it, I had a hard time putting it down. Last night, I picked it up intending to read only a chapter or two, but I couldn't stop. I was so wrapped up in these men, I couldn't stop. Next thing I knew, I was reading the epilogue and it was almost 5am. That hasn't happened in a long time.

Benny, Rain and Jason were the perfect trio. I had mixed feelings about each of them individually, but together, they made me a happy girl. Benny was sweet throughout and though I liked him well enough in the beginning, the more I got to know him, the deeper I fell for him. But boy did he make me crazy at the end. I wasn't feeling it for Jason at first. Especially when he hooked up with Rain at that first photo shoot. He just seemed very aloof to me. I couldn't see him giving Benny the love that he needed. There was a point in the book where you start to see his feelings come through and that's where he had me. And Rain. Oh good god...Rain. That boy drive me crazy. I adored him but he was so flighty at times. There were so many times that I just wanted to hug him and even more times that I wanted to strangle him. In the end, everything worked out just as I wanted it to. With a few tears a long the way.

There were so many good characters in this book. I really liked Adam and Jimmy so I really need to go back and read their story. I'm dying to know more about what happened with Shannon and Hainey and I'd love to see Mario get his own book. I feel like there's a lot of open questions that I would love answers to. I hope they find Don and put his smarmy a** in jail for a long time. And what happens with Marco? Maybe he ends up becoming Mario's boy. After all, we never really solved the mystery of Mario, did we?

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've swung between 5 stars to 2 stars for this book so I just went in between with 3. Honestly I like these characters a lot despite being confused as hell sometimes and wondering if Jason is actually a very go Dom at times. Rain is the easiest and most consistent character. He's slut and into some major pain play. I like his flamboyant personality and his almost bratty behavior at times. The blue hair is o_0 that I tried not to think about but still a fun character with a bit of a dark past that I like.

Benny is the sweetest and cutest sub and yes I do mean sub that I've read in a while. This book goes on and on and ON about how Benny isn't a sub yet he calls Jason Sir/Master and they do play with some toys, orgasm denial, and he really does want to serve Jason and make him happy. Not to mention Jason do give him orders. No he isn't hardcore but I get a definite shy and subby vibe from this character. In the beginning when Jason is say no he isn't a sub I really thought this was going to playout that Jason realized he was in error but no the author really did push down on that path making me go huh?!

Jason is sexy as hell I love the blonde hair. Yet I just want to shake my head at the fact he doesn't talk at all to his boys. There is no definition at all with the relationship and it lead to so many problems. Not to mention the fact that Rain gets taken back by the sleaze ball Don and he has no clue about what is going on with Rain or Benny. The the final confrontation just had my jaw dropping What kind of Dom lets his slave talk to a creep that beat him up and obviously extorted him?

As for the story itself I like the menage and I like how each one of the subs was different. A lot of things in the book just left me scratching my head but I enjoyed the sex and a lot of the characters despite their flaws.

[Victoria Rainey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hearts on Fire Review

****4 1/2 stars****

Original Review Published here: http://heartsonfirereviews.com/?p=28664


Jason is the most sought after Dom around. He can have his pick of men and woman at any time. He spends a lot of his time working either at his BDSM club or at his photography. Jason is a complicated man. He knows what he wants but seems to mull things over. He also does not talk about his feelings much.

Benny is Jason’s personal assistant. Benny is head over heels in love with Jason and has been for a while. However, Jason only wants subs and Benny is no sub. At least he does not think he is but he can change if Jason wants him too.

Rain is a complicated submissive. He has done a lot in his short life, including stripping, movies, and photos. At the end of a phot shoot, he ends up having sex with Jason. Jason is a perfect match for Rain. He helps balance him. Rain’s biggest issue is he knows Benny is in love with Jason.

The connection between Rain, Jason, and Benny is intense. It took a lot of time to make the relationship work between the three men. It would have gone faster if they talked about it. The sex scenes were scorching. I liked how not every sex scenes was a ménage scene, that made a difference.

I found this book well written with a realistic plot. The main characters and the secondary character were interesting and fascinating. This book kept me on my toes all the way through. I loved the ending a lot. My biggest issue with this book was that Benny was almost desperate for Jason’s love and attention and Jason never really acknowledged his feelings until the end. Overall, this was an outstanding book.

[Antisocial Recluse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little convoluted but good

This was overall a good story. I had some issues, as usual, with threads in the storyline that weren't tied up. Jason, Ben and Rain were hot together. It was a little weird, how they got together. I wasn't sure, at first, if Rain was ruining things for Jason and Ben. It was also strange that Jason couldn't see the submissive nature in Ben. I guess he was looking more for the pain kink, which Ben didn't have. Rain balanced the two of them out.

What I didn't understand was Rain's involvement with Don. He was supposed to be a well-known porn star. And Don never got his comeuppance. Adam and Jimmy were struggling over Jimmy's condo purchase and we don't know what happened. The ending was also very mixed up. It was kind of like a comedy of errors, though it wasn't funny. Whatever happened to the kid in the apartment?

Hopefully, these questions will be answered in a future book. Mario is a new character that I'm sure will be followed up on. But it was good overall. Not very heavy on BDSM but the corset piercing made me cringe a little.