kimberly_rose’s Reviews > Two Steps Back > Status Update

I want Ben to get his own romance story! In the end, this story tipped down to the whatcha-doin-here side a bit, losing its boom-boom-boom-like-a-big-bass-drum awesome, but still an enjoyable read. 3.5 stars rounded up. Gala is a reliable thought-spinning read!

All the previous sexual scenes have been explosively satisfying, but this violet wand scene has me completely disconnected, simply skim reading... trying to catch up emotionally with Dallin and William.... How the heck did they get here? Shouldn't there be something... else?

Yanno what's bizarre? In their whole blow-out fight, Dallin never once mentioned that the reason he was trying to "shut out" William from his personal troubles was because he was William's whore, not a boyfriend! He mentioned it enough to himself over the course of the story. That was a glaring emotionally issue that was never address. Other that the paltry conversation with Ben, which just whitewashed the issue.

Dallin's reaction to William's call to his brother seems way overreaction. He's dumping all his anger on William, in response to his feelings connected to knowing for sure his parents will never change/mature.

I bet William will post an ad in a personals column.... Also, this story isn't going where I wanted it to go, but it's still interesting, compelling. Dallin is a strong man. William is a rich, socially-privileged man.

But, as a lonely reader, I am here, reading his past pain and marveling at how strong and clear-minded, how balanced and psychologically "with it" he is, and he's done it all by himself, lived and learned through his trauma. My god, he's amazing.

Omg! The paragraph about when Dallin cried! Holy ducky fuck! It would only be more powerful if he said it out loud, if someone who cared heard his internal angst. That would rip me up hard.

This is an incredibly difficult decision: "Dallin would be damned if he was going to trade his self-worth for the right to have his parents in his life."

I am compulsively checking the page count and wringing my hands, fretting that there are only 30 or so pages left... I want to see more!

And the interactions with the odd William are so delicious, so tense, so calm, kind, and good. But also, scary tense. Cuz I know their growing bond has a foundation of sand: dallin is being paid.