Book Utopia

Though you won’t find a Jane Davitt title reviewed on this blog, I’ve read her before and enjoyed her intelligent eroticism to the point where I always check out her new titles when they come out. I don’t buy them all. I still need to read the blurb and excerpt and determine if it’s a book that interests me. But I know that I generally really like her voice, and this was no exception.

The story starts with Simon receiving a visitor. Chris Ross doesn’t seem like your usual book person. His hair is dyed, his ear has multiple piercings, and his leather jacket doesn’t exactly scream bookworm. The book Chris offers to sell him, however, is not Simon’s usual fare. He recognizes it as once belonging to his ex-boyfriend, so after much negotiation—and intriguing attitude—a deal is struck. Simon calls his ex to sell it back, and discovers that Chris is more than what he seems. He’d been sleeping with the ex as well, while doing some carpentry work for him, and when the job was done, the ex kicked him to the curb without payment. This complicated scenario starts a swell of events that drive Simon to striking yet another deal with Chris, one that benefits the both of them in other ways.

The thing I like best about this author’s work is her voice. There’s a subtle intelligence to her work that consistently shines through. It comes through in details, like discussing the foxing on a book, or in carefully orchestrated erotic scenes. What I enjoy so much is that it never feels obvious. Not only is her prose some of the cleanest I come across, but it often seems effortless, too. It’s helped that her particular brand of eroticism manages to hit a lot of my buttons. Even with a simple kiss, I find myself engaged on multiple levels. That’s not true of a lot of authors.

These aspects are where this short novella shines for me. The chemistry, once Chris and Simon kiss, is electric, and the promise of it is delivered as the story progresses. I leapt through the latter portion of the book, as breathless and anxious as Simon. I came to a grinding halt, however, when a misunderstanding arose that came out of nowhere and stalled the story dead. Simon’s motivations prior to that were a little muddled, partially because he’s still in the process of figuring them out himself, and frankly, when he jumped to this particular misunderstanding, I had no idea how he got there or what he was saying. I was as confused as Chris was. Even after it’s cleared up, I didn’t get it, and it diminished my overall enjoyment of the story.

While this story isn’t quite a keeper, there’s enough chemistry and hot eroticism between the characters to make it worth the investment. One of these days, she’s going to absolutely blow my mind. I know it.

This novella which was originally part of the Fabulous Brits anthology appealed to me because I really like this author and also because the story is set in Britain with British characters.

At 28, Simon seems older than his years. He works for the British library, collects classic children’s books and spends his evenings at home alone. When a young man, Chris, arrives on his doorstep wanting to sell a very familiar looking book, he becomes the catalyst for Simon to move away from the dull tedium of his life and start to experiment with sexual games in a way he has never considered before.

I really liked Simon. He’s quiet and bookish with a wry sense of humour which I found very appealing. He’s also a rather odd mix of passivity, especially when it comes to his ex-boyfriend, Luke, and determination when it comes to not being outdone by Chris. The story is completely focused on the two men with all the action taking place between them.  They spend a lot of time talking with each other and I liked how the conversations were varied in tone from very stilted at first to something more natural as we see their relationship develop on it’s way to a HFN.  The main part of the story deals with an agreement between the men which leads to Simon suggesting a sexual game.  I liked that he surprised himself by starting the game and that Chris is able to give Simon confidence and control through the role playing they adopt.

In fact the theme of control runs all the way through the story. Simon has no control when it comes to his ex-boyfriend and revels in the fact that Chris allows him to take control. This control isn’t done through physical force – although there is a little bit of tying up during sex – but more about submission to the desires of another person, and I found this theme interesting and highly erotic.

If I have a niggle about the story is was that there was a slightly irritating misunderstanding towards the end of the story. This happens because Simon suddenly loses his control over the situation the men are in at the time and he reacts badly. However, this misunderstanding is resolved very quickly so it didn’t annoy me as much as a lengthy separation would have done.

Overall this is an enjoyable story about two seemingly opposite men who end up having more in common than either of them thought at first. I would recommend it it those who like tightly written character based stories, and who like a slow erotic build up in their sex scenes.

“Bound Together” by Jane Davitt, reviewed by Cassie

Children’s book collector Simon Weatherly is surprised when a young man comes to his home to sell him a rare old book of erotica out of revenge.  Then he realizes how the man came to have the book, and decides to purchase it, knowing he’ll only end up losing money on the deal.  When the young man, Chris Ross, discovers what Simon has done, he insists on repaying him.  Will they come to an arrangement that will suit them both?

The set-up of “Bound Together” was odd, yet it worked.  The chemistry between wild Chris and straight-laced Simon was hot.  There’s emotion, too, along with a satisfying ending, making “Bound Together” my favorite story in the anthology.

Novel Talk

FABULOUS BRITS by J.P. Bowie, Jade Buchanan, Jane Davitt, Sedonia Guillone, Carol Lynne, and Willa Okati

 
Love is one of the most powerful forces in the universe.  It is no wonder that everyone is always searching for their elusive other half, the one that will complete them.  Who will be the person that you share the rest of your life with?  Will you ever find them?  Six amazing authors have combined to create an excellent homoerotic recipe that will set your heart to pounding.  I am sure that once you have a taste of these author’s works, you will want to sample more.  FABULOUS BRITS takes sexiness to a whole other level as single, hot men find their soul mates where they least expect them to be.     

Jane Davitt stirs up an interesting business proposition.  Simon Weatherly never thought that a rainy night would change his life.  A man appears on his doorstep with an antique book inquiring about selling it.  Simon recognizes the book as belonging to his ex-lover, Luke.  How exactly did this enticing young man end up with it?  Chris Ross is angry with Luke, for dumping him and stiffing him his wages for work completed.  He sees his chance for revenge by stealing one of his collectible books and selling it.  He has heard of Simon and is taking a chance by selling him the book.  He feels guilty for the duplicity of his actions, and makes a deal with Simon that benefits both of them.  Will they be satisfied with the results?  BOUND TOGETHER is a fascinating tale of give and take.