I've never really enjoyed reading BDSM books, they always feel too much about a power trip for the Dom, but clearly I have just been reading the wrong books.

Laurie Dalziel is a 37 year old emergency hospital consultant, the sort they send to major incidents. He's feeling very lost, tired of the BDSM scene and heart-sick at seeing his ex with his new boyfriend at every turn. He's got a severe case of ennui, been there, done him, and everything feels fake. Then one night his long-suffering friends drag him to a club where he meets a young man, Toby Finch. Whilst Toby might be short, skinny and only 19 years old, he isn't a submissive, he wants to be a Dom, of course the sad thing is that everyone expects a Dom to be big and strong, possibly blindingly handsome, and a lot older.

At first Laurie is trying to help Toby, trying to stop him from being hurt in a club full of jaded middle-aged players, but soon he realises that Toby doesn't need saving.

This is a touching, heart-wrenching love story, about finding love in the strangest of places, about banishing pre-conceptions, about surrendering to love. It also taught me a lot about BDSM, I don't know how much is real, but it felt more truthful than all those m/f romances where the hero is 100% kink all the time, like there's never any spooning or snuggling or even plain old vanilla sex.

I just loved this, Alexi writes such different characters in each of his books, great to see a glimpse of Edwin, although I didn't recognise him at the time, and Marius was as much of an a-hole as I expected him to be.

On to the fourth book and I can't wait.

*edited for reread of ARC in 2024*

I echo all my previous thoughts about this book. The BDSM is very full-on, and yet is so much more real-life than FSoG and that ilk. There's laughter, and cuddling, and not being able to tie knots, and being taught how to use a flogger. There's tears, and an age-gap romance and best of all, no easy solutions.

BTW, Marius isn't as much of a a-hole as I recall, maybe because he has his own HEA now.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

I've got a whole new appreciation for lemon meringue pie thanks to this super-spicy book!
Laurie isn’t looking for a boyfriend, just a random dom to hook up with, when he meets Toby at a party. Toby is young and bouncy and cute- not Laurie's type at all... and Laurie is completely drawn in.
Thus begins their relationship, initially purely sexual, but very quickly delves into themes of love, trust, and surrender.
Honestly, my only issue was the age-gap. I think the story could have been told just as well without it. Toby didn't need to be 19 to be feeling lost and unsure of the direction of his life, stuck in a dead-end job, and sorting out his desires.
Like all of Alexis Hall's books, relationships are messy, growth is centered, and characters are as flawed as they are lovable.
I received this digital ARC from @netgalley and publisher @sourcebookscasa in exchange for an honest review.
For Real will be released June 11, 2024.

I ended up really enjoying this - sweet, hot, and compelling story with great personal arcs for each character! While Toby's POV did not always work for me, I loved how his life was built out, from his connection to his grandpa (which made me cry!) to his feeling lost about his future after quitting university. Honestly loved that this turned out to be a twist on a classic d/s story, something you realize more and more as the story unfolds - loved how Hall explicitly pushed against some of the conventions of the genre, thought Toby's inexperience was super sweet and made for a GREAT romance, and Laurie's hesitance created a really nice tension without feeling too overdone. Despite initially being on the fence I loved what Hall did with an unconventional dynamic and overall I was really glad to read this!

Thank you Sourcebooks for the ARC!

As always, Alexis Hall hits it out of the park. This is such a good book, and I’m delighted by the changes and additions. I feel like this book is underrated, and I hope this rerelease brings a wave of popularity!