I don’t even know how to review this book to give it justice. First of all, I had no idea the story was centered around bd$m. It was completely new territory for me but I trusted the author fully, and as usual, it was one of the best reads of… ever.

Second, it was everything I never expected from a k!nk-centered story. Just think of how you imagine a bd$m dynamic should be, and then throw your assumptions out the window. Because Alexis Hall gives you characters that are as complex as can be.

Meet Toby — a brand new, 19-year-old dom, and Laury — an experienced 37(!)-year-old sub. The frankly huge age gap might sound icky on the surface, but for them it just works. My opinion, of course. They are both exactly what the other needs, even if they don’t know it yet.

The author makes you believe in both their individual personalities and their relationship. Their dynamic works for them and that’s all that matters. Toby is dominant, yes, but he is never cruel (when Laury doesn’t want it wink-wink). He is also vulnerable and emotional and loving. While Laury is submissive, he is also caring. But sometimes he can be harsh and unfair towards Toby. And while I didn’t agree with his actions, I understood everyone’s motivations because they were laid out so beautifully in front of me.

Truly, Alexis Hall is a master of interiority. I could read chapters and chapters of MCs internal monologue without getting bored. He creates captivating and conflicted characters with rich inner world. In all 4 books in this series I’ve read so far, there is almost no plot, and yet I could not stop reading.

Every word is important. Everything has meaning. For example, Laury’s POV is written in the past tense, and Toby’s in the present. I won’t claim to know what the author intended there, but I have my own interpretation that makes sense to me.

While reading For Real, I had this constant feeling that this book was very personal to the author. I don’t know whether that is true, but if you want to dive into Alexis’ thought process you can check out the annotations at the end of the book. For me, it was like a trip into the author’s mind — I’ve learned so much about characterization and representation and writing in general from those notes!

In summary, Laury and Toby are my precious boys now and I’ll defend them with all the passion I have in me.

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Yes, you counted that right.)
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (It’s an erotic romance where s$x is a crucial part of the relationship between the MCs and of the story in general)
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ (For the emotions and the laughs and the swoon, and the “writer’s org@$m” I got from reading this. I will never write as good as Alexis Hall, and I’ll just have to live with it.)

This book is definitely one of those kinds of books that you're not sure whether or not you're going to like at first, but you start liking it more and more as the book progresses. It was the first age-gap romance that I've ever read, and it did not disappoint.

For the majority of the book it was difficult for me to figure out what the true plot of the book was, as there was no conflict coming from an outside source (which is what I'm used to), but towards the end of the book, it became clear that it was about Laurie and Toby's internal struggle within themselves to find true happiness. However, I would have liked for there to have been some kind of external conflict. For me, the BDSM aspect of this book was a bit too much, but I am a big Alexis Hall fan, so I didn't really mind it too much.

I feel as though the writing style is well thought out and easy to follow.

I think I need to accept the fact that books by Alexis Hall are just not my cup of tea. Don’t get me wrong, I love the inclusivity and diversity in the books, but this might be my fifth or sixth book now and I’ve not loved any of them.
These newly released books are re-releases of Hall’s older novels and they’re coming out quite often!
This book follows Dr Laurence Dalziel, or Lauri to his friends. An avid member of the BDSM community and down on his luck after his last long term relationship six years previously.
Toby Finch is a bright, young man. He is bubbly and full of optimism and desperate to find his place in the BDSM world.
When the pair meet at the club the sparks and tension is immediate. They spend the night together and it just fits. Their personalities, their energy. They just seem perfect together. But one thing remains glaringly obvious: the significant age gap between the two. Laurence around his forties whereas Toby is only 19.
This seems to be one obstacle that creates a wall between the two.
With the mix of BDSM, the age-gap and their respective experience in sex and life creates an emotional rollercoaster for all involved. I have previously read books featuring BDSM aspects but they mostly revolve around straight couples or MMF so it was refreshing seeing MM representation in this aspect.
I think for the right reader it is the perfect read but for me, I think I need to accept defeat with Alexis Hall’s books.
Thank you for the eARC

3.75 stars

This book was such a different experience while reading a book by Alexis Hall. This is a very kinky story, but it's full of so much emotion and introspection. Our MCs are so layered and complex. We have Toby, who is young and trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life. And we have Laurie, who is a successful doctor (consultant iykyk), who is also trying to figure out his life in a different way. They have quite the age gap, but despite their differences, they somehow work. They are an unexpected pairing. I liked the self-reflection of both characters.... up to a point. There were some moments where it felt like the waxing poetic was dragging on just a tad, so I was often tempted to skim over some moments. Outside of that, I really enjoyed this book. I don't think it's my favorite of the Spires series, that goes to Waiting For The Flood and Chasing The Light, but this was a uniquely enjoyable experience.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Alexis Hall is one of this generation's greatest wordsmiths. For Real is a lovely tale featuring Toby and Laurie, and the way Hall weaves this story is nothing short of fascinating. Both men move and maneuver through some difficult situations, conversations, and relationship growth. It's uncomfortable and organic and beautiful.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book.*

I have not read the other Spires books but some other Alexis Hall books. "For Real" is about a 19yo dom called Toby and a late 30s sub called Laurie, both are into BDSM, so kink / submission etc. I feel like all characters of Alexis Hall are a variaton of the rich/poor, scrawny/muscular, successful/unsuccessful characters of other books, the BDSM part twisted this a bit.

Having said that, I cannot rate how good the rep of that is, but usually consent is key and especially later on in their relationship, the boundary in connection to consent became quite blurry which made me uncomfortable. Can a book joke about safe words? Sure. But should it in this context? I'm not so sure. Their relationship and their sex progressed so very fast, it felt unrealistic, but again, I cannot rate this. Maybe the kinky readers can be of help here.

Overall it was predictable but fun. This is not a book to read on a bus if somebody can see what you're reading, believe me...The look on their face is really something to behold though, haha.

This book is a favorite of mine. I read it once a year. Something about this story always grabs me even though it's not the first time I have read it. I'm always just so engrossed. Toby is adorable and Laurie is lost but so intriguing. Honestly, the story grabs you more than the sexual parts not to push those moment aside. *wink, wink* It just finding of souls, one who just wants to be seen and the other who wants to be taken seriously.

I just love it!

As always Happy Reading!!:)

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was a reread for me and I enjoyed it just as much.

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/m contemporary romance
-age gap
-dom/sub consensual kink
-hard and soft one
-this is just a hookup

What can I say… I’m a bit speechless, it’s a masterly written romance full of struggle with the best outcome.
Engaging characters, beautifully crafted story, impressive BDSM scenes, and deeply emotional moments.

I found this one was a bit harder to get into then other books by Alexis Hall. It was slow to get into liking the characters and I often am not a fan of large age gaps, but I did end up enjoying it in the end! I really enjoyed Toby as a character and I liked how there were appearances from other characters in the series as well.

Toby is so adorable, but he's also a Dom. I don't know how the author was able to create his voice so perfectly: a 19-yr-old, bit awkward manboy, who can't seem to shut up, which makes him very charming; but also a Dom with very deep thoughts. A baby Dom. That's the thing I liked most: one minute he recites some very deep quote from God knows where, and the next he's musing about avocados. ;DDD The author gave this man such a unique voice, and he was able to portray the young man accurately for his age.

And then there's Laurie. At first glance he doesn't act like a sub. He's almost 40-yrs-old, so there's a big age gap. He's tired of the whole club scene. And the other thing I really liked: These men didn't fit into the boxes. A dom and a sub are expected to act a certain way, to follow certain rules. But Toby and Laurie were outside of these rules, not because they thought that they're better than anyone else, but they just didn't feel like they belonged, or that anyone would get them. So they set their own rules, which.... well they didn't have rules, they just did what they liked, and what would please the other. Yes, they have a dom/sub relationship, but it's all murky, not traditional at all.

The writing is just fabulous and spectacular. The descriptions, the words the author uses. Beautiful.
Dual POV. Laurie is first person past tense, Toby present tense. I'm not sure why authors do that sometimes. But I liked both, it fit their personalities.

Let me quote Tanya Chris, who recommended this book recently in one of her giveaway post: "This book is more than a hot, romantic tale of two kinky guys finding each other and falling in love. It’s a literary masterpiece—an absolute manual on how to write distinct voices—that transcends the genre with its cultural and literary references. "

This is a first. I just read a 500-page book and I am lost as to what to say about it. Alexis writes masterfully (in several subgenres) and he never disappoints. In this one, he awed me. If you ask me to tell you the plot, it's basic: Laurie, 37, doctor, meets Toby, 19, line cook at a greasy spoon,  in a BDSM club. Pretty basic and you think: Oh, I know where this is going! Well, you are wrong. Yes, it's a very spicy book but the BDSM elements in this are used in a way that throws you off. For starters, the Dom? It's the 19-year-old. The emphasis is much more on the psychological and emotional aspects of domination and submission than on whips and chains. 

The development of their relationship is organic. Laurie is pretty much stupefied that, after becoming a little jaded for Reasons, he is engulfed in feelings for this (as his friends called him) fetus. Toby is very 19 in some instances but incredibly mature most of the time. 

What I mean is that, as he always does, Alexis pulls you into this unexpected romance and you fully drawn and invested.

All in all, this is book about connection, finding out everything about someone and being vulnerable enough to let them know everything about you.

Though book 3 in the Spires series, this is a standalone as all the other books. It has been previously released but this edition has bonus material, including detailed annotation by Alexis at the end (my Literature-loving heart was geeking out) and a recipe for a lemon meringue pie... you'll get it. 

NOTE: the audiobook, beautifully narrated by Paul Berton and John Hartley will not be rerecorded. 

Thanks, Sourcebooks Casablanca, NetGalley and Alexis Hall for the book. 

Content notes: grief, loss of a loved one, cheating (mentioned, not MCs)

This was a tricky book for me, and my feelings on it are still mixed if I'm being honest. I found the concept interesting, but struggled with the characters and found the writing lacking in many places. It just lacked depth to me, and I struggled with that throughout. There was some interesting character growth throughout which I enjoyed, but overall it just wasn't the best. I am glad that I read this book, as learning more about the BDSM culture is interesting, but this just didn't hit for me.

I think the book started out strond but feel off towards the middle for me. I did truly love Laurie and Toby but I didn't care for the non-stop sexual focus and the BDSM element wasn't really for me. Other than that, the characters feel real and their relationship felt real but I jsut don't feel to strongly about it.

Alexis Hall's writing is just sort of incomparable to me - I really will read anything they write because I really do trust the process with them.

While this book's specific kinks weren't precisely *for me*, I'm really really glad I read it! I spent a lot of time while reading thinking about other d/s relationships I've read in various books. In most books I think those relationships seem pretty stereotypical in both the relationship and the sexual aspect. But this relationship didn't look how I've seen in portrayed in other books and I really loved that! I think ultimately relationships and even sexual dynamics aren't as cut and dry as our brains would sometimes like to think. So Laurie and Toby's relationship feels really realistic to me in that it's complicated but it's right for them.

Anyways - I did really enjoy this book though I did turn to the audio because it is...quite long! The original audio hasn't been updated so I went back to the ebook to read the bonus material - which I honestly highly recommend as I think Alexis' footnotes are totally worth reading and added a lot to my experience and thoughts (see above!)

Laurence and Toby’s story was such a beautifully fresh take on the Dom/Sub dynamic. Respectfully handled and well researched to ensure the relationship feels genuine.

This story is full of great dialogue, lovable characters and beautiful spice. I really enjoyed it.

Alexis Hall’s books are known for pushing the boundaries of what you might expect in a romance, and I think he did that again with this story. It takes what you’d expect in stories featuring BDSM and flips it on its head. In this story, we have Laurie who is pushing forty, a sub, and quite jaded with the whole Scene after his previous relationship fell apart six years ago. And then there’s Toby, nineteen, inexperienced, but eager to explore his desire to be a Dom. Laurie has no business getting mixed up with this man, who’s nearly half his age, yet there he is, surrendering his body to this fearless and fierce young man. Toby relishes the control he’s given over Laurie’s body, but he also wants Laurie to surrender his heart - which is not something Laurie is eager to part with.

I’ll start by saying this is the hottest Alexis Hall book I’ve read. The sex scenes are graphic and kinky yet intimate, sweet, and vulnerable. But the real highlight for me was the dynamic between Laurie and Toby. It was so interesting to me. With any of the BDSM books I’ve read (which admittedly isn’t many), we are usually introduced to a fully formed Dom. Here, we have this acne-prone nineteen-year-old with all these sadistic desires that he hadn’t had much opportunity to act on before meeting Laurie. He’s eager and excitable and even though he’s inexperienced, he’s fearless and wears his heart on his sleeve. I loved his character. He was a little lost and vulnerable at times. But he was also a hoot, I laughed quite a lot at the things he’d think/say/do. I can see why Laurie was drawn to him.

Laurie was a pricklier character. He submitted his body so easily to Toby, but he had a lot of baggage that made it hard to give Toby all the things he wanted - namely to be loved by Laurie. But this was a journey for them individually and together and I loved how both characters grew throughout the book. Alexis Hall’s characters are always so well formed and complex and that was certainly the case here. It was such an interesting story, I enjoyed it. I also loved going through all the author’s annotations at the end of the story, they were equally funny and informative.

It is a fact, universally known that I will read anything by Alexis Hall. They could rewrite the phone book. And I’m sure it would be engaging and delightful.

The sourcebook release of For Real Shelves yesterday and this bad boy is thick, 400 pages, but I found myself whizzing through this, totally and ruptured by Toby and Laurie’s traditional romance and journey to their HEA.

Alexis Hall loves to create original, dynamic, and emotionally hurting characters that fight for their happily ever after, and Toby and Laurie are no exception. Introduced to each other in a BDSM club, these two should never have been but 19 year-old dom in the making Toby and mid 30s sub, Laurie are drawn to each other at first sight. A precarious. In the BDSM world, creating a controversial reverse age gap situation that follows these two as they try to make a life together. As the older partner, Laurie doesn’t want to cut Toby‘s wings and refuses to create any commitment, all Toby wants and needs his love and commitment from his partner.

I found both of these characters, extremely vibrant and dynamic, and the pairing reminded me of two puzzle pieces coming together. Of course, taking place with the BDSM club background you know it’s going to be pretty steamy and the book delivers!

I have loved everyone of these characters in The Spires series - but this book left me wondering where it fit into the universe, for I couldn’t find any character connections, making this a great series standalone.

I wish I’d read this book when it was first released, because I would have loved it then. But I’ve moved on, and this kind of dark, emotionally raw, intensely sexual story doesn’t appeal to me anymore. I don’t want to read about brokenness. I want to read about mentally healthy people who’ve done the work and don’t expect their lover to heal them. So, for me, this is the right book at the wrong time, but I’m sure others will love it.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

The third installment of The Spires re-releases is absolutely ripe with tenderness, grief, heart, and humor.

It’s always so refreshing to read an Alexis Hall novel because I never know where their wit will take me!

I really hope readers enjoy Toby and Laurie’s love story as it dares to break all conventions of “normal” or “traditional” relationships. It’s gorgeous.