I am a big fan of the May/December dynamic, especially when it is flipped in a D/s way and the Dom is the younger man. One of my favorite books is Dom of Ages by KC Wells, so when I discovered that one of my favorite writing duos, and auto-buy authors, Davitt and Snow, were writing a story with the same May/December dynamic, I was ecstatic! I will say, for the most part, they pulled it off. I liked this book. I didn’t love this book; there was a disconnect emotionally for me in the way it was written, but I definitely appreciated the premise and enjoyed the read.

We meet Logan first, with glimpses of him in Dom mode, and discover he’s not really into his current sub. He’s not really into the Dom thing anymore either. He enjoys it, control is something he could never accede, but it seems he’s on autopilot lately—he’s lost the spark that makes it exciting. Forced to move from his current lodgings, he answers an ad for a room close to the college where he works as a professor. Renting has always been the way to go for him; permanence just doesn’t fit.

John is at a crossroads. His wife has left him, and since they never had children, John is feeling a little lost and a lot alone. Renting out the apartment above his garage seems to be a way to move on with his life. The studio was his wife’s art space, and cleaning out the clutter she left behind is a way to start moving forward. When his ad is answered by a college professor, John is ecstatic, picturing an older man whom he might find things in common with, and a new friend. What he gets is Logan, a younger man covered in tattoos and piercings who has a string of men coming and going from his apartment, and strange noises he can’t put a finger on. John becomes a voyeur through the wall when he discovers exactly what the strange noises are, and it awakens something in the man he never knew existed.

John’s realization that he would like a relationship with a man isn’t a new one for him. The realization that he may be a submissive, and the fact he gets turned on from picturing Logan putting him on his knees, is a revelation. Unfortunately, this is where the disconnect comes in for the reader. This particular part of the story happens too fast. This initial period of wonderment gets swept under the rug, and we dive right into a D/s dynamic between the two men that didn’t have enough time to develop. I know that that’s the “good stuff”, but it has to be set up correctly. The whole novel just seems to be written on one level, emotionally.

I did truly enjoy the dynamic between the two main characters. Like I said before, I love a May/December D/s flipped on its head, and this one doesn’t disappoint. John has certain discriminatory ideals regarding the younger generation, and Logan has never dealt with a sub who is so mature and sure of who he is as a person. They learn from each other in many ways not related to the D/s dynamic, and it’s good to see the progression of them as individuals. Plus, there is a section in the middle where Logan has to really lean on John, and their roles are practically reversed for a while. I loved that, it really speaks to both men understanding all that is involved in making a relationship like theirs work, if both parties can experience it and empathize with the other’s viewpoint. Logan does a lot of growing, evolving into the kind of Dom that John requires, remembering why he got into the BDSM scene to begin with, and rediscovering his love of control through his sub’s reactions. John is faced with a decision when his wife comes back into his life, and he has to make a choice between her and Logan. I really got the emotional connection that John has with his submission, so even though I knew he would have to be faced with the choice, I knew what he would choose.

This one was a great light BDSM read for me. The scenes are not intense, the storyline is not intense, the characters are not particularly deep, but overall it was an enjoyable and decently paced read. I think I am used to the series mindset from this author duo, and as such, much more character driven dialogue and complex personalities, and that’s on me not them. In the end, Logan and John get their HEA, and I finished this book totally satisfied. I would recommend it for those looking for a standalone, modest BDSM book with a solid HEA and an interesting dynamic.

Reviewed by Carrie for The Novel Approach