9/10 for Tempeste O’Riley’s "Designs of Desire" @TempesteO @dreamspinners #MMRomance #BDSM #LGBT #audiobook

Why I read this book: We recently featured this book in a spotlight and while I had already bought the audio months earlier, I didn’t have time to listen to it. Now with yesterday’s release of “Bound by Desire” a free Seth & James short and the release of “Desires’ Guardian” on June 6th, I thought it was time to listen to the story and I LOVED IT. That’s also why I asked Tempe if she would mind doing a live interview with me and it turned out really well 🙂 Originally I bought it based on the beautiful cover… yeah, yeah, I know, but I can’t help it 😛 For me the taste of BDSM without it getting too intense was PERFECT!

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Blurb:

Artist James Bryant has forearm crutches in every color from rainbow for fun to sleek black for business. He even has a pair with more paint splatters than metal. After his family’s rejection and abuse from a man he thought loved him, James only just gets through the day by painting. He lives in constant fear that he’s not worthy of anything, let alone love.

As CEO of his company, Carrington Enterprises, Seth Burns is a take-charge kind of guy, and he is instantly smitten by the artist helping with his newest project. When he witnesses James suffer a panic attack, a protective instinct he never knew he had kicks in. He truly believes nothing is unobtainable—including James—if he’s willing to put in the time and effort.

James is shy and confused by Seth’s interest in him as a person. With Seth’s support, can he work through his fears to finally find the true love he deserves, or will someone finally land the crushing blow he won’t survive?

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My View:

The Cover: One of my favorite book covers. I love the colors, the artist’s hand and the sensual kiss. It fits perfectly with the book and is gorgeous to look at 😉 The cover artist really did a marvelous job!

The Title: Love the title. Desire has so many conotations, it’s more than simple lust. For me it’s love and lust and urgency. As James is an artist and meets Seth for the first time in that capacity, I thought it worked very well *g*

The Story: So let’s get talking about the book, shall we? This book is BDSM and as you know I rarely review that subgenre. I had no problem with this story though. For me it has the sexyness of a dominant and submissive lover, but everything is full of love and very sensual. What does it mean that Seth is a sensual dom? He is very dominant, but doesn’t enjoy to cause pain or domination. The BDSM aspect of this book is the powerplay between the MCs and a bit restraint to make things interesting. As James has an ilness that affects his joints, I loved to see how carefully Seth makes sure that their play time doesn’t affect his health. The love and trust involved is beautiful to behold.

However, it does take a little time to get there. There is a lot of chemistry between the characters from the very beginning and it doesn’t tak long for them to figure out that they are attracted to each other. There’s is not just the fact that James was contracted to design for Seth’s firm however, the fact that Seth seems to be into the same stuff that his abusive ex boyfriends were – that nearly killed him – is a real dealbreaker.

I love how there was instant attraction and lust, but the trust builds slowly as James struggles against his fears of repeating the same mistakes. What happened to him in the past was terrible and it is very believable that he would be cautious. His best friend Chase is also at his side to make sure he is treated right and doesn’t get into an abusive relationship again. However, a sudden death and a past that doesn’t want to stay hidden make it very hard for James and Seth to figure their relationship out!

It is very obvious that a lot of research and thought went into this story! For me the characters were very real and I loved how they cherished each other and created new rules that worked for them both. The trust relationship is the thing I love most in the rare BDSM books I read and this one is no exception! It is a beautiful thing to watch and both characters quickly found a place in my heart 😉

Chase was also an amazing supporting character. It was so important for James to have someone he could trust completely! This book is very different from the other BDSM books I read and I love it for that. It’s a sensual story of love and desire and trust. I hope y’all give it a try 😉

Narration: I thought the narrators voice fit the characters very well and made them come to life for me. For this story it was very important not to get the voice of a guy who sounded like a teenager, but to listen to a real man whose voice carries experience and history. It felt like he was really able to empathize with the characters and I enjoyed listening to the book a lot. I think the story and narration went together well to create a strong 9/10 rating. ❤

About Tempeste O’Riley:

Tempeste O’Riley is an out and proud omnisexual / bi-woman whose best friend growing up had the courage to do what she couldn’t–defy the hate and come out. He has been her hero ever since.

Though new to writing M/M, she has done many things in her life, though writing has always drawn her back–no matter what else life has thrown her way. She counts her friends, family, and Muse as her greatest blessings in life. She lives in Wisconsin with her children, reading, writing, and enjoying life.

Tempe is also a proud PAN member of Romance Writers of America^® and Rainbow Romance Writers. Learn more about Tempeste and her writing at http://tempesteoriley.com.

Author Links:

Website: http://tempesteoriley.com/
E-Mail: Tempeste.ORiley@gmail.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TempesteORiley.author/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/TempesteO

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