Grif’s Toy @JosephLTonlet #LGBT #Review #Debut #BDSM #Denial #Erotic

Grif’s Toy: Tease and Denial Book One by Joseph Lance Tonlet (Self-published, November 1, 2014, 311 pages)

This book was provided to me free of charge by the author, who happens to be a good friend, so I will do my best to provide an honest objective review.

Synopsis

Grif believes he’ll live his life as a virgin. After all, who would want him? How could anyone find him, a guy who came with less than man-sized equipment, worthy of their love?

What he hadn’t counted on were the two amazing men who would change his life. After entering college, he meets Tate, his fun-loving roommate.  While years later, with Tate now just a memory, Wes, a handsome, rugged ex-marine who runs his own security firm enters his life.

Both men force him to see his value, despite his size and insecurities

My thoughts on the Cover

I get a little giddy when a book cover incorporates intriguing aspects of a story and has me flipping back and forth while I’m reading.  This cover is a winner! It features the gorgeous and solemn-looking Grif, along with certain story elements.  I love it! Stunning!

My thoughts on the Story

This sensual story doesn’t waste any time getting underway with action; we meet the main character, Grif, and his partner Wes, going out to dinner on Page One.  What transpires during dinner is pretty steamy, and sets the tone for the entire story, which as you can gather from the title of the book, is “Tease and Denial.”  The premise is unique; Grif is uncomfortable with his anatomy and has come to terms with his lack of self-confidence.  He believes he’s going to have to live with it, without ever having any true connection or relationship with another man.  I personally have not read anything related to orgasm denial to the extent it is done in this book, so it was a new experience for me. It definitely kept my attention focused and I feel like I learned a lot about the concept!

Please take note of the fact that Grif’s Toy is slightly outside the standards of a traditional love story.  There is certainly respect, honor and love but the characters’ playtime has a twist; a sexy, steamy, kinky twist.  If you are not into reading about BDSM or teasing accompanied by orgasm denial, then this book is not recommended.  However, it is indeed a romance.  Grif meets his man, and they have a very strong undeniable and respectful bond from the beginning, and as the story transpires, they grow stronger together.

He pulled back, and I looked around to find I was laying on the exam table with a cool sheet draped over me. I started as I remembered I’d been naked when I was last awake and reached for the sheet to check, when Wes’ hand took mine. “Your super powers are safe. I made sure your magic underwear is in place, Jockboy.” I laughed. “You take such good care of me, Alfred. I don’t know what I’d do without your dedicated service.” His eyes became more serious, “God, you’re so strong, Grif. And you have such…impressive courage. I’m not embarrassed to admit I’m envious of it sometimes. But, never doubt I’ll always be here for you to lean on—to take care of you in whatever way you need, I swear.”

Another important point to take note of is the nonlinear timeline of the story.  While it is written from Grif’s point of view, the timeline jumps back and forth between present day activities of Grif and Wes, to Grif’s earlier years, attending high school and college.  I recommend that you keep an eye on the chapter headings, which indicate the setting for the pending chapter; this will keep you on track.

All the characters in this story are very relatable and memorable – the main characters and the secondary players.  My favorite secondary character is Tate, who Grif meets at college.  I adore Tate because he is kind, caring and a really good true friend to Grif.  And he’s funny as hell. We find out that he was harboring a secret, but it was doing no harm, and he only withheld the information from Grif because he just wanted to be himself and live his life unencumbered.

Another thing which had made our friendship so enjoyable, aside from his near-freakish cleanliness, was our ability to honestly talk about real things. It was something I found most straight guys didn’t really do. Before I even knew the words were coming out of my mouth I said, “I want to.” “Great!” he said eagerly while placing his thumbs under the waistband of his track pants, ready to slide them down. “But,” I said hesitantly and he froze with a slight groan. “I’m not sure this is a good idea. I mean, we’re like best friends and all.”  I was scared out of my mind and grasping at anything I could to stop this…this…thing which, if I were completely honest, I desperately did not want to stop. “Dude, you can’t just imply a guy’s gonna get a blowjob and then pull back! I mean, there’s some sort of rule about that…blowjob etiquette or something, isn’t there?” We looked at each other for a moment before we both broke out in laughter. Several minutes later, our eyes watery, I echoed, “Blowjob etiquette?”  “Dude…I had to say something. Big Tate was ready and so was I.”

I really appreciate the honesty in this book; not everyone loves their own body.  From a female standpoint, we sometimes get hung up on some of our own body parts as being too big or too small or too “something.”  I never really stopped to think about it from a man’s perspective, but sure, it happens to them too! All the self-improvement books would say “it’s what you make of it that matters.” Grif has struggled with this concept and is on his path to acceptance; he also stumbled upon his own personal kink as a way to deal with it. No apologies necessary. I like that. Frank and unabashed.

And there it was, the key combination. Sure, I enjoyed the submission, the pain, and the denigration. But it was the combination—the indubitable knowledge—that he enjoyed my submission, inflicting the pain, and delivering the denigration, as much as I enjoyed receiving it. That’s where the complete bliss lay.

In sum, I think Grif’s Toy is an amazing book, and I loved it. It’s delightfully deviant and dirty and also uniquely romantic. I was drawn into the characters’ world and really appreciated the progress that Grif made during the span of his life depicted in this book. I loved Grif and Wes as well as the rest of the supporting characters in the book (#TeamTate). This book is chock-full of sexy moments and sexual tension. I’m so thrilled for Author Joseph Lance Tonlet and his debut novel. I can’t wait to read more!

Buy the book

Amazon ♥ Smashwords ♥ josephlancetonlet.com

About the Author

Joseph is a born and raised Southern Californian–with a twenty-year stint of living in the Midwest. He loves the laid-back lifestyle of San Diego and considers himself lucky to live where people dream of vacationing.

A lifelong reader of m/m fiction, he began his writing career one night sitting at his MacBook and has never looked back. He writes to bring the characters he dreams about to life.

For more, visit JosephLanceTonlet.com