Bethany and Dana review Restraint (Power Exchange book 4) by AJ Rose (Published by Grim Reaper Press, April 27, 2018, 354 pages) A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
To read the review for Power Exchange (book 1) click here. To read the review for Safeword (book 2) click here. To read the review for Consent (book 3) click here.
Blurb:
Who brings a Glock on a honeymoon?
Not retired detective Gavin DeGrassi. When his husband Ben asks who he plans to shoot, Gavin has no answer. They’re spending three weeks in Ben’s family cabin near Seattle, not chasing down bad guys. Or are they?
Ben finds evidence the car accident that claimed his parents’ lives more than fifteen years ago was not so accidental. To avenge the Haversons, Gavin dusts off his detective skills and unknowingly paints a target on their backs. Suddenly, Ben is the prime suspect in a crime and the message couldn’t be clearer: drop the investigation or suffer untold consequences.
Gavin will stop at nothing to ensure Ben’s safety and bring the Haversons’ killers to justice, but without help, they’re sitting ducks. Gavin must make unlikely allies in his quest to clear Ben’s name and stop a ruthless crime syndicate. But with his loyalties divided, how far is too far in his quest for justice?
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Bethany – So at the end of book three ‘Consent’ I felt like I had been put through a meat grinder. That one tore me up, danced on my tattered heart, and just BARELY put me back together. I had a very hard time actually making myself read book three because I knew it might gut me. But when I finally did finish it, as hard as it was to get though, I felt at peace with how things ended for Gavin and Ben. So imagine all the feelings I had when I heard the author was writing book four. Wait, no. I don’t know if I can handle any more awful things happening to these two men. I wasn’t sure my heart could take the anguish.
But this one, even from the beginning felt different. Yes it had they mystery and crime aspect to it but it felt more like the author was tying up loose ends, answering questions we might not have asked before. We learn things about Ben’s parents death and find out it wasn’t quite the accident that Ben thought it was. And even though Gavin is no longer a cop, helping solve his husband’s parents murders makes him feel needed. Yes Ben is his Dom, and it is Ben’s responsibility to make Gavin feel loved, and safe, but this is Gavin’s area of expertise. We see almost a role reversal here, Gavin being the strong one, the one that Ben needs to accept help from. Leaning on Gavin and giving up a bit of control is not something Ben is good at and I really enjoyed watching him finally accept Gavin’s help.
These two men have been a big part of my life since book one. They will always be a couple that I recommend to people looking for mystery with a bit of grit. I loved watching them fall in love and struggle to keep that love despite all the bad that was thrown at them. I cried for them, as well as their family and friends when something bad happened to them. I screamed and was left in complete shock when the really bad actually did happen. And I cheered in utter joy when I thought they finally got their HEA. I love these two men and I know this series won’t be for everyone, especially the faint of heart, or those with a weak stomach.
But I do highly recommend taking a chance on them. You will feel a plethora of emotions but I can promise you this is one of the most raw, yet real series you will read.
10/10 pots of Gold (100% Recommended) – Compares to 5/5 Stars
Dana – In my previous reviews I discussed the covers of the books and I want to start with that now. The cover fits with the rest of the books. It’s as good looking as the others. The bondage pictured isn’t complicated and doesn’t involve rope, but after reading the book I believe there is reasoning behind that.
The bond between Ben and Gavin forged from love and from their D/s relationship made them one of my favorite couples in m/m romance. I was beyond excited to hear that the author was continuing this series. I have to say after reading Restraint, that it was very different than the other books in the series.
This book takes place right after the epilogue in Consent. On their honeymoon Gavin and Ben discover that Ben’s parents deaths weren’t an accident and are connected to a much wider series of crimes and corruption. There is definitely sleuthing and crime solving and Gavin is partially happy to be using his skills again. If only it wasn’t Ben’s parents. The violent crimes associated with the first couple books are toned down, especially with the events taking place before Ben and Gavin even met. It made the story less intense to me, but I also think it was good that the honeymoon wasn’t turned into a nightmare. What does happen is bad enough.
The one thing that is very much the same in this book as it is in the others is the way the two men love and support each other; the way they use Dominance and submission to help get each other through difficult times. Cole and Myah did show up a little bit in this book. I loved meeting Ben’s uncle Oliver and his girlfriend Sasha. There is a character introduced who I would really like to see settle down into a relatively normal life and find love.
The book was a step away from the previous books in the series but I really loved reading about Ben and Gavin again. I don’t know if the author plans on writing any more books in this series but I would welcome them if she does. I definitely recommend Restraint as well as the whole Power Exchange series.
9/10 pots of Gold (90% Recommended) – Compares to 4.5/5 Stars
*****
It began with a Halloween themed short story assignment from a second grade teacher, and from then on, AJ Rose fell head over heels in love with writing.
Time has seen the beginning and end of many things, college and graduation, a finance career, and a marriage, and through it all, writing has been their first love. Now, AJ is also head over heels for their wife, fellow author Kate Aaron, who gets it, the twitchy fingers when word counts are low too many consecutive days, the thousand-yard stare when an idea turns AJ’s vision inward, and the jitters when the word-babies go out to meet the world.
Nothing could stop the tall tales about imaginary people that refuse to be ignored. With a life full of this much passion, it’s no wonder AJ chose romance. The voices in their head are mostly of the male persuasion, so m/m romance was an excellent fit. But don’t be surprised if the occasional ghost still pops up.
Rainbow Gold Reviews 