Erryn reviews ‘Leo & His Lion (Oh My! Series book 2)’ by Andi James and Lila Wilde. This book was released by the author on February 27, 2019, and is 281 pgs long. The audiobook version of this story was narrated by Michael Fell. It was released on December 13, 2019, and is 9 hrs and 24 mins long. A copy was provided for an honest review.
Why I read this book: I’m intrigued.
Leo Varma doesn’t need love. At 37, he’s satisfied with focusing on his career, friends, and casual hookups. Besides, getting into a real relationship would mean finally telling his conservative family that he’s gay and, possibly, losing them forever.
He’s convinced himself that living in the shadows is good enough…until he meets Dylan. Dylan Drake-Matthews might be a catastrophe on two legs, but he loves life. After taking a part-time job at the club Leo frequents, the wide-eyed 19-year-old dives into the kink scene with both feet.
When his first few attempts end in disaster, Leo takes Dylan under his wing, and everything clicks in a surprising way. But secret encounters can only carry them so far. Dylan’s authenticity and personal honesty make Leo wish things were different in his own life, while Leo’s family situation keeps him from being what Dylan needs.
Can Leo face his fears? Or will he let the love he never expected to find slip through his fingers?
Leo & His Lion is a kitten-play MM romance featuring an adorable kitten, the sexy man he calls daddy, and superhero underwear. It is the second book in the Oh My! series and can be listened to as a stand-alone.
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Buy Links: Audible | Amazon | Add to Goodreads
My Review:
Oh My! What a treat this book was. I wasn’t familiar with either the authors or the series but decided to take a chance on something new. OMG, I’m so glad I did. There is a book 1 in the series and I plan to go back and listen to it as well. Now, this book is a stand alone and although I want to hear about Teddy and his Bear, I was able to jump into this book and quickly orient myself.
Dylan is naïve, klutzy, and adorable. So many times I just wanted to wrap him up and cuddle him tight. I wanted to protect him from all the bad things in the world. I wanted to keep him in his little protective bubble forever. He lives at home with his moms, works at a coffee shop with a protective boss, and draws comic books in his spare time. Slowly, though, he’s realizing there’s more to life. When Leo helps him get a job at the club Knotty, his whole world expands. He was vaguely aware of BDSM, but spending time around submissives and dominants triggers his inherent curiosity and he wants to know more.
Leo feels responsible. After all, he was the one who helped secure the job for Dylan. Now that Dylan’s eyes have been opened and he wants to know more, Leo feels obliged to vet Dominants for Dylan to play with. For Dylan to experiment with. For Dylan to potentially connect with. Yeah, you can imagine how that goes over. Leo is jealous and Dylan, for his part, turns out to be an interesting submissive. He’s eager to please but doesn’t understand rules. He believes a good submissive is, frankly, subservient. Unfortunately, the bundle of energy finds that kind of focus very challenging. In other words, he’s a bit of a flop.
When Leo and Dylan finally do a scene together, though, everything clicks. As I’d known it would. Leo has avoided all entanglements. He comes from an Indian family who have a dim view of homosexuality. He’s listened to their derogatory comments for his entire life and, wanting to keep the peace, has not been honest with his family. Dylan might be willing to keep their relationship in the closet, but Leo has reservations. Dylan is vibrant, alive, and brave. He’s living as an out young man. Leo doesn’t want to drag him into the dark closet he inhabits. The eighteen year age gap doesn’t help either because Leo doesn’t want to saddle Dylan with an older man.
Eventually, Leo has to make a decision whether to live repressed for his entire life or break the bonds of his family entanglements and live as a free man. I understood his dilemma and held my breath as he tried to keep everyone happy and only failed over and over again. When he let Dylan down on an important day, my heart broke.
In the end, the kitten did get his daddy and they figured out a way to make the relationship work. Now, I’m quite familiar with puppy play, but kitten? Not so much. Did I love it? Yes. I believe in the bond people forge through adversity. I believe in the power of love. I believe a kitten who is cherished can be happy. I believe that kitten’s daddy deserves a happy ending as well.
Michael Fell narrated this book and I quickly remembered why I love him. He narrated Casey Cameron’s Truth By His Hand and I thought that was a brilliant combination as well. This book was as good and I truly enjoyed it. Like I said, I’ll go back to listen to book 1 and can’t wait for book 3.
My Rating:
10/10 Pots of Gold (100% Recommended) – Compares to 5/5 Stars
Andi James
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Andi James has been in love with books and words her entire life. She writes about people finding things — themselves, happiness, love — and edits all kinds of stories. Her two dogs and three cats are her favorite co-workers. She adores coffee, the night sky, and horror movies.
Lila Wilde
Rainbow Gold Reviews 