STAY
K.M. NEUHOLD
M/M PUPPY PLAY ROMANCE
RELEASE DATE: 01.11.19
BLURB
What happens to a couple when one of them discovers a new kink that he’s not sure his partner will be into?
Dear Art,
I’m sure you get messages like this all the time, but I feel like I don’t even know who I am anymore. I suppose I should start from the beginning… Three weeks ago, I saw puppy play for the first time, and now I can’t stop thinking about it. Wait, no, that’s not really the beginning… Ten years ago, my best friend who I’d been in love with my entire life told me he loved me too.
For ten years, I’ve been living in complete bliss with Lars, the man of my dreams. Don’t get me wrong, we have our fights and disagreements (mostly because I do irritating shit, and every once in a while, he reaches the end of his patience), but he is my other half in every way. I didn’t know I could love someone the way I love him.
Then, the puppy thing happened. It’s not so different from when I realized I was gay; there was a moment where everything sort of clicked into place, and my whole body was like “Yes, that’s what we’ve been trying to figure out all this time.” At first, I thought maybe I should just let it go because it’s not the kind of thing I can imagine my partner being into. But last week I went into a kink shop and ended up walking out with a puppy hood. I stashed it in our guest bedroom closet and haven’t even had the courage to take it out and try it on again, let alone show it to Lars. I don’t know what to do. How do I bring this up to him? And what if he isn’t into it? I feel like I don’t recognize myself anymore, and I don’t know where to turn. Please help.
Sincerely,
One Lost Puppy
EXCERPT
“Step out,” I instruct, kneeling at his feet to get his pants off without letting him trip over himself, his half hard c*ck swaying near my face.
“Mmm,” he hums, running his hands through my hair, his hazy, drunk eyes fixed on me.
“Hey, JJ?”
“Yeah?”
“Why haven’t you been sleeping well this week?”
As soon as the words are out, his warm, happy expression shutters, and he frowns at me. I can see the wheels turning behind his eyes, see him trying to come up with an answer. My stomach lurches with the realization that he’s planning on lying to me, again. Is this related to the porn thing earlier in the week or has he decided, after all these years, to make a habit out of lying to me?
“Come on, JJ, step out of your pants,” I repeat soberly when I realize he’s not going to answer. This time he does as I say with my help. By the time I stand up, he’s tugging his shirt off and tossing it in the pile of dirty clothes, and I follow suit, the two of us climbing into bed silently.
For the first time in our lives, there’s something Jonah isn’t telling me.
Carra's Review
This is the first book I’ve read by this author that’s not written with someone else, and I have to wonder why I haven’t picked any of her solo books up previously. The writing here was solid, and I loved the characters—and I’m usually just so-so on established couple books. But this story just worked really well for me, and I’m now looking forward to more stories in the series.
Jonah is really sweet. He can take charge and handle the emergency room no sweat, but just wants to drop back and let Lars take control once he’s home. I totally get why he felt so timid and unsure when he was discovering puppy play, not wanting to ruin the amazing relationship he and Lars already have if Lars is totally repulsed by the kink. Lars though just wants to take care of Jonah and make sure he’s happy. I love that even though he fills the dominant role in the relationship, he’s physically smaller—the juxtaposition is refreshing.
Lars and Jonah have been joined at the hip since they were born, and together in a relationship for ten years. The love and dedication between them is immediately apparent, and since they both seem content it’s easy to see why Jonah was worried about asking to try puppy play. But let their situation be a lesson to all—never be afraid to try something new. You might find that it takes you from your already blissful, satisfied state to absolutely stratospheric heights.
Watching the effect puppy play had on both men was satisfying as a reader. It really did take their relationship to another level (yes, I know that sounds cliche but it’s true), and took their already great sex life and turned the heat up to positively blistering levels…and opened their minds up to some other interesting aspects of a D/s pairing.
There are some strong secondary characters—Addie, Jonah’s best friend; Seb, Lars’s co-worker and friend; and Adrian, who helps guide Jonah when he first checks out puppy play and later becomes a friend to both Jonah and Lars. It seems that Seb, Adrian, along with Vale (a side character that plays a role in Lars and Jonah’s learning experience) will be getting stories in the series, and I’ll definitely be checking them out!
Stay is a great example of a lighter kink read, and the author does a good job of delving into puppy play so the reader understands what it’s all about without sounding like a tutorial. It’s definitely sweet and playful, while still being hot and passionate at the same time. It absolutely deserves the 5-star rating I’m giving it, and if you’re looking to check out a new kink with your M/M romance stories, this is a great place to start. This book is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.
About the Author
Author K.M. Neuhold is a complete romance junkie, a total sap in every way. She started her journey as an author in new adult, MF romance, but after a chance reading of an MM book she was completely hooked on everything about lovely- and sometimes damaged- men finding their Happily Ever After together.
She has a strong passion for writing characters with a lot of heart and soul, and a bit of humor as well. And she fully admits that her OCD tendencies of making sure every side character has a full backstory will likely always lead to every book having a spin-off or series.
When she's not writing she's a lion tamer, an astronaut, and a superhero...just kidding, she's likely watching Netflix and snuggling with her husky while her amazing husband brings her coffee.
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