Keeping Cade
Crave Series, Book 1
SE Jakes
Gay Menage Romance
Release Date: 05.24.19
BLURB
Protection has its price, but so do fantasies…
Fantasy Week happens twice a year at Crave, and it’s always a big hit—a way to live out your wildest fantasy in a safe, sane, and consensual manner.
But when Cade comes in with his Fantasy Week invitation, he’s not happy about it. He’s stoic as hell and his preferences don’t seem to match his fantasy at all…and yet, despite that, he enjoys himself with Tegan and Vic. At least at first.
When it becomes glaringly apparent that the fantasy isn’t something Cade’s comfortable with, it’s confusing for the men he’s been paired with, and Tegan and Vic put a stop to the scene immediately.
What Cade doesn’t know is that Tegan and Vic are not only co-owners of Crave, but they’re also owners of a mercenary group, Gray Ops, that’s run out of Crave. They’ve also been circling each other for years… but nothing sparks until their session with Cade.
What happened in Room 4 is something none of the men can forget…but it’s got nothing to do with a fantasy and everything to do with blackmail. Can Tegan and Vic help Cade keep his secrets, while keeping all of them safe at the same time? Because the threatening to spill out aren’t only Cade’s…
*This series is set in the MEN OF HONOR world, in the bar called Crave from Bound By Honor
Excerpt
“Am I being chauffeured or can I take my own truck?” Cade asked as they walked out the back door of Crave, leaving behind Oz’s yells of “I can’t promise what I’ll do if you leave me alone with him.”
“We’ll drive you,” Tegan told him.
“Why don’t you just carry me across the threshold of the fight club when we get there?” Cade muttered.
“Didn’t know you needed that level of romance,” Vic said seriously. “I’ll keep it in mind.”
Cade sighed heavily and got into the back seat with Vic, while Tegan drove. He guessed it was for protection, and arguing wouldn’t change a damned thing. He needed to preserve his strength anyway.
Vic handed him a Gatorade and a PowerBar. “Eat up.”
Cade muttered, “F*cking starving and this sh*t tastes like cardboard.”
“Fight first, then I’ll get you a goddamned buffet,” Vic promised.
“There’s a McDonald’s on the corner,” Cade pointed out hopefully.
“You had an entire pizza recently,” Vic reminded him.
“Recently to me is the last hour.” Cade bit into the PowerBar and stared at Vic. “I think this went bad.”
Vic frowned. “They can’t go bad.”
Carra's Review
I always jump at the chance to read M/M/M stories, and the synopsis for this book did its job drawing me in. The description had me thinking there would be more of a concentration in the club with the BDSM aspects, but the reality turned out to be more centered on Cade’s predicament with a psycho ex.
All three main characters—Cade, Tegan, and Vic—are VERY alpha. All former military, all experienced in fighting (especially Cade and Vic), all headstrong and protective. As for the connection between them? To me, that wound up feeling more physical than emotional. They absolutely fit together sexually, and those scenes reflect their compatibility in that respect with their intensity and heat. The emotional connection though…that didn’t quite click for me.
There are plenty of points when they are learning about Cade’s past where the tension is high and it can be emotionally draining for the characters. For me this didn’t translate to a deep romantic connection. The three of them were a lot alike, and that feeling of completion, of them complementing each other, that didn’t quite register for me.
There were quite a few interesting supporting characters who caught me eye, in particular Oz (who seems to be their in-charge guy, but who is so very broken), and Strider (a bit of a loose cannon but also one of those guys who can bring levity to a scene). All the guys seem to have things in their past to overcome, and within this story there were several jumping-off places for more books in the series.
There are multiple points of view from which the story is told—and not just our three main men. This does add depth to the story in addition to raising interest for the rest of the series since it gives a bigger glimpse into the other characters. The story did feel like its focus jumped around a bit, which did have my mind wandering from time to time.
With the not-quite-connection among Cade, Tegan, and Vic, and the not-quite-smooth story, this one is sitting firmly at 3 stars for me. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and it is a spinoff from another series. Though this story itself can be read as a standalone, characters from the previous series do make an appearance…but it’s not necessary to know their backstory to enjoy Keeping Cade. This book is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.
SE Jakes writes m/m romance. She believes in happy endings and fighting for what you want in both fiction and real life. She lives in New York with her family and most days, she can be found happily writing (in bed). No really…
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