Bad Wrong Things

4.5

I thought this was going to be some porny mindless fun but I was surprised (good surprise) with a fairly serious exploration of an intense taboo relationship.

“Raven hid to be found. He ran to be caught.”

When Raven is nine (9) Clint comes into his life rescuing him from a miserable existence and eventually bringing him into the home he shares with his son Joey. In time these three become a family but also in time Raven's feelings become more than familial towards Clint. It goes without saying (it's the reason for being of the book) that Clint develops more than paternal feelings for Raven too. The attendant reasons for why they can't/shouldn't be together are explored but the crux of the story is the all consuming, obsessive nature of their love. It manifest in different aspects but primarily in an explicitly raw & carnal way.

Dan put this in my radar (thank you) and I wholeheartedly agree with his review here. Most MM is written by women and generally the sex scenes suffer for it. The sex here is far from lovey-dovey or sanitized for Hallmark readers. At times I felt like it was too much. Too much sex but mostly the type of sex primarily described on page seemed more painful than pleasurable but ... to each their own. In the end it did serve to tell Clint & Raven's story. They communicated (perhaps unhealthily) through sex or tried to use it as a way of knitting themselves together, for different reasons and different purposes. I could empathize with them and their motives.

Their HEA was satisfying, well deserved, and plausible. What more can you ask for?

The author does indulge in a bit of purple prose and some intriguing word choices but if you're in the mood for some high octane passion you won't be left wanting if you read this.