I Like You by CB Conwy

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I Like You is a brief follow-up to Alphabet Soup. Here is the blurb:

Everything is good between Andy and CK, especially since they said those three little words to each other. Well, their very own version of them, anyway. That's why CK's so surprised when one day Andy is reluctant to have sex with him.

It turns out that Andy wants CK, but he doesn't want the pain that his abusive ex-boyfriend inflicted on him when they had sex. CK is too much of a Dom not to seize the opportunity to push and take care of his sub, and giving in to someone you like turns out to be hotter than Andy could ever imagine.

As a follow up, it was pretty good. If you enjoyed Alphabet Soup then you will probably enjoy I Like You. If you haven't read Alphabet Soup then I would recommend Conwy's A Russian Bear over it.

CB Conwy has a good handle on the lifestyle - the toys, the sensations, the power play, and the trust elements involved.

I'm not giving I Like You a numerical rating, as it is so short, and honestly, if you haven't read Alphabet Soup I don't think it will mean that much to you. So if you enjoyed Alphabet Soup get this one, if you didn't enjoy it then you'll probably want to skip this one.
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Alphabet Soup by CB Conwy

 

I loved A Russian Bear, so I jumped at Alphabet Soup as soon as it was available. The story takes place in the same world as A Russian Bear, and we even see Tom and Mischa a few times at the club. But the story is completely different.

I think there will be some people who will probably enjoy Alphabet Soup more than A Russian Bear. I'm not one of those people, though. For me, Alphabet Soup had too much angst, and too many therapy scenes. If you like angst, and if you like the idea of being restrained to a bondage table and forced to talk about your past while laying face up with your arms bound above your head and your ankles restrained to the other end of the table, then this one is for you. (Select the spoiler text to view it.)

Here's the blurbL

Andy knows exactly what he needs: scenes hard enough to take him out of himself. Then he meets CK, and everything is turned upside down. CK is relaxed and gentle and nothing like what Andy's looking for. Despite that, or maybe because of it, Andy's still attracted to the stranger.

CK is new to the city and the club, but definitely not to the scene. Andy's ideas of BDSM are very different from CK's, but there’s still something about the man that draws CK. Something fascinating and completely unpredictable. The results can be amazing scenes or complete disasters. Andy is difficult to get to know, and CK has to work hard to find the reason for Andy's erratic behavior. CK is nothing if not stubborn, though. He's very determined to help Andy, and Andy's ready for it, but there's so much Andy's trying to forget.

Like the conscientious Dom he is, CK guides Andy's recovery, one scene at a time. Very much against his principles, CK finds himself falling in love with the man he's trying to help. Now he has to fight not only Andy's past, but his own conscience as well.

I appreciated that these two had chemistry and that was the main draw for them. I also appreciated that both were willing to work to see if the relationship could work out between them. A few of the scenes were ultra simple, and yet still quite hot.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: 2 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: 2 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: This is where we have trouble, because according to the story, impact play for the sake of pain is wrong. There is masochism, but it's treated as being wrong, so I'm going to give it a 0 of 3. 
• Extra Point: Yes

As for the writing elements:

• The plot is the story of the characters coming together and working out their baggage.
• The pacing was mostly good.
• Prose and dialogue were fine.
• Character development was nicely done. 

I've debated back and forth on the rating and finally settled on a 7 of 10. During parts of the story I was thinking closer to five of ten, but now that I've finished it and I take everything into consideration I think it deserves higher than that. Some people will likely rate it higher than a seven, but for me the emotional angsty stuff overtook the physical stuff and it just managed to annoy me in several places. CB Conwy is a gifted author with a knack for describing the physical as well as the emotional when it comes to kink. This particular book just didn't work all that great for me.

• Book Rating: Alphabet Soup: 7 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 5 of 10
• Heat Level: 4 of 5

A Russian Bear by CB Conwy

 

A Russian Bear is a fun book that follows along as a BDSM newbie is shown the ropes by a Dom with a lot of experience. Sounds familiar, but it's different than most books that follow along that path.

Mischa has a one scene policy, but he's used to taking home experienced subs. He's got a bit of a reputation as a hard player, so the only subs who go home with him are experienced and ready for hard play. The subs who go home with him know the rules and don't have to be taught anything, they are just in it to see how far they can be taken.

When Mischa starts showing Tom the ropes, Tom doesn't know those rules. He submits once the Dom stuff starts, but the rest of the time he's himself -- no pretenses, no twink stuff. It catches Mischa off guard, but it's a welcome change, and things progress nicely.

Here's the blurb:

To Mischa, life is simple. Doms are Doms and subs are for fucking, flogging, and bossing around. Until he meets Tom, that is. Tom is deeply offended when the stranger in the bar takes him for some kind of slave boy. Well, offended and more than a little excited by the thought of surrendering to Mischa. Mischa being Mischa, their meeting results in Tom losing his virginity in a way that's hotter than even his wildest fantasies.

Mischa is drawn to Tom and makes another appointment. And then another, initiating Tom to every kink Mischa knows. They aren't scenes, of course, because Mischa has a "one boy, one scene" rule. But then again, Tom isn't exactly like his usual boys, and Mischa finds himself falling in love, though nowhere near ready to admit it. Luckily, Tom isn't exactly your stereotypical slave. Life is good -- until Tom gets attacked, and Mischa has to fight harder than ever to make Tom realize that he isn't going anywhere.

At about 80% through the book I was prepared to give A Russian Bear a 10 of 10. But then I got to Chapter 10 and the bottom fell out. Without giving spoilers, it's like the author suddenly realized there was no major conflict, nothing trying to pull her men apart, and that just wouldn't do. So she put it into the story, and it's all in the last 15% of the book. If I had stopped reading at the end of Chapter 9 my rating would have been 10 of 10. But I didn't, so the book gets a 9 of 10. I should drop it farther, but the first part of the book was really good, so I'm only knocking off a point instead of the two or three that should probably be knocked off.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: Decent amount of bondage, not much discipline needed, since Tom flows into his submission so nicely. There is some punishment, it's just not a big part of their relationship.  2 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: Yes. Lots of both.  3 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: Yep, lots of that as well. And it's pretty well described. 3 of 3 
• Extra Point: I have one more point I can give if the BDSM fits together nicely, works well with the story. It does.  1 of 1

As for the writing elements, the plot is mostly following the relationship from beginning until the couple is well on their way to a HEA, and it works well, right up until the author decides to throw a wrench into the works. The pacing was mostly good with a few minor issues. Prose and dialogue are very well done, and character development is excellent.

• Book Rating: A Russian Bear: 9 of 10
• Intensity Level: 9 of 10
• Heat Level: 5 of 5

A Russian Bear is a beautiful story of two people coming together. The BDSM is artfully done, and the relationship flourishes as a result of the intellects of the parties as well as their kinks. The last fifteen to twenty percent of the book is unfortunate, but the first eighty percent or so is a very nice story.