Lock and Key

De: Z. Allora

Narrado por: Jonathan Waters

Rejected. Heartbroken. Devastated.

Zack Davis wanted to serve only one man, Andrew Nikeman. He was denied because Andrew thought he was too young and because their brothers were together. So Zack crushed his submissive tendencies and focused on being the perfect Dom, giving every sub he played with something he couldn't have.

After years of denying his submissive side, Entwined's charity auction gives Zack an excuse to get a little of what he's always craved.

Andrew doesn't know when his infatuation turned into more, but it kills him to see Zack with a constant parade of submissives. He'd refused to jeopardize his brother's relationship or become Zack's regret; however, Zack isn't a kid anymore, and his brother's relationship is unbreakable. Now Zack's popularity and success as a Dom might ruin Andrew's dreams of collaring him, but he can't wait any longer to confess his feelings or he risks losing the man he loves forever.

©2016 Z. Allora (P)2017 Dreamspinner Press

Safe, Sane and Consensual

I read this book first before any of the Dark Angel books and loved it so much I went back and read those too. Two words..WORTH IT. Though not necessary it gives you a fuller vision of this beautifully told story.

It would be easy (and I've seen it done) to trivialize those who chose to enter into this kind of partnership. It is thought to be an odd thing to crave pain with pleasure but this story shows that it is not so. It treats it with respect and love but also shows in heartbreaking realism how hard denying your true self can be. Zack and Andrew are amazing together but the future is marred by a past hurt that very nearly destroys that possibility for them both.

Once you've read this go back and read the series and read it again. This has become a go to read for me and I hope it will be for you as well :-)

awesome narration of an awesome book!

Any additional comments?

Independent reviewer for Divine Magazine, I was gifted the AUDIO file of this book.

I usually write about the book, then the narration but I'm finding more and more, doing it the other way round or being unable to split the two.

I cannot split the two here.

I LOVED this!! It is both the first of Z. Allora (author) and Jonathan Waters (narrator) I have listened to and together they make for compelling listening!

Zack wanted to be seen by Andrew. His first thought when they meet was "His. Serve. Kneel" (more on this little bit in a mo) But Andrew thinks Zack is too young, and being not quite 18, he is still. When Andrew denies Zack what he needs, Zack hides his submission, and becomes the perfect Dom. A charity auction gives Andrew the opportunity to show Zack that somewhere along the line, his feelings grew to something he can no longer fight.

Waters narration is, quite possibly, the best I've listened to for quite some time. His portrayal of Zack, as he grows, as he learns his craft, as he constantly fights his feeling for Drew, is stunning. Zack has these one liner thoughts "His. Serve. Kneel" and at first, I found them annoying, BUT!!! once I got over that, I did actually look forward to not knowing when they would pop up.

Andrew, too, has these, but they aren't as common as Zack's and, are very different. Waters voice for Drew is perfect.

I loved all Water's voices for the various characters, and it made for very easy listening in multi person conversations. His reading voice is clear and deep and even, with a hint of an accent I could not put my finger on from where.

I loved the way Allora spins a tale. This is, I think, the first in a series, and there are a couple of characters who piqued my interest. And I'm also intrigued by the guys in the band that Zack and Andrew's brothers play in. I want to read their stories too!

Putting both Allora and Waters firmly on my wish lists....

5 stars for the book
5 stars for the narration
5 stars overall

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**

A pretty good story

Any additional comments?

I overall enjoyed this book. The narration was spot on & Jonathan Waters did a very good job. The only things that stopped this for being a 5 star read was the repetitiveness of the same/combination of the same 3 words "Kneel. Serve. His." or "Kneel, Serve, Not His." or a combination of some 3 word internalization, that really got old. Also, after their weekend, Zack running off and shutting down lasted way too long. There were times that Zack really acted like a teenager instead of an adult. I loved the BDSM 101 at the beginning of the book, that was kind of cool. But after they all got over their issues and sat down and started working on their relationship, I really loved the book. I would have liked some really intense BDSM scenes as what we had was rather light. I haven't read the Dark Angels series & will go back & read them as I would like to read their beginnings.

Love and Sex at a fetish club

Lock and Key is a little more kinky than you average mm romance, but possibly not as kinky as you might expect. As someone who spent years hanging out in a fetish club in Atlanta in the 90s I may be a little more jaded than the next reader (or not) but the kink doesn't go much beyond light bondage, sex toys and a little bit of the old riding crop along with dominance and submission play, but the guys make the most of it, and their connection was steamy.
Zach is an inexperienced 18 when he meets slightly older Andrew, a glamorous hairdresser. For both guys it's love at first sight, and Zach is eager to go after what he wants, while Drew finds reasons not to give him a chance; Zach's youth and inexperience, and the family complication as their brothers are in a relationship. Crushed by rejection Zach throws himself into a disasterous one night stand that leads him to repress his true desires as a submissive. Instead he reinvents himself as the hottest, most sought after dominant in the scene and a few years later Andrew is having second thoughts on the potential of a relationships with Zach. A charity fundraising auction with Zach joining other doms to be auctioned off for a weekend as a submissive slave opens up possibilities.
Zach was really likable and his heartbreak at being denied the man he loved and his closing off of his true desires was sad. I found Andrew a little frustrating, as it's usually frustrating to see someone throw away love for whatever reasons, but his reasons were still realistic and understandable. I was really rooting for the guys to get together and it was a satisfying read.
One small critique: the fetish scene is pretty theatrical and I would've loved to have gotten more atmosphere. I wanted to hear about the clothes and music and those details were just too sparse for my tastes. I suspect that's not going to bother most readers, and not all writers spend a lot of time describing clothes and such.
I loved the relationships between the brothers - I would read a whole book just on the family dynamic with older brother Dusty, an aspiring rock star who raised his younger brothers after they were kicked out by a bigoted mother. The background cast of the club scene was well fleshed out for minor characters. It was well done to show the humanity and normality of people who on the surface might seem bizarre and exotic. I know there is already one sequel to the series and I look forward to listening to it if it gets an audio release. It's a nice world to visit.
Narrator Jonathon Waters brings the story to life, his voice traveling from smooth sophistication to sexy growl that enhanced the experience.

Memorable

What did you like best about this story?

It's been a while since I read it, but I keep thinking about it, so I felt I wanted to leave a recommendation even if I find it hard to pin point details.
I felt it was very loving and that it took BDSM seriously, not just treating it as a "fun" gimmick.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I recall being moved by most of the story.

Any additional comments?

It's been awhile since I listened to an audiobook. When I decided to look for another one my first thought was to check if more stories by this author had become available as audiobooks (sadly not) - if that is not a recommendation I don't know what is!