Guest Review: Quinn’s Need by SJD Peterson

Posted March 17, 2012 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 0 Comments

Judith’s review of Quinn’s Need (Whispering Pines Ranch #2) by SJD Peterson

It’s been a year since Lorcan James left Whispering Pines Ranch, and Quinn Taylor has barely recovered. Only two things keep him from falling into the abyss of despair: his work at the ranch and his escape into the world of BDSM at a club called The Push. At The Push, the sound of men begging him helps drown out the bitter memory of his own voice begging Lorcan to stay.

When Lorcan comes back to Pegasus, the same blistering heat simmers between them, but almost nothing has changed. Lorcan is still with Jess, the man he left the ranch with, and Quinn has captured the attention of Ty Callahan, a man who will beg Quinn for anything, anytime, and any way Quinn wants it. Despite how much he wants Lorcan, Quinn swears he’ll never beg a man again. If there’s one thing Quinn has learned the hard way, it’s that not even begging can fill love’s aching need.

This is the second novel in a trilogy that began with the release of Lorcan’s Desire in May, 2011, and continues the story in this book. While this novel is a stand alone story, the reader would be greatly served by getting the first book and beginning at the beginning. Both novels are rooted in the issues of discovery and acceptance: discovery of a man’s true sexual nature and the acceptance that is necessary, not only in the wider community but within himself as well. But that acceptance is often long in coming and during that painful struggle others are hurt, not the least of whom is the one person who very well may be one’s life partner and true love. So it is with Lorcan and Quinn, both fine and strong individuals within themselves, but both struggling to find their path in a society–admittedly a very conservative society–that can wound and hurt in a number of important ways.

This novel is really about Quinn’s “need” to find a way through his grief and loss, a way to deal with himself honestly and not using brutality or pain toward others to blot out the pain within that just won’t go away. It is a book that continues his self-discovery process, learning his limits as well as his strengths, learning what it means to be a peace within even though it appears he will have to accept the loss of the one person who can truly complete him. This book is extremely emotional and is not an easy book to read. It also includes the story of Lorcan’s emotional detour as his new relationship fills many holes in his life but his love for Quinn never goes away nor is it ever really silent. His new partner knows this, accepts this, yet it is an awareness that begins to intrude on their relationship to an ever greater extent.

Quinn’s Need is one of those stories that really should be read, especially by those of us who don’t read a lot of M/M romance and who do not encounter the issues that often rise to prominence in gay relationships. It is beautifully written and the sensitivity that comes through in the story is compelling, is the kind of sensitivity that draws the reader into the feelings and thoughts of the characters without an overwhelming amount of internal monologue or redundant descriptive language. Quinn’s reaching out to Ty–a man who will be the main character in the third novel–is also a journey of discovery for him and for the reader, a journey that will take the reader to the fringes of the BDSM world but will not be the meat of the story. Yet, Ty’s particular bent, his need to please a “master” lends itself to Quinn’s need to gain control of his emotions and of his relational future. The eventual outcome of Ty and Quinn’s relationship–whatever that may entail, just adds another layer to the deeply emotional and heartrending quality to this book.

I found this book to be the kind that I just couldn’t put down, and after reading Lorcan’s Desire first, I felt I understood these characters far better than I expected to do. It’s not light and fluffy by any means. It is the kind of literature that engages all of the reader–heart and mind. I think this is one that we should all experience.

I give it a rating of 4.25 out of 5

The Series: