Tag: SJD Peterson

Guest Review: Ty’s Obsession by SJD Peterson

Posted May 18, 2012 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 0 Comments

Judith’s review of Ty’s Obsession (Whispering Pines Ranch #3)by SJD Peterson.

Ty Callahan knew Quinn Taylor was special the moment he first laid eyes on him. When the angry and heartbroken cowboy finally opens up, Ty sees the real man inside, and for the first time in years, Ty is ready to love again. There’s only one problem: Lorcan James. Although Lorcan has owned a piece of Quinn’s heart for some time, Ty is convinced he is the better man for Quinn and will stop at nothing to prove it.

Then Blake Henderson, a strong, dominant cowboy, strolls confidently into Ty’s life, offering an outlet for Ty’s anger, a chance to heal, and an option for his torn affections. Can Ty look beyond his feelings of rage and betrayal and find true peace, or will his obsession destroy them all?
Ty Callahan, a man who made his appearance in Book 2, Quinn’s Need, and a man who has been beaten down by life in every way possible. Now in this third book in the trilogy, Ty’s story become front and center and reader’s are given a more insightful treatment of his life as well as his deep hurt and frustration at losing his lover. Lorcan James has long been the focus of Quinn’s deepest caring, and it is understandable that Ty feels rejected and used now that Lorcan has returned to Quinn’s life and his bed.

There is a desperation and a sense of profound loss that is evident in Ty’s anger, in his need to find a way to hurt Lorcan for coming into Quinn’s life again and cheating Ty out of a chance to have real happiness, real joy, real sense of belonging. This story definitely has a strong BDSM content as that is the scenario in which Ty and Quinn originally met. In the lifestyle, Ty is called a “pain slut,” a person whose deep inner pain can only be tolerated if their physical pain helps them to express feelings they can’t express any other way. Ty was a man whose inner wounds were so profound that he couldn’t even name them–all he knew was that he was of no importance to anyone until he found Quinn. Now Blake has come into his life at a time when his anger is almost out of control, and it is as a strong and caring Dom that Blake is able to help Ty begin to feel cared for, feel that he has worth to someone other than Quinn, and to begin a love affair with someone who is not just using him.

There is an incredible amount of pain in all the books in this trilogy, but I think it reaches a peak with Ty’s great sense of loss and desperation. Where can he go now? Who really cares? How can he move on with his life with any sense of forward motion? For people who dislike BDSM or who have not read much about it, some of the actions of the characters will seem very negative. Yet there is an underlying balance that those who are kind and caring in their use of BDSM and Blake is one of those individuals. He is a man who is sort of misplaced as well–a man whose lover was beaten to death and it is that loss that has crushed his spirit for many months. As much as Ty receives from Blake’s caring and attention, there is most definitely a reverse giving that begins to heal Blake, to give him back his life and his ability to share genuine loving.

These books are all beautifully written and this third novel is filled with scenes that illustrate that overarching reality of sensitive and authentic love that these men share. As Quinn and Lorcan grow in their love for each other they become better able to reach out to some of the people who were “there ” for them as they were struggling to get back to each other. Lorcan’s old lover, Ty, the men who are an integral part of Quinn’s “family” at his ranch–all these begin to be graced with the deep love that Quinn and Lorcan make their own. Even with a HEA, there is also that reality that others in the story are moving forward in a positive way, that their story is an important part of Quinn and Lorcan’s story and will continue to be so. I don’t read a lot of M/M books, but this trilogy is wonderful, and I am so glad to have experienced all three books. This third novel just caps it off beautifully. Wonderfully written, edited, with a good use of language and good spelling–all the mechanics of a good novel are here. It’s just one really terrific read!!

I give it a rating of 4.25 out of 5

The series:

You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.

.This book is available from Dreamspinner Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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Tagged: 4.25 Reviews, Contemporary Western Romance, Dreamspinner Press, Guest Reviews, Judith's Reviews, M/M Romance, Reviews, SJD Peterson

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:

You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.

This book is available from Dreamspinner Press. You can buy it here in e-format.