Safe in His Arms by Claire Thompson

[reviews_and_ramblings]

I really didn’t like Hank in the previous book, Wicked Heart, and for sure I was not liking him in the first part of this book: not only Hank is a spoiled brat who is living out of his father’s money without doing nothing to gain them, neither being a decent man, he is also dangerous. Hank has a rage inside him that when it comes out, it hurts people around him. Hank is used to hire rent boys for sex, and more than once he is drunk when he is having sex with them so much that he is barely able to control his actions. True, when he realizes that he is going too much far away in the game, he always backs up but what if one time he will be too altered to be able to understand when the acceptable limit was reached?

With one of this guy Hank goes just a bit too much far into the pain/pleasure game, and the boy decides to take his vengeance: next time Hank calls for a twinky boy, barely legal and just a little that touch of shy that allows Hank to be the one in control, he instead welcomes in his home Russell, almost 40 years old red-hair bear, tall and strong and not at all shy. What I liked most of Russell is that his powerful exterior is only an addendum at his Dom’s attitude, it’s not what makes him a Dom. Russell is not only a Dom, he is also caring and kind, and he is able to see behind Hank’s public figure, to the lonely boy and now adult who would only want for people to like, and love, him.

Russell doesn’t force Hank to do nothing, not during sex or in his day-to-day life, but in a way he sets his pace: if Hank wants to be worthy of Russell’s love, he has to change, he has to be responsible and independent. But the independency is only on a financial level, since when it’s time to be emotioanally dependent, Russell is always ready to reassure Hank that he is indead, finally loved by someone, not for his money or power, but for the man he is, or he could be.

It’s not an easy change for Hank, but what I appreciated most about him is that he is immediately aware of his problem, and that Russell is part of the solution; Hank knows that he is lonely, he knows that he has gone too far away in his games playing with other men’s life, and now he has no one. He is not shy in asking Russell’s help, in admitting he loves him and needs him, Hank needs the help of a rent boy, even if Russell is not exactly your typical whore. Russell thinks to himself more like a sex worker than a whore, and part of his job is to make his customer’s comfortable with their sexuality. Since he is not so young, Russell’s customers are usually slightly older, and with most of them he has a friendly relationship, and maybe for this reason, even after he is involved with Hank, Russell will continue with his sex worker job, probably, and above all, since he needs to pay his bills, and as he is teaching to Hank, and adult man has to look out for himself.

http://www.clairethompson.net/safeinhisarms.php

Buy here

Amazon: Safe in His Arms: A Wicked Hearts Story

Amazon Kindle: Safe in His Arms: A Wicked Hearts Story

Series: A Wicked Hearts Story
1) Wicked Hearts: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/765836.html
2) Safe in His Arms

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading_list&view=elisa.rolle

Comments

[angelabenedetti.livejournal.com]

I just read both of these recently, and I liked this one a lot more than I expected to. Hank was a pretty massive jerk in the first book, and early in the second book as well; it can be tough for a writer to redeem that sort of character, and I've seen that fail a few times. This worked, though, and by the end of SIHA I was able to buy that Hank had turned into a reasonably decent human being.

I think a large part of what made it work is that Russell didn't take over and force Hank to do anything. Russell made it clear what he wanted, what he expected and would or wouldn't tolerate, and that he actually did care for Hank, but then Hank had to do the work, for his own reasons. I ended up liking this book more than the first, because of the more complex and interesting character arc.

Angie

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Yes, also I think this is was for sure my favorite between the two, it's like (and often is) if an imperfect, and unlikely, hero made the book even more perfect.

[asirez.livejournal.com]

Hi, pardon me for appearing out of nowhere. I came across your reviews on some books that I've been reading, and one of them is Safe In His Arms. I really like this book although I didn't read the 1st one.

This might be a little weird, but I was wondering if you have any recommendation on any titles that is similar or at least like Safe In His Arms? Another title that I happened to think is Physical Therapy by Z.A. Maxfield. The main characters are both kinda annoying guys who lost someone closed to them but in the end, they found someone new. Like Hank lost Reese but found Russel, and Jordan lost Cooper but found Ken (Physical Therapy). Something like that.

Again, sorry about this but I kinda don't know where I could ask people for titles suggestions..

Thanks. :)

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Ciao, actually right now I have no particular title to suggest you, but I happen to notice that both the books you liked have a light BDSM tone, so maybe you can browse the book I tagged for that theme, I have collected them here:

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/tag/theme%3A%20bondage%20submission

often a character who takes refuge in a BDSM relationship has a loss in his past.