AotM ~ Losing Control by Riley Hart (Review + Giveaway)

LOSING CONTROL

Amazon

On the surface, Ben seems to have it all: money, influence, good looks. He smiles and jokes in all the right places, but it’s all a façade. Inside he’s a wreck, and it’s only getting worse. With his Congressman father using Ben’s recent kidnapping for his own political agenda, and Ben still struggling to get over the only guy he’s ever loved, he feels like he’s losing his grip on reality and he’s quickly spiraling out of control.

Then he meets Dante, an enigma of a man with as much self-hatred as Ben has. In Dante, Ben finds what he didn’t know he needed: Dante’s control, his power, is the only thing that clears the fog in Ben’s brain. For the first time in his life, Ben has a lover who just might need Ben as much as Ben needs him. When they’re together, the demons from their pasts don’t lurk so heavily on their shoulders.

But Dante can’t fix him. Not when a memory from Ben’s past is haunting him in ways he doesn’t understand, waiting for him to put together the missing pieces in his head…and what he discovers just might have the power to break him for good.

Warning: light BDSM themes and mentions of abuse.

4 Stars! 

I was so excited to finally get Ben's story. If you've read the previous 2 books you know the Ben is pretty much the only friend Tristan had in the world. Ben harbors feelings for Tristan, wishing that the man would finally realize that they belong together, but instead Tristan fell in love with not just one but two men and has settled into a serious relationship and life with them. This leaves Ben feeling adrift after loving Tristan for so long. Ben is also dealing with the aftermath of being kidnapped and beaten and then witnessing the death of his kidnapper. He is completely messed up from the experience and suffering from PTSD. He won't really tell anyone how everything is affecting him though and it's compounded with memories of his sister's suicide, causing distressing nightmares. He attempts to cope by having as much sex as possible and losing himself in alcohol. However, things aren't working and the sex is making him feel at a loss.

Then Ben sees Dante, a Dom in the BDSM club Ben has been going to. Dante seems in control, he's bossy and extremely closed off. Dante sees what Ben is feeling and wants him to know he's been there too. He wants to help him in a way but neither men are truly in a place for that to happen. The help he can provide is on a purely sexual level. He sees that Ben needs to give up control in the bedroom and he's willing to be the one Ben hands it over to. It's really something they both need. Dante is damaged as well and in the end, it's also him healing too.

Personally, while I loved Ben, I didn't care for Dante. I'm not a huge fan of BDSM or D/s stories, so this was a bit hard for me especially because it's Riley Hart. Dante left me feeling a bit cold and empty and I didn't quite see what it really was about their relationship that makes this a romance.

I didn't think they worked well as a couple and I really felt like it was one-sided. I missed the romance and the feelings, the connection that the character from the previous books had in abundance. It was great seeing Ben but I didn't love his story the way I'd hoped.

I'd recommend this one to fans of the Broken Pieces Trilogy and or fans of D/s.

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