Book Reviews

Book Blurb

A Life Half-Lived No More...

Hemophiliac Geoff Gilchrest has lived his entire life swaddled in figurative bubble wrap, thanks to his overprotective mother. Now he's free of everything except the prison of his own mind, where forbidden desires war against crippling self-doubt.

Geoff is a masochist. He craves his sex with a side of pain and degradation. But when getting shoved against a wall could result in catastrophic brain injury and even a moderate flogging could leave him paralyzed--or worse--it's hard to find a dom willing to step up and give Geoff the experiences he's been longing for.


Robin Brady has doubts of his own. Still stinging from massive violations of trust on the part of his drug-addicted ex, he has retreated to Saugatuck to start a new life. But the yearning in Geoff's eyes calls to him, and he knows that, armed with a deft hand and foreknowledge, he can give Geoff what he's been seeking, without putting Geoff's safety at risk.


First, though, he's got to convince Geoff to trust him--not just with his well-being, but with his pride. Geoff's injured self-esteem and trouble with communicating what he perceives as weaknesses, could end them before they have a chance to begin.

 

 

First edition published by Riptide Publishing, May 2016.

 

Book Review

Hemophilia is not a disease that is mentioned very often mainly because it's not very common. It occurs in 1 in 5000 live male births. It's estimated that there are 20,000 cases in the United States and approximately 400,000 in the world. When you compare those numbers to cancer, heart disease, or any other disease that kills, hemophilia isn't ranked very high. I, myself, am more familiar with famous people throughout history who had hemophilia or were the carriers of the disease, i.e. Tsarevitch Alexei Nikolaevich, Richard Burton, Ryan White, Prince Leopold, and Queen Victoria. She was a carrier as were two of her daughters who married into royal families, thus giving this disease the title of Royal Disease.

If you're confused as to why I'm giving you a history lesson, bear with me please. 'Risk Aware' caught me immediately through its description because this is not a disease I've seen any other author write about, and certainly not in relation to BDSM. Naturally I was fascinated and wanted to read more. As I got further into the novel it was the writing, the characters, and their vulnerabilities - outside of Geoff's hemophilia - that kept me riveted to the pages.

“You want to sub, baby, but you’ve got no idea what it means. When you give someone the power to do what they want to you, you also give them the responsibility of keeping you safe. Otherwise, you can’t ever really give in and let go.”

Geoff hates his blood, his disease, the thing that keeps him from having what he wants, what normal people can have. He watches porn of submissives being whipped bloody and he wants it so bad. His whole life he felt like he was kept in bubble wrap and he's incredibly sensitive to the words weak and fragile. Geoff only knows he wants rough, hard, and pain, without realizing, without having researched enough to know, and understand that there are many forms of pain, i.e. humiliation. He's constantly at war with himself between wanting to throw the chains off and needing to protect his very life. It's a push-pull of enormous magnitude.

Robin was a little more difficult to figure out. In the beginning he came across as a wealthy only child who had everything and is very easygoing, and laid-back. Then I got some more insight into his teen years, his first boyfriend, what he made of his life before meeting Geoff, his last boyfriend/sub, and how his life exploded in his face. Robin is a fixer, and that hasn't always been a good thing for him. His life, the mistakes he made, the betrayal he suffered, and that he doesn't want to share with Geoff, regardless that he's pried all kind of information out of Geoff, is one of Robin's vulnerabilities. He questions his ability as a Dom after what has happened in his life.

“The problem is that we’re dealing with two issues here. The other one, the bigger one, is my doubt about myself. I didn’t even realize when I made you all those promises that I was full of shit, portraying myself as being so cocky and self-assured. I’m not assured of anything about myself right now. Nothing at all.”

A powerful and emotional novel, 'Risk Aware' had me riveted. The constant fear that something was going to happen to Geoff regardless of how careful Robin was, gave me a small idea of what life must be like for Geoff on a daily basis. I loved the way their relationship gradually shifted to love as it wouldn't have been real if it happened too quickly. If you enjoy BDSM and masochism, then I can definitely recommend this novel.

 

 

 

 

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Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 341 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	21-September-2018
Price	$5.99 ebook, $17.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HL6TL73