Book Talk Review; Worth The Risk

I've found my new obsession y'all

At eighteen, Landon Miller was sure about two things--he was a submissive and he was going to be with Gregory Douglas for the rest of his life. That was until parents and school got in the way, and he found himself in New York, thousands of miles from the man who had learned how to take him in hand. Feeling abandoned by the person he’d come to rely on, Landon has no choice but to set his sights on a new and lonely future.

Years later, behind the bar at Rapture, the BDSM club he’s built on a foundation of disillusioned dreams and broken bricks, Landon finds himself face to face with his favorite memory and greatest regret—Gregory.

Seeing his first love again is the only inspiration Gregory needs to commit himself to forging his way toward the future he always envisioned…one with Landon yielding and bending to his command. Determined to recapture the magic of their first love, Gregory works to right the wrongs of their past so they can move on together.

Battling through the resentment from their youth, Landon is unexpectedly called back to New York, and Gregory can’t help but fear the past is repeating itself. Fighting familiar feelings of helplessness, he makes the decision to give Landon what he needs, even if that means not chasing after the man he adores…again. Gregory can only hope when Landon returns, he won’t throw away the love they’ve fought and risked everything for.

* 

Well, the evil word magician has captured my attention with this series. It's only book one and I'm already obsessed. I cannot wait for the rest of the books because based on who they're going to be about I know they're going to be amazing. I fell in love not only with Landon and Gregory but their closest friends as well. The dynamics between them all are great and you can so pick up on all the tension that runs through them all. It makes you both excited and anxious for their turn in the spotlight.

To be honest I don't usually have a thing for second chance romances. I'll read them but normally they do nothing for me. And well, I had some of those feelings right off the bat. It didn't take me long before I was rooting for Landon and Gregory's story, however. Kate Hawthorne has magical powers because she's proven over and over again how she can make me love her work with just one scene. Though it's hard to pinpoint when I started falling in love with both Landon and Gregory.

Gregory, I loved him right off the bat. He was just so Dommy (yes, that's a word) and so calm. Even though he was hurting. Even though he was unsure, he was still confident. He knew what he wanted and he fought for it. And what he wanted was Landon.

Emotional, bratty Landon. Seriously, the guy is so emotional. But I loved that about him. Until he turned into an idiot and I got very huffy. Like so huffy I may have screamed in frustration. But while he might have been emotional and sassy and in need of a good spanking, he was such a good character. His submission was so beautiful. His fear of the "what if" was so real. Even though I wanted to throttle him I liked him and couldn't wait until he realized he was an idiot.

The BDSM in this book felt real. Realer than anything I have ever read. And over the past few months, I've read a lot of BDSM. While practically every book I read was good and had amazing scenes in their own right there was something about Worth The Risk that felt more. I don't know if it was because of the club scene, or just because Gregory and Landon fit together like a puzzle, but there was something tangible about them. Their scenes were alive and I felt like a voyeur in their relationship.

I think if the word magician keeps it up with the overall feel of the series it's going to be amazing. Because you can feel how much went into making this book perfect and real for the characters, I can only imagine how the other books are going to turn out. I've found that there sometimes comes a point where an author stops telling a story and just starts pouring reality onto a page. I feel like Kate Hawthorne has reached that point. Her words come to life, I felt it in Until You Say Otherwise, but now I can really feel it. From Landon's gift of submission to Gregory's control to their unique group of friends, to Rapture, to Ed, everything just felt less like a book and more like reality.

Does that make sense outside my head?

I love how, despite their issues Gregory and Landon understand what they need—both together and apart. They allow the other to discover who they became in their time apart. They explored and learned and adapted to the people they are now, rather than trying to pretend they were the same.

I dare a reader to try this book and not fall in love with some aspect of it. Worth The Risk seems to have it all. A patient yet controlling Dom, an emotional sub, a stylish dog, and almost bacon sex. What more could you want?

I'll be over here waiting for the rest of the series to be written so I can indulge in my new obsession. In the meantime y'all should read this book.

*Quote-

"It was easy to make assumptions when you didn't take the time to get to know people." 

"I want you to be whoever you want to be." 

"...Landon's submission was like a fucking magnet that drew them together, leaving them both helpless to the other." 

"I gave up on you a long time ago. But I knew if you ever came back, I'd try again. You've always been worth the risk." 

-Abri