Book Talk Review: Humbled

 Hands down one of my favorite books of the year

If I were the kind of man who carved actual notches into my bedpost for every new partner who landed between my sheets, I wouldn’t have a bed left to show for it.

GRAYSON

I know my way around the bedroom and the playroom, so I should have known that flirting with my older--and dominant--boss was a recipe for disaster. But by the time I realize I'm in over my head with the disgustingly rich and perfectly commanding Robert McAvoy, it's too late to turn back. I want him and I crave the way he makes me feel, even if it's confusing and threatens everything about the life I've built for myself.

I'm not a submissive. I'm not meek and I'm not mild, but when Rob is around it's easy to see the appeal in all of those things.

* * *

Flirting with Grayson was a bad idea from the start, but I've never been the kind of man to shy away from a challenge.

ROB

He's frustrating, but he's brilliant. He's defensive and dominant, but he's desperate to be taken care of. He's perfect for me, and it doesn't matter how long I have to wait for him to see it because he's worth all of my time and more. A back and forth game leads to something far more real than either of us bargained for, and before long Grayson is in my bed and my heart.

I want Grayson on his knees for me, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get him there, even if that means I have to humble myself before the man who’s too scared to trust me with his heart.

Whatever it takes.

*

Humbled is the first in Kate Hawthorne’s new Trophy Doms Social Club series and if book one is any indication, this book will be nothing but exceptional. 

Humbled is a romance about two dominants but it is so much more than that. You might be thinking ‘How can two Doms not only fall in love but enjoy their various kinks with one another?’ This book is the answer. 

Rob is dominant, he’s arrogant, and he’s set in his ways. He’s built himself into a man who can have whatever and whoever he wants, and he knows it. When he gives in to Grayson’s incessant flirting, he realizes he might have bitten off more than he can chew. Grayson isn’t only an employee and shameless flirt, but he’s dominant as well. 

Grayson didn’t think anything of flirting with his boss. He certainly didn’t think that Rob would flirt back. And he certainly didn’t expect more than flirting to occur between them. What starts off as almost harmless fun between two dominant men who know it couldn’t work becomes so much more than either of them bargained for. 

This book, God this book. It is hands down one of my top favorite books of the year. The pure emotion threaded through each and every single word. Kate Hawthorne is a master at her craft but this book is by far her best. I’ve loved every book I’ve read from this author, but this one is so exceptional. Everything from the emotional arc to the character development to the pure authenticity of the kink was so well-done it took my breath away. 

Grayson is a character who utterly destroyed my heart. He’s so fragile and vulnerable, while at the same time so strong. He goes through a lot emotionally in this book. He wants nothing more than to find a place where he belongs as his world is in upheaval. The people closest to him are falling in love, and while he doesn’t believe that’s for him, he also doesn’t want to be alone. I weeped for him. His melancholy was so visceral that my heart literally broke in two. When he gets involved with Rob, he has strict rules that the two of them break almost immediately. Because of course, they do. Does that make it easier? Nope, Grayson fights so hard, and for so long, his self-sabotage is hard. It’s also understandable, no one wants to be the person left behind, and it’s always easier to prevent that in the first place. 

Rob is also lonely. Sure, he has his friends, he has his career, his money, and just about any submissive he could want, but it’s not until Grayson that he finds someone who understands him and his dominance in a way no one else does. Rob tries, he tries so hard to show Grayson the kind of care they both deserve, but not exactly in the right way, at least not at first. I mentioned he was arrogant! And as a Dom and businessman, that serves him well. But a Dom doming another Dom? Compromise needs to be made. 

Compromise, that’s what this book is. It’s kink with compromise. Because as two dominants they are very different. They like different things and they’re set in their ways as men who know what they want. But, as with anything in a relationship, they learn how to give and take, how to humble themselves, and how it’s not concession because they’re not giving anything up, but gaining so much more together. 

The intricate web of mixing kink and two men who are used to getting their way separately isn’t an easy one, but Kate Hawthorne is the perfect author for the job. Grayson learns a lot about himself, the type of dominant he is, and the type of love he deserves. And Rob learns about compromise, how to humble himself, and also how to accept the type of love he deserves. Is it perfect? No, but then the two of them aren’t perfect, they’re human, and humans are flawed. 

Humbled is only the first book in this series and I am already so blown away. I cannot wait to see what the author has in store for us, it’s certain to be a wild ride. 

*Quotes-

“You can’t pick and choose the parts of me that you want, Grayson… Just like I can’t pick and choose parts of you.” 

“Sometimes, I wondered what would be better—if I could erase him from my life or just erase the way I wanted him. Either one felt like a viable solution to the problem that plagued me, but I was pretty sure if he were to get raptured up into the sky, I would still spend the rest of my own days wanting him.” 

“Tell me that you want me as I…as I am.” 

“I’d been right before—the touch of him did burn me, and I knew he would leave a scar.”