Book Talk Review; Until You Say Otherwise

Richard is everything, that is all 

Richard Harrington is tired of saying goodbye.

Richard is thirty-six and tired of the same old thing. A Dom with a room full of underused toys and life of unfulfilled promise, he decides it’s time to move on from one night stands and to search for something real and lasting. Richard wants someone who will submit and push their limits for him, but the last place he expects to find that person is on his doorstep.

Sam Sanders is determined.

Unable to continue living at home, he packs a few belongings and sets out on his own. Even though he's living in his car, he believes a decent future is within his reach, and he's ready to begin living his life and maybe even find love. With a little bit of luck, and a lot of determination, Sam finds a job and also ends up in the company of a generous and handsome stranger.

Two men are searching.

Sam is still trying to figure out what he wants in life, but Richard already knows. He wants Sam—the vibrant young man with glossy lips, a hungry stare, and who looks so pretty on his knees. With his unconditional acceptance, Richard offers Sam something no one else has and, in turn, Sam inadvertently shows Richard a love he’s never known.

Somewhere along the way, play becomes serious for these two very different men. As Sam works toward being able to stand on his own, Richard is forced to face his growing affection for the man who kneels so willingly at his feet. When a near tragic event puts their relationship into perspective, Richard realizes that sometimes holding on also means letting go. Will Sam be able to reconcile his need to be independent with Richard's desire to keep him forever?

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I fell in love with Richard in Love Comes After. I didn't know much about him, just that he was Chris's best friend and collected cat teapots. He kept a big part of himself hidden from Chris and that's evident in Until You Say Otherwise.

I couldn't wait to get to know Richard in this book. He was a distant enigma that just wanted Chris to be okay. While I wanted him to be okay. It was obvious to me that Richard needed love, and seeing him live his life so alone in this book broke my heart. And then he meets Sam. 

Brave, innocent, perfect, adorable Sam. 

It's so easy to fall in love with Sam. I didn't even have to think about it, he was sweet and so freaking adorable. He was so brave to do what he did (no spoilers). So innocent in so many ways, yet determined to not only get what he wanted, but to give Richard what he desperately needed—even if he didn't understand it at the time. 

Until You Say Otherwise explores a D/s relationship and it is exactly what I look for in these types of books. There's so much trust between these two, even if they don't know each other that well. They just know. They know that they can just be with the other. There's nothing better than that. The trust, the connection—mental, emotional, and physical—between two people in this type of relationship are big reasons why I love BDSM books. Kate Hawthorne puts it all in and does it so beautifully. 

 Richard broke my heart. He wanted a relationship so bad, and when he meets Sam he's so perfect. But also so young. Richard battles with himself. His back and forth killed me. All I wanted was to see him get everything he deserved. He was so afraid of losing Sam, so afraid of his young lover remembering that he was fourteen years older than him that he almost didn't give them the chance. It was heartbreaking. 

Sweet, adorable Sam sees what they can have, even if he doesn't understand it. Even if he wants to learn how to be Sam on his own.  

It was hard watching them battle themselves, and so fulfilling to see them give in. 

I have to admit that some of their internal conflict was hilarious. Especially in the beginning, when they don't know each other, when they overthink and second-guess. Sam is a bit of a smart-ass and has some great lines, as does Richard, even though most of his are internal. I'm going to cheat here, Book Talkers, and give you two of my favorite lines that are not going to count towards my four quotes: The rich, older than twenty-two, cat teapot collecting, homeless man houser. I heard of your kind.- Sam 

You're going to hell for this. Christopher is going to murder you when he finds out, and you're going straight to hell. -Richard 

Kate Hawthorne, evil word magician that she is, did not let me have my Richard and his adorable Sam. No, she had to make me tear up by writing a scene I knew was going to come, based on the timeline between Until You Say Otherwise and Love Comes After. I knew it would come and thought it wouldn't affect me, but man, besides hot sex and awesome BDSM this word magician knows how to make me feel. I can't complain, not really, because y'all know I live for the books that evoke the feels, but it's still something I need to mention. 

There are so many great scenes between Richard and Sam, both while they're playing and while they're not. One of my favorites might have to do with a buggy whip. I love me a good flogging scene and I really love when the whip comes out, but man, this one takes the cake, y'all. Hell everything in this book soared to my 'Top Favorite Scene' list. There's something else in this book that is so hot. I won't say because I had to wait to find out, it's only fair y'all do too. Let's just say it took something that I normally was 'meh' over and turned it to something I adored when Sam and Richard did it—particularly Sam. 

I don't think there's anything else I can say about this book, about these two characters without giving too much away. I love how this book was more intense, more exploratory, with a completely different feel than the other ones. The small cameos and mentions about Chris, Aiden, and Bennet from Love Comes After helps but this book in the same universe as the previous three books, but it has a completely different feel to it. I love when an author can do that. When they can turn a series out in very different directions and still make it work, still have them all fit together.  

Y'all will love Richard, you will adore Sam, all you have to do is pick this book up and read it. It took me about 5.5 hours to read. These characters and their word magician will suck you in.

If you want to know why I dubbed Kate Hawthrone an evil word magician check out the Book Talk of Love Comes After here

*Quote-

"If Sam was a real person to him, maybe he wouldn't want to say goodbye. Richard was tired of saying goodbye." 

"Same felt better than he had in years. Here he felt alive and appreciated. He felt wanted...Wanted." 

"I want to be what you wanted to find."

"...You've accepted me, and you've made me feel safe, and there aren't words strong enough to thank you..." 

-Abri