Trusting Thomas

'Trusting Thomas' is book two in K.C. Wells's 'Collars and Cuffs' series. I was very impressed with the author's foray into the BDSM world and, thus, was super excited for the next book in this series. The glimpses I had of Thomas simply intrigued me as I wanted to know more about him. The fact that Peter has been so badly abused in the name of D/s made my heart hurt for him. I wanted them both to get what they deserved, even if one of them didn't know he was wanting.
Thomas receives a phone call from his good friend Steven a few days before Christmas wanting his advice. It seems Steven is very concerned about a sub owned by a man who, in Steven's opinion, should never be a Dom. Thomas cautions Steven to be careful and to make sure he has all the information before jumping in, because Thomas has heard some nasty rumors about Curtis, too. Thomas agrees, a little reluctantly, to care for the sub when Steven gets him away from his abusive environment. That is how Thomas comes to be looking at a thin, badly bruised, and terrified Peter on New Year's Eve. In all of Thomas's imaginings, he never could have foreseen the amount of abuse that Peter has suffered, not just the physical and verbal, but there was no contract, no safewords, Peter was used and abused at Curtis's whim.
Peter is a surprise in many, many ways. There is so much more to him than just a young man who was abused. Even before he met Curtis, he had experienced quite a bit of disappointment and loss. Peter has always wanted to train to be a submissive. He thought he had gotten what he wanted when he met Curtis. Four years later he's been so badly treated that a part of him is grateful he's ended up at Thomas's. The other part of him is terrified because he knows Curtis will come after him, mainly because Peter knows a lot about Curtis's illegal activities. Meeting Thomas, though, Peter really wants to be able to trust this powerful but calm Dom, and after talking, they sign a short-term contract. The concept of a contract is new to Peter having never seen one before, but it clearly lays out what Thomas is going to provide and his rules and expectations.
Thomas has never trained a submissive as damaged as Peter, and there are times he's at a total loss as to how to proceed. I loved how gentle and kind he was with Peter, at the same time he started a routine for him and they began to build trust. Peter's rebirthing experience was lovely and brought tears to my eyes. And, no, I'm not sharing it, you'll need to read the book. Watching Peter grow and come out of his terror was wonderful to watch and it all just made me adore Thomas even more! It doesn't take too long before Thomas is wondering what it would be like if Peter was his boy. Of course, he doesn't let those thoughts in very often, figuring what beautiful twenty-six year old man would want someone almost thirty years his senior. No, Thomas decides it's best just to keep training Peter. But, the thoughts still linger. And as Peter begins to trust Thomas and care for him, the thought of leaving him becomes intolerable.
I knew that Curtis was eventually going to find Peter. Peter knows way too much of his criminal activities to just let him go. When Peter confesses what he knows, Thomas and Leo get the police involved. Turns out this isn't the first time the detective inspector has heard this story. Unfortunately, the last time someone of a higher pay grade squashed the story and his witness disappeared. Now it's up to Peter to try to help the police trap Curtis.
I so loved this second book! It was just as exciting as the first and I got great interaction with Leo and Alex, too. The love between Peter and Thomas built so slowly and was inundated with Thomas helping Peter learn to trust and to be happy, again. It was sweet, gentle, and caring throughout the story and I'm so grateful to K.C. Wells for having written it. Now I can't wait for the next story!
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews

This book pushed all my buttons and made me cry a lot. Partly, I cried in helpless rage when Peter's story comes out bit by bit, and partly in sheer joy from watching this beautifully broken young man flourish under Thomas' capable hands.

So, you had best have tissues at the ready.
I have a thing for the salt and pepper older men. You know, the ones with experience, the ones who are comfortable in their own skin, the ones who make you feel safe as soon as you look at them. Thomas is such a man. Unfortunately, he plays for the other team, but in his book he finds just what he didn't even know he needed.

Peter on the other hand is very damaged - nearly broken by years of abuse at the hands of a sadistic man who shouldn't ever be allowed to call himself a Dom. Still, despite his fears and the brainwashing, Peter has not completely given up hope. It's buried deep, sure, but there's still that little spark inside that ultimately lets him shine brightly by the end.

The writing is engaging and descriptive, exploring the aftermath of abuse, ignorance and explaining the BDSM lifestyle as it flows along, creating gorgeous imagery that brought out all my feelz and left me choked up more than a few times.

I admired Peter's strength in reclaiming his life, I cheered for him whenever he took a new step forward, and I was overjoyed for both Peter and Thomas at the end.

What could have been done better was the resolution to the Curtis situation. It seemed over too quickly and too cleanly, which I suppose, for escape from reality's sake, wasn't too bad. I was on the edge of my seat as it was, so it's not like I minded terribly when the bad guys went to jail rather quickly.

I must also question the existence of the leaking butthole and refer to my friend who tells me there's no such thing. Though, I suppose it could be argued that after years of sexual abuse in Peter's case, perhaps the sphincter does not shut as tightly as it should (contradicted when Thomas exclaims how very tight Peter is), even though that would still require gravity (and thus standing up) for the few ounces of cum to leak at all.

Either way, I've come to expect such inaccuracies in a lot of M/M romances, and they don't distract me from my enjoyment of this book. There were scenes that were so utterly gorgeous and emotional, they took my breath away. I felt cherished just by reading about how delicately and conscientiously Thomas takes care of Peter and does whatever he can to make the scared man feel safe. That alone was worth reading this book.

This book pushed all my buttons and made me cry a lot. Partly, I cried in helpless rage when Peter's story comes out bit by bit, and partly in sheer joy from watching this beautifully broken young man flourish under Thomas' capable hands.

So, you had best have tissues at the ready.
I have a thing for the salt and pepper older men. You know, the ones with experience, the ones who are comfortable in their own skin, the ones who make you feel safe as soon as you look at them. Thomas is such a man. Unfortunately, he plays for the other team, but in his book he finds just what he didn't even know he needed.

Peter on the other hand is very damaged - nearly broken by years of abuse at the hands of a sadistic man who shouldn't ever be allowed to call himself a Dom. Still, despite his fears and the brainwashing, Peter has not completely given up hope. It's buried deep, sure, but there's still that little spark inside that ultimately lets him shine brightly by the end.

The writing is engaging and descriptive, exploring the aftermath of abuse, ignorance and explaining the BDSM lifestyle as it flows along, creating gorgeous imagery that brought out all my feelz and left me choked up more than a few times.

I admired Peter's strength in reclaiming his life, I cheered for him whenever he took a new step forward, and I was overjoyed for both Peter and Thomas at the end.

What could have been done better was the resolution to the Curtis situation. It seemed over too quickly and too cleanly, which I suppose, for escape from reality's sake, wasn't too bad. I was on the edge of my seat as it was, so it's not like I minded terribly when the bad guys went to jail rather quickly.

I must also question the existence of the leaking butthole and refer to my friend who tells me there's no such thing. Though, I suppose it could be argued that after years of sexual abuse in Peter's case, perhaps the sphincter does not shut as tightly as it should (contradicted when Thomas exclaims how very tight Peter is), even though that would still require gravity (and thus standing up) for the few ounces of cum to leak at all.

Either way, I've come to expect such inaccuracies in a lot of M/M romances, and they don't distract me from my enjoyment of this book. There were scenes that were so utterly gorgeous and emotional, they took my breath away. I felt cherished just by reading about how delicately and conscientiously Thomas takes care of Peter and does whatever he can to make the scared man feel safe. That alone was worth reading this book.