The Good Boy (The Boy)

Some stories are just so impactive (Is that a word? It is now.) that not only can you not put them down; you can't stop thinking about them for a while after to finish reading it. There were moments I laughed so hard and on the other extreme there were moments when my tears of sadness just flowed without my knowledge. This is the sort of 'coming of age' story for one hero that you want never to happen in reality, but if so, you hope a tender, but solid man like the other hero is there for him to survive and thrive. I caution readers who prefer lighter tones to their stories or readers with past experiences with abuse cautiously approach this story. It was such a triumphant story for both heroes that it will be one of the best reads of the year for me even with the year not even half over. The story opens with a very young, painfully shy, college age kid, Lane Moredock, at the end of his rope. He grew up the only son of a wealthy family. He had it all until his parents swindled people who invested with their financial company out of millions and pulled it off. His mother is in prison and his father made it out of the country, but poor Lane is left holding the empty bag. The Feds seized all assets barely letting him leave with the clothes on his back and they now hound him constantly to know where the missing millions are. Nobody believes that he is innocent and knows nothing. He is the pariah of the town and now lives in a cheap motel in a hand to mouth existence. Lane goes to his parents' old friend, Acton, who was his childhood crush and still stars in his dreams for any help Acton can give him knowing that Acton lost a lot in his parents' scheme too. Acton was the only one to return his phone call and Lane soon learns why. Acton as a proposal of revenge that a sadist would cringe over. Derek Fields is a middle age man who has just started over with a new career so he's doing something he loves. He is lonely and afraid that he'll never find the perfect submissive who will match his particular needs. It is harder when he sees his friends in relationships around him. His life is dreary for another reason. He's just lost his nest egg to the Moredock scandal and like everyone else he's utterly convinced their young son, Landon is in it up to his eyeballs. Derek's bitter anger spills forward when he catches Landon at Acton's party drunk and wanton like he doesn't have a care in the world. Several days later, Derek gets his big opportunity to tell Landon Moredock personally what he thinks of him when he spots him in an alley after watching the kid get turned away for a low paying job. The trouble is that Landon stood there and took his verbal vitriol and walked away looking like a beaten puppy. The satisfaction of verbally ripping into the kid rings hollow to him and he starts to wonder if everyone has it wrong about Landon. It is after he watches him some more and sees the evidence that the kid has been severely abused that Derek decides to do what he can to help this closed off defeated young man. The long journey that Derek and Lane follow to a trusting relationship takes up the majority of the book with occasional flashbacks when Lane remembers that truly horrendous week he spent with Acton. The abuse both scars and scares him, but it doesn't dampen an emotional need in Lane to be punished. Derek has to tread lightly even while giving Lane what he needs. Just as things seem to be looking brighter, it all falls apart again. This plot is a slow to develop piece that is retrospective and introspective much of the time though it does keep moving. The pace is interruptive when it starts in the present, then skips over Landon's week of horror, only to come back to it in flashback moments. Its not hard to follow when this happens. Lane's tragic week is slowly fed to the reader throughout the story- and thank goodness because it was really severe physical, sexual and emotional abuse going on that I wouldn't have had the guts for all at once. This story is a love story, but Lane's needs are so severe that its gritty and dark much of the time. Lane's needs involve pain, but Derek has to be so careful how he helps satisfy the need because of the way Lane was abused. Derek also has to find a way to unlock Lane's silence and also teach him to trust Derek with his needs. That leads me to speak of the characters. Lane and Derek are flawed and beautiful. The story alternates between their viewpoints. They are surrounded by a great cast that include Derek's mom, Erin, his animal loving sister, his friends who are in a committed D/s relationship, the animals at the shelter (yes, they are wonderful key players), and the villains of the story. My favorite secondary character was that nutty parrot who was owned by a crabby old man who taught that parrot words that ranged from health issues, to name calling to suggestive words. Holy Toledo was he funny and lightened up many a scene. I should probably mention that the BDSM between Derek and Lane is moderate involving puppy play, use of alternative objects to give pain and also spankings. The abuse with Acton is described in a way that it is detailed, but fades to black when Lane is remembering it buffering the reader a little bit as a result. Thus, its a wonderful character driven plot that is not for the faint of heart or someone looking for a light romance. Those who enjoy emotion-engaging m/m contemporary romance should give this one a try.

This has enemies to lovers vibes, hurt/comfort vibes, found family, age gap, and of course kink. It’s hard to go wrong with that, and let me tell you, I was NOT disappointed. Lane had it rough. His backstory is infuriating to read. I was so angry on his behalf and wanted to subject his abuser to the same “tender” care. Derek is an amazing Dom. He’s a flawed human, but he worked his Dom magic on Lane and it was beautiful to see. I highly recommend this book if you like seeing traumatized boys learn to thrive under the guidance of their perfect Dom.

I liked it. Lane's parents cheated investors out of millions of dollars and Lane got stuck in the middle of everything. They absconded leaving him to hold the proverbial bag. Lane went to see one of his family's friends, Acton, in an naive attempt to get some money to live on. He was staying a motel that rented rooms by the hour. The author did a great job at describing it. Not to spoil the story, but the family friend took advantage of Lane. Enter Derek. Derek is a photograph that was hired by the same Acton to photograph a party the same night Lane visited. He happened to photograph Lane's "meeting" with Acton. He was raping Lane, and had continued to do so for a week. Not a nice man, but he did end up killing himself. The photographs end up being a small plot point later on in the story. Lane and Derek eventually meet. They have a LOT to work through, and they eventually do. Lane is emotionally stunted because of Mom and Dad. He's a smart guy, but shy and going through hell because of the investment fraud. He's being hounded by the press and the feds. Derek and his friends and family are his only source of comfort. He's going through some of Derek's photos and sees the ones he took the night Acton raped him. He loses it and everything comes out. It's horrific for lack of a better word. I can't imagine escaping the situation without being completely screwed up in the head. I can't imagine doing something like that to another human being. I'm not surprised Acton killed himself. This is a very sexy book. There's a lot of different kink play. I really liked that. Usually with these kinds of books, you get one type of kink and that's it. There was puppy play. Good old fashioned spanking. They used hot sauce in one scene. That was really unique. The secondary characters were very strong. They weren't so strong that they overtook the primary characters, but they were really enjoyable and added to the story. I loved the animals. They weren't just filler. I think they played a real role in the book. Derek and Lane met because Lane stopped a dog from escaping from a photoshoot. I do recommend this. I'm up in the air about trigger warnings for it though. If you read the reviews, I think that should be enough. I rarely read a book before reading reviews.

I liked this! Age-gap, hurt, mild puppy play, spanking. Derek, 37 meets Lane, 20. Lane’s family has just defrauded a large portion of wealthy and middle class Americans out of millions. With his mother in jail, his father on the run, Lane faces the wrath of thousands. He’s also broke, shy, and desperate. His desperation sends him into the violent hands of an old family friend. (Flashbacks of torture, dub-con). Derek is a photographer who has lost his small savings in the economic scandal. He happens upon Lane several times (how coincidental for the plot) and eventually reaches out to him. Lane is broken after the abuse of his “friend.” Derek is the Dom to piece his back together. This healing took a loooonnnnggggg time. Derek is a patient man. Maybe too patient, methinks. Here’s where this story landed in the 3 star range. We stalled with the hurt and patience and didn’t seem to get past 3rd gear. Well, that’s a messed up metaphor, but you get me, right? Anywho, I enjoyed the story and its bit of kink was fun. I’m going to be looking at my dog’s brush in a whole new way now!

This was the third book by Lisa Henry I have read. Both other books had been borderline for me – “The Island” came down on the right side, “Tribute” on the wrong side. Lisa Henry is NOT a “feel-good” author. She writes edgy books with strong characters. Despite that, this book is in my opinion her “tamest” so far because both MCs are as close as real people as fictional people can get. Derek is a man who started his life new a few years ago. After ditching his boring desk job and going for his dream – being a photographer – he can barely make ends meet. He had invested his whole back-up money with the Moredock investment plans. And got robbed by them. He is angry. Lane is the son, the one who actually doesn’t have any clue about his parents doings and intentions. Like a good son he followed their directions, he trusted them. Now they are gone, his mother in prison, his father hiding in Europe, he is left alone with the words “let the lawyers deal with it”. Unfortunately that leaves him also without money, without home. (Okay, here comes the moment of disbelief…why did he never contact the lawyer about his situation? Yeah, then there would be no story, I know). He turns to an old family friend, a man he secretly admired, whose attention had helped him to deal with his insecurity, his issues in personality. But nothing turns out as he thinks it would do. SPOILER: Now – this is hard to deal with, there is drugged induced sex, torture etc. There comes the point when the promised reward is no longer enough to keep Lane going and he leaves the family friend. Even more broken, in pain and alone. Derek wants to hate the young man, he has seen him as the rich and seemingly spoiled and shameless slut he'd imagined him. But the broken boy behind the fast food counter doesn’t fit into that view. He reaches out with help, hiring Lane for meals, and is getting to know him more and more. And Lane hesitantly starts to trust. How these two very different guys develop a relationship, how they are exactly what the other needs that is the pleasure in this book. There is a Sub/Dom relationship and puppy play – which I found actually at first very disturbing (I never heard about this before) and at the second view very helpful for Lane, because as Derek’s puppy he is free from any other obligation but to obey, follow and he is able to show his affection without the barrier that words can be. It’s not an easy read but I found it worth my time and enjoyed the uniqueness.

I loooved this book so much. My heart broke for Lane and healed with him. I cried and laughed and loved everything. The writing was really great, nothing jarred me at all, I finished this in one sitting and time really well spent!

One of my favourite series ever. Lane is a character that I just felt so connected to. The story was interesting, there was humour and hot kink. There were dark parts to this story, which I like anyway, but it was essential in telling Derek and Lane's story right. These guys have a rough journey but they also have what I think is a beautiful love story. Loved it.

Uncomfortable to read in how realistic it is with people's judgement and the fallout it can cause. Painful in the severe on-page abuse the characters goes through and the trauma it causes. Beautiful in finding healing through kink and the love of a found family. Wow.

SM is not my thing so I did not think I would enjoy this kind of book. But I did. Well written and with real rounded characters, it proved an enjoyable read.