“I was always hungry for love. Just once, I wanted to know what it was like to get my fill of it — to be fed so much love I couldn’t take any more. Just once.” – Haruki Murakami
Author: Katey Hawthorne
Publisher: Loose Id
Pages/Word Count: 187 Pages
Rating: 5 Stars
Blurb: Etienne never thought getting his pocket picked could lead to a first date.
He knows the second he catches punk boy Brady’s eye that the guy is pure trouble, but Et can’t resist his wicked sense of humor, pretty face, cold hands — and the “piss off” swagger when Brady’s on stage with his band doesn’t hurt, either.
From Rimbaud to Buzzcocks to Malbec to handcuffs, they introduce each other to their favorite pleasures, and the chemistry is unstoppable. But Brady disappears in the night, won’t give Etienne a phone number, doesn’t talk about his past; Etienne’s never known someone so hungry for affection but with so many trust issues. Et would give all he has, but he has the feeling Brady needs saving from something before he can take what Et offers.
Then, the “something” shows up: Brady’s dangerous family, all of them more than human — including Brady, who has the ability to supercool matter with the slightest touch. Throw in the family talent for criminal activity, and it’s an explosion waiting to happen.
Et wants to help him escape his past, but if Brady keeps disappearing, he may not get the chance.
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Review: Brady has a secret. He can frost his own drink glass. He can cause a cold shiver to cascade down your spine simply by touching you. He is on the run…an ex thief…a haunted and hunted young man…he is searching for a home. A former lover has used Etienne. He never quite measured up. He is quickly becoming used to being alone…it is safer that way. The two meet…on a dance floor. And sparks ignite!
In her novel Riot Boy, Katey Hawthorne unlocks the door to a world crafted by her brilliant imagination and gives us a love story that is not only remarkably sweet but also heats up the page, unlike so many others in this genre. She does it with a precise hand, detailing for us every move these men make, slowing down the action of the scene until we are there, in the corner of their lives, watching, aching, needing…totally in lust, want, and yes, love as we read page after page.
The world that was only hinted at in the first installment in this series is more defined. We come to understand that the “awakened” have much to fear in this world, and good reason to hide who they are from the “sleepers”. Riot Boy takes us one step closer to understanding what it is to be so different that we are feared for the power we hold within ourselves. Not one word is rushed in this novel. Not one scene is a throw away. Instead, each moment Brady and Etienne are together unlocks one more facet of their personalities and lays bare one more corner of their hearts.
I must admit by novel’s end I wanted more…so much more. I wanted to know more about Etienne’s ex, Paul. I wanted to know more about Brady and his life before Etienne. I wanted to see the next chapter unfold in their lives. This delicate dance between these two slightly wounded men left me needing to learn more about them and their lives, together and apart.
This author’s voice is decidedly different, refreshingly young but often so wise. You get the decided idea that the things that come out of her characters’ mouths were meant to be there. The dialogue is not wasted but rather, is one more way in which we learn more about Brady and Etienne. The cadence is natural and when you hear them speaking, it’s as if they are right there in the same room with you. The characters become your friends, you want to comfort them, slap them when they are frustrating, and care for them when they are wounded.
Perhaps what stands out most, however, is the way in which the author develops each intimate scene between her two men so carefully. From the tension-filled buildup to the description of the foreplay, and then the act itself—oh my, it left me breathless. Never gratuitous, rather it is seamlessly woven into the storyline and used as one more vehicle to allow us a glimpse into the inner thoughts and passion that exist between these two men.
Riot Boy was a more than worthy addition to this interesting series, and most assuredly has me hooked and ready for book number three!
You can buy Riot Boy here:
