Title: Lace-Covered Compromise
Author: Silvia Violet
Narrator: Nick J. Russo
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Run Time: 4 hours and 49 minutes
Category: Contemporary
At a Glance: Overall, I enjoyed this story, especially in audio, and would recommend it for anyone who likes a good enemies-to-lovers tale or just a good romance with a small side of kink.
Reviewed By: Carrie
Blurb: Adam Kingston expects to inherit his father’s multinational conglomerate. When he finds out half of it went to Nate Thomas – an annoying man whose dreams for Kingston Corp.’s future clash with Adam’s need to stave off financial disaster – Adam is furious. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to wrest control of Kingston Corp. from Nate.
Nate may be soft-spoken, but he refuses to be swayed by Adam’s arrogant demands. When Nate accidentally drops a pair of his lacy panties in front of Adam, there’s no mistaking Adam’s interest. Nate hadn’t realized Adam was bisexual, but now that his secret is out, Nate is willing to use Adam’s lust against him if it means protecting the welfare of the company he loves.
For Adam and Nate, hatred and desire are closely linked. Their inability to compromise threatens the company and could expose their tightly held secrets. But as they work together to develop a plan to save Kingston Corp., they begin to realize there might be more to their relationship than anger and lust.
Review: This is a great enemies-to-lovers tale from Silvia Violet. She takes us away—but not too far away—from her usual BDSM fare and leads us more into the land of pure kink with some incredibly hot men and some manties.
Adam Kingston is a scientist. He’s never thought of working for any company except the one his father owns, knowing that it would be his one day. His relationship with his father is complicated, distant and full of emotional minefields. So, when his father dies and doesn’t leave the company to just him alone, it is just one more hurt to add to the ever-present mountain of injustices Adam already carries around inside. Adam has lived his life trying to live up to his father’s standards and never feeling he quite made it, so he is determined to shoulder the running of the company, a company in dire financial distress, and do a better job than the man who sired him. Now, if he can just get his panic attacks under control and his anxiety doesn’t get the better of him, he’ll be fine. Let me say here that Violet has drawn Adam as an alpha male with a vulnerable inside, but he’s determined that no one will see it. He strives to be a man in total control of all his surroundings at all times to be able to keep his anxieties at bay. He can’t crack; if he does, he may just fall apart completely. Adam ticks all the angst boxes.
Nate has been working for Kingston for several years. Working in a different division from Adam has kept the two apart, and they only know of each other in passing. Having Adam’s dad leave him half of the company leaves Nate reeling, especially when Adam lets him know just how bad things are financially at Kingston Corp. The only way to get things back on track are for him and Adam to put aside their differences and work together to save the company…a feat which is easier said than done. Nate has been his own man for a while; he has convictions and cares deeply for his employees. So, what if he likes to wear a little bit of lace under his clothing or a bit of gloss on his lips when he goes out. Don’t let that fool you; there is nothing submissive or feminine about him. He just knows what he likes and isn’t afraid to go there. I appreciated the fact that this wasn’t a huge focus for the author; it is mentioned and played upon, but it is more a facet of the character, not a major plot point.
Two men who have totally different viewpoints of the world, from two different backgrounds, two divergent personalities are forced together to compromise or risk losing the company they have each, in their own way, fought for. This book is about a dominant man in real life who longs to give up control in his personal life, and an easygoing man in public who is dominant in his private affairs. I would have loved a dual POV for this story. Because we only get Adam’s POV, it feels lopsided sometimes. Because both male characters are dominant in their own way, getting a dual POV would have weighted the story evenly.
Nick J. Russo does a great job with the narration on this story. He paces the story nicely, and I wasn’t thrown out of my enjoyment of listening by any odd cadences or glitches. His characterizations were spot on for Adam and Nate (as well as the secondary female character), and I had no trouble knowing who was speaking at any given time. Russo’s emotional tones always followed the storyline, and he had no problems at all with the feelings of each character. The audio was very well done.
Overall, I enjoyed this story, especially in audio, and would recommend it for anyone who likes a good enemies-to-lovers tale or just a good romance with a small side of kink.
You can buy Lace-Covered Compromise here:
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