misfit heartsRating: 4.25 stars
Buy Links: 
 Amazon | All Romance
Length: Novel


Quentin Hale is used to hiding what he wants, and feels shame for his desires. The small town he lives in isn’t conducive to being out and proud, so he’s made do with random hook-ups. When Pierce Buchanan breezes into town, Quentin instantly dislikes the man, and is glad when he figures that Pierce is just passing through. But Pierce is not all he seems, and has in fact come to town to stay.

Their next chance meeting is because Quentin is sent to do some repair work at Pierce’s house. Quentin once again resents Pierce, does what he needs to do and leaves. But life puts Pierce in Quentin’s path again. A hook up between them in the bathroom of the bar leads Pierce to offer more. At first, Quentin is sure that he shouldn’t do it, but he eventually gives in to his desires. It’s only then that he learns that Pierce wants his submission. And even though Quentin has never done anything like that before, he finds that he wants to give that to Pierce.

The two get off to a rocky start, and it takes a while for them to find their feet. But they both finally get a place where their relationship progresses. Quentin accepts his need to submit, especially to Pierce. And Pierce is gentle and patient with Quentin while he gets there.

When one of Quentin’s past hook-ups comes back to haunt them, a fight results, and Pierce is injured. Quentin knows he can’t lose Pierce, though he tries to break up with the man for his own good. Only Pierce’s determination and confidence can keep them together. If only Quentin can get over that last hurdle, and let Pierce completely into his heart.

I really enjoyed this one. It was just a tad bit slow to start for me.  I struggled in the beginning, but Quentin quickly wormed his way under my skin. Jaded by his life and experiences thus far, Quentin thinks that the life he has is all he can ever have. He doesn’t take kindly to the smooth, slick Pierce when the man first shows up. Quentin thinks he’s got Pierce all figured out, and is genuinely surprised when he finds out he’s wrong. Quentin is a bit rough. He hasn’t had much luck holding a job. He lives with, and only sometimes gets along with, his sister. He’s trying to be better, but only sometimes succeeding. By the end of the story, he’s made some great strides in his own personal growth, and I always appreciate a character who evolves.

Pierce is all about three piece suits and keeping control. From the very first meeting, we can see that he’s a good man. I really liked Pierce and I loved the way he was with Quentin. He could see beneath Quentin’s defensive attitude to the man underneath. He was gentle and patient, while asserting his dominance in and out of the bedroom. He was careful never to push Quentin too far, and was there for Quentin whenever the man needed him. I loved watching their relationship develop.

Both men have a lot of guilt they need to let go of. I loved that by finding each other, they were able to work through some issues in their pasts. The chemistry between these two just leapt off the page, and anyone on the outside can see how well they fit together.

Their sexual relationship was definitely about Dominance and submission. At first, Quentin struggled with it. He was certainly questioning whether the fact that he wanted to submit was a good thing or not. Pierce’s patience and control helped to win him over, and when Quentin allowed Pierce to have the power, it was a hot and beautiful thing. I liked that they discussed things before getting too heavily involved. And it felt real when Quentin got to the point that he could let down all his walls and really let Pierce in.

My only small quibble was with the pacing. After the slow build of the first two thirds of the book, the last section seemed just a little bit rushed. This was mostly in regards to Quentin. He spent so much time mentally resisting fully engaging himself in the relationship with Pierce that when he finally gave in, it seemed a bit sudden. I would have liked to see the beginning of his acceptance happen a little bit earlier, but this did work in context for the character. Though I found it a bit jarring, and it took me out of the story for just a minute while I processed it, it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.

If you like to read about men coming to terms with their past and finding their way into the future, with some D/s involved, then Misfit Hearts is for you. Recommended.

Note: Misfit Hearts is now available to order through Totally Bound Publishing and will soon be released more widely.

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