not his kiss to takeRating: 4.5 stars
Buy Links: 
 Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel


Never ending migraines led to an addiction to prescription pain pills, ending Dr. Evan Harrison’s career as an ER doctor. Being a doctor was his dream, and now he is basically a recluse, shut at home in the dark and quiet with headaches that don’t seem to stop. One night things are good enough that Evan heads to his local bar for a while. There is sees the most beautiful angel of a young man and finds himself instantly attracted. When Jamie is injured and needs care, his refusal to go to a hospital leads Evan to take him home instead where he can help Jamie heal.

Jamie is young, stubborn, and definitely straight. But even so, Evan finds himself incredibly drawn to the young man. He knows he should keep his distance; between the age gap, the fact that Jamie was his patient, and Jamie’s interest in women not men, Evan knows the beautiful young man is not meant for him. But when Jamie’s curiosity and unexpected attraction leads him to seek out Evan’s advances, Evan can’t help but accept Jamie’s interest.

challenge monthJamie is everything Evan could want. He brings energy and joy into Evan’s quiet life. He is stubborn and snarky and challenges Evan in a way that he loves. And sex with Jamie is thrilling. But there is one crucial problem… Jamie is not gay. And Evan knows that at some point, he must let the young man go so that he can pursue relationships with woman and get on with his life. But now that the two men have grown to care for one another and found a wonderful connection, losing Jamie will be the hardest thing he has ever had to do.

I have had Not His Kiss to Take in my TBR pile for a while now, so it seemed like a great choice for our Reading Challenge TBR Pile Week. I have enjoyed other books by Finn Marlowe and I had skimmed through this one a bit before, so I am glad I finally got a chance to read it.

This is a story that pushes so many of my hot buttons and I just loved it. First, we have the age difference between these guys. Not just age, but experience too, as Jamie has never been with a man or even that many women. I love that sense of discovery as someone experiences sex for the first time, and Marlowe does a great job capturing Jamie’s wonder and enthusiasm, combined with that slight edge of anxiety as he questions his sexuality. Marlowe gets that balance so nicely. Once Jamie lets himself accept it, he is so hot for Evan and so eager to try new things. But he also struggles with these new feelings for a man and what that means for him. There is just the right amount of tension without the overwhelming “but I’m not gay” angst we sometimes find in this type of storyline.

I also love a good bratty bottom and so I had such fun with the way Jamie challenges Evan. Even before they are sexually involved, Jamie loves to push his buttons. As much as he makes Evan crazy, Evan loves that Jamie challenges him and brings a brightness to Evan’s life. He has spent so much time shut away and suddenly he has this ray of light in Jamie who brings new energy into his life.

And finally, this book is nice and dirty and totally did it for me. There is a layer of kink here that I wouldn’t say goes quite into BDSM territory, but they are definitely not totally vanilla. Evan is a super kinky guy with a dominant personality and he loves controlling Jamie’s pleasure. Nothing too hard core (though there is an erotic enema scene), but definitely some kink. But I think what takes the story up a notch is just that little layer of taboo. Not only is Evan older and more experienced, and not only is this Jamie’s first time with a man, but there is a bit of the doctor/patient aspect to things that just slightly pushes the boundaries. Now if you want to have a firm line here, Evan probably shouldn’t be getting involved with Jamie at all. And he definitely feels guilty about it. But at the same time, Jamie is clearly capable of making his own decisions and he comes to Evan ready and willing. Still, just that little bit of taboo adds a lot to the story and I found it gave the book that perfect sexy edge.

So I really enjoyed this one and am so glad I finally took the time to read it. I continue to enjoy Marlowe’s work and would definitely recommend this one.

P.S. I couldn’t find this on either Amazon or ARe, but it is available at Smashwords for FREE in a variety of formats.

This review is part of our September Reading Challenge Month for TBR Pile Week! Leave a relevant comment below and you will be entered to win this week’s fabulous prize of a loaded iPad Mini sponsored by Dreamspinner Press, as well as our amazing grand prize sponsored by Riptide Publishing. You can get more information on our Challenge Month here, and more details on TBR Pile week here. And be sure to check out our prize post for more about the awesome prizes! 

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