Rating: 4.25 stars
Buy Links: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Denali is a server in the White House residence. He loves his job and taking care of people comes naturally to him. In fact, it is something he loves both in the bedroom and out. Denali knows he is interested in a Dom/sub relationship, but he has only fantasized about submission, never really had a chance to be with a real Dom. And even though he knows he shouldn’t be checking out a member of the President’s family, Denali can’t help his attraction to Milan, the president’s brother-in-law.
Asher is a Secret Service agent and part of the first family’s protective detail. He and Milan are both in the BDSM scene, and the men have played together before, as Asher is a switch. It is hard for both men to really find partners, given their jobs and accompanying public scrutiny. So while Milan is definitely a “no relationships” kind of guy, the two have had multiple encounters and share a casual friendship.
When tragedy strikes once again, hitting close to home for all three men, they are drawn to each other for comfort. Denali can’t help his desire to help be there for Milan and Asher, and his offer to submit is the best way he knows to take care of them. It takes a bit for the three men to sort things out; Asher, in particular, isn’t quite sure if he fits in the dynamic between Milan and Denali. But soon the men hit their stride and realize how well they all work as a threesome. But while Asher and Denali are looking for something more serious, Milan has always kept his partners at a distance. Now Milan must figure out if he is ready to reach for more with Asher and Denali, or if he is going to lose the chance for something special with two men who truly care for him.
Serve the fourth book in Nora Phoenix’s White House Men series and a great installment. While this relationship stands alone well, the series has an overarching suspense plot that requires reading from the beginning to best follow along with that aspect of the storyline.
I really enjoyed the dynamic between Milan, Denali, and Asher. We have met both Asher and Milan in earlier books, and I found Milan, in particular, to be such an interesting character. He is definitely the hardest man of the three of them, and has kept himself at a distance from his partners for so many years that he has trouble even considering more for himself. These guys start off crazy hot for each other, and at first, it is Asher who feels a bit of the odd man out seeing the connection between Denali and Milan. But Asher and Denali are so much more open than Milan that they come to recognize and accept their feelings much sooner, and it takes more time for Milan to figure out and accept for himself that the three are meant to be together. The men have a great dynamic, with Milan the hard, intense older Dom; Denali as the sweet, adorable sub who loves to please; and Asher who is coming to truly accept himself as a switch. The men are sexy together and there are some high heat scenes. While this story isn’t predominantly focused on the BDSM side of things, there is definitely some kink here, both in terms of a Dom/sub dynamic, as well as some pain play and other elements. I really enjoyed these guys and felt like there is a nice progression of their relationship from pure sex and attraction at the start to a real emotional connection by the end of the story.
This book has a nice balance between the relationship and the overarching suspense plot. Both Asher and Milan are involved in aspects of the investigation, and with Denali working in the Residence, he hears a lot too. So between the three of them, we get a natural involvement in the bigger suspense storyline. As we are mid series, I think that the pacing feels right in this book. This story gives us one super shocking event, but makes progress on a lot of smaller fronts as well. There are a lot of things happening simultaneously here, between the original bombing, the assassination, the former first lady’s death, and the events of this book. We are starting to get some reveals and seeing some pieces come together, and I think Phoenix is doing a nice job balancing it all and keeping things moving forward.
I found this another nice installment in this series. I am really enjoying both the relationships and the overarching suspense plot, and am definitely looking forward to future books.
