Rating: 4 stars
Buy Links: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Beau and Fraser are roommates in a shared house made up of men brought together by their mutual interest in kink. One night, when everyone is out at a club together, Beau and Fraser end up staying late and spending time alone together, which leads to a hot hookup back at home. They both agree it is a one-off and assume it was just a night of fun. But when Fraser shares his love of kinky role play, it definitely gets Beau’s interest. And when Fraser is stood up one night when he has a scene planned, he and Beau decide to give it a go together.
Beau never realized how much he would enjoy a role playing scene and both men are finding the attraction between them is blazing. So they decide to continue hooking up, but they will keep it quiet among their other housemates, as it’s all just for fun. Neither man expects their connection to lead to more, but they soon find that they enjoy spending time together outside the bedroom as well. Fraser is there for Beau when he is dealing with a difficult time with his addict father, and Beau shows an interest in Fraser’s life and family as well. Soon it is clear that Beau and Fraser have fallen for each other, but now they must decide if they are going to keep things just some light fun, or if they are ready to move their relationship forward into something serious.
Plaything is the second book in Colette Davison’s My Kinky Housemate series. The books focus on a group of men brought together through an app due to their shared interest in kink. From a romance standpoint, this book stands alone perfectly (though we do get a bonus scene at the end of Sugar Bunny that shows Beau and Fraser at the bar before their hookup). There is definite camaraderie among the roommates, and we see them all interacting here more often than in the first book, perhaps because both MCs live in the house. But I do think we get enough background on the various housemates that you can easily jump in here.
From a relationship standpoint, this one has an easy progression from hot hookup to serious partners. We see Beau and Fraser have a hot night together, followed by some steamy role playing scenes and other hookups. It is clear that the men have growing feelings, despite their initial plan to keep things casual. There is no angst about it here though, and while the relationship isn’t what either is expecting, they accept their feelings easily as their connection builds. The guys have fun sharing their kinks with one another and they are both eager to explore the other’s interests. Fraser is very into kinky role play scenes, complete with costumes, and there are some fun scenes here where the guys really go all out setting the stage. They very clearly negotiate the scenes in advance, including the tone, safe words, and a plan for how it will proceed. I’ll note that they do engage in a prisoner/guard scene that includes a rape element. Again, it is all negotiated in advance and something that turns both men on, so it is clearly consensual in every way. But obviously use caution if this is a trigger for you (the scene could be easily skipped if you choose). Beau enjoys breath play, and again, this is all negotiated in advance, including when it will be used and how Fraser will safe word if needed when he can’t talk. So there are some more intense kink elements here, but it is all handled well.
There isn’t much here in the way of conflict between the men; as I said, these guys just find themselves quickly moving from sex partners to in love with one another. However, the story does address Beau’s father, who has been in and out of prison and is now a drug addict. Beau’s twin brother (and fellow housemate) has cut their dad out of his life, recognizing the man will never change. But Beau is having a harder time and really struggling between his desire to try to help his dad and his need to protect himself emotionally. I like the way we see Beau come to rely on Fraser for that love and support as he deals with it all, while still leaning on his brother and maintaining that bond as well.
I thought this was another fun installment of the series and enjoyed getting to spend more time with the other housemates in this book. We once again get a bonus scene leading into the next book, though we only learn one MC, so I am curious to see how that story will develop. If you enjoy kinky stories, this is a fun series, so you may want to check these out.
