collar me coverRating: 3.75 stars
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Length: Novel

 

Theo and Preston are roommates in a shared house with a group of guys brought together by their interest in kink. The men are both attracted to one another, but neither thinks the other is interested. Theo is involved in puppy play and has a friend who serves as his trainer and takes him to puppy shows where he competes. When Alice bails on him at the last minute, Theo thinks that he has lost his chance to be a part of the competition. He is surprised when Preston offers to help out, as he knows pet play isn’t Preston’s kink. But Preston cares about Theo and sees how disappointed he is and is happy to help out.

The pair spend some time practicing before heading off for the weekend for the competition. It all gives the men a chance to get to know one another better and finally confess to their shared attraction. Once they are open about their feelings, Theo and Preston find that they are a perfect fit. Preston enjoys sharing something as important to Theo as puppy time, and Theo finds he enjoys being tied down, something that is Preston’s kink. But in addition to their shared interest in BDSM, Theo and Preston find an easy comfort with each other and are falling hard and fast. Everything seems perfect, until Theo starts getting some nasty messages from someone looking to get him out of the puppy play community. It is upsetting for Theo, but with Preston by his side, he knows he can get through anything.

Collar Me is the third book in the My Kinky Housemate series. The books all focus on a group of men who live in a shared house and all have an interest in various kinks. Theo and Preston are new MCs for the series, but the men all appear in each other’s books and we see a lot of the roommates, particularly in books 2 and 3. So while I don’t think you need to have read the other books, especially if you are ok not knowing the side characters, your experience will be enhanced here if you are familiar with the group. Each book also features a bonus scene at the end that leads into the next book, so we saw a bit of Theo and Preston at the end of Plaything (though the scene isn’t required to follow the events here) and get a tease for the next story at the end of this one.

This story is super sweet and comforting, as befitting a book about a guy into puppy play. Theo is a darling; he is lovely and sweet and enjoys nothing more than cuddling. The men are friends who are afraid to confess their feelings, but they open up fairly early in the book, so the lack of communication doesn’t last long. They fall pretty fast and hard, with no relationship issues along the way. Both men are open to exploring the others’ kink and they have an easy and sweet path to love.

I think the story did suffer a little from this lack of conflict, as the book is almost 300 pages and pretty much everything is smooth sailing. The one problem arises when someone is leaving nasty messages about Theo on the puppy play boards and he is hurt and upset about it. The problem is, we never see the messages or get much window into how Theo is feeling, other than being told he is upset, so I felt a little removed from it. The other problem is that is that I found it totally obvious who is behind it all (and you will too), so this isn’t any kind of mystery or suspenseful situation. So this book is exactly what you want if you are looking for sweet and adorable, but I found it needed a little something more to carry the story completely.

This is a puppy play book and Theo spends most of his down time in puppy ears and sort of a cuddly persona. We also see the men competing in puppy play dog shows, as well as training, so there is a lot of focus on this aspect of the kink (we also get some bondage scenes, FWIW). There is no sex in puppy form, though the men do play with a cock ring meant to simulate knotting and Theo calls Preston “Alpha.” This isn’t necessarily my favorite kink to read about, but I think it is done well here and fits nicely with Theo’s personality, both what we know in this story and what has been shown across the series.

Overall, I found this a sweet and easy read. I liked Theo and Preston together, though I do think we get to know Theo much more. And I found the puppy competitions to be interesting. I just needed a little more going on for this longish book, as the lack of conflict or much in the way of plot slowed it down a little for me. But if you are into pet play stories, or just want something cuddly and adorable, this one is a good choice.

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