Review: The Final Round

Recommended to kinky readers who enjoy heartbreak, angst and love everlasting @janedavitt #bookreview #

The Final Round by Jane Davitt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Benedict and Shane are back! A return to these two hotties, I am now imagining them as Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. This is an emotional distraught read which left me with a bad case of book hangover. I expected to just sneak in a few chapters at midnight and ended up reading the entire book into the wee hours of the morning. Pick this book up late at night only on the weekend. You have been warned.

Shane is in a downward spiral. He celebrates his birthday and unbeknownst to him, his mother dies at the same time. He rushes to England as the prodigal son returned, only too late. Because the mother who loved, supported and cared for him is dead. His terribly estranged relationship with his father carries on right where it left off. Benedict helplessly watches Shane mimicking his father's destructive mode.

This story is filled with messy emotions and guilt. Relationships are not easy between parents and child in this series. We started this journey with Benedict loathing his father and we come full circle with Shane detesting his. What Ms. Davitt and Ms. Snow bring to life are regrets. Shane is filled with regrets because he did not ever consider his mother would die. His desire for his mother to be alive and someone else to be dead in her place also causes him anger. Shane is a whole ball of rage with little way of releasing it and healing. Fortunately, Benedict loves him and supports him through this entire melt down.

The dynamic between Shane and his father is dysfunctional. With Benedict there as a different filter, the reader is exposed to two sides of Shane's dad. Neither are right or wrong. Both are accurate and it is a hard thing to witness Shane's childhood disillusionment of his father. One wants to be outraged and slay Shane's dad. When Benedict seeks to understand and does not have the same past experiences, it places Shane in an even more sour mood. Sometimes only family can tear and rend a person apart so badly. Both Shane and his father do considerable damage to each other.

The relationship between Shane and Benedict is predictably strained throughout this book. The authors do an excellent job of showing the ups and downs of a relationship going through turmoil. The grief Shane experiences makes him do a few foolish things. He inadvertently hurts Benedict. I want to shake and smack Shane around. This disconnect made it hard for me to enjoy the sex in this book. Yes, the sex is well done, graphic and hot. The kinky D/s parts to it are delicious. I felt ill at ease because it is only masking the discord between the two. It is as if they are in constant make-up sex mode which does not work for me. This is personal pet peeve.

What I really enjoyed were the tie-ins to England. It brought a sense of nostalgia for me and reading this book makes me realize I missed London. The stores, the food and the terminology all remind me of the time I lived in London. The locations, mannerism and language all bring back fond memories. All the English things are accurately described and easy to see. It is as if the places in the book came to life in my mind. This m/m romance is recommended to kinky readers who enjoy heartbreak, angst and love everlasting.

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