Review: Razor

Razor by Candace Blevins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Erotically intense, romantically sweet - Razor is unexpected. I have come to expect a certain type of angst or major struggle between the main characters in Ms. Blevins' stories. Or a forced accelerated sexual growth or maturity as a central plot. This one pleasantly surprised me as it is neither angsty nor was there any major drama. And the supernatural world did not rear its ugly head with good versus evil fighting for the rights to earth. Instead, we are treated to a lovely erotic romance between two men who know what they want. This story can be read as a standalone. Personally, I recommend reading the other books in the series to get a better feel for the world as well as the secondary characters. Ms. Blevins does give a nice dossier on the different characters at the beginning of the book which will help new readers ease into this world.

Where to start? I like the characters. I really like Razor. He's my type of Daddy Dom and his character seduced me from the beginning. Matty, the sweet little boy is adorable. I like that he meets several of the twink stereotypes and he's not bothered by it. He may have some flaws, but that only makes him perfect. The interactions between Razor and Matty are refreshing. They communicate well together and they don't have baggage coming into the relationship. Or I should say, very little baggage as Matty did lose whom he thought would be his forever Master due to a death. That would affect and change anyone. What I enjoy most about these two is their erotic power exchange and the ease of slipping into a semi-domestic discipline relationship. The maintenance spankings completely appealed to me. I'm a bit envious of Matty. The two together are so good and it's nice to read about characters who aren't fighting the relationship or in denial about their feelings.

This leads me to their kink play. Good Lord have mercy on me. The BDSM in this story is hawt. Super hawt with sadist Doms and Dommes mixing in piercing, breath play, orgasm denials, forced orgasms and heavy SM. The kink is all pretty plausible (except for the whole vampire drinking blood thing) and I was over the moon with the descriptions. Ms. Blevins does a very nice job of giving just the right amount of kink at the right time in the stories. The kink in this story is necessary because it is a way for Matty and Razor to bond better. The intimacy in the SM which does include fisting, brings the two closer together. It is as if they are tuning into each other's wavelength the more they explore together. I love it. This tale is a sweet romance story with a bite. This is not to say it is all roses because there is also punishment in the story. And it isn't pretty or easy. There are no funishments in this book. When Matty steps out of line, he knows it and gracefully accepts his punishment. This does not mean quietly... because some of the punishments are brutal!

This lengthy novel packs quite a bit in it. Just as I thought it would end, there was more to the story. I've come to expect this of Ms. Blevins and I appreciate her for giving so much and yet still wanting more when the story comes to an end. One item which caught my attention is how Ms. Blevins continues to easy slice the timeline and move forward. This story's timeline goes through at least a year. I like this technique because it does feel like more has happened and that we are progressing forward. This judicious usage of moving time forward with just a few paragraphs keeps a reader's attention whilst making the story more plausible with the length of a romance. I appreciate her not going into every detail of every day.

This story is a nice breather from the ever intense "people out to get them" themes in the other books of the series. The focus is more on the relationships within the MC and how it relates to the greater supernatural world. It is fascinating to see how something I probably wouldn't think twice of as an issue become such a large problem. It is interesting to note the consequences of a careless negligent act due to a personal bias - and how it snowballs into a political nightmare. I won't lie, the restitution needed to correct this error seemed a bit over the top to me. However, I'm not in the MC lifestyle so I can't honestly judge if it is too much or too little. I can say that it did arouse me and I had to break out the vibrator. My only regret is the scene was more a quick overview instead of a graphic viewing of the restitution. I wish I could been in the audience and I would have stayed until the end! This erotic m/m romance is recommended to paranormal readers who have a penchant for Daddy Doms, Leather Daddies and sadistically kinky motorcycle men.

*I received an advanced copy. No review was required. I wrote way anyway.