In my attempt to cover some of the attending authors for this year's GRL,
I am reviewing
I am reviewing
JB Dabney's Crave!
BLURB
Welcome to Brawlers Bar…
A quick pit stop for a comfortable bed to sleep turned into an eight-year stay. Vincent “Crave” Butler hit the road the day after college graduation and hadn’t looked behind him since. He’d swore to never stop moving, but the night he drove into Powers, Georgia changed the course of his life. He’d hit a bar called Brawlers with its rundown exterior and pride flag beside the door, the next day he had a job. Second in command to the Head of Brawler security, Crave found the place he didn’t have to run from. No one would call Crave sane. He lived to make people as uncomfortable as possible just for his own twisted amusement. That all changed when a certain cute as fuck bartender walked in for an interview.
No one wanted Twitch Harrison around. He was small, femme and annoying on his best days, downright abhorrent on his bad ones. When college turned out to be a no-go, and the parents canceled his credit cards he’d needed a job. Walking into Brawlers, the roughest gay bar in his hometown, was like a game of pick the thing that didn’t belong—him. The two owners, Scary and Tank, hired him on and four years later he was still that thing that didn’t belong. No one made it more apparent than bouncer Crave Butler who didn’t hide the fact he barely tolerated Twitch’s presence.
Crave threatened every man who thought they’d get the pretty Twitch but would Twitch rather be in their beds than his? Only one way to find out and he hoped Twitch was ready for forever because that’s what Crave was determined to have.
A quick pit stop for a comfortable bed to sleep turned into an eight-year stay. Vincent “Crave” Butler hit the road the day after college graduation and hadn’t looked behind him since. He’d swore to never stop moving, but the night he drove into Powers, Georgia changed the course of his life. He’d hit a bar called Brawlers with its rundown exterior and pride flag beside the door, the next day he had a job. Second in command to the Head of Brawler security, Crave found the place he didn’t have to run from. No one would call Crave sane. He lived to make people as uncomfortable as possible just for his own twisted amusement. That all changed when a certain cute as fuck bartender walked in for an interview.
No one wanted Twitch Harrison around. He was small, femme and annoying on his best days, downright abhorrent on his bad ones. When college turned out to be a no-go, and the parents canceled his credit cards he’d needed a job. Walking into Brawlers, the roughest gay bar in his hometown, was like a game of pick the thing that didn’t belong—him. The two owners, Scary and Tank, hired him on and four years later he was still that thing that didn’t belong. No one made it more apparent than bouncer Crave Butler who didn’t hide the fact he barely tolerated Twitch’s presence.
Crave threatened every man who thought they’d get the pretty Twitch but would Twitch rather be in their beds than his? Only one way to find out and he hoped Twitch was ready for forever because that’s what Crave was determined to have.
REVIEW
My Rating - 5 Stars!
I fell in love with Crave from the start, as JB Dabney's writing style and tone gripped me.
When we meet Crave and Twitch, they work together and are secretly in love with one another. What follows, as they start to acknowledge their attraction is an amazingly beautiful and tender romance.
Twitch was raised thinking sex is evil, and just the thoughts of having sex causes him anxiety. He now has a lot of hang ups about sex, never even having kissed someone before. Twitch even spends some nights in bed with Lucky and Priest, just for comfort, as he tries to get used to contact again.
As Crave gives into his attraction to Twitch, the careful and protective way he handles Twitch is emotional, unexpected and intoxicating.
As their relationship develops, Crave and Twitch ultimately help balance each other, as one needs grounding and one needs someone to not make him feel like a monster. It is beautiful as Crave wants to be the one to comfort Twitch, instead of his usual desire for control. He wants Twitch to come to him for comfort instead of going to Lucky and Priest.
Twitch's backstory is heart breaking. He has cut himself for years and is covered in scars. This might be Twitch's first relationship, but the love is strong, and it's precious that both men can be themselves with the other. There's no pretending, no pretenses. That moment when he first bares himself to Crave, allowing Crave to see his scars is terrifically done.
There are so many things about this story that I love. One thing that can't go overlooked is Twitch's relationship with Lucky and Priest. This friendship is amazing.
Another is the chocolate covered coffee beans. That scene is one of the most hysterical scenes I've ever had the pleasure of reading!
I definitely recommend Crave to anyone who hasn't read it. And, now I need to go and read more of this JB Dabney series!
JB Dabney
By day, she's an introverted cook hiding out in her kitchen in the middle of nowhere Ohio, by night and any free time she may have, she is a writer of mainly LGBTQ Fiction and Erotica. Although. she's equal opportunity when it comes to telling a story, she'll even write a bit of straight erotic romance when the mood strikes.
She has been writing for years in old notebooks. At the age of eight, she wrote the worst poem in the history of poetry, but it sparked her love for writing. She reads too much and loves to get lost in other worlds and her favorite stories have to include laughter and having the reader doing at least one double take. Thirty-something, forever restless she uses her stories to ground herself, and find her place of peace.
She has been writing for years in old notebooks. At the age of eight, she wrote the worst poem in the history of poetry, but it sparked her love for writing. She reads too much and loves to get lost in other worlds and her favorite stories have to include laughter and having the reader doing at least one double take. Thirty-something, forever restless she uses her stories to ground herself, and find her place of peace.
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