Never Let Me Go by Elaine White

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Blurb


We were everything to each other, once. Now we're basically strangers. The most I get from Bradley, as we pass in the hall, is a glare or a shove against the lockers.
The problem is that I don't mind.
I'd do anything, be anything and give anything, to be with him. Even if he is arrogant, crass, and the sexiest man in school. He's also dominant. Over me. Only me. And I love it.
I was waiting for graduation. Until we'd left school and the constant rules, the judgments and gossip. I was waiting until I had the guts to ask Bradley to be my Dom for real. Forever.
I just never expected him to make the first move.


Warning: be prepared for no explicit content, teen drama, snark galore, and a whole lot of tension between strong Dom/sub personalities. These boys know who they are and they aren't about to hide it.



REVIEW
My Rating - 3 Stars


Never Let Me Go is an interesting Young Adult, coming of age romance by Elaine White.

Rory and Bradley had been best friends until Bradley openly denied Rory. Now years have passed and Bradley wants back in Rory's life.

It took me a little while to accept that Rory would allow Bradley back into his life. But, as the story progresses, it either started to make sense to me, or I just no longer cared, as I was enjoying the story enough to not care. Somehow, it just worked.

The story itself remained a little off to me, as both young men seemed to act beyond their years.

But, overall, I still enjoy the story as a whole. Rory and Bradley work well together and their romance made for some interesting moments.

The Reunion (Decadent #5) by Elaine White

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Blurb:
What happens when everyone in the room is only six-degrees of separation from an ex-boyfriend, the guy who beat him up, his brother, his cousin, and his best friend? You have a reunion to remember...for the wrong reasons.
Bringing everyone together, at the urging of his therapist, seems like a bad idea. Especially when it means putting Grayson, Tam, Casen, Giovanni, and Lachlan in the same room. And, of course, they all had to bring their partners, husbands or boyfriends. How Levi and Mack got invited, Konnor can only imagine. It seemed like everyone was eager to witness the inevitable explosion. After all, bad feelings can only be buried for so long...

REVIEW 

This is the 5th book in the series and they need to be read in order.

This book is a wonderful continuation of The Decadent series.  We end up being witness to a compilation of all the past participates as they try to make some peace with the past. 
We get to witness wonderful closure for the men.  And get to see how they have been moving on and forward in their relationships.   It truly encompassed all that we love about each man.  

Overall, this is just a fantastic, feel-good story.  The author does a superb job, as usual, with the character development.  I have loved her writing style for this entire series.   It is superb and engaging.  Throughout, she has managed to capture multiple sides of each character and has helped them to overcome their pasts.  She does not shy away from tough topics and tough situations and does an excellent job with each topic that she is addressing.

If you like the first 4 books in this series, you need to pick up The Reunion.  
If you haven't read any of them, go back and start at the beginning.  It is worth the ride.

Right Kind of Wrong (Decadent #3) by Elaine White

Amazon

Blurb:
Tam's done everything he can to forget all about Konnor and their disastrous relationship. His new boyfriend, Giovanni, has helped with that.
But six months into their relationship, he discovers that he's fallen into the same trap all over again.
Beaten, broken and falling to pieces emotionally, Tam wonders if there's any point in going on. A pair of copper eyes and a gentle smile rescue him, in his darkest hour, giving him a ray of hope. But then he discovers that this beautiful boy is related to Grayson, the new boyfriend of his ex.
Finally finding 'the one' in an unusually compassionate stranger, what possible future can they have, when Tam knows that Konnor will do all in his power to keep him far from the Dashwood boy?

REVIEW

This is book 3 is the Decadent series and you need to read them in order.

When Tam is beaten up by Giovanni, Casen is the one who finds him and helps him.  Tam was ready to give up that night, but Casen saved him. This changes Tam, who is determined to do better and sets up a new life plan.

When Casen transfers to Tam's school, he is excited to find out about how Tam is doing now and what happened to him after that night.  They have a big obstacle facing them if they want to be friends though.  It ends up that Casen is Grayson's cousin.  Tam knows that Grayson will never let them be friends.  

I loved that Elaine White was able to take a character like Tam, who was previously so hated, and redeem him and make him likeable.   Hearing his view on the things that previously happened completely changes everything.    And pairing him with a man like Casen was perfect.  They are just wonderful for each other.

This is a wonderful continuation of the series.   All of the men in the series are so broken and flawed.  Watching them save each other, find out who they really are, and bettering themselves is fantastic.  Seeing them all do horrible things and then redeem themselves is just captivating.  It has been a great journey and I look forward to more.

The Other Side (Decadent Book 2) by Elaine White

Amazon


Blurb:
It's been three years since Konnor lost Lachlan as a best friend. They still don't talk and Konnor has let his wild side out during college. Now, after three years at college, the six-month new student Grayson is his new best friend. Konnor is crazy about Grayson, while Grayson thinks he's as straight as a ruler and only wants to stay friends.
But Konnor is determined: he won't lose another best friend to his secrets. What will happen when Konnor tries playing dirty? Will Grayson fall for his direct, unashamed flirtations or will they prove to be too much for the straight-laced newbie?

REVIEW -

During his time without Lachlan in his life, Konnor has been struggling.  Now he finds himself falling for his new best friend, Grayson.  Konnor is able to become real and open with Grayson, which helps him to realize that he and Lachlan never had that kind of relationship.  What he has with Grayson is a true best friend.  Konnor is afraid to try for a relationship with him though, as he doesn't want to mess things up and lose another friend. 

Meanwhile, Cormag and Grayson work with their men to try to help them become friends again.  And there is a good amount of angst with an ex.

It is a beautiful story.  As the book said - "They were friends. Friends who became lovers. It took them a while to realize the love had been there all along."

This was a wonderful continuation of the series.  It was a terrific account of two men who really struggled with their sex lives.   I found this part of the story to be very well written.  It was emotional, intense and realistic.  It was an unexpected element to their relationship. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this story.

Decadent by Elaine White

Amazon

Blurb:

Lachlan Meran is a high school student about to graduate and find his way in the world. He thinks his life is set on its course and all he has to do is make a few decisions to keep it on track. That is until a betrayal causes his life to take a different turn.
When his best friend Konnor is added to the equation, will Lachlan be forced to choose between his best friend and what could be the ultimate love of his life, his first boyfriend?

REVIEW -

This is the first book I have read by Elaine White, and I am hooked.  I will be reading the others in this series immediately!

It took me a little bit to fall for Lachlan, but I did, and hard.  Lachlan is such an innocent, sweet teenager.   As you learn more and more about Lachlan, you just can't get enough of him.  He just wants to find his way in the world, and once he knows what he wants, he needs to go after it.  

Cormag is just precious.  I love that they met at the beginning of the book, but it took time for their relationship to evolve.  Being older, you'd expect Cormag to be more pushy, but he was just so damn perfect in the way he handled Lachlan.

Even Konner, who was Lachlan's best friend, isn't completely unlikeable.  His actions in this book are underhanded and selfish, but you still want him to find his true love.  

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.   It had great characters, a wonderful storyline and I can't wait to read more of the series.