Customer Reviews

Between Friends: Sammy's Place

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As expected the second story (but the last to be released) on the Between Friends story is for now my favorite. It's the story of Sammy, the tiny and very flamboyant college roommate of Jason. Sammy is a little pretty thing who apparently everyone should love and instead he always falls in love for the wrong guy. Maybe the problem is that Sammy falls in love and the other guy only sees a way to have an housekeeper for free. Sammy wants so much a family that he always tries so hard to build a beautiful nest for the man he loves; he cooks, he works hard, he is the perfect lover; he is so focused in loving that he forgets to love himself.

When Jason realizes that one more man is treating very bad his best friend, he asks help to his boyfriend Harry (since, let me say, Jason is not exactly the man who can be a knight in shining armor...). And with Harry this time arrives also Peter, a buddy friend of the good cop. But Peter is not a saint as Harry, he is a leather man in disguise: an antique dealer by day, he is almost a control freak by night. But what can be a fault for someone else, it's exactly what Sammy needs in his life. Sammy, now Samuel only for Peter, learns little by little the lesson: for being happy he hasn't to disappear in the love for his man, he has to blossom and shine. And Peter is the right man to do that since he fullfil every Samuel's desire inside their home, and can give a dream work to Samuel by day.

In the previous book there was the novelty, at least for a Sean Michael's book, of the sex that was delayed on the novel; here instead Peter and Samuel let it go at the very first night, and they continue for all the book. But again the sex is not the only reason for the novel, there is a story, and a very good character's development in Samuel. Samuel is all I was expecting and maybe something more. Peter is a very nice character, gentle and caring; I believe that the author didn't give him an actual age, but I have the feeling that he is older than Samuel: he has the behavior of a man who knows exactly what he wants for his life and has the maturity to reach for it. I like the fact that he didn't force Samuel to take a decision, but he gently maneuvers him toward the right direction.

I love Sean's series on the 4 friends. This 3rd in the series tells us how Sammy meets his Dom, Peter. The beginning of the story brings a lump to my throat as we find Sammy lost and physically and emotionally tortured by an abusive Dom. Fortunately he has Jason and Harry to care for him and welcomes Sammy into their blissful domestic life.

A terribly scarred Sammy tries to recover from his horrible ordeal. Does not help that his ex refuses to give him up. Then comes Peter, the perfect Dom in total control. I love how Peter rescues, nurtures, cares and loves Sammy. Theirs is such a sensual, sexy yet loving and tender union, which Sean expresses so well. The BDSM sex is not really my thing. I admit I feel squeamish at some of the extreme scenes like binding, fisting, flogging but Sean tells it with love and the reader knows that Sammy needs it to be "safe".

The plot is tightly paced with suspenseful moments as Sammy's ex refuses to lose his sub. I enjoy the chemistry and tightly knitted friendship among these 4 friends. And of course I just love Sammy's character, the perfect and endearing sub, flightly, such an adorable queen, cares for others more than himself, loves to curse and so lost untils he finds his Peter.

I hope this is not the end of the series and that Sean is "brave" enough to attempt the next story on Harry's terrible ordeal, which we learnt about in the first book.

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 9/10

PROS:
- Awesome transformation in Sammy from timid, awkward butterfly to self-assured, loving sub confident in his own needs and desires.
- Peter...the entire character--everything he says, everything he does, everything he thinks, especially as relates to Sammy. There were moments when Sammy's hesitancy was so extreme I thought that Peter would get frustrated with him and send Sammy even further into the hole of self-dejection he was spiraling into, but every time, Peter said or did the perfect thing.
- Loving portrayal of the BDSM lifestyle that made me, who, like Jason, just doesn't quite "get it," think, "Aw. How sweet." (I had similar moments when reading Switch by Claire Thompson.)
- Devoted, protective friends. I loved the scene right after Samuel shows up at Harry and Jason's house after he's been with Peter for the first time in a real BDSM scene. So realistic.

CON:
- Typical (of the genre and of Michael in particular) editing issues. Old story.

Overall comments: Beautiful ending to the series. I'm sure this book can stand alone even if you haven't read Between Friends or When Harry Met Jason, but having read all three--and in the order in which Michael wrote them--I highly recommend you read them together. Each one illuminates and builds upon the others, and the characters are lovely. If you can stand BDSM at all, give this series a read.

It's hard not to love Sammy - he just wants someone to love and care for, and be loved and cared for in return. Peter truly adores Sammy and understands what it is that he needs. This was a touching story, but not one that I would read again. If I had known there would be fisting, I would have passed on reading this one. The initial back bruising and then the fisting were just too far outside my comfort zone. I managed to stick with it though, because I really cared about Sammy, and there was enough sweet mixed in with the sexy to hold my interest.