Customer Reviews

Under My Skin (Books I & II)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This may consists of 2 novellas, released months apart, but the story flows seamlessly, the romance heartfelt and sexy as hell. As for her 2 characters, Sebastian and Dylan, they are credible, well developed and very likable. Sebastian is the intelligent and good looking American boy next-door who owes a little bookshop. Far from being confident, Sebastian feels that people are somewhat repulsed by his looks and brains. His failed past relationships affirm that, especially a recently emotionally abusive one which leaves him heartbroken, insecure and unable to trust again.
Dylan is a tattoo artist, operating his growing tattoo/piercing business beside Sebastian's little bookshop. Dylan exudes confidence and sex, a handsome hunk with his tattoos, bike and jeep. However he sucks in his relationships which are confined to sex and never his heart as he is much affected by his mother's unhappy past after being abandoned by his father.
Rhodes has penned a lovely and credible story delving deeply into these 2 vulnerable and sensitive men's feelings as they struggle with their emotional obstacles which they need to overcome before they could trust, love and commit.
The first novella, which has Dylan relentlessly trying to convince a flighty Sebastian his sincerity once he realizes Sebastian is much more than a one-night stand, is more light hearted, their growing romance very sexy.
The plot picks up in the second novella which is even better. Emotionally charged, the verbal exchange between the 2 men in the second novella is stirring and absorbing. The plot turns suspenseful towards the end when one of the men's past catches up with them and as Rhodes has shown in "Always", she really knows how to keep you at the edge of your seat. Highly recommended to all M/M romance fans.

Under My Skin by M.L. Rhodes

Sebastian is an up-tight librarian. He owns a bookstore specialized in travel guide and his average customers are old couple who travel after their retirement. He has a profitable business but he strives to close the month cause fifteen months before his former lover stole all his money and put his business in danger.

So when in the next door shop opens a new tattoo shop, who draws all type of not so encouraging face, and above all he has to suffer the loud music he can clearly listen from his shop, Sebastian can only present his complaints to the owner, Dylan. But the problem is that Dylan is a very sexy man who turns Sebastian.

Sebastian doesn't think himself able to have a right judgement on the man, cause his body is distracted by the other man's body, and so his mind is not called in for the decision. But still he has some proofs that Dylan could be a different man, not like his former lover, and someone to build something beautiful together.

All the story spans only few days in Sebastian and Dylan's life, but it's sweet and romantic, and also pretty sexy. In a so short period, truth be told, the two make more sex than chat, but still the story is more romantic than erotic. I like Dylan better than Sebastian, well I have always had a soft spot for bad guy, but really Dylan is not a bad boy: he has the looks, bike, boots and tattoo, but he is really a simple guy, with a comfortable house and a cat as roommate. All in all he has his life addressed to the right path, and he is ready to move on on a steady relationship to fulfill all the side of his life.

Sebastian instead has some issue to overcome; he regrets to be judge by his looks and not by his real be. He appears like a good guy, a geek, and maybe he is like that, but he was always drawn by the bad boy type, maybe cause deep inside him he desires to be like them. So for some twisting game, Dylan has the looks of a bad boy and instead is a steady guy, while Sebastian has the looks of the All American boy and instead he is still wandering to find his real being.

Under My Skin 2 by M.L. Rhodes

Sebastian and Dylan are lovers since two months, but Sebastian is still unsure. He is not over his past bad experience, who left him with the idea that he is not enough for his man. Dylan is so perfect, handsome and gentle, and Sebastian can't possible imagine why he is so taken by him.

And now Dylan has to go visit his mother and he will be away for ten long days. During this period Sebastian has the time to understand that by now he is in love with Dylan, even if he didn't want to fall in love. But even if Dylan is always tender and caring with him, he never once said he loved him. And then he is still suffering for his former boyfriend's betrayal, and maybe he needs to learn to live alone again before deciding to share his life with another man.

Even if this one is longer than the previous book, the story is more centered on the feelings between Sebastian and Dylan than on the setting. Actually, the social distance between the two, so clear in the previous book since Dylan is the owner of a tattoo shop and Sebastian a bookseller, here is almost non existent, since Dylan's work make no appearance here.

The story is not very long, less than 100 pages but it's good. I like both Sebastian than Dylan's characters. They are quite "normal" guy, with a good thing between them, but with the normal fears of a new couple that it's not just full conscious of its strenght.

Labeled "the smart guy" all his life had ironically become a bad stigma to Sebastian Keller. He may be book-smart and business-smart, but when it came to his love life, he made dumb choices and stupidly fell for the wrong guys.

But now he's learned his lesson and he's smart enough to realize that jocks and bad boys could never have an interest in him and falling for them would only lead to humiliation and heartbreak. Bad boys are taboo, especially the tattooed ones and that includes the sexy tattoo artist Dylan Radamacher who just opened his tattoo parlor next to Sebastian's travel bookstore.

Under My Skin is fantastic! It's over a hundred pages, but it read like ten. I was amazed at how quickly I breezed through this book and was so disappointed when I reached the last page, not because of how it ended, but because it was the end. Sebastian is so sweet; he makes you want to kick the butt of all his prior boyfriends who made him feel worthless and used. And Dylan is just as sweet. Sebastian and Dylan have in common the fact that people judge them based on what they see and not who they truly are. In Sebastian's case, he's viewed as being easy to take advantage of and sadly, past boyfriends have taken advantage of his kindness. It took a lot of courage for him to lower his walls and allow Dylan into his life, even if it was only for physical gratification to start with, but past scars caused him to judge Dylan and almost lose what may be the best thing to happen to him. As I stated earlier, I was very disappointed when this book ended, but knowing M. L. Rhodes and her penchant for sequels, I'm hoping Sebastian and Dylan are two guys she would like to visit with again. Under My Skin is a great book and I'm certain readers will enjoy it as much as I did.

Will Marshall and Davy Archer serve aboard a ship in His Majesty's Navy. Will and Davy have been lovers for quite some time and so far they have been lucky to remain together during their ship re-assignments. Word has just come down that they are being transferred yet again under their current captain to help find a saboteur aboard another vessel. Will and Davy have managed to stay above suspicion into their personal lives and appear as good friends only. But in taking on this newest mission, their captain asks them to give off the signals that they are perhaps more than just friends, thereby hoping to draw out the scoundrel. Only all does not go as planned when Davy gets shot and is forced to return to land thus separating the men. With Will on the water and Davy on the land only time will tell if they can manage a distant relationship.

I found Winds of Change to have a very in depth storyline. The characters are very detailed in background and personality. There were spots where I had a tough time following the ship jargon, but overall I understood most of it. Will and Davy's tale is full of misadventure and drama mixed with some stolen lover's moments, and yet some tender moments as well. I believe if you like a historical style M/M story Winds of Change may be for you as it has a good plot, storyline and happy ending.


Ley
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Under My Skin (Books I & II) It is decision time for Sebastian and Dylan. Both are dealing with fears from the past, Sebastian had a painful experience with a bad boy and is still trying to recover from it when he met Dylan. Dylan wants to prove that a bad boy persona does not mean automatic heartbreak, but he must do battle with his own demons before he can entrust his heart to Sebastian. You cannot help but respond to the well written characters that come to life with each sentence. I felt their pain, smiled at their joy and became an enthusiastic voyeur watching their sensual love scenes. This is a fantastic book that should not be missed.

I loved this book. It contained both books. I loved Sebastion and Dylan sorry. I just got into reading male/male romance and this book is one you really should read.

4.5 stars because there's a second part and I don't want to be disappointed if it doesn't live up to my expectations.

This is a great story. Sebastian is a cute and geeky guy, owner of a travel bookshop. Dylan is a tattoo artist with a bad boy aura and he's just set up business next to Sebastian's. The two shops don't seem to sit together well: the loud music and unruly customers from Rad Tattoos could be the reason, but Sebastian can't just stand the owner because of a hurtful past relationship with that "type" of guys. But opposites attract.

The story takes place in a span of a few days. The two decide to hang out together one night and then to sleep together, slowly realizing that maybe they are meant to be together. The point of view switches from one character to the other and even if the story is short we get plenty of reasons why Sebastian and Dylan are reluctant to embrace their feelings (both have trust issues but for whole different motives), because they know they have to take the risk to be hurt if they make the wrong choice.

Dylan is the one always reaching out and the way he brings Sebastian's defenses down is incredibly moving. Sebastian has been so hurt by his previous lover that he always sees things from the worst angle and this is what creates the big drama in the book.

For a short story this book is meaty and very satisfying. I don't think I've said it's hot yet, so yes, it's hot. There's not a real cliffhanger at the end of the story, but there's still a lot to be told, so on to the next book of the series.

Sebastian is the owner of a bookstore specializing in travel guides. Situated in a strip mall, the new business that moved in next door is a tattoo parlor run by Dylan Radamacher called "Rad Tattoos". The parking lot is now overpacked with motorcycles and other tattoo clients, the music from the tattoo parlor is deafening, and Sebastian is at his wits end. To make matters worse, Dylan is, as his friend and business neighbor put it, "sex on a stick", so sexy that both women and men would be turned on by him. Unfortunately, Dylan reminds Sebastian of his ex-boyfriend, a total sleazeball that conned him, stole everything of value from him, cleaned out his bank accounts, and then left a ridiculing "goodbye" letter to him basically making fun of him and adding insult to injury. Dylan reminds him too much of Beck, and Sebastian seems to have a history of falling for "that type" and getting scorned.

What he doesn't know though is that Dylan was smitten with Sebastian the first time "Bastian" showed up at the shop to complain about the noise. Dylan takes frequent breaks outside so he can watch Bastian through his windows, and finds the wholesome all-american-boy good looks and the care with which he treats his patrons to be incredibly sexy and attractive. Leaving late one night, Dylan sees Bastian still at work, and decides to pop in, apologize for the noise, and ask Bastian out.

So begins the romance. Sebastian has been hurt so many times that he is very insecure. He doesn't understand why Dylan could be interested in a "book nerd" (though Dylan finds high intelligence to be sexy), and it's only Dylan's persistence that finally gets Bastian to realize that not everyone with a tattoo is like his scumball ex-boyfriend

The characters are well-developed, and the story alternates between each character's perspective. It's a short story, so it's a fast read, but it moves along at an appropriate pace, and the burgeoning relationship between the two is sentimental, sexy, and heartwarming.

It's a fun light read that stays with you.

This was my first book by M.L. Rohdes, and it was an ok read. I'm glad there's a second book, I wasn't expecting this one to be so short.

I enjoyed the characters in this one, the plot was decent and believable. Dylan was great, I liked discovering his layers, he was a good character. I liked Sabastian as well and found that I could understand his angst and connect with him. Where I began to have a problem was with Sabastian's on going inner dialog while with Dylan the first time. That's not the time I was to learn about a character's history, tell me before or after, but in the middle of the moment; just pulls me out of it. I also don't care for the instant relationship/forever inner dialog on the first date. I just don't buy that guys think like that. Instant attraction and sex, ok. But inner dialogs of lasting forevers I'm just not buying. I'm sure I'll read the second one, I would like to see where these two go from here.

A nice short predictable romance with lots of sex and not much plot.

They came from two different worlds and the shy bookworm was supposed to be very angry at the tattoo artist for the loud music playing next to his shop. I was let down however, as I felt the build up to the confrontation was over almost immediately as they went for a romp in bed. I felt it could have been drawn out a bit more which would have made their coupling and the story more exciting.

The story had lots of sex, but almost no plot and a predictable ending.

This book is not her best work IMO.

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

Rating: 8/10

PROS:
- Good depiction of a common fantasy: a sexy, tattooed bad boy with a heart of gold.
- Sex scenes that are hot and descriptive (nothing terribly kinky, but not boring) and emotional. (see cons list below also)
- Good writing. Rhodes does an excellent job of maintaining consistency in POV and establishing unique characters by examining their thoughts in detail. She does well getting inside their heads.
- Accurate descriptions of the uncertainty that comes with a new relationship, especially as concerns whether or not the other person likes you as much as you like him.

CONS:
- I don't like sex for the sake of sex, but the speed at which an emotional connection forms wasn't terribly believable for me. Their first sexual encounter is more than just f*ing, but at that point they still barely know each other. They go from simple mutual attraction (and strong fear and dislike on one side) to meaningful sex within a couple of hours after a brief one-on-one conversation in a bar.
- Slightly contrived conflict at the end of the second novella. I didn't feel that the action related to the "bad guy" was necessary; I thought the tension between the two characters trying to figure out their relationship was conflict enough.

Overall comments: A very good read, despite my nitpicky cons comments. Rhodes has established herself as one of my favorites in the genre; I like every book I've read by her.