Earthquakes (New Amsterdam #4)

Title: Earthquakes (New Amsterdam #4)
Author: Kelly Wyre
Publisher: Loose-ID
Release Date: February 29, 2016
Genre(s): Contemporary/BDSM
Page Count: 234
Reviewed by: Gigi
Heat Level: 2 flames out of 5
Rating: 2 stars out of 5
Blurb:

Ellis Parker is a lucky man: he escaped his persecuting family, survived his tour of duty, and met Maxwell Clark in the city of New Amsterdam. Clark showed Ellis more than the ropes: Clark helped Ellis figure out who he is – a gay submissive with a massive fixation on a beautiful, mysterious ballet dancer named Bryn Rothe. Ellis knows a Good Man when he sees one, and he wants nothing more than to score a first date with Bryn.

Little does Ellis know that Bryn has a violent past that is crawling out of shallow graves to haunt him. Even his hectic schedule and beloved stage aren’t enough to distract him. It’s impossible for Bryn to figure out how he feels about Ellis with his demons between them, but when Ellis saves Bryn not once but twice, Bryn is forced to admit that there’s something about Ellis that Bryn might not merely want but need.

Together, they journey to the scene of Bryn’s original crime – Charles Towne, South Carolina. There they will dig up secrets that might explain Bryn’s tortured life but might also be his – and Ellis’s – undoing.

Note: This ebook also contains the bonus short story, “Luck in the Making.”

Oh, the disappointment. So much potential. Even after a rocky start, things were looking up, but then the train wreck of Bryn’s life happened and then the book just. Ended. I was left unsatisfied and confused.

Bryn Rothe is a fucking Mess, with a capital M. Mommy issues, Daddy issues, self-esteem issues, shame and disgust over his sexual orientation and kinky preferences and more! He is definitely redeemable, especially with the lovely, kind, dependable, super-kinky Ellis in his corner, but the redeemable part of Bryn’s story was completely off-page. At about the 95% point in the book, Bryn has a total meltdown. He’s practically catatonic. I was so excited to see how Ellis would save Bryn from his many demons, but everything healing was done off-page. The next thing you see is all of the New Amsterdam cast of characters at a ballet performance of the newly minted, happy Bryn. Damn, that sucked! There was hurt, there was healing and there was comfort, but all we got to read on-page was the hurt.

For those of you who loved Daniel and Clark’s story in Hearts Under Fire as much as I did, this one will be a big disappointment.

I cannot recommend this addition to the wonderful New Amsterdam series. It doesn’t even come close to capturing the glory of the original books.

You will notice that I only rated the flames a 2. That was because the sex here was terrible! Not loving, not particularity kinky, just a few cold, emotionless encounters that left me feeling sad for Ellis. Poor Ellis.

New Amsterdam Series

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