Make Me by Charlotte Stein

Make Me
by Charlotte Stein
Rating: 4.5 stars

Ok, so I just finished my second read of this one. I couldn't remember enough specifics to write a review before, but I knew I really enjoyed the book. So here it is. Nothing like a Charlotte Stein book to get you out of a reading slump. I read the blurb for this book ages ago, and something about it vaguely turned me off. Looking at it now, I'm pretty sure it was the “for anyone lusting after more than '50 Shades'”.

So, let's put that one on the table first. This is not anything like 50 Shades. There's no bondage, no spanking, pretty much nothing on the B, S, or M spectrum. Notice I left out the D. Yes, there is some domination, but all in Charlotte Stein's trademarked consensual style. Anyone that says “no” is immediately outed as lying and they carry on with the durty enjoyment.

Tyler and Brandon haven't seen Maisie in years, ever since they had a threesome with her and she walked out the next morning without a word. One thing to remember with Charlotte Stein novels, the relationship is loads more important than anything else going on. Meaning, I'm not 100% sure why she came back, I think the men were opening their own bar or something. I'm not sure how she knew about it, where she lived, or what made her decide after so many years to see them. But the important part is, she did. She went and gets wrapped up in them again. They have a little bit of awkward time, but they jump back into sex really quickly. Not quite coercion, completely consensual, but pushed beyond a couple of their comfort zones.

This story also contains: male/male sexuality, male/male/female sexuality (in many different positions), a little bit of exhibitionism and voyeurism, lots of durty, sexy talk, and there are two guys and a girl, so be prepared that there are butt things involved. We can leave it at that, right? Lots of durty sex things and some vulnerable, passionate, emotional characters.

It's about opening up, freedom, taking life and love with both hands even when you're nervous, and the everlastingness of love. The whole book was perfect in my eyes and I could have read more of their sexual exploits for hours.

Tyler and Brandon and Maisie are a complete package. When Maisie runs out after a sexual encounter with them five years ago, their friendship fell apart. But she hopes that seeing them will prove that at least they haven't damaged their friendship too badly. It's far more complicated when they want to pick up where they left off. Maisie finds her own power, which I love. Tyler controls a lot of their interactions – I'd compare it a bit to Lust Dazed. Maisie and Brandon seem to need someone pulling their strings and Tyler is all too happy to do it. But the twists and turns by the end, oh my gosh, I loved this one.

I felt all kinds of good things while reading the story. It definitely goes on my re-read pile, even after reading it twice already. Will I re-read this one? Yes, definitely. Does it knock Restraint and Curve Ball off my best of Charlotte Stein category? Maybe not quite, but it's a very close hair behind.

*This review is archived on my blog: The Theory of Lieto Fine

Run To You

Run To You

by Charlotte Stein

Rating: 5 of 5 stars

My Review:

When I read the synopsis for this book, I was a little so-so. I read a couple BDSM-type books recently that just didn't do it for me. But I shouldn't have worried. This is Charlotte Stein, after all. There's lots of kinky, dirty situations, but she writes so well that it's all wonderful. I was enchanted and slack-jawed through the whole book, it was just so awesome.

The first chapter or two got so many highlights from me because of all the great lines. The following chapters didn't get as many highlights because I was so involved I couldn't be bothered to stop and highlight. I swear, I lived as Alissa during this book. I'll probably think of this book years from now and be disappointed that I haven't had that vivid of a dream in ages, until I remember that it's really a book and I can relive it anytime I want (which will be often!).

First person narrative can be hard to pull off, but it works so well here and you don't feel like you're missing out with only the one perspective. Set from Alissa's perspective, she describes every eyebrow lift and facial expression and she's wonderfully cognizant of all that's happening around her.

Alissa feels abandoned that her friend moved away, so she find her friend's diary/calendar. When she sees the one odd entry "assignation", she's curious and decides to use her friend's appointment to see what this is about (with the deviant hope that maybe something happened to her friend instead of her just leaving). She chickens out after she arrives and hides in the closet, but is intrigued when the man in the room leaves his business card asking for her to call him. They start talking, then meeting, then work up to an almost relationship. Which is a strange thing because these "assignations" are always pretty clear: the participants know ahead of time what game they're playing and they never see each other more than once.

When they finally meet, Alissa is nervous that it's going to be some strange, kinky thing and Janos makes it better:
"'You do understand that I'm not going to suddenly perform strange perverted acts on your innocent young body, don't you?'
'Of course I understand that,' I snort, but I'm still standing by the door.
And he's still raising that one eyebrow. We both know I'm not fooling anyone.
'All right, maybe I didn't completely understand that.'"

But when things get weird and they stop talking, Alissa starts feeling insecure and like this must be the end; she's done something wrong and now she'll be abandoned again. Neither one is quite willing to let this "thing" (whatever it is) be lost. Every little interaction between these two is just so wonderful. They're not perfect, but they're amazing together. They have their difficulties, but they care about each other and accept each other.

Alissa and Janos get hooked on each other, but they each have their insecurities and vulnerabilities that are difficult to overcome. Here is where Charlotte Stein's writing is so awesome. She writes all the characters' foibles with just a hint of the absurd. Not quite that I'm laughing about them, but I say "OMG, I've really thought something like that". Like, how many time do you look at someone and feel like they're better than you, but Alissa takes it that extra step: "She's wearing a snake on her head, only the snake is beautiful and blonde and so much better than me." And it's so out of the ordinary that you have to stop and think about your own insecurity and it's slightly less scary to overcome right along with Alissa.

You can't help liking these two. They've got their issues, but they want to be together. Their issues are their own and they fess up to them and don't try to cruelly use each other to hide their problems. They're shocked and thrilled when one of them is able to overcome an issue. The sex is kinky and filthy and sometime sometime you go "did they really just do that?!", but it never veers into a place where someone is cheap and used. The relationship between Alissa and Janos is always paramount and the sex (while there's a lot of it) always furthers the story behind their relationship. Now that I've finished this book, what I want most is to immediately read it again.

I received this book as a complimentary ARC, in exchange for my honest review.