It’s 1926 and as one of the founding members of the Hampton Road Club, Master Saul Liebowitz has enjoyed the charms of many willing submissives over the years. One of the newer submissives to the club has captured his attention more than anyone has in a long time. Kenneth is tall, muscular and also seems to have a greater love of pain than most. If only Kenneth didn’t already belong to another Master.
After Kenneth’s Master died years before, he allowed himself to be taken in by the promises of Master Preston. As time has gone by, Preston has become increasingly crueler to the point where Kenneth fears for his life. They’ve recently joined a sadomasochism club and Kenneth can’t help but yearn for the handsome Master the other boys speak so highly of—Master Saul.
Preston takes things too far one night, and when Saul and his good friend, Master Aaron, do some investigating, they realize that Kenneth might be in real danger. Amidst turmoil at the club over whether there should be rules to keep the boys safe and Preston’s play for power, Saul searches for a way to save Kenneth from what he’s sure is a deadly situation.
Both men fight for what they believe to be the right thing. When they find their way to one another, a wonderful new world opens up to them. But there’s one man out there who refuses to let go of the old ways. Kenneth is his property and Master Preston won’t give him up.
Oh, Kenneth. *gathers him in a big hug*
*pinches his sweet butt*
Poor, sweet Kenneth was left alone when his first Master died. He was taken in by Master Preston, who he thought was a good choice, only to find out that he's an evil sonovabitch.
Master Saul picked up on this and did himself some investigating. During this he finds that he might want to keep Kenneth all to himself.
Saul and Kenneth had great chemistry. They were wonderful together and Saul was perfect for Kenneth. I loved how Saul was sensitive to Kenneth's wants and comforts when taking him in. Instead of forcing him to come out of the shell he encased over himself, Saul let Kenneth take his time getting used to a more equal relationship.
I love me some historical and I have a particular soft spot for any era that's not regency. There's a feel and a tone to this book that is very distinctive to the twenties. The setting and world building is probably my favorite part of this series, as well as her Gin & Jazz series.
The dynamics of the club were interesting to me. The men wanted rules to keep the subs safe, but what would they do if they were found out? The fear of being caught for not only being gay, but also for being involved with BDSM, was very real for these men. When reading contemp BDSM the clubs are always 100% on board with rules, but Hampton Road Club's lack of rules added to the historical atmosphere.
There were some intense scenes when Kenneth was with Preston, but overall, The Rules of Love is a very sweet romance. I was rooting for Kenneth right from the beginning and was so happy to see him get all he deserved from Saul.
A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Dammit, sounds good but I'm still half wary of historical m/m despite loving Jordan Hawk. Might try anyway.
ReplyDeleteNice review Breann. I rarely do historicals but have devoured all three books in this series.
ReplyDeleteHer Gin & Jazz series has the same setting and I LOOOOOOVED them. They feature the same MC's through the first 4 books though. Be prepared for a bit of angst.
DeleteI like angst. Will have to check them out. Thanks.
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