Pretty Sassy Cool All Things Pretty, Sassy, and Cool.
Blue Steel Chain by Alex Beecroft Also by this author: Blue Eyed Stranger
Series: Trowchester Blues #3
Also in this series: Blue Eyed Stranger
Published by Riptide Publishing on July 27, 2015
Genres: M/M Romance
Character(s): Rockstars/Musicians
Pages: 250
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At sixteen, Aidan Swift was swept off his feet by a rich older man who promised to take care of him for the rest of his life. But eight years later, his sugar daddy has turned from a prince into a beast. Trapped and terrified, Aidan snatches an hour’s respite at the Trowchester Museum.
Local archaeologist James Summers is in a failing long distance relationship with a rock star, and Aidan—nervous, bruised, and clearly in need of a champion—brings out all his white knight tendencies. When everything falls apart for Aidan, James saves him from certain death . . . and discovers a skeleton of another boy who wasn’t so lucky.
As Aidan recovers, James falls desperately in love. But though Aidan acts like an adoring boyfriend, he doesn’t seem to feel any sexual attraction at all. Meanwhile there are two angry exes on the horizon, one coming after them with the press and the other with a butcher’s knife. To be together, Aidan and James must conquer death, sex, and everyone’s preconceptions about the right way to love—even their own.
Erin: Blue Steel Chain by Alex Beecroft is book 3 in the Trowchester Blues series but can be read as a standalone. With that being said, this book is not for the faint of heart. There is physical abuse shown on page so if that is a trigger for you, proceed with caution as the abuse is portrayed in brutal detail. You’ll find yourself wanting to look away, but you’ll keep turning the page just to see what happens.
Aiden Swift and James Summers are both interesting characters individually, and together they make quite the couple. Both are dealing with very serious issues: physical and emotional abuse for Aiden and James as he struggles with his boyfriends rock star success and all that comes with it. There’s drug abuse, blatant cheating, and James is certainly put through the emotional ringer. As Aiden and James’s relationship grows, you won’t see very many hearts and flowers for these two. There is a lot of love and understanding, but a romance this book is not. That’s not to say there aren’t any tender moments for these two, there are, but there also isn’t much fluff going on.
One of the things I like most about the book (besides Beecroft’s usual gorgeous writing) is the fact that Aiden is asexual. While I think his asexuality could have been handled in more detail, it’s a positive thing to see asexuality represented. The abuse was, in my opinion, a bit over the top and done in a way meant to shock rather than move the story along. There are parts that felt a little disjointed and the ending was rushed, some of the major issues handled a tad unrealistically, but all in all, the love story was very satisfying. The whole series is a bit different from the mainstream M/M books out there, so if you’re looking for something unique, give them a try.
She's a Texan, though she drinks her tea plain and NOT sweet. She loves cheesecake, strawberry limeade's from Sonic and her favorite color is purple. In her books, she loves an HEA, but she never minds if the road is rough to get there, as long as the reward is worth the struggle.
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| Overall: | 3.5 |
