Reviewed by JustJen
Title: Hard Times
Author: Andrew Jericho
Series: Prison Masters #1
Heroes: Ace/Tyler/Paul
Genre: MMM Contemporary
Length: 78 Pages
Publisher: Siren-Bookstrand
Release Date: May 9, 2015
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: Ace Freeman is the president of Prison Masters, a BDSM club for gay males. He’s in love with cellmate Tyler Chase and guard Paul Ryder. Ace is Dominant, desiring to take both men as pets.
As an experienced sub, Tyler wants to give submission to two Masters. He slips an explicit drawing into Ace’s notebook. Later, he blurts out his affections for Paul. Tyler hopes his actions will gain collars from both men.
Underneath Paul’s shy and soft-spoken exterior lies a man who lives the BDSM lifestyle. Paul is a switch. The guard desires a Master who can fulfill his need for no limits, and a pet to dominate. However, Paul knows his desires for Ace and Tyler have the potential to cost his job.
A good Master cares for his pets. Ace believes that principle. Once a triad begins to form, Ace needs to find a way to ensure their love will survive even in the hard times.
Review: This story had me a bit confused at first. I’m not sure why I didn’t realize it was a prison story, since the series name says as much, but the other BDSM aspects kind of threw me for a loop. Then, when I realized it was a prison story, I was expecting it to be a bit more hardcore than it turned out to be.
So, Prison Masters is sort of like a gang of prisoners, much like the Bloods and the Crypts, except with BDSM aspects, as opposed to violence. It is run by Ace, a dom who took over after his master was killed by a rival gang. He takes his new cellmate under his wing and eventually takes him as his pet or sub.
Thrown in this mix is the guard, Paul, who has had a relationship with Ace as well. He is a switch though, and wants Tyler to be his pet as much as Ace is his master. After throwing reality aside, I was really able to enjoy this story. It was a bit hard to believe these guys had BDSM equipment as contraband, or that other more dangerous inmates didn’t cause them more trouble, or that a guard was able to carry on an albeit secret relationship with a key inmate. But, again, setting that aside, things were really hot with these guys. They had to deal with wanting to be a threesome having only stolen moments with Paul, while Ace and Tyler essentially had all the time together. But, Ace made it work.
These guys genuinely care and love each other, but the frequent I love yous felt like too much. Other than that, it was an interesting story that left me wanting the next installment to see how these guys made out. They obviously have some obstacles to deal with as they move forward, and I was ready to read more and see how they dealt with everything.
Overall Impression: I liked it
*I purchased my own, personal copy of this book for review.*
