Power Play: Resistance by Cat Grant & Rachel Haimowitz

Power Play: Resistance (Power Play #1) by Cat Grant & Rachel Haimowitz
Riptide Publishing

Novel: 267pgs

Rating: 5/5

Blurb:
Brandon McKinney has scraped and sacrificed for what little in life he’s ever had. Though it’s been fifteen years since he escaped his father’s abuse, the damage remains. Trust seems as far out of reach as his dream of becoming an architect, and though he’s come to accept being gay, he can’t deny the shame and confusion he feels at other urges—the deeply-repressed desire to submit.

Jonathan Watkins is a self-made Silicon Valley billionaire whose ex-wife took half his money and even more of his faith. Comfortable as a Dominant but wary of being hurt again, he resorts to anonymous pickups and occasional six-month contracts with subs seeking only a master, not a lover.

When a sizzling back-alley encounter cues Jonathan in to Brandon’s deep-seated submissive side, he makes the man an offer: Give me six months of your life, and I’ll open your eyes to a whole new world. Brandon doesn’t care about that; all he wants is the three million dollars Jonathan’s offering so he can buy the construction company he works for. But he soon learns that six months on his knees is no easy feat, and shame and pride may keep him from all he ever wanted—and all he never dreamed he had any right to have.

Review:
Let me begin by saying that this book was just surprises, rises, and falls. Cat and Rachel did something wonderful in this book, and left me in love with Power Play and its characters. Dynamics were switched, emotions put to the test, mistakes were made, and its one of the best BDSM novels I have read. What a pants losing this one caused.

Brandon McKinney has been on his own for a long time; he knows the meaning of a hard life and depends on no one but himself. He’s a ‘slam bam thank you man’ kinda guy when it comes to sexual encounters. He doesn’t want anyone to get too close, because that would involve a little trust, and trust isn’t really a Bran thing. When he’s approached by a man who clearly looks like he should be hanging uptown instead of Chinatown, Bran think he’s gonna get his dick wet and walk away. What transpires in the alley behind bar leaves Bran shaken, and the little man who literally brought him to his knees engraved in his mind.

Jonathan is a self-made billionaire, use to the finer things in life but he’s worked very hard for his things. As a Dom he’s able to recognize the sub in a person, and he’s getting that vibe from Bran, and he wants nothing more than to have him is his bed, and to play in his dungeons. He knows getting Bran to play will be difficult, but he’s willing to work on brining out the submissive in the man because he feels the payout will be worth it. So what does one offer a man that would make him his submissive? Something he wants above all else, in a shiny package and only 6months to get it.

It’s not hard to recognize that there will be disaster ahead, with Brandon’s past of being abused by his father and the things that Jonathan wants from him. Jonathan as a Dom is unrelenting and set in his ways and Bran though submissive to certain things is finding it hard to give up complete control. The men clash and cause more harm than good, and somehow along the way it becomes a battle of power with the seasoned Dom, losing the essence of what it truly means to Dom. I am no expert when it comes to D/s elements but Mr Jonathan Watkins makes some mistakes. It became more about breaking Brandon than nurturing him to his submissive nature.

Bran is not free of my wrath, he just became too stubborn and could have caused himself harm along the way, and his pigheadedness really got under Jonathans’ skin, which caused world war three in fancy apartment of Mr Watkins. Though Bran voice is the carrier in the book, I have yet to truly learn anything about him. I know enough but not nearly enough, because Jonathan was to be his voice and his carrier but he just became his enabler to nothing (if that makes sense). The line between hurt/harm was crossed, because both men were just not in the right headspace to be playing with whips, chains, and tasers. Which leads me to a realistic conclusion, that sometimes even the most knowing of individuals makes mistakes and it takes a strong person to come back from those mistakes.

As I much as I loved this book, I am also somewhat disappointed. I perturbed by Jonathan’s behaviour and thinks that he needs to do some serious apologizing. I am disappointed in Bran because he threw his safety out the window trying to stick it to Jonathan. I am disturbed by Jonathan’s cook; she probably has a dungeon of kinky delights in her own home. I am terrified that I found myself laughing aloud at the most shocking of times ‘Miss Grant and Haimowitz have a twisted sense of humour’. Also… I am seriously in love with Jonathan, though as Bran would say “he fucking terrifies me”.

Overall, Power Play: Resistance is splendid and fascinating. It’s gripping and pushes your boundaries, while remaining sensual and erotic. I do love Bran and John together, and they have like a Mount Everest worth of growing to do. At this point all I’m thinking is “Who am I gonna have to sleep with to speed up time?” I want it to be June already.

5 Pants Off