Review: Compulsion by Clare London

Compulsion by Clare London
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 256pgs
3.25 Pants Off

Blurb:
The past always catches up with you. Max Newman should know—he’s been running from his ever since he dropped out of Uni and made a disastrous move to the seedier side of London. Now he’s returned to Brighton to lick his wounds. Though Max believes the club scene is better left behind him, one night he lets his friends drag him out dancing. And suddenly the simple life he’s tried to lead gets complicated.

At Compulsion, the Medina Group’s newest hotspot, Max meets Seve Nunez, a member of the Medina management and a man used to taking what he wants. The sexual chemistry between Max and Seve immediately leads to an intimate encounter in the backyard of the club—just the kind of dangerous behavior Max tried to leave behind. Despite that, he can't help but crave more, and Seve seems just as eager.

But Max soon suspects that Seve may not be the scrupulous businessman he claims. Max has seen the Medina Group at work before, and what he saw got a good friend killed. He's not sure what future he has with Seve, but he'll have to decide whether to trust in Seve’s innocence or keep running. The wrong choice could land them both in mortal danger.

Review:
Ugh, I was soooo frustrated with this book (like grind my effing teeth frustrating). There were parts that were really explosive, intense, and sexy as hell, but after awhile reading, it just started to feel like work. It dragged on too much, and I started to look forward to the ending (which seems to be my feeling for the new year of the books I’ve read).

Max left his sordid past back in London, and he's trying to move on in Brighton by being close to the friends he once left behind. Now he just works, stays away from the partying/club scene, and he is surely not looking for any sort of hook-up in the sexual variety. Because he once got lost in the fast life, and it cost him a friend and Max is definite that he will never make the same mistake again. Until his close buddies drag him off to the club Compulsion, Max vows to stay out of trouble until his eyes land on Mr Tall, Dark, and Sexy. Seve Nunez is exactly the kind of man Max should stay away from, but his body is finally calling out after all this time.

The men begin a sexual affair, blazing hot while they ride each other in some backyard. Its the after the sex that the men aren't so good at, both not looking for anything long term but being unable to resist each other.  Max does have some history with Seve's family and their goons, and suddenly that past life he's been running from suddenly is catching up to his present (oh noez).

First off, Seve and Max are very hot together, and them having sex were my fave parts of the book. It's when Max had to actually have conversations with other people is where the book annoyed me. He always only gave some of his story, yet had no problems with throwing out judgment without listening to others. His whole "I can't talk about it. Don't wanna talk about it" mentality frustrated the crap out me. He had his reasons for silence, but when he finally spilled, I was like "meh". Max really irked me!

Really, this was the Max show and I hardly have a strong feel of Seve. I felt like his voice wasn't strong enough (or it was overshadowed by Max's constant interruptions and stubbornness to never listen). Their only connection was through sex (there's this one scene in a car that just makes you feel like a horny teenager) so I can't call this a romance. There was nothing romantic about them together, just dirty sexy lust.

Should You Read It? It's a good book with great writing, but I really felt like it dragged on. If you like, reading about men battling their feelings, then you should check it out. I liked it, but was hoping to like it more. I can't recommend it but it truly was hot and there were moments when I really enjoyed it.

SideNote- I had to keep reminding myself that Compulsion is spelt with a 'Com' not a 'Cum' :D