Book safety, content warnings, and tropes & tags down below.

I hate asshole clients. Unfortunately, even dicks need protection.

I wanna review this as objectively as possible, because even though I didn’t love it, I imagine most people will. There is a lot to love here, but unfortunately the writing didn’t work for me. I was super excited by the tropes as it sounded like it would be the perfect book for me, but I wasn’t able to connect with the story or characters on an emotional level. It was sort of a bit too shallow, only surface level. I could recognize the important and emotional moments in the book, but I couldn’t *feel* them.

The actor MC, Dante, started off prickly and closed off, which definitely made sense for his story, and it made me excited to see him open up with Nixon, which he also did. Unfortunately, he still came off as shallow and quite rude even by the end of the book, which was unfortunate. Not necessarily a bad thing for everyone, but not my favorite vibe.

This book does get half a star extra for the safe representation of BDSM and good communication about limits and expectations, as well as the lovely focus on aftercare, though. I have been spoiled by reading some really good spicy scenes lately, so this one landed on the lower end of the spectrum for me.

There’s something about a man who exudes confidence and finesse to the public eye but is pouting for me that turns me on.

If you enjoy these tropes and themes, I would still recommend giving it a try, as we all like different writing, and even though this was a miss for me, maybe it will be a massive hit for you.

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
Bodyguard
Coming out
D/s dynamic
Actor
Mild (mostly one-sided) enemies to lovers
Cockwarming
Aftercare
Age gap
Size difference
Closeted MC
BDSM

⚠️⚠️ Content warning ⚠️⚠️
Explicit sexual content
Forced to come out
Drugging
Homophobia
Religious trauma
Violence
Impact play
Breath play
Light bondage
Injuries
Hospitalization

⚠️⚠️⚠️ Book safety ⚠️⚠️⚠️
Cheating: No
OM/OW drama: No
Third-act breakup: Yes
POV: 1st person, dual POV
Genre: Romantic suspense, M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles

Especially since Dante is so deep in the closet that he’s made friends with the dust bunnies.

Feelings are dangerous. I don’t want them.