Title: Sins of Affection
Author: India Harper
Publisher: Amber Allure
Genre: M/M/M BDSM contemporary romance
Length: Novel (42K)
Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5
A guest review by Jenre
Summary Review
The third in the Creatures of Sin series by India Harper was an interesting study in relationship dynamics, but a weak mystery plot and a lack of connection on my part to the characters of Carver and David made this an average read.
THE BLURB
Lucas McAndrews is handsome, charming and smart, all of which make his job as a sought-after gigolo that much easier. But when he and a friend are assaulted out of nowhere, Lucas calls the one man from whom he has no reason to expect help…Carver Eliot.
Two years ago, Lucas almost destroyed Carver’s career, but Carver has a hard time holding a grudge. Lucas had been a great lay, and in the end had brought Carver to David Logan, his current lover and partner. So when Lucas calls, Carver’s only hesitation is in telling David. To his surprise, it’s David who invites Lucas into their home, challenging Carver’s restraint and the fundamentals of their relationship.
But Carver isn’t the only one tempted, as David must also face the limits of his experience and the needs of his body and heart. Ghosts of the past and threats of the present are soon the least of Carver and David’s worries as Lucas wins his way into their bed.
Now, the only questions remaining are who will end up with whom…and who will end up dead…
THE REVIEW
I’ve read Sea of Sins by India Harper recently and enjoyed the writing so I picked up this book, not realising at the time that it was book three of a series, one that continued the relationship between the two main characters, David and Carver. I enjoyed reading this, and decided it isn’t necessary to have read the previous books in order to understand the plot, but in terms of character development between David and Carver, I think I would have perhaps enjoyed this more had I read their previous books.
The book begins with high class male prostitute, Lucas, being attacked in the street. He’s pretty alone in the world so gets the hospital to contact Carver, a man whose career Lucas had all but destroyed but with whom he feels a sort of friendship. Carver’s attraction to Lucas was his downfall, and that attraction hasn’t waned in the two years since he’s seen Lucas. As Lucas has nowhere to go, except his unsafe apartment, Carver and David bring him to their home to recover. The sexual tension and desire between the three men is palpable, but to give in and bring Lucas into their bed could compromise David and Carver’s relationship.
The main focus of the story isn’t on the mystery, which acts as a sort of sub-plot and is resolved easily, but rather on the relationship between Lucas, David and Carver. I get the impression that Carver and David have had a few problems in the past resolving their clashing personalities and settling into a D/s relationship where Carver is the submissive. I assume this was all dealt with in the previous two books, and they are now at a place where they are happy with the way their life is. Lucas throws a bit of a spanner into that, and I enjoyed reading the way that the relationship shifts and settles again as the book progresses. I also liked the way that Lucas’ presence in David’s life forces him to open up to Carver about his life before he knew Carver. This shifting and upheaval was the most interesting aspect of the book, and I liked that the inclusion of a third in the relationship was not just a straightforward opening of arms. Having said that, because I hadn’t read the other books, and therefore had no real connection to the characters of David and Carver, I think I didn’t get the emotional punch that was intended with the introduction of Lucas. I viewed their relationship with more a detached eye which, whilst still quite compelling, led to an ambivalence in my feelings for the two men.
I liked Lucas a great deal and thought his moral ambiguity quite a interesting characteristic. His life as a high class whore doesn’t seem to cause him any problems, which is probably a little too convenient and perhaps unrealistic, but I did get the sense that he’s yearning for a connection other than the sexual. The secondary characters of David’s cop team also provided plenty of colour to the book, especially Carver’s friend Scotty.
I wrote earlier that the mystery is just a sub-plot. This was perhaps the most disappointing part of the book. The initial premise is good, as is the idea behind who is responsible, but the resolution was so easy, it was a little unbelievable. In fact the resolution of the mystery is more connected to the resolution of the tension between David, Carver and Lucas, than on a realistic catching of the bad guy. I found it rather anti-climatic after the steady lead up and careful piecing together of the clues by David and his team. Having said that, I recognise that the mystery is really a way of bringing the heroes together and then forcing a reckoning at the end, so I could forgive that it was the weakest part of the book.
Those of you who have read and loved the Creatures of Sin series by this author (or these authors, as India Harper is a collaboration) will probably be thrilled at some of the relationship interplay in this book and a chance to revisit favourite characters. For myself, I enjoyed the well written sexual tension and the complexities in the way that Carver and David cope with having Lucas in their lives, and would recommend Sins of Affection to those readers who might also find those aspects of interest too.
I read the first book and then Sea of Sins, but the blurbs for this book and the 2nd book haven’t inspired me to read them…
Hi Chris
I really liked Sea of Sins which is one reason why I decided to read this book. I’m interested enough in the characters that I will probably go back and read the first two books in the series at some point.
Hi Jen, and great review.
I read and reviewed the first two books on this site, and was a bit surprised to see that you had done the third as I would have expected I would be seeing it cross my path as part of a series. That said, I definitely would not have enjoyed and been very disappointed in this one as menages are not my cuppa, and that would have colored my review. It looks like the author benefited from you picking it up instead of me! 😉 Anyway, I encourage you to go and read the first two as it would help with some of the comments you made.
Um, yeah. Actually, in book two, that was a major complaint of mine as I had serious doubts that Carver wanted to be a sub based on his behavior. In fact, I thought their relationship bordered on unhealthy. I am not sure it was completely dealt with in book two — I would have to go back and re-read the last chapter — but I seem to remember a conversation about this at the end.
As for the protags, I wasn’t necessarily detached to them, just didn’t understand them, and maybe this third book would have helped me some with that.
The mystery element being a weak sub-plot happened for me in book one as well, though in book two, because of the case, it was more in the forefront.
Oh, and Scotty rocks!
Hi Lynn
I had seen that you had reviewed the first two books in the series and when I queried it with Wave she said that you wouldn’t want to read this one as it’s an m/m/m. Looks like that was a good call :).
The whole part of David and Carver’s relationship, where Carver is still chafing a little at being a submissive, is continued in this book, especially when Lucas is more comfortable in the submissive role. This causes problems because Carver can see how David and Lucas fit well together and makes all sorts of ripples in their tentative love for each other. Perhaps I do need to read the previous books to appreciate that part of their relationship better.
Lynn
When I noticed that this was m/m/m I didn’t think it would be the kind of book that you would want to review. Sorry. I guess I should have checked first. Sometimes it’s hard to tell.
No worries, Wave. Like I told Jen, a third being thrown in would have really colored my review as it ain’t my thang. And frankly, it upsets me if I am reading a series where there are two protags to whom I become attached and am invested, then the author switches it up and does something like this. Jen was able to do the review justice by not having that bias.
Jen
Terrific review of a difficult relationship.
I haven’t read any of the books in the series so reading both your review and Lynn’s of the other two books in the series gave me a bird’s eye view of the relationship issues between David, Lucas and Carver which seem to be very complex. When you add in the BDSM element that makes all their personal issues bleed into each other.
Hi Wave
Thanks :).
The push/pull of the relationship between David/Carver was certainly one of the most interesting aspects of this book.
I read the first 2 books as well. And I can tell you that the relationship issues were not resolved ( at all) hence this third book. I think I remember that I/ we wanted that third book to resolve the issues which were are mainly the BDSM part. David was not really happy with him being the D. As you will have understood from this book he started the life as a sub. And in the 2nd book he had to play a sub again for an undercover policy inquiry. That rekindled all sorts of things and ended up with him taking his old collar out and put it on. Because you can’t have two subs in a relationship new problems arose. In comes book three.
Personally I liked it that the authors used Lucas as a means to put the relationship in order. It also showed us, through Lucas’ eyes how David and Carver behaved as a couple.
Minor issue for me is the blurb, I think its misleading.
Hi Ingrid
Ah, you’ve cleared up a slight query for me. I wondered why David was wearing a collar at the beginning of the book – now I know :).
I really like this series a lot. And it’s specifically because David and Carver are in this dysfunctional d/s relationship. Since they both have dom and sub traits, they flip roles all the time depending on what the other needs at that moment. I found it to be an interesting twist on the rigid (and tired) master/sub dynamic. These characters are flawed and complicated (especially David) with no easy fix at the end of each book and I love that.
The series really does need to be read in order to appreciate the characters’ complex relationship. The only flaw is that the books are really one long story arc, so each book feels incomplete and I can see how that can frustrate some readers… but I am really enjoying the journey.
If there is a fourth book (and it feels like there will be), you should really have someone who’s read the whole series (and it is okay with non- monogamous characters) review it. 🙂
Hi Diane
I haven’t read this series as yet but it seems really complex in terms of the relationship issues.
I don’t know if there’s a fourth and final book and I guess I could check with the author, either directly or her website.
I do understand your comment about some series/books needing to be reviewed by someone who is comfortable with non monogamous relationships, but to be fair the reviewers on the site do indicate their personal biases when they review a book. OTOH, reviewers give readers a different perspective of a story based on their personal views.
For example I reviewed the Soul Mates series (4 books so far) by Jourdan Lane and if I weren’t comfortable with non monogamous characters my review would not have been as glowing, because everyone in the series was sleeping around. LOL
This series does seem to have a lot of fans.
Hi Diane
I realised after reading the book that I would have probably got more out of this third book had I read the previous two. A lesson learned there I think :). It’s difficult to know whether a series is a complete story arc, or whether it’s a series where there are a group of connected characters each getting their own story. As this was an m/m/m, I thought it was the latter.