This was the prompt I submitted to the Love is Always Write event. The prompt is of a hunky male tied up with rope and posed in a chair.




I know, I know, you’re probably thinking, “Of course she gave this story five stars, it was her prompt.” If you did think that, you’d be wrong. If you’re open minded you’ll find out why I did.

AJ followed the prompt I gave to a “T.” Everything I wanted in the story she filled. There was the angst and the HEA. There were the characters which fit the careers and the personalities I imagined. AJ even threw in the accident at the end of the story. And most of all she wrote about how the two characters grew into a relationship and the sub learned to trust again. So yes, I believe this story deserves five stars.

Now I’ll talk about the details. Stay with Me started right in the middle of the action. I like when a story does that. I don’t want to have a long wait until something starts to happen.

I liked the way Gabe was written. He was scared, tightly wound and grouchy with ‘shields up.’ He reminded me of a small puppy that wanted to be loved, but had been mistreated and so he either fled or lashed out in order to not get hurt again. But he wanted to love and be loved so much. I ached for Gabe. I loved Lucas. Perceptive and gentle, he is able to stand up to defensive Gabe and is not afraid to go after what he wanted. I even liked Eric, Gabe’s friend. Everyone should have at least one friend in life that accepts you the way you are, no matter how grumpy.

The progression of the relationship was terrific. I love that the relationship didn’t start as ‘instant love,’ instead it was ‘attraction,’ which I believe happens. As Gabe learns to trust, he falls in love and so does Lucas.

There were a couple surprises in the story I hadn’t expected. The cities that Gabe and Lucas had lived in and where they now lived are places that I’ve lived or where my relatives live. Talk about a sweet addition to the story! It put a big smile on my face.

When AJ got to writing the bondage, I was more than ready to read it.

"I had a friend from college who introduced me to his Dom. The man was older and more experienced in the scene then I was at the time. He taught me a lot of what I know and the one thing he taught me that I fell in love with was using ropes. The proper name is Kinbaku." Lucas's eyes lit up as he talked about his passion.
"It's Japanese for tight binding. Over the years the modern term became Shibari, which means the same. The artful use of twine to tie up objects and such. They'd use thin ropes and tie the knots into patterns. When done correctly, it's beautiful." His words came out a little hoarse, as if just talking about it aroused him.

I could feel Lucas’ love of Kinbaku and liked how the topic was introduced to Gabe. I will be honest and say that I could have had more extreme bondage and BDSM, but that is personal taste. I’ve read other reader’s responses and realize that the lightness of BDSM in this story suits many other people just fine.

Lastly, I really liked how AJ created an accident that happened to Lucas similar to what happened to Gabe at the beginning. It was like a nice and tidy bookend to the story. And it all ended in a HEA, my favorite kind.

Thanks AJ, you did a terrific job following the prompt and creating characters that I cared about. If you decide to continue on with these two in a future story, I would be happy to read about them.


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As I have neither a sadistic nor masochistic bone in my body, this scenario of D/s suited me well. The kinbaku, something I really enjoy, was not as emphasized as I would have liked. I had a WTF moment when Gabe jerked off just 24 hours after fracturing ribs. For me that seemed totally unbelievable since the pain from arm movements, breathing and muscle contractions from orgasm would be excruciating. ( )

Best prompt picture ever?! Yep! A nice little BDSM shortie to get your blood pumping. ( )