Pocket Pair (Poker Night 3) by Carol Lynne

First of all, I have to pay my compliments to the author for a choice I think she did: to not write an overtly dramatic story. Unfortunately for Trey, his story didn't start well: of all the men who gather for Poker Night at Zac's house, Trey was to most quiet and shy. A teacher in the same high school where Zac is a coach, he had a crush on the principal but has never found to courage to make a move on him. First Cole, the principal, is much older than Trey, more or less 20 years of difference, and he is also handsome and self-assured, something Trey is not. Second, Trey is an old fashioned guy, from a southern family he is a bit the male version of a southern belle: he was taught that s ex is something you do with your partner life and not with the first guy you meet. And so at 29 years old Trey was still a virgin and was probably losing the hope to find the right guy.

On a desperate last attempt, he signed in an online dating website and unfortunately saw the worst side of the experience: the first guy he decided to meet was a psychopathic who raped and stabbed him almost to death. Trey survived, and at the end of the previous book in the series all his friends were there to help him to recover. So, starting this book, above all if you read the previous one, you could probably expect a story with an high dose of drama, and with a lot of issue from Trey's side to accept and give another chance to a normal life. It's not that the author doesn't highlight Trey's trouble, but she chooses to be light on them. The first move we see Trey doing is calling Cole, in a way giving a way out to their relationship. Truth, Trey has some problem with touching and being touched by people, even friends, but it's something he is able to overcome with a bit of gentleness and caring.

Cole is both tender and caring but also not too much oppressive; he understands Trey's issues, he tries to ease him on having a s exual relationship, but he doesn't build an house of cards from nothing. He is not overwhelming, he lets Trey having his pace, but he is also always there, ready to let Trey knows that he is ready to help. Someone could question on Cole's attitude towards their relationship, above all when Cole states almost from the beginning that he is not ready to put in danger his 25 years old career in teaching for an homos exual relationship with Trey... Cole in that moment sounds cold and harsh, even more if you consider Trey's situation and his emotional unsteadiness. But truth be told, Cole never brings on his statement and he is always ready to be a steady figure near Trey. So any potential issue the reader could have with Cole is soon forgotten.

As I said, the story is less dramatic then expected and in a way I liked it better in that way. Trey is a gentle soul, he needs someone strong near him, and being Cole older than Trey, makes him the perfect partner for someone like Trey. Not only the age difference, but also the difference in body structure, Trey small and delicate, and Cole big and strong, reinforces the idea that Trey is a 'belle' in need of a knight to protect him. Not all the possible layers of the story are fully developed, Trey's relationship with his parents, the trial and its abrupt ending, but again I think the author chose to give more space to the characters than the possible development of the story outside their relationship.

The Poker Night series has a more realistic and ordinary feeling than other series of Carol Lynne, but this doesn't make it less interesting and good.

Different Suits (Poker Night 4) by Carol Lynne

Different Suits was a bit of a surprise since I didn't expect the evolution of Angelo's character. From what we learned about him in the previous books, Angelo gave me the impression of a very strong and independent man, other than a successful businessman. Now in his book it's not that he comes out as weak, but he definitely plays the role of the submissive in the relationship with Moody, the big stud of police detective who helps him with his problems with a fanatic homophobic reverend. Little by little all those hints we had of Angelo as strong man, are instead read in a different way, they become little oddities that Angelo uses to prove to himself that he is for real out of his poor childhood: he is obsessed with expensive dresses, beautiful cars, with an impeccable house, but it's not the behaviour of a control freak, but the natural evolution of a scared little boy who now clings to material things to search for security.

On the other side there is Moody, a latino police detective that, despite being able to come out from a childhood quite similar to Angelo taking the good path, has not cancelled that past. It's strange since Moody and Angelo are both from a breed notorious to be 'bloody' feeling, but Angelo suppressed that side of his character. Instead Moody (and his nickname is a proof of it) is still driven by his gut more than by his mind. I have a feeling that, the first time he saw Angelo, he thought to have found someone like him, and he was almost expecting to be able to deal with him on the same level; and instead Moody was surprise to crash against the cool exterior of Angelo, and now he is bent upon the task to find a way to go behind that chilling shield.

The relationship between Moody and Angelo is very much physical, the romance comes after the s ex, but it's probably in line with both men's characters: they are not innocent or naïve, and in this case, the hot bothered nature of their genes matches perfectly in bed. And in bed is also where Angelo loses all his insecurities and becomes to one in lead; now don't get me wrong, Angelo is almost always a bottom, but he is for sure the one who is more at ease with his body and his desires.

Different Suits is probably in contest to be one of the nicer book in the Poker Night series.

Full House (Poker Night 5) by Carol Lynne

The last in the Poker Night series it was one that many were expecting since it was clear from book one that Marco and Kent were a match made in Eden… the problem was only to find a way to let them know.

It’s strange but I had a completely different idea of Marco, not only on a physical level, but also as a man; he seemed older, stronger and more macho, maybe the latino origins helped in my mistake. Marco instead is more like a lost kid who is still searching an anchor in life; he was stronger and clever enough to raise his three siblings, 2 boys and a girls, all of them way younger than him, and if this helped him to grow faster than other kids in all matter regarding family budget, he left him almost at teenager level when speaking of love and relationships. Marco is not able to see who can help him, not for charity, but for love, being a friendship love, or even the most important type of love, that of a partner.

It doesn’t help that Kent is a bit uptight and yes, maybe even spoiled. He hasn’t really had to fight for life, and he was quite lucky; he has a successful business, a beautiful home, but he has not family. It’s clear that he would love to help Marco, clear to everyone other than Marco himself. But Kent is still feel guilty for having lustful thoughts on a 17 years old Marco: Marco lied on his age to obtain the job, and Kent believed him 19 years old; he was still young, younger than him, but at least Kent thought it was legal; when he accidentally discovered that Marco was still underage, something inside Kent snapped: instead of wondering why an underage kid desperately needed a job, Kent tried to find every reason to “hate” Marco. It was easier accusing Marco than admitting that it was him, Kent, who was wrong.

When both men understand that it was useless denying what there is between them, they also feel free to show their hidden side: Marco suddenly becomes affectionate and almost coquettish, teasing the bigger Kent; something he admitted he already has done, when he was younger, it was a way to affirm himself, to realize that someone else cared for him. Now with Kent, Marco is able to show that side of him, Kent frees Marco from obligations and fears, with Kent Marco can be careless and happy. On the other side, I think that Kent needs to believe that he is the macho man in the relationship, Marco reveals an independent streak that threaten Kent’s self-assurance; playing the role of the alpha man, at least in bed, gives strength to Kent, and helps him also to forget how he was wrong with Marco before.

As often in a Carol Lynne’s story, the usual building of the relationship happened before, in the previous book, and so, when it’s the time to tell Marco and Kent’s story, they are ready to move to level 2, the real relationship: it’s not sudden how they end up in bed together, sex is not the final purpose of the story, it’s only step one to move to something more committing and binding.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1907280804/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

First of all, I have to pay my compliments to the author for a choice I think she did: to not write an overtly dramatic story. Unfortunately for Trey, his story didn't start well: of all the men who gather for Poker Night at Zac's house, Trey was to most quiet and shy. A teacher in the same high school where Zac is a coach, he had a crush on the principal but has never found to courage to make a move on him. First Cole, the principal, is much older than Trey, more or less 20 years of difference, and he is also handsome and self-assured, something Trey is not. Second, Trey is an old fashioned guy, from a southern family he is a bit the male version of a southern belle: he was taught that sex is something you do with your partner life and not with the first guy you meet. And so at 29 years old Trey was still a virgin and was probably losing the hope to find the right guy.

On a desperate last attempt, he signed in an online dating website and unfortunately saw the worst side of the experience: the first guy he decided to meet was a psychopathic who raped and stabbed him almost to death. Trey survived, and at the end of the previous book in the series all his friends were there to help him to recover. So, starting this book, above all if you read the previous one, you could probably expect a story with an high dose of drama, and with a lot of issue from Trey's side to accept and give another chance to a normal life. It's not that the author doesn't highlight Trey's trouble, but she chooses to be light on them. The first move we see Trey doing is calling Cole, in a way giving a way out to their relationship. Truth, Trey has some problem with touching and being touched by people, even friends, but it's something he is able to overcome with a bit of gentleness and caring.

Cole is both tender and caring but also not too much oppressive; he understands Trey's issues, he tries to ease him on having a sexual relationship, but he doesn't build an house of cards from nothing. He is not overwhelming, he lets Trey having his pace, but he is also always there, ready to let Trey knows that he is ready to help. Someone could question on Cole's attitude towards their relationship, above all when Cole states almost from the beginning that he is not ready to put in danger his 25 years old career in teaching for an homosexual relationship with Trey... Cole in that moment sounds cold and harsh, even more if you consider Trey's situation and his emotional unsteadiness. But truth be told, Cole never brings on his statement and he is always ready to be a steady figure near Trey. So any potential issue the reader could have with Cole is soon forgotten.

As I said, the story is less dramatic then expected and in a way I liked it better in that way. Trey is a gentle soul, he needs someone strong near him, and being Cole older than Trey, makes him the perfect partner for someone like Trey. Not only the age difference, but also the difference in body structure, Trey small and delicate, and Cole big and strong, reinforces the idea that Trey is a 'belle' in need of a knight to protect him. Not all the possible layers of the story are fully developed, Trey's relationship with his parents, the trial and its abrupt ending, but again I think the author chose to give more space to the characters than the possible development of the story outside their relationship.

The Poker Night series has a more realistic and ordinary feeling than other series of Carol Lynne, but this doesn't make it less interesting and good.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1907280804/?tag=elimyrevandra-20