Review: Swinger Style

Swinger Style (Hot Rods #5)

by Jayne Rylon

Blurb:

After watching his mother crumble in the face of heartbreak, Holden believes monogamy is bull. New week, new woman, that’s just how

he rolls. Too bad one taste of Sabra Harp leaves him salivating for more.

Sabra was ready for the climb from local news reporter to national anchor—before her pursuit of a story almost destroyed the Hot Rods, whose friendship she has admired from afar. Too bad they all hate her guts. That’s okay, she despises what she’s become too…enough that she’s just told her boss where to stick it.

When Holden drives a drunken Sabra home and puts her to bed, her blatant invitation almost has him following her between the sheets. She’s willing to let him take charge in bed, friends included—and he’s willing to listen to her amazing business proposition, which could rocket the Hot Rods to stardom.

Yet as his friends have paired off, Holden realizes that to participate in their polyamorous games without becoming a third wheel, he needs Sabra. And she needs him…oh, how she needs him.

Warning: Contains a career-driven newswoman/yoga fiend who wants to get twisted up with a Hot Rod or five and a what’s-mine-is-yours guy who likes to watch. One scene with non-explicit drug use takes a Hot Rod to the dark side—good thing this group of friends always has each other’s backs

Themes: Ménage, M/M, erotica

Rating: 5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

The Hot Rods are back with a vengeance and there’s no stopping them now.  I have been a fan of this spin-off series from the very beginning and had some seriously high expectations that this series would blow away even the original, Powertools, series.  I have always found myself strangely drawn to the writing of Ms. Rylon ever since I stumbled upon her story Dream Machine, but when I began the Powertools series I never imagineed just how much I would come to rely on her writing and characters to take me out of my head and expand my horizons.  I’d always been a fan of ménage, but never imagined just how complicated that could get when you add so many people sharing love.  And no matter what others might think, Jayne’s stories are all rooted in that most basic of principles—love is not something that can be restricted by society, only by the limitations of a person’s heart.  So to that end, I find myself once again drawn into the multifaceted and sensual world of the Hot Rods and their group dynamics never fail to provide a glimpse of a loving and passionate lifestyle, definitely not for everyone, but one that cannot be denied for those that live it.

Sabra made a mistake the last time her path crossed with the Hot Rods and though she tried to rectify the mistake, the damage was already done.  But she is determined to try to make it up to these amazing people, especially Holden, whose touch lights her up from the inside out and whose dark and dangerous looks leave her yearning for his touch.  When she comes to them with an idea to help them all out, a way to atone for her past misdeeds, there is no mistaking that Holden is reluctant to trust again, not even a little.  Outvoted, Holden is forced to deal with the fact that his issues have to be put aside for the greater good of the group, which pulls Sabra right into his daily sphere.  When the passion that existed from the beginning between them becomes impossible to deny, Holden and Sabra decide that resisting is no longer an option for them.  Their passionate affair becomes even more interesting as Sabra learns more about this family and longs to become a true member, but can Holden handle sharing her with the only people he has ever loved.  And can Sabra force him to accept that the love they have come to share makes becoming a true part of this family all the more important if they are to have a future.

Sabra is a very intriguing character, though we don’t learn a ton about her past, mostly about her present and her hopes for the future.  Meeting her in previous stories we know she is a very driven woman and though she is determined to make a name for herself, she’s not willing to break promises and step on backs to get where she wants to go.  She is genuinely remorseful for the damage she caused and we can see that she is the type of woman that would be a great addition to the group.  Her nature blends so well into the group and as she gives Holden just want he needs from her, she finds a piece of herself that she never realized was missing, one that needs the love this family can offer her, right along with the love of her man.  Holden of course begins the story as a bit of a bastard, unwilling to let past mistakes go, so that he might have a chance with Sabra, someone who obviously turns him inside out every time he is with her.  He is of course sexy as hell, one of those men that draw every eye when he enters a room and his commanding presence makes him a crucial part of the Hot Rods team.  His past has shaped him into a man that finds trusting anyone, especially a woman, almost impossible, but thankfully the love of his chosen family far outweighs the trauma of his past and we get to see him finally come to terms with the fact that love is worth fighting for and fighting to win is the only choice.

I loved the concept of this story, having Sabra using her skills and melding her dreams into a way to not only help herself in the short term, but also allowing her to atone and bring the Hot Rods into the world, making their lives better in the long run.  Though Holden resists her plans, when the group embraces her and her idea, there is no way she will let her own feelings of rejection by Holden keep her from achieving her goals.  Her determination is just one of the things that attracts Holden to her, her inner fire and of course her sensuality being not far behind on his list of reasons for wanting her.  Holden’s past has some real sadness and darkness in it, but seeing him overcome it and embrace a chance at true happiness with Sabra and the Hot Rods, shows the true greatness of this author.  While the passion and the heat is not to be denied, the physical scenes are not what really makes this series so compelling for readers, it’s the emotion that is so apparent between all the characters more than the physical expressions that make any Rylon story and especially this one into a masterpiece.  I will say that I really hated seeing the split that seems to develop between one of the member of the group as he grapples with his own feelings and past, but I won’t spoil that revelation, except to say that the next book CANNOT get here fast enough.  I am already on tenterhooks awaiting Barracuda’s Heart, to see how everything falls out and hoping that the love of this group will once again prevail.  While the sex and passion is a draw for many readers, this is truly a love story and the love is vast and limitless.  

*eARC provided by publisher (via netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.