Review: Pain Slut by J.A. Rock (The Subs Club #2)
Note: This ARC was provided by Riptide Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
Miles Loucks is a pain slut and he's the first one whose need for as much physical pain as great as his I've ever come across in all my years of reading. I admit that he wasn't the one I was most curious about when I was first introduced to this group of four friends who formed a club of submissives demanding that irresponsible dominants be held accountable for their actions in the first book in The Subs Club series. But J.A. Rock put together this story about a man and his kinky lifestyle that he doesn't believe gibes with his dream of becoming a father and I found myself turning each page and absorbing it all. I already knew Miles was going to be a complicated man to get to know, and I was right. But he's as interesting as he is complicated and getting to know him in Pain Slut opened my eyes to a way of sexual life that I never really paid much attention to before. What little I did know led me to wonder how someone could invite or demand immense physical pain, but getting a glimpse of it from Miles's perspective, as well as of those around him, I can appreciate it a bit better. I will never be an expert on masochism and sadism, but beginning to understand it all allows me to expand my horizons. Not everyone is made the same, after all.
Just when Miles is ready to shuck his kinkiness in order to prepare for the possibility of adopting a child, he meets Hendrix Seger, a self-confessed sadist vampyre. Yes, a vampyre, and that's just one of the interesting things about this sequel. Drix's vampyre lifestyle is something that Miles has never encountered before and he finds himself not exactly welcoming of it at the onset. But then, he himself has a lifestyle that not everyone gets. However, Drix is more than willing to learn--which is what I loved most about him. This is where things get tricky because we see how Miles wants those closest to him to be accepting of who he is and what he wants and needs, but he doesn't exactly extend the same to Drix or even his family and friends. Miles may be a bottom, but he tops from the bottom and prefers to have things go his way and have people fit into whatever mold he may have for them. Drix is a complication he never expected, and as much as he tries to be supportive and understanding of Drix's vampyrism and the way he thinks and goes about his life, Miles tends to revert back to that somewhat self-involved way of thinking. I'm not saying Miles isn't a good person. He just happens to be distant and not fully participatory at times.
Now, there's a lot of heavy stuff that Miles is forced to deal with in this story--his pending adoption application, his non-relationship with Drix, etc.--but the book brings with it that humor that I found absolutely endearing in The Subs Club. When Miles and his best friends--Gould, Dave, and Kamen--get together and they aren't discussing anything related to the death of their other friend, Hal, the zingers get me every time. This foursome and the banter they have and the genuine affection they share with one another is what makes this such a dynamic series of books to read. They're not all about their kinks--although those play a huge part in their respective stories. There's more to each of them than what gets them off, because each one of these guys has a back story as complex as their friendship is simple. With each new book, I become even more addicted to the series and find myself even more invested in the characters. To me, this kind of series is more than just about the entertainment value you get out of it. Maybe I'm like Miles and I'm overthinking the whole thing, but I've always had a greater appreciation for books that make you think long after you're done reading and that's what Pain Slut did for me. Five stars. ♥
Release Date: 01 February 2016
Date Read: 01 February 2016
Learn more about J.A. Rock.
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