Drive by Courtney Maguire - 5/5 stars

TW: Sexual assault within a relationship, sexual situations, homophobia, mentions of childhood abuse

I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

This book was not at ALL what I expected, and I honestly mean that in the best way possible. I went into this anticipating a BDSM-centric queer love story, mainly sex focused. And while it was that, it was also so much more and so much deeper.

I thought that some very important conversations were had in this book, such as internalized homophobia, being queer in a small town, perceptions of queer people, and unhealthy relationships. The conversations had were not expected from me, and I thought that it added a lot to the story.

I thought that all of the characters were fleshed out nicely and became easy to root for, even when you didn't agree with all of the decisions made.

This is possibly a bit of a spoiler, but during a sexual encounter before our main character and his dom, there is an urged sexual situation in which our main character does not want to participate but does not want to disappoint his dominant either. It was not discussed past the chapters that it takes place, but it ultimately can be viewed as sexual assault.

I do believe that the ending of this book could be divisive, but I personally thought that the ending was incredible. It felt like the natural progression that our characters were heading towards, and it felt so real to me. I loved it and thought that the ending was beautiful in it's own way.

I thoroughly encourage you to pick this book up, it had moments that made me tear up (both good and bad) and really hooked me from the start. If you're even vaguely interested, I recommend!

This book was a lot different from what I thought it would be and it was kind of nice.
Red is a small town mechanic who's been in the closet his whole life. He meets Victor, a wealthy business man who takes Red under his wing and introduces him to pet play. Red gains confidence and befriends the only out gay man in town, but struggles to let anyone in.

This moved pretty quickly and I liked that the plot didn't go as I expected it would. Pet play isn't something you see many stories about and it's not my favorite, but it wasn't the main focus and I liked that it helped Red feel centered and come to terms with his feelings. I didn't care for Red's sister, I know she's only sixteen but she kept causing problems and seemed very selfish. She would get into trouble at school then want Red to fix it and take no responsibility.

Sean was my favorite character, he knew coming out meant his father would disown him, but he had to be true to himself. He was a great friend to Red, even when the friendship wasn't reciprocated and put up with a lot of harassment. He continued to stay in town and refused to be run out by homophobes and stood up for himself. What a great example to look up to.

I enjoyed reading this and will check out other books by this author.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 Stars

this romance was well developed and would love to see more of the type of romance as it not really common in the romance world.

Well written and adore how the characters were developed

I'm honestly not sure what to say about this book. On one hand, it was well written, but on the other the characters seemed a bit flat. I'll admit I was a bit put off by the way the story seemed to portray anything but the most vanilla of relationships as temporary aversions that aren't real. I understand it's supposed to take place in a backwater town, but I still couldn't really get over that.

I really liked the direction Drive took. The character development of Red was great, and it was interesting seeing all of the decisions he had to face on his journey of self discovery. I was halfway expecting another appearance from Victor, since in the beginning it was mentioned that he stopped by the shop regularly to get his vehicle serviced.

Thank you to Netgalley for my free copy in exchange for my honest review. I was interested in the story. It’s a story about Red who struggled with his sexuality in a small town. I felt so bad for him. He was such a good person who took in his younger teenage sister. The problem I had was Victor. I didn’t know how to feel about Victor. He was a complicated person who was hiding his own sexuality and was a bit controlling. I didn’t like how he treated his previous lover Toby. I was really disappointed in how he treated Toby and Red. Then Red befriended Sean. Whom I liked quite a bit. He was a great guy who suffered in his own way. He didn’t try to hide who he was. I’m glad that it seemed that the friendship between him and Red was strong towards the end. It took me a while to get into this book because of how I I felt about Victors treatment of others. Which is way I gave it 3 stars.

This was an interesting read for me. I really liked Red, and loved the relationship with his sister, as well as his personal growth, and the friendships he develops. The kink in the book was a first for me, but it made sense in the context of what Red was going through. What really disappointed me was by the time Red was figuring his shit out, the book was over, and I wanted about 100 more pages to see where things went from there.

Quite nice and entertaining. I guess it‘s a novel for true romance lovers, who can do with a plot full of love and passion (and sex), but without too much depth. Quite interesting also that a female writer writes about gay love. But then, who cares about bio or gender categories any more. I enjoyed the read, but will probably forget the book real soon..

Short version: this a 1.5 rounded up because there isnt anything dangerous in the story, just aspects that I find in poor taste. The plot between the sex is nice and you can almost skip the sex if you arent digging the kink but want to read about Red's personal journey being gay in a small town and a parent to his teen sister. You would lose about half the page count but you could do it. As far as the sex goes, the long version will go into the problems I have with it, but suffice it to say it is suitably erotic if you are into pet play.

The long version: this is mostly going to be about the kink so if you dont care then skip this.

My first issue is the inadvertent conflating of party-and-play with the LGBT+ community. There are certain assholes who already associate the queer community with a debauched druggie lifestyle and having a character who likes having sex while high make a speechy-speech about the world not understanding your natural desires is not great optics.

My second issue is one that is common in kink erotica and that is a lack of communication between the sexual partners. This book at least keeps things Safe Sane Consensual, but not necessarily Risk Aware Consenual Kink. Victor vaguely outlines what he wants out of their play but he does not outline boundaries and you cant punish your partner for crossing a line if you never clearly establish where the line is. When they get into breath control, Victor is able to see the dark path Red's thoughts take and stops play but they didn't establish choking as a possibility for play and you cant just spring that on someone. Finally with regards to communication, Red shouldn't have to google what his role is. He is clearly into it, which is a nice step up from some Kink erotica, but part of ensuring safe play is making certain all participants understand their roles and risks.

Thirdly, I feel bad for Toby. Victor makes it a point to say that his collar is a sign of commitment, but then ignores the pup he actually collared. It would be one thing if that was an established aspect of their relationship but as I've said, not a whole lot of communication happens so I have to assume it isnt. Don't say something is meaningful and then show how it isn't.

Finally, and this is mostly a nitpick, because of how uncommunicative yet demanding Victor can be he comes off as less of a handler sometimes and more of a princess. This is not a problem, it just bugged me.

I really just wanted to give Redmond Cole a big hug and beat up all the bigots that seem to overwhelm his home town. This book is a graphic BDSM M/M story - with a very specific kink that may not be entirely understandable for your average reader. That being said, Redmond's draw to that kink is 100% understandable given his background and life story.

Red is closeted primarily because of the area he lives in. His town and community is extremely homophobic and he was raised in a family that was extremely intolerant to his sexual orientation. He isn't out to anyone in his town - even his sister. All of that not-withstanding - he starts a sexual relationship with a very wealthy customer at the garage where he works at a local invitation only club. The relationship isn't like any other Red has had - but it meets a fundamental need he has. To tell him that he is good despite everything he has ever heard about himself. This relationship takes off at the same time he meets up with pretty much the only out gay man in town.

The relationships in this book are tough and emotional. There is a definite triangle - that even though you are rooting for Redmond and Sean to come together, you can see why Redmond wants everything with Victor. In many ways, however, Victor turns out to be more closeted than Redmond (which is saying something).

Overall the emotional aspects of this book really push this past a typical book in this genre.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

Living in a small southern town is definitely a hard time when you're gay, and Red has been living his life in the closet to avoid the homophobes he works with and deals with in his town every day. Enter Victor Itachi. He opens Red up to the world of BDSM and pet play, while Sean, the only out gay man in town, opens him up to living his truth.

This was a quick read! The sex scenes were steamy, but not outrageous or unbelievable, which is nice in a book that has BDSM as a central plot point. The story was a really great narrative for Red, who took this journey to end up realizing what he wanted out of life and how he wanted to live it. The relationship between he and Victor was dom/sub, but I think more time should've been spent on what that entails. He briefly asks Red what his limits are, and then waves it off as unimportant in the moment. I feel like more should have gone into the dynamics of a dom/sub relationship as that's something that people generally have the wrong or no idea about in the first place.

I did enjoy the story, though. I'd read more about Red if another book were released!

Red Cole is a 25 y/o closeted single gay man living in a conservative East Texas small town. He's working as a mechanic, barely making ends meet as he raises his 16 y/o half-sister Katie; she a bit of a troublemaker, and ran to Red when escaping from their abusive father three years ago.

Red does a great job fixing a custom Beemer for wealthy lawyer Victor Itachi, and hesitantly accepts Victor's invitation for a drink. It's a big step for Red, even if it's not a date. It's weird that Victor can see through Red's het facade, and even more weird that he's inviting Red to some debauched playhouse for discreet "like-minded" folk. Red refuses, but his curiosity is piqued.

A few days later, Red is calling Victor for more information. And, the playhouse is a trip. What Victor likes is a D/s variation based on pet play. He wants a pet to take care of, in the playhouse and in real life. Red is ashamed at how turned on he is by submission. It must say something crappy about his masculinity--like his worthless father always said.

Red has also semi-befriended an out gay man called Sean, who is the town pariah. He was shipped off to schooling in Austin by his bigoted father and only returned to town when his dad died a couple of years ago. And, he desperately needs a friend. They meet because Sean's car has been vandalized with paint by a homophobe, and Red agrees to dab off as much paint as he can--even after his homophobic boss tries to deny the business. When Sean's mother dies, Red is as big a comfort as he can manage, while still firmly lodged within the closet.

But in the playhouse with Victor, Red is quickly growing accustomed to Victor's Dominant play, he's even jealous that Victor's other pet, Toby, gets to spend time with his Master. It's a really confusing time, emotionally, for Red, as Victor does more and more caretaking outside of the playhouse. And, the more time that Red spends with Sean, the more he thinks maybe coming out is the best option after all.

This is an interesting story with a few bigger twists that kept the story moving. Red's relationships with Katie and Sean are safe, because neither knows of Red's gay secret. He's able to grow a bit with his playtime with Victor, and see that he needs more than just to "heel" when his phone begins to bark. The D/s is a curveball, with unexpected struggles--Red hasn't had to fight to keep a man to himself before--not that he's ever wanted to. And, the power plays with Victor and Toby have real life ramifications--as Red learns when Toby shows up at his job. This is all overlayed by the toxic masculinity mindset that permeates this Texas town--and creates a sanctimonious backdrop that allows aggressive homophobia to flourish. Red's "upstanding" boss isn't too "upstanding" to gouge Sean for the work Red mostly did on his lunch breaks. And, he's clearly perturbed that Red would even do such work where his "upstanding" customers could witness it. Victor's unwilling to have any physical contact with Red that isn't locked behind playhouse doors or half a state away in his Galveston beach house.

But, Red's new experiences teach him what's most important. Sure, he can be Victor's pet, but is that a way to live? Toby's example was a big wake-up call, I think. Red needs to stand up for himself, take care of his sister (even when she makes life so difficult) and find the courage to live his life with a lover that finds him worthy. Thankfully, he does this before the books ends. There are a few scenes of D/s play, but I wouldn't call them especially romantic. Victor and Red take some time away, and this brings the first real intimacy of the story--it is also near the end...and serves as a stark counterpoint to how different a loving relationship would look, by comparison.

The climax brings the disparate parts of Red's life into close proximity. The fallout is a bit explosive, but it provides the proper reorientation for Red to get his life ordered. The ending is a strong Happy for Now, with definite glints of an HEA. I really liked the layers of character and plot, which had many points of resonance. I'd be eager to read on, and see what happens with Red, and even Victor and Toby.

-I received a digital ARC copy thanks to NetGalley, all thoughts and opinions are my own-

This book was definitely on the NSFW side, but I have to admit, as weird as some of the sexual scenes were they were very steamy and enjoyable. I would not recommend this book if you are uncomfortable with BDSM or animal kinks.

The story follows our main character Red who is a closeted gay in a town where being openly gay is highly frowned upon. He makes friends with Victor Itachi who convinces him to join him in sexual relations. I do admit that there are no boundaries discussed between the two really before they get into anything besides Red's safe word. So that aspect felt a little off to me, it seemed that Red was just expected to go through with whatever Victor said and wanted without him having any say.

I will admit that I was NOT expecting the kinks that we were exposed to. I've read my share of erotica but this is the first that had an animal kink (not sure if that's the correct term). It did make me uncomfortable in the beginning but I was able to look past the weirdness of it and focus on the steam- which was VERY steamy. As my first male/male erotica I was not expecting what I received but I didn't hate it.

I enjoyed the writing style and how you can definitely see Red's character evolve throughout the entire story. He blossoms with his sexuality thanks to Victor, even if their romantic relationship was entirely toxic from the beginning. I do wish we got more of Red and Sean together as a couple. Maybe if Victor and Red called it quits earlier on we could've gotten that but I do see why we needed to see what we did with the two of them and get Red to develop more.

Overall I gave this story a three star rating. Mainly because as much as I was able to look past the animal play it did make me slightly uncomfortable to read and I really wanted more of Red and Sean's relationship development. I do think this is a different book and something that would be interesting to pick up if you're looking to read something new and even a little taboo with the kink. Again I'd like to thank NetGalley for allowing me to read this and review it.

This book is a one-star due to personal taste rather than outright "this is a bad book" type feelings. We follow Red, who is closeted in a small town where basically everyone is violently homophobic. He meets this rich guy, Victor, who convinces him to engage in a sexual relationship.

Here's my big gripe with the book, which is essentially the entire book: Red and Victor never really have a conversation about what either of them want from this arrangement/relationship/whatever the heck it is. There is a LOT of stuff that is just so questionable to me, because no limits are ever discussed. It feels like Victor, who has had BDSM relationships before, is taking advantage of Red, since Red has never done anything like that and doesn't really know how to be safe. Their whole dynamic was based on power play, but it felt a lot more like real life than play.

The writing was fine, nothing special but nothing great either, so it all comes down to my enjoyment of the romantic relationship and, unfortunately, there was very little in their relationship I enjoyed reading about.

Readers first need to know that this book includes BDSM with pet play as well as homophobia. This does play a role throughout the entire book.

This does contain some minor information that individuals may deem spoilers.

Red is our main character, down to earth southern man who is working to get by and take care of his younger sister who lives with him. Red works as a mechanic and a very wealthy man needs work done on his car and boom- instant attraction, instant love for Victor. What Red doesn’t know is that Victor lives a life where he is a dominant and needs a submissive partner. Victor invites Red to the plantation to get a look at the alternative lifestyle and Red is swept off his feet. The story continues from there into a very quick read.
The steamy scenes is this book felt extremely rushed and forced. I felt the author was out of their element on writing BDSM with pet play. The actual acts during the scenes seemed to be things that could happen between partners the writing of them just seemed forced. Some of the scene feel “quick and dirty”.
One of the better parts of this book is the relationship between Red and Sean. Sean being the only openly gay individual in town. Sean brings his car to the shop as a last resort after it has been vandalized with the word “fag” and no other shop will help. Red agrees to help him out and their friendship grows from there.
The scenes between Red and Sean feel completely different than the scenes between Red and Victor. I would have liked this book to focus more on Red/Sean’s relationship.
Overall this was a decent read. Very quick escape romance.

Thank you to NineStar Press via Netgalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for review.

DRIVE is about the passionate, whirlwind romance between Red, a working class, closeted mechanic in a small town, and Victor, a rich, mysterious lawyer. In just the first few pages, the two are already lusting after each other, without much wait or exposition, which lends itself to being a speedy read. As readers, we're swept off our feet just as quickly as Red is. Through the novel, Red is introduced to Victor's world of BDSM and petplay, while also building a friendship with Sean, the only out gay man in his town. At its core, this isn't a story about Red and Victor's sex life or about the kinky underbelly of small town life. It's a story about Red discovering himself.

The BDSM technique throughout the novel isn't the best - at times, Victor clearly oversteps and jumps the gun, seemingly with the justification that it's not explicit enough to count, and when he brings Red to his first play party, the consent is slightly dubious, as Red doesn't actually know what will be going on. However, it's also not the worst I've seen in works of fiction. A safeword is established between the two and respected when it's used.

Speaking of Victor, I had a hard time liking him whenever he popped up, which was a problem, considering he's in practically the entire novel. When he's not there physically, Red's worried about him and his reactions enough that his presence is felt. He was just not a very likeable character. From the slightly questionable techniques as a Dom to flaunting his wealth to Red in a way that felt at times manipulative, I was really not rooting for him during the book. However, I've never been the type to love a cold and mysterious love interest, so those who do, will probably enjoy this.

Personally, I didn't love this book. It was a little too much erotica for my style and disliking such a major character made it hard to love. However, the scenes outside of sex, which were mostly about Red learning to accept himself and discovering community, were all wonderfully done and by the end, I was pretty fond of Red and Sean. Because of that, I'm giving DRIVE three stars. An overall good book, but not necessarily for me.

Thank you for NetGalley and NineStar press for the advanced review copy of this work!

Redmond Cole is a car mechanic is drawn to a striking customer, Victor Itachi, who brings his car in for emergency repairs. Red can’t resist Victor’s invitation despite knowing he is risking everything. He enters into a secret world and finds himself wanting more. This is an intense story of wanting to escape the fetters forged by family. It went in unexpected places but was definitely emotional. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**


Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Drive is an intense MM contemporary romance surrounding mechanic, Red, and the mysterious, wealthy Victor. Red is raising his sister, Katie, trying to build a new friendship with Sean, and doesn't quite know what it is he has with Victor. The story is an entire rollercoaster ride of emotions the whole way through.

Content warnings absolutely apply on many different subjects; please be aware of them prior to beginning. Some of the content is not what I normally like, but I found that Courtney Maguire wrote in a way that was accessible, raw, and real. I forgot to care that YKINMK(ATO!).

I couldn't help but feel a smidgen of disappointment with the end, though I completely understood and respect why the choices were made as they were.

I will definitely be looking into anything else Maguire writes in the future, and am very grateful to have been able to read this early.