reviewerlarissa's review
4.0
You can find the review here as well
Passion can be so much more fun blind
Adam was born blind and he relies on his other senses to “see” the world around him. He is a teacher and has a stable, regulated life. That life is turned upside down when Luke is assigned to him as an aide as part of a community service assignment. Luke’s life has not been easy. He lost his parents at an early age and was separated from his sisters. He’s trying to turn his life around, but nothing is ever that easy.
This story was something different. It was interesting reading from Adam’s pov, who is blind and how he sees the world and how he relies on feel and smell. It was fun to see how he “used” his blindness in regards to Luke. Let me tell you, there are some seriously hot scenes in this book. I can see why Luke falls like a rock for Adam. Who wouldn’t?
Luke is the more emo of the two. Where Adam is sure and confident in his surroundings, Luke constantly doubts himself and his relationship with Adam. At first it was getting annoying and I almost set Luke firmly in the nag corner. As the story progressed I started to understand Luke better and why he is so unsure and his doubts and worries made more sense. What also makes Luke a likable character is how he challenges Adam and his carefully regulated world. Of course, Adam is never one to refuse a challenge!
Luke and Adam around bound by more that just love and lust, but I’ll let you find that out on your own.
Recommendation
Blind Passion is a refreshing story. We all like our tortured heroes, but this is also a realistic and believable story. Apart from the instant love and lust and eternal commitment that soon follows. It is well written and Penny Brandon knows how to use words to create a beautiful world and story. You can certainly take a chance on this story and the heat level? Om nom nom!
Passion can be so much more fun blind
Adam was born blind and he relies on his other senses to “see” the world around him. He is a teacher and has a stable, regulated life. That life is turned upside down when Luke is assigned to him as an aide as part of a community service assignment. Luke’s life has not been easy. He lost his parents at an early age and was separated from his sisters. He’s trying to turn his life around, but nothing is ever that easy.
This story was something different. It was interesting reading from Adam’s pov, who is blind and how he sees the world and how he relies on feel and smell. It was fun to see how he “used” his blindness in regards to Luke. Let me tell you, there are some seriously hot scenes in this book. I can see why Luke falls like a rock for Adam. Who wouldn’t?
Luke is the more emo of the two. Where Adam is sure and confident in his surroundings, Luke constantly doubts himself and his relationship with Adam. At first it was getting annoying and I almost set Luke firmly in the nag corner. As the story progressed I started to understand Luke better and why he is so unsure and his doubts and worries made more sense. What also makes Luke a likable character is how he challenges Adam and his carefully regulated world. Of course, Adam is never one to refuse a challenge!
Luke and Adam around bound by more that just love and lust, but I’ll let you find that out on your own.
Recommendation
Blind Passion is a refreshing story. We all like our tortured heroes, but this is also a realistic and believable story. Apart from the instant love and lust and eternal commitment that soon follows. It is well written and Penny Brandon knows how to use words to create a beautiful world and story. You can certainly take a chance on this story and the heat level? Om nom nom!
the_novel_approach's review
2.0
Blind Passion was no doubt a sweet romance with two equally interesting yet fragile characters when it was initially released by author Penny Brandon in 2011. However, unlike some novels whose messages or themes may be universal, m/m romance has made huge strides since then—particularly when it comes to content. These days it’s refreshing to see that many authors in this genre are focusing on the story, character development and emotional bonding over just sex. Please don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a well written sex scene as much as the next person, and when that moment is surrounded by a plot that is interesting and well developed, you have an exciting novel to enjoy. Unfortunately, I cannot say that about this book.
The story is a fairly simple but interesting one. Adam has been blind from birth, and other than an odd connection to his brother—one that has faded over time—he has never really been able to visualize the everyday things most of us take for granted. Therefore, his other senses have enabled him to not only keep track of others around him but mark them with a particular scent or timbre of voice. Such is the case with Luke. Knowing little about him other than he is working off community service hours by assisting Adam with grading, etc., Luke quickly becomes tantalizing in many ways to the blind teacher. Adam is drawn to the quiet assistant and wishes for nothing more than to understand the pain that he can often hear in Luke’s voice. But it’s when Luke touches Adam that the world explodes with light and colorful images that arouse Adam physically and emotionally. Now both men must work beyond their own doubts and fears to see if they can trust to share with each other those secrets which hold them prisoner.
If I would have picked up this novel several years ago, I am sure my review would have been very different. For instance, I might not have questioned the fact that although this was set in Australia there was not one iota of “Aussie-isms” used which, for someone who has traveled to that beautiful country and has good friends who live there, was a bit unsettling. I do believe that there was a time when many publishers encouraged authors to avoid dialects and colloquialisms indicative of their homeland—thankfully, that has changed over time. But while remarking on that might be considered nit-picking, I am fairly sure that what appeared to be a lack of understanding of how a blind-from-birth person maneuvers in their world would not be.
On more than one occasion, Luke drags Adam, sans cane, to brand new places, and we are expected to believe that Adam is able to walk, simply by holding Luke’s hand, into shops that he has never experienced. Not only that but apparently Adam is also an expert rock climber, as he is able to scale a wall without much problem when Luke decides to take him to the local club. A wall, Luke himself admits he was unable to conquer the first time even though he is a fully sighted man.
Honestly, were this story more than a series of sex scenes stapled together with a bit of dialogue and angsty self-doubt, I could have forgiven a lot. But this idea that these guys were literally hard for each other several times a day, and doing it like rabbits most of the time while knowing each other for barely a week, was just a bit much. That and the declarations of love, the constant worry that they were not good enough for each other and the shallow plot that seemed to exist only to be the vehicle for another sex scene—I truly was tempted to throw in the towel on this one long before finishing it.
In defense of this author, I will say that this was no doubt a pretty standard and successful novel for 2011. But, if one is going to re-release a novel that is dated into a genre that has greatly evolved, then perhaps one might want to update it a bit, put in some of the spirit and fun that Aussie’s are known for, and give the story more meat and less sex overall. For what it’s worth, that is the novel I could have really enjoyed. In the end, Blind Passion simply did not stand the test of time very well and, because of that, fell short of being a book that could hold my interest.
Reviewed by Sammy for The Novel Approach
The story is a fairly simple but interesting one. Adam has been blind from birth, and other than an odd connection to his brother—one that has faded over time—he has never really been able to visualize the everyday things most of us take for granted. Therefore, his other senses have enabled him to not only keep track of others around him but mark them with a particular scent or timbre of voice. Such is the case with Luke. Knowing little about him other than he is working off community service hours by assisting Adam with grading, etc., Luke quickly becomes tantalizing in many ways to the blind teacher. Adam is drawn to the quiet assistant and wishes for nothing more than to understand the pain that he can often hear in Luke’s voice. But it’s when Luke touches Adam that the world explodes with light and colorful images that arouse Adam physically and emotionally. Now both men must work beyond their own doubts and fears to see if they can trust to share with each other those secrets which hold them prisoner.
If I would have picked up this novel several years ago, I am sure my review would have been very different. For instance, I might not have questioned the fact that although this was set in Australia there was not one iota of “Aussie-isms” used which, for someone who has traveled to that beautiful country and has good friends who live there, was a bit unsettling. I do believe that there was a time when many publishers encouraged authors to avoid dialects and colloquialisms indicative of their homeland—thankfully, that has changed over time. But while remarking on that might be considered nit-picking, I am fairly sure that what appeared to be a lack of understanding of how a blind-from-birth person maneuvers in their world would not be.
On more than one occasion, Luke drags Adam, sans cane, to brand new places, and we are expected to believe that Adam is able to walk, simply by holding Luke’s hand, into shops that he has never experienced. Not only that but apparently Adam is also an expert rock climber, as he is able to scale a wall without much problem when Luke decides to take him to the local club. A wall, Luke himself admits he was unable to conquer the first time even though he is a fully sighted man.
Honestly, were this story more than a series of sex scenes stapled together with a bit of dialogue and angsty self-doubt, I could have forgiven a lot. But this idea that these guys were literally hard for each other several times a day, and doing it like rabbits most of the time while knowing each other for barely a week, was just a bit much. That and the declarations of love, the constant worry that they were not good enough for each other and the shallow plot that seemed to exist only to be the vehicle for another sex scene—I truly was tempted to throw in the towel on this one long before finishing it.
In defense of this author, I will say that this was no doubt a pretty standard and successful novel for 2011. But, if one is going to re-release a novel that is dated into a genre that has greatly evolved, then perhaps one might want to update it a bit, put in some of the spirit and fun that Aussie’s are known for, and give the story more meat and less sex overall. For what it’s worth, that is the novel I could have really enjoyed. In the end, Blind Passion simply did not stand the test of time very well and, because of that, fell short of being a book that could hold my interest.
Reviewed by Sammy for The Novel Approach
ktomp17's review
4.0
Adam is blind, and needs a teaching assistant to help him grade papers. Luke becomes his newest assistant due to community service he has to do. The two develop a very good working relationship, and they both initially try to hide and fight their attraction to each other. Luke has plans for leaving after his service is done so he can start fresh, and Adam wants to find a way to get to stay. I loved Luke's openness and willingness to learn about Adam's blindness and how he always kept that in the front of his mind, even when he pushed Adam out of his comfort zone. They were really in sync with each other, and I loved watching them get to their HEA. There is a small paranormal piece to the book, but not like ghosts or anything, just more like telepathy (so if you don't like paranormal, don't let that scare you off). It was actually super sweet, and just reinforced the connection that Adam and Luke had.
I am voluntarily reviewing a copy of this book that I received from the author
I am voluntarily reviewing a copy of this book that I received from the author
cadiva's review
4.0
3.5*
I liked a lot about this book but I had a couple of niggles, which may not bother anyone else, which meant I've rounded down to 3.5 rather than 4.
My biggest niggle was that Luke 'read' a lot older than his 22 years and the timeframe for all that had happened to him didn't quite appear to add up.
Now, as this is set in Australia, it may be that school age/college/apprenticeships are slightly different to here in the UK so I'm just going with the flow. I think if he'd just been a couple of years older it would have felt more believable.
My other niggle is a bit of a spoiler which I don't want to tag as it would give away a big plot element but, for me, while beautifully written, it felt out of place in a contemporary romance.
However, that aside, I thought the way the author approached Adam's blindness and how he developed feelings for Luke was brilliantly done and I adored the relationship between them and the emotionally driven way they began to trust and rely on each other.
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
I liked a lot about this book but I had a couple of niggles, which may not bother anyone else, which meant I've rounded down to 3.5 rather than 4.
My biggest niggle was that Luke 'read' a lot older than his 22 years and the timeframe for all that had happened to him didn't quite appear to add up.
Now, as this is set in Australia, it may be that school age/college/apprenticeships are slightly different to here in the UK so I'm just going with the flow. I think if he'd just been a couple of years older it would have felt more believable.
My other niggle is a bit of a spoiler which I don't want to tag as it would give away a big plot element but, for me, while beautifully written, it felt out of place in a contemporary romance.
However, that aside, I thought the way the author approached Adam's blindness and how he developed feelings for Luke was brilliantly done and I adored the relationship between them and the emotionally driven way they began to trust and rely on each other.
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
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