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divapitbull's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed Home The Hard Way. It was a solid 4 ½ stars and I would have rounded up except that it needed an epilogue. A solid HEA is implied so perhaps is didn’t so much NEED an epilogue as I really wanted an epilogue.
Dare (does anyone really name their child Dare? Is it a demographic thing? I have never met a Dare in my life) Buckley befriends the 5 year old Finn Fowler on the playground when Finn is 5. Dare is 10 but he doesn’t like the older kids picking on Finn just cause his mom his the town floozy so he takes him under his wing and Dare gets to play big brother to Finn’s hero worship. Although even back then Finn’s Aunt Lyddie kept a good eye out to make sure there was no funny business cause yeah it was odd with the age difference and all. Then Dare’s father blows his brains out and his family moves away and the teenaged Dare blows off Finn’s efforts to stay in touch.
Fast forward not as many years as you would think and Detective Dare is back in his small Oregon hometown after having fucked up royally in big city Seattle. Seems Dare tends to drink too much and think with his dick – which unfortunately leads him straight inside the perpetrator of the case he was investigating. Back in small town Palladian Dare figures he’ll try to get his shit together, maybe look into his dad’s suicide which never sat right with him and reconnect with the friend he left behind – despite said friend being the town pariah and openly gay.
Finn Fowler – or Foulest as the lovely denizens of Palladian refer to him – left the small town as well until the woman who raised him – his Aunt Lyddie – became stricken with cancer. Finn returns after college to care for his aunt, run her beauty salon and work on his handcrafted leather goods: belts, book covers, whips, cock rings….the usual.
Dare and Finn are both traumatized. Dare never got over seeing his father’s brains on the chair and Finn never dealt with the numerous traumas in his life. Dare took to the bottle and Finn to a detachment from others and attaining a sense of order and control in his life through the expression of his sexuality. Both Dare and Finn seem to have done quite a bit of living to get to where they are; which is why it shocked me to learn that they were 28 and 23 respectively. Dare felt to be in his early 40’s which would have put Finn in his mid-thirties – which would have made a lot more sense. Their re-connection, their relationship is very understated but also very real and very powerful.
The sex scenes were few but seemingly well done. The whole BDSM thing isn’t my thing – so by well done I mean I wasn’t rolling my eyes….much (although again Finn came off as way older and more self-possessed than a 23 year old kid). Dare and I kind of have the same thoughts about BDSM: “None of this was anything like Dare thought it would be. He’d figured he’d get his ass spanked, or Finn would put on his scary mask. He’d figured they would play good cop and bad cop. And they’d laugh and break character and fuck. But Finn wasn’t playing; he was serious as the grave….”. And it’s more than a sexual preference for Finn, it’s his way of coping.
Home The Hard Way is equal parts romance and crime drama: why exactly did Dare’s father kill himself. The mystery kept my interest but started to take on a very distinct Ghost Story feel but without the paranormal elements. Finn’s sexuality made sense within the context of the story as did the side story with Bill fucking Frazier. Despite Bill being an unlikable character, I saw the vulnerability and the goodness in him that Finn saw and I wanted him to have his HEA too. In the epilogue in my head Dare and Finn are enjoying domestic bliss. Since Bill is such a hardcore closet case Finn hooks him up with a hot little butchy dominatrix that he meets while selling his leather fetish goods and the 4 of them go out for beers and play darts at the cop bar on weekends.
Dare (does anyone really name their child Dare? Is it a demographic thing? I have never met a Dare in my life) Buckley befriends the 5 year old Finn Fowler on the playground when Finn is 5. Dare is 10 but he doesn’t like the older kids picking on Finn just cause his mom his the town floozy so he takes him under his wing and Dare gets to play big brother to Finn’s hero worship. Although even back then Finn’s Aunt Lyddie kept a good eye out to make sure there was no funny business cause yeah it was odd with the age difference and all. Then Dare’s father blows his brains out and his family moves away and the teenaged Dare blows off Finn’s efforts to stay in touch.
Fast forward not as many years as you would think and Detective Dare is back in his small Oregon hometown after having fucked up royally in big city Seattle. Seems Dare tends to drink too much and think with his dick – which unfortunately leads him straight inside the perpetrator of the case he was investigating. Back in small town Palladian Dare figures he’ll try to get his shit together, maybe look into his dad’s suicide which never sat right with him and reconnect with the friend he left behind – despite said friend being the town pariah and openly gay.
Finn Fowler – or Foulest as the lovely denizens of Palladian refer to him – left the small town as well until the woman who raised him – his Aunt Lyddie – became stricken with cancer. Finn returns after college to care for his aunt, run her beauty salon and work on his handcrafted leather goods: belts, book covers, whips, cock rings….the usual.
Dare and Finn are both traumatized. Dare never got over seeing his father’s brains on the chair and Finn never dealt with the numerous traumas in his life. Dare took to the bottle and Finn to a detachment from others and attaining a sense of order and control in his life through the expression of his sexuality. Both Dare and Finn seem to have done quite a bit of living to get to where they are; which is why it shocked me to learn that they were 28 and 23 respectively. Dare felt to be in his early 40’s which would have put Finn in his mid-thirties – which would have made a lot more sense. Their re-connection, their relationship is very understated but also very real and very powerful.
The sex scenes were few but seemingly well done. The whole BDSM thing isn’t my thing – so by well done I mean I wasn’t rolling my eyes….much (although again Finn came off as way older and more self-possessed than a 23 year old kid). Dare and I kind of have the same thoughts about BDSM: “None of this was anything like Dare thought it would be. He’d figured he’d get his ass spanked, or Finn would put on his scary mask. He’d figured they would play good cop and bad cop. And they’d laugh and break character and fuck. But Finn wasn’t playing; he was serious as the grave….”. And it’s more than a sexual preference for Finn, it’s his way of coping.
Home The Hard Way is equal parts romance and crime drama: why exactly did Dare’s father kill himself. The mystery kept my interest but started to take on a very distinct Ghost Story feel but without the paranormal elements. Finn’s sexuality made sense within the context of the story as did the side story with Bill fucking Frazier. Despite Bill being an unlikable character, I saw the vulnerability and the goodness in him that Finn saw and I wanted him to have his HEA too. In the epilogue in my head Dare and Finn are enjoying domestic bliss. Since Bill is such a hardcore closet case Finn hooks him up with a hot little butchy dominatrix that he meets while selling his leather fetish goods and the 4 of them go out for beers and play darts at the cop bar on weekends.
teresab78's review against another edition
3.0
First, though I usually love Shannon Gunn’s narrations, I found the main characters voices too similar and sometimes lost track of who was saying what.
Second, While it was an ok story, I never felt totally engaged. The bdsm seemed to come out of left field though I did appreciate that it wasn’t your typical setup.
Second, While it was an ok story, I never felt totally engaged. The bdsm seemed to come out of left field though I did appreciate that it wasn’t your typical setup.
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
Home the Hard Way by Z.A. Maxfield is an intriguing and suspense filled mystery that is full of unexpected twists and turns. After a colossal error in judgment costs him his job with the Seattle PD, Dare Buckley returns to his small hometown of Palladian. Dare's homecoming is quickly complicated by his friendship with Finn Fowler, a suspicious death and his father's long ago suicide.
Dare and Finn lost touch when Dare left town fifteen years earlier and a lot has changed for both of them in the intervening years. Finn's life currently centers around taking care of his Aunt Lyddie who is dying from cancer. Between his nursing duties, two jobs and his leather making business, Finn does not have time for any type of social life but he welcomes the chance to reconnect with Dare. Dare is not happy with his disgraced return to Palladian and some of the demons that led to his downfall are still plaguing him. His transition to the local police department is anything but smooth as he is faced with resentment from his fellow officers and the animosity from an old childhood nemesis. His reunion with Finn is uneasy and shrouded with unspoken secrets from their shared past. A surprising attraction flares to life between them but a relationship seems unlikely amid all of the chaos swirling around them.
As children, Dare and Finn shared a unique but close friendship. Dare was a popular, well-liked athlete from a well-respected local family. Finn, on the other hand, was different from everyone else in just about every way. He and his mother were the target of small-town gossip and speculation and he had a difficult time living down his mother's rather loose reputation. As the older of the two boys, Dare took on a protective role with Finn and kept him from being bullied by the other kids. Both of their childhoods were marred by the untimely deaths of Finn's mom and Dare's father and their friendship ended when Dare and his mother left town after his dad inexplicably committed suicide.
Now meeting on equal footing, both men have been shaped and changed by events in the intervening years. Dare is cynical, world-weary and his shining armor has definitely been tarnished by his poor decisions. Finn maintains tight control over everything around him and he keeps himself at a distance from everyone but his aunt. When Dare stumbles across Finn in a very shocking situation, the balance of their relationship is irrevocably changed. Dare is filled with numerous doubts about their future as a couple and when the case he has been working on breaks wide open, Dare realizes how little he and Finn really know one another.
Home the Hard Way is a compelling novel and Z.A. Maxfield does an excellent job keeping readers on their toes with quite a few startling plot twists. There are two separate mysteries that need unraveling and I was completely surprised by how these storylines were eventually solved. The one thing I really did not see coming is the direction that Dare and Finn's relationship takes and while I confess to a few doubts about how they would resolve their differences, I was satisfied by how things turned out between them. All in all, it is another fabulous read by the extremely talented Z.A. Maxfield.
Dare and Finn lost touch when Dare left town fifteen years earlier and a lot has changed for both of them in the intervening years. Finn's life currently centers around taking care of his Aunt Lyddie who is dying from cancer. Between his nursing duties, two jobs and his leather making business, Finn does not have time for any type of social life but he welcomes the chance to reconnect with Dare. Dare is not happy with his disgraced return to Palladian and some of the demons that led to his downfall are still plaguing him. His transition to the local police department is anything but smooth as he is faced with resentment from his fellow officers and the animosity from an old childhood nemesis. His reunion with Finn is uneasy and shrouded with unspoken secrets from their shared past. A surprising attraction flares to life between them but a relationship seems unlikely amid all of the chaos swirling around them.
As children, Dare and Finn shared a unique but close friendship. Dare was a popular, well-liked athlete from a well-respected local family. Finn, on the other hand, was different from everyone else in just about every way. He and his mother were the target of small-town gossip and speculation and he had a difficult time living down his mother's rather loose reputation. As the older of the two boys, Dare took on a protective role with Finn and kept him from being bullied by the other kids. Both of their childhoods were marred by the untimely deaths of Finn's mom and Dare's father and their friendship ended when Dare and his mother left town after his dad inexplicably committed suicide.
Now meeting on equal footing, both men have been shaped and changed by events in the intervening years. Dare is cynical, world-weary and his shining armor has definitely been tarnished by his poor decisions. Finn maintains tight control over everything around him and he keeps himself at a distance from everyone but his aunt. When Dare stumbles across Finn in a very shocking situation, the balance of their relationship is irrevocably changed. Dare is filled with numerous doubts about their future as a couple and when the case he has been working on breaks wide open, Dare realizes how little he and Finn really know one another.
Home the Hard Way is a compelling novel and Z.A. Maxfield does an excellent job keeping readers on their toes with quite a few startling plot twists. There are two separate mysteries that need unraveling and I was completely surprised by how these storylines were eventually solved. The one thing I really did not see coming is the direction that Dare and Finn's relationship takes and while I confess to a few doubts about how they would resolve their differences, I was satisfied by how things turned out between them. All in all, it is another fabulous read by the extremely talented Z.A. Maxfield.
pantsbooks89's review against another edition
5.0
This is an amazing book from an amazing author. I have read other books from Z.A. Maxfield, but they did not prepare for what this book contained. The rawness of the characters pain and need and wants was so pure and I loved it. I could get enough and I finish wanting more. The two main characters lives are embedded within each others and nothing can undo them even through murder, shootings, blackmail they find each other in the end. Amazing book.
ezichinny's review against another edition
2.0
I decided to try this book because the cover was compelling and I really like the St. Nacho's series written by the author. Unfortunately, I can't point to anything in this book that I enjoyed.
It started out really well and about half way, it descended into this baffling sex, lies and murder mystery. I found the character of Finn Fowler to be a head scratcher. Finn Fowler was the "left behind" character as his friend Dare Buckley left Palladin Washington in search of greener pastures. Finn was the son of the town whore and everyone picked on him. He was called "Foullest", a play on his last name Fowler. Dare Buckley, the beloved town son, always stood up for Finn until the suicide of his detective father rocked his foundation. Dare and his family quickly left town, and Finn was stuck fending for himself again.
Over a decade later, Dare returns to town after a disgraceful error in judgment cost him his job. And he seems while somethings are still the same, others have changed drastically. For instance, Finn isn't as helpless as he used to be, and now Dare was the one who needed help putting his life back together.
This book was dark and never really got better. I never felt settled reading this book, not even at the end. I never quite understood Finn. I get that he had to create an environment he could control since almost everything around him was out of his control, but I didn't understand what he truly desired. Bill Fraser and Dare Buckley, made sense but Finn, I can't wrap my head around. The BDSM aspect to this story did NOT work for me and I found it disturbing. It was almost like Finn was broken inside just as much as Dare and Bill. I thought the author would somehow try to fix all three of them together. All three and the whole town seemed to be pretty messed up with their secrets and lies.
*Special thanks to Riptide via Netgalley for the reading copy
It started out really well and about half way, it descended into this baffling sex, lies and murder mystery. I found the character of Finn Fowler to be a head scratcher. Finn Fowler was the "left behind" character as his friend Dare Buckley left Palladin Washington in search of greener pastures. Finn was the son of the town whore and everyone picked on him. He was called "Foullest", a play on his last name Fowler. Dare Buckley, the beloved town son, always stood up for Finn until the suicide of his detective father rocked his foundation. Dare and his family quickly left town, and Finn was stuck fending for himself again.
Over a decade later, Dare returns to town after a disgraceful error in judgment cost him his job. And he seems while somethings are still the same, others have changed drastically. For instance, Finn isn't as helpless as he used to be, and now Dare was the one who needed help putting his life back together.
This book was dark and never really got better. I never felt settled reading this book, not even at the end. I never quite understood Finn. I get that he had to create an environment he could control since almost everything around him was out of his control, but I didn't understand what he truly desired. Bill Fraser and Dare Buckley, made sense but Finn, I can't wrap my head around. The BDSM aspect to this story did NOT work for me and I found it disturbing. It was almost like Finn was broken inside just as much as Dare and Bill. I thought the author would somehow try to fix all three of them together. All three and the whole town seemed to be pretty messed up with their secrets and lies.
*Special thanks to Riptide via Netgalley for the reading copy
scarletine6's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic. A really complex story and I didn't guess whodunnit... which is a surprise. The narrator on this Shannon Gunn, was good, although he got reeeeally into it for the sex scenes, which instead of being sexy, made me laugh out loud. But, all in all, a great book.
see_sadie_read's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
I'm having a hard time deciding how I feel about this book. I finished it last night, with time to review it, but waited until today in order to consider my own response to it. You see, I can't decide if I didn't like certain aspects of the story full stop or if I just didn't like that it wasn't the story I wanted it to be (if that distinction makes any sense outside of my head).
Before I talk more about that let me add here that I like erotica. Not that I would qualify this as erotica, there isn't that much sex in it. But my point is that I have no problem with sex in books. I like a lot of m/m romances. I also like finding a little surprise kink thrown into either one. So, my complaint isn't based just on not liking D/s, BDSM, rope and/or pain play in the book. (Though, I have to admit, anytime a character refers to something by its name, like 'pain play,' it feels too proper to be realistic to me. It rings the same cringe-bell as stiff dialogue in my head. But that's a whole 'nother matter altogether.)
Having said all that, I didn't like the BDSM, etc. aspect of this book. I think it was probably well written; that's not my complaint. And it was kinda hot; that's not my beef either. It just didn't feel natural in the story. This is the first Z. A. Maxfield book I've ever read, so I'm not coming from a place of comparative knowledge. But to me it FELT like it was all thrown in just to catch readers from the current D/s popularity wave. I don't know if it really was, but that's how it felt to me.
You see, Dare comes home to Palladian with no discernible interest in being dominated in any fashion. Doesn't even seem to be consciously aware of the lifestyle. But on meeting up with Finn he immediately starts wanting things he's never wanted before. He allows Finn control he'd never previously even considered giving up and he does it with no discussion, explanation or even verbal request (from either party). Now, consent is very clearly established, as are stop words and such. I don't mean anything like that. I just mean there must have been some psychic communication going on for Finn to know what Dare wanted and for Dare to know Finn could/would provide it, especially on Dare's part.
I did like Dare and Finn. Don't get me wrong. I liked them. I just kept thinking that the things they were doing didn't fit the otherwise sweet romance that was trying desperately to establish itself. This is also were my 'did I just not like it' or 'did I not like that the blurb sent me in expecting something else' internal debate comes in. Either way, it was jarring to me.
Then there was the whole Fraser twist. Surprisingly, I also like Fraser. I had fewer problems with he and Finn's activities than Finn and Dare's. It felt more natural there, maybe because it had had years to develop. However, unless there is going to be a sequel that deals with Fraser and his issues I'd have to call it a giant loose end.
I also liked the, I believe the phrase is penetration politics. Dare is your average hulking police alpha (as is Fraser), Finn is as you would expect. He's smaller, finer boned, prettier, gayer (or at least more openly so). Based on m/m norms you would expect Dare & Fraser to top almost exclusively. It was nice to see this trope played with.
The mystery was a good one. It wasn't too hard to figure the historic aspect of it out. It was pretty obvious, actually. But that obviousness just made the part happening in 'real-time' more interesting because you had this tantalising part of the puzzle that Dare didn't.
The writing and editing were both pretty good. I was a bit bothered by all the full names. Palladian is meant to be a pretty small town and everyone's supposed to have known each other since childhood. So I can't imagine they'd so often need a full name to identify someone. I also thought the author had a few catchall phrases she repeated (the plug & socket comparison, for example). But really these are minuscule complaints in the grand scheme of things.
I'm feeling fairly torn about how I feel or how I want to rate this book. So, I'm splitting the difference with a 3 and a bit.
I'm having a hard time deciding how I feel about this book. I finished it last night, with time to review it, but waited until today in order to consider my own response to it. You see, I can't decide if I didn't like certain aspects of the story full stop or if I just didn't like that it wasn't the story I wanted it to be (if that distinction makes any sense outside of my head).
Before I talk more about that let me add here that I like erotica. Not that I would qualify this as erotica, there isn't that much sex in it. But my point is that I have no problem with sex in books. I like a lot of m/m romances. I also like finding a little surprise kink thrown into either one. So, my complaint isn't based just on not liking D/s, BDSM, rope and/or pain play in the book. (Though, I have to admit, anytime a character refers to something by its name, like 'pain play,' it feels too proper to be realistic to me. It rings the same cringe-bell as stiff dialogue in my head. But that's a whole 'nother matter altogether.)
Having said all that, I didn't like the BDSM, etc. aspect of this book. I think it was probably well written; that's not my complaint. And it was kinda hot; that's not my beef either. It just didn't feel natural in the story. This is the first Z. A. Maxfield book I've ever read, so I'm not coming from a place of comparative knowledge. But to me it FELT like it was all thrown in just to catch readers from the current D/s popularity wave. I don't know if it really was, but that's how it felt to me.
You see, Dare comes home to Palladian with no discernible interest in being dominated in any fashion. Doesn't even seem to be consciously aware of the lifestyle. But on meeting up with Finn he immediately starts wanting things he's never wanted before. He allows Finn control he'd never previously even considered giving up and he does it with no discussion, explanation or even verbal request (from either party). Now, consent is very clearly established, as are stop words and such. I don't mean anything like that. I just mean there must have been some psychic communication going on for Finn to know what Dare wanted and for Dare to know Finn could/would provide it, especially on Dare's part.
I did like Dare and Finn. Don't get me wrong. I liked them. I just kept thinking that the things they were doing didn't fit the otherwise sweet romance that was trying desperately to establish itself. This is also were my 'did I just not like it' or 'did I not like that the blurb sent me in expecting something else' internal debate comes in. Either way, it was jarring to me.
Then there was the whole Fraser twist. Surprisingly, I also like Fraser. I had fewer problems with he and Finn's activities than Finn and Dare's. It felt more natural there, maybe because it had had years to develop. However, unless there is going to be a sequel that deals with Fraser and his issues I'd have to call it a giant loose end.
I also liked the, I believe the phrase is penetration politics. Dare is your average hulking police alpha (as is Fraser), Finn is as you would expect. He's smaller, finer boned, prettier, gayer (or at least more openly so). Based on m/m norms you would expect Dare & Fraser to top almost exclusively. It was nice to see this trope played with.
The mystery was a good one. It wasn't too hard to figure the historic aspect of it out. It was pretty obvious, actually. But that obviousness just made the part happening in 'real-time' more interesting because you had this tantalising part of the puzzle that Dare didn't.
The writing and editing were both pretty good. I was a bit bothered by all the full names. Palladian is meant to be a pretty small town and everyone's supposed to have known each other since childhood. So I can't imagine they'd so often need a full name to identify someone. I also thought the author had a few catchall phrases she repeated (the plug & socket comparison, for example). But really these are minuscule complaints in the grand scheme of things.
I'm feeling fairly torn about how I feel or how I want to rate this book. So, I'm splitting the difference with a 3 and a bit.
leelah's review against another edition
1.0
DNF at 53%.
I didn't like where this story went...
Spoiler
It went to kink and I didn't find it believable at all. Guy went from bicurious to gay curious to D/s curious in matter of pages, but I didn't buy it.It also felt disjointed with other parts of story- like there were 3 guys: one investigating death in beauty salon, another one trying to find out truth about his father and third one goes through trysexual phase.:(
josy's review against another edition
5.0
~ 4.5 stars ~
This was a great story and I enjoyed it immensely!! So why not 5 stars? Well... The end was a bit disappointing. One more chapter or an epilogue would have been great! I needed a tiny bit more to see how Dare and Finn make a life together.
I enjoyed [a:Shannon Gunn|6996772|Shannon Gunn|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s narration. He's a new-to-me narrator and I think he did a really good job! Sometimes he sounded a bit too forceful or aggressive during the sex scenes but overall, he put a lot of emotions into his voice to portray what the characters were feeling.
This was a great story and I enjoyed it immensely!! So why not 5 stars? Well... The end was a bit disappointing. One more chapter or an epilogue would have been great! I needed a tiny bit more to see how Dare and Finn make a life together.
I enjoyed [a:Shannon Gunn|6996772|Shannon Gunn|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s narration. He's a new-to-me narrator and I think he did a really good job! Sometimes he sounded a bit too forceful or aggressive during the sex scenes but overall, he put a lot of emotions into his voice to portray what the characters were feeling.