Someone to Keep Me

It felt like I'd been waiting a long time for this third installment in K.C. Wells' 'Collars and Cuffs' series. 'Someone to Keep Me' has been co-authored with the wonderful Parker Williams so I knew I was in for a special treat. I have loved the previous two books in this BDSM world and the fact that this one involves Ben, a super hot younger Dom who works as a bartender at Collars & Cuffs, was just icing on the cake.
I just wanted to take care of Scott. Seriously. He brought out every single protective instinct I have and I wanted to wrap him up and take care of him. Just like how I felt about Alex in the first book of the series. Scott has been homeschooled his whole life and due to a childhood illness he never grew very tall. Naturally the kids in the neighborhood picked on him to the point where it was just as easy to stay inside and be safe. Using his Nook and the café down the street's free Wi-Fi enabled Scott to interact on the Internet as that was forbidden by his parents. The Internet is where Scott sort of fell into different chat rooms to talk to other gay men hoping to find people like him. For you see, that's all Scott wants is to belong to someone and take care of him. The fact that Scott knows nothing about BDSM or D/s relationships turns out to be kind of ironic once it's explained to him. It's in one of these chat rooms that Scott meets Jeff who eventually convinces Scott to come to Manchester, UK and declares his love for Scott. When Scott arrives in England there is no Jeff waiting to meet him and after sitting for two hours, Scott is in tears and frightened. Luckily for him, Ben was there dropping off his sister and saw Scott looking so afraid. After getting the story out of him, Ben calls one of his bosses, Leo, for advice and help. Ben agrees to let Scott stay with him temporarily, with a little help from Leo and Thomas.
In the weeks that come, Scott realizes that Ben is the Dom he wants, and he does everything he knows to show Ben how well Scott can take care of him. Ben doesn't acknowledge these efforts because in his mind Scott will be training under someone else and thus he is not for Ben. Ahhhh, men. Gotta love 'em! Much miscommunication ensues. Imagine that, right? *sarcastic snarky voice* Of course, Leo and Thomas know that Ben and Scott should be together, so with a little help from Alex and Peter, they get the ball rolling. Leo helps Ben to see that even though Ben doesn't have a lot of money due to paying for his mother's nursing care, it's not the things he can or can't buy for Scott that are important, it's the emotional and physical love of his submissive that Ben can give to Scott and which Scott so desperately needs.
I have to say the ending wasn't what I expected and I enjoyed it more for that. I adored Scott from the very beginning. How could I not? So sweet and his parents treated him like dirt, constantly demeaning him and never giving him any praise for his abilities. All Scott wanted was somewhere to belong with someone who loved him, his Master, his Sir, the person whom Scott could take care of and who would care for him in return. I had a slightly more difficult time getting a good feel for Ben. He is a Dom, but he doesn't have the years of experience that Leo and Thomas have, so in my opinion, he second-guessed himself when it came down to what was right for Scott. Ben didn't always hold himself in high esteem and that's where he fumbled when it came to Scott's and his own needs. However, they each got what they wanted and needed in the end and I was so very happy for them to get their heart's desire. Great job, K.C. and Parker! This collaboration seems to have worked and I'd love to see more of it. I can't wait for the next book in this series.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

I was always going to like this story - I enjoyed the first two books in the series and I love the authors - and I wasn't disappointed. Was it perfect? No. Was it hugely enjoyable? Yes!
This is the story of Scott and Ben. Scott is very young and extremely naive and innocent, having lead a sheltered life in the US. He heads across the globe to Manchester, without money or clothes, to meet up with Jeff, a guy he met online. When Scott is stood up by Jeff, Ben just happens to be at the airport in Manchester and takes him under his wing.
At first I was worried about Scott's youth and whether he was being taken advantage of. Although eighteen he had been home-schooled and had no life-experience. He did not go out much, had not friends and didn't even watch television. But the story handled him very sensitively and the development of his relationship with Ben was a slow journey.
Ben is a barman at the Collars & Cuffs club and he is supporting his mother by paying for her to be in a home for the elderly. He has limited money which makes him reluctant to look after Scott. I liked the way this lead character was not the typical rich Dom but rather a 'real' everyday-type character. I must admit that Ben didn't seem very Dom-like at first but he really was a wonderful match for an innocent such as Scott. This is not heavy BDSM with only a few scenes including some exhibitionism.
I'm not a huge fan of the first person but I liked the alternating POVs. There were a few plot holes or events that were unexplained or unlikely but this really didn't bother me. I just enjoyed getting stuck into the story and waiting for Ben to wake up to himself - he was infuriating at times - the events at the 90% mark were surprising!
Highly recommended, particularly if you've read the earlier books in the series as the characters from these books feature in Someone To Keep Me.