Before You Break

Independent reviewer for Divine Magazine, I was gifted the AUDIO file of this book.

Six years ago, Ellis joined the Specialist Firearms Unit. Wayne was his partner, but Wayne wanted more, much more. Ellis is straight though. When Ellis begins a spiral downwards, and Wayne can no longer keep covering for him, he knows what he needs to do. Question is, will Ellis let Wayne help the way he wants to, the way Ellis NEEDS him to?

Book one of the Secrets series, which is a spin off from the Collars and Cuffs series. I’ve no read ANY of those, so this is brand new to me.

I really REALLY loved this one!

Ellis is, by his own admission, struggling to come to terms with his responsibilities forced on him at an early age, an age when he should have been learning how to be a boy, not a man. Wayne keeps covering for his silly mistakes but it’s getting more and more difficult. After a particularly difficult op, Wayne decides enough is enough and knows what Ellis needs. But Ellis has always portrayed himself as straight, and vanilla and Wayne is neither. Wayne knows Ellis needs to be “taken in hand” to get to the bottom of what’s bothering him, and Wayne is just the man to do it: the ONLY man to do it.

Not all of Ellis’ problems are immediately clear, and it takes time for the full picture to develop and I loved that. You don’t get a massive info dump. Ellis is. . . .difficult . . .when Wayne introduces him to the lifestyle and it is, in some places, rather amusing the conversations Ellis has with himself about what Wayne is doing, WHY he is doing it.

Wayne has loved Ellis since first meeting him 6 years ago, and to have carried that flame for so long was hard on him, but finally getting his hands (quite literally!) on Ellis is a balm to his soul. Ellis is his other half and he needs Ellis to see that.

The story unfolds at a steady pace, with Wayne kinda plodding along with Ellis till ELLIS decides he wants more, and I really did like that. Sometimes, things need to speed along but not so much here and it made for a great listen.

Joel Leslie narrates.

Leslie is, in my humble opinion, a MASTER at accents. These two guys are Londoners, and the accents were spot on. Jarod and Eli pop up, they are the new owners of Secrets and their accents are very different but again, spot on. Leslie does get all the emotions that both Ellis and Wayne are going through, and I cried in some places. I ooohhh-ed and aaahhh-ed and YAY-ed and NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-ed in places, out loud. I don’t do that when I’m reading but when I’m listening I seem to be more vocal with my reactions and I can only assume that’s the skill of the narrator coming across.

I had to giggle a bit though. Mr Leslie is, I think, American, and the man CANNOT say leisurely like we do in the UK. Every other word was spot on, but that one? Nope, not right. But I won’t hold it against him, cos I LOVED this narration!

I already have book 2 lined up, and I hope that Wayne, Ellis, Eli and Jarod pop up along the way. Be great to catch up with them.

5 stars for the book
5 stars for the narration
5 stars overall

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**

This story was amazing. What I love about these books is that you don't need to read them all to understand where the other characters are coming from. It's wonderful to be able to either pick up from where the last book ended (Which would be from Collars and Cuffs instead of Secrets in this case) or start new. K.C. Wells is able to make you feel so much in such a short amount of time, by the end of chapter one you long for more. A wonderful book will read again.

4.5 stars.
Another great start to a series for Wells and Parker. I quite enjoyed watching these two friends finally getting together and how they worked through Ellis' family issues and then his injury. Seeing Jarod and Eli from the Collars and Cuffs series was an added bonus. They'd been too of my favorite characters in that series.
The only drawback was I couldn't hear any on the British accent in the dialogue. Arse and bollocks alone does not fully encompass all the wonderful slang.

K.C. Wells and Parker Williams team up again to bring us Before You Break, the first book in their new Secrets series. A spin-off of Collars and Cuffs, you don’t need to have read those stories to appreciate this one, though fans will be as excited as I was to have a few beloved characters popping in.

Aptly named, Before You Break is an intimate and moving story of one man whose world is falling apart and how, using BDSM, his friend intervenes to save him. Partnered for six years in London’s Specialist Firearms unit, Wayne takes note of Ellis’ increasingly erratic behavior, bouts of uncontrolled anger, and dangerous mistakes at work. It takes some time, but Wayne finally gets the story of what’s going on in Ellis’ life. In addition to the stresses of the job, his family obligations are doing him in both physically and mentally.

Wayne presents a D/s relationship as a way to give Ellis some control and provide the support he needs to get his life back on track. Their relationship starts to change as the men navigate the challenges this presents in their friendship and as colleagues. As the attraction between them grows and they incorporate other elements of BDSM into their relationship, the passion between them explodes.

I really enjoy the way this story unfolds and what happens to both men along the way. Clearly a proud and capable man, Ellis has become overwhelmed and reached his breaking point. As he starts to see how having the support Wayne gives as his Dom affects him, other aspects of Ellis’ life begin to change as well.

For Wayne the changes are more subtle, having finally found his ideal submissive his confidence grows and his character softens. He’s tender and patient but also deliciously commanding as he guides Ellis through some very intense events in his life.

K.C. Wells and Parker Williams do a marvelous job with the dynamic between these two men and the changes that happen in their relationship. Done in the third person, we get both Wayne and Ellis’ stories, plus their impressions of what the other is experiencing. It really moved me to see how Ellis embraces his need for submission, and I enjoyed how Wayne responds to the challenges along the way. Wayne has such a sexy way about him, when Ellis gets bratty and tests his limits... so hot.

This is an intimate and emotional story and Joel Leslie emphasizes it nicely with the intensity in his narration. The consistent, dependable strength of Wayne flows throughout, whereas Ellis runs the gamut of emotions. His desperation and fear, his panicky breakdown, and his heartbreaking defeat all come across loud and clear and stay true to Ellis’ character as he navigates this journey.

Joel Leslie does an amazing job shifting between the alternating points of view, he keeps Ellis and Wayne’s voices unique and distinct. Additionally, there are a wide variety of characters in this story: co-workers, club members, family members, and Leslie brings something special to each of them. His skill with accents is on full display in Before You Break and it is a pleasure to listen to from beginning to end.

This was a deeply moving story for me. Watching Ellis discover and embrace his needs, and seeing the joy it gives Wayne to provide it was really lovely. These two unfulfilled men come together and become whole in the process. In Ellis’ words as he kneels at Wayne’s feet, “For the first time in his life he’d found his place.”

4.5 Stars. What a wonderful return to the BDSM club world that began in the Collars & Cuffs series. The narrative is my favorite 3rd person, alternating POV’s, written with the authors’ usual strong skills in character and world-building. The story was engaging and exciting, with only minor niggles for me.
Eli and Jarod are in London, opening their new club, Secrets, where a previous club had operated. One of those prior members is Wayne, gay and out, a Dom, and a police officer working in the Specialist Firearms unit. His best friend Ellis, who dates only women, is in the same unit, but lately Ellis is over-tired, short-tempered and making errors on the job that could endanger himself or fellow officers. With an invitation to the club’s re-opening, Wayne manages to get Ellis to invite himself along. Wayne has the idea to use D/s techniques to help his friend, platonically, he thinks. Ellis reacts badly at first, but he needs help, doesn't want therapy and eventually agrees to try it. Before too long, Wayne learns what has been causing Ellis’s issues.
Most of my niggles were in this first part of the story, centered around the reasons given for Ellis’s behavior. I think it was partly due to my personal views, so I'm not giving it too much weight. As the story progressed though, I was completely on board! This book does have a high steam factor and some really good BDSM scenes. It's quite moderate though, and it ramps up fairly slowly. The term “boy” is used but not excessively and it wasn't a 24/7 D/s relationship. Ellis had an independent attitude and their dialogue was mostly that of equals, even outside of their job. I dislike when a sub character acts, sounds and is treated like a young boy, rather than their age. I was quite pleased there was little of that here.
The story is longer than many in the prior series but it was paced well, and a lot of events were covered. Along with resolving Ellis’s problems, there's dangerous action on the job, some interactions with Jarod and Eli at the club and a brief visit from the C & C characters.
It will certainly please fans of the C & C series but it's not necessary to read them first. Anyone wanting to dip a toe into a BDSM storyline should enjoy it, without being uncomfortable. Mostly, if you enjoy friends to lovers, with a dose of hurt/comfort, this should be a satisfying read for you, too.

*ARC provided at no cost, in exchange for an unbiased review*
Reviewed for Jessie G. Book Blog