Lock and Key

By: Z. Allora

Narrated by: Jonathan Waters

Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's Summary

Rejected. Heartbroken. Devastated.

Zack Davis wanted to serve only one man, Andrew Nikeman. He was denied because Andrew thought he was too young and because their brothers were together. So Zack crushed his submissive tendencies and focused on being the perfect Dom, giving every sub he played with something he couldn't have.

After years of denying his submissive side, Entwined's charity auction gives Zack an excuse to get a little of what he's always craved.

Andrew doesn't know when his infatuation turned into more, but it kills him to see Zack with a constant parade of submissives. He'd refused to jeopardize his brother's relationship or become Zack's regret; however, Zack isn't a kid anymore, and his brother's relationship is unbreakable. Now Zack's popularity and success as a Dom might ruin Andrew's dreams of collaring him, but he can't wait any longer to confess his feelings or he risks losing the man he loves forever.

©2016 Z. Allora (P)2017 Dreamspinner Press

So....this is awkward.

Any additional comments?

I seem to be the minority with this one.
I found that the plot was all over the place and I felt it needed tightening (maybe another round of editing?). This is a long book.
There are pages upon pages of BDSM tutorials, the MC's repetitive inner thoughts, sex between the MCs and other people, or sex between other people which turns into an orgy. Zack spends more time talking to his tattoo artist than to Andrew, for God's sake. There was no balance. The MCs did not have enough page time together (except their first sex scene that lasted waaaay too long).

Love this author

I loved the Dark Angels series by Z, Allora. The main characters of Lock and Key were first introduced in that series and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen between them. The beginning of Lock and Key overlaps with the Dark Angels timeline showing Zack and Andrew’s meeting and the rise of sexual tension between them. I have to say that the wait for their story was well worth it.

Zack and Andrew met when their brothers started dating. There is a spark between them and a mutual interest in BDSM, but a seven year age difference between them keeps them from being together. At eighteen, Zack isn’t a stranger to rejection, though, and part of him shuts down. He squashes his natural submissive tendencies to be be the dom that he will never have.

I love the way that this author writes about the BDSM community. I have to admit that the only BDSM knowledge I have is from other books, but Z. Allora seems consistent with other’s portrayal. BDSM can often be misunderstood but for the greater part their motto is safe, sane, and consensual. The author takes us through an introductory class along with Zack and also explains how BDSM is different for every individual. Some subs and doms will find their maximum pleasure through bondage alone, while some prefer breath play or needle play. The importance of safewords and responsible doms in the lifestyle should be self-evident though it is not always the case in real life and the author does include examples of those who abuse the power they are given by their submissives. I can’t say whether or not I would ever participate in BDSM but when an author writes the scenes right, you could easily imagine the pleasures that subspace or topspace have to offer. I think Z. Allora did that.

It finally takes an auction where several doms dare to offer themselves as slaves for a weekend for Andrew and Zack to explore that spark between them. The cover of this book is brilliant because it so on point for this scene. I was definitely happy that these two got together. But just because it was for the weekend doesn’t mean that everything fell in place immediately. I do like when the couple works for it, though.

I really enjoyed this story. It was like a reunion for me getting to see the Dark Angels members again as well as Zack, Andrew, and Zack’s younger brother Jordon. New characters were introduced within the BDSM club, Entwined, who were very interesting. I can see more stories spinning off, and I would still love to see Jordon find his happy ending. I would definitely recommend this book. It is a stand alone, but I would also recommend the Dark Angels series and the author’s other books.

Narration was very good, I would listen to him again.

awesome narration of an awesome book!

Any additional comments?

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

I usually write about the book, then the narration but I'm finding more and more, doing it the other way round or being unable to split the two.

I cannot split the two here.

I LOVED this!! It is both the first of Z. Allora (author) and Jonathan Waters (narrator) I have listened to and together they make for compelling listening!

Zack wanted to be seen by Andrew. His first thought when they meet was "His. Serve. Kneel" (more on this little bit in a mo) But Andrew thinks Zack is too young, and being not quite 18, he is still. When Andrew denies Zack what he needs, Zack hides his submission, and becomes the perfect Dom. A charity auction gives Andrew the opportunity to show Zack that somewhere along the line, his feelings grew to something he can no longer fight.

Waters narration is, quite possibly, the best I've listened to for quite some time. His portrayal of Zack, as he grows, as he learns his craft, as he constantly fights his feeling for Drew, is stunning. Zack has these one liner thoughts "His. Serve. Kneel" and at first, I found them annoying, BUT!!! once I got over that, I did actually look forward to not knowing when they would pop up.

Andrew, too, has these, but they aren't as common as Zack's and, are very different. Waters voice for Drew is perfect.

I loved all Water's voices for the various characters, and it made for very easy listening in multi person conversations. His reading voice is clear and deep and even, with a hint of an accent I could not put my finger on from where.

I loved the way Allora spins a tale. This is, I think, the first in a series, and there are a couple of characters who piqued my interest. And I'm also intrigued by the guys in the band that Zack and Andrew's brothers play in. I want to read their stories too!

Putting both Allora and Waters firmly on my wish lists....

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

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**

Safe, Sane and Consensual

I read this book first before any of the Dark Angel books and loved it so much I went back and read those too. Two words..WORTH IT. Though not necessary it gives you a fuller vision of this beautifully told story.

It would be easy (and I've seen it done) to trivialize those who chose to enter into this kind of partnership. It is thought to be an odd thing to crave pain with pleasure but this story shows that it is not so. It treats it with respect and love but also shows in heartbreaking realism how hard denying your true self can be. Zack and Andrew are amazing together but the future is marred by a past hurt that very nearly destroys that possibility for them both.

Once you've read this go back and read the series and read it again. This has become a go to read for me and I hope it will be for you as well :-)

Love and Sex at a fetish club

Lock and Key is a little more kinky than you average mm romance, but possibly not as kinky as you might expect. As someone who spent years hanging out in a fetish club in Atlanta in the 90s I may be a little more jaded than the next reader (or not) but the kink doesn't go much beyond light bondage, sex toys and a little bit of the old riding crop along with dominance and submission play, but the guys make the most of it, and their connection was steamy.
Zach is an inexperienced 18 when he meets slightly older Andrew, a glamorous hairdresser. For both guys it's love at first sight, and Zach is eager to go after what he wants, while Drew finds reasons not to give him a chance; Zach's youth and inexperience, and the family complication as their brothers are in a relationship. Crushed by rejection Zach throws himself into a disasterous one night stand that leads him to repress his true desires as a submissive. Instead he reinvents himself as the hottest, most sought after dominant in the scene and a few years later Andrew is having second thoughts on the potential of a relationships with Zach. A charity fundraising auction with Zach joining other doms to be auctioned off for a weekend as a submissive slave opens up possibilities.
Zach was really likable and his heartbreak at being denied the man he loved and his closing off of his true desires was sad. I found Andrew a little frustrating, as it's usually frustrating to see someone throw away love for whatever reasons, but his reasons were still realistic and understandable. I was really rooting for the guys to get together and it was a satisfying read.
One small critique: the fetish scene is pretty theatrical and I would've loved to have gotten more atmosphere. I wanted to hear about the clothes and music and those details were just too sparse for my tastes. I suspect that's not going to bother most readers, and not all writers spend a lot of time describing clothes and such.
I loved the relationships between the brothers - I would read a whole book just on the family dynamic with older brother Dusty, an aspiring rock star who raised his younger brothers after they were kicked out by a bigoted mother. The background cast of the club scene was well fleshed out for minor characters. It was well done to show the humanity and normality of people who on the surface might seem bizarre and exotic. I know there is already one sequel to the series and I look forward to listening to it if it gets an audio release. It's a nice world to visit.
Narrator Jonathon Waters brings the story to life, his voice traveling from smooth sophistication to sexy growl that enhanced the experience.

Memorable

What did you like best about this story?

It's been a while since I read it, but I keep thinking about it, so I felt I wanted to leave a recommendation even if I find it hard to pin point details.
I felt it was very loving and that it took BDSM seriously, not just treating it as a "fun" gimmick.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I recall being moved by most of the story.

Any additional comments?

It's been awhile since I listened to an audiobook. When I decided to look for another one my first thought was to check if more stories by this author had become available as audiobooks (sadly not) - if that is not a recommendation I don't know what is!

3.5 stars- A mix of highs and lows

I’m not wholly sure where to start with this review. I’m not even sure what to rate it star wise. For me Lock and Key balanced on the cusp of 4 stars. There were parts I really liked, so much so that I will likely look into this author’s other books/series. And yet, there were enough niggling aspects that kept me from really enjoying the story in its entirety.

Lock and Key is a spinoff of the author’s Dark Angel series. While it can easily be read as a standalone like I did, I’d surmise fans of that series will love seeing past couples/characters make regular appearances and impact this storyline. I quite enjoyed how this book naturally built from a previous storyline. I never felt left in the dark, but rather intrigued to read more about the Davis brothers and the Dark Angel band because they were all fun and intriguing in their supporting roles. The characters were well flushed out and had this settled vibe, reminiscent of that easy comfort you experience in the later books within a series. They made sense, the development was natural, and their interactions spoke of a familial and friend bond that immediately created a sense of community and intimacy among the primary and secondary characters. I liked both main characters. They were this fun mix of awkward insecurity with a self-assured sense of what they wanted. The banter and dialogue had me regularly laughing and made it easy to empathize with Zack and Andrew, particularly in the inner dialogue moments. Ironically, as much as the inner dialogue was often a source of humor for me, the internal chants (e.g. “Kneel. Serve. His”) were one of my biggest hang-ups. I don’t know if the audiobook highlighted these moments more than reading would, but it was distracting and happened with such frequency that it grated. A lot.

I did like Zack and Andrew together. Though it became a source of long standing angst, I liked Andrew’s approach of taking a while to pursue a relationship and his reasons- specifically Zack’s age and inexperience- made perfect sense. I liked the awkward exchanges between them as they struggled with the buried feelings and attraction. I liked the simmering chemistry and build-up. I even liked Andrew’s plan to woo Zack. But the perpetual failure to communicate slowly wore on my nerves. These men were in close quarters so often that I got frustrated they refused to address the elephant in the room, especially once they plan to pursue a D/s relationship. I think had this back and forth not drug out long past what I felt was necessary, I would have liked the story that much more.

I’m not typically a BDSM reader, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book as far as the sex scenes or romance and I can’t comment specifically on the accuracy of the portrayal. There are a lot of details of the BDSM culture and lifestyle included, and I think plenty of readers will enjoy that attention to detail. Personally, it got to be a little too clinical in the descriptions, specifically explaining the D/s relationships, power exchanges, contracts, rules of the club, expectations of behavior, etc. This could be because I’m not necessarily intrigued by the inner workings of the BDSM lifestyle, but I found it slowed the pace to a crawl when the explanations began to overshadow the romance. I wished the romance had become a little more entwined with the BDSM aspect of the relationship. It felt like there were two specific partnerships- master and pet, then the lovers Zack and Andrew. I kept expecting them to merge and it never fully did, at least not to my satisfaction.

As far as the narration for this audiobook, Jonathan Waters does a good job bringing the story to life. He has a good pace, intonation, and enunciation. It’s definitely worth the audiobook version if the blurb peaks your interest.

*Reviewed audiobook for Alpha Book Club*

Always his

I haven't read a book that was so spot on with a BDSM dynamic in a long time. I fell in love with the characters even with all the up's a d downs. There's so much I want to say but don't know how without spoilers🤔 so I won't say anything but READ this book if you want an actual peek into a Dom/sub dynamic that isn't a game and where you get the feels from Zack and Drew. I hope that there are more books for some secondary characters😉.

A pretty good story

Any additional comments?

I overall enjoyed this book. The narration was spot on & Jonathan Waters did a very good job. The only things that stopped this for being a 5 star read was the repetitiveness of the same/combination of the same 3 words "Kneel. Serve. His." or "Kneel, Serve, Not His." or a combination of some 3 word internalization, that really got old. Also, after their weekend, Zack running off and shutting down lasted way too long. There were times that Zack really acted like a teenager instead of an adult. I loved the BDSM 101 at the beginning of the book, that was kind of cool. But after they all got over their issues and sat down and started working on their relationship, I really loved the book. I would have liked some really intense BDSM scenes as what we had was rather light. I haven't read the Dark Angels series & will go back & read them as I would like to read their beginnings.

story

I love this story I read the book and listen to it too
I read some of the other books that she has ritin they are just as good

Slightly confused narrator

Nice story (though a bit dramatic at times), but the narrator seemed new to the job or having a bad day. There were several cases when names seemed mixed up, with Andrew doing things to Andrew, and vice versa.