I really liked this story. I've got to warn you though: get out your box of tissues before you start reading. You'll need them! I should also warn you that this is not a typical BDSM story at all. If you expect lots of hot scenes I believe that you'll be disappointed. If, on the other hand, you're ready to explore the emotional side of a Dom/sub relationship and what happens when the Dom is about to die, I can only recommend this book.

The topic of anyone dying from cancer is difficult enough. Adding the worry about leaving behind a dependant makes it much worse. This story focuses on what happens to the life and emotions of the one who is left behind. Chris is a sub who's never had a 'real' job and has always depended on his master for everything. The heartwrenching pain both he and his dying master go through as they attempt to find a new master to take care of Chris, ideally even love him, is depicted so realistically that it had me crying throughout most of the book.

The solution at the end was so perfect that I was crying again - this time with relief. Don't say I didn't warn you. ( )

Unbearable. Really disappointing. I read Shell Shocked and looked for something else by these authors. Firstly, it's bad value for money - 760 locations for $4 is just a rip off. Most free sample downloads are around 300 locations, so this is like twice the length of a free download.

But even worse than that, while the premise sounded interesting, the way it was written makes Chris sound like he has below average intelligence. He can't work, he can't cook, and he can't recognize a man he knows really well and has had sex with several times because said man is wearing a mask on his eyes. Really? It just comes across as ridiculous. And why create that dynamic at all? Neither the characters nor the relationship was believable. Though it was set in a BDSM world, there wasn't much going on because Chris's original master was dying. So it wasn't even hot.

I rate it a C, and won't read it again. ( )

It was not easy to decide and pick up this novella, as it would not probably be for everyone who has had the experience of living near someone who was fading away to cancer. But it’s life, and despite all, it’s also hope, the hope that the ones you love will find a way to live after you.

William knows he is dying and now that he is at peace with the idea, his only worry is to find someone who will take care of his sub, Chris. Chris is not a perfect sub, he is not hot commodity, but he was perfect for William; Chris is sweet and shy, not much for a “for showing” sub, but for ordinary William, librarian and fatherly, he was the perfect match.

Now the problem is to find someone else who can be the same perfect match, or at least a good caretaker. William has many friends in the BDSM community, and some of them are interested in Chris; some are quite right, some are just right, but no one is the one. Basically Chris, in his quiet and subdued way, is trying to tell William that he still loves him, that despite the imminent fate, he is not ready to open his heart to someone else. It’s not a passionate love between William and Chris, it’s more a comfortable thing, like a blanket in winter; but it’s what Chris wants, a moderate level of passion, but mostly the reassurance of a balanced and safe environment.

Probably for this reason, more than all the Masters who are testing him, Chris is attracted to Mike, the nurse who is taking care of William. Chris sees in Mike the same comfort and shelter he has with William, and if Mike was a Master, he would be the perfect Master for Chris.

Even if there is the imminent destiny of William, something that is not stoppable, the story is not overly tragic; of course there is an high dose of drama, but in a way it’s a “natural” thing, death can be avoided in some cases, and so you need to live with it. Of course William is dying, of course he is in pain, but at least there is the certainty that he is loved and that he will be fondly remembered. Plus there is the hope that Chris will be take care, that he will have a chance to be happy again, with maybe a different Master, stronger and more passionate than William, but that is not a bad thing.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003O86FRW/?tag=elimyrevandra-20