The box set is composed of a trilogy anchored around three main alphas, each with a newly acquired crush, totally believable in many instances and respects even though a bit off-the-wall in plot twists.

CURLING IRON
Curling Iron, the first in the set is where we meet the two main characters that reappear in the other two renditions, David Black and Thomas Kane. Kane owns a gym and a high-class escort service called "Bad Boyfriends". The agency meets the very special and particular needs of the mostly gay clientele. All is well and good until Kane’s ex, Marshall, decides to ruin him by hiring away all the talent for his rival service. Kane needs to find more workers, and quickly. Into the story comes David. His day job is being downsized, leaving him with only his part-time work at a bar to try to make ends meet in NYC. When the chance comes for David to get out from behind the bar and hit the stage as a pole dancer, that part was really funny, but it catches Kane’s interest in ways that don’t precisely fit the employer-employee mold...but then little of these episodes do...at least not any that anyone I know has ever encountered. Good start to the series.

PUMPING IRON
Marshall ups the stakes, and Kane’s friend and manager of the gym, Mike Douglas, and escort Sean Rourke are called on to babysit a client for a Boston lawyer whose taste borders on the wrong side of the barely legal. His shenanigans threatens the reputation of his firm. Marshall isn’t the only one willing to use underhanded means to achieve his goals, and Mike and Sean have their hands, and other things, full keeping the client and "Bad Boyfriends" out of jail and worse. This was the one that I liked the least.

JERKING IRON
Nick Lopez is an ex-cop that has been wounded in the line of duty. Jace Mcclune, is a New York City cop that works vice. Both have seen and done too much for too long. Thomas Kane puts out a call for help, and Nick and Jace answer it, joining forces for what should have been a simple sting operation. They're about to find out why "a man you can't break is a man worth breaking". This one is darker and more suspenseful. I think of the three I liked the characters in this one the most...but the story seemed rushed.

All three stories have characters that are sometimes way beyond flawed, and the situations that are truly unmerciful and not for the faint of heart. I'm glad I did the audio as I'm not sure I would have finished a text version. Michael Ferraiuolo did a fantastic job on all the different voices. ( )