★★★★
I fell in love with Kael a little more in BE BRAVE. I confess to a desire in having a Daddy. It's not as if I was abused or neglected like Angel or need a father figure. The only similarity I have with Angel is I'd like to have a strict Daddy laying down the rules and teaching me survival skills. In BE BRAVE, Kael teaches Angel more killer survival skills. Angel is one of those blessed people who have an amazing memory in addition to super keen eyesight. If only I would be blessed in this manner, too.
In BE BRAVE, we are treated to more heated dungeon scenes with Daddy Kael and Angel. Kael seems to be more on edge in this book. He's gone from protective to almost overbearingly protective of Angel. The standards for Angel to uphold are almost impossible. I wonder at how Angel can meet such exacting demands. I'm a bit intimidated. It appears as though Angel is also frightened of Kael at times. Just when we think Kael is superman and nothing can happen to him, Fyn Alexander throws us a curve ball. .
I like this. I like when my main characters are not perfect. Kael is not perfect. He's tough, exacting and very skilled. He does make mistakes. It's actually rather sad that his mistake is when he stops behaving like a machine and starts showing human qualities. What is the author trying to say here? Is it better to be human or machine? Based on the torturous captivity Kael goes through, I'm thinking I want to be a perfect machine.
I enjoyed this book more as we see greater complexity to Angel and Kael. We also see another side of Conran that explains so much. His conflicted relationship with Kael is not a surprise, but to finally have it out in the open, it heals both of them. I also liked Angel more in this book. He's growing up. He is still young in age, 19, yet he is going on 30 with his responsibilities and maturity. Yes, at times he's still a little boy, but that's the fun part of a BDSM Daddy/boy relationship. I confess I'm jealous of Angel. Kael's attention is one hundred percent on him. Kael praises Angel, which makes my heart melt. Too bad Kael doesn't want a little girl, too.
One thing that really moves me in this book is the contrast between Angel and Kael's mothers. Both women were in situations where they were single moms. It's interesting to see how differently they chose to raise their sons. Kael is self-confident because his mother made sure he felt loved and wanted. Angel, on the other hand, was left very insecure and unwanted. It's sad. It also makes me wonder if this lack of love as a child is what causes a person with BDSM desires lean more towards the submissive side. Regardless of Angel's formative years, his past few months with Kael has been life changing and I'd go so far as to say, life saving.
I am now emotionally vested in both Angel and Kael. I'd even admit to affection for Conran. The blurring of lines between right and wrong, good and bad in a story makes it more enjoyable for me. Fyn Alexander does an excellent job in showing many shades of grey. I recommend this book to BDSM lovers who want to read about a good D/s relationship.
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