An Unlocked Heart

I really liked this sweet and fluffy BDSM except for one thing that I simply could not ignore! And that is Alex being referred to as Leo's “boy” eleventy billion times - ok 356 times to be exact - in a 289 page book. That is just excessive, and it felt creepy, especially when Alex kept yelling, “Fuck your boy!” during sex. Not only was it weird that he referred to himself in the 3rd person, but it was just...disturbing. I was trying to figure out why it bothered me so much, besides the sheer number of times the word was used, especially since I remember liking it when side character Devon called Nicky “boy” in [b:Power Play: Resistance 13484184 Power Play Resistance (Power Play, #1) Rachel Haimowitz https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1329195964s/13484184.jpg 19019159]. So tonight I also read [b:Master Class 12323810 Master Class (Master Class, #1) Rachel Haimowitz https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1312768976s/12323810.jpg 17302195] about how Devon and Nicky met, and I figured out the difference. It's all about the context. Devon used it when he was making demands or reprimanding during scenes, and he still often referred to Nicky by his name. Leo, however, used it with affection, and at all times, rarely calling him Alex. I guess the word “boy” used with an affectionate tone in my mind sounds like a creepy old man and just made me feel uncomfortable, especially when it was being drilled into my brain.Aside from the whole “boy” thing, it was a great book. Alex is a truly adorable character, and I loved his shy personality. Leo knew just what to do to draw him out of his shell, and it was lovely to see them gradually take their relationship to new levels. I thought this book was similar to [b:Duck! 8178400 Duck! (Avian Shifters, #1) Kim Dare https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1273661196s/8178400.jpg 13024937], except it is better written with more likable characters and has no bird shifters, which is a plus for me because I just can't find birds sexy at all. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wouldn't be put off by Leo calling Alex his boy every 5 seconds.