After reading the five previous stories in the ‘Beer and Clay’ series, it was very nice to get a closer look at Christian and Peter’s beginning. They only emerged gradually in the first few books, and nothing much other than “they met on the Internet” was ever said about how they found each other. ‘Tasting’ is the beginning of their story, and I really enjoyed finding out more.

Christian is a soldier. He has to be strong to the point where showing any kind of weakness is not allowed. He has a lot of guidelines about what it means “to be a man” in his head, and none of them seem to fit what he secretly wants in a partner. Christian wants to submit, he wants to be told what to do, and he wants a Master who takes care of him. He has read about BDSM and is curious, but can’t really do anything about it while he is deployed. But Christian is interested, and he has a lot of courage, so he ventures into some chat rooms on the Internet and begins to ask questions.

Peter has tried to find a sub who can be his partner for a long time. He has given up on clubs, and he is beginning to doubt there is anyone to be found on the Internet. But then he comes across Christian, and his curiosity is piqued. As soon as Christian has some leave they get together – both men want to know if the connection they have felt via Skype is there in real life as well.

And boy, is the bond ever there. These guys are super hot together. Christian all shy but incredibly courageous, full of doubts about what he is doing yet willing to follow Peter’s lead. And Peter is the perfect Dom – extremely focused on Christian and what he needs, unrelenting in pushing his boundaries, yet able to be “just a man” when that is what they both want. As the blurb says, this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship and I loved watching it develop as much as I liked reading about the later stages in the other books of this series.

If you like Christian and Peter based on the previous ‘Beer and Clay’ books and want to know more, if a sub who is just beginning to explore his needs sounds appealing, and if you’re looking for a read that is as hot as it is sweet and kinky, then you will probably like this novella.


NOTE: This book was provided by Pride Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )