Read a Series in a Month Challenge - Giving Consent by Kate Hawthorne

Since starting the blog, I have had much less time to binge read series, and I love it!  Finding something complete in an author's backlist and just following the entire story arc from beginning to end is magical!  I was honestly surprised that there was a Kate Hawthorne backlist series I hadn't read at least part of, but Goodreads came through and told me that Giving Consent was the last one to tackle.

The MM Romance Reviewed Facebook Group had three series to choose from and this one got the most votes - so it went on the list and then September got crazy busy - between growing the blog team to twenty members, working on a secret project and learning WordPress so I can eventually migrate the blog over to that platform, I didn't get a chance to start the first book in the series, Worth The Risk until this weekend and I decided that I needed a good binge - so I started Thursday night and finished up earlier today and here is the low down on the series:

Worth The Risk:

At eighteen, Landon Miller was sure about two things--he was a submissive and he was going to be with Gregory Douglas for the rest of his life. That was until parents and school got in the way, and he found himself in New York, thousands of miles from the man who had learned how to take him in hand. Feeling abandoned by the personhe’d come to rely on, Landon has no choice but to set his sights on a new and lonely future.

Years later, behind the bar at Rapture, the BDSM club he’s built on a foundation of disillusioned dreams and broken bricks, Landon finds himself face to face with his favorite memory and greatest regret—Gregory.

Seeing his first love again is the only inspiration Gregory needs to commit himself to forging his way toward the future he always envisioned…one with Landon yielding and bending to his command. Determined to recapture the magic of their first love, Gregory works to right the wrongs of their past so they can move on together.

Battling through the resentment from their youth, Landon is unexpectedly called back to New York, and Gregory can’t help but fear the past is repeating itself. Fighting familiar feelings of helplessness, he makes the decision to give Landon what he needs, even if that means not chasing after the man he adores…again. Gregory can only hope when Landon returns, he won’t throw away the love they’ve fought and risked everything for.

Worth the Wait:

Finally ready to dip his toe into a lifestyle he’s only been a bystander to, Callum Jardine convinces himself long-distance is the safest bet, and he activates an online dating profile. Almost immediately, he receives a message from DaddyJM, a handsome, older man who lives across the country and offers Callum far more than he ever expected.

Jack Martin has no intention of getting involved with anyone seriously, let alone with someone who lives so far away. It’s been so long since he had someone worth taking care of though, and Callum triggers all of his Daddy inclinations. Jack is smitten from the start, eager and willing to give Callum everything he wants and more…except proximity.

After an unplanned hospitalization, Jack is forced to confront his fears about commitment and finds himself three-thousand miles from home with a shocked and stunned Callum finally in his arms. With Callum’s overwhelming eagerness and Jack’s fears unwilling to abate, navigating togetherness proves to be more work than they bargained for.

Finally figuring each other out, Callum and Jack settle into a comfortable routine juggling home, work, and each other until an unexpected encounter shatters their world. Faced with making another new start, they need to find the strength to rediscover what was lost and rebuild what’s been broken. Time may heal all wounds, and the road to recovery is a hard one, but as long as they’re together, Callum and Jack will learn that love is worth the wait.

Worth the Wait is the second book in the Giving Consent Series. It can stand alone and is 66,000 words of dirty Daddy kink that starts online and becomes very real. For other content warnings please look inside and review the preface.

Worth The Fight:

Justin and Micah Townsend thought they had it all. With six happy years behind them, Keith tumbles into their world and throws the expectations for their life and their future to the wind.

Keith Warren thought he'd made the right decisions. After fleeing an abusive partner and starting over in a new city, he's now getting an education about things he never knew existed. With Justin and Micah leading the way, Keith focuses his energy on being a good submissive and a deserving partner.

Micah is quick to see the good Keith can bring to his marriage, but Justin is hesitant. Thinking toward the future, Justin's only concern has always been keeping Micah, and his heart, safe. His worst fears come true when Keith vanishes out of their lives, and his guard is up when he unexpectedly returns.

Justin, Micah, and Keith come together once again in an explosion of desire that forces Micah to admit he wants more than his husband and requires Justin to recognize he has room in his heart for not one, but two partners. With their support, Keith battles against the demons of his youth, making strides towards a life none of them ever dreamed they could have.

But Keith's past becomes all of their present in a shocking fight for dominance that leaves the foundation they've built together shattered. Justin, Micah, and Keith need to find strength to fight through yet another test of their love to reach the happy ending they all deserve.

Worth the Fight is the third book in the Giving Consent Series. It can stand alone and is 75,000 words of sort of second chance menage involving an already established relationship, ice cream, arcade games, and a surprisingly nurturing dominant.

Worth The Chance:

Verity Jones has always been true to themself; even when it meant coming out as nonbinary at a young age and losing the love of their friends and parents. Years later, Verity is ensnared in a complicated, consuming, but purely platonic relationship with their best friend Landon. When Landon’s high-school sweetheart re-enters the picture, Verity finds themself alone for the first time since college.

Content with the status quo, Aaron Hoffman finds his tight-knit circle of friends shaken up when Gregory introduces him to Landon, and Landon’s roommate and business partner, Verity. From the first time they speak, Aaron is fascinated by the elusive, rose-scented person behind the bar at Rapture. Determined to know them better, Aaron focuses his attention on convincing Verity he’s worth their time.

Aaron’s steadfastness and patience offer Verity the stability they’re looking for, giving them both a place to explore new facets to the dynamic lifestyle they’d lived in the past. After a surprising holiday back home in Missouri, Verity realizes the person they’re meant to be isn’t who they thought they were. Venturing into the unknown is daunting, but to find love, Verity and Aaron will need to take the chance.

Worth the Chance is book four in the Giving Consent Series. It's 75,000 words of angsty, kinky, BDSM featuring one sassy nonbinary main character, the beefy man they're fascinated by, a kitchen full of goats, and an unfortunately placed platter of breakfast meat.

My Review:

First off, I don't think I've ever read anything Kate Hawthorne has written that I don't like, but this series is a new LOVE!  I am so glad that I binged it - the books timelines integrate and overlap, so you can see key scenes from multiple perspectives and the earlier books provide excellent foreshadowing for the later books so you can build your own anticipation because you know what's around the next corner but not exactly how the main characters in a particular book will react.

I also love that the series runs through a gamut of BDSM variations - from the second chance reunion between a dom and his bratty sub, to a long distance beginning to a daddy/boy relationship (no ABDL or age play), to a poly relationship that is much more traditionally BDSM and finally a relationship between a non-binary switch and the uber-masculine Dom that is willing to submit to his partner to make the relationship work.  Underlying each book is building or rebuilding romantic relationship that blends real life with the BDSM elements and really makes this a well rounded series.  

I loved getting to know all of the characters, their kinks and their passions.  If you're looking for a binge read with amazing characters and so many threads, you'll want to check out the Giving Consent Series!  It's currently available on Kindle Unlimited too which makes diving into the first book a no-brainer in my book - warning you'll want to clear your TBR to finish the series before you consider moving on... to the rest of Kate's backlist...