Book Review: For Real by Alexis Hall

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Purchase Link: Website

For Real was the first book by Alexis Hall I ever read. I didn't even know who he was at first or that he was the author of Boyfriend Material (a book I had seen in bookstores and knew was quite popular, but hadn't gotten around to reading or paying all that much attention to). At the time, I'd been searching for books with a good representation of BDSM as there are, unfortunately, many that are not. I liked it then and I like it now.

Laurie is exasperated, a bit cranky sometimes, and not your stereotypical sub. There's even a line in the beginning of the book while he's trying to get into a new club where the bouncer comments that she can't believe he's a sub. He's also a bit tired with the whole Scene.
Toby is a baby Dom in more ways than one--nineteen, new to the Scene, and inexperienced in every sense of the word. But there's something about him that is real and authentic so raw that Laurie finds himself instantly drawn to him.

There are so many things I enjoy about this book. It has realistic BDSM portrayal--someone who is new to the Scene vs someone who has been around the block for a couple decades. How Laurie sometimes downplays things a little while Toby things much too black and white (the safeword conversation toward the beginning and the "I knew subdrop was a thing" scene immediately spring to mind).

I love the way it shows Toby growing as a person and a Dom. He's so unsure of himself and everything in the beginning but as the book goes on, he becomes more and more confident. In the annotations, Hall mentions how Toby was a hard sell as a Dom, but I think that's because so many people are used to reading about characters who have been Doms for years. We all start somewhere, and I think Hall does a good job of portraying the way someone will begin to unfurl once they've fully embraced that part of themselves. I appreciate the softness of Toby and that Hall leans into that softness and even discusses Domdrop, which is never discussed as much as subdrop, even though it's just as valid.

Hall writes with his usual beautiful prose, delving deep into the lives and minds of both characters. The way he gorgeously describes Laurie's thoughts during submission and Toby's thoughts during dominating really resonated me.

I also really appreciated how it touched base on what I believe to be the nightmare of any Dom: what happens if you accidentally hurt your sub in a way you didn't mean to? How would you handle that?

This new version includes bonus material, including several author annotations which are a lot of fun to read through.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys some good kinky romance but also even if that's not generally your cup of tea (as long as you aren't fully opposed to it), I would recommend it--especially if you're an Alexis Hall fan. Because this book cover more than just kink--it's about love and loss and moving on and growing up. I think you'll enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.