Pent Up is the first book that I have ever read by Damon Suede. I have been reading M/M books for a few years now and have heard about Damon Suede, but I hadn't had the chance to read anything from him before this so I was really excited to see what his writing style was like. While there were things that I enjoyed here, I also have to admit that there were some things that I didn't care for. I would read more from him in the future, but this wasn't my favorite M/M book. Pent Up is a double gay-for-you book, with both of the guys being only with women previously.
After his divorce, Ruben Oso moves to Manhattan to start over. Staying with his brother, he goes to work as a bodyguard for his brother as well. Ruben's new client is a financial hotshot that Ruben is convinced is paranoid. But is it more than just paranoia for Andy? As Ruben gets deeper involved, his feelings for Andy become more personal and less professional. But can he get to the bottom of everything that is happening with Andy and keep them both safe in the process?
I had a hard time connecting to the characters here. Andy was a bit odd right off, and unfortunately I just didn't warm up to him. I felt like everything surrounding his job and situation was a bit confusing and I just didn't seem to really ever connect with him. While I liked Ruben okay, I felt like his family situation was a bit odd as well. His parents wanted him to be more "American" rather than to embrace his Latin heritage, and it just came off a bit weird. I have never read a book where they make it a point to bring up a Latin heritage while also trying to downplay that at the same time. Both Ruben and Andy had some issues here, and that was another thing that I had a bit of a problem with. Ruben was a recovering alcoholic, and Andy continued to drink around him even knowing about it. It just felt a bit wrong to me. While I did like the connection and chemistry between these two, the story just didn't seem to really lead me to feel invested in them or their relationship.
While I was confused about some of Andy's situation, I also thought that the story itself was confusing. Even as things were revealed as the story progressed, I often felt lost and as though I didn't have a clue what was going on. This book was a bit all over the place, and I just never felt like it fully got me there. I kept losing interest because I felt like I didn't know what was happening and the characters weren't doing it for me either. I have heard such great things about Damon Suede and previous books of his that I will give him a shot again in the future. Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me. If you are a fan of the male/male genre or Damon Suede, you might give this one a shot. It very well could be that this one just didn't work for me personally.
**ARC Provided by Author**
