Review: Catalyst by SL Armstrong & K Piet

Recently I've been in the mood for some darker m/m romance and have been reading a lot of BDSM m/m romance books. This one caught my eye because the original idea was a little different to the usual BDSM stuff. The story begins as our hero Logan visits a therapist to try and curb his blood fetish urges. It is so bad for him at the moment that he can barely function without the urge to taste blood, especially during sex or masturbation, during which he self harms to get the rush he needs to get off. A recent disastrous scene at a local BDSM club which led to the sub being hospitalised has meant that Logan is desperate to be cured from this fetish in case he hurts someone else.  He turns to therapist Kasper to help him but instead Kasper begins to form the basis of nightly fantasies for Logan.  When Logan admits this to Kasper, he sets off a chain of events which leads to a downward spiral for his therapist as Kasper's life begins to unravel.

One of the very best things about this book is that it starts off focusing on one character and theme and then gradually changes to become a different story.  The change is so gradual and expertly interwoven into the story that it was only when I got about half way through the book that I noticed how much things had changed.  The story begins with its focus on Logan and his blood fetish. I have to admit, I don't really understand those who like to drink blood and get off on the taste, but I thought the authors did a great job in getting me into Logan's mindset so that I could understand why he felt as he did and it wasn't too long before I could see the eroticism of the act, at least as Logan sees it anyway.  Those readers who feel totally disgusted by the idea of drinking blood shouldn't be too put off by the story as the scenes where Logan actually takes part in blood play are few.  It's talked and fantasised about, rather than being shown much on page.  As the story develops we shift more and more away from the blood fetish and onto the problems that Kasper encounters as he discovers through his relationship with Logan that he is a submissive.  I don't want to say too much about that here as it will spoil the drama of the book if I reveal the secrets from later in the story, but the shift in narrative focus felt natural and it wasn't long before I was engaged as much with Kasper as I was with Logan at the beginning of the book.

Another part of the book which worked extremely well was the build up in sexual tension between Logan and Kasper.  The heightened emotion and longing that both men feel was intense and I was helplessly drawn into that magnetic attraction that the two feel for each other, even as they know that professionalism and propriety dictate that they should deny the attraction.  I could barely stop reading the book at this point and it was only as they gave into the tension between them that I felt I could relax into the story again.  Actually I was a little disappointed at first to lose that delicious tension, but as the story began to develop into something different by that stage I was once again drawn into the story and read quickly onto the end.

The shift in focus from one character to the other, meant that both heroes were given enough page space for thorough characterisation.  By the end of the book I felt like I knew them intimately and I was so captivated by them that I rejoiced when circumstances brought them together.  The story showed how the push and pull of their strong attraction was both a blessing and a curse and I especially liked Logan's complete helplessness when faced with the situation Kasper gets himself into as it was a dramatic change for Logan from the confident seducer we see at the beginning of the story.  As the main characters are the focus of the story, this meant there was little space for secondary characters.  Those that did appear, such as Logan's boss, Adam, were used only to forward the relationship and provide some background information on the characters.  In fact, if I have any criticisms of the story it would be that the scene at the party with Adam and Logan seemed a little forced and a too contrived way to give Logan, and the reader, some personal information about Kasper. However, I also acknowledge that the reader needed that information in order for the story to move on.

My only other niggle about the story was the way that Logan's blood fetish wanes almost to disappearing by the end of the book.  At the beginning it is all consuming for him and yet he barely mentions it by the end.  I wasn't sure whether this meant that the circumstances of his relationship with Kapser has now helped to alleviate some of those urges, or just that there wasn't space towards the end to continue focusing on that theme.  Either way it was an oddity and I couldn't understand why  the theme had been downplayed as the story ended.

That niggle wasn't enough to spoil my enjoyment of what was an extremely well written and rewarding book.  The themes are very dark and the characters are put thoroughly through the emotional wringer (as is the reader) but I was drawn into Logan and Kasper's story and found this to be a compelling read.  I recommend Catalyst, with a grade of 'Excellent', to those who are looking for a book which pushes the boundaries of m/m romance but still has a strong romantic and emotional core.

Buy this book HERE.