What I Think about Chicken Soup Dom by Tanya Chris

Chicken Soup Dom – Hell´s Bedroom, Book 2

Themes and genres: MM Contemporary BDSM Romance, LGBTQ+, crime, police officer, abduction

WARNING: Mature Content

Spoiler alert: My reviews are usually spoiler-free, but since this is the second book in a series in which the novels should be read within order, there are some spoilers for Book 1. Also, I comment in length on a sex scene that’s in the first third of this book.

Blurb:

When Arlo boarded a bus to Philadelphia to turn himself over to a master he’d never met, he thought he was on his way home, that he would finally have both the sex he craved and an authority figure to care for him in a way his parents never had. But what he got was worse. Much, much worse. Now he’s been rescued, but where does that leave him?

Officer Cade Brixby immediately bonded with the young sub they rescued—a curly-haired, blue-eyed cherub who needs to be taught the right way to engage in power exchange. But not by him, and not until Arlo has had a chance to process his traumatic past. Brixby’s only taking care of Arlo for now, keeping him safe and making sure he eats. He has no business playing with the boy. Even if Arlo asks. A lot.

Professionally, Brixby is off the case. Or so he’s been told by his captain. But he and his band of vigilante kinksters won’t rest until every kidnapped sub has been found and the kidnappers brought to justice. Arlo might be able to provide them with some valuable information.

Or he might be bait.

Content warning for disordered eating. The opening chapter details an abusive situation that may be disturbing to some readers.

What I think of the book:

I knew this book wouldn’t be easy to review.

Tanya Chris’ Hell’s Bedroom is a series of three books, each following a different couple, but with a crime subplot. In the first one – Kitchen Sink Dom, subs were going missing and while we followed the investigation, it was through the eyes of the private detective hired to look into the matter. Chicken Soup Dom continues with the issue of the human trafficking ring, but from the POV of one of the victims. This makes the subject matter much heavier and while Tanya didn’t go too graphic with the details, this might be a difficult read for some of you.

Trauma is an extremely sensitive topic and the process of recovering is different for each individual going through it. As such, it’s hard for me to judge how well the matter was handled, but…

The first sex scene.

I have so many conflicting emotions about it.

But let’s take a step back and return all the way to the title – Chicken Soup Dom. From that alone we can gather that this book is going to be about healing. Brixby does everything in his power to help Arlo come to terms with what had happened and to help the younger man move on; the officer is caring and considerate, and can be patient… To a point.

And that point is about 30% into the book where the abovementioned scene takes place.

It’s only been a few days since Arlo’s rescue. He’s still confused and vulnerable. Brixby acknowledges that and fights off his own impulses to get closer to the teen. But then Arlo insists that he needs a physical connection to feel better so they have sex.

Here’s why I’m split on this.

On one hand, Brixby gives Arlo what Arlo needs, but on the other, is Arlo in the right headspace to know what he needs?

That aside, the scene is handled pretty well. It’s not written in a scintillating way, aimed to stimulate the readers, but as an outcome of two people wanting the same thing. If Arlo hadn’t just gone through what he’d been through, I’d actually really like that scene.

But Brixby himself later acknowledges that he should’ve kept a clear head since Arlo wasn’t in the right mental state.

As I said earlier, everyone copes with trauma in their own way, but I still can’t help but feel that it was too early.

It, however, shows us that Brixby has his flaws, making him more realistic, but that same realism is what pushes me more towards the “They should’ve waited” camp.

This scene, or more particularly the timing of this scene, is the only big negative in the novel. There’s also the matter of a certain character making it very obvious that they are involved in something, yet none of the other characters seem to realize it, but that’s a very tiny issue. On the whole, Chicken Soup Dom set out to be a story about healing and for the most part hits its mark.

Who would I recommend this book to? I’d recommend Chicken Soup Dom to those who’ve enjoyed Tanya’s Kitchen Sink Dom.

My rating: 4/5 pairs of handcuffs

Would I re-read this book? Yeah.

Am I interested in other books by this author? Yes. I’ll be reviewing the third book when it comes out and knowing who the new couple is, I’m really looking forward to it.

Where can you buy the book?

Amazon US

Add Chicken Soup Dom to your Goodreads shelf

Other books by this author that I’ve already reviewed:

Kitchen Sink Dom – Hell’s Bedroom, Book 1 – MM Contemporary BDSM Romance, LGBTQ+, crime, detective
Upsy-Daisy Dom – Hell’s Bedroom, Book 3 – MM Contemporary BDSM Romance, LGBTQ+, crime, lawyer
Aiming High – MM Contemporary Sports Romance, the Olympics
You, Me & Her – M/M/F Contemporary Romance, poly
Manners & Mannerisms – Adult MM Regency Romance, Historical Fiction