Soothing his boy is a pleasure in more ways than one
Once upon a time, there was a boy who wanted a Daddy…
Henley knows what he wants from a relationship: to be taken care of by a Daddy. He’s under no illusions that he can be a handful. When he starts a new job, his gaze is taken to a prime specimen. Maybe Henley could persuade him to be his Daddy…
Isaac is worn out from the clubs, the scenes, the boys who say they want a Daddy then change their minds. When he’s given the responsibility of training the most obedient guy he’s ever met, Isaac is hooked. But does the guy even know what a boy is, despite acting like one?
They are powerless to stop their relationship. They complement each other so well.
Is Isaac the right Daddy for Henley, and is Henley the right boy for Isaac?
This is a 40,000 words sweet Daddy/boy romance
Book Title: Soothe Me, Daddy
Author: Elouise East
Publisher: Self-published
Cover Artist: Elouise East
Genre/s: Contemporary M/M Romance
Trope/s: Daddy kink
Themes: Workplace romance
Heat Rating: 3 – 4 flames
Length: Approx. 42 000 words
It is a standalone book.
Amazon US – Kindle Unlimited
Amazon UK- Kindle Unlimited
How long have you been writing?
I have been writing since May 2019 officially, but I actually have been writing since I was a teenager.
What made you decide you wanted to put yourself out there to be published?
A friend pushed me to try. I was beta reading for them, and in one of our many conversations, I mentioned about my writing. They told me to try. That I had nothing to lose from creating a story. They were right.
Your first published book?
My first published book was First Kiss from the Crush series. It is a taboo nature and follows two brothers who cross a line and end up being blackmailed.
Would you ever write a hetero romance? Why or why not?
Yes, I definitely would and have, although it’s not for sale at the moment. I have several female characters within my Crush series who want their stories told, and I will get to them at some point in the future.
What is your opinion on the “chicks with dicks” analogy? In your opinion, is it wrong for your males to be emotional or romantic?
Not at all. I love it when guys are who they want to be, be it emotional, strong, romantic, withdrawn. What I love most is when guys are able to let go of all the preconceptions that are thrust on them, and they can become who they were meant to be.
Name your favorite authors and some of their stories? What do you like about the writing?
CJ Bishop is one of my favourites. She has several series which are interlinked, The Phoenix Club, Cowboy Gangster to name a couple of series. I love how the characters rise above the horrors they have lived with to become amazing people.
I also love JR Ward and her Black Dagger Brotherhood series. It’s fantastic. She make everything see so real and unique. She doesn’t leave you scratching you head because you can’t figure out how something has happened.
What book are you reading at the moment? It’s okay to give a fellow author a plug!
I’m reading A Hate Story by Abrianna Denae.
What are you currently working on?
I have just started the Crush Book 5, which is Casey’s story, who was a side character in Deep Down and had a very minor role in Instant Desire. I’ve had readers request this character, so I thought I best get on with it, lol.
When creating your characters, do you have models in mind or are they totally fictional?
Usually, they start out completely fictional and then I search to find a photo that links with what I envisage the character being. Occasionally, I’ll find a photo and just know who it is. I don’t know how that works, but it does.
If you write gay romance or erotica, just how descriptive are you in their sex scenes?
I am fairly descriptive in the sex scenes. I think of it like a movie playing in your head. If things seem disjointed or jump from one place to another, I find it difficult to stay in the story. So, that is why I detail a fair amount.
As a gay fiction or m/m romance author, do you feel that the trend is changing where it is becoming more mainstream?
I definitely feel that MM romance is becoming more popular, but I’m not sure if it’s on its way to mainstream. It’s certainly not a taboo genre anymore, which is fantastic, but I think there is a long way to go before it’s properly mainstream. Just my opinion, though.
Recently, a writer sabotaged her career by answering a bad review on a blog. How would you have handled this and do you think authors should answer their reviews?
This is a tricky situation. Personally, I will never respond to a negative review. In fact, now I have a PA, I don’t read my reviews. I have heard several well-known authors recommend that you respond to positive reviews with a “thank you” or something similar, but at present I don’t do that either. Everyone is entitled to their opinion on your work. There is nothing you can do to make every single person happy. It’s impossible. So, it’s better to allow readers to comment their opinions and I will stay quiet. As far as I’m concerned, if I didn’t like the book I had written, it wouldn’t be published.
As an m/m romance or gay fiction writer, what stereotype of gay men bothers you the most?
That they look like twinks, and you can spot them a mile away. I know several gay men, and until they told me, I had no idea. Every person is individual.
Fun questions
Your favorite gay TV show or movie?
I enjoyed Love, Simon. But also a German movie called Free Fall.
Do you feel that celebs who are gay or bi should come out the closet?
Not if they don’t want to. They shouldn’t be forced into something they are not comfortable doing.
Have you attended a pride parade? If so, where you inspired when doing so?
No, but I would really love to one day.
“I don’t want you to change yourself for me, Henley.”
“What do you mean?”
“You need to be yourself from the beginning. Don’t act or speak how you think I want you to. If I think something about your behaviour needs correcting, I will discuss it with you and help you alter it.”
“Through punishments?” Henley asked, eyebrows raising.
“If I believe that is the best way to remind you, yes.” Isaac hesitated. “For me, being a Daddy is a twenty-four-seven responsibility. I would need you to realise that everything I do for or to you is for your own benefit. I want to help you become all that you can be, and in return, you need to trust me wholeheartedly. Telling me the truth at all times, even when it scares you. You need to trust that I will catch you should you fall. I will hold you close and protect you with everything I am.”
Isaac gazed at Henley, seeing a shimmer begin in his eyes before they filled and overflowed.
“Come here.” Isaac issued the order, and they both scooted out of their opposite seats, Isaac guiding Henley to slide over in the booth seat so he could sit next to him. Isaac wrapped his arm around Henley’s shoulder, hugging him close and resting his fingers against the side of his face as his tears continued to fall soundlessly.
Once Henley had calmed, Isaac lifted his face. “Are you okay?” Henley nodded. “I need your words, sweetheart.”
“I’m okay,” he croaked. “I…You…It’s everything I want.”
“Alright. Let’s eat our food, and once we’re full, we can talk some more.”
Isaac reached for Henley’s plate from the opposite side of the table and placed it in front of Henley. Henley smiled, and though a little watery, it filled Isaac’s heart with joy. He couldn’t believe he had found someone who already knew about Daddies and boys, and in fact, was one.
After they had finished their meal and Isaac deduced Henley didn’t want a dessert, he gripped Henley’s hand and left the restaurant. It wasn’t particularly late, and the air was warm, so he suggested a short walk.
“For a relationship to work with me, I would need to give you a routine to stick to—”
“What kind of routine?”
Isaac raised his eyebrows at Henley, waiting until he apologised for interrupting before continuing, “Things like when you’d need to go to sleep, when to wake, when to eat. I don’t do this because I think you are incapable of doing them yourself. I do it because then I will know you are looking after yourself like I have asked you to. I trust that if I ask you to do something, you will do it. For example, if I ask you to eat at midday, and you agree, I expect you to eat at midday, barring any unforeseen circumstances.”
“That sounds good.” Henley glanced up at Isaac from underneath his eyelashes. “I do sometimes forget whether I’ve eaten or not.”
“Good to know, and thank you for being honest with me. I have seen that you can be a little excitable at times. I would like to help you find a way to manage that. I think your work, however amazing you already are at it, would benefit a great deal from you being calmer and more in control of your actions.” He paused and smirked. “And mouth.”
“Hey!” Henley pouted for a second before grinning. “Yes, okay. I know I can be a chatterbox. But I have so much to say.”
“And I wouldn’t ever want to stop you from saying it, but I do think there is a time and place for certain topics of conversation.”
Henley scrunched his nose up. “Is there really?”
“Yes,” Isaac said firmly.
They walked in silence for a few steps before Henley asked, “What should I call you?”
Isaac exhaled deeply. “I would love for you to call me Daddy. But you don’t have to. Isaac is fine, too.”
Henley rested his head against Isaac’s shoulder, wrapping his free hand around his biceps. “I would love to call you Daddy.”
“Does everything sound okay so far?”
Henley nodded, and when Isaac raised his eyebrows, he added, “Yes…Daddy.”
Isaac inhaled and briefly closed his eyes, his pulse skyrocketing at the word. “Perfect.”
Okay, sooooo….I’m not usually big on boss/employee type tropes because it’s just so much drama and I’m just too emotionally messy to handle it, and there was a little bit in this one, but not enough to make me an angsty mess, so that was a plus for me.
Henley, cute name btw, applies for a job within the company he thought was only a pit stop job and as luck would have it, he gets the position AND the hot guy to train him!
Isaac, ready to get back to life after his last failed relationship has given up the prospect of finding exactly what he wants and wouldn’t you just know it, that’s when the perfect one usually falls right into your lap. Enter Henley….
He’s chatty and sassy and knows exactly what he wants. He also knows who would be great to fill that position… I liked that he didn’t play coy or try to hard, everything seemed to start naturally, though very quickly, even for Daddy tropes sake.
I loved how supportive each of their families were, especially Henley’s dad. I thought Isaac’s setting her sister up with the barista was a bit pimpish and I couldn’t understand all the nicknames for Isaac, Is and Isie, like… how is that a nickname for Isaac?
I also thought they were both a bit extra at times, but Daddy’s sometimes have to be, don’t they?
Alls well that ended well too, I don’t want to give everything away (I’ve recently been told I do that from time to time), but I’ll say that it was a short and sweet read with very low angst and a cute little ending. I wouldn’t mind reading more about these two and seeing who might be next in the series!
4 pieces of eye candy
Elouise East is a bestselling author of contemporary MM romance. She writes a variety of themes: sweet and fluffy to high angst to taboo, but there is a huge nod in the direction of friendships being integral to each character’s experience. She writes books that are emotionally realistic, even if liberties are taken with other aspects of her stories.
Reading and writing have always been a part of her life, although her debut book wasn’t published until July 2019, when she was 36 years old. Her experience has come from reading thousands of books over the years and being a perfectionist when it comes to trying to make things right. She lives in the centre of the UK with her two children, who make life worth living, keep her (in)sane and make her laugh. She loves Zumba, yoga and walking, all things that can be done alone as she is very introverted.
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