Carly's Book Reviews: Special Teams by Sean Michael: Interview, Review, & Excerpt

Cover Artist: Kris Norris

Underground: Special Teams

by Sean Michael

When Hunter Simms goes undercover at an underground BDSM party, the last thing he expects to see is SWAT’s leading shooter Keifer Magnessen bound, gagged, plugged and very naked. He is immediately drawn to Keifer, and wants to get to know his fellow cop better. Much better.

With such a high stress job, Keifer needs to give up control on his down time in order to decompress, but it’s a secret he holds close to his vest. So, when Hunter walks into his chosen place to submit, he tries to cut and run. Lucky for him, Hunter is shrewd, persistent and quite possibly just the Dom that Keifer needs.

Can these two strong men find a way to make their personal lives mesh?

Carly: Underground is a new series for you; where did you get the idea/inspiration for the storyline?

Sean: While I love the Hammer Club Series and the Velvet Glove series, I wanted to do a series where things are less structured. There is no club, these are men who know each other, who get together in each others’ basements to share resources, stories, for support and so there’s a safe place to play, especially for those not in a dedicated relationship. This group would be an ‘underground’ club so to speak, and that’s where the series name comes from.

Carly: I loved how the home settings stripped away all expectation. It allowed me, as a reader, to focus solely on the intensity of the scenes. So what was the most challenging aspect of writing this story?

Sean: Probably the part where Keifer was shot and the subsequent few chapters. I hate it when my guys are hurt, physically or emotionally, so those are always the hardest parts to write.

Carly: That makes sense; since those were pretty difficult chapters to read as well! On a lighter note, what is your favorite scene in Special Teams?

Sean: Oh man. I think when Keifer first calls Hunter and asks him to come and Hunter doesn’t even hesitate, he just tells Keifer he’ll be right over.

Carly: That was a pretty powerful moment for them! And speaking of the boys... do you have a favorite character in Special Teams and why?

Sean: I’m not allowed to have favorites, am I? I love Keifer because despite the fact that he’s killed people, he’s a good man, and his killing people still affects him. I love Hunter because he’s just as stubborn as Keifer and believes what happens outside of a scene is just as important as what happens in a scene.

Carly: LOL... That was a pretty unfair question. What would one be without the other, after all? Finally, what can you tell readers about what's coming up next for you?

Sean: My next release with Torquere Press will be in October – I have a story in the Cereus series 'Cereus: Rescue' featuring a spirit bear named Lightning and Etu, the slightly crazy man who rescues him.

Carly: I love that series! It's exciting to hear that's what's coming up next. Thank you so much for stopping by today and taking the time to answer all my question!

"Do you want me to observe only this evening?"

"For a few hours at least. Jack has vouched for you, but it's important to learn us, how we work."

Hunter nodded slowly. If these people were forcing men to be subs, making them stay, abusing them, he'd be very surprised. This level of care didn't come out of a place of abuse.

"Let's go downstairs. I'll introduce you around. Ben wants to shave his boy today, head to toe, and he wants an audience."

"Even eyebrows?" That was some hard core shit. And wouldn't that surprise people who thought BDSM was all about whips and chains?

"Everything. This isn't a punishment, but Pete is having serious issues with hiding from Ben."

"Ah, Ben sounds like a very wise man." Inventive, attentive, a good master.

Hunt already liked this group. If it turned out anyone was being held here against their will, if they weren't on the up and up, he was going to be extremely disappointed.

"They're both learning, but they're getting there."

"Are they a new couple?" Hunt asked, watching Dan move around the kitchen, triple checking everything.

Jack answered him. "Yeah, Ben has been waiting for Pete for years, but the connection is new."

"I look forward to seeing them together, then. Watching their scene."

"It should be intense, emotional. Pete is a fighter."

Hunt nodded, already affected, just by the conversation.

Daniel chuckled. "Pete used to be a surgeon, and he had a breakdown. Went to work on a construction crew before he started working from home."

"Those high pressure jobs often produce subs, don't they?" The best sub Hunt had ever had was a man who ran a fortune five hundred company.

"You know it. We have a number of subs that are desperate to break, to allow someone else in."

"I enjoy a challenge." Hunt had to remind himself he was here on the job, not to find someone.

Jack grinned. "Me, I'm looking for a sweet boy, a good bottom who likes a hard fuck but isn't pushing constantly."

Daniel's laughter filled the air. "In other words, you're not looking for a boy like Keif?"

"Fuck, no. No, Keif needs an owner, not a Dom."

Hunt's eyebrow went up. "Keif?"

"One of our unattached subs," Daniel said. "He's got the need to be hard-used, broken down. No one man can handle him, no offense Jack."

"None taken."

"Is he here tonight?" Hunter asked, intrigued despite himself.

"He's with our group every night he's not on call."

"Is that a yes?" Because he hadn't heard a yes.

"He is here -- plugged, bound, gagged, and, I would imagine well-sounded by now."

Jesus Christ. A bolt of pure desire went through Hunt.

Daniel grabbed a case of water. "Come on, guys. Let's go down."

"Can I take anything?" Hunt offered.

"Can you grab the fruit bowl? I find fruit to be hydrating, erotic, and less messy than chocolate."

"You got it." These guys were pros at this hosting a BDSM party thing and Hunt found himself once again hoping they were all on the up and up. He wanted to play, not to make arrests.

Following Dan downstairs, he felt his anticipation ramping up.

Instead of a dark, club-like atmosphere, downstairs there was a room with couches and lamps, pillows. It looked totally normal, at least until he saw the cage in one corner. The massage table. The man kneeling, wearing nothing but a collar.

Hunter took everything in, eyes moving over the men in the room, cataloging them. The man in the collar had to be Pete, the slender, whip-like man looking on proudly, Ben. There were a couple of men sitting together, a few wandering. In the back, bound and ring gagged, cock stuffed was...

Wait. Wait. Hunter knew that shock of near-white hair, the icy blue eyes. He saw that face every time the SWAT team was called out. Keifer Magnessen.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Keifer is a SWAT sniper at the top of his game. He lives day to day on the edge, with life and death balanced in the palm of his hand. He craves the release of submission, but his hair-trigger temper and tendency to push back makes him more than most Doms can handle.

Hunter has been away from the lifestyle for awhile, but craves a sub who will be a partner both in life and in bed. Assigned to investigate reports of an illegal sex club, Hunter is shocked to discover that the bound and beautiful Keifer ignites a possessive flame in his heart.

Just as the two men begin to explore the potential of their attraction, disaster strikes the force, brothers are lost, and the bond between Keifer and Hunter is challenged in ways that neither could have anticipated.

Set in an Underground BDSM that meets in private homes, SPECIAL TEAMS focuses on the emotional impact of the scenes by stripping away all distractions and outside expectations. The sex scenes themselves.... WOW! It is erotic poetry in motion. The Physical BDSM is sensual, sexy, and on the mild side of the spectrum. The Mental BDSM is what makes this story really pop! The contrast of Keifer and Hunter's high stress jobs with the opposite needs they create is captivating. A well written and fast paced erotic adventure; SPECIAL TEAMS is the first in a dramatic new series I'm looking forward to following!

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Often referred to as "Space Cowboy" and "Gangsta of Love" while still striving for the moniker of "Maurice," Sean Michael spends his days surfing, smutting, organizing his immense gourd collection and fantasizing about one day retiring on a small secluded island peopled entirely by horseshoe crabs. While collecting vast amounts of vintage gay pulp novels and mood rings, Sean whiles away the hours between dropping the f-bomb and pursuing the kama sutra by channeling the long lost spirit of John Wayne and singing along with the soundtrack to "Chicago."

A long-time writer of complicated haiku, currently Sean is attempting to learn the advanced arts of plate spinning and soap carving sex toys.

Barring any of that? He'll stick with writing his stories, thanks, and rubbing pretty bodies together to see if they spark.

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