Going into Mask, I didn’t have any preconceived notions about Adam Fischer because I didn’t read Dance, the first book in Teodora Kostova’s West End series. I’m not sure if it would have really mattered, though, because the ones who usually come off as the unlikable secondary characters have a depth to them that is brought out in their own stories, which completely alters past perceptions, and that is exactly what I saw in Adam from the beginning.
The one time Adam gave his heart to someone else, the guy ended up tossing Adam aside for his music career, confining Adam to bachelorhood because it wasn’t worth being in a relationship just to get his heart broke in the end. Adam’s lifestyle works for him because it allows no one to get too close to him – no one to see beyond the mask he wears to conceal the darkness that tries to creep up on him on a regular basis. Everything in his life was exactly the way Adam wanted and needed it to be and then Penn Shields walks into Adam’s life and turns it upside down.
Penn Shields is the exact opposite of Adam in so many ways: Penn’s open and Adam’s closed; Penn exudes lightness and Adam resonates darkness. Regardless of their differences, though, they both give one another exactly what they need, and they have an excellent shot at making a relationship work as long as they can both get past the fact that Penn is Adam’s ex-boyfriend’s twin brother. But their similarities end in their looks, and Adam quickly realizes that his fascination with and feelings for Penn are a lot stronger and deeper than anything he ever felt for Charlie because with Penn, what you see is what you get and that definitely wasn’t the case with his twin.
I really enjoyed Adam and Penn’s story. I loved witnessing their reactions to one another and the intense lust they felt for each other from the very start. It’s a difficult situation that Penn finds himself in, and I don’t blame him for worrying about the comparisons that could be made between him and his twin, but I also love that Penn has the confidence to toss those fears aside and take what he wants because there’s definitely no denying that his attraction to Adam was something that wouldn’t go away unless it was acted on.
Teodora does a great job of illustrating Adam’s growth throughout the text. It’s not instantaneous, and he questions his relationship with Penn regularly, but that’s exactly what would happen when somebody gets burned by love the way Adam did and compound that with the struggle that Adam has with his mental health, and there’s no way to jump head first into a relationship that could destroy him on a number of levels. When Adam does finally shed his mask and shows Penn who he really is, it brings such a depth to their relationship that was delightful to read and experience.
Mask is definitely a book I would recommend because it has a great blend of steam, emotions, and tension that will keep readers engrossed in the storyline and anxiously waiting to see what develops between Adam and Penn.
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
4/4.5 poison apples
The night passed in a blur of music, dancing, laughter, and glasses clicking together. The smile never left Penn’s face, and he looked like he was having the most fun, even though he switched to sparkling water after the second cocktail. Adam loved dancing with him, holding him tight as Penn wiggled that delicious ass against Adam’s hips. He loved the way his skin smelled when it was flushed and sweaty, and couldn’t help but kiss him every chance he got.
By 2:00 AM the club started to wind down. Jared and Fenix were still dancing, holding each other as they swayed to the slow, sexy rhythm of the current song. Penn placed his empty glass on the table and turned to look at Adam over his shoulder. Adam knew that look. That look promised some very naughty things happening to him in the near future.
Turning to fully face Adam, Penn moved to straddle his hips and lock his hands behind his neck. He then dipped his head and gave Adam a teasing, sensual kiss, just lips moving against lips, until Adam groaned and buckled his hips to meet Penn’s.
“Wanna dance?” Penn asked as he separated their mouths. Adam shook his head vigorously and hooking a hand behind his neck, bringing Penn down again. He kissed him urgently, demanding instant access with his tongue. Penn allowed him in, grinding their hips together in the slow rhythm of the song, and moaning obscenely as Adam cupped his ass and squeezed.
Just then, the song changed. Hearing the first notes of Nix’s latest ballad, Penn froze. His mouth was slack against Adam’s and his fingers were surely leaving red marks on Adam’s neck.
Did he always have that reaction when hearing one of his brother’s songs? Or was it just because he was there with Adam?
Adam didn’t care. He didn’t want Penn to feel like that.
“Hey,” he whispered in Penn’s ear, moving his hands from Penn’s ass to circle them around his waist. “I see you.” Penn cast him a surprised, confused look, the hesitation and disbelieve in his grey gaze grabbing on something inside Adam and twisting it until it hurt. “Alright? You,” he said, pointing a finger at Penn’s chest, and placing his palm right over his heart. “You,” he repeated in a whisper, closing his eyes against the moisture that had suddenly appeared there.
Penn touched their foreheads together and Adam felt him nod.
For now, that small gesture of agreement would have to do.
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