A Collar For His Brat: Season One Collection by R.J. Moray

A Collar For His Brat: Season One Collection Reviews

• 
  AussieMum

  I did a full reread in anticipation of “Debug”, as this came out soooooo long ago I’d forgotten how much I actually loved these two.
  
  Definitely better to read along with “His boy next door series” this is a pretty sweet and sexy-sadistic almost-romance romance. Reading this you realise why Ewan is so prickly in HBND, but he’s just so endearing. By the end of this there’s no way you can’t be grateful they met each other.
• 
  X

  Reread. The first time I saw this series (ie, its cover and title) I scoffed. I thought “there’s no way this will actually be good.” At best, I thought it would be mindless smut. Anyway, I was totally wrong and also an asshole about it because this series is SO good.
  
  I think the key is that Ewan and Nate are fantastic - but the side characters are equally as fantastic and their interactions with Ewan and Nate are impactful (…no pun intended) and character-relevant in a way that is rarely the case in books like these, even most of the decent ones. Especially Laurence! I just want him to be happy and find what he’s looking for. As the guy who is wrong for Ewan he could have been a throwaway and he’s so fully fleshed out instead. He just needs to find a nice guy and stop trying to get along with his sister!!
  
  And the super detailed, complex backstory between Nate and Jack - this too could have been hand waved but the level of detail in *what* Nate thinks about when he thinks about his time with Jack (do we ever actually meet Mike, or do I just feel like we do because he is recalled in such specific ways by both Nate and Jack?), the way they fight like people who have known each other for a decade or two and who yet still hide things from each other, the way Nate can be sad for what could have been (even though he knows it really couldn’t have). And Cameron, a very realistically written (but still lovable) teenager who shows up to cramp Nick and Ewan’s style in a really sweet way. I have a very low threshold for annoying teenage plot devices and Cameron never felt like one which is very impressive.
  
  And I have to say I first tried His Boy Next Door, which this is spun off from, and was icked by the age/power difference, but the way this series addresses some of my exact issues by having Nate point them out to Jack directly - super smart, and I definitely will be trying His Boy Next Door again at some point.
• 
  Jenny (Nyxie)

  Lovely, the book is lovely. I read it. And enjoyed it. And would recommend to others.
  
  Tags: BdSM, sadist / masochist, hurt/comfort, coworkers, snark, companion to HBND
• 
  ~nikki the recovering book addict

  4.5 bratty stars!!
  
  Oohhh!! I’ve always wondered what Ewan’s story is. Glad we got to know more about him here! He’s such a beautifully complexed character - vulnerable, bratty, sullen, prickly, just to name a few. It’s always fascinated me the dynamic between Ewan and Nate. To finally be allowed into their complicated relationship is honestly a treat! I hope we get more of these two though 🤞
• 
  Mariah

  so very different from His Boy Next Door and yet I loved how not only this afforded me a third person’s perspective of Jack and Channon’s relationship but of Jack and Nate’s friendship as well.
  
  not to mention how this pairing stands for itself. Part of me didn’t really know what to expect from this series, but i was pretty happy with what i got.
  
  in fact i wanted a little bit more time with Nate and Ewan, and my heart is a little scared of how these very different relationships are going to mesh moving forward but i’m also kind of terribly excited to find out
• 
  ancientreader

  What a great surprise this was!
  
  In general I shy away from the brat trope and from DD (oh hey, this explains why the few I do read tend to get 5 stars), but this and the partner series His Boy Next Door got rec after rec on the reddit MM_RomanceBooks sub, so I stuck a toe in the water.
  
  Apart from all the usual features that matter to me -- clean writing (not riddled with grammatical, structural, and usage errors, I mean!), sharp dialogue, and appealing MCs whose mutual attraction I can believe in -- this had a terrific dynamic between Nate, the dom, and Ewan, the sub. It's not really a daddy kink, more like a caretaking kink, and the DD doesn't have that creepazoid "Dom knows what is best for sub at all times without exception and also his punishments are always absolutely fair shut up" vibe.
  
  I nope out of a lot of DD stories because the Perfect Dom is so inhuman and the dynamic seems to be centered on beating the prickliness out of the bratty sub. But Nate has the normal doubts you have when you're courting someone wary and defensive and worth the trouble, and Ewan's sharp edges are for the most part not a bug but a feature. It was such a pleasure to watch them finding their way toward what they wanted, needed, loved in each other.
  
  I've been reassured that Season Two won't ruin it all for me by turning these two into cookie-cutter Daddy and boy ... *breaks into a sweat*
• 
  cass

  I really wanted to love this book a much as His Boy Next Door... because heck yeah, let's get into the even weirder stuff!! I loved Nate and Ewan in HBND and I was so excited to get their story.
  
  The good: I love Nate and Ewan the most. I loved the outside perspective on Jack and Channon (especially Jack omg the asshole). I love getting more about Nate and his life and his personality. I really liked his perspective. I loved this look at a much more normal relationship where everyone is allowed to be a complete person.
  
  Unfortunately, I was left wanting MORE. More scenes, more details during the scenes, more of the really intense stuff we keep being PROMISED that they do in bed but we didn't actually get to see much of. I know it's not going to be exactly like HBND, but I did assume it would be at least as much of a boink-fest. Nope. While there was plenty of boinking, there was even more fade-to-black or just describing the kinds of things they kind of got up to. Probably. And the emotional detail that had me falling in love with Channon and Jack wasn't as present. I feel like we didn't get into Nate or especially Ewan's head during the scenes as much.
  
  I don't know, if I hadn't already been sold on their love story in HBND, I don't know that this book would have convinced me. I felt like it was kind of constrained to the plot/timeline of HBND and that made the pacing of their relationship a bit unnatural. Also, I really could have done with more original scenes and fewer reenactments of scenes from HBND. Especially that last one where all four of them boinked... IDK, it felt kind of like a sports recap rather than a reimagining of the scene.
  
  But I'm being really picky because the author set my expectations so high with HBND. I really do love Nate and Ewan the most tho. Glad I read it.
  
  As always, this is a lot of feelings for 4 stars but... I did actually really like it I promise.
• 
  Vini

  "Nate had kissed him back, and it had been like kissing the sun."
  
  why!! are!! these!! books!! so!! good!!
  this wasn't as smutty as his boy next door, and i don't love nate and ewan as much as i love channon and jack, but i still really enjoyed it!! also loved getting a third person’s perspective of jack and channon’s relationship! i love them!!
• 
  Natalie

  M/M, hea, boss/employee, Dom/brat
  
  This story was so cute. I'm not sure what I was expecting (perhaps pure smut), but I was pleased this was what I found.
  Ewan is a brat and Nate is a Dominant who seems to be a sadist as well. The stories behind these characters is impressive and I wish the author had fleshed it out more fully. There were so many times I identified with both characters.
• 
  Nikki Cunniff

  Started the year off with these boys and finishing the year with a reread. Bumping these up to 5 stars since I can't get enough of them and they have apparently taken up residence in my heart.
• 
  Denise (in a reading slump)

  3 Stars
  
  This can be read as a standalone but will be more enjoyable if you've read the original series,
  His Boy Next Door: Season One. I was excited to get Nate's story as he intrigued me but found myself frustrated with Ewan. I didn't mind that Ewan was a brat but his constant trust issues, lashing out, pushing Nate away, and indecisiveness irritated me. Ewan has deep-rooted issues from a previous ex/Dom that carried over into his relationship with Nate, who didn't do anything wrong. I wanted Ewan to just fking talk to Nate about it but that didn't happen until almost the end.
  
  Also, just like His Boy Next Door, Nate kept thinking about his past relationship with Jack. Are they over each other or not?? I understand reminiscing but it crossed into the "I miss you, I wish we could have worked out, I'm jealous you have a boyfriend" category. I really hope they stop that shit or my head's going to explode.
  
  This story focused on feels and not so much on sex. It was even a bit of a slow burn, as things don't really happen for a while. Ewan has a pain kink and their play veers more into edgeplay with the intensity. I didn't find this book particularly steamy but, of course, my sour opinion of Ewan probably influenced that opinion. This definitely has a HFN ending but I know Ewan and Nate feature in the rest of the His Boy Next Door series. I've heard you grow more sympathetic to Ewan as you continue to read so we'll see. Also, there is supposedly a sequel to this book on the way.
• 
  Kelly

  Feral
  
  I was expecting to like Nate less than Jack, just by virtue of His Boy Next Door being one of my favorite reads this year, and Nate's sadism being an open ended question.
  
  But, I was wrong, I like Nate and Ewan quite a bit. Ewan is jagged and bitey. Nate is a giant geek who loves Star Trek, programming, and punishing bratty behavior -- after he encourages it. They're so endearing. I'm basically sold on R. J. Moray at this point.
  
  Heat: 4/5
  Rating: 5/5
  
  Notes: Sadism, masochism, Ewan does not follow s.s.c. with his hook-ups, bratty sub, public beating, flogging, impact play, caning, slapping, boot licking, mild humiliation, frot, oxford style, humbler, mention of shibari. Other things I may have forgotten, apologies, but I think I have it covered.
• 
  Clari

  3.5 stars
  
  Hmmm I do wish I enjoyed this more but I really didn't connect with the characters much. I get that Ewan was meant to be "bratty" but it was honestly exasperating at times 💀😭 I skimmed most of the middle and the end just out of light curiosity and then just to finish it.
• 
  Coco.V

  🎁 FREE on Amazon today (12/27/2020)! 🎁
• 
  ❥ Tracy

  I was unsure about reading Nate & Ewan’s story because I was afraid it would be too sadistic for my taste. I was pleasantly surprised that it’s actually a bit of an angsty slow burn and more of a vanilla love story than I expected.
• 
  Janice

  First up, I do hope there is more planned for this series. This is so much more than sex and kink. I finally get why Nathaniel Scott puts up with prickly, uncompromising Ewan McKinney and why Ewan needs someone like Nate to call him out on his bullshit. The dynamics of their relationship in His Boy Next Door makes so much more sense. It also gives some insight into Jack & Channon's relationship from another person's pov.
  
• 
  Joseph Tonlet

  Really, really damn enjoyable.
  
  Star rating is for what I’ve read of the series as a whole (rather than individual books/installments) and includes:
  
  
  His Boy Next Door: Season One
  
  His Boy Next Door: Season Two
  
  His Boy Next Door: Season Three
  
  A Collar for His Brat: Season One (Nate and Ewan)
  
  Two Plus Two: Naughty Advent (twenty-four short-shorts)
  
  Collision Course (not technically part of the Boy Next Door series, and free to newsletter subscribers)
  
• 
  Bizzy

  (Combined review for Volumes One and Two.)
  
  A spin-off from His Boy Next Door, featuring Jack’s best friend Nate and bratty, prickly Ewan who slowly becomes his sub. Nate and Ewan are different from Jack and Channon in basically every way, not only because Ewan is a brat and Channon is perfectly obedient, but also because Nate and Ewan are both conflicted and reluctant about their relationship in a way that Jack and Channon never were. Moray manages to avoid the “he could never want me that way!” trope while evoking many of the same feelings, so that the conflict between the two feels real and not cliche. Also, a lot of the time the “brat” dynamic doesn’t interest me very much because it seems superficial, but here Moray shows how Ewan’s willfulness is integral to his character and why his desire to submit and his desire to resist are two sides of the same coin. Highly recommended both to those who liked His Boy Next Door and also to those who would prefer to read a D/s dynamic that isn’t 24/7.
• 
  nigma-tll

  Logging this with the read date instead of the three individual books because I feel like that's more fair on my stats for the year.
  
  Review for each individual book:
  Crash |
  Override |
  Reboot
  
  Overall review: I liked the books a lot. I wasn't sure I wanted to continue reading it when I found out the series is not complete, but I went ahead and read the first season in hopes that I would get an actual ending. Luckily for me, I did get one. There is still a lot to go on, but for now, until the series is complete and I, hopefully, don't forget about it, I am satisfied.
  
  I liked the main characters, Ewan and Nate make a great pair with Ewan being very bratty and Nate being very firm. I liked their dynamic and where this is heading.
  There is a good amount of anticipation and anxiety and the author spends time with both of the main characters so that you get to know them. I always like that.
  
  The series is fun and kinky while being well written. I only have two complaints: (1) some age got mixed up at some point with a character getting, somehow, younger, and (2) if an editor decides that in a future release they want to erase every 'sidelong' in this, I stand by them. More often than not the word was unnecessary and so frequent it annoyed me.
  
  Bottom line, A Collar For His Brat is a fun series, kinky, and well written.
• 
  Christine

  Well ....at least Ewan has a backbone.
  
  Nate Scott, who we met in “His Boy Next Door,” finds his match in Ewan, a prickly and defensive sub who pushes Nate’s buttons until Nate pushes back.....
  
  Nate knows his relationship with Jack Nash doesn’t include anything more than the occasional threesome, and he’s jealous of Jack’s newfound bliss with his boy, Channon. When he discovers his subordinate, Ewan, at the Club, Nate’s surprised at his reactions to Ewan’s snarky and spirited refusal to fall at Nate’s feet.....
  
  It’s tough to figure out just why Nate is so willing to tolerate Ewan’s attitude. Ewan’s like a cornered animal....snarling and snapping at anyone who tries to get close. They’re a match made in Kinky Heaven....a sadist Dom and a sub who needs (a lot of) pain to find himself.
  
  I don’t get the pain thing myself, but it’s nice to see Ewan and Nate find each other.
  
  
  
• 
  Samantha

  I loved HBND where we first meet Nate and Ewan, but I was nervous about reading their story. Mostly because, while I love brats, Ewan seemed especially snarky and prickly and kind of unlikeable. It was part of the point I guess, that Jack and Channon don't see Ewan in the same light that Nate does. I was also nervous that Nate's level of sadism would be too much for me. From Channon's point of view, Nate seemed way too rough and sadistic. But that's because Channon isn't really a masochist. He just likes to suffer for his Sir.
  
  Honestly, thhis book, it's actually a pretty slow burn. We don't get a lot of kink OR steamy scenes. It definitely reads like a romance versus an erotica which I don't mind. Nate only hurts Ewan to the extent that he wants to be hurt. Which is a lot, sure. But Nate also wants to daddy him (without that label) and coddle him and love on him. And it's adorable.
• 
  Kerry

  After reading all 4 seasons of His Boy Next Door I jumped right into this collection. It was great to read Ewan's and Nate's backstory because, like Jack, I always wondered what Nate saw in Ewan. Nate is such a catch and Ewan just seems like such a...brat. But this is a real romance. The chemistry between Nate and Ewan is undeniable. I understand the appeal each has for the other. The covert glances in the office, the sassy texts back and forth, and the first real date was all so good. Aside from the s/m part of their relationship, Ewan loves and needs pain and Nate is happy to provide it, the two have a hot, but pretty vanilla, romance. I'm anxious to see where their story goes from here.
• 
  Tones

  After reading Becoming His Boy Next Door by the same author and loving it, I was expecting this to be more hardcore. Imagine my surprise when I ended up reading something that was quite tender with a side of flogging instead!
  
  This relationship is wonderful even though I sometimes wanted to shake Ewan. But the characters are very real and the drama doesn’t feel contrived. Once you get more of Ewan’s backstory you understand why he’s so prickly. I will definitely be reading the rest of the books in this series and recommend this author to anyone looking for m/m with BDSM. I love the discussion of limits and the constant check ins versus what you often find in other works where no such thing is mentioned. These are relationships and characters that I can believe in.
• 
  Smut Librarian

  This BDSM workplace romance has many facets and some very delightful character elements that you don’t often see. It’s an intelligent book with deep connections between the characters – even if they are clearly imperfect and make mistakes along the way. The depth of the engagement, the slower pace that the storyline runs and the smart dialogue bring together a memorable book that resonates and clings to the reader in multiple ways. What a wonderfully different read, I loved it and if you’re looking for an unglossy BDSM story (not necessarily a clear romance) – then this is for you.
• 
  Lorraine

  A really enjoyable BDSM based story
  
  This feels incomplete and the author has indicated another book might happen, but the story we have is excellent.
  We don't find out all of Ewan's issues, but with patience and care, Nate does break him down gently and build up the trust.
  A really enjoyable evenings read.