About Attitude Adjustments
Written by Syd McGinley
130 pages / 52500 words
ISBN: 978-1-60370-865-4, 1-60370-865-0
Available file types - html, lit, pdf, prc, epub, Sony-optimized pdf
Dr. John Fell, Ph.D. and director of a foundation for a local group of doms, has his own boy now after years of grieving for his lover Rob. It should be perfect. But it’s not. With unfit owners, mischievous boys, and a new stepmother who just may be more than he can handle, some attitudes need adjusting. This time it might be Dr. Fell who needs to change and shape up! Can a grumpy dom learn how to handle being happy?
Review
Lee Benoit, author of the Servant of the Seasons Chaser series, writes:</b>
Fans of high-quality romance, classic leather fiction, and quirky family dramas are all in for a rollicking treat with Syd McGinley’s ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENTS. This full-length novel has all the hallmarks of Syd’s beloved Dr. Fell series of stories with the added satisfaction of a longer arc, more protracted character development, and sub-plots that just won’t quit.
The series to date -- collected in THE COMPLETE DR. FELL: Volume 1: LOST -- gave readers the irascible, moody Dr. John Fell as he struggled with grieving for his murdered boy Rob and found his feet in a new solitary life. In ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENTS, John Fell has committed himself to a group of friends, Doms and subs he teaches and trains, and he’s met Dave, the boy he wants to be his forever. Life is good, and that may be a problem for the good doctor.
Syd’s trademark spare prose and flashes of alternately dry and silly humor enliven various crises, not the least of which is how to deal with a boisterous extended family while maintaining their privacy as Dom and sub. Dr. Fell and Dave’s negotiations about their relationship thread through the ups and downs of expanding their home, building their careers, and learning just what sort of sub Dave is as he grows up and matures. Dave is growing up and spreading his wings, but it’s John Fell, Ph.D. whose growth as a character riveted me to the story.
You’d think that with everything else going on, the book wouldn’t have room for the varied and imaginative alternative sexuality that make the Dr. Fell stories so beloved. ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENTS proves that no one delivers D/s scenes like Syd McGinley. The affectionate spankings, boys switching on each other, carefully-planned drawn-out scenes, and spontaneous flashes of passion are scorching, to be sure, but they never lose sight of the honor and mutual responsibility necessary to full-time D/s partnerships. It’s not just fun and games: the plot, including the steamy bits, all swirl around the rock-solid center of Fell and Dave’s growing love and respect for each other. When that love is tested, you’ll find yourself pulling right along with these two deeply engaging characters, tearing through ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENTS to see how it all works out. Then, if you’re anything like me, you’ll flip right back to Page One and start all over again, just to be sure you haven’t missed a moment of this absorbing, memorable story.
Sample
I have a boy.
It should be perfect. But it’s not.
Ben claims I’m clinging to Rob, and twink says nothing is ever good enough for Dr. Fell, and Dave just looks sad that he’s not making me happy.
And I’m pissed with myself, too. It should be right. I have a boy, a dog, a cabin, a bike, and a part-time job.
Damn.
I can’t even say what’s wrong. Yeah, gaining a step-mom was a shake up, and having a live-in boy of my own is downright unsettling, but those, on balance, are good things.
I throw Ghia a stick. She snorts and bounds away after it. I sigh and give myself a mental shake. I’m being an idiot. I look at my watch. Dave’ll be home soon. I’m almost lonely without him. Pathetic.
Ghia head butts my feet. I’ve ignored her stick.
“Aw, come on girl. Let’s go for a run until your Dave gets back.”
She leaps around while I change out of my boots, and then we lope off together into the woods.
Dave and I had awkward words earlier in the week. He wants to be just mine, even if I fuck the other boys as I train them, but I feel awkward not letting the guys have him in exchange. Fair’s fair. And Dave’s a young kid. He doesn’t know what monogamy means yet, and his previous lovers have been inept. He deserves some fun. I pause while Ghia catches up from investigating an exciting scent, and I amend my objections.
I’d love Dave to be just mine, and the guys would be cool with it; I’m just being a bit of a dick about Dave asking for what he wants.
Ghia snorts.
“You’re right, girl. I’m not being fair. I yelled at him for not telling me stuff, and now I’m being an ass about him saying what he wants.”
Hell, is it worse to talk to yourself or to a dog?
“Being overheard is worse, sir.”
“Shit! Dave, you’re a sneaky little bastard. How much did you hear?”
Dave stays out of reach. “I’m quiet, not sneaky. Everything you said to Ghia, sir. You’re not an ass, sir, but it is hard to know when I’m allowed to say what I want.”
I beckon him over. “Always allowed, boy. Just no sulking if you don’t get what you want.”
Dave laughs and comes into his welcome home hug. “Yes, sir, but sometimes what you want is the hard part.”
“Of course it is. No point otherwise, is there?” I squeeze him tight, but Ghia is going crazy needing Dave’s attention. I release him so he can rub her ears.
Dave drapes his arm round my waist as we go back to the cabin. It’s not, he points out, PDA if it’s in the middle of private woods, so I tolerate our hips bumping as we walk.
Dave doesn’t re-open the conversation about being shared, and I’m glad to let it drop. We’re going to revise our contract in a few weeks, so perhaps I’ll have my head sorted by then. He seems cheerful enough as he works on his truck and maintains my Fat Boy. I set up my new project on the porch, so we’re companionable even though we don’t talk. He’s absorbed in tinkering with some greasy part, and I’m hand-cutting dovetail joints for the box I’m making. I’m not a cabinetmaker -- I’m a framing carpenter by trade -- but I can do fine work when required. I don’t enjoy fiddly work, but it’s important that I make this myself.
Dave takes a break and brings me iced tea. He sits by my feet for awhile while he drinks a glass. He watches my hands as I work and just smiles when I catch his gaze. He doesn’t ask what I’m doing, but he kisses my knee before he goes back to his truck.
It’s a good afternoon -- both of us busy and peaceful. I let him get away with just a blowjob that evening, and he goes to bed early.
While Dave is at work, I finish my box construction and start the lid inlay. It’s tricky work, and I get pissy, but, by the time it’s finished, I’m pleased. Rob’s box is small and dark as he was. It doesn’t need to be big to hold his drawing of me and his obituary. I’ve set mom’s eternity ring into the lid. I put it on the mantle next to Chris’ drawing of Rob. Dave has put my crumpled carnation from Mrs. P and Dad’s wedding there. What a smush he is. I catch myself and laugh: I’m the one making a memory box.
I notice Dave eyeing the box later, but he doesn’t say anything. I see a glimmer of hurt in Dave’s face, but damn it, he’s here and Rob isn’t, so he has no call to be jealous.