Richard is at his usual hangout, having a drink, when someone from his past walks in.  Years ago Richard didn’t know what to do when Dave wanted to be tied up, but Richard’s more confident now.  He still finds Dave very attractive, and invites him home.

Dave is very happy to see Richard, who he never forgot.  When Richard wants to try again, so does he.  Unfortunately, Dave has a terrible secret in his past that doesn’t want to stay in the past.  Will Dave and Richard be able to make it work this time?

Music and Metal was an enjoyable, multi-faceted story.  There was romance, BDSM, and suspense.  There was also a big shot of melodrama, but even that was enjoyable as it was enough to be interesting without being ridiculous or over-the-top.  Normally, BDSM isn’t really my thing, but in this book the BDSM was very well-written and came across as loving rather than controlling.  Richard was an ideal top in my mind.  He liked to be in control, but used his control to increase Dave’s pleasure rather than his own.  Dave was a flighty musician who was insecure about himself due to horrific events in his past.  I liked the way he grew stronger and more self-assured under Richard’s care.  It was especially admirable given his truly chilling past.  The suspense angle of the book was well-done and didn’t fizzle out—in fact it ended in a rather explosive climax (which is where the melodrama came in).  With hot, tender love scenes, two great heroes, and suspense, Mike Shade has written quite a page-turner!