Dom Eric Mendez and his sub, Johnny Wilson, have been together for six months.  Now, despite the disapproval of Johnny’s family, they are moving in together.  They are also going farther and farther into BDSM as Johnny continues his training in receiving pleasure and pain.  Johnny’s family, Eric’s own deep insecurity, and temptations from others may pull them apart, however.  Can these two men stay together through it all?

Golden Man provided me with an interesting window into the gay BDSM lifestyle.  After reading this book, however, I would recommend reading Golden Boy first because I didn’t, and found myself curious when the characters made reference to important events that had taken place in the first book.  That said, the story stood alone well enough for me to understand what was going on and still feel as if I was coming to know the characters.  Eric, a sexy, caring, Latino, was a very strong Dom.  He encouraged Johnny to push his boundaries while still showing Johnny his love.  He also felt insecure at times, because despite his attractiveness and reputation he was afraid Johnny would eventually get tired of him and find someone else.  I liked the insecurity because it made him seem more real.  Johnny, on the other hand, was dealing mostly with his family’s disapproval as well as his own desire to become the perfect sub.  Both men deal with attractions to, or propositions from, other men as well.  Even though the descriptions of BDSM “scenes” in the story went farther than I typically prefer to read, I liked Golden Boy because Eric and Johnny’s love for each other could be seen always.  Not every scene was to my taste, especially the scenes involving others, but the BDSM was very well done and felt realistic.  Claire Thompson did a good job of portraying BDSM in a positive light, as a voluntary power exchange rooted in respect and sometimes even love.