The Punishment Doctrine by Rebecca Grace Allen – B- This novella is book 3.5 of the Portland Rebels series and is available free to subscribers to the author’s newsletter. I figure those who want to read it won’t mind signing up for the newsletter. (I would have but I was already a subscriber.) Besides, if readers change their minds they can always unsubscribe. Although the author’s note at the front says this novella can be read as a stand alone (though she doesn’t recommend it) I’m not sure I agree with her. The complicated backstories of Krissy, Mikey and Rafe are more fully fleshed out in The Theory of Deviance.  I said in my review of that book that I thought Rafe was a little shortchanged. Not much of the story was about him. Pretty much all of The Punishment Doctrine is about Rafe though so I feel the balance has been redressed. There are perhaps some simple answers to complicated questions here and a swift resolution to a major cause of angst for Rafe. However, sometimes a simple conversation can actually have that effect and sometimes the best answers are simple. I’d have liked a little more exposition but regardless, I ended up thinking Rafe would be okay.

Once again there are strong religious overtones to the story. Rafe grew up the son of an extremely wealthy family in Georgia. His parents were high up in the church and extremely conservative. When he came out as bisexual, they sent him to conversion therapy and his treatment there was horrendous. There is a reason which this “therapy” (it’s not therapy at all of course, it’s torture) has been outlawed in various places in the US. After Rafe resorted to extreme measures to get out of there, his parents disowned him. He still feels the sting from that. Of course he would. But more than that, he still kind of secretly worries that his parents are/were right and he is going to hell. He is having trouble reconciling the doctrine ingrained in him as a child and young man and his sexuality. Mikey had a similar journey in The Theory of Deviance. My sense was that Rafe wanted to reconcile his faith because he didn’t want to turn away from God – it’s just that, according to his parents, there can only be one (like the Highlander). Mikey and his progressive church are proof that’s not the case.

There are also updates on Mikey and Krissy and some hot sexxing as well.

I was glad to learn more about Rafe and spend more time in his head. While I think the events of this novella is not a complete answer to his faith crisis, I think he will get there in time and with the love and support of Mikey and Krissy.

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A review of this book will be up soon at AudioGals.