When I heard M.A Grant was writing a Vampire series you can bet your ass I was excited. I fell in love with reading paranormal books as a kid. Now thaWhen I heard M.A Grant was writing a Vampire series you can bet your ass I was excited. I fell in love with reading paranormal books as a kid. Now that I am adult, I still read paranormal a ton, but I also read a ton of other types of books too in the MM romance genre. I certainly wasn't reading romance as a teen, while nowadays it's my staple.
Anyways, I had this book sitting on my TBR since it was announced. Since it's not KU, I was patiently waiting until I got an Amazon gift card to use on my non KU TBR. Happily enough, this book was gifted to me during the Goodreads Elfster Holiday Book Exchange and so as soon as Christmas was over I dug right in and finished it in one sitting. I really enjoyed the worldbuilding and both the MCs. As with what I have read of M.A. Grant, which is the Darkest Court series, there is a lower steam level. This series is very plot based and the romance is a slow burn, emphasis on the slow. Don't worry, there is plenty enough going on, along with some lovely UST that you really don't even notice the lack of steam. M.A Grant's writing is just that good.
This book is told entirely in Atlas' POV. He's a retired marine, who suffers from bouts of PTSD due to a horrific attack that happened during a mission, and is currently working for his sisters security agency now that he's stateside again. I bet when Atlas took the job he never expected to be working for people who weren't human, never mind starting to have feelings for his charge. The snarky back and forth between Atlas and Cristian were definitely some of my favorite moments. I'm looking forward to where the next book, which is in Cristians POV (YAY!!!), will take us!!
Merged review:
When I heard M.A Grant was writing a Vampire series you can bet your ass I was excited. I fell in love with reading paranormal books as a kid. Now that I am adult, I still read paranormal a ton, but I also read a ton of other types of books too in the MM romance genre. I certainly wasn't reading romance as a teen, while nowadays it's my staple.
Anyways, I had this book sitting on my TBR since it was announced. Since it's not KU, I was patiently waiting until I got an Amazon gift card to use on my non KU TBR. Happily enough, this book was gifted to me during the Goodreads Elfster Holiday Book Exchange and so as soon as Christmas was over I dug right in and finished it in one sitting. I really enjoyed the worldbuilding and both the MCs. As with what I have read of M.A. Grant, which is the Darkest Court series, there is a lower steam level. This series is very plot based and the romance is a slow burn, emphasis on the slow. Don't worry, there is plenty enough going on, along with some lovely UST that you really don't even notice the lack of steam. M.A Grant's writing is just that good.
This book is told entirely in Atlas' POV. He's a retired marine, who suffers from bouts of PTSD due to a horrific attack that happened during a mission, and is currently working for his sisters security agency now that he's stateside again. I bet when Atlas took the job he never expected to be working for people who weren't human, never mind starting to have feelings for his charge. The snarky back and forth between Atlas and Cristian were definitely some of my favorite moments. I'm looking forward to where the next book, which is in Cristians POV (YAY!!!), will take us!!...more
"I thought you hated the Commander. But here you are, naked and oiled up like some kind of Turkish Oil wrestling competitor."
I had to start my rev"I thought you hated the Commander. But here you are, naked and oiled up like some kind of Turkish Oil wrestling competitor."
I had to start my review with this quote because it was one of the scenes I was dying to get the background on in Daredevil's book! I mean, it was hilarious from either POV to be honest. Dreamboat aka Brent, definitely likes to have his fun. I think that's a good thing though. Even when his antics are sometimes wild, John never tries to dull his sparkle. For much of the book, John can be found just smiling at his man while Brent says and does whatever he thinks up next! It went a long way to convincing Brent that he wasn't going to be scaring his Commander away that easily.
"I love you, and I need you to get used to hearing that."
A lot of this story revolved around Brent's issues with his family. After his younger brother died as a child, his parents basically checked out of his life. His mother was especially horrid, and I am very happy there was some recognition of that by others by the end of the book. Brent needed to see that he had people in his corner. He was so focused on the loss of his biological family, that he just could not see what a huge chosen family he was a part of. When the light bulb finally clicked, it was quite the emotional moment for Brent AND me as a reader.
John was so sweet to Brent. He definitely owns those Daddy caretaker vibes. No, this isn't a Daddy kink book, just to be clear in case that description threw you off. But John freely admits that taking care of Brent makes him happy, even though Brent has a hard time accepting it. I really did love them together. And the epilogue!! OMG I will miss this crew so much! I'm sad to say goodbye, but the little sneak of the next book and the promise for more cameos make me super excited to see where these authors take us next!!!...more
When K.M. Neuhold announced she was publishing a mafia romance I had wondered what direction she would take. I mean, Neuhold's known for romances whicWhen K.M. Neuhold announced she was publishing a mafia romance I had wondered what direction she would take. I mean, Neuhold's known for romances which tend to be on the lighter and sweeter side to me. Not to mention humorous. When I think of mafia, I tend to think of darker reads so I was interested to see the authors personal spin on the subgenre.
Sparrow was a freaking crazy little thing! I immediately liked him. And so, in fact, did Xaviaro. So much so, that the mafia enforcer began stalking the petite firecracker of a man soon after meeting him. Nothing sinister mind you, just a little innocent spying. It also didn't take long for Sparrow to figure it out either. Or for these two to fall into bed. Well, more like kneel in Xaviaro's case. It was fun to see the D/s stereotype reversed with the smaller man being the Dom and the large, muscular mafia enforcer the submissive.
I was happy with how things turned out for both of the MCs. I think Sparrow definitely needed the closure and Xaviaro needed to make sure he was protected while he got it. I also really enjoyed meeting "The Family." I'm hoping this series will continue so that all these gay mafiosos find a man that's just as perfect for them as Sparrow is for Xaviaro....more
"Oh, so it only matter if I kill them? So if I'm not killing the"Please, tell me. Am I only to eat ugly people?"
"Well, you're not killing them, right?
"Oh, so it only matter if I kill them? So if I'm not killing them, I can drink from anyone, but if I am killing them, the ugly ones are the ones I go for?"
OMG so many laughter inducing moments in this book!! Despite the horrible situation this mishmashed crew have found themselves in, there were plenty of hilarious moments to keep this book mostly on the lighthearted side. I also enjoyed the more smoopy moments. It shows how much Casimir truly trusts Julian with how much he has opened up to him and even shown his vulnerable side on occasion. Those two really were made for each other.
The storyline kept me guessing. I think I changed my mind quite a few times over who I thought the baddie was. We also got a few intriguing hints about both Cyrus and Enzio's pasts. I'm still questioning whether or not I think Cyrus is fully human. And I really really wanna know what happened to him to make him so mistrusting of vampires. Thankfully, I won't have to wait too long because their book is next!...more
"I used to hear people talk about how lovely it was to come home - how it made them feel warm and happy. Well, I always feel like that with you, Levi,"I used to hear people talk about how lovely it was to come home - how it made them feel warm and happy. Well, I always feel like that with you, Levi, so you must be my home."
Well Blue and Levi are at it again folks, along with their good friends of course. This time Blue finds himself helping the police, which is a far cry from something he would have done years ago. But he isn't doing it for them. No, he's doing it for the homeless victims because no one knows better than him how useless the police tend to be for those they decide are undeserving of their help. And this case is a doozy folks. I feel like it may have been a bit more gory than the previous books as well.
We are also getting deeper into the mystery of Blue. His powers continue to grow at rate Tom finds alarming to say the least. Poor Levi is going to end up in an early grave due to his stress of worrying over Blue. That is, if someone trying to hurt Blue doesn't get to him first. Their lives are never boring I'll tell you that. And I really loved how the author ties in Levi and Blue's connection. It cements their bond even further in my humble opinion and gives Levi some purpose that I felt he struggled with in the previous book.
This one ends on a happier note at least, though this is by no means a happy case. Awful things happen in this book. But the ending gives this series lots of direction it could go in and I hope we see more of Levi and Blue in the future....more
"I was the black spot marring seelie land. A king with no crown. A dark specter haunting the seelie king's palace."
What a wild and magical ride th"I was the black spot marring seelie land. A king with no crown. A dark specter haunting the seelie king's palace."
What a wild and magical ride this series has been! I admit I was nervous for a bit there. Lonan was so freaking miserable. He may have been safe from his family on Seelie land with Ash, but he wasn't truly free. He had left the cage of his mother's for another, albeit safer, alternative. Every time he held his tongue instead of telling Ash what was truly going on with him my heart broke. He was just so used to being an afterthought. Someone unworthy of having a true opinion. He didn't know how to break that cycle and Ash's paranoia about something happening to Lonan just made everything worse. I didn't blame Lonan one bit when he decided to do what he did in the end.
"I don't care how our paths are decided or who gets to decide them. I only know that Ash is mine.
King of Death may have been the HEA for Ash and Lonan, but I really felt it was the story of whom the book is named for. Lonan had so much character growth. It was truly lovely seeing him come into his own as King. To see him flourish and even make friends of his own. Yes he had Ash, but he needed more than that. Your entire world can't just revolve around one person. It isn't healthy.
Then there's Ash. He'd been through so much and he still had to go through so much more before he could find his HEA with Lonan. He had to fight the power within him. He had to learn to let go, not just of the past, but of his terror that everything could he taken away from him at a moment's notice. He had to be both selfless AND selfish in a way in order to balance taking care of his people and taking care of himself.
When it was all said and done it was all worth it. Every struggle, every betrayal, every twisted fae bargain. It was all worth it to see Ash and Lonan truly settled in the end. Happy. In love. Content. Nobody in the Seelie or Unseelie kingdom deserved it more.....more
"The forbidden, the unspoken. This was love. But it could never be."
Ruin Me is the perfect title for this book because after the events that occur i"The forbidden, the unspoken. This was love. But it could never be."
Ruin Me is the perfect title for this book because after the events that occur in it, Francis and Vitari have pretty much ruined each other for anyone else. This book was chock full of bad guys and as usual with Nash's writing, I have no idea who to trust. Everyone has a conflicting story, yet it seems like they have all had a part to play. Nobody is coming out of this drama innocent, not even our beloved Father Francis. Speaking of priests, how many of these mother fuckers are going to be popping out of the woodwork as evil sons of bitches!! If you can't trust a Priest, who the hell can you trust? This conspiracy runs deep my friends. DEEP. I have a feeling Vitari and Francis have only just scratched the surface of what is really going on.
"He'd just made a deal with the devil. Because he loved a priest."
As far as Vitari and Francis' relationship goes, lets just say that has been quite the rollercoaster as well. They are both desperate to protect one another, yet their decisions seem to always come back to bite them in the ass. One place where they have absolutely no issue is the bedroom. The steam between these two is full of passion and desperation. It's pretty much hot as sin, which is ironic given Francis' occupation.
The ending of this one is more of a soft cliffhanger, but I'm guessing what happens is going to have major consequences that will play out in Save Me. I sure hope that Francis has some idea of what he's doing, because whether he meant it to or not, his and Vitari's lives are going to depend on it....more
Damn Lark! What a way to start a book. It felt like I went from zero to wanting to bawl my eyes out wi"How do you make me feel like this, Ferry?"
Damn Lark! What a way to start a book. It felt like I went from zero to wanting to bawl my eyes out within moments. And from there I gobbled up every page as fast as I could in between having a day job and taking care of my little demons aka kids. Ferry broke my freaking heart. I don't think a man more loyal to his mate has ever been written. What he went through to get to his HEA with Leo was more than most could ever bear.
I really enjoyed Leo. It was fun seeing him be insanely jealous while simultaneously trying to convince himself he wasn't feeling some kind of way about Ferry. He fought his feelings for awhile, but there is only so long one can fight against what their soul is telling them. That Ferry was his. He couldn't explain why, Leo just knew it was true. And once he gave in it was no holds barred. He decided he wanted Ferry and that was that. It was refreshing not having to deal with him worrying about things like PDA. And in the bedroom? Lets just say these two couldn't make it very long without returning to the sheets.
It was great seeing all the past MCs from the Reckless Damned series. And I'm pumped to say that we get to see more of the vampire Sebastian. Something about his uppity surly nature and how everyone hates him just made me love him from the start. And now that I know his book is next? And I have a pretty good idea who his love interest is? Let's just say I may be sliding into Lark's DMs begging her to finish their book ASAP. Foaming at the mouth doesn't even cover it and the preorder date for February 2024 is going to be an eternity. Thankfully we have Green Light: MM Friends to Lovers Rockstar Romance coming out in October to hold us fans over until then!...more
This was different... a good different. However, I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight without knowing there's a sweet monster under my bed liThis was different... a good different. However, I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight without knowing there's a sweet monster under my bed like Nor to protect me from the rest of the nightmare demons. *shudders.* My heart hurt for the MC Cody. His life is complete shit. I'm not saying that to be mean, it really is. He lives with his absent mother, verbally abusive invalid father, and his rather sickening prick of a half brother. Cody spends his days caring for said abusive father, even so far as bathing him while his father repeatedly berates him. He's basically treated as a slave with his so called brother tracking his every move and being physically abusive when the mood suits him. It's no way to live.
Cody feels like he has no escape from his shitty life. He's too good a person to abandon his family. To be perfectly honest I would have split long ago. The streets would be better than how he was treated. When he can Cody spends his time hiding in his room, sometimes playing his favorite video game Black Oasis. It's his one space, even if there is no lock on the door. When he starts to hear noises under his bed, he thinks it must be his mind playing tricks on him. He couldn't be more wrong.
I don't know what I expected from a nightmare monster, but Nor was not it. I mean he's terrifying in appearance for sure, but he is oh so sweet to Cody. I adored him, full stop. I loved his naivete about some things in the human world, while also enjoying his fierce protectiveness of his human. Nor was the first person, for lack of a better term, to make Cody feel like he was something. That he wasn't worthless. In fact, to Nor, Cody was everything.
Meeting Nor's best friend Lau was a treat. He made me nostalgic for Lily Mayne's Moth with his snootiness and downright arrogance. Not to mention his overall looks. I'm hoping his book is next. I'm also hoping we get some more information on the side plot that involves a certain video game. I'm an avid fan of Mayne, but this was my first book by Knight. Looking forward to more of their collabs in the future....more
It was so fun catching up with Tristan, Danny, Dusty and the whole gang of side characters from this series! It was even more exciting because we finaIt was so fun catching up with Tristan, Danny, Dusty and the whole gang of side characters from this series! It was even more exciting because we finally get the low down on what happened to shorty shorts Bruce. You may remember him as the ghost who haunts the bookstore who's been getting pretty darn friendly with a Miss Dusty le Frey. Well, it's time to find out what his connection is to that bookstore and also, maybe figure out a way to stop a chaos monster from getting in through the portal located in the back room. Easy peasy right?
I loved getting to know Chan a bit more in this one. She is such a bright soul and an amazing friend. I need to find me a Chan to have in my life. Actually all of the lovely ladies from the club stepped up in this one in a big way. It was nice to see Tristan and Danny growing their found family. They certainly needed it with all the crazy surrounding them lately.
Chan's new man is also a bit of a mystery. I'm not gunna name him because it deserves to be discovered during your read. I'll admit I did not see that coming! Also Prickles and Sam? Yeah, I need more of those two. Preferably in the form of their own spin off please and thanks....more
Jacqueleen the Reading Queen♡
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romantic-suspense
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