Nyte by Hellie Heat

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Book_Endz

Title: ⟫ Nyte

Author: ⟫ Hellie Heat

Blurb: ⟫ Humanity is lost.

Noxious gases blot out the sun, drowning the world in eternal night—vampyres hold dominion. Humans are livestock.

But not all humans heel without a fight.

Cypress is a vampyre killer. Born into slavery, he escaped to become a hunter for the human liberation movement known as the Veritas.

But his worst fears are realized when, after a horrific raid of the Veritas camp, he is captured again. After putting all efforts toward escaping, he encounters the one thing he couldn’t have expected…a vampyre who challenges all his notions of what it means to be human.

Haven Bathory is beautiful, but more than that.

His cherubic face hides dark secrets, a past that leaves him scarred behind his carefully crafted mask.

Something about the young vampyre’s damaged soul calls to Cy, and he’s powerless not to answer.

As betrayal runs rampant, Cy must choose where his allegiance lies.

But can he ever truly trust a vampyre? And can he trust his own heart, when it’s so desperate to lead him astray?

Reader Warnings: This book contains content that could be triggering to some readers. Dark themes in this series include graphic depictions of violence, torture, human trafficking, sexual assault and depictions of rape/non-consensual sexual situations as well as child abuse and mentioned child sexual abuse.

Nyte is a MXM (LBGTQ+) romance/horror that contains very sexy scenes between two men. It is the first in a three-book series. The story will continue in books 2 and 3 and must be read in order. The series as a whole will have an HEA.

Review: ⟫ The way I felt about this one was all me – I just didn’t connect with it. At all.

Thorn Bathory was a parody of a villain, practically twirling his moustache as he monologues.

I couldn’t believe that Cypress was this completely amazing vampyre slayer, a trusted member of Veritas, when he was literally in the Pet’s living quarters for one night and he was spilling ALL of the resistance’s secrets. Completely voluntarily, no interrogation – just because he felt that the person(s) he speaking to were nice.

The link between Cypress and Haven felt tenuous. Haven seemed attached to Cypress because of how much he resembled someone from his past. He didn’t seem to make much effort to get to know the real Cypress which is why I couldn’t understand where the love came from.

And Cypress’s feelings towards Haven – where did they come from? I mean, okay, Haven was pretty, but so what? And his desire to restrain himself from drinking surely made him more of a danger? Which seemed to go against everything he claimed to want.

The world-building was interesting, as was the background information regarding the HU.

But the whole situation between Gaius and Thorne felt contrived, and Tepes came across as such a caricature. And what exactly were Sirene’s motivations?

As I said, the way I felt about this book was all on me. I would imagine it would really appeal to people who are looking for a whole new world of vampyres and fighting, but it just left me cold.

I received an ARC from GRR.

No Peeking by Ki Brightly

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Book_Endz

Title: ⟫ No Peeking
Author: ⟫ Ki Brightly
Blurb: ⟫ The Do-Gooder

Noble Warwick owed Detective Walker everything after he saved him from a man trying to murder him. Noble would have happily done anything as a thank-you, so he agrees almost immediately when the rugged detective asks to take him out on a date. Noble is excited about his good luck, especially after surviving something so terrible. The relationship grows in a fast and obsessive way.

The Demon Detective

But Detective Abraham Walker, who goes by Tyler, isn’t exactly what he seems. Noble gradually discovers Tyler might be more dangerous than the man who tried to kill him. The problem? Noble insists on seeing the best in people, and it might be too late before he is ready to admit Tyler is a demon in disguise.

No Peeking is a spooky paranormal romance with one grumpy detective; one sweet sunshine man, who has a wide-open heart; and a happy ending—despite all the danger.

Review: ⟫ First of all, that cover is FIRE!!! Like, seriously, I should have heeded the warning the cover gives because this book was wrong in so many ways!

To be fair, I didn’t connect with Noble at all – my entire focus was pretty much on Tyler and Abraham because that was an effed up mess that appealed to me. This book did not go where I expected it to at all, and I absolutely loved the twists and turns. The feelings of the man versus the demon, and how that affected the relationship with Noble was fascinating. I could read the inner battles of Tyler for a few more chapters.

The sex was almost secondary – and kinda perfunctory if I’m going to be honest – but the story gripped me enough so that was just a niggle. If you like to read a little bit of dark, some gory violence, and an effed up main character, I would recommend giving this a read. To say any more would be a spoiler and I think one of the great things about this book was that I went into it with next to no information apart from vague trigger warnings I’d picked up from Reddit.

The Scars That Bind Us by Michele Notara (Magi Accounts #1)

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Book_Endz

Title: ⟫ The Scars That Bind Us (Magi Accounts #1)
Author: ⟫ Michele Notara
Blurb: ⟫ What kind of mage would be crazy enough to crush on a shifter? Me. Apparently me.

The world is a messed-up place. Especially for those of us who have magic, and I know just how terrible it can be first-hand. Which is one of the reasons I try to stay away from people… humans and shifters especially.

Unfortunately, the NHSO forces magi to work alongside shifters to help protect the humans from taragorians—scary beasts from another realm. Which means I’m thrown onto a new team and forced to work with Cosmo Ono-Nai, a lion shifter.

And for some reason, I can’t keep my eyes off him.

The Scars That Bind Us is a 115K word novel and the first book in the MM urban fantasy series, The Magi Accounts.

Review: ⟫ This book is difficult to review because I feel like there was so much in it but – The but is because it feels like just the beginning. I went into it expecting a romance but that was almost secondary (or perhaps even third) in the overarching story. The relationship that was building between Madeo and Cos should have been the most important aspect of things – if it’s to be taken as a romance – but instead it was part of the overall story. Which wasn’t a bad thing at all – the world building was fascinating; the characters were individually fleshed out and interesting; the issues being faced were well handled. I guess I wanted more about Cos and Madeo and how they.

I have already grabbed the sequel from Kindle Unlimited because I wanted to know what happened next, but perhaps that is my issue with the first book? That it was a HFN whilst I’ve been used to HEA. Some really interesting concepts, including how sometimes the monsters are human – some of the things that happened really struck me quite hard, especially the prejudice against Magi that seems automatic and instinctual. It’s sad to think how well this story relates to the real world.

Happily giving it a 4/5 and moving on to the next story.

I received an ARC from GRR.

The Vengeance of Rowan Sinclair by Ashlyn Drewek (The Solynyshko Duet)

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Book_Endz

Title: ⟫ The Vengeance of Roan Sinclair: A Dark MM Russian Romance

Author: ⟫ Ashlyn Drewek

Blurb: ⟫ After a lifetime of death and suffering, Aleksandr Vassiliev finally has everything he could ever want — the most important being someone to share his future with. Somehow a spoiled American named Roan gave Sasha a reason to see life could be more.

Except, that’s where the fairytale ends.

He’s not surprised Roan hasn’t been the same since his attack, but with every day that passes, Sasha sees less and less of the boy he fell in love with. He would do anything to get his Solnyshko back, but old enemies from Sasha’s past might end up costing him everything, even Roan.

Roan Sinclair used to have it all. Now? He’s a shell of his former self. No longer the rich, carefree college guy who brought a Russian criminal to his knees, all he’s trying to do is recover from an assault that nearly killed him.

Roan knows he should be grateful to be alive… but he’s not.

He’s humiliated.

Ashamed.

Most of all, he’s angry.

He hasn’t forgotten the part his dad played in everything that happened and when he threatens Sasha’s freedom, Roan takes a page from the Russian’s playbook. Maybe vengeance will piece him back together. Maybe then Roan can move on and get to the happily ever after he so desperately wants with the Wolf of Verkhoyansk.

Content warning: This book contains references to alcohol/smoking, ethnic and homosexual slurs, sexual assault, mental health issues including PTSD and depression, on-page torture, and a lot of profanity. Reader discretion is advised.

Review: ⟫ Oooh, when the sunshine turns on you, you need to remember that it burns!

This book was Roan growing up and doing what he needed to do and I enjoyed it even more than the first book.

Struggling to recover from the assault, Roan is feeling disconnected from everything and everyone – how does he find his way when he knows that he’s Sasha’s weak spot and can be used against him at any time?

Add in his father behaving in an even more appalling fashion than previously, and something has to break. Or step up. And Roan steps up.

I freaking loved this book because we got to see Roan really grow into himself and his relationship with Sasha. We also got more time with Sasha and saw beneath his mega-grumpy exterior. I wouldn’t describe him as a marshmallow under ANY circumstances, but this guy really grabbed at my heart and I couldn’t shake him.

The cast of characters grew and I loved Misha and his nephew but this was most definitely Roan’s book. I actually ended up enjoying it more than book 1 which I am surprised at as normally I find the second book’s to be not as good. I absolutely adored the ending and what we got to see, and I am more than happy to give this a 5/5 rating.

Now to find something to help me with my book hangover…

The Kidnapping of Roan Sinclair by Ashlyn Drewek (The Solnyshko Duet)

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Book_Endz

Title: ⟫ The Kidnapping of Roan Sinclair: A Dark MM Russian Romance

Author: ⟫ Ashlyn Drewek

Blurb: ⟫ Roan Sinclair’s life is perfect, just ask anyone. Set to graduate college and bound for grad school at Georgetown, Roan’s life has been all planned out for him.

Except, he doesn’t want it.

Dedicated to his music, he dreams of a life free from his parents’ expectations. Those dreams are gone the minute he’s kidnapped by a group of Russians, led by the tall, dark, and broody Sasha — a man ripped straight from Roan’s fantasies.

Determined to make it out alive, Roan will do whatever is necessary to secure his freedom, even if that means seducing his captor.

Aleksandr Vassiliev doesn’t care about anything except surviving in a merciless world. Known as the Wolf of Verkhoyansk, Sasha’s reputation for brutality is far-reaching and well-deserved. When a bank robbery goes wrong, he’ll do whatever he can to fix it — including kidnapping the bank owner’s son.

Instead of complying like he should, Roan defies Sasha at every turn. Worst of all, he makes Sasha want things he can’t have, things that are a death sentence for men like him.

Things like Roan Sinclair.

Content warning: This book contains references to alcohol/drug use, sexual assault, graphic violence, self-harm, ethnic and homosexual slurs, and a lot of profanity. Reader discretion is advised.

Review: ⟫ This was a recommendation on sub-reddit and I am so pleased I went ahead and got it.

Roan was a sweetheart – a complete ray of sunshine in the darkness of his world. His family life is awful and he’s on the verge of being pushed in a direction that he has no interest in going. That is when Sasha enters his life and absolutely everything changes.

Sasha was – brutal. He wasn’t just grumpy, he was rude, violent and the epitome of a Russian mobster. This book held nothing back in terms of the type of person Sasha was, who he had had to become in order to survive. There were hints given as to the type of life Sasha had lived, the things he had been through, and they sounded traumatic and awful.

The clash between sunshine and the Wolf was epic – entertaining, upsetting, sexy and life altering. Watching the dynamics between these two as they tried to figure out a way through what life was throwing at them and how the circumstances under which they met influenced everything was enthralling.

I would most definitely heed the warnings given but for me, this book was worth all of that for the feelings it evoked. I went immediately to book two because I needed to know what happened next. Thank goodness for Kindle Unlimited.

The Rationale of Leander Wells by Ashlyn Drewek

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Book_Endz

Title: ⟫ The Rationale of Leander Welles

Author: ⟫ Ashlyn Drewek

Blurb: ⟫ Murderer.

Madman.

That’s what the newspapers call wealthy recluse Leander Welles after he is accused of killing four people in his picturesque hometown. Little do they know they’re half-right.

Sent to Parkview Psychiatric for an assessment before the trial can begin, Leander falls under the care of Dr. Lorelei Clayton, an up-and-coming criminal psychiatrist. She is the one unknown element of his elaborate plot, the one game piece he has no control over.

Believing he’s innocent, Lorelei works tirelessly toward his freedom. But there’s just one problem — he’s not innocent. The harder she tries to prove it, the harder he falls for the one person he never expected to.

Haunted by his past, Leander tries to envision a future with Lorelei, but the truth keeps getting in the way. If she ever learns his secret, not only could she destroy everything he spent years planning — she could destroy him.

This is a companion/alternate point-of-view book to THE MYSTERY OF LEANDER WELLES, featuring Leander Welles’ perspective instead of Lorelei’s. Each book can be read as a standalone, or together. If you’re a MM fan, I suggest skipping MYSTERY and starting here. There’s FTB/vague MF sex scenes, but the MM angst starts in this book before continuing into DAMNATION.

* A warning to the reader. This book contains references to abuse, self-harm, and suicide.

Review: ⟫ I skipped the first book in this series because I seriously wasn’t interested in reading the M/F aspect of things – I’ve read three MF books recently that reminded me quite strongly of why I prefer MM. And it clearly states in the blurb that you should start here if you are an MM fan. But this book was full of Leander’s relationships (or rather relations) with women and I felt duped.

Yes, we meet Bennett and there are delicious indications of what he and Leander could/will be to each other. But that is the extent of it and I thought that there would be more.

I didn’t feel any chemistry between Leander and Lorelei, even less between him and Gracie. I have awarded the two stars for the look into Leander’s inner psyche, as well as the machinations/planning of the group to handle the whole thing about Leander being on trial for four murders.

The twists, turns and background stories were very interesting, but the overlay of Lorelei and Gracie made this book a bitter experience for me, especially coming straight from Roan Sinclair to this.

I do have the next book in the series lined up on my kindle because I want to know about Leander and Bennett after meeting them in the Roan Sinclair duology, but I can’t in all honesty recommend this to fans of MM because although there are hints of it, this didn’t strike me as a MM book. Disappointed and wary going into the next one.

2/5 from me.

Weirdos by Amy Lane

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Book_Endz

Title: ⟫ Weirdos

Author: ⟫ Amy Lane

Blurb: ⟫ If Taz Oswald has one more gross date, he’s resigning himself to a life of celibacy with his irritable Chihuahua, Carl. Carl knows how to bite a banana when he sees one! Then Selby Hirsch invites Taz to walk dogs together, and Taz is suddenly back in the game. Selby is adorkable, awkward, and a little weird—and his dog Ginger is a trip—and Taz is transfixed. Is it really possible this sweet guy with the blurty mouth and a heart as big as the Pacific Ocean wandered into Taz’s life by accident? If so, how can Taz convince Selby that he wants to be Selby and Ginger’s forever home?

Review: ⟫ The only thing Amy Lane does better than angst is create these sweet, adorkable characters that you can’t help but fall a little in love with, and she’s done it again with Taz and Selby.

At the risk of receiving hate, I’m not a real fan of little dogs. My experiences have all involved being yapped at or nipped, so not the best of friends in any way. But Ginger and Carl made me laugh so hard that I enjoyed them in all of their weirdos glory. This was a very sweet, gentle and quick read that was exactly what I needed what with the sledge hammer that real life is at the moment. Enjoyable, kind and sweet, I recommend this to anyone looking for a simple romance.

I received an ARC from the author.

Equinox by Charlie Godwyne (Augarten Book One)

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Book_Endz

Title: ⟫ Equinox (Augarten Book One)
Author: ⟫ Charlie Godwyne
Blurb: ⟫ Waking up with no memory is just the beginning of his troubles…

Not knowing who he is or how he ended up naked in a park in Vienna, Gabriel struggles to reclaim his past while still moving forward into an uncertain future. It isn’t long before he realizes that not having an identity isn’t the only thing that makes him different. Plants and people glow with magic all around him, and he’s actually able to speak to his very own guardian angel—even though the angel won’t tell him anything about who he really is.

As he tries to learn something about his prior life, Gabriel finds himself inexplicably drawn to two very different men: Solomon, the exorcist priest who found Gabriel and has been helping him try to remember who he once was; and Florian, an occultist coffee shop owner whose own tragic past allows him to accept Gabriel even without memories.

But without the foundation of a past, Gabriel worries the life he’s building will crumble around him. As Gabriel’s health begins to dwindle—and not even his angel can explain why—he scrambles to find answers before he’s taken away from the happiness he’s found and the men he loves.

Equinox is the first in the Augarten series and is an 88,000-word MMM romance with magical realism, an amnesiac willing to try just about anything to remember, a priest with unpriestly thoughts, and lots of espresso.

Review: ⟫ This book went over my head and I don’t mind admitting it. I thought the premise was interesting and when I started reading, I began to wonder if I was missing something. Whether there was a prequel I should have read or a previous series.

Basically, I found the book very confusing – sometimes it read as a romance, at other times it read as a mystical thriller, and then at others it seemed to be steeped in various religions almost – it couldn’t seem to make up its’ mind what it was. The confusion was exacerbated by ambiguities in timelines that niggled at the back of my mind until I was dragged out of the story. All in all, although the writing was engaging and the story was intriguing, I couldn’t get into this story and I think that’s on me. Other people seem to have really enjoyed reading it and others that follow in the series, so it really just must be me that couldn’t get into it. I’m giving it 2/5 for solid writing and an entertaining idea.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Prince of L.A. by Patricia Logan

Posted on October 18, 2022 by Book_Endz

Title: ⟫ Prince of L.A.

Author: ⟫ Patricia Logan

Rating: ⟫ 3/5

Blurb: ⟫ Special Agent Leo Reeves is new to the FBI’s L.A. field office. His career has been on track since the day he joined the bureau. He loves his job as a profiler and being assigned to a new team in one of the busiest offices in the nation will be the opportunity of a lifetime…if he can put the past behind him.

The face Leo shows the world is strong, focused, dependable, and capable. The long list of citations in his file only serve to prove how good he is.

If he could only forget he was sired by a monster.

Former Marine Staff Sergeant, Max Prince, leads by example. Whether it means protecting men in battle, working for the US Marshal service, or being the best damn field agent the FBI has ever seen, he brings a special kind of bravery to the job.

His teammates depend on his ready smiles, his funny jokes, and know him as the excellent agent he’s proven to be.

They never see the man who buried his heart eight years ago. The last thing he wants is to fall for the new guy.

When a serial killer suddenly starts targeting innocents, both men have trouble pinning down who they’re dealing with. With victimology all over the place, Leo can’t make sense of a profile, and Max simply wants to put the bastard away before he murders anyone else.

The case is maddening but worse, the attraction the two men find every time they look at each other, is beginning to get in the way.

Review: ⟫ This book had a lot to draw me to it: law enforcement, profiling, alpha males and a mystery – what could go wrong?

One of my biggest issues is the constant referencing of previous characters. It’s obvious that they are from other series that the author has written, and appear to be a ploy to draw the reader to go and read their stories.

But for me, it overshadowed the main characters from this story – I want an author to make me want to read their other stuff because of how good this story is, not because I have to have all of their previous books memorised so I recognise the names of the characters populating this book.

I didn’t feel any real chemistry between Leo and Max – in fact, there were times that I couldn’t remember who was who because they came across as so generic.

The other team members were more interesting to me and had more individual characteristics to them.

It was made completely and utterly obvious who the ‘bad’ guys in the team were, and I couldn’t help but wonder just why they were there. There was a big deal made of how tight-knit the team was, how they had all been hand-picked. If that was the case, what was with the two guys that everyone pretty much seemed to detest?

The main plot was interesting and I feel more could have been made of that, but the resolution was mildly satisfying. I wasn’t sure about all of the background characters in Max’s life: his wife, his drag-queen friend and his ex, as they seemed like the author planned to go into things deeper but didn’t have the space for it.

The whole issue with Leo’s Dad was a non-starter and felt like a red herring. If it was meant to be motivation for his life choices and how he was around people, for me it failed to connect.

The writing was solid and I’m sure people who have read her earlier works would be pleased to see old friends. Surprisingly, I do have some of her earlier stuff including characters that appear in this story, but I am struggling to make my way through them. Perhaps having seen them here, I will be able to connect better.

It’s a 3/5 from me but YMMV – perhaps it was just the mood I was in?

I received an ARC from GRR.