Tag Archives: Rating: 3

Between the Devil and the Sea by Chani Lynn Feener

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Title: ⟫ Between The Devil and the Sea

Author: ⟫ Chani Lynn Feener

Rating: ⟫ 3/5

Blurb: ⟫ What happens when a devil claims a demon?

Detective Shadow Yor hates his life.

He spends all of his time, day after day, struggling against the demons in his head that tell him he’s a worthless, unlovable person. This doesn’t change when he’s sent on a new assignment with his partner to solve a series of murders. He’s good at his job and will find whoever did it, there’s no doubt there. The only question is whether or not he’ll be able to keep himself together, or if his empathic abilities will finally be the death of him.

Apollo Orobas is bored.

He’s bored of his secret nighttime proclivities and bored of playing the part of charming neighborhood do-gooder. Apollo isn’t good, never has been, but just when he’s starting to think life holds no interest, Shadow Yor stumbles into his sights. It doesn’t take long for him to figure out the detective is also hiding his true self, and suddenly coaxing Shade’s monster out into the light is all Apollo can think of. As obsession sinks its claws in, he decides it’s time for a new game, one Shade is going to play with him. Whether he likes it or not.

Kidnapped and forced to endure whatever twisted plans Apollo has in store, Shade struggles to hold onto his idea of right and wrong, but the more he tries to resist, the more those lines start to blur. What chance does a mere demon have against an actual devil? Especially one who soothes those twisted voices in his head and makes him feel for the first time ever that maybe he isn’t as unlovable as he’s always believed.

Trigger Warning: This is a stand-alone dark romance which means there are many themes that some might find disturbing. Some of these include, but are not limited to, dub-con, violence, a seriously obsessed male lead, a male lead who deals with low self-esteem, and explicit sexual content not suitable for all readers. Please be sure to read the Author’s Note for a complete list of warnings! HEA guarantee!

Review: ⟫ I debated on writing a review for this book – my mind was kinda all over the place. I loved the premise and the blurb caught my attention, along with the beautiful cover. However, I found that some of the book dragged – we had a LOT of Shadow’s thought processes and after a while it became more than a bit tedious.

I was also struck by the way in which characters behaved: Shadow’s partner’s actions towards the end of the book simply didn’t ring true for me and I struggled with that aspect of things quite a lot.

The idea of a White (slightly dusty) Knight being turned to the darkness definitely intrigued me, but I don’t feel that this book really managed to portray just why Shadow made the decisions that he did. It was more than obvious that he was struggling with feelings of worthlessness and depression, but despite his inner monologues I couldn’t quite figure out just why/how he fell for Apollo.

The other thing I struggled with were the character’s voices – sometimes they merged in my head and that made things very confusing.

I did like the world building that was present and would be interested in reading more about such a place/world but ultimately, this book didn’t hit the spot for me.

Goes Unpunished by M.J. May (Maverick Insurance Mystery #2)

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Title: ⟫ Goes Unpunished

Author: ⟫ M J May

Rating: ⟫ 3/5

Blurb: ⟫ Three years ago, Perry Atherton’s young life almost ended in a dark alley when he tried to play a superhero. Now, Perry’s stagnant life has been resurrected into happy contentment. No one’s tried to kill him in months, and beyond Wille Slater’s creepy vibes, Perry’s custodial position at Maverick Insurance is going well. Even better, his relationship with Detective Nathaniel Harmon has the potential to turn into something loving and lasting.

Lying in the back of a pick-up truck, the Milky Way stretched above him and snuggled up next to Nate, Perry couldn’t be happier. A phone call from Nate’s work partner ends the best date Perry’s ever been on and throws his boyfriend back into another murder investigation.

As a homicide detective, Nate’s used to the inconvenient calls, late hours, and missed promises with Perry. What he’s not used to is sort of, kind of knowing the homicide victim and the need to interrogate Perry’s best friend—Gayle Ridley.

Death is never easy. Murder is worse. Dealing with your boyfriend’s hurt feelings and protective instincts is brutal. Nate needs to solve this murder pronto so he can get out of the doghouse and crawl back under the covers with the man he loves.

When a suspect in Nate’s latest murder investigation threatens Perry, Nate will push himself to the limits. Perry has suffered enough, and Nate will be damned if he brings his dangerous work to Perry’s door. The world needs to learn that Perry Atherton is off-limits, and Nate will make sure the message is delivered loud and clear.

Goes Unpunished is the second book in the Maverick Insurance Mysteries series. The first book, No Good Deed, should be read prior. Goes Unpunished is a m/m romantic mystery and contains good friends, sketchy coworkers, lazy and hungry cats, thoughtful dating, and an exhausted detective and his understanding boyfriend.

Goes Unpunished contains descriptions of homicide and a character using a homophobic slur once.

Review: ⟫ When I saw this book offered by GRR, I made a point of reading the first one in the series so that I knew what was going on, but to be completely honest, I’m still not sure!

The majority of the novel concentrates on the homicide case Nate is working on. Keith just so happens to be dating the roommate of Perry’s best friend, Gayle, who is in the unfortunate position of having been completely upfront and honest about just how much she hates Keith. It’s this tenuous link that involves Perry in the investigation – Nate has to be careful to be impartial, even if it means sitting back whilst Perry’s best friend is accused of murder.

That all sounds good so far and we are involved in the investigation as we follow Nate and his partner as they follow the clues. But absolutely none of that has anything to do with Maverick Insurance and that’s where my confusion lies. There is something odd going on where Perry works as a custodian for Maverick Insurance – he has found himself amidst a group of killers and that is made plain in the book – but it has nothing to do with Nate’s investigation.

And that’s where my suspension of disbelief struggles. The big story is obviously Maverick Insurance – how it came to be, who they are, and why they are watching over Perry – but none of that is discussed or alluded to in the two books in the series so far. And, to be a little blunt, I think that story would be far more interesting than the ones we’ve read so far. We don’t get to find out just why Delia and Malcolm are so attached to Perry – apart from the fact that he shows basic human decency.

The relationship between Nate and Perry is moving along at a quiet pace, and despite both men stating how much they care for each other, this isn’t some madcap, passionate affair. Their relationship is handled on a superficial level which I found frustrating. Perhaps that’s where I’ve gone wrong with this series – I’ve been reading it as a romance/mystery type thing, with the relationship between Perry and Nate being at the forefront and Maverick Insurance as the backdrop. Instead, it is the police procedural aspect of things that are concentrated on, with details about relationship/mystery only being given to the reader very sparsely.

I wanted to enjoy this more than I did and I think my frustration is evident in my review – there are so many other things I would prefer to find out than how well Russ cooks or the minutiae of police investigating. I don’t know if I’m going to read any more of these books if/when they come out because of this frustration and that feels like a shame because I feel like those details would be fascinating.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Il Padrone by Leigh Kenzie (Vendetta Series Book #1)

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Title: ⟫ Il Padrone

Author: ⟫ Leigh Kenzie

Rating: ⟫ 3.5/5

Blurb: ⟫ Allesandro

I’m Il Padrone, the Master of this Family, and Emilio will learn his place. I’ll bathe in his tears and watch as he humiliates himself. It’s all for my pleasure. I own it all and he’s just another addition to my collection.

Emilio

Il Padrone calls me his toy. His property. He says I can earn the right to be higher in his organization if only I submit. If only I change who I am. I may be younger, but he hasn’t seen the likes of me before.

Just how twisted can a tale of vengeance become?

Trigger Warnings: This is a dark MM Mafia with graphic violence and extreme sexual situations. Please see inside for more information.

The Vendetta Series also contains MMM and MMM+ scenes. While the series becomes dark romance, it does not begin that way.

Book 1 of the Vendetta Series, ends on a cliffhanger

*This has been re-edited as of July 2022 but no new content has been added

Review: ⟫ Firstly, I would say to heed the warnings within the book and the author’s website – this is very dark, with talk of torture, abuse and sexual domination. Secondly, I wasn’t surprised that this was the author’s first book – I felt that that came through in the writing as there was a lot of telling rather than showing. Also, there were occasions when the writing came through as choppy and disjointed, and not when I would have expected it to be like during the torture sessions.

Few of the characters are fully fleshed out but it shows more with the two ‘main’ characters, Emilio and Alessandro. They were almost cut-outs of what you would expect: dark, mafia boss with twisted sexual desires, disconnected from the world and everyone within it and showing a complete disregard to life; intelligent, college boy who has remained a virgin and finds himself in an impossible situation whereby the most he expects is to survive, and any enjoyment he gains is a shock to him.

It became clear that this is the first in a series of books that will presumably dig deeper into the backgrounds of the characters, but unfortunately for me the story didn’t grab me enough to make me want to read any further. And that wasn’t because I found the book too dark – it was plain and simply lack of interest. I didn’t feel anything for any of the characters. Their motivations and actions made no sense to me and I didn’t care what happened to them, which in the case of Emilio is absolutely essential to be able to carry on.

The writing itself was solid if a tad simplistic and I would imagine that for some people, it would be a joy to discover that there are at least six more books in the Vendetta series. I’m not one of those people and I doubt I will be looking further into the series.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Bloodlines by AE Lister

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Title: ⟫ Bloodlines

Author: ⟫ AE Lister

Rating: ⟫ 3/5

Blurb: ⟫ A Hot Bite story

Can a bratty young vampire behave himself for the ultimate reward?

Benjamin Wilde has been around for four hundred years. Clove Noble has only recently joined the clan of the undead. But Clove has also joined Professor Wilde’s Egyptology class, and now the other students have begun to disappear, one by one.

Professor Wilde knows he has to do something to curb Clove’s youthful recklessness. And when the young vampire expresses an interest in Benjamin’s attractive bloodslave Sage, he thinks he might have a way to control him.

Or is Clove smarter than he seems? Will bringing Clove home to Sage be a mistake—or the way to a better future for them all? Because Clove is vulnerable to the other vampires out there, Benjamin wants to protect him as much as he wants to keep him in line.

And what about Sage? Can a human handle being with two hungry vampires, or will Sage make an offer that has been years in the making?

Review: ⟫ I truly wanted to like this story more than I did – in fact, I put it down several times thinking it was just that I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to read it and that I would enjoy it more later. Unfortunately, that wasn’t meant to be – I found Benjamin patronising and annoying; Clove was arrogant and annoying and Sage was vapid and annoying. In short, I couldn’t find anything to like in any of the main characters and so the book fell short for me.

I loved the premise and the world-building/history was interesting, especially the long-term relationship Benjamin has managed to preserve with Sage. It made perfect sense that he wouldn’t want a young vampire coming along and messing everything up. I get the feeling Benjamin’s character was meant to be slightly stuffy and set in his ways, with Clove representing an influx of new vitality into him. But to be perfectly honest, I couldn’t figure out why Benjamin didn’t dispatch Clove as soon as he realised what an issue he was being – that would have made so much more sense to me.

In his time on earth, Benjamin must have witnessed great beauty so his attraction to Clove being based on how he ‘lit up’ the room seemed too exaggerated and shallow and my annoyance spread from there. I couldn’t understand why he would risk what he had for a beautiful face – especially as I found Clove’s personality so annoying! I also didn’t understand why Sage had allowed the status quo to continue for so long if he was unhappy and it made me feel like his relationship with Benjamin was more transactional than I think the author intended.

I have to think that this was a ‘me’ issue, as I have seen other reviews where people have been delighted by the characters and the story. The sex scenes were well written, and the gritty, bloody portions of the book kept me interested, but overall I would say that this wasn’t for me.

New Blood by L.C. Davis (The Godbearer Book #4)

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Title: ⟫ New Blood (The Godbearer Book #4)

Author: ⟫ L.C. Davis

Rating: ⟫ 3/5

Blurb: ⟫ I know this will end the way it covered in blood.

Too much? Me being a demigod now and all, I figure I can get away with a pinch of melodrama.

I mean, have you seen Olympus? It’s a damn soap opera up there. One I’d rather be watching on the couch with popcorn than playing a starring role in.

Not that things are much better down here. I’m still in denial over being madly in love with Cameron, the likely father of my twin babies and the far more evil twin of one of my three boyfriends. Because self-destruction is my brand, apparently.

Fortunately, so is being a vampire-taming, totally badass witch, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep my weird little cult-slash-family safe. And convince Cameron he belongs in the circus with the rest of us.

No biggie, right?

(Jk, send help. And nachos. I’ve been craving those lately.)

Review: ⟫ I was very excited about this book because somehow I convinced myself that it was the last one in the series. It isn’t – in fact, it feels like a very short interlude and very short book and I got cross.

The good bits:

* we spend a chunk of time with Chase and Cameron where they ironed out a few things The new body-sharing thing was interesting and the chemistry between the two of them was palpable;

* the front cover with Hades is absolutely stunning – truly beautiful and quite possibly my favourite cover for this series;

* as always, the writing is engaging and fun, with Chase’s inner dialogue full of snark and banter.

The not-so-good bits:

* how short it was. I read this in a couple of hours and was left feeling like I’d barely scratched the surface or moved forward in the story at all;

* yet another God falling for Chase felt a bit too much for my liking. There was so much going on already, I’m not sure we needed to add someone else to the mix;

* the storyline is getting a bit rinse and repeat-esque. Chase throws himself into danger, the vampires try to figure out how to help/save him, Chase gets himself out of danger with some sex sprinkled in.

I want to know how this story ends and that’s why I keep reading, but I am getting a bit irritated by how much it feels like it’s being dragged out. Maybe I should wait until the whole thing is completely finished and then read it all in one go. I will read what comes next but my excitement is waning.

College Bros: Scott and Caden's Story by Brett Chimes (Book #1)

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Title: ⟫ College Bros: Scott and Caden’s Story Book 1

Author: ⟫ Brett Chimes

Rating: ⟫ 3/5

Blurb: ⟫ I love my best friend and roommate, Caden. But it isn’t exactly your typical platonic love. Regardless of how much I wanted him, I always kept myself in check just fine until we became college roommates. Things have gotten a little complicated since Caden came on to me. We’ve started sleeping together every chance we get and Caden doesn’t really seem to care where we are either.

We’re going home to meet my dad’s new wife this weekend. Something tells me Caden isn’t going to respect the fact that it’s my childhood home. From the look in his eyes I have a feeling he’s going to be all over me this weekend.

I’m nervous. But I can’t wait.

These books are smokin’ hot but emotional too. Every story features a new couple and can be read as a standalone.

Review: ⟫ I’m going to be honest, I didn’t pick up much in the way of emotion in this book despite the blurb describing it as emotional. Smokin’ hot – kinda? There were a lot of sex scenes but I found myself more than a little annoyed at Cayden for how he treated Scott, and Scott for the fact that he constantly let Cayden get away with it. It definitely came across to me that Cayden was using Scott for sex, and the fact that he kept seeing girls on the side and often flaunted them in front of Scott got me angry.

It also seemed as if Cayden didn’t care if Scott was enjoying himself sexually a lot of the time, with little to no prep or foreplay. It just didn’t sit right with me.

All in all, I found this a lot more shallow than I was expecting from the blurb and I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped, although obviously YMMV.

I received an ARC from GRR.

A Hellhound Called Derek by Michelle Frost (Mated to the Human #1)

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Title: ⟫ A Hellhound Called Derek

Author: ⟫ Michelle Frost

Rating: ⟫ 3/5

Blurb: ⟫ Touch his mate and you’ll wish for the fires of hell.

Alpha of the Hellhound enforcers, Derek doesn’t think he has time for a mate until the Paranormal Council of the city gives him one.

Hollis is smart, funny, vulnerable…human, and his police commissioner uncle has designs to use Hollis’s new mating for his own ends.

He’ll learn quickly not to mess with a hellhound’s mate. 

Review: ⟫ Okay, I can’t imagine that I’ll be the only person who jumps on this book simply because the title sounds entertaining, right? This is quite obviously setting up a new series and for me, that kinda ruins it. The romance between Derek and Hollis felt a bit perfunctory to the story – it was very sweet, and despite being a sort of insta-love thing, they took things relatively slowly. It felt for me like what was going on between them was in the background – instead, we learned about other characters who were being set up for the future, the politics behind the whole arranged marriage thing, and that was pretty much it.

Derek was an absolute sweetheart up until he wasn’t, when he went all grr argh to save his mate which was nice. And Hollis was written as a sweet, lacking in self-esteem, and in need of someone to bolster his confidence to make him realise what he was capable. Ultimately, I felt like I was being set up for the stories of the other candidates more than anything and I was a bit disappointed.

I was looking forward to any of the Hellhound lore and reveal which was set up to be a huge thing, but again, that was rather disappointing. Saying that, I will keep an eye out for more in the series because it was set up very well and the writing was confident and assured. Overall, I wish there had been more concentration on this story rather than setting up the next.

Static by Romilly King (The Teams Book #3)

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Title: ⟫ Static (The Teams Book 3)

Author: ⟫ Romilly King

Blurb: ⟫ This is Static – communications expert, extrovert, former witness, surrounded by secrets

In a team of monsters I’m the normal guy. The one making peace. The one soothing the raging beasts in the likes of Blue and Snipe. I don’t mind, I trained as a witness, I’ve always been good with the borderline personalities [remembered sadness and guilt].

I guess that’s why I’m drawn to Janus. I sense the complications in him. He’s like a puzzle I want to solve.

When he calls me, utterly terrified, panicking, totally at odds with his usual personality, I know he needs me. I’ll move heaven and earth for those who need me.

I’ve got a huge saviour complex. Show me a cause and I’ll nail myself to the nearest tree for it.

Janus is a cause I’d willingly martyr myself for, and I’ve never even seen his face.

He has hidden himself all the time I have known him, but so have I. If I’m going to save him I’m going to have to show myself, the real me, to him and to the team.

Static is the third book in The Teams, the new series from Romilly King, author of the Handled and Outreach series of mm romances and gay thrillers. Set in the same universe as Handled, the world of The Teams is dark, morally ambiguous, and full of secrets and lies. Please be aware this book ends on a cliffhanger.

Review: ⟫ I ended up giving this book a 3 star rating because I enjoyed the story. BUT – I hated the cliffhanger. Like, raging and moaning at my daughter about it because it was so completely unexpected, and in my opinion, kinda unforgivable. Why not simply wait until the rest of the story was ready before writing such a cliffhanger? Why split it into two stories when it was for one couple and Static was relatively short? I just couldn’t figure out the reasoning behind it and it truly spoiled this book for me.

Now, I know that it’s partially my fault for not reading the blurb fully – it does state at the bottom that the book ends on a cliffhanger. And I have read other stories that had ended in such a way, understood the reasoning and been relatively happy to wait for the resolution. There was just something about this one that enraged me.

The story was unexpected inasmuch as it involves a Dom/sub relationship – I didn’t see it coming, although the control aspect of things made sense in the context given. There wasn’t very much relationship building, but perhaps that’s because things have been building up to this in the other Teams books – Static has always had an interest in Janus, so I guess I should accept that that is all the ‘building’ we’re going to get.

I would have liked to know more about Static’s previous experiences, especially in relation to his first Witness. There seemed to be a lot thrown into the pot that covered a lot of bases but seemed very surface in the way it did it. There were also a few noticeable spelling and grammatical errors that dragged me slightly out of the story – it could do with a bit of an edit maybe? Perhaps I am letting my disappointment colour my view? Anyway, I’m going to leave it as a 3/5 for now and revisit once the fourth book is available – hopefully Janus will complete it satisfactorily and I can view them (in my head) as one book.

Maximus by Stella Rainbow

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Title: ⟫ Maximus

Author: ⟫ Stella Rainbow

Blurb: ⟫ Maximus

The wellness check on the nephew of a murdered man was supposed to be just that: a wellness check. I had work to do, evildoers to catch but everything changed the moment I saw Kym.

For the first time in my long existence, I’d found something more important than my work. But with evil brewing in the shadows, my realm needed me more than ever.

I had no idea what to do with these feelings.

Kym

After the mysterious way my uncle died, I’d grown wary of every stranger I came across. I knew something was off about my uncle’s death, but I had no proof and no one who would believe me.

When I’d spotted the huge, intimidating man lurking outside my shop one times too many, I was sure he knew something. There was something about him that told me I could trust him, but that couldn’t be right.

I had no idea how my life would be turned upside down by him.

Review: ⟫ I’m still not sure how I feel about this book. I really enjoyed the world building as it sounds absolutely fascinating, with Soul Collectors, the afterworld and burning chasms. However, the relationship between Kym and Maximus didn’t grab me the way I was hoping. I really liked the way in which Maximus allowed Kym to get used to the idea of falling in love – it might have been fated for him, but he didn’t expect Kym to just fall in line. And the underlying plot-line story was really interesting. But I guess I just felt like I didn’t get enough of either – I wanted to know more about the overarching plot or I wanted it to concentrate on the romance, and it didn’t do enough of either.

I was also disappointed not to learn more about Kym’s abilities. The fact that he was a kitsune wasn’t really explained apart from his very cute ears and his tail, and he seemed to adapt to the whole idea of it far too easily.

It was a nice, easy read but I was a little disappointed. I might read more in the series, especially MistVale. 3/5 from me.

I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews.

Pretty Puppy by Morticia Knight

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Title: ⟫ Pretty Puppy

Author: ⟫ Morticia Knight

Blurb: ⟫ Breaking Daddy Lee’s heart wasn’t intentional, but Ash has paid the price in misery ever since. Surely, a teensy little lie and a bit of scheming to get Lee back won’t backfire…

Ash first met Daddy Lee when he was a young pup and just beginning his kink journey. If only he hadn’t been so flighty and full of himself, he could’ve seen what a rare treasure he had in the handsome older Dom. But now that Ash is back in town, he’s determined to make Lee’s heart go pitter-patter again by being the best doggone boy ever.

Five years ago, luxury resort owner, Lee Petrovsky, fell too hard and fast for the pretty Asher Griffin. Ever since then, he’s resolved to seek out only older, more mature boys. There’s only one problem—no one has ever crushed the walls of steel around his heart the way Ash did. That doesn’t mean he’d ever take him back, though. No one makes a fool out of him and gets a second chance.

Can Ash prove to Lee that this time it isn’t just a case of puppy love?

Note: Pretty Puppy is the fifth book in the steamy Command & Care M/M Daddy romance series and can be read as a standalone. Each book shares a common theme, but no characters overlap. If you like puppy play, a dose of hurt/comfort and a strict Daddy Dom whose heart melts for his boy, then you’ll adore Morticia Knight’s second chance romance.

Review: ⟫ I expected more background when I read this – perhaps more about the relationships Lee had been in since Ash, or just how Ash crashed and burned. Instead, we were pretty much straight into the scheme Ash has concocted to get back into Lee’s life, and how badly it was going to fail.

This was a really fun and easy read, and I especially enjoyed the puppy play and having an insight into Champ’s mindset whilst he was a puppy – I’ve never read an author who’s gone into that much depth and I really appreciated it. There was a scene that perhaps needed a warning (for some people – I didn’t mind it) with a particularly intense sexual act, but overall I got exactly what I was expecting from this story and enjoyed it.

Solid 3/5 and I may look into the rest of the series.

I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews.