Tag Archives: TW: Addiction

Bitter When He Begs by Avery Collins (Sinners of Blackthorne U Book #2)

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TITLE: ⟫ Bitter When He Begs
AUTHOR: ⟫ Avery Collins

SERIES: ⟫ Sinners of Blackthorne U Book #2
RATING: ⟫ 4.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Luca
I’ve built my life on control. On the field, in my reputation, and in keeping my demons buried where no one can see.
Sage Blackwell was never supposed to be a part of that. The nerdy prodigy overheard something that could ruin my entire career, so I do the only logical thing. I don’t threaten him. I don’t scare him off.
I claim him.
I tell myself it’s about survival, about keeping my secret safe. But the longer I keep him close, the more I realize I might be addicted again.
Only this time, my drug of choice is him.

Sage
I wasn’t supposed to hear it.
I definitely wasn’t supposed to get caught.
One wrong step. One overheard conversation. That’s all it takes to make me the unwilling keeper of Luca Devereaux’s darkest secret.
Now, Blackthorne U’s arrogant, untouchable quarterback, has decided I belong to him.
He’s relentless, possessive and cruel in the way only someone with too much power and too little consequences can be.
Being owned by Luca might just destroy me… especially when I realize I don’t want him to let go.

***
Bitter When He Begs is the second book in the interconnected Sinners of Blackthorne U series, but it is a complete standalone. Readers are advised to approach with caution and ensure they are comfortable with the listed triggers and content warnings before proceeding.

REVIEW: ⟫ Well if I thought book 1 was unhinged, book 2 basically went just that little bit higher! Luca Devereaux was everything that’s wrong with elitist society – using his money, position and power to make his problems go away without facing any consequences. Sage Blackwell is in the unfortunate position of accidentally coming into some information that could cost Luca dearly, and Luca can’t afford to let that happen.

It would have been so easy to make this a more traditional ‘bully’ trope, but Avery Collins dug deeper and harder, turning this story into a scorching tale of obsession, love and addiction, with a side order of kink. It was too easy initially to think of Sage as the innocent caught up in something he didn’t understand, but the further I read, the more I realised that Sage had issues of his own that made him more than a match for Luca.

The background plot and characters were solid, adding depth and nuance to the story, as well as causing more than a tear or two of their own. The relationship between Sage and Luca was by turns hot, confusing, dangerous, dark and ultimately a fabulous love story, with them becoming each other’s anchor in the turbulent seas they were facing. I think I still prefer book one but only by a smidge, and spending more time with Roman and Damon was fabulous. Luca and Sage fought so hard for their happily ever after and the change in the two of them, supported by their friends, was beautiful to witness.

Now I only have book three to read and I’m sad to say goodbye to these guys – in such a short space of time, they really touched my heart.

Pretty When He Bleeds by Avery Collins (Sinners of Blackthorne U Book #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ Pretty When He Bleeds
AUTHOR: ⟫ Avery Collins

SERIES: ⟫ Sinners of Blackthorne U #1
RATING: ⟫ 4.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Roman Bishop hides his pain behind bruises and penalties, using the ice to escape the ghosts of his past. But when Damon Ward, the brooding, tattooed art major with a grudge and a sharp tongue, returns to campus, Roman’s carefully constructed world begins to crack.

Damon is Caleb’s brother—the boy Roman loved and lost in the most devastating way possible. But where Caleb was light, Damon is all fire and shadows, dragging Roman into a dangerous game of hate, lust, and regret.

What starts as a battle of wills turns into something darker, something neither of them can control. Damon wants revenge, and Roman craves the pain Damon is more than willing to give. But as their obsession spirals out of control, the line between love and destruction blurs, leaving them both questioning how far they’re willing to go—and whether they’ll survive the fallout.

Hate feels a lot like love when it cuts this deep.

REVIEW: ⟫ I picked up this book following a recommendation in a facebook group I belong to and oh my word!! I don’t even know where to start with this book – it’s described as a Dark MM Hockey story and dark doesn’t even cover it! Damon and Roman should have absolutely nothing to do with each other. Damon blames Roman for what happened to his brother, and Roman is drowning in guilt. It sounds so simple, so basic, but the complexity of everything these two are going through – Damon’s personal issues, Roman using physical pain to combat the mental pain he is suffocating under – how they are with each other. So incredibly hot whilst also being painful to witness. When Damon insists that Roman will bleed for no one but him, it shouldn’t be hot but it really and truly is.

And amidst all of this darkness, this wrongness, pain and grief, the romance is next level. I finished this book in tears – like, didn’t realise I was crying until the tears were dripping off my chin, but I also immediately grabbed book two as soon as I’d finished because I was that blown away by the quality of the writing. I don’t want to spoil this story for anyone because you deserve to go into it blind, the way that I did, because then you can really fall into the story, bleed alongside these troubled young men and reach the other side feeling like you’ve lived a whole life.

Pretty damned amazing and I am so incredibly grateful to the person who recommended it – I just wish I could figure out who it was so I could ask them for more recommendations!

Lodrick & Godefroy by Lucie Fleury (Ambrosia Book #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ Lodrick & Godefroy

AUTHOR: ⟫ Lucie Fleury

SERIES: ⟫ Ambrosia Book #1

RATING: ⟫ 3.75/5

BLURB: ⟫ Lodrick had the perfect a good and loving family and a promising future as a Royal guard. But hatred and jealousy ruined everything. He was forced to drink ambrosia, the highly addictive substance produced by god’s bodies. Now to survive he only has one to become a god’s lover.

Godefroy, the god of Peace and Harmony, has longed for a companion for a long time. He’s ready to love and care. Yet, as good willing as he is, he has trouble understanding humans and Lodrick is a real mystery. Why does he refuse his soothing?

REVIEW: ⟫ This was a really interesting story – from the blurb, I wasn’t sure quite what to expect, especially as Lodrick would have been well within his rights to hate everything about his circumstances. Considering it was quite a short story, I was impressed with how much time and effort went into looking at how Lodrick was feeling, how he found a way to spend his time and begin to build a life, as well as encompassing his shame and unhappiness with how he came to be in the situation.

Godefroy was a real sweetheart, much like you would expect from the god of Peace and Harmony. However, I particularly enjoyed how he was prepared to maintain his boundaries – he could accept Lodrick’s unhappiness and anger without letting it ruin his hard-earned peace. I was fascinated by the host of background characters and loved the world-building, lore and hints of the darker side to the entire Nymph/god relationship.

I have already downloaded the second book because I am very interested in reading more in this verse and would recommend this if you like your stories spicy but with some thought there too.