Never Hollowed By The Stare

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Never Hollowed By The Stare
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  • Home
  • NAVIGATION
    • MANGA
    • BOOK REVIEW
    • SOUNDTRACK
    • QUOTE
    • TRAILER
  • MISC
    • MUSIC MONDAY
    • PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
    • FIRST LINES FRIDAY 56
    • FLICKer FADE SUNDAY
    • RELEASE BLITZ & GIVEAWAYS
    • COVER REVEAL
    • TAGS
    • POSTS
    • Reviews A-Z
  • About + Ratings
  • Policy + Contact

Archives

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  • Uncategorized

    MY TOP BL MANGA OF 2020

    December 31, 2020 / 1 Comment
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    neverhollowed

    You May Also Like

    MUSIC MONDAY: 11:59 It’s January by Scrawl

    December 30, 2019

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: The Sun Still Rises by Laura Bailo (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    November 13, 2019

    FLICKer FADE SUNDAY: Tonight It’s You

    November 1, 2020
  • Uncategorized

    MY TOP 10 READS OF 2020

    December 31, 2020 / 1 Comment
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    neverhollowed

    You May Also Like

    FIRST LINES FRIDAY 56: But Then, The World May End Tomorrow

    July 9, 2020

    COVER REVEAL: The Wolf and the Sparrow by Isabelle Adler

    November 8, 2019

    FIRST LINES FRIDAY 56: Got Weird Fast

    September 3, 2020
  • Uncategorized

    MY YEAR IN BOOKS: 2020 Yearly Book Wrap-up

    December 31, 2020 / 3 Comments
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    neverhollowed

    You May Also Like

    RELEASE BLITZ: Chasing The Horizon by Zenith Aislin (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    June 19, 2020

    FLICKer FADE SUNDAY: Tonight It’s Me

    October 25, 2020

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Stranded With Desire by Rick R. Reed & Vivien Dean (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    November 30, 2020
  • Uncategorized

    RELEASE BLITZ: Resolutions for and Arbitrary Holiday by Nell Iris (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    December 31, 2020 / No Comments
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    You May Also Like

    BOOK TOUR: In The Line Of Fire by Jaxon Altieri (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    July 4, 2020

    BLOG TOUR: First by Casey Cox (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    December 7, 2020

    RELEASE BLITZ: It’s A Steal by Arden O’Keefe (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    July 29, 2020
  • Uncategorized

    SONGS OF 2020: July to December

    December 30, 2020 / 1 Comment

    This is the second part of my year-end wrap-up of all the bookish soundtrack and Music Mondays I posted in 2020. You can find January to June here.

    Enjoy!

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    You May Also Like

    BLOG TOUR: Fade to Blank by C.F. White (Excerpt & Giveaway + )

    July 29, 2020

    MUSIC MONDAY: Deadcrush by Alt-J

    April 27, 2020

    MUSIC MONDAY: 2019 Christmas Playlist

    December 23, 2019
  • Uncategorized

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Settling the Score by C. Koehler (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    December 30, 2020 / No Comments
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    neverhollowed

    You May Also Like

    BLOG TOUR: Home for a Cowboy by Amy Aislin (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    June 9, 2020

    FLICKer FADE SUNDAY: Love Like Ours

    April 19, 2020

    COVER REVEAL: Unpredictable Fate by Jessamyn Kingley

    April 30, 2020
  • Uncategorized

    RELEASE BLITZ: Fake Friends by Saxon James (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    December 30, 2020 / No Comments
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    neverhollowed

    You May Also Like

    FAVORITE COVERS: July 2020

    August 1, 2020

    THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS BOOK BLITZ & GIVEAWAY: A Calling Bird by Jo Tannah

    December 9, 2019

    BLOG TOUR: Till Death Do Us Part by Dieter Moitzi (Excerpt)

    June 20, 2020
  • manga,  Uncategorized

    MANGA: Kitsune no Natsu

    December 29, 2020 / 1 Comment

    Kitsune no Natsu – Nacolat

    Norihiro returns to his hometown during summer vacation with a lingering feeling that something is calling to him. On the way back home, Norihiro encounters a mysterious fox man in a wedding dress waiting for him. Who is this fox and why does he want to “consummate” their marriage!?

    The Summer of the Fox is a cute paranormal tale between a young man, Norihiro and his childhood friend, the fox spirit, Tsunetsuki.

    Tsune patiently waited years for Norihiro to come back to him and fulfill his promise. This one-shot is filled with melancholy, longing and yearning but also nostalgic joy as the Norihiro remembers playing with the fox during summers past.

    It is an explicit manga. We get the graphic details of them consummating their marriage.

    I like the artwork. Tsune is pretty. Even with only one chapter, the manga was able to tell a complete story. But it also left me wishing this is a full length volume.

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    You May Also Like

    AUDIO TOUR: The Solution by Piper Scott (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    July 9, 2020

    FIRST LINES FRIDAY 56: Let’s Drown Our Sorrows In Coffee

    June 18, 2020

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: The Sorcerer’s Guardian (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    September 15, 2020
  • book,  Uncategorized

    SERIES REVIEW: Handled Books 2 & 3 by Romilly King

    December 29, 2020 / 2 Comments

    I practically inhaled these last two Handled books in one sitting because they’re that good!

    The entire series blew me away with Gray and Nathan’s deliciously deviant tale of death and desire that is surprisingly sweet as it is dark. Romilly King created two very memorable characters that are up there in my most favorite couples ever list.

    Handled is a world where capital punishment is meted out to serial killers by highly trained killers called Handlers. These executions are supervised by Witnesses. Each Handler is assigned a Witness.

    Gray, best handler in town, was assigned Nathan, rookie witness, who somehow forged a more than professional connection to the notoriously very difficult handler.


    55849158. sy475

    Handled: Cleansed – Romilly King

    Sometimes you have to go back in order to go forward – Gray is going back to handle the man who saw him as an angel, and unleashed the demon in him.

    I am a Handler; I deal with serial killers, legally, ruthlessly, and in the presence of my Witness, because justice must be seen to be done.

    Handling is an intimate procedure. I only perform for an audience of one; for my Witness, with his hot eyes and his innocent heart, and the pure white soul that I dirtied up so beautifully.

    Now someone else is watching, the man who refined the monster in me. I can’t allow that to continue, particularly as he threatens the Witness who has caused the frozen lump in my chest that I laughingly refer to as a heart, to sporadically beat.

    This isn’t about retribution; this is cleaning up the past so I have a chance at a future.

    Cleansed is the second book in the Handled trilogy, it is a dark gay romance dealing with adult themes and contains graphic scenes that may upset some readers. Please heed the trigger warnings inside.


    Cleansed picks up some months after the first book. We see Gray and Nathan’s relationship continue to evolve and grow stronger. For one brief moment, our favorite psycho lets himself be a vulnerable relaxed tiger around Nathan and learns what being cared for without any ulterior motives feels like.

    I am so happy we finally get Gray’s backstory. A crazed evangelist played a pivotal role, christening the kidnapped child Gray an angel sent to him. The man killed and tortured people in front of the child, waiting to see if the angel will appear and save the sinners.

    Years after his release, Gray learned this evangelist has kept tabs on him and was angry about his relationship with Nathan. Gray being Gray, he provoked his stalker and inadvertently put Nathan in danger. Then he went after the killer with typical Gray panache.

    I really like that the story went straight to the point with the identity of the killer. Gray has the resources and is smart enough to figure things out quickly. I also appreciated that he remained essentially himself even after the memories came rushing back. He might have a vulnerable moment or two but his claws are still sharp as ever.

    But also, soft thoughts!!!!!

    Oh, the soft thoughts are everything! ♥(ˆ⌣ˆԅ)

    This is an aptly named book. Gray proved how deadly angelic he can be, burned the bridges to his past and went on to live halcyon days of sun, the occasional Nathan and OMG! cartwheels!

    Rating:
    5 Stars – absolutely perfect

    Soundtrack: Animal Impulses
    Artist: IAMX
    Album: The Unified Field


    56331560. sy475

    Handled: Polished – Romilly King

    How deadly do you have to be to kill a killer?

    Handlers are hard to kill, and to be fair most of us like the challenge when people try, but now someone is killing off handlers in bloody and complex ways.

    Not my problem.

    Not anymore.

    I got out, I got free, and I don’t want to go back.

    But someone is offering a favour if I handle this, a valuable one, and it could make all the difference to how this story ends.

    Handlers don’t expect a happy ever after; most of us don’t even know what one looks like. I do, my happy ever after is blue eyed and frequently filthy and deliciously mouthy and he bends the way I want him to bend. And I could have that. All I have to do is take on one more handling, and ensure we both survive it.

    The odds are not with me this time though.

    I really should have kept on killing, I’m out of practice.

    Polished is the third book in the Handled trilogy, it is a dark gay romance dealing with adult themes and contains graphic scenes that may upset some readers. Please heed the trigger warnings inside.


    The cartwheeling had to come to an end eventually…

    Polished is where things come full circle as a retired Gray was forced to handle another case and Nathan is again assigned as his witness. Handlers and Witnesses are murdered one by one. Gray needed to get his monster mojo back in order to solve the case faster. To do so, he pushes poor Nathan away because his little witness makes him more human. They kept hitting dead ends. The situation became even more desperate when Nathan disappeared.

    Nathan’s baby handler brother, Indigo and Indi’s special friend Trans, demanded they help. Now these two are adorable psychos! Can we have their book please?

    Nathan has learned his way around Gray, keeping faith and patiently waiting, waiting, waiting…Meanwhile, Gray, struggles to put a name to this thing between him and Nathan. It took two teen psychos to help him ease into it. And solve the case while they’re at it.

    Admittedly, I was a bit disappointed with how Gray’s redemption came about. Is it wrong for me to wish he was really the psychopath everyone thought he was? Can we just let psychos be psychos and still be capable of love? If Indi can, Gray can too, I believe.

    In this trilogy, I was all about Gray. Nathan is a great character through and through. I loved him from the start but the dark and dangerous tend to hog the spotlight more. However, Nathan’s dogged determination, his innate goodness, even his naivety and most especially his selfless love for these unlovable monsters sneaked up on me much like he sneaked his way into Gray’s heart. Slowly but surely. His complete trust in Gray was such a beautiful gift. After all that he has done, I looked at him with wonder too!

    This finale revealed a more intimate picture of the relationships between Handlers and Witnesses. It is a complicated relationship, a symbiosis of two people working together in super intense, highly volatile situations. Professional can quickly turn to personal, a natural progression of sorts, and I would love to see more of these dynamics explored. I really hope we get a spinoff series.

    Rating:
    4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step away

    Soundtrack: My Witness
    Artist: The Irrepressibles
    Album: Mirror Mirror

    P.S.

    Handled should be experienced as a binge read. You won’t have it any other way.

    Witness the beginnings of Gray and Nathan’s explosive partnership in Handled book 1. Review here.


    If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to get your copy of Handled. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.

    You can also use my Bookshop affiliate links to buy paperback copies and help support independent bookstores.

    HANDLED | CLEANSED

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    You May Also Like

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Finding Fisher by M.J. James (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    May 12, 2020

    MUSIC MONDAY: Miami by Baxter Dury

    October 5, 2020

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Holiday Gridlock by Gretchen Evans (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    November 11, 2019
  • song,  Uncategorized

    SOUNDTRACK: Animal Impulses by IAMX & My Witness by The Irrepressibles

    December 29, 2020 / 1 Comment

    Soundtrack to Handled: Cleansed by Romilly King

    I chose Animal Impulses because there are frequent references to animals and primal urges in Cleansed and the other books. Nathan compares Gray to a predator many times. The lyrics seemed tailor-made for psychos, going on about “Shine razor eyes in delight / Shine razor eyes before you die” and “I’m tired of this human duet / No civilizing hides / Our animal impulses”

    Soundtrack to Handled: Polished by Romilly King

    For the series finale, Polished, that puts the spotlight on the complicated and weirdly intimate relationship between Handler and Witness, the only song for it is, none other than My Witness. With verses that go “Make the fall, take the fire / Fuck the law nicely / Tint it all with desire / Shape the form I see” and “I will wake from the rain from the light of you / Take a knife to my chest, I’m alive by you“, they described how these relationships changed the two people involved in it.

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    RE-RELEASE BLITZ: Elias by Amy Aislin (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    May 12, 2020

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: This Christmas by J.R. Hart (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    December 9, 2019

    ABC BOOK CHALLENGE – M

    June 1, 2019
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Hi there! I'm neverhollowed. I read too much MM romance and play music too loud. My blog combines my passion for books and indie music. I write book and manga reviews, create bookish playlists and share LGBT-related movies. Welcome to my blog! Hope you enjoy your visit.

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Book images and promotional materials are from Goodreads or media kits provided for blog tours, cover reveals and release blitzes. Manga covers and other images are sourced through Google image search. The two dorks in the header image is from a manga by TogaQ & Kikuchi Neko. The cat logo is my own design. Reviews and other writings found in the blog are mine unless otherwise stated. All Buy Links to Amazon and Bookshop in my posts contain affiliate links.

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Never Hollowed By The Stare
neverhollowedNever Hollowed By The Stare@neverhollowed·
10h

How much are you willing to give up for the man you love?

NEW RELEASE BLITZ: The Next New One by Ryan Taylor & Joshua Harwood (Excerpt & #Giveaway)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SGC79KX

https://neverhollowed.com/2021/01/23/new-release-blitz-the-next-new-one-by-ryan-taylor-joshua-harwood-excerpt-giveaway/

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neverhollowedNever Hollowed By The Stare@neverhollowed·
10h

Hatred is complicated, clothing is simple—

RELEASE BLITZ: Charisma Check by Charlie Novak (Excerpt & #Giveaway)

https://getbook.at/CharismaCheck

https://neverhollowed.com/2021/01/23/release-blitz-charisma-check-by-charlie-novak-excerpt-giveaway/

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neverhollowedNever Hollowed By The Stare@neverhollowed·
22 Jan

#REVIEW: Jack: Grime and Punishment by Z.A. Maxfield

🌟🌟🌟1/2

3.5 🪠🗑️ dirty business🩸happy endings👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨 stars

SOUNDTRACK: Someone New by Hozier 🎶

https://neverhollowed.com/2021/01/22/review-jack-grime-and-punishment-by-z-a-maxfield/

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