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Never Hollowed By The Stare
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  • Home
  • REVIEWS+RECS
    • MANGA
    • BOOK REVIEW
    • SOUNDTRACK
    • QUOTE
    • TRAILER
    • FAVORITE BOOK COVERS
    • DESERT ISLAND CASTAWAYS
    • BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
    • Reviews A-Z
    • MINI MOVIE REVIEWS
  • MEMES+TAGS
    • MUSIC MONDAY
    • LAST YEAR I WAS READING
    • FLICKer FADE SUNDAY
    • TAGS
    • MISC POSTS
    • PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
    • FIRST LINES FRIDAY 56
  • TOURS & BLITZES
    • COVER REVEAL
    • GIVEAWAYS
  • About + Ratings
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  • Uncategorized

    BLOG TOUR: Ameliorate by R. Sinclair (Excerpt)

    June 28, 2026 / No Comments
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    neverhollowed

    You May Also Like

    PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE (May 6, 2020)

    May 6, 2020

    COVER REVEAL: Salacious Park Avenue Prince by Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    May 30, 2024

    RELEASE BLITZ: The Elven King’s Promise by Devon Vesper (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    April 24, 2021
  • manga,  Uncategorized

    MANGA: Blue Ill Dope Kiss

    June 27, 2026 / No Comments

    Blue Ill Dope Kiss – Suzuku Koma

    Tobashi, a handsome and popular college student, is constantly dumped due to his overly passive personality, leaving others disillusioned. While nursing a broken heart and searching for a part-time job, he unexpectedly falls for a man he spots in town—Ichikawa—at first sight, unaware of his own feelings. Ichikawa’s striking blue hair flowing in the breeze and his beautiful face leave an unforgettable impression on Tobashi. Desperate to see him again, Tobashi tracks down the unique, stylish clothing shop where Ichikawa is the manager.

    When Tobashi interacts with Ichikawa during a visit, he discovers that the man is a former delinquent with a slightly rough way of speaking but a reliable and cool personality, making Tobashi’s feelings grow even stronger. Mustering up his timid courage, Tobashi successfully lands a job as a part-time worker at the shop! He enjoys his days working there, but Ichikawa misinterprets Tobashi’s enthusiasm as a romantic advance and takes him to a hotel, where they end up having sex!!!!

    However… Tobashi is a virgin!? Realizing he mistakenly took the virginity of a straight guy, Ichikawa feels remorse and declares, “You’re promoted to part-timer and friends with benefits!”

    Blue Ill Dope Kiss is a sweet, smutty bi‑awakening romance between an earnest young man and his boss.

    Tobashi, often dumped for being too passive, falls in love at first sight with blue‑haired store manager Ichikawa, though he doesn’t recognize it as love at first. His desire to be close to Ichikawa was so strong he overcame his shyness and applied for a part‑time job.

    Tobashi frequently expresses his admiration that Ichikawa thinks he is flirting and so proceeds to take him to a love hotel. Only to find out that Tobashi is a virgin.

    Burned by a past relationship, Ichikawa is determined to keep things physical, but then Tobashi keeps showering him with care and affection. Soon, Ichikawa’s carefully constructed walls are starting to crumble and he doesn’t know what to with the tsunami of love coming his way.

    Tobashi is the purest soul to ever walk this plane, so wholesome that others had to shield their eyes from his glow. The side characters, especially Ichikawa’s fujoshi friends, add hilarious advice and over‑the‑top reactions. The gags were a riot, and the inner thoughts are laugh‑out‑loud funny.

    Tobashi has a dog personality, loyal and devoted but I appreciate that he wasn’t too pushy or dubcon-y. He’s naive and candid about his feelings and so ridiculously sweet and earnest, Ichikawa stood no chance whatsoever.

    Ichikawa was formerly in a gang who’s cool, stylish personality belies a strong fighter. I loved the scenes where his inner delinquent comes out. Even funnier is when he tries to one-up Tobashi in bed only to have the tables effortlesly turned by his supposedly less experienced lover who doesn’t even realizing he’s doing it.

    This manga radiates love so brightly it’s pure joy to read. Overall, resistance is futile, radiant boys will win you over!

    Ichikawa’s ex is gorgeous and needs his own manga. Maybe with his bodyguard?


    If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal. Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!

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    You May Also Like

    BOOK TOUR: Blonde Boy Red Lipstick by Geoff Bunn (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    August 27, 2021

    COVER & EXCERPT REVEAL: Best Served Cold by Willow Dixon (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    November 8, 2023

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Baby Steps by Gemma Johns (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    March 8, 2023
  • book,  Uncategorized

    REVIEW: Unholy by Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine

    June 27, 2026 / No Comments

    Park Avenue Kings: Unholy – Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine

    He hears my confessions.
    Now he can’t unhear them.

    I keep showing up to church.
    I don’t speak. I don’t confess. I just sit there—close enough to remember what it felt like to be his.

    Father Rafael Vitale thinks he can keep this professional.
    Measured. Contained. Holy.

    I’m none of those things.

    I’m Alessio Trentacapelli—the technocrat of the Park Avenue Kings. I live in shadows, break systems, and protect my brothers at any cost. I still believe in God. I just don’t forgive Him for demanding the man I love.

    Rafael is discipline and devotion.
    I’m want and resentment and everything he was never supposed to crave.

    We were boys together. Then lovers.
    Then nothing we were allowed to keep.

    Now we’re orbiting each other again behind a confessional screen—through silence, ritual, and everything we refuse to say out loud. Every look lingers. Every boundary bends. And every time he tells me no, it hurts worse than the last.

    Because the priest with the steady hands and the quiet voice?
    He remembers me.

    And then we cross a line we both know by heart.

    If he makes me choose between losing him again…
    or giving in to something we can’t take back—

    I already know which sin I’ll commit.


    Unholy is the finale of the riveting billionaire romance series, Park Avenue Kings by Ella Frank and Brook Blaine. The series follows the key members of the secret society, Libertine, known as the Kings. With the bad guys already vanquished in the last installment, the focus here is the romance.

    Our final King is Alessio Trentacapelli, the billionaire hacker not-so-secretly in love with his childhood friend, Father Rafael Vitale, the Kings’ confessor. Picking up from the events of the previous book, Ruthless, Alessio is haunted by his failure to find the bad guys and his guilt only intensified his pining for Father Vitale.

    Until one night he appears on the confessional drunk, baring his soul so raw it shakes our good priest to his core. And set them on a forbidden path of no return.

    With all his brooding in the entire series, especially over a man he can’t have, I expected this to be angsty and boy, did it bleed angst. With his brothers happily coupled up, our boy Alessio is bitter that he can’t have his HEA. The amount of pining made my heart ache, especially with Rafael so close yet so far and Alessio can only watch him on his camera and window while he secretly lives across the street from the church.

    I expected the drunken confession, yet the scene is still a devastating hit to the kokoro. I recommend audiobooking this for maximum impact.

    Rafael and Alessio were boyfriends when they were teenagers. Their paths diverged when Rafael’s parents died and in his grief he turned to religion. Alessio remained loyal for 15 years. It’s ridiculously romantic how they were each other’s first and only. Their chemistry is absolutely nuclear!

    I loved how the writers handled the religious theme. Despite his conflicting feelings, Rafael’s struggle is almost gentle rather than tortured. It took him a while though. Ultimately, faith was not condemned but rather reconciled with love and never preachy. The resolution affirms all forms of love, culminating in an uplifting epilogue where the Kings and their families celebrate together.

    On a super minor note, it seems every other Italian character’s last name is Vitale, Morelli, or Moretti. I’m happy Alessio’s last name is Trentacapelli. Also, we barely see the rest of the Kings, I wanted more interaction with them.

    Unholy is a story of forbidden love and enduring devotion where faith and sexuality coexist. Overall, a beautiful conclusion to an epic series that affirms what is truly hallowed: the courage to choose love, no matter the odds.

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

    Soundtrack: Unholy
    Artist: Lilith Czar
    Album: Created From Filth And Dust

    P.S.

    Park Avenue Kings is best read in order and easily one of the most bingeable series out there now that it’s complete.

    Savage – Lachlan and Cooper making masks and disasters work

    Devilish – Lucien and Kai finding the ideal dynamic among books and constellations

    Immoral – Benoit and Dmitri doing a dance of danger and seduction

    Merciless & Ruthless – Theo and Shep navigating friendship, desire, and abduction


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

    UNHOLY: Amazon UK | Audiobook

    If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal. Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!

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    BOOK TOUR: Ashes On The Wind: The Love Story Behind the Crime of the Century by Brandy Purdy (Excerpt & Giveaway + Guest Post)

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  • song,  Uncategorized

    SOUNDTRACK: Unholy by Lilith Czar

    June 27, 2026 / No Comments

    Soundtrack to Park Avenue Kings: Unholy by Ella Frank & Brook Blaine

    Unholy by Lilith Czar for a book about an earth-shattering confession, an inevitable fall, and a requited desire.

    And my body is shaking
    My soul’s for the taking
    And you can have it all
    I know it’s forbidden
    Oh lord I can’t quit it
    I’m damned to fall

    …

    I won’t ask for forgiveness
    No I ain’t got no shame
    So here’s my confession
    But I ain’t got nothing to say

    And my heart’s misbehaving
    You know I can’t fake it
    And nothing can shake my faith
    My lips start to quiver
    You make me a sinnеr
    ‘Cause I ain’t no saint

    You can be unholy to me
    You can bе unholy to me
    You can do anything you want to me
    ‘Cause I want you, I want you to be

    Read More
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    BLOG TOUR: Stronger Than Passion by Katherine McIntyre (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    June 28, 2022

    MUSIC MONDAY: Got To Have Love by Pulp

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  • quote,  Uncategorized
    June 27, 2026 / No Comments

    There’s something about you
    And I can’t be saved
    That something about you
    Is bad for me in every way

    And my body is shaking
    My soul’s for the taking
    And you can have it all
    I know it’s forbidden
    Oh lord I can’t quit it
    I’m damned to fall

    You can be unholy to me
    You can be unholy to me
    You can do anything you want to me
    Cause I want you, I want you to be
    Oh you don’t need to say that you love me
    Cause god knows this ain’t meant to be
    You can do anything you want to me
    Cause I want you, I want you to be
    Unholy to me

    I won’t ask for forgiveness
    No I ain’t got no shame
    So here’s my confession
    But I ain’t got nothing to say

    And my heart’s misbehaving
    You know I can’t fake it
    And nothing can shake my faith
    My lips start to quiver
    You make me a sinnеr
    ‘Cause I ain’t no saint

    You can be unholy to me
    You can bе unholy to me
    You can do anything you want to me
    ‘Cause I want you, I want you to be
    Oh, you don’t need to say that you love me
    ‘Cause god knows this ain’t meant to be
    You can do anything you want to me
    ‘Cause I want you, I want you to be
    Unholy to me
    Be unholy to me

    My body is shaking
    My soul’s for the taking
    And you can have it all
    I know it’s forbidden
    Oh Lord, I can’t quit it
    I’m damned to fall

    You can be unholy to me
    You can be unholy to me
    You don’t need to say that you love me
    ‘Cause God knows this ain’t meant to be
    You can do anything you want to me
    ‘Cause I want you, I want you to be
    Unholy to me

    (I want you, I want you, I want you to be)
    Be unholy to me
    (I want you, I want you, I want you to be)
    Be unholy to me
    (I want you, I want you, I want you to be)
    Be unholy to me
    (I want you, I want you, I want you to be)
    Be unholy to me

    Read More
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  • trailer,  Uncategorized

    MOVIE FEATURE: Nuovo Olimpo

    June 27, 2026 / No Comments
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  • Uncategorized

    RELEASE TOUR: Seen by Fearne Hill (Excerpt)

    June 26, 2026 / No Comments
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    ABC BOOK CHALLENGE – V

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  • Uncategorized

    FLICKer: Schnee im Juni (Snow In June)

    June 25, 2026 / No Comments

    Featuring LGBT short films I found around the interwebz a.k.a Youtube. Okay sucky intro, but yeah, that’s it.


    The memories of the death of his childhood sweetheart Richard still haunt war-veteran Leonard today. To escape his pain and grief, Leonard turns to alcohol over the years. Only his new boyfriend Arthur manages for a brief moment to pull Leonard, who is inexplicably broken, out of his hole and his addiction. A relapse into alcohol and a resulting argument between him and Arthur leads him to confront his past. Will he manage to save himself and his relationship?

    Read More
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    RELEASE BLITZ: The Bow II: Forbidden Romance by Jay Tripp

    May 3, 2021
  • Uncategorized

    COVER REVEAL: Heal Me, Love Me by Kimberly Knight & Rachel Lyn Adams

    June 25, 2026 / No Comments
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    BOOK BLITZ: Safe by Jessica Francis (Excerpt & Giveaway)

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    BLOG TOUR: To Tempt A Troubled Earl by Fearne Hill (Excerpt & Giveaway + Character Interview)

    March 12, 2025
  • Uncategorized

    RELEASE BLITZ: Home Ice by Saxon James (Giveaway)

    June 25, 2026 / No Comments
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    AUDIOBOOK REVIEW TOUR: What Works For Us by Colette Davison

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    BLOG TOUR: From the Universe to Me by Scott E. Garrison (Excerpt + Q&A with Author)

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