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REVIEW: Surprise Groom by D.J. Jamison
Marital Bliss: Surprise Groom – D.J. Jamison
Can two men fake their way to marital bliss?
Caleb Taylor is shocked to learn his family could lose Bliss Island Resort — their home and livelihood — unless he makes use of a clause to marry the child of investor Louis Chastain. Sofia Chastain is more like a sister than a love interest, and Caleb isn’t ready to sign over his future. But Sofia has a brother, and Caleb has a plan …
Julien Chastain was disowned at fifteen and has made a life as a go-go dancer in Miami, but he lives paycheck to paycheck. When his childhood friend proposes an outlandish marriage contract, he thinks he’s crazy. But it’s a chance at a future that’s tough to pass up.
Caleb and Julien must present themselves as an authentic couple for the legal loophole to work, but the lines between “fake” and “real” keep shifting as they navigate intimacy, public scrutiny, and sabotage.
Love isn’t part of the plan, but plans change. If they can outsmart Julien’s father and prove their love is worth more than a transaction, they just might find a true happily-ever-after.
Despite being into the MM genre, I rarely reads books that revolve solely around romance . Contemporary romance tend to be a miss for me because I usually feel like there’s nothing going on.
Surprise Groom by D.J. Jamison was one of the few that piqued my interest. I haven’t really read any MM fake husband stories yet. This seemed like a good place to start. It’s the first book of Marital Bliss, a series exploring different marriage tropes. This is also my first Jamison book and certainly not my last. Lots to love here!
The story features the marriage of convenience/fake husband set-up of Caleb Taylor and Julien Chastain, childhood bestfriends who fell apart after Julien was thrown out of the house at 15 for being gay. Caleb is a wedding planner and owns an island resort with his mom. His late father owed money to Louis Chastain, Julien’s father, who wrote a contract stating that the debt will be paid if a Taylor child marries a Chastain child. This part boggled me slightly because why would Louis make such an arrangement. What would he gain? It was even mentioned that the island didn’t worth much to him.
Whatever the reasons, Caleb, who is straight, cannot marry Sofia Chastain in good conscience. She was like a sister to him. So finding a loophole, he tracked down Julien, found him working as a go-go dancer, and asked him to marry him. After giving it a serious thought, Julien agreed. Two men then had to deal with public scrutiny, sabotage and their own growing feelings.
First, I loved both MCs! Caleb is perfect. The kind of perfect perfect that is not annoying or unrealistic. He’s a born planner and a workaholic with infinite patient and understanding. As in he never jumps to conclusions but instead gave Julien the benefit of the doubt, especially at the latter part where the evil dad tried to gain the upper hand over them. The bastard maneuvered to stop the wedding and cause his son to disappear once again.
Caleb was smart enough to know what Julien might or might not do and what his dad is capable of. After putting things in perspective with the help of his mom, Julien’s sister and his mom, he trusted his childhood friend/fiance completely.
Julien is great too. He’s prickly and slow to trust. Also talented, artistic, tough and protective. He’s been through a lot. After moving to Miami, he was basically living paycheck to paycheck. His days as a dancer were numbered, 27 is old in go-go years. Caleb’s offer couldn’t come at a better time. He has always been attracted to his childhood friend and seeing how gorgeous his friend turned out to be only made the proposal more enticing.
The slow-burn build-up was delicious! Their chemistry was palpable from the start. The two men tried to resist their rekindled attractions. Julien, because he knew Caleb is straight. Caleb, trying to wrap his head around the fact that he is attracted to a man. I loved how their inner conflicts were depicted. I love the way the lines kept blurring.
I also appreciated how the author handled the part of Caleb coming to terms that he is bi. It was done with with care and without making too much fuss about it. Especially in the light of a past traumatic event that left Caleb with the wrong impression of his sexuality. Julien was awesome here. He gently guided Caleb through his awakening and made sure he respected his boundaries.
This being romance, I kept expecting the Big Fight. I was pleasantly surprised by it’s absence. My favorite part was that the MCs don’t fight at all, ever. They were big on communication, taking time to actually listen and talk things though. It’s a simple thing, one many authors tend to by-pass in favor of conflict and drama. So it’s always refreshing when it happens.
The story had good pacing in general but the ending felt kind of rushed. I would love an epilogue but I guess Caleb and Julien will be making appearances on the next book so that would be that. I want Julien’s go-go friends and Rory, Caleb’s friend to have their own books, too.
Overall, Surprise Groom is a fun story and a delightful take on a standard trope. It’s an extremely well-done romance set in a beautiful island with MCs you can’t help but root for. Good job, D.J. Jamison! You might completely convert me to contemporary romance just yet.
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Metaphors
Artist: Keaton Henson
Album: Metaphors -
REVIEW: Song Of The Navigator by Astrid Amara
Song Of The Navigator – Astrid Amara
Worst Possible Birthday: Being sold into slavery by none other than your lover.
Tover Duke’s rare ability to move anything instantly across light-years of space makes him a powerful, valuable asset to the Harmony Corporation, and a rock star among the people of the colonies. His life is luxurious. Safe. Routine.
He has his pick of casual hookups passing through Dadelus-Kaku Station. His one brush with danger of any kind—the only bright spot in his otherwise boring life—is Cruz Arcadio, a dark-haired, hard-bodied engineer whose physical prowess hints he’s something much more.
When a terrorist abducts Tover, hurling him into a world of torture, exploitation and betrayal, it’s with shattering disbelief that he realizes his kidnapper is none other than Cruz. As Tover struggles to find the courage to escape his bondage, he begins to understand the only way to free his body, his mind—and his heart—is to trust the one man who showed him that everything about his once-perfect life was a lie.
Warning: This story contains descriptions of extreme violence and assault. It also contains graphic sexual depictions. It also has a lot of birds. And pirate movies from the future. And romance.
Tover Duke loves four things: food, soccer, birds and fucking.
Tover is a navigator, one of only 42 improvisional navigators, someone with the ability to instantaneously transport anything to any part of the known and unknown universe using orbifolds he can create through vibrations in his vocal chords. He is a cherished celebrity, a demigod even to himself, whose every whim was catered to by his company, Harmony. That includes his own personal aviary because Tover is a hardcore bird otaku.
At his birthday celebration, he was held hostage by Cruz Arcadio, a Harmony engineer he had occasional hook ups with and who he had a serious crush on. He was then sold by the Pulmon Verde, terrorist soldiers from Carida, to pirates in exchange for data. His world was turned up side down. Please heed the trigger warnings because it was nasty.
I love this navigator world Astrid Amara created. The physics behind the orbitals is solid and interesting, though it would have been more so had I had some knowledge of string theory. Nonetheless, I was amazed with Tover’s teleportation powers. Like any realistically rendered superpower, it has its limitations. This being it takes up a LOT of energy which means he has to eat a lot too. At one point, it left Tover severely emaciated after jumping from Dadelus-Kaku to Carida to save Cruz. It didn’t stop him from doing it again.
I love Tover! Like every navigator, he was a diva who had questionable rock star wardrobe (snake skin pants, really?). He may or may not have been an asshole at some point in his career, but the torture in the pirate ship and the eye-opening truths he learned in Carida changed him completely.
The torture he suffered was brutal! My heart went out to him. It resulted in paralyzing PTSD. It was so bad he lost the ability to create orbifolds, the only thing he’s good at. It wasn’t just the pirates. Tover also learned the reality of his existence as a navigator. His was a story of what it means to be truly free. It was one of the most moving and satisfying character progressions I’ve ever read.
Song of the Navigator is also story of corporate exploitation. The carbon-dioxide breathing people of Carida is fighting against the terraforming of their planet by Harmony. Terraforming Carida had very disastrous consequences. Cruz is a soldier of the Pulmon Verde, a military group working to bring down the corporation. He was working undercover. He was willing to do anything for their cause.
I wanted to hate the poker-faced Cruz for doing what he did to Tover. It was a shitty, shitty thing to do. But when he showed Tover what was at stake, he convinced me it was worth it. He’s also fiercely proud of Tover’s ability and very protective of Tover’s freedom. It was his little acts of affection that made me believe he genuinely feels for the navigator.
Tover was harder to convinced. Couldn’t blame the guy (and I wouldn’t have been impressed had he gave in easily. Yes, let Cruz grovel for a bit.). He refused to see that Harmony was using him. At the end, it was the birds that finally did it. And because Tover always had to be the hero, he did what he did best and gave a grand middle finger salute to his company. Attaboy!
Favorite part:
“You didn’t react to being shot. You don’t feel anything at all, do you?” Tover hated the hurt in his voice.
“I feel everything.” Cruz stepped toward him. He said nothing more. But his eyes,they were warm now, dark and dilated. He moved so close he could pin Tover to the wall if he wanted to.
“You should show it,” Tover suggested.
And for a moment, Cruz’s visage broke. His eyes trembled and a glitter of moisture filled his eyes.
The story was a study in contrasts. Tover was an adored rockstar. Suddenly, he was a pirate slave. Then he was a beloved guest only to end up where he started. Even the settings were strikingly different, from the a highly urbanized space station, to an old pirate ship to a verdant planet. These 180-degree turns only served to heighten the gut-wrenching, emotional whiplashes I felt when reading the book.
It was a tale as old as time. Betrayal. Slavery in its many forms. Huge corporation vs the minority. Natural resources threatened by bland suburban development. Even in the far future, these are still relevant and at a galactic scale. Tover, Cruz and the Pulmon Verde made major strides in saving Carida. I had a feeling they still have a few ways to go. It’s only an HFN ending but at least Tover will not be strapped to a machine against his will ever again. He has his birds and his games and all the tamales he can eat and he and Cruz can go at it everyday.
Because Tover Duke loves five things.
P.S.
Astrid Amara books here
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: The Sparrow Looks Up At The Machine
Artist: The Flaming Lips
Album: Embryonic -
REVIEW: The Wolf At Bay by Charlie Adhara
Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf At Bay – Charlie Adhara
Going home digs up bad memories, so it’s something Bureau of Special Investigations agent Cooper Dayton tries to avoid. When he’s guilted into a visit, Cooper brings along Oliver Park, his hot new werewolf partner, in the hopes the trip will help clarify their status as a couple…or not.
When Park’s keen shifter nose uncovers a body in the yard and Cooper’s father is the prime suspect, Cooper knows they’re on their own. Familial involvement means no sanctioned investigation. They’ll need to go rogue and solve the mystery quietly or risk seeing Cooper’s dad put behind bars.
The case may be cold, but Park and Cooper’s relationship heats up as they work. And yet if Cooper can’t figure out what’s going on between them outside of the bedroom, he’ll lose someone he… Well, he can’t quite put into words how he feels about Park. He knows one thing for sure: he’s not ready to say goodbye, though with the real killer inching ever closer…he may not have a choice.
I am currently on a shifter binge and Charlie Adhara’s wolves are my favorite wolves. Hers are simultaneously very wolfy and also not.
Case in point: Oliver Park. Proving that the seasick werewolf is the best werewolf.
Hints of him being not only just an alpha but quite possibly The Alpha. He did very alpha wolf things, like intimidate the other wolves into submission. That includes dogs. He’s also afraid of water, not good with boats and needs reading glasses he’s too embarrassed to wear in public. A refreshing change from the usual indestructible, tough guy specimens we normally get.
As much as I would like to see major wolf action (shifting, marking, etc), I also enjoyed the novelty of having a shifter book focusing on realism rather than the paranormal. The book felt like a very low-key commentary on the genre. They are serious about the whole werewolf business but there’s also a sense of not taking it too seriously. Cooper and Oliver constantly exchanged repartee that, among many things, made fun of wolfy stuff including the mate aspect. Which is probably what I would do too, if I suddenly find myself in the company of supernatural creatures.
Said exchange of repartee is what made the The Wolf At Bay come alive. I live for Cooper and Park’s banters! I could listen to them all day. Park is a normally taciturn person and I enjoyed the moments where Coop drew out his playful side. They just CLICKED!
“As you pointed out before, I’ve made my feelings clear. So.”
Silence. He glanced up and was caught in Park’s slow smile.
“What?”
The smile widened. “Papa, no! I luurve him,” Park said dramatically, and put a hand to his brow.
Also, ♡ porcupine ♡!
Obviously, I love Park. The man is a sweetheart. He’s good for Coop. I like it that they’re also really good friends aside than whatever else they were. And, yes!!! been waiting for it, the story shed some light on his background. Not too much but enough of a teaser for the third book. Still not fully shifting tho.
Cooper is more difficult. But I get him. I get the anxiety and the fears. He and Park talked about anything and everything, constantly dancing around the thing they actually wanted to talk about. Coop took baby steps. I wanted to hurry him along but these things need to be taken at one’s own pace. And Park, ever patient bless him, never failed to let him know he will be there every step of the way.
So here I am at the edge of my seat, on high alert for any tiny gesture or small words that spoke volumes of how they really felt. Until they finally took the plunge and it was all very ♡✧。(◍＞◡＜◍ ⋈ )。✧♡!!! (And in keeping with the character of the series, they joked about that moment later on too).
Like most book twos, The Wolf At Bay is a transition to the next installment but there’s so much more to it. It’s a story about coming to terms with the past and the present. Also a cleverly written mystery and just cleverly written overall. There were major strides in character development, romance and family relationships. The dialogues were sharper and wittier than ever.
The case was a really good one. I was completely in the dark until the end. It was complex and multi-layered, unearthing not only a literal skeleton but many other skeletons of the Dayton family and the rest of the neighborhood. It made you question, how well do you really know the people you grew up with?
This dreaded hometown visit was a long time coming. It took Park, and us, on an awkward tour of Cooper’s childhood. Coop had to confront childhood monsters, adolescent crushes and his own brother and father. There were ghosts that needed to be exorcised. The air (desperately) needed to be cleared. Everything eventually tied in with the werewolf business and it only got messier. Yikes!
All in all, The Wolf At Bay is a great second book. I loved it better than the first.
P.S.
Big Bad Wolf should be read in order. Book one, The Wolf At The Door here.
Other paranormal/shifter series you might be interested in:
Flesh And Bone
Hexworld
Soulbound
Green CreekRating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: I Love You
Artist: Under The Influence Of Giants
Album: Under The Influence Of Giants. -
REVIEW: Bleed by Joel Abernathy
Flesh And Bone: Bleed – Joel Abernathy
Vengeance.
My purpose, carved deeper into my soul than their names carved in my flesh.
Dominic.
The man who took everything from me, my own personal devil in shifting flesh.
Ursache.
My pack. The high-born family of wolves I’ve sworn my life to protect, even if my dying breath is pledged to another.
Mason…
My everything. Friend, confidant, enemy, lover. Most dangerous of all, he would become the reason I lived if I let him. He is the one thing I won’t allow Dominic to take from me. Love is not a luxury I can afford, but the sweetness of revenge has nothing on the taste of him…
I knew I would like this so much better than the first book!
If ever there was a time to use the expression “my heart was ripped to pieces“, this is it. Very apt cover there.
First, a fair warning. The MCs were tortured on and off-page, there is implied sexual abuse, transphobia, consensual knife-play, among others.
Also, very, very angsty and emotionally wrenching because circumstances were harsh and brutal but the person who was harshest to Mason was Mason himself.
Bleed picks up on the Ursache pack life 5 years after Exhale. Nicolae and Jack has established their family but Mason still felt like the perpetual outsider. He was constantly out of the loop and has yet to earn his father’s respect despite being his second after so many years. His relationship with his father was strained and antagonistic because Nicolae couldn’t spare him the affection he showed his other children. Here again, the Ursache Alpha made himself unlikable until the last part where they had the talk.
Like most Ursache, Mason is arrogant, authoritative and excelled at many things. And just like his father, at first, second and third glances, he’s a hard to man to like. Witness book one, where even the usually nice Jack called him The Prick (in fairness to Jack that was before he knew his stepson). Though nobody could deny he would do anything for his pack. What nobody knows is that he is secretly in love with his bestfriend Vasil. Secret because mating between two male alphas is frowned upon by the very traditional wolf society. What they also don’t know (and what I sensed from the get go because with a dad like Nicolae) is that Mason needs a hug. Like yesterday.
Vasil is the Ursache pack enforcer waiting for his date with the devil. It was 15 years ago, when he was a young soldier in a pack war and was caught and tortured by a mysterious sadistic psycho named Dominic, who killed his entire family. He was rescued by Nicolae and since then, he’s biding his time when he could finally have his revenge.
Unlike Mason, Vasil is well-liked by all. He is a genial fellow, a very tough soldier, a skilled fighter and trusted bodyguard. He is a loyal friend, confidant, rival and Mason’s second in the pack. The two men have been friends since childhood.
Vasil never entirely got over the nightmare and felt like he would never be whole again. He has his dark secrets which were indeed fucked up given what he had gone through but that’s the way they are, him and Mason.
“Creepy and kind of fucked, but…sweet.”
I grinned. “Is there any other way to describe our relationship?”
“Probably not,”
Hugging them both. (つˆ⌣ˆ)つ⊂(・﹏ # ⊂) ⊂(・﹏・⊂)
Bleed is almost epic in its scale. It is a story of vengeance, betrayal, family, love, friendship, responsibilities and loyalty. It is a well-conceived, well-executed friends-to-lovers romance told in both Mason and Vasil’s POV where the internal dialogues were raw and pain was a tangible presence permeating everything. And that was before actual pain was inflicted.
Bad enough that their relationship was up in the air. Worse that Mason had to sacrifice his personal happiness to save his stepsister, Ellie, and the pack. The devil came calling for Vasil, who was all ready to kill or be killed because he had nothing to lose. That’s what he thought. He was dead wrong.
The story then proceeded to earn its horror tag. Not just with one but two monsters! And it went on for months! If I thought Jack had the raw end of the deal before, fate was just downright cruel this time.
ノಥ,_｣ಥ)ノ彡┻━┻
The story didn’t end with the rescue. There was the aftermath to deal with. Battered bodies to patch up and a lifetime of scars bear.
But speaking of health concerns, how are they having sex in the shower when one is fresh out of surgery and no longer has the wolf healing ability?
That boggled me slightly but who cares. This has one of the hardest earned HEAs I’ve ever read and the boys can take whatever happiness they can get.
P.S.
Bleed is not a standalone. Flesh and Bone should be read in order. Exhale review here.
Other paranormal/shifter series you might be interested in:
Big Bad Wolf
Hexworld
Soulbound
Green CreekRating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Scars
Artist: IAMX
Album: Everything Is Burning (Metanoia Addendum) -
REVIEW: All Souls Near & Nigh by Hailey Turner
Soulbound: All Souls Near & Nigh – Hailey Turner
You can’t bargain with death if you’ve already sold your soul.
Special Agent Patrick Collins has been reassigned by the Supernatural Operations Agency to New York City. Navigating his new relationship with Jonothon de Vere, the werewolf he’s now soulbound to, is nothing compared to dealing with territorial disputes between the vampires and werecreatures who call the five boroughs home. But the delicate treaties that have kept the preternatural world in check are fraying at the edges, and the fallout is spilling into the mundane world.
Manhattan’s club scene is overrun with the vampire drug known as shine and the subways have become a dumping ground for bodies. When the dead are revealed as missing werecreatures, Patrick and Jono find themselves entangled in pack politics twisted by vampire machinations.
Learning to trust each other comes with problems for both of them, and the gods with a stake in Patrick’s soul debt aren’t finished with him yet. Bound by promises they can’t break, Patrick and Jono must find a way to survive a threat that takes no prisoners and is stalking them relentlessly through the city streets.
Old and new betrayals are coming home to roost but the truth—buried in blood—is more poisonous than the lies being spun. Trying to outrun death is a nightmare—one Patrick may never wake up from.
All Souls Near & Nigh is a 104k word m/m urban fantasy with a gay romantic subplot and a HFN ending. It is a direct sequel to A Ferry of Bones & Gold, and reading the first book in the series would be helpful in enjoying this one. Please see the disclaimer at the beginning of the book for content some readers may find triggering.
***Trigger warnings include a character forced to take drugs then later sexually molested and an alternate version of the holocaust.***
I absolutely loved the Soulbound universe Hailey Turner created. It the kind of richly realized, highly immersive world where literally anything’s possible and a typical day goes from morning sex to adopting a dragon to going toe to toe with the Goddess of Death.
All Souls Near & Nigh is the second book. It brought the Aztec pantheon into the scene. Dead were-creatures were found and Patrick was called in to investigate. He and Jono crossed paths with a certain DEA Agent ‘Juan Delgado’ who was really Quetzalcoatl or as Patrick liked to say, ‘Pretzel’. The god revealed that his brother Tezcatlipoca was currently courting Santa Muerte and was using the independent were-creatures as sacrifice. This last part had Jono butting heads with the New York City god pack alphas who were not doing their jobs protecting the were-creatures. And, as if dealing with gods weren’t bad enough, Lucien, the master vampire, was calling in Patrick’s debt by demanding he helped him take over the Manhanttan night court. In the midst of it all was a teenage dragon who can’t stop eating.
One of Patrick’s defining features was his inability to say no which time and time again entangled him in one dangerous scheme after another. He rushes head first into a situation, rarely pauses to think or ask for help and all too often ready to sacrifice himself to save others. Good thing Jono’s got his back. The god pack alpha was always there to pick him up and patch him up and the mage is now allowing himself to rely on the werewolf. Pat’s learning to trust. Attaboy!
A major part of the story was Jono’s character development as he confronted the NY god pack alphas and his own pack grew. I loved how he’s so loyal, caring and reliable. He came through for Pat and their pack every single time. Very much looking forward to seeing him unleash Fenrir, hopefully in book 3. Time to own it, Jono!
In this installment, we get a lot of Jono’s POV and I enjoyed seeing their relationship progressed through his eyes. There were a gazillion other things going on but Patrick and Jono’s tender moments when they came were subtle and sweet. As I said before, I really liked how the romantic subplot was done. It was beautiful and memorable without taking over the entire story.
Like in the first book, A Ferry Of Bones & Gold, the second book has magic up the wazoo, which is how it should be done if you have a book filled to the brim with magic users and mythical creatures. It’s a peeve of mine when the books about magic users skimp on the magic, like, a couple of minor spells here and there, a big spell for the grand finale. Also, if the practitioner is a beginner, you have to deal with learning curves. That’s meh. So extra points for the series starting with Patrick already an active mage and quite a powerful one even with his damaged soul so we can expect big bad-ass spells early on.
The book has a huge cast with many recurring characters plus new appearances as well. Even with this many characters, Hailey Turner did a great job making most of them stand out. Though there were still some confusing parts, a glossary was helpfully provided at the end of the book. Also, bits and pieces of information was revealed throughout while making a conscious effort to avoid info-dump. The pacing was fast and the momentum was maintained consistently even with all the numerous need-to-knows. The author was also able to deftly juggle multiple major and minor threads and brought them together in an explosion of magic and blood. All in all, it was an outstanding sequel to an epic series.
All Souls Near & Nigh closed with some loose ends left open for a third book and another dangerous mission for Patrick to risk his life for. Huge changes were afoot. Gods have risen and fallen. The vampire leadership has shifted. The god packs are in a fractious state. The Dominion Sect has stolen a powerful artifact and War is owed her due. Will Patrick and Jono survive what’s coming?
P.S.
Book I, A Ferry Of Bones & Gold here
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Santa Muerte
Artist: Monika Brodka
Album: Clashes -
REVIEW: The Left Hand Of Calvus by Ann Gallagher
Former gladiator Saevius is certain Fortune’s smiling on him when a Pompeiian politician buys him to be his bodyguard. That is until his new master, Laurea Calvus, orders Saevius to discover the gladiator with whom his wife is having a sordid affair. In order to do that, Saevius must return to the arena, training alongside the very men on whom he’s spying. Worse, he’s now under the command of Drusus, a notoriously cruel—and yet strangely intriguing—lanista.
But Saevius’s ruse is the least of his worries. There’s more to the affair than a wife humiliating her prominent husband, and now Saevius is part of a dangerous game between dangerous men. He isn’t the only gladiator out to expose the Lady Verina’s transgressions, and her husband wants more than just the guilty man’s name.
When Saevius learns the truth about the affair, he’s left with no choice but to betray a master: one he’s come to fear, one he’s come to respect, and either of whom could have him killed without repercussion.
For the first time in his life, the most dangerous place for this gladiator isn’t the arena.
This novel has been previously published under the pseudonym L.A. Witt, and has been lightly revised.
INTENSE!
The Left Hand of Calvus is an extremely well-written and tightly woven story of a gladiator involved in “a dangerous game between dangerous men” against his will. Authored by Ann Gallagher, also known as L.A. Witt, it oozes USTs without the MC, Saevius, fully understanding what was happening and with nary a sex scene in sight. People might complain about the lack of steam but I am the type who can happily live off USTs alone so this novel is totally my jam.
And it’s not just tension of the sexual kind that is tight. There is constant threat to life and limb and Saevius was perpetually walking on razor’s edge. As a gladiator and essentially a slave, he had no choice but do anything his masters tell him to do. He was told to spy on his fellow gladiators both by Calvus and Drusus, albeit for different reasons. A slight misstep could get him killed by either masters and/or his fellow gladiators and he had to survive on fighting skills and wits. As a veteran fighter, Saevius was nothing if not a survivor and I enjoyed seeing him outwit and outlast hostile elements from his first person perspective.
The author did a great job with the historical aspect giving many interesting details about gladiator life in and out of the arena, one of which was that it’s okay for rich married women to bed these fighters but it’s a big no no for them to sleep with a citizen or free man. This fact was cleverly utilized in the story. I also liked how 78 AD Pompeii came alive without overwhelming the reader with tons of info.
The mystery sounds simple but executed with enough suspense and surprises to keep me glued to the book. Calvus suspects his wife was sleeping with somebody from Drusus’ ludus (house), who might or might not be a gladiator, and wants to put an end to the affair to save his reputation. Drusus, on the other hand, wants to find out who might potentially be another Spartacus. With both masters demanding complete loyalty, it was Saevius’ strange attraction to Drusus that tipped the scales.
Seen through the eyes of the gladiator, Drusus was, for the most part, a mystery but damn was he intriguing! He’s cold, cruel, calculating and something else. I totally get why Saevius was drawn to him without actually knowing much about the person. And while the book is not really about romance, the romance kind of sneaks up on you in that delightful slow burn way. Then BAM! came that big twist which I never saw coming. The best part of it all was that Saevius was super cool about the whole thing. What a sweetheart! The only problem with twists like this is that the hashtag is a spoiler so I’m not putting a tag on it.
I haven’t read that many gladiator stories but I think The Left Hand of Calvus is one of the best ones out there. The story is short, gripping and fast-paced. It just grabs you from the start and keeps you enthralled. If you like twisty historical stories about battle-scarred warriors grappling with impossible situations, this one’s for you.
P.S.
Other L.A. Witt books here
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Escape
Artist: 30 Seconds To Mars
Album: This Is War -
REVIEW: Band Sinister by K.J. Charles
Band Sinister – K.J. Charles
Sir Philip Rookwood is the disgrace of the county. He’s a rake and an atheist, and the rumours about his hellfire club, the Murder, can only be spoken in whispers. (Orgies. It’s orgies.)
Guy Frisby and his sister Amanda live in rural seclusion after a family scandal. But when Amanda breaks her leg in a riding accident, she’s forced to recuperate at Rookwood Hall, where Sir Philip is hosting the Murder.
Guy rushes to protect her, but the Murder aren’t what he expects. They’re educated, fascinating people, and the notorious Sir Philip turns out to be charming, kind—and dangerously attractive.
In this private space where anything goes, the longings Guy has stifled all his life are impossible to resist…and so is Philip. But all too soon the rural rumour mill threatens both Guy and Amanda. The innocent country gentleman has lost his heart to the bastard baronet—but does he dare lose his reputation too?
I haven’t read Georgette Heyer but if her works are as fun-tastic as this, I’d gladly read her entire oeuvre.
Band Sinister is KJ Charles “going full Heyer” and there’s lots to love.
First, the characters all stood out, even the secondaries and extras who had minimal page time. She made me curious about all the cast that I started wishing for a book for many of them. Especially Corvin! Give us Corvin’s book, please please please!!! He’s just too good to pass up.
The rake and the virgin trope was executed perfectly! A lot of times, this trope could get rapey so a million points for the big emphasis on consent. I loved Philip Rookwood for being simultaneously a devilish gentleman and golden-hearted rake. Who could resist such combination!
“Let me be frank. I find you intriguing, and extremely appealing, and delightful company, and very much a man who deserves more pleasure in his life. If you’d like to take that pleasure with me, I’d be honoured. If you aren’t so minded, don’t take offence at the offer, and I shan’t at the refusal. And if you decide you’d prefer Corvin, for example, I shall bow out like a gentleman, although I shall probably kick him in the shins at some point from pure envy.”
Certainly not Guy! Who soon discovered there is so much more to their neighbor and his hellfire club than their unspeakable activities. Who was intrigued and curious despite himself. Who found the courage to be honest and go after what he wanted. And who was the best brother any sister could hope for.
Guy and Amanda’s relationship was one of the most enjoyable part of the book. The siblings stuck together no matter what and I’m glad that both of them got their HEA in equally adorable ways.
Needless to say, I love the Murder! I wanted to join the club. A Facebook friend once said, our country is stuck in perma-Victorian times, and although Band Sinister is set in the Regency period, the small town small minded atmosphere is similar to the oppressiveness of Guy and Amanda’s village. A club like the Murder would be like a breath of fresh air. I could totally understand the sense of liberation Guy felt when he was with Philip and his friends.
KJC has always been a great storyteller and her writing was sharp as always. There were many lines that had me chuckling and laughing out loud. Her writing works wonderfully well with Cornell Collins’ narration whose delivery of upper crust sarcasm practically “dripped to the carpet”
Band Sinister is the type of book you could enjoy reading over and over again. It is peopled with characters you’d love to be friends with. It takes well-worn tropes and turn them on their heads, and in doing so gave them polish and edge. I would love more of this sensational world of hellfire clubs, gothic novelists and free-spirited individuals. I would certainly love another rendezvous with our polyamorous gang so more Murder please!
P.S.
Lord Corvin and John Raven also appeared on Wanted, An Author (review here).
KJC books hereRating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Stay Here For A While
Artist: Paper Lions
Album: Trophies -
Review: Falling Sky Duology by L.A. Witt
I didn’t have much expectations when I went into this, other than it’s L.A. Witt. Her specialty is stacking the odds so high it seems impossible for the MCs to be together. Then by some miracle she brings them together in the most delicious way.
In the Falling Sky Duology, betrayal was what kept Liam Lansing and Daniel Harding apart. The need to survive and change the world was what bought them together. Everything in between was bullets, explosions, death-defying heights and one father hell-bent on having his son killed.
The books are a seamless blend of action, sci-fi and paranormal. They’re a great example of unputdownable reads that hit the ground running full speed. It’s pretty much guaranteed you’ll be picking up that second book right after the first.
1. A Chip In His Shoulder – L.A. Wit
“Contract killer” is a fitting job for a vampire, and it suits Liam just fine. Cast down from the wealth and status of the Sky for taking a human lover, Liam lurks in the poor and pollution-choked Gutter, killing to survive. Between his natural strengths and his Cybernetix mods, no mark has ever escaped him.
Liam’s ex-lover Daniel is the heir to Cybernetix—and its greatest threat. Horrified by people less man than machine and the exploitation of Gutter factory workers, he’d rather destroy Cybernetix than inherit it . . . if his father doesn’t destroy him first.
Years of anger and a heap of mods have kept Daniel and Liam apart. When Liam is hired to slaughter a man in his glass Sky tower, he walks right into a Daniel-shaped trap. Daniel’s father has betrayed them both, and only by working together can Daniel and Liam survive the coming day. They have no reason to trust each other, but as the dawn looms, a bargain that began with the simple urge to live soon reminds them of the love they once shared. Can they find each other again, or will the Cybernetix assassins find them first?
A Chip In His Shoulder is told from Liam’s POV. He receives a call from Daniel’s father contracting him to kill his son. Liam does not want to pass up on the opportunity to kill the ex-lover who betrayed him so he said yes.
The thing is, the blurb for the first book is spoiler-ish. I’m glad I went into this blind so the twists were quite effective. Obviously, had I known about the set-up beforehand I would have different expectations but I would still be curious how L.A. Witt would make it work since we all know Liam and Daniel would get back together again. It wouldn’t be MM if they didn’t.
I loved how she did it!
There was a standoff and words were exchanged.
“Oh, fuck you Daniel. Why don’t you come down off your goddamned high horse for a minute. I mean, do you have any idea what it’s like to be in hell and hold that person who fucked you over might give enough of a shit to at least try to save you?”
“Probably feels a lot like finding out the man you still love is willing to fucking kill you.”
Bam! Crackle and zing all over the place!
And then Daniel shot Liam.
Thankfully, it’s didn’t end there. More shots were fired, a heart pounding car chase and suddenly Daniel found himself somewhere he thought he would never be.
This is a short book so things happened fast. The tension was tight from the get go and the suspense never let up. The world building flowed smoothly along with the action with just the right amount of details to feel complete and build the foundations for the next book. I was completely hooked on the story. Daniel and Liam’s second chance romance was a beautiful thing to witness and they’re now up there on my fave couples list.
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Falling Sky
Artist: Red
Album: Of Beauty And Rage
2. Something New Under The Sun – L.A. Witt
Liam Lansing is heir to a prominent family of bio-modified vampires. That is, until he chooses the wrong lover and is cast down to the Gutter to scrape for his life.
Daniel Harding is heir to Cybernetix and a prince of the corporate Sky. That is, until his ideology drives his father to put a price on his head, forcing him into the Gutter.
But Daniel and Liam won’t vanish meekly into the smog. Together, they plan to rip open the hidden corruption that runs the Sky—for vengeance, for justice, and for hope. They strike against the corporations in a daring raid. When everything goes wrong, Daniel must betray his core beliefs to save the man he loves and protect his dangerous secret. Only through courage in the face of death—or worse—might he and Liam change the world they live in and create something new under the sun.
Something New Under The Sun continues Liam and Daniel’s struggle to take down Daniel’s evil father. It picks up 24 hours after the events of the first book. Liam takes Daniel to meet his friend, Gizmo, the tech genius who gives him his mods and Daniel takes Liam to meet other members of his anti-mod movement, Venus and Felix. With their help they plan a strategy to obtain the UV mod and other evidence of Cybernetix’s corrupt practices.
The UV mod is something that can give vampires immunity to sunlight. The company is withholding its release in order to get more research funding from the vampires. They are also creating a virus that is harmful to vampires and then plan to create a solution to a problem they invented. All of these to bleed vampire wallets dry.
There is also the problem of unethical working conditions of workers from the Gutter who work in mod factories that the anti-mod movement wanted to stop. Since Cybernetix is one of the biggest tech factories, taking them down is the way to go.
This was as thrilling as the first book, perhaps even more so. The stakes are higher, the couple will need to infiltrate the company headquarters. They needed to sneak into Cybernetix not just once but a couple more times. First to steal the UV mod, second to get a passcode and third to rescue a hostage close to Daniel’s heart. It was one heart pounding moment after another and the close calls were too damn close.
I loved that this is written in Daniel’s POV because we can see how badass and cocky Liam really is. Daniel, who has fear of heights, struggled to keep up, but he came through 101% when Liam needed his help.
This was almost non-stop action from start to finish so their downtime was even more precious. I usually skip sex scenes but Liam and Daniel’s moments were short but beautifully written and you can really see their love for each other shining though. I like that their romance was compelling but didn’t take over the story.
Like most LAW stories, it felt like our MCs would never get peace, much less an HEA with all the explosions and mayhem she threw their way. But Liam and Daniel were nothing if not resilient and they manage to claw their way into a position that can bring Cybernetix down. It was one hell of a fight and the peace that followed made it all worth it.
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Begin The Begin
Artist: R.E.M.
Album: Life’s Rich Pageant -
REVIEW: Only The Devil Knows by Katze Snow & Tiegan Clyne
Criminal Delights: Serial Killers: Only The Devil Know – Katze Snow & Tiegan Clyne
My name is Max, but people call me The London Whipper. I’ve been silent for many years. Now I’m ready to make my final move.
Only The Devil Knows follows the people trapped within my web of lies:
Nathaniel Harris, a psychologist who works with the criminally insane.
Genevieve Knight, the Chief Inspector determined to find me once and for all.
Wyatt Pearson, the beautiful boy who believes I’m a hero instead of a cold-blooded murderer.
Each of these people has one thing in common—they all want me. But what happens when my whip tangles around them and distorts everything they believe to be true?
I’ve kept my identity under wraps… until now. It’s time to show the public what I’ve been working on. After all, what’s a serial killer if he doesn’t have some artistic flair and his favourite boy at his side?
This book is part of CRIMINAL DELIGHTS. Each novel can be read as a standalone and contains a dark M/M romance.
Warning: These books are for adult readers who enjoy stories where lines between right and wrong get blurry. High heat, twisted and tantalizing, these are not for the fainthearted.As far as the Criminal Delights series goes, the first two books, Wrong Way Home and Devil Next Door, still lean towards the ‘light’ part of the spectrum. The third book, Only The Devil Knows is DARK AS FUCK, it’s happy end reserved only for the our beloved sickos who used it to bring their game to the next level. The rest of humanity will have to settle for cringing like mangy dogs waiting for that crack of the whip.
There are four POVs and I totally love diving into the heads of Max, Wyatt, Gen and Nathaniel. The alternating POVs were very effective in creating that suspenseful build-up to the big twist. There were major hints dropped here and there and the moment when it came was (pun intended) insanely delicious.
Max, the Master and Wyatt’s beloved Sir. He is an artist at heart, creating beautiful paintings from the blood of his victims. He is brutal, sadistic and completely in control. With that mysterious charisma all serial killers seem to have, you will find yourself drawn to him against your better judgement.
Wyatt, Max’s Boy, is a pure masochist, reveling in the Master’s dominance of him. He is super loyal and willing to play any game The Whipper comes up with. And as he proudly announced, his crazy matches the Master’s crazy.
Gen is the chief inspector who has been frustratingly investigating The London Whipper case for 20 year with hardly any leads. In any other book, she would have come out the hero and I wanted her to be so but then this is not that book. I felt really sorry for her. Bring back up next time, Gen.
Nathaniel is the very prim and proper psychiatrist working in a mental health institution. He has a troubled childhood and a domineering father who constantly tells him he is no good. As a result, he keeps his attraction to his fellow colleague under wraps because he was too cowardly to ask him out. He was completely shaken when he found himself responding to Wyatt, who propositioned him. He tried really hard to stay in control but it was a losing battle really.
Monstrous and bloodthirsty as they are, I found myself rooting for Max and Wyatt. The Nathaniel+Wyatt angle was equally compelling too but I think that would leave Wyatt unsatisfied. Nathaniel is too nice. I like him though so Wyatt could go either way or both.
Those who love the more extreme side of sex will find BDSM elements in full play alongside real torture, death and art. It is as graphic and disturbing as it can get, nobody was spared. I spared myself the full impact of these depravities by skimming the scenes. Chicken shit, I know.
Some niggles:
First, the book was set in London so I wished it had a more British feel to it. I hardly felt the place, it could have been anywhere in the US. Also,the writing had a more American/international English feel to it, I would have preferred more slangs and colloquialism. Maybe somewhere along the lines of the Constable Peter Grant novels. But that’s just me.
Felter’s part was unecessary. It gave an extra dose of horror to the proceedings but then his part could have been done by either Wyatt or Max.
Max is really not as careful as the book made him out to be. How is he not caught already? But do we want him caught?
Obviously, these niggles hardly matter because Only The Devil Knows was as good as advertised. This is a fun book that I recommend for those into fucked-up stories about fucked up people.
P.S.
Check out other books in the Criminal Delights series:
Wrong Way Home by K.A. Merikan (review here)
Devil Next Door by Alex Jane (review here)Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Discipline
Artist: Nine Inch Nails
Album: The Slip -
REVIEW: Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
In 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write. At the time, it was the only thing e felt comfortable with strangers knowing about em. Now, Gender Queer is here. Maia’s intensely cathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity, which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes, grappling with how to come out to family and society, bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction, and facing the trauma and fundamental violation of pap smears. Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Gender Queer is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity–what it means and how to think about it–for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere.
I learned the term asexual sometime in 2015 and more recently, gender queer. It wasn’t earth shattering or life-changing. It was more like something clicking into place with the knowledge that that disinterested state you have known all this time has a name. If this graphic novel was released much earlier, that light bulb moment would have come sooner too.
In my country, the term gender queer is relatively unknown. If you are not hetero, it’s either you are a gay or lesbian. People confuse gay with trans, even the gay guys themselves almost always have the idea that being gay means becoming or acting like a woman. Those who prefer to act masculine are referred to with derision as ‘pretending to be a man’ or ‘not a real man’. Lesbians were also expected to be butch and lipstick lesbians are not common. Much of my experience with gender queers are those born biologically male and would be automatically tagged as gay. Maia Kobabe would be tagged as lesbian and it would take a very lengthy explanation to make people understand. There are no guarantees they will.
This memoir will help open minds. It explores gender identity and self. It also talks about love and family and how having a sibling who just gets you could make all the difference in the world. It chronicles the difficulties and horrors a gender queer person goes through. It is raw and very honest, sometimes painfully so but always with a touch of humor and optimism. In itself, it is a highly enjoyable graphic novel with interesting illustrations and has an ending that leaves an opening for a sequel just in case.
I highly recommend this to everybody.
P.S.
I received a copy of Gender Queer: A Memoir from Lion Forge via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
Artist: David Bowie
Album: Pin Ups
