-
REVIEW: Blaze by Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott
Unbreakable Bonds: Blaze – Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott
The rings have been selected.
The champagne placed on ice.
The cake decorated.
And the pre-wedding sex is off the charts…
Lucas Vallois and Andrei Hadeon are finally ready to walk down the aisle. There’s just one small problem.
A ghost from Lucas’s past shows up days before the wedding, desperate for help. Against his better judgement, Lucas and his best friend, Ashton Frost, plan a fast trip back to the one place they swore they’d never go: their hometown in Oklahoma. But the danger is worse than they expected.
Now, they’re in a race to track down a killer, keep a young girl safe, and get Lucas back in time to say, “I do.”
Unbreakable Bonds is centered around four men who have deep connections with each other. Lucas Vallois, the alpha and the center who holds everything together. Ashton ‘Snow’ Frost, dark and brooding, is a trauma surgeon and the one Lucas considers his brother. Rowan ‘Rowe’ Ward, laid back and goofy, they met him during basic military training. He is their warrior. Their heart is Ian Pierce, a talented chef. He’s adorable, the type you want to put in your pocket to keep safe. Well, I want to put them all in my pocket really. I love these guys! ♡
Blaze is Lucas and Andrei keeping the passion burning bright.
Book 5 found the couple neck-deep in wedding preparations when Lucas’s estranged sister walked into his life again asking for help. Her daughter was missing. Despite not wanting to do anything with the hometown and the family who spit him out, Lucas had to help. His bestfriend Snow, had to go with him because Snow will not let Lucas face his dark past alone. This even if, Snow himself had an even shittier, more traumatic memories of their town.
One of the best parts of this series is Snow and Lucas’s relationship. The authors could have easily turned it into a friends-to-lovers story and a super intense one at that. Instead, they did something better.
They gave Snow and Lucas something unique and infinitely more precious. An unconditional love that has nothing to do with romance, sex or blood ties. It simply existed between them since they were seven.
The two were practically joined at hip and nothing could go between them. Not even that one time Snow was in a really bad state and Lucas was forced to have sex with him (Snow was wracked with guilt afterwards and the two never did it again). They were frequently mistaken as a couple. They don’t care and had remained steadfast always. I haven’t really encountered such kind of bond in other MM books before, and a platonic, non-shifter one at that. That’s why their friendship is important to me.
Lucas and Andrei’s relationship is different but equally important. Lucas’s whole world were his friends, Snow, Rowe and Ian. Andrei is his center. Everyone loved Andrei because, aside from being a genuinely lovable person overall, he was the best thing to happened to Lucas. He made the billionaire a much happier man.
We also get to see the boys play with duct tape and weird codenames because Rowe and his boyfriend Noah had to be in on the action or else it’s a not a party. And by that, they staked out the bad guys, recorded their evil deeds and things went boom! This is why Rowe and Noah are the best.
Meanwhile, Ian was going crazy organizing the wedding because Lucas and Andrei kept making changes. The biggest hitch of all was that none of the wedding party were in the right city, or even the right state, couple of days before the wedding.
Thing is I sat on this book for months because I was struggling to finish it. I was more into the characters than the plot. My love for the Unbreakable boys was the main driving force in helping me finish this because in all honesty, I really didn’t care much about what happened to Lucas’s niece. Once I got past this point, the story picked up.
The book gave Snow and Lucas some much needed closure. Their families were horrid homophobic people who don’t have redeeming values. Only Lucas’ sister and niece were okay people who had accepted Lucas for who he is.
Normally, I finish a book first before choosing a song for it. When I first heard Lukas Batteau’s catchy ballad on the Dutch internet radio station, Indiexl.nl last year, I knew it would be perfect for the Unbreakable Bonds series. I’ve been dying to use it specifically for this book.
Blaze gave us all the things we have come to love about the series and more: the hilarious banters, the OTT action, the squee-tastic romances, the enduring connections between a memorable group of friends who were always there for each other no matter what. And we have now the official union of two important characters.
The Unbreakable family just got bigger and stronger. A mighty alliance indeed.
P.S
Unbreakable Bonds is best experience in sequence. Meet the boys and fall in love. Review of Unbreakable Bonds books here
Review of Jocelynn Drake books here.Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: A Mighty Alliance
Artist: Lukas Batteau
Album: Slow Traveler
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to get your copy of Unbreakable Bonds. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
8-book bundle -
BLOG TOUR: Prancing Of A Papillon by Tara Lain (Excerpt & Giveaway)
-
RELEASE BLITZ: Prancing of a Papillon by Tara Lain (Excerpt & Giveaway)
-
REVIEW: Other Than Honorable by Parker St. John
Cabrini Law: Other Than Honorable – Parker St. John
Revenge is a risky business… but nothing is more dangerous than love.
No one would suspect the hell Matthew Ballard has lived through, least of all the green-eyed Marine sent to protect him. Matt is playing a long con against a dangerous foe. He can’t afford the distraction of a bodyguard with his own pile of issues… no matter how desperately he secretly craves the feel of his rough hands.
When J.D. Reese lost the Marine Corps, he lost the only home he ever knew. Discharged and adrift, he can’t afford to refuse a job protecting the spoiled heir of an embattled energy corporation. His young charge is cunning, arrogant, and infuriating… and Reese wants him more than his next breath.
Can two hard-as-nails men surrender to each other when the fight is all they’ve ever known?
It didn’t unseat Murder Aforethought as my favorite but Other Than Honorable is a decent follow up to the second book. It’s a story about being yourself and following your dreams. It’s also about letting yourself move on from the past and living the life you deserve.
J.D. Reese was introduced in book 2 as Val’s former captain and bestfriend. He provided backup when Val and Maks were in trouble with the mob.
Reese reminded people of Steve Rogers. He has a laidback personality and an easy grin. You’d think he’s all Southern charm and Texas drawl when in fact he’s fighting his own demons. Which he does by drinking himself to oblivion.
He supports himself by doing odd jobs as a bodyguard of sorts. He’s been living in a roach motel for months. His friends decided to stage an intervention and directs him to a bodyguard gig protecting a controversial billionaire.
Matthew Ballard could have been Bruce Wayne had he taken his considerable MMA fighting skills to the streets. Instead, he’s in the closet, stuck doing a job he hated and slowly putting his plan for revenge into action. All the while suffocating under his homophobic father’s thumb.
The two came from vastly different backgrounds but as we delve deeper into the story, we see that both men dealt with similar issues. They recognized the other’s innate goodness each of them don’t want the world to know. Reese because he’s wracked with guilt at the death of his military brothers under his command. Matt because he thinks being seen as good is a weakness.
As with all the characters in the series, Reese and Matt were complex, nuanced characters who felt real. Their romance was slow-burn which is always a plus. They were drawn towards each other naturally although on the whole, it lacked the zing that was present in Val and Maks.
I was also expecting more for the conclusion of Matt’s grand revenge scheme. It was what a good person would do but I couldn’t help feeling let down especially after what he had gone through and the time it took to bring the whole thing into fruition. And because I hated his cold bastard of a father, too.
The book did a good job setting up Miguel’s story, which is next. You could feel the tension between him and Detective Ray Travis a mile away. The detective was investigating the threats to Matt’s and/or Reese’s life. Miguel was backing Reese up as a lawyer and as a friend.
I loved how the rest of the Cabrini gang came together to support Reese when he was sued by the family of one of the dead soldiers. There was an oh so brief glimpse of Alexander Cabrini. I had a feeling he’s going to give Maks a run for his money on my favorites list. Alas, his book ,#6, is still far away a.k.a. not yet written. Please come sooner, please!
The story came together in a suspenseful climax where we get to see Matt doing badass things. I liked that he was the one who gets to do this rather than his ex-military boyfriend.
When he finally came out, you can feel the lightness he felt after carrying that much baggage for so long. He was out about his sexuality, out of the office he hated, out in the ring beating the crap out of his opponent because he can finally fight as a pro. He was positively radiant.
Reese freed himself and lived his life with Matt.
They’re not looking back.
Attaboys!
P.S.
Other Than Honorable is best read after the first two books. There are many recurring characters and references to previous events. This series has been a treat. It’s always a delight to catch up with these justice league of lawyers. Read reviews here and find out why.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: New World
Artist: The Irrepressibles
Album: Nude -
COVER REVEAL: Prancing of a Papillon (Excerpt)
-
REVIEW: The Bodyguard Book 1 by X. Aratare
The Artifact: The Bodyguard Book 1 – X. Aratare
Dane Gareis is a wealthy, reclusive young man with a traumatic past, but a spine of steel. When his father is killed in a mysterious plane crash, Dane carries on the family business and continues his passion for the very antiquity that got his father murdered — a golden sarcophagus belonging to an ancient cult known as the Ydrath.
Soon, the Ydrath threaten him as well, and Dane seeks to hire a bodyguard he can trust. Someone who can protect him, and someone who will respect his boundaries. While he gets the first two, the third requirement falls apart when he hires Sean Harding.
Sean Harding is an ex-detective with a sixth sense for danger. After his entire unit was murdered in a drug bust gone very wrong, he is a broken man who thinks only of revenge until he takes the job protecting the Gareis CEO.
Sean’s attraction to the vulnerable Dane gives him new purpose, but his past is not escaped so easily, and his sixth sense tells him that there is more to the Ydrath than even Dane knows.
This was 95% fluff, 5% everything else.
By fluff, I both mean things that were designed to make people squee and unsubstantial fillers designed to make a book longer.
I normally enjoyed the author’s brand of fluff. When deployed properly, it could work to spectacular results. Witness: The Vampire’s Club. But here, it overwhelmed the story, leaving little room for an interesting backstory to work its magic.
Book 1 took pains to establish the connection between Dane and Sean but I felt it was too forced. I think the two would have come together more naturally had the book been a longer novel instead of three installments. Giving more page time to the Ydrath and the mysterious ongoings would have made this a stronger start to the serial.
I don’t know yet where this is heading. I’m not sure if there’s enough hook to make me go for the next installment. But this is X. Aratare we’re talking about here so maybe, just maybe I’ll keep at it.
P.S.
X. Aratare books here.
Rating:
2.5 Stars – far from hate but not quite a likeSoundtrack: Will You Touch Me?
Artist: Yoko Ono
Album: Fly -
BOOK TOUR: Dirty Brilliance by Lea Bronsen (Excerpt & Giveaway)
