Never Hollowed By The Stare

boys love manga | MM romance | indie music | giveaways and more

Never Hollowed By The Stare
  • Home
  • REVIEWS+RECS
    • MANGA
    • BOOK REVIEW
    • SOUNDTRACK
    • QUOTE
    • TRAILER
    • 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
    • ABOUT + RATINGS
    • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • Policy + Contact
  • Home
  • REVIEWS+RECS
    • MANGA
    • BOOK REVIEW
    • SOUNDTRACK
    • QUOTE
    • TRAILER
    • 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
    • ABOUT + RATINGS
    • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • Policy + Contact

Archives

  • May 2025 (47)
  • April 2025 (71)
  • March 2025 (83)
  • February 2025 (72)
  • January 2025 (75)
  • December 2024 (90)
  • November 2024 (82)
  • October 2024 (96)
  • September 2024 (71)
  • August 2024 (99)
  • July 2024 (96)
  • June 2024 (94)
  • May 2024 (94)
  • April 2024 (93)
  • March 2024 (100)
  • February 2024 (94)
  • January 2024 (85)
  • December 2023 (85)
  • November 2023 (84)
  • October 2023 (97)
  • September 2023 (93)
  • August 2023 (100)
  • July 2023 (100)
  • June 2023 (97)
  • May 2023 (100)
  • April 2023 (76)
  • March 2023 (106)
  • February 2023 (104)
  • January 2023 (109)
  • December 2022 (118)
  • November 2022 (128)
  • October 2022 (122)
  • September 2022 (107)
  • August 2022 (118)
  • July 2022 (104)
  • June 2022 (112)
  • May 2022 (114)
  • April 2022 (61)
  • March 2022 (115)
  • February 2022 (88)
  • January 2022 (92)
  • December 2021 (90)
  • November 2021 (114)
  • October 2021 (118)
  • September 2021 (127)
  • August 2021 (84)
  • July 2021 (114)
  • June 2021 (113)
  • May 2021 (119)
  • April 2021 (112)
  • March 2021 (122)
  • February 2021 (101)
  • January 2021 (90)
  • December 2020 (121)
  • November 2020 (127)
  • October 2020 (129)
  • September 2020 (120)
  • August 2020 (131)
  • July 2020 (131)
  • June 2020 (138)
  • May 2020 (118)
  • April 2020 (109)
  • March 2020 (105)
  • February 2020 (99)
  • January 2020 (111)
  • December 2019 (112)
  • November 2019 (94)
  • October 2019 (74)
  • September 2019 (54)
  • August 2019 (51)
  • July 2019 (54)
  • June 2019 (47)
  • May 2019 (43)
  • April 2019 (53)
  • March 2019 (41)
  • February 2019 (41)
  • January 2019 (47)
  • December 2018 (52)
  • November 2018 (51)
  • October 2018 (56)
  • September 2018 (61)
  • August 2018 (55)
  • July 2018 (59)
  • June 2018 (90)
  • May 2018 (60)
  • April 2018 (60)
  • March 2018 (57)
  • February 2018 (51)
  • January 2018 (50)
  • December 2017 (45)
  • November 2017 (50)
  • October 2017 (52)
  • September 2017 (35)
  • August 2017 (50)
  • July 2017 (12)
  • June 2017 (12)
  • May 2017 (21)
  • April 2017 (87)
  • March 2017 (16)
  • January 2017 (5)
  • December 2016 (4)
  • November 2016 (25)
  • October 2014 (67)
  • September 2014 (109)
  • July 2011 (7)
  • June 2011 (14)
  • May 2011 (77)
  • April 2011 (25)
  • March 2011 (5)
  • Uncategorized

    SERIES TOUR: Apocrypha of the Knight ShamansĀ series by R. Roderick Rowe (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    April 17, 2025 / No Comments
    Read More
    neverhollowed

    You May Also Like

    RELEASE BLITZ: Eight Months Without You by Nell Iris (Excerpt)

    November 14, 2022

    SERIES STUFF: Series I Dropped.

    May 2, 2020

    LAST YEAR I WAS READING…(November 17, 2021)

    November 17, 2021
  • Uncategorized

    NEW RELEASE: Divided Road by Anne Barwell (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    October 29, 2024 / No Comments
    Read More
    neverhollowed

    You May Also Like

    BOOK BLITZ: Take Me With You by Michael Roberts (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    June 17, 2023

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Blood Which Burns by B.L. Jones (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    May 7, 2025

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Like Father, Like Son by Quin Perin (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    March 21, 2020
  • Uncategorized

    RELEASE BLITZ: Snow Angels In The Dust by Kristoffer Gair (Excerpt)

    August 27, 2024 / No Comments
    Read More
    neverhollowed

    You May Also Like

    QUOTES FROM MY FAVORITE BOOKS

    March 23, 2021

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: The Couple Next Door (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    September 16, 2020

    LAST YEAR I WAS READING…(February 24, 2021)

    February 24, 2021
  • Uncategorized

    COVER REVEAL: Worthy Promises by Jessamyn Kingley (Excerpt)

    March 21, 2024 / No Comments
    Read More
    neverhollowed

    You May Also Like

    BLOG TOUR: The Haunting Crush by Christie Gordon (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    November 3, 2021

    BLOG TOUR: Marriage Is Murder by Aimee Nicole Walker (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    May 9, 2022

    RELEASE BLITZ: The Runner by Thom Collins (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    January 19, 2022
  • Uncategorized

    NEW RELEASE: The Locket’s Tale by R.J. Peterson (Excerpt)

    February 21, 2024 / No Comments
    Read More
    neverhollowed

    You May Also Like

    MUSIC MONDAY: Favourite by Fontaines D.C.

    July 29, 2024

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Getting To Know You by Jennifer M.D. Cox (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    May 30, 2024

    FIRST LINES FRIDAY 56: Got Weird Fast

    September 3, 2020
  • Uncategorized

    BLOG TOUR: Luck Of The Draw by Addison Albright (Excerpt & Giveaway + Q&A with Author)

    July 25, 2023 / No Comments
    Read More
    neverhollowed

    You May Also Like

    COVER REVEAL: Learning Curve by N.R. Walker (Giveaway)

    August 1, 2022

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Diving In Drifting by J. Calamy (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    June 24, 2022

    BOOK BLAST: Public Enemy, Undercover Lover by Amanda Meuwissen (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    June 17, 2020
  • book,  Uncategorized

    REVIEW: The Rycke by Lily Mayne

    June 2, 2023 / 3 Comments

    Monstrous: The Rycke – Lily Mayne

    Life as a raider in the Wastes, where monsters roam and the military lurks, is as easy as it sounds.

    I’ve been out here for a long time, and the fear that courses through my blood every time I have to step outside our camp walls to scavenge never fades. No matter how many monsters you face—and have to run for your life from—it doesn’t ever get easier.

    But when I come across a bound and injured monster in an abandoned military base, I can’t leave him behind. His presence in our camp is causing tension, but I can’t bring myself to care when I get to see a different side to him—when he starts to show me who he is, beneath the pain and lingering trauma.

    But despite his gentle nature, I soon discover why others are so desperate to own him. Why the military, and now this stranger lurking outside our camp, want to put him back in chains and take him away from me.

    There’s something hiding under his skin. Something that threatens to upend my entire life, the one I’ve spent my years carefully protecting out here.

    There’s a reason why all other monsters fear him.

    The Rycke is Book Three of the Monstrous series, a post-apocalyptic m/m fantasy series that features monsters and human men falling in love. It is best to read the series in order. Warning: This m/m love story contains explicit sexual content and is not suitable for young readers. It also contains graphic depictions of torture and violence, and deals with PTSD.


    I wish I read this series sooner because three book in, it’s pretty obvious Monstrous is one of the best MM fantasy series out there! The books should be read in order because each monster/human couple has been a delight so far.

    The series is set in post-apocalyptic America, where twenty years ago, a rift allowed monsters to come to earth. The only safe places for humans were the coastlines. The military controlled everything, and those who disobeyed were left to die in the Wastes. However, some chose to live there. Raiders built isolated camps, wore masks and used code names so the military couldn’t identify them.

    The third book, The Rycke, is told from the POV of Gage, raider name: Ghost. He and his best friend, Rig, were scavenging through the wrecked army base from Book 1, Soul Eater. They found a chained, injured monster, Aury, who they quickly set free and took their raider camp to heal. To their surprise, Aury is the rycke, a monster so fearsome that even his fellow monsters avoid him.

    It was hard to believe because Aury has such a gentle, shy nature. How this kind-hearted, soft-spoken individual turned into a maelstrom of death and destruction was one of the most jaw-dropping scenes in the entire series!

    The writing brilliantly lulled me with its fluffy, angst-tinged romantic development akin to the swooniest YA romance. We learned more about the other denizens of the Wastes, the raiders, a mysterious woman with monsters for pets, a rare monster-human hybrid and asshole extraordinaire named Moth who has his own book, and another enigmatic but deadly character named Lilac whose book I’m super excited to read.

    Gage is the camp scout, always tasked to make forays to many dangerous places to scavenge or find clues to the whereabout of the camp’s other leader, Cat, who is missing. He hates doing this but feels it’s the only way to make himself useful. It led to antagonistic encounters with the camp’s other leader Anchor, and another nay-saying raider, Cutter.

    In one of these missions, Aury snapped! And holy shit, it was beast-mode gone nuclear!

    This forced Gage to make life-altering decisions. These were also some of the most heartbreaking scenes where Gage learned how much of a martyr ryckes actually are. Aury and Gage’s story was intensely emotional, and narrator Michael Lesley wrung every emotion out of those scenes. I found myself holding my breath through these pivotal moments. Nearly cried at the part where beast Aury was trying to say Gage’s name.

    This book would have been a 5, but the separation scene in the last parts didn’t make much sense to me given that they quickly reunited just because Moth took it upon himself to fetch Aury. The ending was also bittersweet and not as satisfying as, say, Wyn, the Soul Eater making it his mission to have his human, Danny, be with him forever (from Wyn the novella).

    The Rycke is another brilliant monster romance. A story of self-sacrifice, friendship, and survival sweeping me away in a whirlwind of tears and feels!

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

    Soundtrack: Black Moon
    Artist: Greg Dully
    Album: Random Desire

    P.S.

    Meet the other monster+human couples in Soul Eater and Edin.


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

    SOUL EATER: Kindle | Audiobook
    EDIN: Kindle | Audiobook
    THE RYCKE: Kindle | 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!

    Read More
    neverhollowed

    You May Also Like

    FLICKer: After Love

    March 7, 2024

    RELEASE BLITZ: Restitution by Rebecca Cohen (Giveaway)

    December 4, 2021

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Racing Hearts by Alex Winters (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    October 27, 2024
  • Uncategorized

    BLOG TOUR: Balancing the Weave by M.W. Lee (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    May 27, 2023 / No Comments
    Read More
    neverhollowed

    You May Also Like

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: V is for Valentine by Thomas Grant Bruso (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    February 11, 2024

    AUDIOBOOK TOUR: Ambiguous by Leslie McAdam

    September 18, 2022

    BOOK TOUR: The Otto Digmore Series by Brent Hartinger (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    January 17, 2020
  • Uncategorized

    BLOG TOUR: Foxy Tails by Natalina Reis (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    May 15, 2023 / 2 Comments
    Read More
    neverhollowed

    You May Also Like

    RELEASE BLITZ: The Honeymoon Gambit by I.M. Flippy (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    August 14, 2020

    NEW RELEASE: Light From The Grave by Sara Dobie Bauer (Excerpt & Giveaway + Q&A with Author)

    October 26, 2023

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Love On The Hudson by KD Fisher (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    September 30, 2019
  • Uncategorized

    NEW RELEASE: Foxy Tails by Natalina Reis (Giveaway)

    April 28, 2023 / No Comments
    Read More
    neverhollowed

    You May Also Like

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: The Drumbeat Of His Heart by M.C. Roth (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    July 25, 2021

    RELEASE BLITZ: Marital Bliss: The Complete Boxset by D.J. Jamison (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    March 23, 2022

    COVER REVEAL: Reigniting Chase by Jeanne St. James

    May 10, 2022
Load More

You can never have too much MM romance or indie music. Welcome and enjoy your stay!

FOLLOW NEVER HOLLOWED BY THE STARE

Follow Never Hollowed By The Stare on WordPress.com

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Follow Me

May 2025
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  
« Apr    

If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links to get a copy of your favorite MM romance & yaoi manga. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.

As a more ethical alternative, you can also use Bookshop.org to buy paperbacks and MP3 CD audiobooks and help support independent bookstores.

Rakuten Kobo UK
Alibris: Books, Music, & Movies

DISCLAIMER

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.

Support This Site

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

Never Hollowed By The Stare Follow

🌈boy's love manga | MM romance | music | giveaways and more 🐾

neverhollowed
neverhollowed Never Hollowed By The Stare @neverhollowed ·
15 May

FLICKer: Orange Cheesecake #shortfilm

Joe is invited for dinner but throughout the night tensions rise as his dad’s true intentions are revealed…

Reply on Twitter 1923084163512430862 Retweet on Twitter 1923084163512430862 Like on Twitter 1923084163512430862 Twitter 1923084163512430862
neverhollowed Never Hollowed By The Stare @neverhollowed ·
15 May

COVER REVEAL: Wicked Games by Willow Dixon (Excerpt & #Giveaway)



https://neverhollowed.com/2025/05/15/cover-reveal-wicked-games-by-willow-dixon-excerpt-giveaway/

Reply on Twitter 1923083811316756815 Retweet on Twitter 1923083811316756815 Like on Twitter 1923083811316756815 Twitter 1923083811316756815
neverhollowed Never Hollowed By The Stare @neverhollowed ·
15 May

RELEASE BLITZ: Imry, Avory and Ellory by Crea Reitan



https://neverhollowed.com/2025/05/15/release-blitz-imry-avory-and-ellory-by-crea-reitan/

Reply on Twitter 1923083384839917781 Retweet on Twitter 1923083384839917781 Like on Twitter 1923083384839917781 Twitter 1923083384839917781
neverhollowed Never Hollowed By The Stare @neverhollowed ·
15 May

Neither Richard nor Lucas want a relationship despite their attraction, but destiny already has them in her sights.

NEW RELEASE: Charmed by Destiny by Jessamyn Kingley (Excerpt)



https://neverhollowed.com/2025/05/15/new-release-charmed-by-destiny-by-jessamyn-kingley-excerpt/

Reply on Twitter 1923082955838152838 Retweet on Twitter 1923082955838152838 Like on Twitter 1923082955838152838 Twitter 1923082955838152838
Load More
Rakuten Kobo UK
SEARCH NOW:
by title
by author
2025©Never Hollowed By The Stare