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REVIEW: Knight in the Shadows by Ali Lyda & Alexa May
Knight in the Shadows – Ali Lyda & Alexa May
Serve the Family at all costs. That’s my purpose in life.
No one asked me if I wanted it.
Now there’s no way out.
And there’s definitely no place for Jake, a do-gooder military vet who sticks his nose in where it doesn’t belong.He thinks he saw darkness in the Army? He hasn’t looked at the depths inside me.
He’d run screaming if he knew.
But he’s made something in our crumbling neighborhood I thought couldn’t exist.
Something I want to be a part of.
Just like I want him. But I have to walk away.
No one betrays the Family and lives.Knight in the Shadows is a full length m/m mafia romance featuring a wounded army vet trying to make the best of his neighborhood and the mafia enforcer with a dark past who never expected to fall in love!
Knight in the Shadows is a book I picked up just because it says mafia on the cover. Ali Lyda & Alexa May are both new to me authors, so I came to this almost blind.
The plot revolves around a community-minded military vet, Jake, whose personal mission is to protect his neighborhood by keeping their community center, his gym, The Elm, from being taken over by the mob. Jake lost his military brothers and one of his legs in an explosion, and he’s currently coping with PTSD. The Elm is his life, and the employees and members are his family.
Max Russo is a reluctant mobster tasked by his stepdad, mob boss Ricky Russo, to find out what happened to a lost shipment of drugs. He crossed paths with Jake, and after the initial antagonism, they agreed to work together to save the gym and earn Max his freedom.
The story isn’t breaking any new ground or doing anything too flashy. It kind of went on longer than expected. I also found the mafia aspect lacking in authenticity, very mafia-lite. Same with Jake’s background. I’m not even sure if his rank was mentioned, just that he led a bunch of soldiers. Still, it had several things going that drove me on.
First, the romance between Jake and Max was super swoony! Max had the protective mafioso with a golden heart down pat. Jake had the Captain America good looks and do-gooding attitude.
They have the couple dynamics I like best. They’re both equally strong-willed, capable alphas, and physically they’re also the same build. There’s no cringey power play or dirty talk, yet they’re intense AF. Plus, they switch! And they have the sizzling chemistry that makes me squee. Loved that first kiss scene!
Second, this book is about community, and it succeeded spectacularly in this theme. There is a strong sense of belonging in The Elm, and the impact of its impending loss is palpable.
Single dad Sam, the personal trainer, and his two “budding pro-wrestler” kids, the small but badass gym employee Terry, the fab and sassy accountant Oliver, the tech-savvy and uber-efficient Maggie, Max’s PA and friend, and the deadly giant Cole, Max’s best friend, and enforcer, created the cozy found family feels with their distinct personalities and staunch support of Jake and their second home. I usually only mention the supporting cast if they’re memorable enough to stand out, and a lot of them did.
Third, narrator Max Peterman elevated an okay story into a very enjoyable one with his spot-on performance. It was the kind of delivery that had me glued from the moment I pressed play. The characters are already lovable, and I loved how he made them come alive. This one’s great as an audiobook.
Knight in the Shadows snuck up on me. I had little expectations, and it turned out to be one sitter. While I had my niggles, overall, the squee-tastic romance, the wonderful sense of community, and the masterful narration created a highly entertaining experience and one of my most favorite couples!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Jaws
Artist: Sleep Token
Album:P.S.
Cole and Sam’s book is next! These two had a history together so it’s all about second chances.
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Knight in the Shadows: US | UK
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Knight in the Shadows
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RELEASE BLITZ: The Husband Hoax by Saxon James (Giveaway)
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: To Mend A Broken Wing by Fearne Hill (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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RELEASE BLITZ: Postscript by Anne Barwell (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: The New Town Librarian by Kathy Anderson (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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RELEASE BLITZ: The Loner by Riley Hart (Giveaway)
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AUDIO TOUR: The Devil You Know by Morgan Brice (Giveaway)
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SERIES REVIEW: The Vampire’s Club Books 6-7 by X. Aratare
The Vampire’s Club 6 – X. Aratare
Lucas Daniels knows that witches and vampires are real.
Lucas has discovered that witch blood flows through his veins and he can perform magic, but it is hardly within his control. And the more he delves into his gifts, the more dangerous they appear.
Count Konstantin “the Wolf” Volk must keep Lucas’ parentage a secret from the Nomad while searching for a way to free himself and Lucas from Gaia’s plot. But how can he succeed when the Nomad sees and hears all?
NOTE: THIS NOVELLA SERIES HAS CLIFFHANGERS! EVERY BOOK WILL END ON ONE. THAT’S MY NATURAL WRITING STYLE. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE CLIFFHANGERS, WAIT UNTIL THE WHOLE SERIES IS PUBLISHED TO READ. THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Bloodstream
Artist: Stateless
Album: Stateless
The Vampire’s Club 7 – X. Aratare
Lucas Daniels is a vampire… and a witch.
Can he use his newfound powers to help Konstantin “the Wolf” Volk, the dangerous and mysterious Nomad, and the witch, Gaia, to stop the destruction of all vampires by the coven leader Rachel?
If Lucas does, he’ll have to convince the Nomad that he is not a threat to Konstantin. While Konstantin wants only to protect his very new and special fledgling from the dangers that Lucas wants to help him face.
The end of The Vampire’s Club Series!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Sore wa Matta Betsu no Ohanashi
Artist: Amazarashi
Album: Yuuhi shinkou higashizumu
When it was first released in 2019, I was ridiculously obsessed with The Vampire’s Club. The books had such intense level of USTs and squee-tastic moments I was reduced to incoherent gushing emojis. However, the start of Book 6 wasn’t working for me, so the series was stuck in TBR limbo.
Recently, I had a sudden urge for vampire romance and decided to pick up where I left off. This time, Book 6 had me completely engaged.
Admittedly, the emotional distance created by time reduced the impact the books had on me. I wasn’t a gushy stan anymore. I was more aware of how cringey some of the scenes were. Cringey like having Lucas’s mother speaking inside Konstantine’s head while the boys were having sex.
Having read the author’s other works, The Fall and The Bodyguard, I’ve recognized certain themes and tropes they like to employ. The stories are dark and sensual, conjuring images of luxurious, dimly lit rooms heavy with musk.
The stories feature relationships that are vaguely incestuous involving father figures. For instance, here we have Lucas’s stepdad attempting to molest him. The vampires use terms such as Childe, Sire, and Grandpere when referring to their creators and fledglings who are usually also their lovers.
The heroes tend to be barely legal, naive, or innocent young men paired with a much older, worldly love interest. The series underscores that by having centuries-old Konstantine fondly calling college-age Lucas “nevinovnyy”, the Russian word for innocent.
By Book 6, Lucas is not so innocent anymore, fully aware of what he can do, who his real mother is and what Konstantine is. Meanwhile, Konstantine agonizes over the fact that Lucas is the key to lifting his curse, but then his boy would have to pay the prize should the vampire turn him to save himself. The witches are also making their power move to destroy the vampires.
Where the first five books were merely dark and gothic, Books 6 and 7 nearly crossed over to horror because now there’s blood, gore, rape and torture (the latter two were off page). Lucas unleashed was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before, a powerful killing machine who can go toe to toe with eldritch monsters from other worlds. And our boy hasn’t even showed 100% of his powers yet!
Konstantine unlocks magical abilities like his Sire, The Nomad, is known for. Then realizes The Nomad’s secret identity. This part I cheered the most because Konstantine was abandoned by his Sire for centuries. Little did he know, The Nomad had always watched over him. The little tidbit I found really endearing was The Nomad was secretly Club Dyavol’s first customer!
Much of the series was spent building tension, both the sexual and the deadly kind, so the big showdown when it exploded sent shockwaves that swept everyone. The fight scenes were thrilling and spectacularly gruesome!
Some of the casualties were especially tragic, like Lucas’s foster mom. This part could have been written differently, less tragically, but I guess it was the way it was to completely cut off Lucas’s ties to the mundane world.
Another gripe is that there were too much dialogue on what should have been a time for action. It happened when Lucas and his real mother teamed up. They received texts that Konstantine and The Nomad were in grave danger and needed to be rescued ASAP. Mother and son then proceeded to have pages of dialogue, all the while mentioning the urgency of the situation. It was like those scenes where a character is dying, but still managed to have a lengthy monologue. Meh!
The Vampire’s Club 6 and 7 wasn’t quite what the first books were, but this finale pulled out all the stops! Lucas reclaimed his heritage and became so much more than anyone could have predicted. Konstantine reclaimed his Sire and his best friend, his beloved nevinovnyy, and his home Club Dyavol. A fairy tale ending for the vampire romance of my dreams!
Overall, The Vampire’s Club is a heady mix of fluff and steam, dark and sweet. It’s pure escapism, seductive, enthralling, dangerous. Yes, exactly like our favorite undead creature.
P.S.
The Vampire’s Club is a serial. The books are meant to be read in order because seriously, that dream sequence and the elevator scene are two of the most unforgettable scenes of my entire reading life!
Incoherent squees a.k.a. reviews:
The Vampire’s Club
The Vampire’s Club 2
The Vampire’s Club 3
The Vampire’s Club 4
The Vampire’s Club 5
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of The Vampire’s Club. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
The Vampire’s Club: US
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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COVER REVEAL: The Husband Hoax by Saxon James (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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RELEASE DAY BLITZ: The Rest of the Story by Tal Bauer (Excerpt & Giveaway)
