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Never Hollowed By The Stare
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    • MANGA
    • BOOK REVIEW
    • SOUNDTRACK
    • QUOTE
    • TRAILER
    • DESERT ISLAND CASTAWAYS
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  • Uncategorized

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: The Monster Within by Marguerite Labbe (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    October 16, 2024 / No Comments
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    RELEASE BLITZ: North Point by Thom Collins (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    July 7, 2020

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Warrior’s Way by M.J. Calabrese (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    December 5, 2019

    RELEASE BLITZ: Courting Nightfall by Amanda Meuwissen (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    June 19, 2021
  • Uncategorized

    BLOG TOUR: King of the Mountain by Aiden Ainslie (Excerpt & Giveaway + Guest Post)

    October 17, 2023 / 9 Comments
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    COVER REVEAL: Emerett Has Never Been In Love by Anyta Sunday (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    February 1, 2021

    99c BOOK BLAST: Chasing Hope by Gwen Martin (Excerpt)

    February 23, 2023

    BLOG TOUR: Demon Rodeo by Genevive Chamblee (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    September 22, 2024
  • Uncategorized

    BOOK BLAST: The Bastard Prince of Versailles by Will Bashor (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    October 5, 2023 / No Comments
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    COVER REVEAL: Conned by Kim Fielding (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    May 21, 2020

    FAVORITE COVERS: August 2020

    September 5, 2020

    RELEASE BLITZ: The Offering Surrender by Rosary Deville (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    March 21, 2021
  • Uncategorized

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: To Take A Quiet Breath by Fearne Hill (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    November 13, 2021 / No Comments
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    RELEASE BLITZ: Coach Stare Down by Crea Reitan

    May 16, 2024

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: The Perils of Intimacy by Rick R. Reed (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    February 4, 2020

    COVER REVEAL: JT’s Mission by Rosie Jarvis (Giveaway)

    March 31, 2021
  • Uncategorized

    BOOK BLAST: How To Bed A Millionaire by Dieter Moitzi (Excerpt)

    July 26, 2021 / No Comments
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    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Half-Light by Matt Doyle (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    March 4, 2020

    BOOK TOUR: Influencer by Adam Cesare

    October 14, 2024

    FLICKer: Don’t Frighten The Horses

    June 13, 2024
  • Uncategorized

    REVIEW: The Illuminati Circle by Robert J. Ristino

    February 28, 2019 / No Comments
    37981139. sy475

    Illuminati Cycle: The Illuminati Circle by Robert J. Ristino

    Two sicarii, the Illuminati’s deadly assassins, make their way from the Arab Emirates to the French Alps leaving a trail of bodies as they search for one of their own. They are cleaning up loose ends caused by the FBI’s disruption of the Illuminati’s child sex trafficking network. On their trail are SSA Bing Ingram and his FBI CARD team assigned to an Interpol task force charged with destroying the network uncovered in the United States. The sicarii and the task force find themselves in a cross-continental race to locate the one man who could cause the ultimate destruction of the network – a high-ranking member of the Illuminati Circle. With the lives of countless children hanging in the balance, the task force must find the cunning Circle member before the sicarii do. The race from Abu Dhabi to Torun is as thrilling as the Grand Prix … but far more deadly.

    The Illuminati Circle has a Hollywood feel to it, like something directed by Ron Howard. We get fast-paced action, gorgeous French scenery, beautiful women and gun-fights. We can cast Clive Owen as SSA Bing Ingram, Brie Larson as Trish and Amber Heard as Haseena.

    The Illuminati, unlike the occult Illuminati we typically know of, are a group of criminals with an MBA-like criminal network specializing in child trafficking. What I know of child trafficking is that they usually get their victims from poorer countries like Cambodia or the Philippines. It’s an eye-opener that they also abduct children from developed countries. The Illuminati caters to extremely rich clients by providing them what they specifically requested via the dark web. This is a very sickening crime and the book did a good job showing the extent of these criminal activities and the experiences of the children without getting too explicit or too graphic.

    Plot-wise, you can’t go wrong with a really interesting one like this and it was a breeze to read as well. However, I wasn’t feeling the characters. There is a good attempt to give them their quirks, personalities and sexual tension but they still come across as flat. LeFrenniere, who was an amoral, professional criminal (and played by Vincent Cassel), came the closest to being the most interesting but he didn’t quite get there. I would have wanted him to be more nuanced or at least be intimidating. Meh, he caved in too easily to Bing’s bluff. The female characters were the type you would call ‘strong’. They know how to fight and take charge but again, I wish there were some backstories. It would also give the book an extra layer and make the most of the omniscient POV if the relationship between Haseena and Enrika Venclava (played by Eva Green) was fully fleshed out. It would make Enrika’s motives in the next book much more convincing.

    All in all, I want to witness CARD destroy the Illuminati and rescue the children but hopefully we get that much needed depth to the characters.

    P.S.

    Thank you to the author, Robert J. Ristino for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review. 

    Rating:
    3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it

    Soundtrack: The Blackest Crow
    Artist: Kiernan Towers & Charlotte Carrivick
    Album:

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    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Out in Spring by Lane Hayes (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    May 12, 2020

    RE-RELEASE BLITZ: Drawn by Dragonblood by Lynn Burke

    November 7, 2024

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Make The Yuletide Gay by Ivy L. James (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    December 14, 2020
  • book,  Uncategorized
    January 1, 2018 / No Comments

    Nightingale – Aleksandr Voinov

    In Nazi-occupied Paris, most Frenchmen tread warily, but gay nightclub singer Yves Lacroix puts himself in the spotlight with every performance. As a veteran of France’s doomed defense, a survivor of a prison camp, and a “degenerate,” he knows he’s a target. His comic stage persona disguises a shamed, angry heart and gut-wrenching fear for a sister embedded in the Resistance.

    Yet Yves ascends the hierarchy of Parisian nightlife to become a star, attracting the attention—and the protection—of the Nazi Oberst Heinrich von Starck. To complicate matters further, young foot soldier Falk Harfner’s naïve adoration of Yves threatens everything he’s worked for. So does Aryan ideologue von Grimmstein, rival to von Starck, who sees something “a bit like a Jew” in Yves.

    When an ill-chosen quip can mean torture at the hands of the Gestapo, being the acc;laimed Nightingale of Paris might cost Yves his music and his life.

    Damn! I found myself sympathizing with (and rooting for) Yves and his Oberst and finding myself annoyed with Edith as a hassle and Falk as an unnecessary complication. Which is crazy because if this had been Edith’s story, I would be tsking at Yves and his stupid affairs and if Von Starck was not in the picture, I would be OK with Yves and Falk. 

    Stories really have a way of getting under your skin. Perspective is everything.

    P.S.
    Coincidentally, the book model above is the same one as on Provoked, the last book I read in 2017.

    Rating:

    3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it

    Soundtrack: L Comme Liaison
    Artist: Dandies (feat. Pete Doherty)
    Album: Illusion et Imparfait

    (source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26175490-nightingale)

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    neverhollowed

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    FLICKer: Engaged

    May 9, 2024

    BOOK TOUR: Damned If You Do by Alex Brown

    July 31, 2023

    RELEASE BLITZ: Where The Sky Meets The Sea by Kit Barrie (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    August 7, 2023

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

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neverhollowed Never Hollowed By The Stare @neverhollowed ·
10 Jun

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲—𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬.

COVER REVEAL: Shaken and Stirred by Lilly Atlas



https://neverhollowed.com/2025/06/10/cover-reveal-shaken-and-stirred-by-lilly-atlas/

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neverhollowed Never Hollowed By The Stare @neverhollowed ·
10 Jun

NEW RELEASE BLITZ: The Spy by Mell Eight (Excerpt & #Giveaway)


https://books2read.com/the-spy

https://neverhollowed.com/2025/06/10/new-release-blitz-the-spy-by-mell-eight-excerpt-giveaway/

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neverhollowed Never Hollowed By The Stare @neverhollowed ·
9 Jun

Unrequited love can make you blind.

COVER REVEAL: Doink by Crea Reitan



https://neverhollowed.com/2025/06/09/cover-reveal-doink-by-crea-reitan/

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neverhollowed Never Hollowed By The Stare @neverhollowed ·
9 Jun

Sometimes growing up means growing apart in this queer take on As You Like It featuring first loves and friend breakups, from award-winning author Julia Drake.

BOOK TOUR: Lovesick Falls by Julia Drake



https://neverhollowed.com/2025/06/09/book-tour-lovesick-falls-by-julia-drake/

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