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Never Hollowed By The Stare
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  • Home
  • REVIEWS+RECS
    • MANGA
    • BOOK REVIEW
    • SOUNDTRACK
    • QUOTE
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    • DESERT ISLAND CASTAWAYS
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    • FIRST LINES FRIDAY 56
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  • Uncategorized

    RELEASE TOUR: Lilith by Wine Lo Borgias (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    December 1, 2024 / No Comments
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    BLOG TOUR: Naughty By Nature: A Gay Erotica Anthology (Giveaway + Q&A with Shane K. Morton)

    July 4, 2022

    FLICKer: Mila Caos

    October 5, 2023

    FLICKer: Marco

    January 16, 2021
  • Uncategorized

    BOOK TOUR: Practical Rules for Cursed Witches by Kayla Cottingham

    August 26, 2024 / No Comments
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    FIRST LINES FRIDAY 56: I Woke Up With A Vampire Licking My Face. Ask Me How.

    March 19, 2020

    FLICKer: One Night Only

    July 1, 2021

    BLOG TOUR: Last Generation by E. Robert Dunn (Excerpt)

    March 26, 2023
  • Uncategorized

    BOOK TOUR: So Witches We Became by Jill Baguchinsky

    July 24, 2024 / No Comments
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    BLOG TOUR: Anticipated Angel by Laura Navarre (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    April 1, 2022

    COVER REVEAL: To Defend A Damaged Duke by Fearne Hill (Giveaway)

    May 27, 2025

    AUDIO TOUR: Love and History by Lane Hayes (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    November 18, 2022
  • Uncategorized

    NEW RELEASE: House of Darkyn by Crea Reitan

    June 27, 2024 / No Comments
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    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Through Smoke and Shadow by L. Alyse Amidon (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    April 12, 2025

    RELEASE TOUR: Roustabout by Morgan Brice (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    August 28, 2023

    BOOK TOUR: Deep As The Ocean by C.J. Baty (Giveaway)

    September 21, 2021
  • Uncategorized

    BOOK TOUR: Now, Conjurers by Freddie Kölsch

    May 20, 2024 / No Comments
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    RELEASE BLITZ: Something Undeniable by Rory Maxwell (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    October 9, 2022

    BLOG TOUR: First Born Sons by Vincent Traughber Meis (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    September 17, 2022

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Love In The Shadows by Maggie Doolin (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    November 18, 2020
  • Uncategorized

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: The Man with Sapphire Eyes by Larry Mellman (Excerpt & Giveaway)4

    May 17, 2023 / No Comments
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    FLICKer: Groomsday

    April 4, 2024

    RELEASE BLITZ: Tradimento by Leigh Kenzie (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    October 15, 2020

    BLOG TOUR: West On Grainger by K.C. Burn (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    July 11, 2023
  • Uncategorized

    COVER REVEAL: Death by Sienna Moreau

    February 14, 2023 / No Comments
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    RELEASE BLITZ: A Husband For Hartwell by J.A. Rock & Lisa Henry (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    May 11, 2021

    COVER REVEAL: Sweet Hart by Rae Marks (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    March 30, 2021

    NEW RELEASE: Crushed But Not Defeated by Nicole Dykes

    May 29, 2023
  • book,  Uncategorized

    SERIES REVIEW: The Vampire’s Club Books 6-7 by X. Aratare

    January 20, 2023 / 1 Comment

    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 bits

    Soundtrack: 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 bits

    Soundtrack: 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

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    MUSIC MONDAY: March On For Pax Romana by Psychedelic Porn Crumpets

    March 3, 2025

    RELEASE TOUR: When A Man Loves An Alien by Chloe Archer (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    May 26, 2023

    COVER REVEAL: Friction by Kindle Alexander (Playlist)

    July 30, 2024
  • Uncategorized

    RELEASE BLITZ: The Brawl King by Kashel Char (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    December 1, 2022 / No Comments
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    AUDIO RELEASE BLITZ: Out In Winter by Lane Hayes (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    February 7, 2021

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

    May 27, 2023

    NEW RELEASE: Suicide Season by Yolanda Olson

    August 30, 2021
  • Uncategorized

    RELEASE TOUR: The Fulbourn by D.K. Girl (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    October 24, 2022 / No Comments
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    One Line Reviews Of Some Books I Read This Year (July – August 2022)

    December 20, 2022

    BLOG TOUR: Flowers of Flesh and Blood by Amy Tasukada (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    May 30, 2020

    NEW RELEASE: Volley by Crea Reitan

    April 17, 2025
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🌈boy's love manga | MM romance | music | giveaways and more 🐾

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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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