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SERIES REVIEW: Isaac & Dallas (Light & Shadow Duet) by N.N. Britt
Light & Shadow: Isaac – N.N. Britt
In the heart of Sin City, two men on opposite sides of the law collide in a dangerous game of power, passion, and betrayal.
Isaac Thoreau, the son of a notorious crime boss, has spent nine years behind bars for his father’s murder. Driven, cunning, and unfeeling, he’s now back to claim what’s rightfully his. But when an enigmatic security guard named Hawk is hired to work at his nightclub, Isaac finds himself distracted… and inexplicably drawn to Hawk, despite his best efforts to resist.
Special Agent Dallas Bradley’s mission is infiltrate the Hellhounds and bring their leader, Isaac Thoreau, to justice. Posing as Hawk, Dallas is determined to uncover the secrets of the Thoreau criminal empire. But as he delves deeper into Isaac’s world, the lines between right and wrong blur, and soon an undeniable attraction grows between the two men, forcing Dallas to question everything.
Walking away before he’s compromised would be the smart choice, but Dallas can’t resist Isaac’s magnetic pull, even if it means risking his life.
As love and duty clash, only one question will Isaac and Dallas survive the fallout?
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Isaac is the first installment of the Light & Shadow Duet. It can not be read as standalone. This is a dark MM mafia romance that explores various sensitive subjects like violence, abuse, PTSD, etc.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Another Life
Artist: Motionless in White
Album: Disguise
Light & Shadow: Dallas – N.N. Britt
Prepare for Betrayal and Redemption in Sin City.
As the leader of the Hellhounds and a valued member of the notorious Thoreau crime syndicate, Isaac has it all: power, money, fear. Falling for someone has never been on his radar. But for the first time in his life, Isaac thinks he’s found someone he can truly trust—the mysterious security guard who shattered through his icy defenses and became the one person Isaac could be himself with.
Until everything goes up in flames.
Dallas Bradley has been treading an unstable line of deceit between righteousness and criminality. Isaac Thoreau’s world is slowly turning him into Hawk, the man who doesn’t exist, the man who’s ready to do bad things to survive and remain close to Isaac. But when a dangerous deal goes south, in order to save Isaac’s life, Dallas is forced to reveal the devastating truth—he’s a Special Agent sent to infiltrate the Hellhounds and bring down Isaac.
Heartbroken and enraged, Isaac can’t stand the man who betrayed him so deeply. However, when it’s clear Isaac’s fate is prison, Dallas strikes a bargain with his boss: help save Isaac from life behind bars and keep Dallas undercover to clean up the mess.
Isaac hates Dallas more than ever, but to escape the crosshairs they must work together once more. As tempers and stakes flare in the streets of Sin City, Dallas will risk everything to redeem himself in Isaac’s eyes. But can their undeniable connection survive when trust has turned to ash?
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Dallas is the second installment of Light & Shadow Duet. It should be read after Isaac. This is a dark MM mafia romance that explores various sensitive subjects like violence, abuse, PTSD, etc. Length: 65,000 words. Alternating POV.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Light
Artist: N3wport feat. Dianna
Album:
Light & Shadow Duet by N.N. Britt is the series opener of the dark mafia romance series of the same name.
The first part is Isaac, where we meet Special Agent Dallas Bradley as he starts his undercover job as Hawk, infiltrating the Thoreau crime syndicate led by Isaac Thoreau, the son of the notorious mob boss whom he killed. Isaac paid the price for murdering his abusive father, and his stint in prison further traumatized the young man.
Hawk had to get close to the leader, first by working as the night club bouncer and then climbing the ranks high enough to be included in Isaac’s inner circle. But Isaac was not what Hawk expected, and he soon found himself getting very personal with the boss,
The second part is Dallas, where, after an ATF bust where the gang was caught running guns, Dallas had to negotiate hard to save Isaac. Trust broken but left with no choice, Isaac had to go against everything he stood for and work with Dallas and the FBI.
Dallas and Isaac have that intense push-pull I always enjoy in well-delivered enemies-to-lovers romance. Both are solitary men who found a deep connection that put each of them in danger. The sexual tension is sizzling, the need for secrecy and the threat of being caught heightening the electric mood.
Isaac is a compelling combination of power and vulnerability, having survived sexual abuse as a child and more trauma in prison, then strengthening the criminal organization he inherited. He’s touch-averse and touch-starved, cold to most, but a well-liked leader of his gang, a Robin Hood who took care of his men and their families.
Dallas is a veteran at undercovers, but this job, a.k.a. Isaac, got under his skin and had him questioning his identity and loyalties. As Hawk, he became Isaac’s lover; as Dallas, he was Isaac’s only chance of avoiding prison. He won’t let Isaac go back, knowing it would cost Isaac his life with so many enemies inside.
While the plot was gripping, the writing was something of an acquired taste. It’s in the 1st-person present tense and a bit too flowery for my liking, with metaphors that could be considered poetic. They detract from the story because I found them unnecessary or better suited to a historical romance
However, there’s a great balance of romance and the rest of the plot, with the cliffhanger of Isaac ending the first book in such an explosive way. The second book continues with the tightly paced plot, still as intense, Isaac hurt and conflicted over the betrayal and Dallas’s Hail Mary rescue.
I say the second part is more suspenseful and more twisty turn-y with Dallas and Isaac jumping through hoops of fire. There were so many hurdles thrown their way, I was left wondering how this would end happily. Our only guarantee that this is an HEA is that this is romance. The author saved it till the very last, a bit bittersweet but still resolutely hard-won and satisfying.
Light & Shadow Duet is a stirring tale of forbidden passion between two men on opposite sides of the law. The prose takes getting used to but, overall, slow burn yet fiery, dark and angsty yet thrilling!
P.S.
Light & Shadow must be read in order.
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LIGHT & SHADOW: Amazon UK | Audiobook
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COVER & EXCERPT REVEAL: Ziggy’s Voice by Saxon James (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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PROMO BLITZ: Holiday Huddle by Felice Stevens
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COVER REVEAL: Gentry by Ashley James
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RELEASE BLITZ: Fever by Devon McCormack
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RELEASE TOUR: Baby, It’s Cod Outside by Kat Cassidy (Excerpt)
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REVIEW: His Coveted Obsession by Courtney W. Dixon
The District: His Coveted Obsession – Courtney W. Dixon
PLEASE READ THE BLURB AND WARNINGS IF YOU’RE SENSITIVE TO TRIGGERS! And please, please be careful of spoilers and giving away endings of books. Use spoiler tags.
When obsession and possessiveness collide…
Thomas Lauder
Easton is my hero, and I’m obsessed. He comes into my life like a knight in shining armor, saving me from a horrible customer at the coffee shop. Then, out of the blue, he asks me out on a date. How could I say no to the mysterious, handsome man? My life revolves around surviving my lying, gambling-addicted father and taking care of my younger sister while trying to earn my degree. Easton gives me the stability and honesty I didn’t know I needed. He’s straightforward and knows exactly what he wants. I do, too. I want Easton in my life forever.
Easton Virgil
I have a new family, but my life is still incomplete. Now that I’m nineteen, I have strong needs, and the loneliness is consuming. Thomas isn’t typical, but he’s attractive, and I enjoy his worship of me. He’s obsessed, and I feed off it. It makes me hungry for him. He’s perfect for me, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him. He belongs to me and no one else. But when his useless father is the reason Thomas is ripped from me, I nearly burn the world to the ground to find him. No one better have harmed him, or they will pay.
Reading in order will add more pleasure to the reading experience and understanding the characters better, but they can technically be read as standalones.
Mentions of molestation of a child, abuse of a child, neglect, murder, torture, organ harvesting, death of a parent to cancer (off page), gambling addiction, sociopathy, violence, explicit language and sex.
The District by Courtney W. Dixon is a found family of assassins headed by Sid Virgil (His Reluctant Savior) and Malik Amin (His Bane). The youngest member is Easton, who was recruited at 15 after Sid found him newly orphaned. Later, he was officially adopted by Sid and his husband Dalton.
Like the rest of his District family, Easton survived an abusive childhood and emerged stronger and deadlier. Easton comes from wealth and, now 19, enjoys wearing suits to appear more mature. He has autism and ASPD, and his pedantic, blunt manner is off-putting to many. He was trained in all kinds of weapons; his preferred one is the knife.
Easton saved the barista, Thomas Lauder, from a rude customer, and Thomas was immediately drawn to the young man, calling him his hero. The attraction was instantaneous and mutual. Easton didn’t waste time asking for a date, and the two became exclusive right that very night.
Thomas is juggling college, work, caring for his sister, and trying to make his gambling addicted dad stop. The addiction got so bad that not only he and his sister were neglected, but they ended up as collateral when the bad guys came calling for their cash.
Easton was having none of it, and once again he’s the hero with the District family as his backup. It’s touch him and die!
With both MCs at 19, the romance has a teen cute, fluffy vibe to it mixed in with the adultier primal play and possessive-obssessive vibes. Not a fan of the naked chases in the woods because of ants, insects, poking branches, and it did feel like just sex and material gifts at first.
Easton has always been a compelling character since the beginning. He’s very self-aware and unapologetically himself, narcissistic, brutally honest, and tightly holds the reins of barely controlled rage. He can’t feel love or empathy in the typical way, but with Easton, it’s always action speaking louder than words, and he spoke volumes!
I loved that he’s willing to learn to connect with Thomas emotionally. He might not understand Thomas’ POV at first, but he listens to Sid’s or Dalton’s advice and mulls it over until he understands. Easton, being a dark knight saving his damsel, is swoony as hell!
It would have been easy to dislike Thomas as weak, but our boy is nothing if not resilient. He calls Easton “Superman,” and I loved that his complete trust in Easton never wavered, even when rescue seemed impossible. He adored Easton from the beginning, and Easton needed that kind of worship.
“He was honest about everything, even with his anger. Easton was…pure.”
My favorite part about Thomas is that he never asked Easton to change. And he appreciates his honesty, something that most people find rude. He saw Easton for what he truly is and loved him for it. Even defended East when Sid and Dalton said Easton can’t love.
Easton’s intensity and dominance play so well with Thomas’s adoration and devotion, and their chemistry is electric! Watching their relationship evolve from insta-attraction to emotional connection makes this a joy to read!
While still less disturbing than His Death Bringer, please heed the trigger warnings. Easton’s family history is pretty dark, and as a teen, he took matters into his own hands because nobody, not even his father, who knew of his mother’s abuse, did anything.
Thomas also has to deal with his mother’s illness (off-page) and his father’s neglect. Later, he also had to rely on Easton’s money because his dad sold everything of value. During their captivity, Thomas was tortured, and there are mentions of organ harvesting.
Overall, His Coveted Obsession is a captivating journey of finding one’s person. A raw and honest love story of wanting to be wanted and giving everything to give.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSountrack: Trust
Artist: Alina Baraz
Album: TrustP.S.
The District is best read in order.
His Death Bringer is Luca and his dark angel, Dante.
His Bane is Malik and his beloved psychopath, Sully.
His Reluctant Savior is Sid and his boy scout, Dalton.
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of His Coveted Obsession. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
HIS COVETED OBSESSION: Amazon UK | Audiobook
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SERIES TOUR: Boys’ Love by Rebecca James (Excerpt)
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COVER REVEAL: Structure of Love by A.J. Sherwood
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RELEASE TOUR: The Rade by Katey Hawthorne (Excerpt)
