Never Hollowed By The Stare

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Never Hollowed By The Stare
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  • Home
  • NAVIGATION
    • MANGA
    • BOOK REVIEW
    • SOUNDTRACK
    • QUOTE
    • TRAILER
  • MISC
    • MUSIC MONDAY
    • PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
    • FIRST LINES FRIDAY 56
    • FLICKer FADE SUNDAY
    • RELEASE BLITZ & GIVEAWAYS
    • COVER REVEAL
    • TAGS
    • POSTS
    • Reviews A-Z
  • About + Ratings
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  • Uncategorized

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Blind Warrior by Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    November 22, 2020 / No Comments
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    neverhollowed

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    LAST YEAR I WAS READING…(November 4, 2020)

    November 4, 2020

    COVER REVEAL: Turning Tide by Bryce Winters (Giveaway)

    September 9, 2020

    RELEASE BLITZ: Red Heir by Lisa Henry & Sara Honey (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    July 30, 2020
  • Uncategorized

    PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE (Oct 28, 2020)

    October 28, 2020 / No Comments
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    neverhollowed

    You May Also Like

    BLOG TOUR: Feral Creatures by Tommy Ouslander (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    April 3, 2020

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Everything Changes by Melanie Hansen (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    September 14, 2020

    BOOK BLITZ: Unspeakable: A Queer Gothic Anthology (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    February 14, 2020
  • Uncategorized

    RELEASE BLITZ: Origin by A.J. Sherwood & Jocelynn Drake (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    October 5, 2020 / No Comments
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    You May Also Like

    MUSIC MONDAY: Drive by Daunt

    December 14, 2020

    FIRST LINES FRIDAY 56: When His Guitar Loudly Weeps

    February 20, 2020

    FIRST LINES FRIDAY 56: There’s A Name For This

    August 20, 2020
  • Uncategorized

    PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE (September 23, 2020)

    September 23, 2020 / No Comments

    Found this tag on Chelle’s Book Ramblings . It’s simple and fun. I thought I would put my own spin on it and make it a weekly thing.

    Original Rules

    • Find a book published 10+ years ago.
    • Find a book that will be published THIS year.
    • Find a book that will be published NEXT year.

    Some slight revision of the rules:

    • Find a book published 10+ years ago
    • Find a book that will be published THIS month.
    • Find a book that will be published NEXT month.
    Read More
    neverhollowed

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    FLICKer FADE SUNDAY: Tomorrow – A New Year Film

    December 29, 2019

    AUDIO TOUR: Boy Shattered by Eli Easton (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    November 20, 2020

    RELEASE BLITZ: Winter’s End & Angel Hills Series by Rebecca James(Excerpt & Giveaway)

    May 29, 2020
  • Uncategorized

    PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE (September 2, 2020)

    September 2, 2020 / No Comments

    Found this tag on Chelle’s Book Ramblings . It’s simple and fun. I thought I would put my own spin on it and make it a weekly thing.

    Original Rules

    • Find a book published 10+ years ago.
    • Find a book that will be published THIS year.
    • Find a book that will be published NEXT year.

    Some slight revision of the rules:

    • Find a book published 10+ years ago
    • Find a book that will be published THIS month.
    • Find a book that will be published NEXT month.

    Read More
    neverhollowed

    You May Also Like

    RELEASE BLITZ: Love In The Balance by Brigham Vaughn (Excerpt)

    August 30, 2020

    ABC BOOK CHALLENGE – U

    September 27, 2019

    BLOG TOUR: Roman by Hurri Cosmo (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    April 2, 2020
  • book,  Uncategorized

    REVIEW: Blaze by Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott

    August 25, 2020 / 1 Comment
    40185775. sy475

    Unbreakable Bonds: Blaze – Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott

    The rings have been selected.
    The champagne placed on ice.
    The cake decorated.


    And the pre-wedding sex is off the charts…

    Lucas Vallois and Andrei Hadeon are finally ready to walk down the aisle. There’s just one small problem.

    A ghost from Lucas’s past shows up days before the wedding, desperate for help. Against his better judgement, Lucas and his best friend, Ashton Frost, plan a fast trip back to the one place they swore they’d never go: their hometown in Oklahoma. But the danger is worse than they expected.

    Now, they’re in a race to track down a killer, keep a young girl safe, and get Lucas back in time to say, “I do.” 


    Unbreakable Bonds is centered around four men who have deep connections with each other. Lucas Vallois, the alpha and the center who holds everything together. Ashton ‘Snow’ Frost, dark and brooding, is a trauma surgeon and the one Lucas considers his brother. Rowan ‘Rowe’ Ward, laid back and goofy, they met him during basic military training. He is their warrior. Their heart is Ian Pierce, a talented chef. He’s adorable, the type you want to put in your pocket to keep safe. Well, I want to put them all in my pocket really. I love these guys! ♡

    Blaze is Lucas and Andrei keeping the passion burning bright.

    Book 5 found the couple neck-deep in wedding preparations when Lucas’s estranged sister walked into his life again asking for help. Her daughter was missing. Despite not wanting to do anything with the hometown and the family who spit him out, Lucas had to help. His bestfriend Snow, had to go with him because Snow will not let Lucas face his dark past alone. This even if, Snow himself had an even shittier, more traumatic memories of their town.

    One of the best parts of this series is Snow and Lucas’s relationship. The authors could have easily turned it into a friends-to-lovers story and a super intense one at that. Instead, they did something better.

    They gave Snow and Lucas something unique and infinitely more precious. An unconditional love that has nothing to do with romance, sex or blood ties. It simply existed between them since they were seven.

    The two were practically joined at hip and nothing could go between them. Not even that one time Snow was in a really bad state and Lucas was forced to have sex with him (Snow was wracked with guilt afterwards and the two never did it again). They were frequently mistaken as a couple. They don’t care and had remained steadfast always. I haven’t really encountered such kind of bond in other MM books before, and a platonic, non-shifter one at that. That’s why their friendship is important to me.

    Lucas and Andrei’s relationship is different but equally important. Lucas’s whole world were his friends, Snow, Rowe and Ian. Andrei is his center. Everyone loved Andrei because, aside from being a genuinely lovable person overall, he was the best thing to happened to Lucas. He made the billionaire a much happier man.

    We also get to see the boys play with duct tape and weird codenames because Rowe and his boyfriend Noah had to be in on the action or else it’s a not a party. And by that, they staked out the bad guys, recorded their evil deeds and things went boom! This is why Rowe and Noah are the best.

    Meanwhile, Ian was going crazy organizing the wedding because Lucas and Andrei kept making changes. The biggest hitch of all was that none of the wedding party were in the right city, or even the right state, couple of days before the wedding.

    Thing is I sat on this book for months because I was struggling to finish it. I was more into the characters than the plot. My love for the Unbreakable boys was the main driving force in helping me finish this because in all honesty, I really didn’t care much about what happened to Lucas’s niece. Once I got past this point, the story picked up.

    The book gave Snow and Lucas some much needed closure. Their families were horrid homophobic people who don’t have redeeming values. Only Lucas’ sister and niece were okay people who had accepted Lucas for who he is.

    Normally, I finish a book first before choosing a song for it. When I first heard Lukas Batteau’s catchy ballad on the Dutch internet radio station, Indiexl.nl last year, I knew it would be perfect for the Unbreakable Bonds series. I’ve been dying to use it specifically for this book.

    Blaze gave us all the things we have come to love about the series and more: the hilarious banters, the OTT action, the squee-tastic romances, the enduring connections between a memorable group of friends who were always there for each other no matter what. And we have now the official union of two important characters.

    The Unbreakable family just got bigger and stronger. A mighty alliance indeed.

    P.S

    Unbreakable Bonds is best experience in sequence. Meet the boys and fall in love. Review of Unbreakable Bonds books here
    Review of Jocelynn Drake books here.

    Rating:
    3.5 Stars – that place between like and love

    Soundtrack: A Mighty Alliance
    Artist: Lukas Batteau
    Album: Slow Traveler


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

    8-book bundle

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    RELEASE BLITZ: Feinted Love by Elle Keaton (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    September 20, 2020

    RELEASE BLITZ: Ship Of Fools by Sophia Soames (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    December 2, 2020
  • Uncategorized

    PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE (Aug 12, 2020)

    August 12, 2020 / 2 Comments

    Found this tag on Chelle’s Book Ramblings . It’s simple and fun. I thought I would put my own spin on it and make it a weekly thing.

    Original Rules

    • Find a book published 10+ years ago.
    • Find a book that will be published THIS year.
    • Find a book that will be published NEXT year.

    Some slight revision of the rules:

    • Find a book published 10+ years ago
    • Find a book that will be published THIS month.
    • Find a book that will be published NEXT month.
    Read More
    neverhollowed

    You May Also Like

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Seventh by Rachel White (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    October 12, 2020

    PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE (Feb 12, 2020)

    February 12, 2020

    BAH HUMBUG CHRISTMAS TAG

    December 24, 2020
  • Uncategorized

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Wild Warrior by Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    August 7, 2020 / No Comments
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    neverhollowed

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    THE AMERICAN HORROR STORY BOOK TAG

    November 30, 2019

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

    December 5, 2019

    BLOG TOUR: Making the Holidays Happy Again by Pat Henshaw (Excerpt)

    December 4, 2019
  • book,  Uncategorized

    REVIEW: Saving Rafe by Jocelynn Drake

    April 28, 2020 / No Comments
    51045201. sy475

    Lords of Discord: Saving Rafe – Jocelynn Drake

    Rafe Varik

    The troublemaker. The risk taker. The sexy club owner full of wicked promises.

    Rafe has devoted his immortal existence to pleasure and causing mischief.

    The only ones who can depend on him are his brothers. Of course, that’s very much a Varik thing.

    But when the leader of the Arsenault clan specifically requests Rafe’s help in tracking down a killer, he can’t say no.

    Sure, Rafe claims he’s doing it for his family. They’ve attracted too many enemies and could use a few allies.

    That’s not the whole truth, though.

    There’s something about Philippe Arsenault that draws Rafe in. He wants more of Philippe. The vampire leaves him longing for another second in his presence, another taste of his lips, another caress of those perfect fingers.

    Yet when it’s all over, what will become of Philippe and Rafe. Because Philippe will always be an Arsenault, and Rafe will always be a Varik.

    Saving Rafe is the second book in an MM paranormal romance series that has vampires, betrayal, annoying brothers, music, heartbreak, hope, sexy times, and a pair of star-crossed lovers.


    I am happy to once again sow chaos with the Variks in this second book of Lords of Discord, Saving Rafe.

    Vampire politics is something I’m keen on reading about and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. The story picks up months after the Variks defeated the Black Wolf clan. Other clans were getting antsy at what they thought was a power grab by the Variks. None were bothering to believe that it was the Black Wolf clan who attacked first.

    The Variks were approached by the Arsenault, a clan many knew little about, for help in looking for their missing member. Rafe was especially picked for the task because the clan leader, Philippe Arsenault, saw something more in him other than a self-proclaimed ‘purveyor of fleshly delights’.

    As much as I liked Rafe and Philipe, I wasn’t that convinced with their romance. It was all too insta. What I liked though was how the trust between them was built even if it sprung up too fast for two people who knew better. I also liked the comfortable companionship growing between them. I would have liked their friendship developed properly first before moving on to romance territory. That would have been more believable and would have strengthen the character development too.

    Even though I wasn’t that invested in the romance, everyone made the book worthwhile for me. Every Varik, from Marcus, Bel, Winter and Ethan were given ample page time. And I’m so happy Aidan’s back to properly take his seat as the head of the family. The supporting characters Lola, Gideon, Ryder and Julian were also great additions to the cast.

    What it means to be a clan was the main theme in the story. The Variks have always considered themselves family and not a clan. Now that their family has expanded to include Ethan, could they possiby accept other vampires into their fold? Would they finally take the step forward and be a clan? Would other clans take this as a sign of aggression?

    Meanwhile, Philipe shoulders all the responsibilities of keeping his clan and their secrets safe. Somebody is picking off his most vulnerable clan members one by one. There were dead giveaways as to who the bad guy is. At some point, they were even reduced to a cartoon villain. While I liked it that there are different antagonists per story, the giant spectre of the Ministry hanging over them and an imminent war brewing, I wished we can get more fleshed-out villains.

    This is a long book with the showdown reserved almost to the very end. This wasn’t as suspenseful as the first book with less action scenes. There were times I had that just-there-for-the-ride feeling but I wasn’t exactly bored.

    The highlight for me was when my favorite twin, Bel, stepped in to save the day with his army. I would love to see that on screen! Winter and his shadowy tricks is making me so very, very curious. The wee Varik is giving Bel a run for his money.

    I can’t wait to see what the youngest Variks are up to.

    P.S.

    review of book one, Claiming Marcus, here.
    Jocelynn Drake books here.

    Rating:
    3.5 Stars – that place between like and love

    Soundtrack: All You Did Was Save My Life
    Artist: Our Lady Peace
    Album: Somethingness

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

    September 30, 2019

    RELEASE BLITZ: Shot in the Dark by Riley Long (Teaser & Giveaway)

    October 7, 2020

    RELEASE BLITZ: Drive Me Crazy by Beth Bolden (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    September 4, 2020
  • Uncategorized

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Broken Warrior by Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    April 24, 2020 / No Comments
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    COVER REVEAL: Right As Raine by Lucy Lennox (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    January 4, 2021

    COVER REVEAL: Tainted Tales: A Dark Folklore Anthology for Save the Children

    February 26, 2020

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Grimmer Intentions by Jodi Hutchins (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    December 9, 2019
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Hi there! I'm neverhollowed. I read too much MM romance and play music too loud. My blog combines my passion for books and indie music. I write book and manga reviews, create bookish playlists and share LGBT-related movies. Welcome to my blog! Hope you enjoy your visit.

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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.

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Never Hollowed By The Stare
neverhollowedNever Hollowed By The Stare@neverhollowed·
7h

How much are you willing to give up for the man you love?

NEW RELEASE BLITZ: The Next New One by Ryan Taylor & Joshua Harwood (Excerpt & #Giveaway)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SGC79KX

https://neverhollowed.com/2021/01/23/new-release-blitz-the-next-new-one-by-ryan-taylor-joshua-harwood-excerpt-giveaway/

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neverhollowedNever Hollowed By The Stare@neverhollowed·
8h

Hatred is complicated, clothing is simple—

RELEASE BLITZ: Charisma Check by Charlie Novak (Excerpt & #Giveaway)

https://getbook.at/CharismaCheck

https://neverhollowed.com/2021/01/23/release-blitz-charisma-check-by-charlie-novak-excerpt-giveaway/

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neverhollowedNever Hollowed By The Stare@neverhollowed·
22 Jan

#REVIEW: Jack: Grime and Punishment by Z.A. Maxfield

🌟🌟🌟1/2

3.5 🪠🗑️ dirty business🩸happy endings👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨 stars

SOUNDTRACK: Someone New by Hozier 🎶

https://neverhollowed.com/2021/01/22/review-jack-grime-and-punishment-by-z-a-maxfield/

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