-
BOOK TOUR: The Duke Steals Hearts & Other Body Parts by Elias Cold
-
REVIEW: Savage by Brooke Blaine & Ella Frank
Park Avenue Kings: Savage by Brooke Blaine & Ella Frank
Who are we? Nobody really knows. We’re the seven most powerful heirs to empires, ruling Manhattan from our thrones on Park Avenue. By day, we’re the elite, untouchable, and more connected than you could ever imagine. By night, we revel in the darkness of our secrets, pulling strings that make the city bow to our whims.
Ruthless.
Dangerous.
We’re the Park Avenue Kings.
In this city of power and desire, where the line between love and obsession blurs, nothing is off-limits—and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
***
He’s the shadow they send to make problems disappear.
Lachlan Stone thrives in the shadows, ruling his world of secrets and power with savage precision. As the most lethal of the Park Avenue Kings, he can’t afford the luxury of attachments. But when a mission takes an unexpected turn, he finds himself saving Cooper Patterson—a determined journalist who stumbles into a dangerous world far bigger than he ever imagined.
Cooper is everything Lachlan should avoid: relentless, curious, and far too tempting for his own good. Worse, his profession threatens to unravel everything Lachlan and his fellow Kings have built. Yet the pull between them is impossible to ignore, even as it sparks a firestorm of desire and danger.
With enemies closing in and the line between truth and lies growing thinner by the second, Lachlan must choose: protect his secrets, or risk it all for the man who sees the humanity in his darkness.
Savage is the first book of Park Avenue Kings by bestselling authors Brooke Blaine and Ella Frank. This is the spin-off of Park Avenue Princes, featuring 30-something billionaire MCs.
The Princes didn’t really pique my interest, but the Kings certainly did, especially the part of the blurb that spoke of a shadowy antihero. I was immediately intrigued by hints that this was something more than a billionaire meet-cute.
The Kings turned out to be a brotherhood, a very secretive, badass one at that. We are introduced to each King and their imposing leader Tyrone Kingston, star of Notorious Park Avenue Prince. Each King had his specialty, and their personalities stood out.
I’m super excited for Alessio’s story since he’s paired with a priest, and as early as now, there’s some hardcore pining going on.
I’ll keep details of the brotherhood to a minimum and let you have fun finding out if you’re new to the Park Avenue royalties. This is certainly the best part and for this alone, I’m sticking with the series.
Today’s King is Lachlan Stone, owner of a security firm. Kings’ business brought him to a dark alley just in time to rescue journalist Cooper Patterson from bad guys. Lachlan was wearing a mask since he was on Kings’ business.
Intrigued by the clearly fish-out-of-water Cooper, he started stalking the journalist and learned Cooper was investigating the same bad guys the Kings were after. Lachlan was also strongly drawn to the other man, so much so that he stalked him both with the mask and as himself.
Our naive boy, Coop, had no idea that the mysterious masked man and the gorgeous man he met at the coffee shop were one and the same. He’s thirsting after both.
The book model of Lachlan is spot on. He even got the ring and the bracelets. Another reason why I picked up the book. Lachlan is your typical dominant alpha male, and sadly, his character didn’t veer much from that. His masked alter ego reminded me of Batman dressed like an all-black Rorschach, and this is my favorite version of Lachlan.
Cooper is a recent New York transplant from the Mid-West. He might be naive but he’s determined to get to the bottom of things and give his friend, who was a victim of the bad guys, justice. Like Lachlan, his characterization lacked depth but he’s got that cute, innocent vibe going so he’s alright.
It is easy to see that the book was written by veteran romance writers. The vibe was intense, the sexual tension off the charts, the pacing was tight, and the writing flowed smoothly. But as much as Lachlan and Cooper were burning up the pages, their romance wasn’t really memorable.
The story focused too much on romance and sex. While the sex scenes blended seamlessly with the plot and the romantic development was believable, they detracted from the more important, more exciting parts, which were either glossed over or rushed. It’s a missed opportunity to showcase the Kings’ badassery.
Overall, I felt Savage should have been written as a romantic suspense with greater emphasis on the suspenseful, action-packed scenes and Kings’ business. However, YMMV because many readers like it the way it is.
Still, there are a lot of potential in this series so on to the next King.
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked itSoundtrack: Masquerade
Artist: Robosoul feat. Cid Fox
Album: Masquerade
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Savage. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
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!
-
NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Gatos by Lia Connor (Excerpt & Giveaway)
-
REVIEW: The Gentleman and His Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide
The Gentleman and His Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide
Set in Regency England, The Gentleman and His Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide is a queer historical fantasy of magic, murder, high heat and humour.
Lord Nicholas Monterris, the last remaining heir of a crumbling ducal house, must marry to save his family from complete decline. His father chooses Lady Leaf Serral, eldest daughter of his greatest rival, at which point Nic is sure it can’t get any worse. Until he learns the head negotiator is to be Dashiell sa Vare, an old flame he has neither forgiven nor forgotten, a man their rigid class structure forbids him to love.
Locked in the mouldering grandeur of Monterris Court (a house more haunting manifestation of dynastic ambition and ancestral guilt than home), the first dead body is troubling. The second, a warning that someone doesn’t want the contract to go ahead. But while Nic and his wife-to-be team up to banter their way through a secret murder investigation, it’s Dashiell he can’t stop thinking about. What would be worse? To love and have to let go, or to wholly deny the yearning of one’s heart forever?
Perfect for fans of Freya Marske and Alexis Hall, The Gentleman and His Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide is the perfect blend of gothic and romantic – including a locked room murder mystery, forbidden love and otherworldly automatons.
The Gentleman and His Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide is a blind read that hooked me from the opening chapter till the end. Half of it is due to new-to-me narrator James Langton, whose storyteller voice immediately drew me in, and the author’s engaging writing style that kept me riveted.
The plot is part romance, part fantasy, and mostly murder mystery, weaving together family drama, bad blood, dark secrets, and vengeful ghosts.
The story is in Lord Nicholas Monterris’s third-person POV. Nic, being the sole heir of a dukedom on the brink of bankruptcy, is about to be contracted to marry Lady Leaf Serral of the wealthy House Serral.
The two families were bitter rivals, so it was a surprise to Nic his father, the duke, is hell-bent on completing the contract despite the numerous tragedies happening during the negotiations.
My favorite aspect is the world-building. This is set in an alt-Regency world where LGBTQ+ is accepted and people with magic abilities are called Brilliants. They are generally the aristocracy. Everything is governed by contracts and contracts are made by vowsmiths.
Vowsmiths are glorified lawyers with magical abilities. They write the contracts and make them binding by smithing, which is the process of inscribing magical runes. It’s actually as tedious as real-world contracts, but I think this paper-based magic is pretty fabulous!
As much as I liked the world, there are also some low-key steampunk elements that I wished were utilized more. The Regency part was also so subtle, I initially didn’t realize this was set in England.
Brilliance, vowsmithing, and other concepts mentioned, like the Care Clause, could have been expanded more. The Care Clause was invoked but what happened after that was not shown.
The vowsmith hired by the Serral to negotiate on their behalf is none other than Nic’s childhood friend a.k.a. long-time crush, Dashiell sa Vare. Dash was the duke’s former apprentice, the duke being a vowsmith before he inherited the title.
Dash and Nic’s interactions weren’t as frequent as I preferred but I lived for those moments they were together. The chemistry is chef’s kiss! Dash is polite and professional but when he makes passionate declarations, it’s swoony as hell!! And those long looks across the table! Also, buying a whole new wardrobe just to impress Nic.
Meanwhile, Nic has perma heart eyes from the moment Dashiell steps into his house. Dash was the one who got away, so him walking back into Nic’s life…our boy isn’t letting him go again!
While the negotiations are underway, the brilliants are magically obligated to stay within the duke’s residence. And this is where the fun starts, because they cannot leave even with ghosts and dead bodies in their midst.
Rather than Nic, our amateur sleuth turned out to be Leaf. She was the best character, smart, determined, and ambitious, even if her sleuthing skills were just based on detective novels. She quickly became Nic’s best friend, their playful natures and mutual understanding of their predicament bringing them together. She’s also a fantastic aro/ace character.
The murder mystery was very intriguing. It built up my expectations and I was looking forward to being shocked. The big reveal was a bit anti-climatic but Nic’s resolution was clever. The epilogue was the cherry on top!
I love standalones but I hope the author would write another book in this setting, possibly another couple with lots of Dash and Nic cameos. I want more of the vowsmith world!
The Gentleman and His Vowsmith is far from perfect but I had a great time nonetheless. It’s a fun, cozy-ish, hella charming tale with a chockful of dark and drama. Overall, as gothic and romantic as promised!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Promised You A Miracle
Artist: Simple Minds
Album: New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84)
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of The Gentleman and His Vowsmith. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
THE GENTLEMAN AND HIS VOWSMITH: Kindle | Audiobook
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!
-
NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Missing by Chelsi Robichaud (Excerpt & Giveaway)
-
BOOK TOUR: Right Beside You by Tucker Shaw
-
REVIEW: Revelations by Nik Knight
Fire & Brimstone: Revelations – Nik Knight
Riley thought he knew what to expect from college, but he never planned for angels, demons, or a team of attractive, overprotective Guardians.
When one fateful night opens his eyes to a world he never knew existed, Riley Shepard must navigate a host of supernatural dangers, all while struggling with new and confusing feelings for his guardian angels. With the promise of friends, family, and freedom finally within his grasp, he fears not only for his heart but for his life as well.
Lucky for him, some things are worth dying for.
*** Revelations is the first book in the slow-burn M/M+ romance series, Fire & Brimstone, featuring hurt/comfort, swoon-worthy guardian angels, sexual awakening, and an unlikely hero, too innocent for his own good. Trigger warnings include: situations of homophobia (both external and internal), past child abuse, self-harm, mental health, and one instance (Prologue) of non-graphic sexual assault. ***
Revelations is the series opener of the polyamorous paranormal/urban fantasy series Fire & Brimstone. It is a story held together by an intriguing premise, a spectacular prologue, and a talented narrator, Kurt Graves.
Without this lucky combination, I doubt I would have finished the book.
I won’t spoil the prologue with too much details. Just know that demons are on a hunt….
The story is in the 1st-person POV of Riley Shepard, a shy 19-year-old college student with barely any friends. Riley grew up in foster homes, the last one with a Dolores Umbridge of a religious nut who brainwashed poor Riley into thinking every other errant thought or action is a cause for shame or sin.
Our boy is a mass of trauma, anxiety, and guilt. He was once committed to a mental health institution for having “imaginary friends.” Due to his foster mother’s training, he is compelled to punish himself whenever he feels he did something wrong.
Riley’s imaginary friends turned out to be real. Noel, Jai, and Gideon were his guardian angels. Why was he able to see them only now?
While I empathize with Riley’s mental health issues, going through his self-flagellatory internal dialogues is a very unpleasant experience. Add to that him being a doormat and being treated like a baby by his friends, to the point of being literally carried like one, it was hard to like the character.
I loved the three protective angels. Noel and Jai’s interactions were the most fun part, as the two were mirror entities who were also complete opposites. Noel is an albino with a sweet, caring nature, while Jai is the bad boy, tall, dark, and with a taste for trouble. Gideon is their leader, complete with daddy vibes, a gruff manner, and fabulous cooking skills.
The thing with these celestial beings is that they take the hurt comfort to a ridiculously infantile level as if overcompensating for Riley’s loveless childhood.
The plot moves efficiently, largely due to Kurt Graves’ engaging performance, even though not much happens until the final chapters, where secrets are finally revealed. Interestingly, while these revelations are not particularly surprising, they still make me eager to read the next book.
It also helped that the epilogue is in Gideon’s POV, which means, we’ll be getting Noel’s and Jai’s POVs too. Sometimes a different perspective changes how I feel about unlikable characters, and I want to like Riley. Our boy has been through the wringer and deserves some extra TLCs.
Revelations was a mixed bag and very slow burn but hooked me nonetheless. It’s an emotional story about a boy living a monochrome life who discovers the world is far more vivid and colorful than he ever imagined. Overall, it’s not setting my world on fire, but I liked it.
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked itSoundtrack: Not Alone
Artist: Otto Knows
Album: Not Alone
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Revelations. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
REVELATIONS: Kindle | Audiobook
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!
-
AUDIOBOOK TOUR: The Coven Series by Drako (Excerpt & Giveaway + Guest Post)
-
REVIEW: The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by K.J. Charles
Gentlemen of Uncertain Fortune: The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting – K.J. Charles
Robin Loxleigh and his sister Marianne are the hit of the Season, so attractive and delightful that nobody looks behind their pretty faces. Until Robin sets his sights on Sir John Hartlebury’s heiress niece. The notoriously graceless baronet isn’t impressed by good looks or fooled by false charm. He’s sure Robin is a liar, a fortune hunter, and a heartless, greedy fraud – and he’ll protect his niece, whatever it takes. Then, just when Hart thinks he has Robin at his mercy, things take a sharp left turn. And as the grumpy baronet and the glib fortune hunter start to understand each other, they also find themselves starting to care – more than either of them thought possible. But Robin’s cheated and lied and let people down for money. Can a professional rogue earn an honest happy ever after?
The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting is the first book of Gentlemen of Uncertain Fortune by my all-time favorite, K.J. Charles. I started this book beforehand but finished the sequel, The Duke At Hazard, first because, for some reason, I wasn’t jiving with the story.
I enjoyed The Duke At Hazard so much, and Hart and Robin had a fun cameo that I wanted to give their book another try.
Second time’s the charm!
Still, it was a bit of a slow start but I had a better appreciation of the cleverness of the plot, the layered characterizations, the scandalous family politics, and the surprising rightness of Hart and Robin’s dynamics once they started their arrangement.
Robin and Marianne Loxleigh of Nottinghamshire are in the business of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. The poor being them. They set their sights on Alice Fenwick, a brewery heiress, and the titled gentlemen of the Season, all of whom were impressed by their manners and attractive appearance.
Alice’s uncle is the grumpy Sir John Hartlebury, a known misanthrope who saw through their ruse from the get-go. Hart tries to convince his sister Edwina that her daughter is being wooed by a fortune hunter, but she isn’t convinced and tells Hart to prove his claims.
This is one of the most amusing parts. Doing his damnest, Hart pointed out all the signs that Robin is a charlatan who uses his appearance and charms to gain advantages and titles. Only for Edwina to counterargue, “It’s what people do” in the Marriage Mart.
I loved the irony and how the author made it seem the Loxleighs are really no different from everyone else, except that they have no illustrious lineage, and that everybody is, in a way, a charlatan when it comes to securing an advantageous marriage.
Another fun part is the unexpectedly endearing relationship between Robin and Alice. Our young heiress might be average-looking, but she’s no fool and a math prodigy, too. Also, she has no interest in marriage. Schemes aside, Robin developed a fondness for the lady and had an enthusiastic appreciation of her mathematical skills.
I loved how he encouraged her to pursue her dream to be a mathematician. Might be that he sees potential use of her math theories in the gaming halls. I could imagine Robin rubbing his hands in glee as he raked in the money. But really, this enterprising fortune hunter is actually soft-hearted and wants to help Alice enter a university.
Also, he’s lusting after the uncle with the thunder thighs.
Hart and Robin’s arrangement started after an unfortunate card game (guess who lost). The author did a spectacular job weaving the hurt comfort, the class difference, the importance of consent, the kink exploration, and the blossoming affections in this clandestine arrangement.
The characters are wonderfully nuanced and if you love words of affirmation, this has swoon-worthy declarations to melt the heart!
Robin more or less trampled the power dynamics with his unbridled sensuality, shameless imagination, and sincere admiration for the “unlovable” Hart.
Robin is easy to like but Hart is the underdog I was rooting hard for. Going against his heartless mother to protect his sister and their family legacy and thus practically a social pariah, he is a man with only three known friends.
He is also considered physically unattractive by even his mother. Add to that his lack of conversational skills and social graces, it was hard for Hart to believe anyone would actually like him.
But Robin saw through the gruffness. Hart is fiercely protective of those he loves. He’s an astute business owner, a loyal friend, kind, generous and fair even to desperate fortune hunting rogues.
This wouldn’t be a K.J. Charles book without a twisty-turny climax. The scene is deliciously sharp, cutting with surgical precision, bringing the bad guys down before they even realized their heads were sliced off. Metaphorically that is, since no blood was shed, just dignity and enemy reputations in tatters.
And you got to hand it to narrator Cornell Collins for performing this scene to it’s most dramatic effect.
The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting is a story of pretty faces and plain janes, false claims, and genuine treasures. Set against the backdrop of dazzling ballrooms, bustling gaming halls, and secluded private rooms, it is a tale where fortune favors the bold (and desperate) in the game of love, money, and privilege. Swoony and captivating, it’s definitely a winning hand!
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Fortunately
Artist: Mokita
Album: FortunatelyP.S.
The books in the Gentlemen of Uncertain Fortune can be read as standalones. Witness another fortune lost and gain during a card game in The Duke At Hazard.
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
THE GENTLE ART OF FORTUNE HUNTING: Kindle | Audiobook
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!
-
NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Earth’s Passion by Emily Carrington (Excerpt & Giveaway)
