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REVIEW: The Devil You Know by Morgan Brice
Witchbane: The Devil You Know – Morgan Brice
Seth and Evan met “on the job” when Evan was the intended sacrifice of a dark coven, and Seth came to the rescue. Now, they’ve teamed up to stop a century of ritual murders and get justice for Seth’s brother Jesse and the other victims.
Seth and Evan have a plan to stop the next witch disciple, plus new allies and magic. But this time, the warlock knows they’re coming, and he has plans of his own. When Seth disappears and is trapped in a spell that gives him his heart’s desire, can he free himself in time to help Evan?
And when Evan’s younger brother shows up unexpectedly, can Evan trust Parker to have his back? It all comes down to trusting the devil you know!
The Devil You Know is a thrill-paHotcked urban fantasy MM paranormal romance with plenty of supernatural suspense, hurt/comfort, hot sex, found family, and dark magic and features an evolving, established romantic relationship with all the feels.
I’ve been diligently following Witchbane since its not-so-impressive beginning. I almost gave up on the series but I’m glad I stuck around because it gets better and better with each new installment. Morgan Brice spectacularly outdid herself in this latest offering.
The series follows boyfriends Seth and Evan in their quest to hunt the serial killing witches responsible for the deaths throughout the century of the firstborn sons of the men who hang their master. They do this to prolong their lifespans. Seth and Evan were survivors who vowed to stop the cycle.
The Devil You Know is a book of reunions and do-overs, grief and closure. Seth relives his fondest memories and deepest regrets, while Evan has an unexpected meeting with his estranged brother. I’m not going to reveal many details because it’s best experienced knowing little of the plot going in. But if you have been following the series, you’d have an inkling that this is going to be hella bittersweet and cathartic, especially for Seth, a few chapters in.
The story is about the witch-hunting boyfriends’ usual adventure, except that their target knows they’re after him and goes on the offensive. There are the welcome appearances from characters from the author’s other series, supernatural allies who had Seth’s and Evan’s backs.
I’ve read some comments where they weren’t pleased with Seth and Evan mostly separated the whole time. I’m also not a fan of separation, but this time it worked brilliantly with the plot, paving way for the most emotionally wrecking moment in the entire series.
I could count in one hand the times a book moved me to tears. The Devil You Know joins the illustrious ranks of The Book Thief for making me cry. It was just that heart-wrenching! That poor Seth had to go through something like that! I would have dropped the book at the unfairness of it all. But the author pulled it off so well, especially the resolution, I was completely riveted! It was a one-sitter because I just couldn’t tear myself away!
The Devil You Know saw major character developments and closure for our boys as well as changes to the team dynamics. Loving where Morgan Brice is taking the series! All in all, deeply moving, deftly executed and so far, the best book of all.
Rating:
5 Stars – absolutely perfectSoundtrack: A Thousand Lives
Artist: The Murder Capital
Album: Gigi’s RecoveryP.S.
Witchbane books can be read as standalones but I highly recommend starting from the beginning for maximum enjoyment.
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THE DEVIL YOU KNOW
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3-DAY BLAST: Third Front by E.M. Hamill (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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BOOK TOUR: Silver in the Mist by Emily Victoria
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BOOK TOUR: Devotion by Anna Denisch (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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BLOG TOUR: For The Boys by B.L. Mute (Giveaway)
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REVIEW: Exclusive by Ki Brightly & M.D. Gregory
Model Love: Exclusive – Ki Brightly & M.D. Gregory
Getting signed as an exclusive model for a new fashion line is a dream come true for Asa, but is there more to the rich Ruslan than meets the eye?
Being a model was supposed to be temporary for Asa McGogh AKA Augustine Hart. His fashion career was meant to be a stepping stone to acting, but when he gets an exclusive contract that comes with a hefty payday, he can’t say no. It would be a privilege for any model to be the face of a new fashion line built by millionaire Ruslan Kozlova, and it doesn’t hurt that Ruslan is charming, a flirt, and incredibly handsome.
Ruslan Kozlova has a lonely life. Being a mafia boss isn’t easy, and all he wants to do is find the right person to stay by his side. When he sees Asa on a billboard, he knows he must have him, and he’ll do anything to make it happen, even bankroll an entire fashion line to get him close. Ruslan doesn’t want to be like every other businessman who expects more than Asa is willing to give him, though, so he decides to woo him the old-fashioned way.
The more time Ruslan spends with Asa, the more he comes to realize how different Asa is from every other man he has met. Asa is pure and sweet, and Ruslan will do anything to keep him from the dark part of his life. But what happens when Asa finds out who Ruslan really is?
Exclusive is part of the Model Love multiauthored series. Each book can be read as a stand-alone story, in any order, but there are so many models falling in love, why not read them all?
Exclusive has a premise that immediately grabbed my attention. As someone who has dabbled in the fashion industry, a.k.a. failed attempts at designing, a person bankrolling an entire fashion line just to get his crush’s attention is peak romance to me.
This is one of the fluffier and sweeter stories from this author duo who specializes in love interests from the wrong side of the law, mafia bosses, bikers, those types. It’s also a nice little tribute to Ukraine, with Ruslan Kozlova being a son of Ukrainian immigrants. The guy took one look at a billboard of perfume model Augustine Hart, a.k.a, Asa McGogh, and was immediately smitten. He had to have him!
This kicks off the classic wine-and-dine romance because Ru is determined to woo Asa the traditional way. It was hella charming, though a tad bit too old-fashion and cheesy for me. Ru was the perfect gentleman and a romantic, wishing for true love as his parents had. At odds with his mob boss persona at which, the story was quick to clarify that the man was tired of the criminal life.
Asa is advertised as sweet and pure. Yeah, he is that, but I felt his characterization wasn’t there 100%, falling short of adorable. He came from the Midwest with a supposedly wacky family. He took Ruslan to meet his folks. The McGoghs took it as a cue to act as ridiculously as possible. I felt they were trying too hard, and Ru pretty much lost his personality, barely having any dialogues and just going along with the trainwreck.
Exclusive is a mix-bag for me. It’s my ultimate fashion fairy tale and a cheesy, light-hearted love story that almost lost the plot near the end. Luckily, it got back on track and rallied to the HEA I’ve been waiting for. All in all, this sugary sweet love at first sight romance is worth more than a passing glance.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: One Look
Artist: The Correspondents
Album: Foolishman
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Exclusive. 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!
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COVER REVEAL: Knot Interested by Crea Reitan
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BLOG TOUR: Life is Good and Other Lies by Magdalena Di Sotru & Sophia Soames
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REVIEW: Like Father, Like Son by Quin Perin
Like Father, Like Son by Quin Perin
Surprise, it’s a boy!
I never wanted to know him.
Never even suspected his existence. But once I knew, I had to see him. Had to see if it was true.
He has your eyes, your hair, your dimples.
Timothee is everything I used to be, full of life, full of joy. He’s also a sassy little sh*t.
He has me wrapped around his fingers, so damn easily.
My son? He’s trouble.
What we share is all kinds of wrong, even if it feels oh so right.
***LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON is a forbidden love romance, full of snark and k*nk. Please heed warning at the beginning of the book.
A read inspired by those inbred dragon whisperers. Like Father, Like Son is a forbidden daddy kink romance where one boy’s daddy was his actual dad.
Jobbing thief Devon receives a bombshell that he has a 17-year old son named Timothee. Setting out to the next town to meet him, Dev stops at a bar where a very attractive and barely legal young man grabs his interest. They had a hook up that ended with the little shit sneaking away after robbing Dev. Guess what happens when he arrives at his son’s house…
Flesh and blood connections aside, this pretty much reads like the usual daddy/boy, age gap romance where the younger character is the active pursuer. Dev is the first to admit he’s no father figure. Meanwhile, Tim has no familial sentiments associated with Dev, which removes any major angsting over morality and fuck up-ness of what they’re doing.
The recently homeless and penniless Tim had no qualms using sex to persuade the initially reluctant Dev to let him stay at his rundown apartment. The manipulative little shit even manage to finagle a non-sexual father/son bonding time. This part was a little bittersweet because it was obvious the young man wanted some fatherly affection and had to resort to tactics just to get it. I liked this part best because it was a what-could-have-been if the two had met under different circumstances. It also showed a softer side to these tough characters.
The story is from both Dev’s and Tim’s 1st-person POVs. Most of the character development came from Dev’s side. He had to come to terms with having a son who is also his lover, while Tim was quick to get over it, blase even. I’m neutral about these two, they’re both compelling characters, but daddy-kink romance isn’t my cup of tea.
There were a couple of characters who came in to stir the possessive sides of the two MCs. First is Jason, the son of the mobster to whom Dev owed money. Their high-stakes pool challenge had Dev biting his nails while sassy boy Tim put his ass on the line. Had a laugh at how skillfully Tim could wrap his dad around his little finger. Dev didn’t know what hit him!
Brandon is Devon’s regular hook-up who came over because the dork was being cagey. Tim was in no way sharing his daddy and proceeded to mark his territory in the most explicit way possible right in front of the competition. After Tim made his point, had another laugh at the part where Brandon tells Dev he’s going to be the best daddy to Tim. Then gives him a wink. Dev’s a daddy, alright.
No fairy tale endings for our deviant duo. Not much of an ending really, which is to be expected. Because how do you give an HEA for two lovers already bound by flesh and blood? Let them happily carry on, I guess.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Human
Artist: Rumgold
Album: Thicker Than Water
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Descendant by L.E. Royal (Excerpt & Giveaway)
