-
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?
***
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?
***
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.
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Light & Shadow. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
LIGHT & SHADOW: Amazon UK | 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!
-
SOUNDTRACK: Another Life by Motionless in White & Light by N3wport feat. Dianna
Soundtrack to Light & Shadow: Isaac by N.N. Britt
Another Life by Motionless in White for a book about forbidden love between a mob boss and a federal agent.
If I can’t let you go, will darkness divide?
For the fiction of love is the truth of our lies
We were playing for keeps, but we both knew the cost
Now the only way out’s in your heart-shaped box (heart-shaped box)But I hate that it seemed you were never enough
We were broken and bleeding, but never gave up
And I hate that I made you the enemy
And I hate that your heart was the casualty
Now I hate that I need youSoundtrack to Light & Shadow: Dallas by N.N. Britt
Light by N3wport feat Dianna for a book about a fight for redemption, freedom and happiness.
Is this all you want? Satisfied with what’s left
Of a broken heart, fighting for every breath
I can give you more ’cause in this tomb I’ve laid
Fighting for your heart
Your debts have all been paid…
No more tears to cry, joy can take their place
And there’s freedom here, I have won your race
You’re perfect to me, ’cause when I look at you
I see myself and the triumphs you’ve been through -
If I can’t let you go, will darkness divide?
For the fiction of love is the truth of our lies
We were playing for keeps, but we both knew the cost
Now the only way out’s in your heart-shaped box (heart-shaped box)But I hate that it seemed you were never enough
We were broken and bleeding, but never gave up
And I hate that I made you the enemy
And I hate that your heart was the casualty
Now I hate that I need youAs we rest here alone like notes on a page
The finest to compose could not play our pain
With a candle through time, I could still see your ghost
But I can’t close my eyes, for it
For it is there where you haunt me most (haunt me most)
Where you haunt me mostI hate that it seemed you were never enough
We were broken and bleeding, but never gave up
And I hope that I stain through your memory
As we echo through time in the melody
Now I hate that I need youAnd I hear you now when you said it hurt
But it had to fall, fall apart to work
As I see you now in what’s left of me
Is it too late to plead insanity?(I won’t let go) ’cause I hate that it seemed you were never enough
Yeah, we’re broken and bleeding in the name of love
And I hope that we meet in another life
I hope that we meet in another life
I don’t hate that I need you (I don’t hate that I need you)
I don’t hate that I need you (I don’t hate that I need you)
I don’t hate that I need youIs this all you want? Satisfied with what’s left
Of a broken heart, fighting for every breath
I can give you more ’cause in this tomb I’ve laid
Fighting for your heart
Your debts have all been paidDark turns into light
Before your very eyes
No more darkness
Just lightJust light
No more tears to cry, joy can take their place
And there’s freedom here, I have won your race
You’re perfect to me, ’cause when I look at you
I see myself and the triumphs you’ve been throughDark turns into light
Before your very eyes
No more darkness
Just lightDark turns into light
Before your very eyes
No more darkness
Just lightJust light
Dark turns into light
Before your very eyes
No more darkness
Just light -
SERIES REVIEW: Enlightenment Books 2 & 3 by Joanna Chambers
Enlightenment: Beguiled – Joanna Chambers
A fleeting pleasure is the sweetest seduction…
David Lauriston couldn’t be less interested in King George IV’s first visit to Edinburgh. But with Faculty of Advocates members required to put on a minimal show of patriotism, David makes an appointment with his tailor for a new set of clothes-only to run into a man he hasn’t seen for two long years.
Lord Murdo Balfour.
Much has changed since their bitter parting, except their stormy attraction. And when Murdo suggests they enjoy each other’s company during his stay, David finds himself agreeing. After all, it’s only a temporary tryst.
Amidst the pomp and ceremony of the King’s visit, Murdo’s seduction is more powerful than David ever imagined possible. But when other figures from David’s past show up, he is drawn into a chain of events beyond his control. Where his determination to help a friend will break his body, threaten his career, and put at risk the fragile tenderness he’s found in Murdo’s arms.
Warning: Contains a lowborn Scottish lawyer with no love for the aristocracy, but more than enough passion for this highborn lord. Political intrigue, kilts, explicit m/m trysts, and men who epitomize “knight in shining armor.”
Rating:
5 Stars – absolutely perfectSoundtrack: Show Me The Wonder
Artist: Manic Street Preachers
Album: Rewind the Film
Enlightenment: Enlightened – Joanna Chambers
The cruelest duel may not spill a drop of blood…but it could break their hearts.
Five months ago, David Lauriston was badly hurt helping his friend Elizabeth escape her violent husband. Since then, David has been living with his lover, Lord Murdo Balfour, while he recuperates.
Despite the pain of his injuries, David’s time with Murdo has been the happiest of his life. The only things that trouble him are Murdo’s occasional bouts of preoccupation, and the fact that one day soon, David will have to return to his legal practice in Edinburgh.
That day comes too soon when David’s friend and mentor takes to his deathbed, and David finds himself agreeing to take on a private mission in London. Murdo is at his side in the journey, but a shocking revelation by Murdo’s ruthless father leaves David questioning everything they’ve shared.
As tensions mount and the stakes grow higher, David and Murdo are forced to ask themselves how far they’re prepared to go—and how much they’re prepared to give up—to stay together. And whether there’s any chance of lasting happiness for men like them.
Warning: Men in love, men with secrets, and men armed with dueling pistols.
Rating:
5 Stars – absolutely perfectSoundtrack: Light
Artist: Kinder
Album: Light
I don’t know what the heck I read in 2017, but I remember not being too impressed with Provoked, Book 1 of Enlightenment. The series was a huge fan-favorite, so what was I missing?
The story is from the POV of young lawyer David Lauriston. He’s a man with strong opinions about right or wrong. He will go through extreme lengths to protect his friends, especially Elizabeth, who married a rich but abusive aristocrat. David is stubborn, but I liked that he’s loyal and kind to a fault.
My main gripe was Lord Murdo Balfour.
Murdo is a villain name. Also, he was supposed to be this mysterious rakish figure who seduced the then-virgin David Lauriston, only to leave him high and dry. Apparently, there’s a thing as too enigmatic because he came across as a faceless, featureless, one-dimensional entity.
Cue Books 2 and 3, Beguiled and Enlightened, and I was spectacularly flabbergasted to discover the very same Lord Murdo Balfour, not just a living, breathing entity, but a swoony, generous, considerate, and attentive love interest so obviously smitten with our boy David. How the hell did I not see that before?!
And Murdo, chafing at the bit to free himself from his father’s evil grasp, and single-mindedly defiant of the Earl’s machinations to have him marry a woman to further their family’s political power. Also, him doing everything to protect David and his friends at the cost of his reputation, family, and wealth. This man, OMG!!! My jaw dropped to the floor!
My, ahem, enlightenment in this aptly named series gave me a high while reading the 2nd and 3rd books. I had better appreciation of what turned out to be an very-well thought out plot running through the first three books, with nuanced characters navigating tricky political and social rules and a high stakes forbidden romance culminating a daring all or nothing bid for an HEA.
I also complained before about the POV being solely from David’s as too one-sided. It didn’t matter anymore. The storytelling felt more balanced now that I have a better grasp of Murdo’s character. Also, the rest of the supporting cast, David’s mentor Chalmers, Elizabeth, Euan who is David’s friend and Lizzie’s lover, the Earl, and Lizzie’s abusive husband, now stood out individually and playing their parts effectively.
I have never been more glad to give a series another chance. The fans were right!
From the eye-opening characters, the compelling threads of kindness, trust, and care in a world of power and abuse, to the clever, clever way it sliced through the Gordian knots that bind Murdo and the hard-won happiness for him and David, Enlightenment is a brilliant historical romance.
A true classic!
P.S.
Enlightenment should be read in order. Decide if Murdo was indeed cardboard or I was too blind to see his true nature in Book1, Provoked.
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Enlightenment. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
ENLIGHTENMENT: Kindle
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!
-
SOUNDTRACK: Show Me The Wonder by Manic Street Preachers & Light by Kinder
Soundtrack to Enlightenment: Beguiled by Joanna Chambers
Show Me The Wonder by Manic Street Preacher for a book about reconnections, revelations and a bid for freedom.
This is no threat
Just an invitation
A sense of belonging
A sense of inspiration…
If you’re exiled
By all the cruel tongues
Then show me the wonder
The wonder of your loveSoundtrack to Enlightenment: Enlightened by Joanna Chambers
Light by Kinder for a book where love is inevitable, powerful, and hard-won.
Isn’t it funny how we fall in love?
Like a freight train with no brakes
All of the questions that we’re thinking of
That we don’t ask cause we don’t want a heartbreakThere is something for us, I can see it
With my own eyes, waiting for ya
In the darkness
You brought me into the light -
This is no threat
Just an invitation
A sense of belonging
A sense of inspirationIs heaven a place
Where nothing ever happens
Is it too much to ask
To disbelieve in everythingShow me the wonder
I have seen the birthplace of the universe
Show me the wonder
I have seen their records move in reverseIf you’re exiled
By all the cruel tongues
Then show me the wonder
The wonder of your loveA tapping pain of madness
Running through their veins
We may write in English
But our truth lays in WalesShow me the wonder
I have seen the birthplace of the universe
Show me the wonder
I have seen their records move in reversePraying for the silence
When we look in to a mirror
Stained so patient
We measure the nostalgiaIs heaven a place
Where nothing ever happens
Is it too much to ask
To disbelieve in everythingShow me the wonder
I have seen the birthplace of the universe
Show me the wonder
I have seen their records move in reverseShow me the wonder
Show me the wonder
I have seen their records move in reverseIsn’t it funny how we fall in love?
Like a freight train with no brakes
All of the questions that we’re thinking of
That we don’t ask cause we don’t want a heartbreakThere is something for us, I can see it
With my own eyes, waiting for ya
In the darkness
You brought me into the lightI tried to take my time but I can’t hold back
I been waiting for the perfect moment
Just before the feeling fades to black, yeah
You give me those eyes, now I’m jonesin’There is something for us, I can see it
With my own eyes, waiting for ya
In the darkness
You brought me into the light
There is something for us, I can see it
With my own eyes, waiting for ya
In the darkness
You brought me into the light
There is something for us, I can see it
With my own eyes, waiting for ya
In the darkness
You brought me into the light -
We come from a distant past. We are long dead, but you can still see our projections through space and time, like the light of dead, distant stars. But when that light passes through your soul, it bends…it transforms according to your magic.
-
When I see your light pieces with my dark pieces, I begin to understand why they say opposites attract.
Amanda Lovelace
