• book,  Uncategorized

    REVIEW: Green Ravens by A.E. Via

    Ravens: Green Ravens – A.E. Via

    They erased their memories, rewrote their names, and made them beasts. Now, the hunt for vengeance begins.

    Chief Aiken Oakley and Chief Styles Sawyerโ€”two of the US Navyโ€™s most elite Special Warfare Combatant-craft officersโ€”vanished after their mission was ambushed in South America and later presumed MIA.

    Captured by the Ravenโ€™s organization, a covert assassin program, Oakley and Sawyer are stripped of their past, their memories, and even their names.
    They are subjected to inhumane experimentation and injected with predator DNA that transform them into primal, lethal weaponsโ€ฆ and are now known only as Valor and Zorion.

    After breaking free from the programโ€™s control, Valor and Zorion train themselves to master the beasts within themโ€”pushing their minds, bodies, and instincts to the edge.

    But to take down the corrupt organization, theyโ€™ll need more than strength, fury and an appetite for revenge. They’ll have to form uneasy alliances with the two other deadly Raven unitsโ€”the strategic, silent Browns, and the ruthless, unpredictable Blacks.

    Together, these assassins must unite against the program that created them… and destroy it before it creates something worse.

    Black, Brown, and Green Ravensโ€ฆ The organization turned them into weapons, and now theyโ€™ve come back for war.


    Green Ravens is the second book of the spectacular sci-fi military series Ravens by A.E. Via. The Ravens are genetically enhanced super assassins created by a black ops military program.

    Each team is identified by color. The first Ravens were the Blacks, Ex, and Meridian, who have gone rogue. They teamed up with the Browns, Grace, and Mirage, who also broke free as soon as they realized the program director had his own nefarious agenda.

    The third team are the Greens, former Navy officers Chief Aiken Oakley and Chief Styles Sawyer. As Navy officers, they worked together on a mission that quickly went tits up, leaving the two to fend for their lives in the Amazon.

    They came upon the secret Ravens encampment, and what they thought was a rescue turned out to be a genetic experiment nightmare for both. Now reborn as Valor and Zorion, they have enhanced animal abilities from the spliced DNAs of the Amazon’s apex predators. They just have to bide their time and escape from the insidious grasp of the program director who wants to turn them into mindless killing machines.

    A.E. Via outdid herself with this latest installment! Fast-paced and tightly written with a masterful blend of swoon, action, and suspense, Valor and Zorion are your deadly alpha super soldiers and sweet, soulful yearning lovers.

    Valor, with the DNA of the jaguar, is dominant, territorial, and protective of Zorion. Zorion has the DNA of the hawk, the natural enemy of the jaguar. Instead of clashing, the bond between the two men remained unbreakable.

    Echoes of their mutual attraction in past lives resonate with the magnetic pull of the present, a connection that transcended trauma and amnesia. It’s so unspeakably romantic! And if that’s not squee-tastic enough, we have Valor and Zorion constantly cuddling for that hurt comfort magic!

    We have been teased by The Order in Black and Brown, a super-secret society of righteous assassins. Here, we see more of the inner workings of The Order, helping train the Greens, taking down the bad guys, and reworking the Ravens program. The high-octane action scenes were thrilling! I’d love to see them on screen. From Shaolin martial arts to high-tech weaponry, the Greens are on top of their game!

    I think the only things missing are detailed sensory descriptions of sight and smell. I wished the author leaned more towards the animal abilities and made Valor and Zorion just a little bit more feral. But giving them hawk and jaguar pets were cool.

    I loved the concept of the Cherished, which is what The Order members call the other half of their souls. This is essentially what the Ravens are to each other, and I loved how the author portrayed the trust, loyalty, and love between the couples. With Valor and Zorion, there is a certain vulnerability and coziness to their dynamics, a constant warmth and refreshing lack of antagonism that made them stand out among the Ravens.

    The secret society is a badass addition to the already fascinating world of the Ravens. The world-building is fantastic, providing enough details to create a complete picture without info-dumping. The appearances of the Blacks and Browns are cherries on top of an already richly concocted treat, and this series is now my top favorite from the author.

    Green Ravens is a story of defiance and vengeance, of remaking and undoing. Equal parts a tender romance and a gripping sci-fi military story, this novel delivers compelling characters, high-stakes action, and heartfelt relationships. Overall, immersive, emotional, and intense as a trek through the Amazon!

    Rating:
    4.5 Stars โ€“ perfection is only half a step away

    Soundtrack: Savage
    Artist: Vowless
    Album: Savage

    P.S.

    Ravens is best read in order.

    Ex Meridian – I’m sorry but Ex and Meridian had me gushing! Technically part of the Nothing Special series.

    Black and Brown – Grace and Mirage speaking volumes in their silence gave me life!


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    GREEN RAVENSAmazon UK | Audiobook

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  • song,  Uncategorized

    SOUNDTRACK: Savage by Vowless

    Soundtrack to Ravens: Green Ravens by A.E. Via

    Savage by Vowless for a book about defiance, vengeance, and two apex predators remaking the world for the better.

    Iโ€™m a savage in a civilized world
    Unashamed, uncontained, undeterred
    I donโ€™t fit the script
    Donโ€™t play their game
    My soul wasnโ€™t built to kneel and obey

    Iโ€™m a savage in a civilized world
    Let them bleed
    Let them beg to belong
    I donโ€™t bow, donโ€™t lie, donโ€™t perform

    Let them chase a flawless reign
    I was built to break the chain

  • quote,  Uncategorized

    They walk the lines
    I tear them open

    They move in perfect circles
    Polish mass and quiet lines
    I’ll undo their perfection
    Just to watch them vaporize

    They humble for acceptance
    Pay for names and cold applause
    I stay feral in the shadows
    Tearing holes through all their laws

    I don’t fit their little boxes
    Don’t respond to trained command
    There’s no ribbon on my spirit
    There’s no leash around these hands

    Every time they try to tame me
    I just turn more iron-willed
    I’m a fire they can’t smother
    I’m a voice they couldn’t still

    They march in rhythm chasing higher praise
    I run my own beat through the smoking blaze

    I’m a savage in a civilized world
    Unashamed, uncontained, undeterred
    I don’t fit the script
    Don’t play their game
    My soul wasn’t built to kneel and obey

    I’m a savage in a civilized world
    Let them bleed
    Let them beg to belong
    I don’t bow, don’t lie, don’t conform

    I’m a savage in a civilized world

    They lace their dreams in cages
    Call their caution something wise
    But I found truth in chaos
    Where the hunting spirit lies

    Their hands are tied in comfort
    Mine are hooked in my own grip
    They speak about the path I take
    The path I burned through it

    They need a world that likes ’em
    I just need a world of taste
    They need shelter from the storm
    I treat the storm like a kind of kiss

    Don’t invite me to your kingdom
    I’ll just rip apart the dome
    My religion is defiance
    My allegiance is my own

    They march in rhythm chasing higher praise
    I run my own beat through the smoking blaze

    I’m a savage in a civilized world
    Unashamed, uncontained, undeterred
    I don’t fit the script
    Don’t play their game
    My soul wasn’t built to kneel and obey

    I’m a savage in a civilized world
    Let them bleed
    Let them beg to belong
    I don’t bow, don’t lie, don’t perform

    I’m a savage in a civilized world

    Give me coffins
    Give me stones
    Give me crowns
    Give me thorns

    Let them chase a flawless reign
    I was built to break the chain

    I’m a savage in a civilized world
    Untamed, unafraid, uncontrolled
    I’ve done marks around (?)
    Don’t wear them on my paws
    This is why my blood runs bold

    I’m a savage in a civilized world
    Let them kneel to the norm they serve
    I don’t blend, don’t bend,
    Don’t perform under storm
    That we’re warned about since birth

    I’m a savage in a civilized world

    I’m a savage in a civilized world
    Uncontained, unrestrained, undeterred
    Let them walk in line bowing to the norm
    I was built for the wild
    Not built to perform

    I’m a savage in a civilized world
    I don’t chase, don’t kill
    Don’t learn to conform
    I don’t blend, don’t beg
    Don’t deserve their cause (?)


    I’m a savage in a civilized world

    ***not the official lyrics, this is my own transcription, apologies for any misheard lyrics

  • book,  Uncategorized

    REVIEW: Savage by Brooke Blaine & Ella Frank

    Park Avenue Kings: Savage by Brooke Blaine & Ella Frank

    Who are we? Nobody really knows. Weโ€™re the seven most powerful heirs to empires, ruling Manhattan from our thrones on Park Avenue. By day, weโ€™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.

    Weโ€™re the Park Avenue Kings.

    In this city of power and desire, where the line between love and obsession blurs, nothing is off-limitsโ€”and we wouldnโ€™t have it any other way.

    ***

    Heโ€™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 canโ€™t afford the luxury of attachments. But when a mission takes an unexpected turn, he finds himself saving Cooper Pattersonโ€”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 โ€“ not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it

    Soundtrack: Masquerade
    Artist: Robosoul feat. Cid Fox
    Album: Masquerade


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    SAVAGEKindle | Audiobook

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  • song,  Uncategorized

    SOUNDTRACK: Masquerade by Robosoul feat. Cid Fox

    Soundtrack to Park Avenue Kings: Savage by Brooke Blaine & Ella Frank

    Masquerade by Robosoul feat Cid Fox for a book about a man in a mask and the object of his obsession.

    Hiding, behind in disguise
    Can you feel me watching you
    Itโ€™s magic, that iโ€™m lost in your spell
    But you donโ€™t even have a clue
    That I am hypnotized
    Yeah iโ€™m drawn to your eyes