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REVIEW: A Bright Celestial Sea by Chani Lynn Feener
A Bright Celestial Sea – Chani Lynn Feener
Pryor Oro came to the Olympus to find a missing Imperial, not fall for one.
On the space station Olympus, a disappearance and a theft has captured the attention of the Intergalactic Police Force. Assigned to the case, Pryor heads to the World Ship in order to search for a missing prince. While there, he’s forced to work with the Emperor, Wystan Aurelius, who seems to never let Pryor out of his sight. Confused over why a man he’s never met is acting so possessive, Pryor’s urgency to solve the case and get away from Olympus and its ruler intensifies, even as the unruly Emperor starts to grow on him.
Wystan Aurelius finds life on a World Ship dull, until Detective Pryor steps onto his ship, and into his territory.
More concerned with discovering who has stolen missing medical technology, Wystan couldn’t care less about a vanished prince from another planet. At least, not until he sees how invested in the case Pryor is, and realizes how upset he gets when he doesn’t have the Detective’s full attention turned his way, and his way only. Wystan finds himself at a crossroads. Force Pryor to accept him by telling the truth? Or win him over the old-fashioned way?
Wystan’s secrets could unravel everything, but he isn’t the only one hiding things. Pryor’s privy to some classified information could end up turning the entire galaxy for a loop. Together, the two must navigate through their emotions and the seedy underside of Olympus to solve the case before it’s too late, and life, as they both know it, is altered forever.
A Bright Celestial Sea is another book written by Chani Lynn Feener in the same sci-fi universe as Between the Devil and the Sea and A Sea of Endless Light. It does not have a name yet, but I’ll call it IPF-verse since the Intergalactic Police Force is one thing common with the other books. Also, the MCs are IPF detectives with secrets they desperately want to stay buried.
The opening puts us right in the thick of things. From what I could suss out, a member of the Tiberian imperial family, nephew to the Empress, is missing. A critical illness, a top-secret nano-technology, and a classified medical procedure were uncovered. There’s an assassination attempt, and either imperial twins, sons of the Empress, might be involved, but then they were supposed to be dead.
All of this happend in Olympus, which is the world ship of the Vexans.
I spent half the book untangling the convoluted plot. For one, I was confused by all the names that came up. I was audiobooking this, and the Tiberian Imperials had very close-sounding names that I didn’t immediately realize there were several of them.
Roth is the nephew, the party boy wasting Tiberian tax money on lavish shindigs across the galaxy. Rath is his twin and is said to have died at birth or missing (I’m not sure). Ross is the twin most favored by the Empress, so he’s spoiled rotten. Rune is the unwanted, sickly spare.
The world-building was just enough to establish there are world ships, essentially artificial planets, and Olympus is ruled by twin Vexan emperors Wystan and his sister. The two alternately ruled every six months. It seems the Tiberians and Vexans are born in pairs, and this is a key element here.
Also, Vexans have the most beautiful eyes, which are the color of galaxies. The cover grabbed me with the image of Wystan and his eyes.
It helped that I had read the other books, so I was able to piece together the setting. Similarly, we have an IPF team led by Detective Pryor Oro and Inspector Castor (forgot his last name). Immediately, sparks flew as Pryor butted heads with the cocky and shamelessly flirty Wystan, who made it clear he wanted the detective.
Also, Pryor is a Tiberian, and saying the case hits close to home is a gross understatement, as we later discover.
The author was building some delicious antagonistic USTs, but I couldn’t fully enjoy it. I was too busy trying to understand what was going on. This is also the very thing that makes the mystery so compelling. I was in the dark until the bad guy showed his cards.
The second half was full-on squee-tastic BL manga vibes, with my favorite childhood connection trope working its magic. Because Pryor was that abused young boy Wystan wanted to protect once upon a time ago, and adult Pryor is strength, competence, and hurts rolled into one irresistibly gorgeous package.
The detective is still dealing with PTSD and amnesia, and the emperor is that possessive, adoring seme patiently waiting for his hot/cold yet can’t stay away uke, to remember and/or admit they knew each other as children. Meanwhile, it wouldn’t hurt to shower the overworked detective with TLCs and assist, a.k.a. insert himself in the investigation whether the detective wants him to or not.
This part tied beautifully with the mystery, giving us an edge-your-seat villain showdown and a slow-clap-worthy takedown of the person who hurt Pryor the most. It was fanfuckingtastic! And so satisfying, especially knowing what Pryor had gone through. It totally made the book for me!
A Bright Celestial Sea is a story of unwanted children, secret identities, and inescapable ties. The “cold open” and figuring out who’s who took some time for me before the story hit its stride. But I’m thrilled I stuck around. Ultimately, It was a rewarding experience.
Overall, a complex mystery and a sweet sci-fi romance between two men who shine the brightest at their most vulnerable.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Celestial Bodies
Artist: Ghost Data feat. Jovani Occomy
Album: The Occulus Occult
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A BRIGHT CELESTIAL SEA: Kindle | Audiobook
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RELEASE BLITZ: World Enough and Time by Chad Grayson (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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REVIEW: A Sea of Endless Light by Chani Lynn Feener
A Sea of Endless Light – Chani Lynn Feener
Fox Axford has been tasked with capturing a feared thief who has been terrorizing the Hild Empire, not flirt with the impassive captain he’s been unlikely paired with.
When Fox is assigned to the Hild case by the Intergalactic Police Force, he doesn’t anticipate it taking very long. He’s known for his wits and charm and is confident enough in his abilities to have this thing solved and closed before the week is through. Except, he didn’t account for how distracting working with Captain Jiro Arc was going to be.
Jiro Arc has a secret he’s been keeping all his life, one that he’s never wanted to share with anyone. Until the day Detective Fox appears.
Having lived quietly climbing the ranks of the Hild Comets, Captain Jiro is used to rebuffing attention with his steely disposition. All of his efforts seem to have the opposite effect on the detective, however, who only seems more and more interested in Jiro and his personal life as time goes on. Their main task is to find the mysterious thief Shilling and bring him to justice, but Jiro has an agenda of his own, one that might ultimately lead to him betraying Fox, whether he likes it or not.
Fox grows even more conflicted after meeting the thief they’re after. Shilling isn’t at all what he expected, and when he finds himself sympathizing with the enemy, Fox is forced to acknowledge that there may be things he doesn’t yet know or understand about the vast universe, and the people living in it.
This book is a standalone featuring one charming detective and the captain he’s set his sights on. It is a slow-burn, forbidden romance with depictions of violence (though mild) and explicit sexual scenes not suitable for all readers. While this book is set in the same universe as A Bright Celestial Sea, it is a complete standalone with an all new cast of characters. You do not have to read both books, but if you choose to they do not have to be read in any particular order since there are no connections between the two.
I’m slowly but surely sinking into the rabbit hole of Chani Lynn Feener‘s immersive universe of Intergalactic Police detectives finding adventure and romance while solving cases and catching criminals.
From last week’s dark offering, Between the Devil and the Sea, this week’s tale features more derring-do, secret identities, and beachside confessions. It also has more sci-fi elements and beautiful aliens. One in particular has fabulous purple hair and unique abilities!
A Sea of Endless Light stars Fox Axford, the top detective of the IPF. He’s the detective who helped Shade and Apollo.
He, his partner, Inspector Nova, and his cousin, Jr Detective Dawon, were tasked to solve a series of thefts in the Hild Empire. Upon landing, he met his liaison officer, the taciturn Captain Jiro Arc, with whom Fox had an instantaneous strong attraction. He was rebuffed, but it didn’t stop Fox from shamelessly flirting any chance he got.
Fox is charming as heck, and as most of the chapters are from his third-person perspective, it’s a fun and wily POV. Cavalier and Han Solo cocky, he’s also very good at his job, having a perfect record. He easily puts people at ease with his mask of nonchalance and has the uncanny ability to read people and predict their next three moves. Of course, he immediately tried to read the enigmatic captain in an effort to win him over.
Jiro’s POV is rarely shown, so he’s mostly a mystery. His attitude was off-putting at first, but he slowly loosened up, and when he started bantering with Fox, we see him shine. He’s the type of guy worth taking time to know and it’s very rewarding to discover the nuances of his personality. He’s gorgeous, especially in uniform, formal, reserved, and also unexpectedly needy. I loved the dynamics of his and Fox’s opposite personalities. The chemistry is a total chef’s kiss!
The Captain is a closed book most of the story, but clues are scattered here and there. The author did her magic spectacularly because even though I figured out Jiro’s secret early on, it was still thrilling to watch Fox piece everything together for the big reveal.
There is a love geometry present. I normally loathe this type of conflict, but the author gave us another fascinating character in Schilling the Thief. The man is beguiling and as shameless a flirt as Fox, if not more. I didn’t expect him and Fox to have such fantastic chemistry!
The romantic development between the three characters was beautifully crafted. I seriously can’t choose between Jiro and Schilling, and to be honest, I don’t want to. I loved them both! So, when the pieces started to click, I was ecstatic with the resolution!
A part of the geometry is Prince Obsidian, who claimed Jiro whether the captain wanted him or not. He’s the possessive type who would cut anyone who’d so much as looks at Jiro, so Fox had to tread carefully. This guy was tagged as bad news early on and he stayed that way till the end. We don’t want him anywhere near our boys.
Nova and Dawon stood out as secondary characters. Nova was the voice of reason when Fox got wilder ideas, and Dawon made me laugh with his tactless comments. Their team had an engaging found family dynamics, and them living in their ship Lagoon with Fox as pilot, reminded me of Han Solo and Chewy in their Millennium Falcon.
Slow burn is the way of things, so it took a few chapters for the story to hit its stride. Things got into high gear when Schilling appeared, and Jiro started warming up to Fox. From that point, I was completely hooked!
The plot seemed like a straightforward case of theft. Then it threw me for a loop when it turned out to be something more insidious. And even with the predictable part I mentioned above, it’s still a very entertaining story. It made me want to hop aboard the Lagoon and tag along with the team!
A Sea of Endless Light is a story of public masks, secret identities, and needful lies. It is a novel take on the Gemini star sign that was executed cleverly and will always be memorable. Overall, it’s a space adventure that captivated me to no end!
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Endless Light
Artist: O’Brother
Album: Endless Light
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A SEA OF ENDLESS LIGHT: Kindle | Audiobook
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RECENT RELEASE: Specimen by C. Quince (Excerpt)
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Specimen by C. Quince (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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SERIES REVIEW: RELIC by Maz Maddox
RELIC – Maz Maddox
Smash & Grab: My standard issued lab badge reads ‘Simon’ but it really should say ‘unexciting nerd with no social life’
Don’t get me wrong — I love what I do with a passion, but it doesn’t leave a lot of time for much else.
Especially romance.
While chipping away at my work, I’m suddenly the person between hired cartel muscle and the fossil that will define my career.
Which isn’t the most insane part of the story.
My savior is a chaotic, bat-wielding punk with a bubble gum pink mohawk and a killer smile.
In a mad dash to escape the thieves, my knight in studded armor sweeps me across the country while hitting every tourist trap along the way.
While smuggling a fossil, might I add.
Oh, and did I mention this pink punk can shift into a dinosaur?
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Tonight, Tonight
Artist: The Smashing Pumpkins
Album: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Sink Or Swim: Trapped on a cruise ship with a man I absolutely hate is not how I wanted to spend this fake honeymoon. Especially when my “fiancé” has a deadly ex on the same boat.
Jackson is everything I’m not: brash, careless and a former fossil thief. But he’s my ticket to getting what I want — the original Spinosaurus fossils that have been lost for decades. Now I have to play the part, win the fossils and try not to kill him in the process.
The danger of being caught, tortured or killed isn’t what scares me.
Navigating the waters of this fake relationship is threatening to pull me under.
And I’m terrified of sinking.
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: You Were Right
Artist: Rufus du Sol
Album: Bloom
King & Queen: Running into your one night stand is always awkward.
It’s especially awkward when said hunky hookup pulls you into a secret war over fossils and a kidnapped, newly awakened Albertosaurus shifter.
As if my life wasn’t already a mess (understatement), now I’m cruising through Canada hunting down an ancient monster who tried to kill us, attempting to get my social media career off the ground, and ignoring my feelings for my one time fling.
Royal is hot as fire, funny, brilliant and has a thing for dinosaurs almost as much as I do.
Probably because he is one.
Bonus.
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Found Me
Artist: Men I Trust
Album: Oncle Jazz
Lost In Amber: Being alive for millions of years means I’m rarely surprised.
In the long expanse of my existence, I’ve been rescuing fossils for only a breath. During that time, my path has crossed with many different people — shifter and human alike.
Some friendly, some nefarious.
A hundred years ago, one such man graced me with his presence.
He was one of the few to have almost killed me.
Imagine my surprise when I see him again, buying the rarest amber fossil to have ever been discovered.
Precious. Beautiful. Unique.
A true treasure millions of years in the making.
I won’t let him get away again.
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Loon
Artist: Bears and Lions
Album: Wild and Free
Gardens & Ghosts: For the past few years, I’ve been living with a ghost. My husband – my mate – was lost because of choices I made. As one of only a few tyrannosaur shifters on this planet, I have resigned myself to an immortality alone, married to my work. I am more than happy to keep my walls up, heart guarded, and my focus set on my missions. That was until a compassionate, plant obsessed man stomped into my life. Henry is everything I don’t have time young, reckless, eager to prove himself, and desperate to push all of my buttons. Some of those buttons he hits with expert precision. When we learn about a rare, and life changing shifter fossil being traded on the black market, Henry and I set out into the concrete jungle of Chicago to steal it back. The treasure is heavily guarded, worth a fortune, and sought after by all manner of deadly adversaries. If we can keep our heads down and maintain a professional relationship, we might make it through this alive. Henry has other plans.
****Gardens & Ghosts can be read as a standalone, but it is highly recommended you read King & Queen (RELIC #3) so you get all the story!
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Bloom
Artist: The Paper Kites
Album: Woodland
I don’t even like Jurassic Park. Nothing against dinos; I just hate movies in which animals are the bad guys only because humans foolishly disturb them in their territory.
Maz Maddox came this close to making me rewatch the damn movie for the sheer joy of watching the mighty beasts in all their fearsome glory.
RELIC is a sci-fi/paranormal romance series featuring dinosaur shifters on their mission to retrieve stolen artifacts and find their mates along the way. As far as I know, this is the only MM dino-shifter romance series (if there’s another one, please let me know), and an outstanding specimen at that! I consider this a classic (if there’s a better word for this, let me know too), much like how Necessary Evils is a classic in the queer billionaire psycho-vigilantes niche.
RELIC stands for Reclaiming Extinct Lineage from Illegal Collectors and currently has 5 members. The lore is that there are creatures since the beginning of time who can shift into many forms. For many, the form that spoke to them the most is their dinosaur form. These creatures slept for millions of years, only to wake as humans, and can now only shift to the one that resonated with them the most.
The author created some of the most unforgettable, lovable characters in MM romance, and my only regret is not reading the series sooner. Every time the characters shifted, I was in awe. You can practically see the magnificent beasts wreaking havoc.
The topic is well-researched, and the writing made it easy to digest the science and imagine the dinosaurs coming alive. The books are in dual, 1st person POVs. Although there are some violent scenes, the overall vibe is humorous
Dalton “Utah” – chaotic knight in spikey jacket and doc martens with bubblegum pink mohawk, how could you resist this irreverent, child-like punk charming who rescued Simon and took him on a road trip (while dodging bad guys) to various dino park tourist attractions. He’s a utahraptor and that pink mohawk gets me all the time!
Simon – a renowned paleontologist living a humdrum life who was suddenly caught up in the exciting if dangerous world of stolen artificts and dino shifters. He tends to be socially awkward and reserve but nonetheless a sweet guy. And with the patience of a saint to deal with Dalton’s ADHD. His secret weapon is his dimples that shot arrows straight to Dalton’s heart.
Dalton and Simon starred in Smash & Grab, a road trip/on-the-run romance. This book introduces us to the secret world of shifters and fossil black market. Simon was ridiculously adorkable! The OTT antics, the thrilling adventure, and the swoony if chaotic way Dalton wooed his adored paleontologist made this one of the best books in the series.
Baha “Egypt” – big, badass, grumpy and hella intelligent if a bit lonely, Baha is an Egyptian spinosaurus tasked to retrieve a precious spinosaurus fossil aboard a cruise ship. He was partnered with a Texan fossil thief (reformed) Jackson. Baha might be slow to unclench but when he’s in, he’ll give you the world. He’s also very devoted to his shifter family and tutored their newest member Henry in everything from self-defense to algebra.
Jackson – the sunshine in Baha’s world, super laidback, snarky, unflappable with an extra inch in height that made his boyfriend’s eye twitch the first few times they met. Jackson is also a shifter but not a dinosaur. His other form is imposing enough to stand toe to toe with a spinosaurus. The courting scene where Jackson in shifted form was squee-ing at Baha’s shark offering was so adorbs!!
Baha and Jackson starred in Sink or Swim, where they posed as fake fiances on a cruise ship hosting a black market auction. The USTs are chef’s kiss, and I loved that the author paired two mighty beasts. One is the ruler of the air, and the other is the ruler of the sea. Grumpy Baha won me over because who knew the man was a closet romantic, and Jackson was such a charmer!
Royal “Calgari” – superhacker and mentor to Dalton, Royal is the calmer version of our favorite punk but just as bad a troublemaker if not more. He loves anime, movies, games and pop culture in general. This triceratops shifter considers YOI’s Victor his husbando. Normally working behind a computer, Royal was tasked to visit a new fossil site in case another of their kind would appear there. Along the way, he stopped at a club and had an anonymous encounter. To his surprise, he met the same individual, Blaise, in the fossil site live streaming his dino fight with two other dinosaurs.
Blaise – a fabulous, sassy, science geek and sometimes drag queen hoping to make it big as a science communicator. Lucky to be at the right place at the right time, his (hopefully) big break came with his video of men shifting to dinosaurs then having a dino royal rumble. He and Royal went on a merry chase looking for the new shifter and dodging bad guys.
Royal and Blaise starred in King & Queen, another road trip romance, but this time, in search of the missing artifact and a runaway shifter. The snark and sass were a riot! I loved how Royal’s colorful geeky wardrobe complemented Blaise’s creative clothes. The drag scene was so hilarious I wished there were more moments of the MCs in drag. This book introduced a new MC, Henry, who promptly latched on to Blaise.
Yu – a free spirit and most mysterious member of RELIC, this yutyrannus is almost as old as Montana and had roamed the fields of Mongolia and China. His first meeting with Lance was 100 years prior as a bandit whom the smaller man shot for invading their fossil site. The kind-hearted Lance then nursed him back to health and gave him hard candy, a treat that Yu still enjoyed to the present day. Yu had many loves throughout his long lifetime, but he never forgot the first one who shot him.
Lance – a shy, awkward man of multiple doctorates working as the geneticist for the rival group, Origin. His shifter form is a troodon and brace yourself for the cutest protect-my-boyfriend-against-the-bad-guys scene! He and Yu were on a mission to retrieve the most important fossil from the black market.
Yu and Lance starred in Lost in Amber, a second-chance romance set primarily in China where Yu was to retrieve a rare artifact. I loved the idea of two nearly immortal creatures finding each other again after a century of pining. Lance is also adorkable, and his 1920s bowtie fashion gave me joy. Yu has such a wuxia prince-turned-fashion model vibe! Their candy connection is sweet in many ways. This book also revealed unlikely alliances and key elements that would shake the RELIC boys to their core.
Montana – big daddy T. Rex a.k.a. Captain America, perpetually grieving his dead husband while running a tight ship in RELIC and being big bro to everyone. Montana has such a cowboy vibes that strangers assume he’s one. He’s the oldest shifter and has the biggest form, being a T. Rex. He’s intimidating and well-respected, even by his nemesis from Origin. His latest mission is to retrieve the very important stolen artifact connected to Yu’s mission and he reluctantly takes Henry with him.
Henry “Horseshoe” – the newest member and an albertosaurus shifter still learning the ways of the human world under Baha’s strict tutelege. Henry is a plant daddy and has a child-like POV, a bit naive but also surprisingly knowledgeable too, and fervently in love with Montana. His problem is that Montana is spectacularly oblivious, seeing Henry only as their youngest brother. His initial attempts to woo the T. Rex were hilarious disasters and so he resolved to go with Montana on his mission.
Montana and Henry starred in Gardens & Ghosts, the longest book in the series and has everything we love about RELIC. From the forced proximity trope and second chance romance, the heist and the car chases, the thrilling shifts and dinosaur rampages, and, of course, the determined and heart-melting way our albertosaurus won over his T. Rex, this is one heck of a series finale!
A bit spoilerish, but I know some readers care about such things. The biggest elephant in the room is that while our shifters are practically immortal, their human mates will age. This part hit Dalton hard, and my heart went out to our favorite punk dinosaur. One of my favorite aspects of the story is that a question I had since the beginning was finally answered!
RELIC is one of the funniest and most entertaining series I’ve ever read. I binged the entire series because I didn’t want the boys’ adventures to end. The author crafted a fascinating world, and I’m excited to learn that she has other shifter books.
Overall, it’s a modern gem and a prehistoric delight!
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of RELIC. 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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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Sound Can Shatter by B.L. Jones (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Diplomatic Liability by Rebecca Cohen (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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BLOG TOUR: The Great Forest and Other Love Stories by Warren Rochelle (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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REVIEW: Bump in the Night by Nikole Knight & Lily Mayne
Black Oasis: Bump in the Night – Nikole Knight & Lily Mayne
You never know what’s hiding in your closet…At twenty-six, Ivy has their life figured out. They have a decent paying job at the London office of Somnus Entertainment–the gaming company behind the wildly popular game Black Oasis–a draughty flat they inherited from their wild great aunt, and a few select friends to pass the time. They’re a responsible adult, thank you very much, and while they might get lonely at times, they know better than to put too much stock into that fanciful notion known as love.
But when a skeevy encounter during a fun night at the pub devolves into a violent hate crime, their life changes forever.
Waking up in a demon dimension, beaten within an inch of their life, is bad enough. But add a snarky, haughty healer with the universe’s worst bedside manner, and Ivy knows they’re in for a long, excruciating recovery. Lau the Dreamwraith is prickly, arrogant, and entirely infuriating, but for some strange reason, he seems hellbent on nursing Ivy back to health. Despite Lau’s whinging over their “inferior human qualities,” there is a heat building between them that neither are able to fight. Like a match meeting kerosine, their chemistry ignites, but Ivy’s stay in the demon world is temporary and fire always burns out eventually.
Love is a dream, after all; it has no business in nightmares. Right?
Join Ivy and Lau as they nurture the sparks between them until they explode into an unexpected passion that crosses dimensions in Bump in the Night, the second book in Knight and Mayne’s co-authored queer, monster romance series, Black Oasis.
Bump in the Night is an M/X monster romance full of hurt/comfort, angst, humor, and a sweet, spicy love between a fiery Brit and their arrogant sleep demon. This love story contains explicit content and is not suitable for young readers. Be sure to check the Trigger Warnings at the beginning of the book for more details
Black Oasis, the dark and humorous monster romance series by Nikole Knight and Lily Mayne, is also the name of the MMORPG game about monsters. The first book, Whispers In The Dark, gave us the cinnamon roll Texan gamer, Cody, and his adoring monster boyfriend, Nor.
I recalled the hilarious scene in Whispers In The Dark when Nor’s best friend, the then shit-faced Lau, made cryptic complaints about humans. I was thrilled to find out why in this sequel!
Bump in the Night stars computer programmer Ivy, who works for Somnus Entertainment, the developer of Black Oasis. Ivy is non-binary and wears either pants or a dress. One night, on their way home from a club, they were targeted by haters and left for dead in an alley.
Then they woke up to find themselves in another dimension with a broken leg and more, under the care of an arrogant lilac-skinned sleep demon, Lau. The demon, who’s also the town healer, complains about how inferior humans are while tenderly nursing Ivy’s injuries, even gently shampooing their hair while they bathe.
I lived for the scenes where Lau would fuss and get all annoyed because Ivy was around. The next day, Ivy would find Lau had made him some crutches or retrieved a book from the human world because of a casual comment Ivy had made. The demon is always so careful about Ivy’s broken leg, even during passionate moments.
There was also the scene that tickled me pink, where Ivy found Lau sneaking back to bed and being super cagey. By morning, they discovered Lau secretly changed the tea can labels from demon language to English because he learned Ivy was trying to make tea the day before but didn’t know which can was which.
Also, secretly repairing Ivy’s torn dress that they wore during that fateful night.
And true to his tsundere form, our dorky Lau had apparently been stalking Ivy for months before their attack, then became skittish as a cat when Ivy turned around and returned his very loud unsaid feelings.
So far, the first two books have not delved deeply into the world-building. However, the first book had a darker, angstier tone while the second had a lighter, cozier vibe.
The opening and later chapters focus on Ivy’s mundane life in London. The story employs the forced proximity trope, with most scenes taking place inside Lau’s house as Ivy recuperates. This setting felt somewhat claustrophobic, as I wished to explore more of Lau’s world.
The plot is mostly domesticity, comfort, and healing, with the authors weaving their monster romance magic in the amusing and squee-tastic antagonistic dynamics between the clearly besotted demon and the quickly-falling-for-that-demon human.
The banter was made me chuckle and Lau’s bold declarations of his superiority as a demon were hilarious. My heart, along with Ivy’s, melted at the easy way he accepted Ivy’s non-binary identity, which of course, came with him declaring he is a he as in “He is Lau, the fearsome sleep demon!”
And this is why Ivy and Lau gave Cody and Nor a serious run for their money! If you ask me which couple is my favorite, I loved them both so much!
Lau, our favorite tsundere demon, is a grumpy grump who grumbles, but inside, his heart is as mushy as our sweet sleep demon Nor! I highly recommend audiobooking this because Michael Ferraiuolo’s performance of Lau was spot-on, capturing the bravado and vulnerability so convincingly!
Another favorite part is Vary, Lau’s himbo brother, who frequently crosses over to the human world. Why? It’s a happy surprise! I hope Vary’s book is next.
Bump in the Night is a story where a whole lot of grumpiness delivered the tenderest care. Funny and heartwarming, the deep connection and the poignant moments between two delightful characters is a reminder that even in the dark, there’s always room for love, sass, and a cup of tea.
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Bump In The Night
Artist: Skittish
Album: The Perfect Shade of Green IIP.S.
Black Oasis should be read in order. Befriend that lonely monster under the bed in Whispers In The Dark.
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BUMP IN THE NIGHT: Kindle | Audiobook
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