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REVIEW: The Hazard and The Hitman by Cambria Hebert
The Protectors: The Hazard and The Hitman – Cambria Hebert
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and being in the hospital with stitches in my head and no way out makes me pretty desperate. So I log in to a dating app, searching for a guy willing to pretend to be my boyfriend so I can bust out of this overpriced nightmare.
But what do I get?
Accused of being a prostitute. Talk about a waste of phone minutes.
With plan A a no-go, I move on to plan B. Escape. Except, on my way to freedom, I’m nearly pummeled by a man wearing all black and with the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen.
When he pretends to be my boyfriend, I’m shook. And even more shook when I discover this is the rude guy from the app.
Turns out he’s not only rude but bossy, irritable, and he keeps calling me a walking hazard. I go along with the lie anyway, thinking I can ditch him as soon as I’m free.
Except that doesn’t happen.
I end up back at his place, eating soup and trying hard not to catch feelings.
Then my apartment is broken into, and I’m running for my life, confused, injured, and with nowhere else to go. Kieran vows to keep me safe, something he seems more than capable of… Which is kinda odd for a real estate agent, right?
As the threat to my life intensifies, I start to wonder if I’ll make it to my next birthday and, more importantly, if trusting Kieran is the deadliest hazard of all.
The Hazard and The Hitman kicks off The Protectors, a hitman romance series by Cambria Hebert
The hazard, Hazier is a lonely orphan juggling four jobs. After a car accident lands him in the hospital, he can’t afford the bills and needs a companion to be discharged. Desperate, he messages a random guy on a dating app to pose as his boyfriend.
The hitman is Kieran. Intrigued by the odd request from a cute stranger, he shows up, quickly realizes Hazier is telling the truth, and steps into the role of protective boyfriend—going so far as to pay the hospital bill.
But Kieran soon discovers Hazier is a walking disaster who can’t be left alone and starts calling him Hazard. Worse, there’s a contract on Haz’s life, and Kieran himself was hired to kill him.
The premise is ridiculously cute, but Haz’s dude in distress antics wore thin. His clumsy, too-stupid-to-live moments weren’t endearing and dragged the story down. Also, Kieran and Haz suffered various injuries which seemed to magically vanish whenever sex entered the picture. At one point, Haz even had a head injury, which didn’t stop him from giving Kieran a blowjob.
Fortunately, I loved Kieran’s grumpy, over-protective brand of alphahole energy which carried the book. He fell hard and fast, ready to burn the world for his Hazard. His broody presence and swoony declarations made Haz tolerable.
Side characters Ghost, hitman and Kieran’s best friend, and Rhett, Haz’s neighbor and only friend, also added to the fun. Ghost’s quips are a humorous contrast to Kieran’s grouchiness. I’m thrilled he’s paired with the adorable Rhett.
The plot follows Kieran and Haz as they navigate romance, danger, and Haz’s numerous part-time jobs. Mafioso bad guys and irate bosses made Haz’s life more complicated while Kieran did his damnedest to keep his babydoll safe. Chaotic but entertaining, the story kept me hooked despite my frustration with Haz.
The Hazard and The Hitman is a swoony tale of protection and devotion. Overall, not realistic, but cute enough to enjoy, especially if you love a broody hitman falling hard for his disaster of a boyfriend.
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked itSoundtrack: Hazardous Eyes
Artist: Arca
Album: Hazardous Eyes
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THE HAZARD AND THE HITMAN: Audiobook
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RELEASE TOUR: Hart’s Betrayal by S. Bolanos (Excerpt)
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COVER REVEAL: The Hazard and The Hitman by Cambria Hebert
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PROMO BLITZ: Daddy’s Firm Hands by Mae Malone
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RELEASE BLITZ: Barn Burner by Jodi Oliver
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RELEASE BLITZ: Bittersweet Revenge by Riley Hart
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PROMO BLITZ: The King’s Man by Anyta Sunday (Completed Romantasy Series)
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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 TOUR: Green Ravens by A.E. Via (Excerpt)
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REVIEW: Sweet by Howl Avery
Sweet – Howl Avery
Will wants to meet the perfect man, but it’s easier said than done in such a small town. His crush of over a year has no idea he even exists, and ignoring his best friend’s advice has only made the problem worse. Rather than limiting himself only to who’s available locally, Will turns to the digital world.
Cas is ready to move on after his last relationship ended in death. Right away, he meets the perfect candidate through a new anonymous chatting app, with only one problem—he quickly learns his new friend’s identity in the real world. If this budding relationship continues, it’ll only be a matter of time before Cas is recognized for who he is as well.
As Will and Cas steadily become closer, their attraction cannot be denied. Nor their similarities. Cas embraces the darkness in Will like no one ever has, creating a mutual obsession that needs to be satisfied in the real world. Maybe Will has finally found the perfect man for him—if he can look past Cas’s homicidal tendencies.
Sweet, a dark romantic thriller by Howl Avery, might change how you see honey. Needless to say, it comes with a long list of TWs, including rough sex, toxic codependencies, humiliation and degradation, consensual non-con, sounding, fisting, and murders.
Will has been crushing on Bailey, a fellow Farmer’s Market vendor, for a long time now. He and his best friend Jesse manage the store for the farm they both work for. Will also just started talking anonymously to a guy on a dating app. Later, he learned his name was Cas.
Will felt an instant chemistry with Cas right away, and he’s tentatively exploring their connection to see if Cas wants to take it further. Meanwhile, Jesse confessed he has feelings for Will, and they begun sleeping together. Will is still crushing hard on Bailey, whom he started stalking, and also pining like hell for Cas.
The love geometry should make this a DNF for me but strangely enough, it didn’t bother me. Will’s connections to these men worked their magic, holding the plot together and fueling the mystery.
In a typical MM romance, the MC would only be sleeping with the love interest, which is a dead giveaway. So even if I figured out Cas’s identity early on, the red herrings effectively had me second-guessing, especially since Will had on-page sex with all three.
Both Will’s and Cas’s POVs were shown.
Cas is a psychopath who uses a convenient, if novel, way of cleaning up evidence. He’s a demisexual who had his awakening because of Will. Cas couldn’t find it in him to kill the man, nor could he get him out of his mind. In other words, he’s obsessing and stalking.
And that’s all we know about Cas because he’s an enigma till the very end.
Will’s characterization was confusing. The opening chapters showed him with crippling social anxiety, barely able to say a word to Bailey. My image of him was that of a short, skinny guy who’s a bit geeky. With Jesse, he was hella toppy and dominant, and I was surprised to learn he’s actually taller than Jesse.
I don’t mind a shy character who likes to take charge in the bedroom. However, Will’s personality was all over the place, sometimes acting like a different person entirely. I chalk this up to the writing. Cas wore different masks depending on who he was talking to, but it still felt cohesive.
One thing’s for sure: Will falls hard for his mystery man and wants to be the end-all and be-all for Cas. Will is the farthest from vanilla, systematically testing Cas’s limits, hence the trigger warnings. Their relationship is a fuck-up codependency of crazy meets insanity, so better get out of their way or burn! It was fanfuckingtastic!
Some aspects, especially the latter parts, were rushed, which is unfortunate because this is a story worth savoring. The ending was so abrupt I was left with my mouth hanging open. This book badly needed an epilogue. It is not perfect, but I was completely hooked and finished it in one sitting.
Sweet explores the complexities of human connection, and the interplay of sweet personalities and darker desires. Overall, a thrilling story of mutual obsession, depraved, alluring, inescapable.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Got You (Where I Want You)
Artist: The Flys
Album: Holiday Man
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Sweet. 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!
