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REVIEW: Before The Sun Rises by Christopher Renna
Darkness On The Horizon: Before The Sun Rises – Christopher Renna
THE ONLY EASY DAY WAS YESTERDAY – – Despite the odds, Morgan defeated his captor, DuPont, and the Immortals of the East Horsley Colony. His rebellion destroyed plans for initiating a new Great Immortal Battle. Now, returning to America with his allies, Morgan will confront a war in the form of retaliation. The defeated Immortals want Morgan dead for disrupting their plans. Although protected by security, Morgan must fight to survive while testing his independence and defining his role as part of a team.
Morgan’s past paves the road to his future. Survival is not the only goal. He must come to terms with guilt. Accept failures and celebrate successes. Embrace friendships and trust new relationships. Abide by rules and lead with authority. Because everything that happens now will shape the man that Morgan becomes.
Morgan is back! Wiser, more mature and definitely more badass!
Before the Sun Rises continues Morgan’s journey. He and Jonathan had returned to America and currently recovering from their England ordeal. Nicolas and Emily, the Mortal Souls who became Morgan’s friends, went with them. Because of what happened in England, many vampires were out to kill Morgan. With the help of Immortal Elder, Priscilla, they prepared to lure and kill the defeated Immortals who wanted to start a vampire war, using the young man as a bait.
This sequel did a good job portraying Morgan’s growth. Here, he listened more to Jonathan and thought harder about the consequences before acting. Even though he was caught up in paranormal events, he still dealt with practical real world responsibilities and understood the importance of getting a diploma. He’s adjusting to his life as an Immortal and he’s also able to explore his sexuality with both Emily and Nicholas. He was honest enough to admit to himself and to everybody who and what he liked. There were still times when he acted like a typical teenager but that is to be expected from an eighteen year old who still had a lot to learn.
There were many new characters introduced, most notably Erin, Kendall, Lee, and the rest of the security team who went with Morgan, Jonathan, Emily and Nicholas to Colby. Majority of them were faceless and ageless as there were minimal character descriptions. Some features would have been appreciated, just to give these people dimension. The book was written from Morgan’s POV so maybe we can assume, he didn’t really pay attention to their appearances. I was surprised to learn that Nicholas was already in his late 20s because he came across as much younger.
The flow of the story was smoother this time. There were less erratic twists and much faster pacing in general. However, the middle part dragged a bit and felt like nothing’s happening. I was also wondering about the part of Lee and his team being pulled out, only to be reassigned again. I think they could have done the hunt at that point already. The story picked up when Kendall started training Nicholas and the two of them, along with Morgan and Jonathan went around town looking for the killers’ hideout.
The climax had humans and Immortals battle it out with the vampires in an all-out leave-no-one-standing chaos. The fights were as bloody and brutal as in DOTH but with a higher body count. And just when you thought it was over, the book has more surprise in store!
Before The Sun Rises is a paranormal coming of age tale of a young man who found himself the target of inhuman killers. He learned to fight the hard way, met new friends, lost a few, survived a war, proved himself the better man, all while dealing with Algebra and graduating from high school. All in all, I’d say Morgan’s doing pretty good!
P.S.
Before The Sun Rises will be released August 2019.
Thank you to the author, Christopher Renna for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Final copy of the book may have revisions.
review of book one, Darkness On The Horizon here
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Breathe
Artist: Pink Floyd
Album: The Dark Side Of The Moon -
REVIEW: Transposition by Gregory Ashe
Emery Hazard and his partner, John-Henry Somerset, have solved their first case together. The brutal murders that rocked the quiet town of Wahredua have been put to rest. Hazard, however, finds his life has only grown more complicated as he adjusts to his new home. Living with Somers, whom he has been drawn to since high school, makes ‘complicated’ the understatement of the year.
The turmoil of living together spills over when Hazard and Somers find themselves trapped by the weather in an old mansion and, against Hazard’s better judgment, sharing a bed. Strictly as friends, of course. Just when things can’t get any more confusing, the next morning brings a worsening storm–and a murder.
Cut off from the outside world, Hazard and Somers must face a clever, determined killer who is hiding among the mansion’s guests. Without backup, they can only rely on their wits–and on each other–to survive. And as the snow falls and the mansion’s guests continue to die one by one, solving the string of murders becomes secondary. First, Hazard and Somers have to survive
OMG, Emery Hazard is a giant tsundere!
“Go to sleep,” Somers said absently, his eyes fixed on the door.
“Cold.”
“I’m fine.”
“No,” Hazard said, struggling to enunciate. “I’m cold.”
Somers’s eyes darted towards Hazard and then back to the door. “You’re fine.”
Hazard squeezed Somers’s arm. Sleep was still rolling in, maybe a quartermile out, and Hazard was surprised at how easy it was to find the words he wanted to say, as if he really were going to board a train and this were goodbye, and you could say anything you wanted at a goodbye. “Please?
Never change, Ree!
Meanwhile, John-Henry Somerset is a miserable drunk…
“No,” Hazard said.
“You told me to make a choice,” Somers said, and that storm, that goddamn storm in his eyes had to be whipping at three hundred miles an hour. “Here it is: you.” He settled his weight against Hazard’s hand, pressing forward for the kiss.
“No.”
“What the fuck do you mean, no? You want this, right? Well, here it is. All those fucking teenage wet dreams come to life. How many times have you jerked off to me? Five hundred? A thousand? God, how many gallons of cum have you dumped for me?”
You’re an ass, Somers!
Hazard & Somerset is a very character-driven series and the volatile relationships between the two MCs and also all the well-written secondary characters provided more than enough impetus to keep me coming back for more.
Like the first book, Transposition also comes with a chockful of trigger warnings: abuse, transphobia, misogynist language, cheating, etc. The murder victim was a vile man who treated people like shit, especially the transwoman, Columbia. In addition, there were so much hurt in this book and no uplifting resolutions for most characters and especially for Hazard and Somers, who, as always, ignored the ginormous neon elephant in the room. There is also an even bigger conspiracy afoot. People in high places wanted the two detectives dead, along with the rest of the people in the house. This part constitutes one of the overarching threads of the series and creates more trouble for our MCs to deal with.
The two detectives were stuck in a big house in the middle of a snow storm with a bunch of unlikable people who were all suspects. Tensions ran high as the forced proximity and murders brought out the worst in everybody. The mystery wasn’t very exciting, just convoluted but with Gregory Ashe’s deft hand and lyrical imagery, I hardly felt the drag. I was riveted, not only because of Hazard and Somers’ dynamics but also the author’s way with words that just flowed beautifully. The writing works well with the distinct cadence and timbre of Tristan James’ voice, who did a great job in bringing the book to life.
That ending tho…
Breaks the heart and leaves me cold. It’s frustrating as hell that I wanted to hurl the book but it got me where it wants me because I’m picking up that third book ASAP.
P.S.
I have no idea why the title is Transposition. This is not a standalone so it’s best to start with Pretty Pretty Boys, review here
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: A Million Ways
Artist: Ok Go
Album: Oh No -
REVIEW: Pretty Pretty Boys by Gregory Ashe
Hazard and Somerset: Pretty Pretty Boys – Gregory Ashe
After Emery Hazard loses his job as a detective in Saint Louis, he heads back to his hometown–and to the local police force there. Home, though, brings no happy memories, and the ghosts of old pain are very much alive in Wahredua. Hazard’s new partner, John-Henry Somerset, had been one of the worst tormentors, and Hazard still wonders what Somerset’s role was in the death of Jeff Langham, Hazard’s first boyfriend.
When a severely burned body is discovered, Hazard finds himself drawn deeper into the case than he expects. Determining the identity of the dead man proves impossible, and solving the murder grows more and more unlikely. But as the city’s only gay police officer, Hazard is placed at the center of a growing battle between powerful political forces. To his surprise, Hazard finds an unlikely ally in his partner, the former bully. And as they spend more time together, something starts to happen between them, something that Hazard can’t–and doesn’t want–to explain.
The discovery of a second mutilated corpse, though, reveals clues that the two murders are linked, and as Hazard gets closer to answers, he uncovers a conspiracy of murder and betrayal that goes deeper–and closer to home–than he could ever expect.
I think this really couldn’t have worked.
You got a married man with a kid who cheated on his wife. CHEATED!! which is a total deal breaker for me. I don’t care if he was set up, he could always walk away no matter what honeyed trap was dangled in front of him. Also he’s a drunkard. A coward. And too good looking.
Then you have a surly, stubborn detective with zero people skills who rubbed everybody the wrong way. Who was bullied by said married man when they were in high school.
This is not your standard recipe for an MM romance. This sounds more like that dish best served cold but, with Gregory Ashe’s magic, makes for a truly engrossing enemies to lovers(?) story. Question mark because they were barely even friends at the end of the first book. This is as slow burn as it can get, as per other reviews, they didn’t become a couple until a few more books. Which is totally fine by me because I tend to complain about things going too fast anyway.
But how can you make a set-up that screams lose-lose work?
John-Henry Somerset pushed Emery Hazard down the stairs when they were in high school. He is now married to his HS sweetheart, albeit estranged because, as MM writers love to say, he was betrayed by his traitorous dick. Emery went back to his hometown to solve an old mystery of why his HS boyfriend committed suicide. Facing old bullies is painful and awkward and I feel for Hazard right there. To be fair to Somers, he knew he fucked up and he really did try to make it up to Hazard. Somers is the type of person who wants to be liked by everybody so of course he practically begged Hazard to like him.
Hazard and Somers’ interactions go from
“You touch me again,… you shake my hand, you grab my sleeve, you so much as bump me in the mother-fucking hallway, and I will kill you. Do you understand me?“
to Somers’s smiled his normal frat-boy smile. “So,” he said, drawing out the word. “You like me?” “God, you’re a fucking moron.”
to “Just like fucking high school“
Always with a smattering of USTs bubbling just below the surface. The chemistry is fantastic! I don’t even actively like these two men but yeah, go for that second chance!
USTs are all good but they can only take you so far. What really made this stood out is how well the author fleshed out the complicated and not necessarily romance-related relationships between these flawed, complex characters in a way that just draws you into them. Many times I want to smack them in the head. Sometimes I feel sorry for them. Once in a while I could say they’re OK. There were no neatly tied conclusions. Things will continue to remain awkward and unresolved for a while.
Nico deserves a mention. He was the grad school student who pursued Hazard and they were kind of cute together so I imagined a parallel universe called Nico & Hazard.
This book is really a murder mystery story. The detectives were working on a vandalism case and a homicide where one unidentified body was burned inside a trailer. Hazard, being Hazard, made himself a few enemies while Somers played the good cop, charming everybody with his megawatt smiles. The investigation introduced us to important personalities of Wahredua, among them, extremists at the polar opposites of the spectrum. Both were responsible for so much vitriol and trigger warnings. Their hate speeches could put off some readers but you can always skip these parts if it’s too disturbing. As for the mystery, it was obvious who the bad guy was but it was such a well-written book and well-narrated too (courtesy of Tristan James), I didn’t mind it. Then Hazard had to go be a distrustful fool and things went from pudding to poop real quick for him and Somers.
Apart from the obvious appeal of the MM romance angle, Pretty Pretty Boys has all the good stuff-of a great police procedural novel where there is a nice interplay between the police work and the personal issues, compelling main characters, tightly written prose and engaging storytelling that kept me glued to the book. It’s a solid start to an addicting series and I’m definitely excited to see how things will play out.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Elephant
Artist: Tame Impala
Album: Lonerism
