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REVIEW: The Vicar and the Rake by Annabelle Greene
The Vicar and the Rake – Annabelle Greene
Debut author Annabelle Greene brings us the brilliant first book in her Society of Beasts series, in which a quiet country vicar is unwillingly reunited with the duke who left him long ago…
As a young man, Sir Gabriel Winters left behind his status as a gentleman, turning his back on his secret desires and taking a self-imposed vow of celibacy. Now he’s a chaste, hardworking vicar, and his reputation is beyond reproach. But, try as he might, he’s never forgotten the man he once desired or the pain of being abandoned by his first love.
Edward Stanhope, the Duke of Caddonfell, is a notorious rake, delighting in scandal no matter the consequence. With a price on his head, he flees to the countryside, forced to keep his presence a secret or risk assassination. When Edward finds Gabriel on his estate, burning with fever, he cannot leave him to die, but taking him in puts them both in jeopardy.
With the help of a notorious blackmailer, a society of rich and famous gentlemen who prefer gentlemen, and a kitten named Buttons, they might just manage to save Edward’s life—but the greatest threat may be to their hearts.
I’ve complained that historicals haven’t worked for me since last year, even the usually brilliant K.J. Charles books.
The Vicar and the Rake was a random pick and a blind read at that. I was ecstatic that not only did it click, it was a one-sitter and a 5-star!
I was already deep inside the story when I realized similarities to the classic historical series, Society of Gentleman by K.J. Charles. I totally didn’t mind. If it was an homage, it was a wonderfully done tribute to my favorite gay gents.
This is the story of two childhood friends, Edward Stanhope and Gabriel Winters. They spent their youthful days on the cusps of secret evolving feelings when Edward ghosted, leaving Gabriel adrift and pining.
Ten years later, the infamous rake, Edward a.k.a. Scandal, skulks back to his estate with a pugnacious, insolent valet in tow. He’s hiding from the Duke of Sussex, who is hellbent on his demise after he was caught canoodling with the duke’s son. Upon arrival, Edward stumbles upon Gabriel, now a vicar, lying unconscious and feverish in the gardens.
Edward is the founder of the Society of Beasts, along with his friends Frakes, Hartley, and Lambert. This is an uber-elite, super-secret club for gentlemen who prefer gentlemen. They called themselves Beasts the same way queers have embraced the word that was previously a slur.
The four friends band together to save Edward and take down the enemy duke, but cracks appear when a traitor is discovered among their ranks. Who?! I wished the other Beasts were introduced sooner so there’s more time to flesh out their personalities.
I get that most of the plot focused on delicious tension between Edward and Gabriel, and I enjoyed the heck out of it. The two are dorks, Edward most of all. The man is hot/cold, skittish, and desperately wants to be good but fails miserably. Gabriel is heart eyes, stalwart adoration, and pure goodness. It was hallelujahs when Edward finally stopped running!
However, the best character was Morris, Edward’s formidable and hella scary secret-monger brother. He is the most feared man in London, who knows everyone’s deepest, darkest secrets and rumored to hold even the regent himself by the throat.
I love Morris so much! You’d think he’d be vile and evil. Sure, he’s cold, blunt, and utterly Machiavellian, but he’s also at his wit’s end trying to save the life of a brother who seemed flagrantly unrepentant about the trouble he caused and is now making more trouble with the vicar as we speak.
At first, I couldn’t understand why Morris was making that much effort. He always acts like he hates Edward. Later, it was revealed how much Edward sacrificed to protect his little brother from their abusive father during their childhood. I realized, the bond between the brothers will always be unbreakable and true no matter how they act towards each other. For me, this was the most poignant part of the story.
A delightful female character was introduced in the form of Gabriel’s sister, Caroline, recently widowed. Graceful, proper, and uncannily perceptive, she matched Morris’s wit and strategic genius, subtly nudging his thoughts in unexpected but enlightening points as they hatch their counterattack to Sussex. And this woman is simply divine for bringing out Morris’s endearing human side.
As all best Regencies go, The Vicar and The Rake is ripe with USTs, shenanigans, danger, mystery, and intrigue. The dialogues are sharp and witty, and listening to this kind of writing when narrated by the great Cornell Collins is pure eargasm! Captivating, twisty turn-y, combustible, and perfectly put together, this is exactly how historical romance should be!
Rating:
5 Stars – absolutely perfectSoundtrack: Move Me
Artist: Half Alive
Album: Conditions of a Punk
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THE VICAR AND THE RAKE: Kindle | Audiobook
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BOOK TOUR: No Man’s Land by Courtney W. Dixon (Playlist)
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REVIEW: The Rycke by Lily Mayne
Monstrous: The Rycke – Lily Mayne
Life as a raider in the Wastes, where monsters roam and the military lurks, is as easy as it sounds.
I’ve been out here for a long time, and the fear that courses through my blood every time I have to step outside our camp walls to scavenge never fades. No matter how many monsters you face—and have to run for your life from—it doesn’t ever get easier.
But when I come across a bound and injured monster in an abandoned military base, I can’t leave him behind. His presence in our camp is causing tension, but I can’t bring myself to care when I get to see a different side to him—when he starts to show me who he is, beneath the pain and lingering trauma.
But despite his gentle nature, I soon discover why others are so desperate to own him. Why the military, and now this stranger lurking outside our camp, want to put him back in chains and take him away from me.
There’s something hiding under his skin. Something that threatens to upend my entire life, the one I’ve spent my years carefully protecting out here.
There’s a reason why all other monsters fear him.
The Rycke is Book Three of the Monstrous series, a post-apocalyptic m/m fantasy series that features monsters and human men falling in love. It is best to read the series in order. Warning: This m/m love story contains explicit sexual content and is not suitable for young readers. It also contains graphic depictions of torture and violence, and deals with PTSD.
I wish I read this series sooner because three book in, it’s pretty obvious Monstrous is one of the best MM fantasy series out there! The books should be read in order because each monster/human couple has been a delight so far.
The series is set in post-apocalyptic America, where twenty years ago, a rift allowed monsters to come to earth. The only safe places for humans were the coastlines. The military controlled everything, and those who disobeyed were left to die in the Wastes. However, some chose to live there. Raiders built isolated camps, wore masks and used code names so the military couldn’t identify them.
The third book, The Rycke, is told from the POV of Gage, raider name: Ghost. He and his best friend, Rig, were scavenging through the wrecked army base from Book 1, Soul Eater. They found a chained, injured monster, Aury, who they quickly set free and took their raider camp to heal. To their surprise, Aury is the rycke, a monster so fearsome that even his fellow monsters avoid him.
It was hard to believe because Aury has such a gentle, shy nature. How this kind-hearted, soft-spoken individual turned into a maelstrom of death and destruction was one of the most jaw-dropping scenes in the entire series!
The writing brilliantly lulled me with its fluffy, angst-tinged romantic development akin to the swooniest YA romance. We learned more about the other denizens of the Wastes, the raiders, a mysterious woman with monsters for pets, a rare monster-human hybrid and asshole extraordinaire named Moth who has his own book, and another enigmatic but deadly character named Lilac whose book I’m super excited to read.
Gage is the camp scout, always tasked to make forays to many dangerous places to scavenge or find clues to the whereabout of the camp’s other leader, Cat, who is missing. He hates doing this but feels it’s the only way to make himself useful. It led to antagonistic encounters with the camp’s other leader Anchor, and another nay-saying raider, Cutter.
In one of these missions, Aury snapped! And holy shit, it was beast-mode gone nuclear!
This forced Gage to make life-altering decisions. These were also some of the most heartbreaking scenes where Gage learned how much of a martyr ryckes actually are. Aury and Gage’s story was intensely emotional, and narrator Michael Lesley wrung every emotion out of those scenes. I found myself holding my breath through these pivotal moments. Nearly cried at the part where beast Aury was trying to say Gage’s name.
This book would have been a 5, but the separation scene in the last parts didn’t make much sense to me given that they quickly reunited just because Moth took it upon himself to fetch Aury. The ending was also bittersweet and not as satisfying as, say, Wyn, the Soul Eater making it his mission to have his human, Danny, be with him forever (from Wyn the novella).
The Rycke is another brilliant monster romance. A story of self-sacrifice, friendship, and survival sweeping me away in a whirlwind of tears and feels!
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Black Moon
Artist: Greg Dully
Album: Random DesireP.S.
Meet the other monster+human couples in Soul Eater and Edin.
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Monstrous. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
SOUL EATER: Kindle | Audiobook
EDIN: Kindle | Audiobook
THE RYCKE: Kindle | AudiobookIf 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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SERIES REVIEW: Monstrous Books 1-2 by Lily Mayne
Monstrous: Soul Eater – Lily Mayne
Twenty years ago, monsters rose on earth and began a new age of civilization.
One where humans live in military-controlled, cramped and dirty cities along the coasts, and the majority of the United States is known as the Wastes. A lawless, desolate and dangerous place, teeming with monsters that have claimed the land for their own.
Including Wyn the Soul Eater.
He appears every three years, making his way across the country and slaughtering humans randomly, sucking them dry until they’re nothing but husks.
I’ve only been in the military for six months, but now I’m part of a unit tasked with trying to stop and capture him. And when I’m the only soldier out of hundreds that the Soul Eater leaves alive, I realise that… something about me has intrigued him.
But what is it? What could a twenty-three year old guy from the south, with no one and nothing in the world, have possibly done to capture the attention of a death monster with horns, blackened fingertips and a face hidden in the dark depths of his hood?
Soul Eater is the debut novel of Lily Mayne. It is the first in a planned post-apocalyptic fantasy series featuring monsters and human men falling in love. This m/m love story contains explicit content and is not suitable for young readers. It also contains scenes of violence, but don’t worry—they get their happy ending.
Rating:
5 Stars – absolutely perfectSoundtrack: All Over You
Artist: Live
Album: Throwing Copper
Monstrous: Edin – Lily Mayne
I was just a boy when the monsters rose on earth, forcing humans to flee to the coastlines and live in cramped, dirty, military-controlled cities. I enlisted as soon as I could to escape.
Now, I’ve been in the military for twelve years and have the scars—and missing body parts—to prove it. As a hardened soldier who’s spent his fair share of time out in the Wastes—the dangerous place where monsters roam free—I didn’t think anything could surprise me anymore.
But then circumstance forced me together with a big, annoying purple monster who’s arrogant and bossy and pushes all my buttons in the worst—and best—ways. I need his help, and I hate needing anyone’s help. But the more time I spend with him, the more I realise that maybe there’s more from him that I need. And that he might need things from me too.
But I’m still a soldier. I still have responsibilities. It doesn’t matter how I feel about Edin, because we can’t be together. It’s too dangerous.
That doesn’t stop me wanting him, though.
Edin is Book Two of the Monstrous series, a post-apocalyptic m/m fantasy series that focuses on monsters and human men falling in love. It is best to read the series in order. Warning: This m/m love story contains explicit content and is not suitable for young readers. It also contains graphic depictions of torture and violence, and mentions PTSD.
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Be There
Artist: Seafret
Album: Tell Me It’s Real
Monstrous is a series that piqued my interest because I saw some eye-catching monster/human fanarts. The next thing I knew, I was swept away into the wastelands of post-apocalyptic America, where an interdimensional tear allowed monsters to come to Earth. Humans’ only sanctuary was to live on the coastlines. The army controls everything.
The series opens with Soul Eater, told from the POV of new military recruit Danny Sullihan, a soldier woefully ill-suited to the job. This Southern boy is too innocent and laid-back.
For some reason, the recently captured and much-dreaded serial killer, known as the Soul Eater kept asking to talk to him. Then one day, the Soul Eater busted out of his cage and let loose all the other monsters the military kept in captivity. Danny chooses to go with him rather than risk the wastelands alone.
Majority of the plot is Danny and Wyn the Soul Eater traveling the wastelands and avoiding the army while Danny learns why Wyn is killing people. He also discovers the person behind the dark hood might be a grumpy bastard, but a grumpy bastard who always makes sure to find him his favorite food, a.k.a. peanut butter, whenever they go scavenging.
The chemistry between Wyn and Danny went from simmering to nuclear, and I loved them so much! I especially loved how Wyn is so ferociously protective of his sweet human, especially that innately pure part of Danny who wouldn’t even pull a gun on another monster.
There is so much more than romance here. There’s an endless adventure and eye-opening exploration, an utterly endearing friendship between Wyn and his best friend, the purple giant, Edin, and gut-wrenching scenes that were almost too much to bear. It made me infinitely glad, Danny has the Soul Eater in his corner. All in all, this is monster romance done to perfection!
The second book, Edin, is told from the POV of Hunter, a 12-year military veteran with a prosthetic leg and a spec ops of some sort. He and his best friend, Charlie, came across the ruins of the base destroyed by the freed monsters. Then Charlie was captured by a new group of monsters. Edin found Hunter in a bind and after helping him, agreed to assist in rescuing Charlie.
This is what I loved most about Edin. The big guy goes around the wastelands helping people he stumbles across. Just because. He’s an adorable teddy bear who loves taking care of people. The part where he helped Hunter with his prosthetic was such a tender moment.
Hunter might be a surly, sarcastic, anti-social bastard, but he’s loyal to a fault. Very determined to get Charlie back at all costs, he took Edin’s help for granted. But the longer they were together, he had a better appreciation of Edin’s kindness. I wasn’t too keen on him at first, but as his character grew, he endeared himself to me.
Edin and Hunter have different dynamics, but their chemistry is as sizzling as Wyn and Danny’s. There is a bit of a size difference power play here, but I’m glad Hunter is a big guy himself too. At first, Hunter struggled with his attraction to Edin, but after seeing Edin’s best friend and his human boyfriend, he shed all his qualms and took the leap. They went nuclear too!
The plot delves deeper into the Monstrous world, revealing more monster+human interactions, mostly the violent type, and a few romantic ones that surprise Hunter. The rescue mission was a thrilling, action-packed adventure and a long overdue comeuppance to those who hurt Danny, courtesy of Wyn. The ending was a lovely, cozy domestic affair, and I couldn’t be happier for our gentle purple giant and his Hunter!
P.S.
I wish like hell narrator Michael Lesley would be able to finish the entire series because his monster voices are delightfully spine-tingling! The books should be read in order and best consumed as audiobook.
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Monstrous. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
SOUL EATER: Kindle | Audiobook
EDIN: Kindle | AudiobookIf 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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BLOG TOUR: Enchanted Ink by Robin Lynn (Excerpt & Giveaway + Q&A with Author)
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RELEASE TOUR: Teacher of the Year by M.A. Wardell (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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COVER REVEAL: Crushed But Not Defeated by Nicole Dykes
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NEW RELEASE & SERIES TOUR: Pitch & Sickle – The Diabolus Chronicles by D.K. Girl (Excerpt)
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BLOG TOUR: A Case of Madness by Yvonne Knop (Excerpt + Character Interview)
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RELEASE BLITZ: The Stay by Ruby Bloom (Giveaway)
