-
SERIES REVIEW: Isaac & Dallas (Light & Shadow Duet) by N.N. Britt
Light & Shadow: Isaac – N.N. Britt
In the heart of Sin City, two men on opposite sides of the law collide in a dangerous game of power, passion, and betrayal.
Isaac Thoreau, the son of a notorious crime boss, has spent nine years behind bars for his father’s murder. Driven, cunning, and unfeeling, he’s now back to claim what’s rightfully his. But when an enigmatic security guard named Hawk is hired to work at his nightclub, Isaac finds himself distracted… and inexplicably drawn to Hawk, despite his best efforts to resist.
Special Agent Dallas Bradley’s mission is infiltrate the Hellhounds and bring their leader, Isaac Thoreau, to justice. Posing as Hawk, Dallas is determined to uncover the secrets of the Thoreau criminal empire. But as he delves deeper into Isaac’s world, the lines between right and wrong blur, and soon an undeniable attraction grows between the two men, forcing Dallas to question everything.
Walking away before he’s compromised would be the smart choice, but Dallas can’t resist Isaac’s magnetic pull, even if it means risking his life.
As love and duty clash, only one question will Isaac and Dallas survive the fallout?
***
Isaac is the first installment of the Light & Shadow Duet. It can not be read as standalone. This is a dark MM mafia romance that explores various sensitive subjects like violence, abuse, PTSD, etc.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Another Life
Artist: Motionless in White
Album: Disguise
Light & Shadow: Dallas – N.N. Britt
Prepare for Betrayal and Redemption in Sin City.
As the leader of the Hellhounds and a valued member of the notorious Thoreau crime syndicate, Isaac has it all: power, money, fear. Falling for someone has never been on his radar. But for the first time in his life, Isaac thinks he’s found someone he can truly trust—the mysterious security guard who shattered through his icy defenses and became the one person Isaac could be himself with.
Until everything goes up in flames.
Dallas Bradley has been treading an unstable line of deceit between righteousness and criminality. Isaac Thoreau’s world is slowly turning him into Hawk, the man who doesn’t exist, the man who’s ready to do bad things to survive and remain close to Isaac. But when a dangerous deal goes south, in order to save Isaac’s life, Dallas is forced to reveal the devastating truth—he’s a Special Agent sent to infiltrate the Hellhounds and bring down Isaac.
Heartbroken and enraged, Isaac can’t stand the man who betrayed him so deeply. However, when it’s clear Isaac’s fate is prison, Dallas strikes a bargain with his boss: help save Isaac from life behind bars and keep Dallas undercover to clean up the mess.
Isaac hates Dallas more than ever, but to escape the crosshairs they must work together once more. As tempers and stakes flare in the streets of Sin City, Dallas will risk everything to redeem himself in Isaac’s eyes. But can their undeniable connection survive when trust has turned to ash?
***
Dallas is the second installment of Light & Shadow Duet. It should be read after Isaac. This is a dark MM mafia romance that explores various sensitive subjects like violence, abuse, PTSD, etc. Length: 65,000 words. Alternating POV.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Light
Artist: N3wport feat. Dianna
Album:
Light & Shadow Duet by N.N. Britt is the series opener of the dark mafia romance series of the same name.
The first part is Isaac, where we meet Special Agent Dallas Bradley as he starts his undercover job as Hawk, infiltrating the Thoreau crime syndicate led by Isaac Thoreau, the son of the notorious mob boss whom he killed. Isaac paid the price for murdering his abusive father, and his stint in prison further traumatized the young man.
Hawk had to get close to the leader, first by working as the night club bouncer and then climbing the ranks high enough to be included in Isaac’s inner circle. But Isaac was not what Hawk expected, and he soon found himself getting very personal with the boss,
The second part is Dallas, where, after an ATF bust where the gang was caught running guns, Dallas had to negotiate hard to save Isaac. Trust broken but left with no choice, Isaac had to go against everything he stood for and work with Dallas and the FBI.
Dallas and Isaac have that intense push-pull I always enjoy in well-delivered enemies-to-lovers romance. Both are solitary men who found a deep connection that put each of them in danger. The sexual tension is sizzling, the need for secrecy and the threat of being caught heightening the electric mood.
Isaac is a compelling combination of power and vulnerability, having survived sexual abuse as a child and more trauma in prison, then strengthening the criminal organization he inherited. He’s touch-averse and touch-starved, cold to most, but a well-liked leader of his gang, a Robin Hood who took care of his men and their families.
Dallas is a veteran at undercovers, but this job, a.k.a. Isaac, got under his skin and had him questioning his identity and loyalties. As Hawk, he became Isaac’s lover; as Dallas, he was Isaac’s only chance of avoiding prison. He won’t let Isaac go back, knowing it would cost Isaac his life with so many enemies inside.
While the plot was gripping, the writing was something of an acquired taste. It’s in the 1st-person present tense and a bit too flowery for my liking, with metaphors that could be considered poetic. They detract from the story because I found them unnecessary or better suited to a historical romance
However, there’s a great balance of romance and the rest of the plot, with the cliffhanger of Isaac ending the first book in such an explosive way. The second book continues with the tightly paced plot, still as intense, Isaac hurt and conflicted over the betrayal and Dallas’s Hail Mary rescue.
I say the second part is more suspenseful and more twisty turn-y with Dallas and Isaac jumping through hoops of fire. There were so many hurdles thrown their way, I was left wondering how this would end happily. Our only guarantee that this is an HEA is that this is romance. The author saved it till the very last, a bit bittersweet but still resolutely hard-won and satisfying.
Light & Shadow Duet is a stirring tale of forbidden passion between two men on opposite sides of the law. The prose takes getting used to but, overall, slow burn yet fiery, dark and angsty yet thrilling!
P.S.
Light & Shadow must be read in order.
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Light & Shadow. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
LIGHT & SHADOW: Amazon UK | Audiobook
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!
-
NEW RELEASE: The Deviation by Rebecca Raine (Excerpt)
-
COVER REVEAL: Ruthless by Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine
-
COVER REVEAL: The Deviation by Rebecca Raine (Excerpt)
-
SERIES TOUR: Boys’ Love by Rebecca James (Excerpt)
You May Also Like
NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Buried by Lizzie Strong (Excerpt & Giveaway)
RELEASE BLITZ: Caged In Fire by Amy Thorn (Excerpt & Giveaway)
BLOG TOUR: Stocking Stuffers by H.Q. Kingsley, Meredith Spies, Angelo Diaz, Denise Wells, Megs Pritchard, J.P. Sayle, Colette Davison & Alie Nolan (Giveaway)
-
PROMO BLITZ: Wonder, Wonder by Christina Nolte
-
REVIEW: Black and Brown by A.E. Via
Ravens: Black and Brown – A.E. Via
Grace’s composed, yet lethal disposition balances his partner Mirage’s impulsive nature, creating a duo—the second-generation Brown Ravens—with the potential for greatness.
Grace was one of the most decorated sharpshooters in the Marines. He’s fiercely committed to righting the wrongs that plague the world and protecting the innocent.
But there are too many rules and strict orders in the armed forces the Ravens don’t have.Mirage left his world without a trace.
He has a brilliant mind and more degrees in science and medicine than one person could ever hope to obtain.
Now that the Ravens are done administering their treatments, Mirage can throw knives so fast they turn into phantom blades before he disappears in a way that leaves his enemies in chaos and confusion. And Grace can hit a target from three miles away.When together, their form of silent communication in the field is astonishing. Grace’s subtle body movements speak their own language and his long, intense stares into Mirage’s grey eyes have created a special bond neither of them saw coming.
A forbidden romance that won’t stop them from being the second-best assassins in the world.Triggers: Violence
Our introduction to the Ravens was in Ex Meridian, Book 7 of Nothing Special, a book that had me waxing poetic with how GOOD it is. Ex and Meridian are the first-generation Ravens, code-named Blacks. They’re partners turned lovers in a forbidden romance that forever changed their lives.
In one of their missions, they worked with the Nothing Special cops. The book left me so intrigued, I was beyond ecstatic when I learned A.E. Via created a series about these enhanced black ops assassins.
Black and Brown opens the series with the second-generation Ravens, code-named Browns. The secret program significantly enhanced their abilities, giving Mirage super-fast, super-accurate knife-throwing skills and sharpening Grace’s already formidable sniper skills. Their unique fighting style has Grace using the big guns while Mirage is behind him in the shadows, making it seem like knives are coming out of nowhere.
Mirage was a former combat medic, surgeon, and scientist with multiple doctorates and the son of decorated army medics. He talks a lot, and nearly burned Grace’s kitchen trying to fry bacon. Grace was a former military sniper from a small town family with a deadbeat dad who killed his mom. He’s a man of few words and a Bobby Flay in the kitchen. I swooned at the many dinner dates Grace lovingly prepared for his man!
The story follows the evolution of their relationship, from when they were recruited into the program, the enhancements, trainings, and their years in the field, up until that fateful day, Grace witnesses an unguarded moment between Ex and Meridian. It changed the way he saw his partnership with Mirage, giving him hope they could be something more.
Later, they learned there’s a traitor in their organization, and it’s time they choose their own mission.
Mirage and Grace’s dynamic reminded me a lot of God and Day, with a big, taciturn man and a talkative, slightly smaller one. But Mirage and Grace are memorable and different enough. Mirage, talkative and smaller, is the top. My favorite part is how he is always greatly appreciative of Grace’s silence, wrapping it around himself like a comfort blanket.
Another thing that stood out is how the author’s writing has greatly improved. As much as I loved Nothing Special, the first books were clunky and amateurish. Happily, the series improved as it progressed.
Here, the writing is much more refined, the plot well-thought-out, and the romantic development was natural, deliciously slow burn, and hella heartmelting for a pair of deadly assassins. The sex scenes were at the right moments, compared to the poorly deployed ones in the other earlier books. The action scenes were fast-paced and suspenseful, with just the right tension and thrill to keep things exciting.
The vulnerable moments were tenderly intimate. There’s something precious about the big badass Grace being needy and touch-starved, and Mirage being the only one he showed that side of him. When they’re not being secretly sweet and cuddly, they’re intense and fiercely passionate!
It’s best to see the Blacks in action first in Ex Meridian before diving into the Ravens. Black and Brown is told in dual POVs, and also Meridian’s. I loved that we have the Blacks again. My only wish was that the POVs were more balanced. We don’t have Ex’s, and he was kinda shoved to the sidelines.
Black and Brown is a close-proximity, sci-fi-lite, forbidden romance between two assassins from a super-secret black ops program. In a life of guns and knives, it is also two men building trust, exploring intimacy, and speaking volumes in comforting silence and thoughtful gestures. Overall, a thrilling and emotional story of badass assassins and cozy husbands!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: We’re In This Together
Artist: Nine Inch Nails
Album: The Fragile
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Black and Brown. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
BLACK AND BOWN Kindle | Audiobook
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!
-
PROMO BLITZ: Saint by Jodie Harper
-
COVER REVEAL: Saint by Jodie Harper
-
BOOK BLITZ: Handle With Care by Hayden Stone (Excerpt & Giveaway)
