Kiss the Villain (Villain, #1) by Rina Kent Review

This review contains spoilers - read with caution. Content warnings include: Consensual non-con, dub-con, self-harm, violence, and mild homophobia. It also contains non on-page mentions of suicide, rape, child sexual assault, and domestic abuse. Specific kinks featured in this book include degradation, mild consensual feminization, mild BDSM, and praise.

You can read my reviews of the entire Legacy of Gods series on my blog, now: God of Malice, God of Pain, God of Wrath, God of Ruin, God of Fury, and God of War.

This was juicy juicy right off the bat - I may have had a little distain for the constant run back to initiation night in Legacy of Gods, but by now I have honestly grown attached to it. It genuinely cracks me up seeing the other couples and characters run around basically terrorizing each other, and considering we have experienced the majority of relationships now, I will be sad to see it end. That being said, with Gareth being the one surprised on initiation night, we take a turn from our leading man being the aggressor to having the story flipped to him being the prey. After Gareth's attempt to humiliate Yulian does not go according to plan and he finds himself on the receiving end of some unexpected advances, his entire world gets flipped on its axis.

Gareth proceeds to go through the most insane bi-awakening I have ever scene on page - the boy is getting thrown around like no one's business while simultaneously claiming everything that he and Kayden get up to doesn't count. The boy was in denial while getting split in half. Kayden and Gareth's relationship definitely starts out as wild as the other relationships we see in Rina Kent's books, and this is certainly no exception with an age gap, professor-student dynamic with some stalking undertones and ulterior motives by our resident law professor. I really enjoyed how out of control and possessive both Kayden and Gareth acted - while Kayden was pretty much set on Gareth being his target and basically owning him, Gareth was slowly becoming more attached and going into his obsessive tendencies.

The smut was crazy style - definitely on the same level as Niko and Brandon in God of Fury, but the dynamic was much more intense with Gareth and Kayden. Maybe it was because of the "forbidden" aspect of a professor-student relationship or the fact that Kayden was basically out to ravage Gareth within an inch of his life, but the spark between them was unmatched. Gareth's internal struggle to figure out if he even liked men or not - or basically if he just liked Kayden - while trying to tackle giving up control made the deeper plot of this book really drawing to readers. We watch as this intense, psychotic-in-nature, law student suddenly lose the perception he had of himself and try to understand if there is more to himself under the surface and if he can open himself up to loving someone he never expected to fall for.

Guys. Are we serious?? Y'all did not prepare me for the last third of this book - I feel like I was shot in the chest. I was literally speechless and my jaw was hanging open reading all the scenes with Gareth basically being held hostage and tortured for hours on end. He did not deserve to be put through that, especially when he was not even directly involved in Cassandra's passing. Obviously we know that he was targeted in order to punish his family, but good grief the guy is twenty-one and had no idea of Kayden's past until literally moments before all of this went down. My heart was aching for him when we got to the chapters of Kayden finding him and Gareth basically being catatonic after banging his head on the wall for who knows how long. Out of everyone that I have seen suffer in the Legacy of Gods series and this first installment in Villains, I would have to say Brandon and Gareth take the cake for being the most tortured characters.

I had such a fun time reading this book - it really sucked me in as much as God of Fury, and while the relationships in those two books certainly have their similarities, the characters go through their own struggles that makes their stories their own. If you are looking to make your way into some more smutty dark romance, you will definitely get a kick out of this.

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Chokehold by Leigh Rivers & Harleigh Beck Review

This review contains minor spoilers - no major plot points are revealed. Please read trigger warnings - reader discretion is advised.

Blaise and Cole - two stepbrothers who cannot seem to stand one another - find themselves in a most peculiar scenario when a game of Chase at a party leads to a scandalous encounter between the two in the woods. This honestly reminded me a little bit of the initiation scenes from the Legacy of Gods series by Rina Kent - I would definitely say that it was much more elevated in this book, especially considering what happens between Blaise and Cole in that initial game of Chase. The authors waste no time introducing readers to our two leading men and make it abundantly clear they do not like each other one bit - or so they think. I was really in the mood for a juicy hate to love book and this certainly did not disappoint when it came to that element.

You can see that Cole and Blaise fall into a natural categorization of "older, more tortured" brother and "younger, more prioritized" brother when it came to how Blaise's father viewed them. Blaise's father simply sees Cole as a nuisance stepchild that he has to tolerate, whereas he somewhat pampers Blaise - at least to the extent where he thinks he is taking care of him - even when we see him as more of a neglectful father. Even when he is "taking care of" Blaise, you can tell he does not give it his all, especially when he uses all of his time blaming Cole for everything under the sun that goes wrong or disrupts their lives.

The dynamic between Blaise and Cole is definitely not for the weak or light of heart - we literally see them beat each other up multiple times and take things to the extreme when they want to get their way with each other. If you are a fan of The Ritual and The Sinner by Shantel Tessier, this book is well up your alley in terms of pushing the limits to the extreme. You have to be in the mindset to walk into books like these knowing that there is going to be some seriously triggering content. If you are prepared for that form of intensity, then you will not be able to put this book down. Just when you think things could not get any more wild, suddenly they are chasing each other around town and swinging bats like nobody's business.

Juicy, juicy, juicy spicy scenes that put a lot of books I have read to shame when it comes to making my eyes bug out of my skull. This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it certainly kept me locked in and had my jaw on the floor for the vast majority of the book. The fact that it is a taboo romance makes it all the more enticing and while some of the plot points were all over the place, it kept me entertained enough that once I started, I could not stop.

The side characters added enough to the plot to continue to drive the story forward, but for the life of me I could not stand Allie and Mia - they were annoying and only provided more issues for both Cole and Blaise as the story went on. I understand what the authors were trying to do with their characters, but my god, every single time they popped up on the page I wanted to throw the book across the room. I guess their presence served their purpose considering the authors truly were able to make me despise them, along with a select few other characters that seemed to have it out for Blaise and Cole for one-sided reasons.

If you are looking for a raunchy, taboo romance to make your blood pressure rise, Chokehold may be calling your name. I know for certain that it has taken me out of my reading slump and thrown me right back into the dark romance scene.

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The Long Game (Game Changers, #6) by Rachel Reid Review

This review contains spoilers - read with discretion. You can read my reviews of Game Changer, Heated Rivalry, Tough Guy, Common Goal, and Role Model on my blog now! Heated Rivalry is now streaming on Crave in Canada and HBO Max in select countries.

Already into chapter two and I was a full on sobbing mess. I need to protect Ilya like my life depends on it, and just as much with Shane. Before diving into this book, I had seen rumblings online that readers were tough on Shane with the way he acted in this book and the way he responded to Ilya's thoughts and actions. Honestly, I was able to see both Shane and Ilya's sides throughout this entire book - on one hand, you have Shane, who is desperate to maintain his elite status in the league while trying to balance his secret relationship, while on the other hand, you have Ilya, who is full of feelings of being left behind and longing to be out in the open with the love of his life all while fighting an internal battle.

Both Shane and Ilya have their own issues that they needed to address in this book, and I think it was incredibly important that we got to see more of Ilya's perspective in this installment. While we got glimpses in Heated Rivalry, this follow-up truly was able to expand on him as more of an individual rather than him being the other half of a secret romance. Every single time he went to see his therapist, I was sobbing - you could literally feel the heartbreak and fear ooze off the page as Ilya tried to articulate how he was feeling and how he wanted to feel like his concerns were being reciprocated. He was just so sad all of the time, and when he would mention he was scared of becoming sad like his mother was sad, I could not stop the tears.

I know Rachel Reid has said on a number of occasions that she did not intend to write Shane's performance diet as an eating disorder, but my god I was literally sick to my stomach every time it was mentioned that he was limiting himself so much in the name of hockey. Rose, Hayden, Ilya, basically everyone would tell him that he did not need to put himself through such intense regimens to be a professional athlete, and I think he would not listen to them because it was one of the few things in his life that he could control. I drove me bonkers that this was not addressed more - I wish Shane had an arc like Ilya had with his therapist - when we see that he ate a Snickers bar after being outted, Ilya basically realized Shane was not doing well in that moment because he was not sticking to his diet.

I think we all should beat the commissioner with bats - that nasty, homophobic old man is a dinosaur and a parasite to the entire. I already could not stand him after the way he treated Troy in Role Model, but this really sealed the deal with me on how much I hate that man. To think that he is running around basically telling every queer hockey player that they have to stay in the closet or basically get fired is insane, and considering he does not believe sexual assault victims, this is just one of many horrible mindsets he has. J.J. was really testing me after Ilya and Shane were unintentionally outed in that video - Shane has known J.J. the entire time they have been playing professionally, and he has the audacity to ask Shane if he fell on purpose to let Ilya score?? I almost through my phone across the room after reading that nightmare of a scene.

Ilya gaining a support system outside of Shane, Shane's parents, and Hayden was so nice to see - he was basically only able to confide in three people outside of Shane, and I can only imagine how isolating that must have been. Once he was able to form friendships and bonds with other team members, especially Troy and Luca, you could see that Ilya was starting to come around to becoming more free - adopting a dog certainly helped as well.

Now that I am all caught up, I cannot wait to see what Rachel has in store for the final Game Changers book, Unrivaled, releasing later this year. I am simply glad that Shane and Ilya will not be going through The Horrors like they did in this book - as much fun as conflict makes for the plot, those two have bene through more than enough and deserve to be able to live in peace and beat Montreal's butt next season.

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Sick Bargain (Vile House, #1) by Nordika Night Review

This review contains minor spoilers! Please read trigger warnings - reader discretion is advised.

WHY IS REMI WEARING CROCS AND SOCKS??? I would be able to look past this if it was a one time situation, but I kid you not this man was mentioned wearing crocs multiple times throughout the book. This was more shocking to me than some of the dark scenes Krypt was pulling on a regular basis and that says a lot. Maybe it is because I am a croc hater for life, but it was such an ick while reading and I could not help but think of Remi running around town in crocs. He is a grown adult and should not be within three hundred feet of a pair of crocs, especially after he is basically shackled to Krypt of all people.

Krypt reminds me of Killian Carson from God of Malice - this is an insult. It is like I am back at chapters one and two of that book all over again, and I wish I could scrub my brain of both of those instances. I did not like Krypt for approximately 85% of this book - I felt like his character was all over the place, and sure, that is definitely a component of why he is so uncontrollable, but I thought at some point it would be toned down a bit. I would argue that he gets more aggressive as the book goes on, and while he does eventually get a sliver of emotion in him, there were points where I truly thought he was going to hurt Remi.

This book does not beat around the bush when it comes to more darker themes like assault and graphic depictions of violence, but I was surprised to feel as though it could have been much darker. There are a number of scenes between Krypt and Remi that are straight up assault and while they both acknowledge it, they also are into it and yet still seem to fight how much they like it. It was definitely interesting seeing it impacted both of them in their own ways, since Remi was an outsider in the beginning and did not understand what he was getting into, while Krypt was discovering something new about himself and this seemed to be the only way his mind was able to make him express it. That being said, it certainly is not for everyone and I would definitely reiterate that readers show go into this with caution if it is not their typical genre.

Remi's brother, Soren, was so mysterious and protective and Remi - I found myself wanting him to show up more often because I was so intrigued by his characterization. He is stoic and controlled, yet his shell definitely cracks when it comes to his brother, even though he does not want anyone to know it. He is constantly hooting and hollering at Krypt during this whole book - whether it was truly in Remi's best interest or not, that man was up face to face with Krypt at every chance he got. All of the little Vile House boys were intriguing and added an interesting dynamic to the story - I have not come across a group of unhinged boys truly testing the limits - the closest I can think of is the group in the Legacy of Gods series by Rina Kent.

I high-key wish this book was crazier and I know that sounds insane but from everything that I heard about it, I thought I was going to reach Butcher & Blackbird meeting Haunting Adeline and The Ritual levels of insanity happening, but I was simply just left more surprised by the amount of non-con that anything else. I was really looking forward to a truly dark romance, one that approached pitch black levels, and while Sick Bargain was definitely going in that direction, it did fall a little short. The writing was not the best, and at times it was going on and on more like a quickly published Wattpad fanfic without any proofreading rather than an actual published book. I will be intrigued to see how the second installment pans out in regards to upping the craziness.

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Role Model (Game Changers, #5) by Rachel Reid Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews of Game Changer, Heated Rivalry, Tough Guy, and Common Goal on my blog, now! Heated Rivalry is now streaming on Crave in Canada and HBO Max in select countries.

I really enjoyed seeing Troy's internal thoughts and how he was able to slowly start coming out of his shell after being traded to the Centaurs. You could clearly tell that he felt out of place after being uprooted from a team that he played with for years, and considering his supposed best friend ended up being a complete scumbag, his weariness to socialize with other people was understandable. Especially taking into account that Troy is closeted and recently out of a long term relationship, he does not know how anyone else would react to this information, even after Scott Hunter's major moment in Game Changer.

Major bonus points for Ilya being so present in this book - he is literally my favorite character in this series, so it was so nice to see him with Troy as they played on the Centaurs together. I was in desperate need of an Ilya fix after season one of Heated Rivalry concluded, and this was the perfect read to get more of him as I make my way towards The Long Game and patiently await season two. You could tell when he was talking to Shane, even when Shane was never even mentioned - Troy was constantly observing Ilya throughout the book, and he was certainly noticing a pattern with Ilya and his bursts of disappearing the second they had an off day.

There is a moment in this book where I literally started sobbing - most of these books are not "high stakes" in the sense that something tragically bad could happen to any of the characters, but I was genuinely fearing for multiple characters' lives at one point. You can literally feel the fear come off the page, and I have to stay this aspect of the book made the reality of what the characters were living through very prominent for the rest of the story. I genuinely think this is one of the main turning points for Troy in his own self reflection in deciding how he wants to see himself as a person and how he wants to live his life without hiding in the shadows any longer.

Harris was a great partner for Troy - while their interactions were a little rocky at first only due to Harris being weary of Troy for his past actions, it definitely blossomed into a great relationship. Their personalities, while not 100% the same, were compatible and I felt as though they were both able to learn a lot from one another, and understand that while their lives are very different from each other, they still had a common goal - pun intended - in mind. Considering Harris comes from a family who is very supportive of his sexuality and Troy comes from a rocky home life with a homophobic father and homophobic team members, it was interesting to see how they both went about their outlooks on life.

I hope Dallas Kent gets everything that is coming to him - I could not stand his little appearances throughout the other books and I am glad that Troy was able to put him in his place and believe those women. I think the addition of this storyline really emphasizes the NHL's past and current compliance with assault culture and is a great commentary on how these players are often believed over their victims in order for the league to keep making money. Which is an interesting factor given now the NHL is trying to monetize off of the success of Heated Rivalry when one could argue that the NHL and the commissioner are the biggest villains of the series. I only hope that the culture starts changing and allegations are taken more seriously.

I cannot wait to revisit Shane and Ilya in The Long Game, but I have to say this entire series has been such a joy to read so far. While there are moments that I have my own opinions on, Reid is able to create a universe where these players are able to have their happy endings and get the love they deserve.

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Common Goal (Game Changers, #4) by Rachel Reid Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews of Game Changer, Heated Rivalry, and Tough Guy on my blog, now! Heated Rivalry is now streaming on Crave in Canada and HBO Max in select countries.

Thank the stars... an age gap romance that does not have me reaching for my phone to call the police!! Am I starting to shake in my boots now that reading books has main characters a year younger than me? Absolutely. I am simply going to pretend that Kyle is actually a year old and move on with my day. Eric and Kyle are definitely one of my new favorite couples in this series, second to Shane and Ilya. I loved how aware Eric was of his feelings and the way that he viewed Kyle - he was always respectful and honestly was so much more open about his feelings than I expected from him. Kyle was so much fun and honestly refreshing to see after Tough Guy - I just felt like the previous book was lacking a more playful feel to it.

Scott Hunter and Ilya Rozanov making their constant appearances is something that I will never complain about - you can always count on Ilya to make fun of everyone in a fifteen foot vicinity and to have Scott Hunter fighting for his life. Seeing Kip and Scott's relationship develop from where it was in Game Changers to them being at such a big moment in their lives was so full-circle realization. Reid does a decent job calling back to the other characters, but I will say she definitely has a fondness for Scott and Ilya. Shane and Kip certainly make their own appearances but they do not take as much page space as their counterparts. 

Eric exploring his sexuality with Kyle was such a fun read - you can tell that while he was nervous to "learn" with Kyle, he was very much comfortable with who he was and was happy and willing to try new things. Kyle was the perfect teacher for Eric, and it was honestly sweet to see how attentive they were to each other and how focused Kyle was on making sure Eric felt safe enough to explore things with him. Their communication throughout the book was pretty solid, but obviously there were moments where they struggled to convey their true feelings towards one another, which definitely lead them down a more rocky road towards the end.

Readers will appreciate the friendship aspect between Eric and Kyle in this book - while they are a more friends-with-benefits moment, you can clearly see how much they care for one another after meeting and getting to know each other. Watching them grow as individuals, open up to one another about their past relationships, and discover new things with each other made their relationship all the more authentic.

I cannot wait to see what is in store in Role Model, and considering we have concluded season one of Heated Rivalry, I will definitely be needing my hockey yaoi fix as we patiently await season two. This series as a whole has been so enjoyable, and if you are looking to find your way into some true hockey romance, there is no better time than now to dive into the Game Changers series.

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Tough Guy (Game Changers, #3) by Rachel Reid Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews of Game Changer and Heated Rivalry on my blog, now! Heated Rivalry is now streaming on Crave in Canada and HBO Max in select countries.

Ryan and Fabian's relationship was certainly... interesting. On one hand, you have hockey star Ryan who has been playing in the league for years and on the other hand, you have musician Fabian who hates hockey. I think their personalities definitely complimented one another, but they also brought out things in each other that were not being explored when they were not together. I really enjoyed how Reid explored Ryan's anxiety throughout the book and did not shy away from the struggles he faced and how it impacted his daily life and his hockey career. Ryan's chapters were definitely the most compelling to me as a reader - it felt as though his character had more care taken in developing his internal development. While Fabian did have development as well, I just could not find myself leaning towards his story. He was not as likable as Ryan in my eyes, and I found him constantly stating how much he hated hockey while literally dating a hockey player becoming increasingly annoying.

Ryan's journey with his anxiety was the most captivating plot of this book. Since Reid makes it clear from the beginning that Ryan is out, there were no undertones of him being in the closet or hiding his relationship from the public for the sake of his career. This meant that we were able to explore new avenues with his character and see how even though Ryan is a "tough guy," he still had a lot going on in his life that was outside the world of hockey. Fabian was sympathetic towards Ryan's anxiety, but it still seemed that Fabian wanted Ryan to quit playing hockey every single chapter, which I felt fed into his anxiety even more.

Fabian has reasoning for not liking hockey players, but I found it odd that he basically let it fester his whole life and then when he finally is dating a hockey player. he spends the majority of his time thinking about how he wants Ryan to quit or watching Ryan's games and wondering why he would play. There were a few times in the book where Fabian was watching a game on television and thinking "why would Ryan be this violent during the game?" which I found absurd because it is literally hockey... they fight every two seconds during a game. I found myself becoming more agitated with Fabian as the book went on because of this, and truly tried to like him more, but just could not find it within my to want to take his side.

I really enjoyed the little Shane and Ilya crumbs in the book - while they were only mentioned a few times and made a guest appearance briefly, it was nice to see how they were being perceived by other hockey players. Ilya's one-liners are still a hit in my eyes and he truly is a hilarious character, even when he is not trying to be.

I think I was expecting a lot more out of this book than what was given, and was hoping Fabian and Ryan's relationship would be as enticing as Scott and Kip's or Shane and Ilya's relationships. Instead, I honestly found myself wanting Ryan to stop dating Fabian multiple times during the book - I did not think in the beginning and middle of their relationship that Fabian was the right man for Ryan. I am glad they both were able to be more vulnerable with each other and have their own growth, but would have loved if Fabian's character was not always on a mission to have Ryan literally quit his career because of his hatred towards hockey players. 

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Heated Rivalry (Game Changers, #2) by Rachel Reid Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of Game Changer on my blog, now! Heated Rivalry premieres on November 28, 2025 - only on Crave.

Oh I ate this up so bad... some of my new favorite boys. Obviously I wanted to read this before the show premieres later this month, and now I wish I could wipe my memory and read it all over again. I have been seeing some "arguments" online with some people stating this book was porn without plot, but the plot in this book is so extremely vital to Shane and Ilya's individual struggles and their relationship. That being said, the smut was well written and tasteful as their relationship develops. We see two newly drafted teenagers enter the world of professional hockey while trying to figure themselves out and navigate this rivalry that has been thrust upon them, all while engaging in one of the most complex secret relationships I have seen.

When I heard I had to brace myself when reading the prologue, I could not imagine what Reid had in store for us - when I tell you my jaw dropped. There was no holding back with this book, and it is certainly a leg up on Game Changer. I will say that the timeline of this story was a touch hard to keep track of, but once you get the hang of the way the book flows, it becomes much easier to follow. Typically I am not a major fan of text message usage in books, but I found myself loving Shane and Ilya's conversations - you could really get a sense of their own personalities and humor even when they were not together.

Ilya's storyline felt like he was going through the horrors every two seconds, meanwhile Shane was trying to tell himself he was not gay even though he was literally sleeping with Ilya every chance they could get. Shane's story felt more lighthearted in my opinion - you could tell that he was going to be surrounded by supportive family members, while Ilya's story had me clutching my seat waiting for the next blow. Both experienced some major battles but they were basically there for each other the entire time, even when they would hold back on telling the other something that made them more vulnerable.

I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and from what I hear, this is certainly not the last we will see of them. Their relationship was more intriguing than Scott and Kip's, and while I would not consider this a true "rivals to lovers" trope, I can say that I can see how their "rivalry" made the relationship development more interesting. There was a more significant amount of depth to both characters in this book compared to the first and I was glad to see that Reid was able to create some more complex characters. I already placed a Libby hold for the next book in this interconnected series and I am excited to see where it leads readers with the new couple.

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Game Changer (Game Changers, #1) by Rachel Reid Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Heated Rivalry premieres on November 28, 2025 - only on Crave.

I will be completely honest and say that I started this series solely because Heated Rivalry begins streaming soon and I have heard nothing but great things about that book - I wanted to read it before watching the show, and I am very pro-read the interconnected stand-alones in order. I have not read a hockey romance in some time and was excited to get back into them, especially considering the weather is getting colder. Scott Hunter's pre-game ritual of a smoothie has led him to Kip Grady, the kind juice bar barista that captured his eye and led him down a road of a secret romance. Scott's frequent visits become an excitement for Kip, and their friendship blossoms into an attraction that neither can avoid.

However, Scott seems to be the one making all of the rules and has Kip over on his own terms, leading to Kip feeling somewhat isolated from his "old" life and like a secret in the dark. As he spends more time thinking about what he wants and what his future holds career-wise, Scott is focused on playoffs and winning the Stanley Cup. Their different goals seems to cause a rift on the relationship but more so with Kip's perspective, and as playoffs come even closer, Kip is set to make up his mind on what he needs. Sure, Scott is not out to the world, but with Kip being out, he feels as though he is a second thought to Scott when it comes to hockey and what to focus on. I can definitely see both sides - Scott wanting to wait until playoffs are over in order to not overshadow the games, and Kip wanting to be able to go out with his boyfriends without Scott having to hide from the public eye.

Kip and Scott's friends definitely provided them support in different ways - Kip was able to at least confide in a friend regarding his relationship, whereas Scott had to keep everything to himself. You can certainly see how badly Scott wanted to share about his personal life, but also understand why he was keeping that part of him to himself and Kip. It hurt to see Kip go through so much and seemingly alone - you could tell that it was eating him up inside that he would be spending all of his time waiting for Scott to come back from games or practices, and yet barely get to see him when he did get home - not to mention the fact that Kip was not going to any hockey team functions with Scott as his partner - he had to watch from home.

This was definitely a good start to the series, and you can clearly tell where the next installment is headed considering the number of times a certain Russian player was mentioned throughout the book. There are things that I would have changed, but overall the book read well and there was a decent balance of inner turmoil, lightheartedness, and smut. I already have Heated Rivalry on loan from Libby, and cannot wait to see what Shane and Ilya's story has in store.

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For the Fans by Nyla K Review

This is a spoiler-free review! From the publisher: This book contains sensitive subject matter that could make some readers uncomfortable. Please heed foreword warnings and proceed with caution.

I kept seeing this book all over TikTok and knew I had to make my way toward it eventually, and coming off the high that was God of Fury, I placed my hold on Libby immediately. The closest book I have read that dabbled in the world of sex work / online subscription was Eyes on Me by Sara Cate, and I absolutely devoured that step-sibling taboo romance just as much as I did this one. For the Fans is just as juicy and honestly rivals the insanity and explicitness of some of the taboo romances I have read in the past.

This is some of the most insane smut I have ever read in my life, and I have read my fair share of taboo romances. I feel like I should have been paying premium prices to be able to even read this book, so I can only imagine how much money Avi and Kyran were actually making on their account. I ate this thing up like nobody's business. Every single scene had my jaw on the floor and just when I did not think it could get wilder, it did. Watching Avi and Kyran become more comfortable with each other was like watching a very well-developed relationship take place, and bonus points for it basically being enemies to lovers with that stepbrother taboo touch. I literally could not believe what they were getting up to and honestly I am impressed.

Thank god this really escalated when Kyran and Avi went to college - I do not think I would have continued on if they were not aged up and stayed seventeen. Their personalities are polar opposite of each other and you could literally feel the tension oozing off of the page when they would be in the same room together or when they would have to spend some "quality family time together" with their parents. I love an enemies to lovers moment, and considering Kyran was immediately the brooding man with an instant hatred towards his new stepbrother, I knew it was going to be good. Avi's mother marries Kyran's father, and readers can immediately sense a shift in the way Kryan's father is presented - he is strict, cold, and heavily Catholic to a fault, whereas Avi's mother has more of a "go with the flow" mentality that makes their pairing a bit odd. It was clear to me that there was a story behind the emphasis on his heavy religious views and the way that Kyran reacted to particular scenarios.

Avi and Kyran's enemies moments had me cackling at times - it was so clear that Avi's "hatred" towards Kyran was a response to Kyrans displeasure at having Avi and his mother essentially waltz into his life without warning. Watching Kyran's responses to Avi and the way he lived his life gave readers a view into how Kyran's upbringing was so different than Avi's, and considering the horrors Kyran experienced in the past, it is no wonder he was weary of people coming into his life that may leave without a moment's notice.

I loved how Avi and Kyran's respective friend groups were relatively accepting of Kyran and Avi's respective presences throughout the book - you could tell that Avi's friends cared about him, and if that meant Kyran was suddenly around, they would only tease him as a friend. Kyran's friends more so welcomed Avi's presence as BC's mascot - considering Kyran was on the down low, there was no way he would reveal what Avi meant to him to his friends without truly thinking it through. Readers really get to see both of their perspectives of their unconventional relationship when it came to making videos and the development for both of them when it came to addressing their feelings.

You can add For the Fans on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter (X), and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

God of Fury (Legacy of Gods, #5) by Rina Kent Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews of God of Malice, God of Pain, God of Wrath, and God of Ruin on my blog, now! Reader discretion is advised.

Nikolai is YOUNGER than Brandon??? How did I miss this??? Also immediately throwing us back into the initiation night.. oh how I have been waiting for this moment since God of Malice. Rina Kent's tendency to describe the family trees and two schools at the beginning of every single one of the books in this series is starting to get on my nerves, but it is understandable if someone is reading these as stand alones and not as a series. This is the first time reading this series where I did not go crazy when the parent perspectives were brought up - I actually enjoyed them this time.

Someone needs to protect Brandon at all costs - the man is going through it constantly and is plagued with so much every day, and it feels as though he is the one that everyone expects to keep it together. Watching his inner turmoil fester and grow was heartbreaking. He is going through a sexuality realization and dealing with a ton of mental health issues, while trying to understand Nikolai's actions towards him and accept some form of love from someone who unexpectedly came into his life. We get to see a lot of different sides of Brandon throughout this book - more than just his video game playing with Mia and the occasional appearance next to Landon and Glyndon at family gatherings.

Nikolai is literally one of the funniest characters I have come across - every single thing that came out of his mouth had me rolling on the floor. I genuinely was cackling at some of the things he said, and his inner monologue was just as hilarious. "That would be crazy. Just kidding, I am crazy." is one of the earliest lines from Nikolai and it truly sets the tone for his entire attitude for the book. I used to bag on him in the other books for being completely unhinged, but finally getting to see what goes on inside his head makes everything make so much sense. He is very much aware that he has psychopathic tendencies and fully embraces them - he is honestly surprised when people do not resort to the type of violence that is his first reaction.

The smut is in this book.. insane. I thought Rina would not be able to top God of Ruin's levels of craziness, but Nikolai and Brandon take it to a whole new level - they are beating each other up and off - the duality of man! I know I said God of Wrath was the best of the series when I first read it, but good grief God of Fury definitely takes the cake. There were sentences in this book that truly had my mouth on the floor and had me doing laps around my apartment - Nikolai is already unhinged on a regular basis, but put him and Brandon together and it unleashes an entirely new animal. He is definitely the one that adds to the craziness of all of those scenes, considering Brandon is more on the reserved side - that does not mean that Brandon does not get down and dirty, literally and figuratively.

Brandon's internal struggles play a major role in the way he views himself and how he approaches his relationship with Nikolai. We see from Nikolai's perspective how confused he gets when Brandon's emotions and personality suddenly shift when he feels cornered or is confronted by a past trauma. I was literally sick to my stomach reading what he has been through, and readers bear witness to his struggles in a first-hand account in his perspective, along with Nikolai's reactions and attempts to understand what is going on with Brandon. Brandon and Landon's relationship as twins definitely grows and expands in this book, and considering their past qualms with one another, it was nice to see them actually work through things and become closer - as a twin, I cannot imagine not being close with my sister.

This is the fifth installment in this series and yet I am constantly still surprised by the way that nineteen-year-old Nikolai speaks and the things that come out of nearly every character's mouths - who taught y'all to speak like this!! I am sure that if I finally venture out and actually read all of their parents' books, I will clearly find my answering in those works. Considering God of War is the final piece in this series, I am intrigued to see where Kent takes us next with Eli and Ava - they have been relatively absent from this series other than the occasional mentioning, but just by taking a look at the summary, I know I will be in for a treat.

You can add God of Fury on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter (X), and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!