Body and Soul (Wayward Sons #4)

Here's "Body and Soul" by L Eveland. It's the fourth novel in the Wayward Sons series.

["I’ll do anything to have him.
Even if it means destroying him.

Shepherd
My life is a carefully crafted web of lies. The world knows me as Doctor Shepherd Laskin, respected dom, psychiatrist, and professor. But underneath the façade of the perfect gentleman, I’m a monster, a vigilante with a shattered psyche who hunts men who abuse their positions of power.
But I’m burnt out. Lonely. Desperate for a submissive who can withstand my darker side.
When I met Elias, the sparks were instant. We even share the same taking down a dangerous cult to free my estranged sister.
But I can’t have him. He’s too good, too pure, too psychologically fragile.
I know I’ll ruin him, but what choice do I have? He knows my secret, and with the FBI breathing down my neck I have only two choices…
And Elias might not survive either outcome.

Elias
I’m used to being alone. Ever since I left that cult, I’ve gotten used to it. People just don’t seem to understand me. Hell, I don’t understand me.
But Shepherd does. From the moment we met, he’s understood me and my dark desires better than anyone. Maybe it’s because he knows what it’s like to grow up in a cult, to be alone, to be damaged.
I know the last thing I should want is more pain, but I can’t help it. I crave what he does to me, even when it hurts. Especially when it hurts.
I know he’s complicated. I know he’s dangerous. Falling for him could mean death…or worse.
But I don’t care. I want him, even the complicated, messy, deadly parts of him, and I’m willing to go through hell to prove it."]

First warning we were given for this novel: “nothing here is vegetarian.” I snort-laughed much harder than necessarily. 

Didn't-like-this-character-in-previous-books-but-love-them-in-this-one update: Keres. That took less than a full page in his POV to win me over. Oh, buddy, did it win me over. Shepherd took longer than the other MCs from the other books. His coldness and general lack of empathy towards most people was still prominent, but it was slightly less asshole-coded. Then again, Algerone was just as evil as he was in the last book (which, inevitably, threw so much of Shepherd's actions int eh previous books into a new light in this one).

I like and didn't like the fact that this book took place during books two and three. Again, it was interesting to see Shepherd's reasons behind his actions in those books, but I also felt like I was constantly waiting for the timeline to catch up. Then again, that could have been the fact that the book was 650 pages.

Trigger Warnings: cults and religious trauma, cannibalism, stalking, gun violence, conversion therapy, past sexual assault, homophobia, homelessness, incest and child sexual assault by a (villian) family member, torture, violence, murder, blood, gore, imprisonment, kidnapping, and more. 

#bodycount #skindeep #viciouscycle #bodyandsoul #heroworship #playingwithfire #vitalsigns #waywardsons #waywardsonsseries #leveland #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Vicious Cycle (Wayward Sons #3)

Here's "Vicious Cycle" by L Eveland. It's the third novel in the Wayward Sons series.

["I’m a rabid dog that only one man can tame.

After springing me from the psych hospital, my brothers sold me to a group of assassins posing as mechanics. Forced to work in their garage, I’m biding my time, waiting for my chance to escape, this time for good. I’ve got people to kill.

The only thing in my way is Boone Calhoun, their charismatic leader. He likes to pretend he’s untouchable, but I know his weakness. A whisper here, a fleeting touch there and I’ll have him begging to please me.

Seducing my captor without falling for him should be easy, but something’s wrong. I can’t help but crave his touch, even as I hate him for it.

But I will have my vengeance against the people who hurt me. No one’s going to stop me. Not the Laskins, not the voices in my head, and certainly not the irresistible man holding me prisoner."]

Well fuck..If that prologue didn't get me to start speed-reading the book, the first chapter had me forgiving Xion for practically everything (and wanting to wrap him up in a blanket and give him some cocoa (oops, how'd that knife get in his cocoa?)).

But seriously, these two were sooo much more complicated than those first images we got of them in the previous novel. Which is what I said about War, too. I love how we judge these characters and maybe dislike them in the books that aren’t their HEAs, but in their books, I’m weak for them. That’s some first class characterization and compartmentalization  

And another this-got-complicated-fast book. Fuck, we’re in the junkyard where the toughest obstacle is their feelings for each other and how their baggage plays into that then we’re thrown into a whole other world with much higher stakes. 

Not unhappy with this brand of crazy though. Boone and Xion’s as well as all of these brothers. 

Trigger Warnings: schizophrenia, blood, violence, murder, human trafficking, auditory hallucinations, breif mention of self-harm, references to an off-page suicide, flashback to a deadly car accident, alcoholism in a MC, death of a parental figure, child abuse, child abandonment, child sexual assault, child abuse in a psychiatric setting, torture, underage alcohol consumption, animal death (on page), PTSD, serious injury/traumatic brain injury in MC, kidnapping and imprisonment, and more. 

#bodycount #skindeep #viciouscycle #bodyandsoul #heroworship #playingwithfire #vitalsigns #waywardsons #waywardsonsseries #leveland #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Skin Deep (Wayward Sons #2)

Here's "Skin Deep" by L Eveland. It's the second novel in the Wayward Sons series.

["I’ll protect what’s mine, even if it tears this family apart.

My life is a mess, a nightmare for a man obsessed with cleanliness. As the eldest, it’s my job to protect my murderous brothers while maintaining appearances as a successful plastic surgeon.

Everyone thinks I’ve got my life together, but I’m secretly falling apart. I needed a purpose, something beyond killing to live for.

And then I meet Pax, another vigilante. I crave his pain, his praise, his touch like a drug. The chemistry between us is undeniable, but it can’t last. I’m too broken, and he deserves better.

Even if I can’t have him, I’ll protect him and his daughters from everyone—especially my own family. They know something about this killer Pax and I are hunting, but no one’s talking and the closer we get to the truth, the more familiar blood I have to shed. By the time I’ve closed this case, I might not have a family left to protect."]

War was sooo much more complex than we saw from the first book. His character was sooo layered and so well thought out. He was just a broken boy who needed to be the hero for someone but couldn’t barely hold himself up anymore. 

Pax had been through hell, a few times. But he was the sunshine and the rock to lean on that War needed. He held him up and pushed back and helped heal him. All the while giving him the love he didn’t think he deserved and the family he didn’t think he’d ever get. 

Plus a lot of family shit. Soooo much family drama. And so much more incoming, based on that last chapter. I want to wrap so many of these boys up in blankets. 

Trigger Warnings: dubcon, drugging and kidnapping, torture, homophobia, misogyny, racism, OCD related eating disorder, OCD, knife and blood play, refrences to suicide and loss of a spouse, brief suicidal ideation, self-harm scars, past child abandonment, and more.

#bodycount #skindeep #viciouscycle #bodyandsoul #heroworship #playingwithfire #vitalsigns #waywardsons #waywardsonsseries #leveland #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Body Count (Wayward Sons #1)

Here's "Body Count" by L Eveland. It's the first novel in the Wayward Sons series.

["Death is his business, and I live to serve.

Theo
Mortician River Laskin is a monster, a narcissistic sociopath with blood on his hands, but he’s also my savior.
When he rescues me from a human trafficking ring, the last thing on my mind is vengeance. I need to pull my life together and figure out how to survive in a world where I don’t exist. Without someone to tell me what to do, I’m lost. River is all I have to cling to, the only thing that makes sense in this terrifying new world.
But he and his family of murderous psychopaths have other plans, mafia connections, and murder on their minds.

River
I knew from the moment I saw him that Theo was mine. Mine to protect, mine to break, mine to put back together again.
My favorite toy.
I will use every resource at my disposal to find the men who hurt him and make them pay, whether he wants me to or not. It’s not up to him.
I’ll burn every bridge, turn over every stone, dig up every body until I get what I want.
And what I want now is vengeance for Theo. The Devil himself couldn’t stop me. I dare him to try."]

This was dark and utterly delightful. A psychopath who has no clue how to emote, let alone human, let alone take care of a human he just "adopted." A broken boy never introduced to society who thinks everything and everyone is a threat. Except the psychopath threat is offering to protect him from all the other threats. Even though he is big on sexual consent, he's not big on, you know, kidnapping consent. 

These two were adorable and perfect for each other. Both a little broken. Both a lot lonely. Both looking for something all their own, safe and never leaving. Turns out, that psychopath is a huge fucking mushroom nerd and that broken boy just needed some choices (and some musicals and cuddles). 

This family is...a lot. They're Mulvaney's but less organized (and, quite arguably, more neuro-spicy). They're all broken and all "crazy" and all desperately wanting what River/Theo have, even if they won't admit it. Here's to more secretly nerdy psychos/socios getting their HEA, as messy and unconventional as it will all be. 

Trigger Warnings: child trafficking, sexual abuse of minors, physical abuse, violence, blood, torture of antagonists, drug and alcohol references including references to overdoses, reference to child abuse and neglect, PTSD/C-PTSD, OCD, DID, schizophrenia, suicidal ideation, blood/knife play

#bodycount #skindeep #viciouscycle #bodyandsoul #heroworship #playingwithfire #vitalsigns #waywardsons #waywardsonsseries #leveland #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Detective Baby: Dance Team Drama

Here's "Detective Baby: Dance Team Drama." It was written by Meg Cabot and illustrated by Amelia Allore.

["Jenny isn’t your average babysitter. She has a secret superpower—she can understand baby talk. (A pretty lame superpower for a middle schooler, if you ask her.)

Rosie isn’t your average baby—she’s the most brilliant (and devious) detective in town.

Jenny would rather do anything besides babysit. But the money she raised for her dance team has been stolen—and Rosie is sure she can crack the case."]

Honestly, when I first heard about this book, I thought it was ridiculous. How is baby-talk a superpower? Why is a baby a detective? 

Honestly x2, this book was highly entertaining. It was funny and clever. It was mysterious. It was silly. It taught about friendship and lying and secrets and not being (too) embarrassed by who you are, even if who you are is a super-secret-baby-talk-whisperer. 

And honestly x3, I can't wait for the next one. 

#detectivebaby #detectivebabydanceteamdrama #danceteamdrama #detectivebabyseries #megcabot #ameliaallore #books #childrensbooks #middlegradenovel #middlegradegraphicnovel #graphicnovel #earlyreader #earlyreadergraphicnovel  #picturebooks #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

An Octopus Named Houdini

Here's "An Octopus Named Houdini." It was written by Zana Fraillon and illustrated by Corinna Luyken.

["All day long we can hear
that Sea howl prowling wild
inside our brains and every part of us is straining
to feel it taste it twirl it whirl it swirl it
inside our body
again.

Houdini the octopus lives in an aquarium, but she misses her home in the wild Sea. She doesn’t like the visitors who bang on her tank. Or the way she can’t feel the sun on her skin or the wind rippling the water. It’s a dull existence for a creature with nine brains.

Then one day she meets someone who is different than the others. Juno’s busy brain buzzes with so many questions and thoughts that Houdini’s skin tingles with wonder.

But the singing of the Sea is growing stronger and harder to resist. Can Houdini make Juno understand what she needs before it’s too late?"]

This book was beautiful. It was equal parts powerful and devastating. It was informative and inspiring. It was, I'm told, reminiscent of "Remarkably Bright Creatures." 

This book was about finding home and getting home and being home. It was about found family but also about freedom. It was about temporary safety but the dangerous choices leading to freedom winning out. It was about sympathy and empathy. It was about your heart not listening to your head.

It was also a novel in verse, and it flowed (ha, pun not originally intended). It was slow at first, but as soon as we met Juno, the book picked up. After that, I couldn't put it down. 

#anoctopusnamedhoudini #zanafraillon #corinnaluyken #books #childrensbooks #middlegradenovel #novelsinverse #middlegradepoetry #picturebooks #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

All Ghosts Aren't Dead (The Forgotten #1)

Here's "All Ghosts Aren't Dead" by April Jade. It's the first novel in her The Forgotten series.

["He was half corpse, half human.
A ghost, but also a god.

I found him blood-soaked and silent, covered in scars and sitting in sin. It was my job to train to him—to mold him into a weapon the mafia deemed useful.

The Forgotten wasn’t a place that offered comfort—we provided control. Pain with a purpose. Power that couldn’t be taken.

Blue was just like the others… until he wasn’t.

I dedicated most of my life to studying humans—peeling back their layers until only their true selves remained. I knew enough about monsters to know, on some level, I was one.

Blue wasn’t a man nor a monster.
No.
He was mine."]

Reading this because of a single teaser/scene I saw recently (and because April's other books are fabulous).

Pretty sure this quote was my constant reaction throughout the novel: “Behind us, Bay let out a strangled noise. ‘I have so many emotions. None of them are appropriate.’” There was just soooo much giggling and fan-girl-kicking (from me—but also Bay (and the others)). 

This book was SO good. It was all about found family and strength and rebuilding yourself and overcoming trauma and finding love and finding hope and finding home. These two were...unconventionally but utterly perfect for each other. And I kinda love how no one called them on how fast it was or how unethical it was; they just let them comfort each other and heal each other. 

I canNOT wait for more from this series. There better be more. I want all of these broken but trying sooo hard boys to get their HEA. 

Trigger Warnings: graphic depictions of child abuse, religious trauma and cult-like indoctrination, self-harm ideation, ptsd and trauma-related behaviors, discussions of dyslexia s a source of trauma, touch aversion/childhood trauma, violence, murder, and more.

#allghostsarentdead #theforgotten #theforgottenseries #apriljade #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks