Really trying to catch up on a few books from my short list TBR piles. Here's Andi Jaxon and JR Gray's latest series: New York Gods. The first novel is "On Guard."
["Selling my virginity wasn’t how I saw my first week of college going.
But after my parents cut me off, an offer from a gorgeous rich stranger doesn’t sound so bad.It’s only twenty-four hours and I’ll never have to see him again.
Wrong.
Much to my horror, the stranger is Oliver Godfrey, the captain of my fencing team.
And as if that isn’t bad enough, his parents own half the city.
There is no escape from him or the way he makes me feel.
He’s everything I don’t want.
And everything I need.
A playboy like him shouldn’t look at me twice, so why is he ruining my life?
But what Oliver wants, Oliver gets, and he wants me.
He’s arrogant, possessive, and infuriatingly obsessed with me.
This can’t work.
His parents want him to marry an heiress so I can’t keep him.
All I can have is stolen moments hidden in the dark.
He's going to break my heart and I'm going to let him."]
Oliver was...not a 100% great guy. He was kind and caring and sweet..with Isaac. He was also possessive, obsessive, and slightly toxic as hell. Yes, his own parents and society messed him up, too. But he was manipulative. Though, Isaac made him weak. He changed (slightly) for Isaac, for their relationship, for love.
Isaac was shy and lonely and needed friends, a safe place, and confidence. He gained alllll of that and so much more. He still has his demons (trauma and self-doubt don't disappear when you fall in love), but Oliver (and Owen and Colin) were there to fight by his side.
Some people on Goodreads didn't looove this book because the power exchange between Oliver and Isaac wasn't entirely healthy. But its a dark romance; it might not be marked that way, but it sure as hell is (you read that blurb).
Trigger Warnings: religious trauma, assault (by parents), homophobic parents, and more.
#onguard #theretreat #newyorkgods #newyorkgodsseries #jrgray #andijaxon #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
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