Review: Swamp Blood by KA Merikan (Guns n' Boys #3)

--- Faking their own death was the easy part. ---

After months of recovering from his injuries, Seth struggles with who he has become. Afloat in a reality he never planned, he tries to find the lost pieces of himself again. Find the purpose, motivation, and strength to get back into shape. He is sick and tired of being a burden for Domenico, who seems to have it all together. When Domenico’s jealousy pushes them into the spotlight of a biker gang with connections to their former mafia family, Seth decides to step up, and make his own decisions, no matter what risks they might entail.

Domenico Acerbi can’t trust anyone. Nightmares of Seth’s torture are still haunting his dreams, and if he and Seth are to leave the country quietly and disappear off the mafia’s radar, he needs to stay in charge and keep everyone under control. What he doesn’t need is Seth giving him attitude, keeping secrets, and distancing himself for no reason. And as if Domenico didn’t have enough on his plate already, Seth forces him to help some hooker. Being stuck in the swamp with a kid hunted by a bunch of bikers is not Domenico’s idea of laying low.

heart stopping

blood pumping

fast

furious

detailed and deep and violent

Action and adventure at the fore of every Guns n Boys book. Seth and Dom may have escaped Vincente's but they are still reeling from his reach. Living day-to-day, on the run, recovering physically and emotionally, life is not easy for these two. Especially with assassin Dana on the run with them. Seth is finding it hard going, when he rescues Mark from a biker predator he insists they need to look after him. It gives him something to focus on.

cold

calculating

intense

emotionally vulnerable

hurt and heartache and pain

Dom deals with the physical challenges no problem, the emotional ones are another matter.I love Dom. I don't know why, he's a cold-blooded killer, but there is a sense of vulnerability about him that we only see through Seth. Nobody who can love the way he loves Seth can be all bad. Right? It is a talent to make the reader love a character who is as flawed and bad as Dom is, but the Merikan's manage it. I keep wanting more of these guys. I love their relationship - the good, the bad and the ugly of it. 

I was uncertain about them adding someone else into the mix. Dana, has no redeeming features as far as I can see, other than her loyalty to Dom. I dislike her for the way she makes Seth feel, especially as it is usually a calculated attack at Seth's confidence, so with her already in the picture, I wasn;t sure about the addition of Mark.

But I loved him. I liked the dynamic of a younger character in the mix and the way this affected the dynamics of the group. I liked Mark's unrelenting cockiness. He was showy and gobby and I'm not sure whether he needed Serth and Dom, or whether it was actually Dom and Seth who needed him. Maybe - probably - both.

I liked the biker gang (I'm pretty sure they are characters from another Merikan series, Sex & Mayhem, and I have purchased those books on the back of reading these because I love interconnecting stories and character crossovers), and I liked how the story moved away from just the Mafia, but never left dangerous ground. It was tense and intense form beginning to end.

KA Merikan are one of my favourite writing duos. I am always sure I will enjoy a book written by them, and I am yet to be disappointed. This series though, well it's a favourite of mine and I would absolutely recommend it to everyone who likes adventure, violence and a little bit of emotional constipation in their reading. 

A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.

For more information see Goodreads.

Review: Guns N' Boys (Book #1.1) by K.A. Merikan

--- Love is sour like a Sicilian lemon. ---

The Family is always right. 
The Family doesn’t forget. 
The Family pays for blood in blood. 

Domenico Acerbi grew up in the shade of Sicilian lemon trees ready to give his life for the Family. Ready to follow orders and exceed expectations. A proud man of honor.
When Seth, the younger son of the Don is kidnapped, it’s Domenico who is sent to get him back. The man he finds though, is not the boy he knew all those years ago. Lazy, annoying, spoiled, and as hot as a Sicilian summer.

Seth Villani wants nothing to do with the Mafia. Unfortunately, he doesn’t get a say when the Family pulls him right back into its fold after his mother’s death. Thrown into a den of serpents otherwise known as the Villani Family, Seth has to find a way to navigate in the maze of lies. But when Domenico Acerbi, the most vicious snake of them all, sinks his fangs into Seth, the venom changes into an aphrodisiac that courses through Seth’s veins. 

Domenico knows his life is about to change when he gets the order to train Seth up to the role of future Don. Seth isn’t made for it. He isn’t even made. But a man Domenico knows he would never have to fear might just be someone he’s always needed.

If Seth is doomed to follow in his father's footsteps, he might as well enjoy himself—with the most intoxicating man he’s ever met. Maybe he can even fool himself into believing that Domenico isn’t a handsome sociopath who kills for a living. 

KA Merikan is a writing duo that has kind of snuck up on me, the more stuff by them I read, the more I love. I guess I should have known when they had the ability to make a book about clowns downright hot - everyone knows clowns are freaky fuckers and not sexy, until you read this book and then...*fans self* I don't think there is one book from these two that I haven't loved, and this was no exception.

Guns N' Boys is dark. It's violent, it's rough, it's all things pain. It is so many shades of wrong, I don't know where to start - and yet at it's heart, I found the sweetest love story. A love story not yet admitted, but I believe with all my heart that it is there, I can't wait to read part 2 of this book.

The opening chapters of this book are violent. Mafia style violent and yet so well written I couldn't put the book down. Seth has tried to escape his life as part of a prominent Mafia family, if for no other reason that the fact that he is homosexual and this could get him killed in an instant. But this is family and family comes before everything. When he is kidnapped to be used as a pawn against his father the Don, the carefree university life he has created for himself in America falls apart.  

Forced back to Sicily in time for his mothers funeral and a shock announcement from his dad, Seth finds himself embroiled in Mafia life, whether it is where he wants to be or not. With childhood friend, recent saviour,  and sociopath, Domenico put in charge of his training Seth didn't think he could hate life more. Until he realised that there was maybe more to Domenico than first meets the eye.

This book is such a page turner, I truly couldn't put it down. Interesting and carefully crafted characters (of course they are, it's the Merikans I've NEVER seen them write a boring character) that manage to walk the line of being sociopaths-I-didn't-hate. Being on the side of characters that really aren't all that nice is always strange, I start questioning my morals! I think I'm always looking for the reason they are like this.I enjoy characters who aren't straightforward, who there is more to than first meets the eye. 

Although this book is part 1 of book one, it doesn't leave you feeling cheated at the end. At 110,000 words it is no shorty and I finished feeling satisfied with what I'd got...but very eager to read more! Too many books nowadays - especially in the digital world - are only actually half a book with the intention of the reader having to buy the next volume to get any sort of story satisfaction. I promise this is not like that.

I would say, if you have limits in your reading, definitely check out the warning tags first:

WARNING: Adult content. If you are easily offended, this book is not for you.
‘Guns n’ Boys’ is a gritty story of extreme violence, offensive language, abuse, and morally ambiguous protagonists. Behind the morbid facade, there is a splash of inappropriate dark humor, and a love story that will crawl under your skin.

Personally I couldn't get enough of this book. Oh and I must mention a special, guest appearance. If you liked the Dark Soul books by Aleksandr Voinov, watch out for Silvio Spadaro. Yep, you heard right...he is in this book! Hear that sound? That's my heart beating! A fantastic book I highly recommend.

A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.

For more information on Goodreads or Booklikes!

Blog Tour and Give-Away: Guns N' Boys by KA Merikan

It is with great pleasure that we welcome KA Merikan into the clubhouse again. Here to talk about their latest release Guns N' Boys: Homicidal Instinct (Book 2). As well as talking about book 2, they are holding a giveaway for book 1 part 1 (which I have just read and ADORED, watch this space for a review). Anyway, I shall leave you in KA's capable hands.

We are so excited to be talking about our new release: Guns n’ Boys: Homicidal Instinct (Book 2) It is book two in our twisted, dark erotic romance mafia series based in the world of Italian mafia. The story is a long, turbulent journey of one couple deeply entrenched in the dealings of their criminal family. Behind the morbid humor and extreme violence hides the intense love affair of Domenico Acerbi, the mafia’s best hitman, and Seth Villani, the Don’s son.
Together, they have to deal with their blooming affection for each other, their family’s homophobia, their own prejudice, lust, jealousy, and violence. In true anti-hero fashion, they do so in most morally ambiguous ways.

On February 5th we are releasing book 2, so we are doing a giveaway of Book 1 Part 1. If you’re interested in the giveaway, have a look at the bottom of the post! :)

--- You can take a killer's memory, but not his instinct ---

All Seth wants is to live free with the man he loves. But escaping death at the hands of the mafia is just the beginning of an uphill struggle. When Domenico wakes up from his impromptu surgery and doesn’t even remember Seth’s name, Seth’s world falls apart. Suddenly it’s him who has to plan an escape from New York City and navigate their way to Mexico. All that without even knowing if the man of his life will ever love him again.

Domenico doesn’t know who to trust and what to believe. The man who introduces himself as his brother seems to hide dark secrets behind a cheerful smile. With the mafia breathing down their necks, there is no time to piece together the puzzle of Domenico’s life, and each time he thinks he’s solved it, a new part appears to be missing. Dom needs to find out who he really is, what he’s capable of... and what is the real story hidden behind Seth’s intense eyes.


POSSIBLE SPOILERS:
Themes: mafia, homophobia, assassin, organized crime, amnesia, road trip, chase
Genre: Dark, twisted erotic romance / crime thriller
Erotic content: Explicit gay sex

Length: ~88,000 words

WARNING: Adult content. If you are easily offended, this book is not for you.
‘Guns n’ Boys’ is a gritty story of extreme violence, offensive language, abuse, and morally ambiguous protagonists. Behind the morbid facade, there is a splash of inappropriate dark humor, and a love story that will crawl under your skin.

Goodreads - Guns N' Boys: Homicidal Instinct (Book 2)
And you can check out some hot inspiration for Guns n’ Boys here:
Pinterest

So KA Merikan have kindly offered up an e copy of book 1 for the giveaway (and as I said earlier I LOVED this book - though I would recommend reading the book tags before entering the competition - and would highly recommend it, in fact I already have recommended it to friends!). I'm sure you know the drill, but if you're a newby to BMBR ...firstly HI!!!, secondly, leave a comment on this blog post, tell us something interesting or funny. Funny is good, it's grey and miserable out there. Don't forget to leave your name and a way of contacting you (e mail, twitter, facebook etc). A winner will be drawn at random a week from today and their name willbe passed on to KA Merikan. GOOD LUCK!

Goodreads - Guns N' Boys (Book 1, Part 1)

About the authors;
K. A. Merikan is the pen name for Kat and Agnes Merikan, a team of writers, who are mistaken for sisters with surprising regularity. Kat’s the mean sergeant and survival specialist of the duo, never hesitating to kick Agnes’s ass when she’s slacking off. Her memory works like an easy-access catalogue, which allows her to keep up with both book details and social media. Also works as the emergency GPS. Agnes is the Merikan nitpicker, usually found busy with formatting and research. Her attention tends to be scattered, and despite pushing thirty, she needs to apply makeup to buy alcohol. Self-proclaimed queen of the roads.

They love the weird and wonderful, stepping out of the box, and bending stereotypes both in life and books. When you pick up a Merikan book, there’s one thing you can be sure of - it will be full of surprises.

e-mail: kamerikan@gmail.com

More information about ongoing projects, works in progress and publishing at:
K.A. Merikan’s author page: http://kamerikan.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KAMerikan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KA_Merikan
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6150530.K_A_Merikan
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/KAMerikan/