TITLE: ⟫ Whispers in the Dark (Black Oasis Book #1)
AUTHOR: ⟫ Nikole Knight and Lily Mayne
RATING: ⟫ 4/5
BLURB: ⟫ You never know what’s hiding under your bed…
At twenty-four, Cody has already lost hope of having a life of his own. All his time is spent playing nurse to a dying, spiteful step-father and maid to his bully half-brother. His only escapes are playing his favorite online fantasy game, Black Oasis, and talking to the strange, unearthly presence under his bed that may or may not actually exist.
But everything changes when his nightly visitor, who introduces himself as Nor, starts talking back.
As their connection deepens, Nor invites Cody into the surreal world existing just beyond his nightmares, filled with haughty demons, passion-killing pet bugs named Gef, and a dark landscape that is oddly familiar. With his sweet but monstrous companion by his side, Cody might finally gain the life of freedom and adventure that he’s always wanted.
Join Nor and Cody as they unearth the true meaning of hope, passion, and a love of endless depths that spans between worlds in Whispers in the Dark, the first book in Knight and Mayne’s co-authored queer, monster romance series, Black Oasis.
Whispers in the Dark is an M/M monster romance full of hurt/comfort, angst, humor, and a sweet, spicy love between a redheaded Texan and his precious, six-fingered Deepdweller. This love story contains explicit content and is not suitable for young readers. Be sure to check the Trigger Warnings at the beginning of the book for more details.
REVIEW: ⟫ I went into this with vaguely high hopes and I wasn’t disappointed.
Cody’s life is just so sad, empty yet full of pain that it’s no wonder he begins talking to the darkness beneath his bed – even knowing it’s most likely either a monster or a figment of his imagination, it’s still the best thing to happen to him. It doesn’t take far into the book to realise that Cody is living in a dangerous situation – between the verbal abuse of his stepfather, the emotional damage being caused by his absent mother and the physical abuse he suffers fro his half-brother, it’s a wonder that Cody is the kind, caring individual that he is.
Nor is just amazing. I adore the fact that he rumbles and purrs encouragement at Cody; is terrified of a Pomeranian and thinks comparing something to dirt is a compliment. I giggled more than once at their interactions, but more than anything it was so sweet as these two began to trust each other and their relationship grew until it became sexual. Lily Mayne has a knack for writing hot monsters and she definitely achieved that with Nor,as well as creatures that I imagine will feature in their own story in the future.
Black Oasis as part of the world building was an excellent move and I’m intrigued as to how there are so many similarities, although I suspect a certain curly haired ghost might have something to do with that.
The story doesn’t shy away from the less pleasant aspects of looking after someone who is bed-bound, especially someone who treats their carer with such little respect and regard. The underlying subtext from Cody’s brother, as well as hints given elsewhere, gave the story some urgency and after visiting Nor’s home, I did wonder if it would be possible for Cody to get his happy ever after with Nor.
This book has some laugh out loud moments (Lau’s brother and his mischievous gifts comes to mind) meant that there was some levity to what could quite easily have been an angst-filled story and I appreciated that. Even when things got dark, there was always light and the authors did a great job of ensuring that you knew there was going to be a way through. I felt that the joint-writing was almost seamless and that the authors seemed to work well together and produce something more than worthy of an afternoon’s read.
