Close Quarter by Anna Zabo

Title: ⟫ Close Quarter
Author: ⟫ Anna Zabo
Blurb: ⟫ On a transatlantic cruise to New York, sculptor Rhys Matherton struggles to piece his life back together after losing his mother, inheriting a fortune, and finding out his father isn’t his father after all. He spills a tray of drinks on a handsome stranger, then he finds himself up against a wall getting the best hand-job he’s ever had. And for the first time in his life, he feels whole.

Rhys enjoys the company of Silas Quint, but for the eerie way no one pays attention to them even while they kiss in a crowded bar. Silas explains he’s a forest fae able to glamor the room around them—and more importantly, that he’s on the cruise to hunt vampires. Rhys thinks Silas is full of it, until he discovers vampires are real, and he’s part of their main course.

Silas Quint can’t be distracted by a human lover, even one as lovely as Rhys. Stuck in the middle of the ocean, he has barely enough of energy to hunt the vampires he’s been sent to destroy. Rhys is full of the one thing Silas needs needs most—the element of living plants. Only sucking energy from Rhys would make Silas as soulless as the creatures he hunts. How can he keep Rhys safe, without becoming like the very monsters he hunts?

This book was previously published.

Review: ⟫ Well this one went straight for the jugular – no pun intended!

I can’t believe I’ve never read this before – it is all kinds of hotness combined with evil vampires, the fae, Messengers and all crammed into a speedy, steamy read! All kinds of yummy! Silas sounded divine – tortured yet strong, with trauma in his past and control issues in his present. Rhys sounded like he’d really got the tough end of the stick in the recent past, and things didn’t seem to be looking up in his present.

The way they met wasn’t ideal, but the chemistry between them was absolutely incendiary from the get-go, and Silas’ method of getting his own back was devastatingly effective. And only then do we start getting into vampires, fae, quarters and halfs – it was fabulous! I admit, I read this in one sitting – I was taking a break from Cinnamon Roll but I will definitely be going back to finish that and probably leaving a review.

Possibly too much sex for some people, and there were occasions where I was questioning just how old Silas was because he was reacting to things like a youth when he should have known better. But ultimately I forgave him because he had been through so much! Freaking loved it and hope that there will be more in the future although probably not because this is from 2017.

Dark Cravings by Joel Abernathy (Hunters of the Church Book #1)

Title: ⟫ Dark Cravings (Hunters of the Church Book One) 

Author: ⟫ Joel Abernathy 

Rating: ⟫ 4.5/5 

Blurb: ⟫ The hunter will become the hunted… 

I’m a monster. I’ve done things that can’t be undone. Things that can never be forgiven. 

When I saw him, I thought he was an avenging angel who had come to punish my sins. Instead, he captured me and brought me into his world of saints and hunters. Righteous predators who prey on monsters like me, using the power of the cursed blood that runs through our veins. 

I’ll do whatever it takes to become one of them. 

I'll give him my blood, my body, and my soul. 

Whatever it takes to prove to Castor that I can be more than the bloodthirsty beasts he hunts, and stand at his side as his partner. Even if I want to be so much more than that. 

When my sire comes to collect what's his, everything I thought I knew about my monstrous nature is called into question. But it might just explain the dark cravings Castor's touch awakens within me. 

Author's Note: Dark Cravings is the first book in Hunters of the Church, a Dark MM Paranormal Romance series. Each book follows a different couple, but the series should be read in order. Please see the author's website for content notes. 

Review: ⟫ I knew next to nothing about this book when I received the ARC but it grabbed me from the very beginning. 

We meet Eddie, who has effectively been stranded in his werewolf form since he was bitten when he was camping with his family in the woods. He knows pretty much nothing about this new side to himself and has absolutely no control. 

Which is the predicament he finds himself in when he is stuck between two sets of hunters. Being captured in what is known as neutral territory and thrown into a cell, Eddie has zero idea as to how the rest of his life is going to pan out. Much of the story revolves around Eddie learning about his new nature and how to (potentially) control it, all whilst trying to handle his inexplicable attraction to his captor: the beautiful Castor. 

 Castor is determined to see Eddie as a monster/the enemy due to trauma in his past, but yet he finds himself falling under Eddie’s innocent spell, until Castor is helping Eddie through his first rut and things take a sharp turn. 

Eddie loves everything about Castor – to the extent that he will accept pain and humiliation from him because some attention is better than none. Castor is more complicated, and perhaps harder to like because of that. 

The sex between Castor and Eddie is hot, slightly kinky and extremely satisfying to read, and leads very nicely into plot points that pull the story along. 

The other main characters we get are Father Marius and Arrow. Not gonna lie, I am completely and utterly fascinated by Arrow, even whilst thinking he acted like a bit of a dick more than once! 

Book two involves him and I am psyched for it! 

This whole new world of vampires, hunters and werewolves (sorry, shifters) was fascinating and well-written, with new elements that intrigued me and a background that made it all the more interesting. As this is book one, I know it means we have more to look forward to which I am very much pleased about. 

Happily rounding up from a 4.5 to a 5, Joel Abernathy has started a fascinating new series! 

I received an ARC from GRR.