Welp, it’s finally here! The end of the road and the insane finale for our beloved triad of paranormal lovers, Adam, Fancy Fangs aka Victor , and the ever fabulous Zee!
This story has everything! Road trips gone wrong, supernatural mobsters, Miami because, you know, Florida, sex, music, crazed family stuff, Florida, frogs, drama, dragons, frogs!
Florida.
And of course, finally, very importantly, a happy ending for our beloved otherworldly throuple.
It’s a veritable kitchen sink of storylines, events, weirdly funny characters and makes for a celebration of a send off.
Love it and them! Been a great ride!
Cover design by Ariana Nash
SOS Hotel:
For a Supernaturally Safe Stay #1
Friendly Sanctuary for the Fiendishly Fabulous #2
Sleep with Us #3
Great Service from Top to Bottom #4
No Rest for the Wicked #5
Ho, Ho, No #5.5
Luxury To Die For #6
Your Final Resting Place #7 -ends this sequence of events.
On The Road #8 – starts a mini-trilogy
Icy Reception #9
End of the Road #10 – finale
Holiday release!
SOS HOTEL: Ho, Ho, No by Adam Vex, Ariana Nash❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Being on the road has been fun an’ all (no, it hasn’t). Van life is awesome (it sucks, there’s no room for my fabulousness). But all good things must end, according to Fancy Fangs. He’s wrong. Good things should last forever.
Just so long as me, Victor and Adam don’t end, right?
So after we solved a burly werewolf murder, got ourselves mixed up with an evil luxury hotel, we’re now in Florida! Sun, sea, and… the troll mafia, a trap we walked right into, and did I mention… THERE’S F*CKING FROGS HERE?!
We all gonna die.
SOS HOTEL 10: End of the Road, is the end of the road for our hotel threesome. If you’ve read all nine previous books, you’d be silly not to read this one, the last ever one – for real this time. Our terrible trio are more powerful than ever, but so is Adam’s wicked brother. The epic showdown is here.
As expected from the penultimate book in this wildly imaginative series,
SOS HOTEL: Luxury To Die is an extraordinary paranormal Mr Toad’s Wild Ride of emotions and events from beginning to end.
As Adam’s identity has finally been revealed to his inner circle, and he’s slowly readjusting the way he views himself and the Prophecy, the authors, Adam Vex (& Zodiac) via Ariana Nash, proceeds to start bombarding him and us with a ton of events and elements that sends us off on a giant narrative roller coaster that’s a white knuckle ride.
It’s a continuous beautifully crafted journey of “that’s fabulous, that’s horrifying, I’m so happy, I’m terrified, I’m thrilled, I’m petrified” and put that on repeat.
And no one is villaining like this villain, I’m telling you. He so needs a comeuppance.
It ends in a sort of cliffhanger and we are getting set up for the finale, the ultimate showdown. I can’t wait.
One more note. None of these are standalone novels. Read them in order and pay attention to the author’s notes about the trigger warnings.
And don’t miss out on the funny texts after the story ends.
My big secret is out. Adam Vex may be a tiny bit nothuman. But it’s not so bad. Just so long as Gideon Cain doesn’t find out.
It’s probably best if I keep my head down and stay out of trouble, especially after our ‘accident’ at the vampire chapel.
But one little date won’t hurt. We deserve some time off. And what can go wrong at a fancy dinner? It’s not as though we’ll become tangled in a corporate plot to exploit Lost Ones in brutal fights to the death for entertainment, during which we attempt to free the fighters, only for the evening to end with me riding an enraged werewolf through the restaurant, and have the entire escapade viewed millions of times online resulting in all of San Francisco asking:
“What is Adam Vex?”
Why would any of that happen?!
My name is Adam Vex and I’m your host at the SOS HOTEL, where we offer luxury to die for (Luxury not guaranteed).
*
Warning: SOS Hotel contains explicit language, situations, and content that some readers may find kinda unsettling. The books also contain the BEST F*CKING DEMON there ever was, the worlds most useless vampire who has a weird-ass thing for Swedish furniture, and a 100% human (not sus) who is super nice and deserves to have nice things.
Things just keep getting better/worse for the gang at the SOS Hotel. One problem gets resolved only for that solution to have a rippling effect that brings even bigger consequences for Adam, Zee, Victor, and the Hotel.
Nash, writing as the main character Adam Vex, is still very much an enigma. What Adam is remains the biggest mystery of them all and potentially a center of a devastating prophecy. Maybe. Don’t know.
There’s two other beings that have Adam’s attention and who he is attracted to. Zee, the incubus ex porn star who co-owns the hotel with Adam. Turns out Zee has so much more to him that’s revealed here. Hes a fabulous character, so many layers, with the potential to be hurt and emotionally damaged.
Zee is one of the triad that will, according to the description, eventually be formed. The other is Victor, the billionaire vampire, who has more than a few secrets exposed during the story. But he’s still on the periphery of any real relationship between the other two. However, it’s warming up.
Friendly Sanctuary for the Fiendishly Fabulous really expands on the knowledge of the current world and some of the characters within the hotel while leaving the biggest mysteries surrounding Adam and his existence looming ever larger.
This story is a huge, extra butter, popcorn box of a magnificent piece of sexy suspense and paranormal romance.
It’s so hard to wait until May for Sleep With Us to drop.
Until it does, I’m highly recommending you read the books leading up to it. Read them in the order they are written. What a wonderful read!
SOS Hotel:
✓ For a Supernaturally Safe Stay #1
✓ Friendly Sanctuary for the Fiendishly Fabulous #2
It’s been two weeks since the SOS Hotel opened, and everything is going great . . .
Apart from the detective who’s dead set on accusing Zee of murder, the leaking pipes, a psycho sorcerer stalker, a shadowbeast in the attic, and . . . did I mention Lord Reynard has a wife? Yeah, he didn’t mention it either. I could have done with knowing that before, you know, kinda falling for the suave, sexy Vampire Daddy.
He also neglected to mention that his wife wants my head on a plate. Literally.
This is not the love triangle I was expecting.
If Reynard lied about that, what else is a lie? Is Zee right, and Lord Reynard wants our hotel? Or is it something more personal he desires, such as my heart?
My name is Adam Vex. I’m totally, one hundred percent human.
Welcome to the SOS Hotel.
Where it’s about to get weird-er.
*
SOS Hotel is a whacky MMM adventure about a vampire lord, an ex-porn-star demon, and a boring human who absolutely does not have any secrets. 18+ only. You’ll find dark humor abounds, plus explicit language and sex. If you don’t like the f-word, or sex, with a little mass murder thrown in, do not read these books. There will be triggering content for some, including sexual coercion.Proceed with caution.
SOS HOTEL has the feel of a terrific serialized fiction story, with a fast paced narrative, a first person point of view, and many, so so many mysteries contained within the storytelling.
In other words, it’s highly entertaining as well as a lively, sexy, mysterious paranormal romp. I really enjoyed it.
Nash, writing as the main character Adam Nex, is having a blast here with all aspects of this story. There’s an underpinning of darkness that makes this interesting and gives the characters and their personalities a needed sharpness. Murder and bloodshed does that.
But then there’s an undeniable quirkiness about so much of this too. Whether it’s the bargain bin AI bartender bought from a shady Fae , the run down, shabby quality of the hotel itself, or any of its denizens, these characters start lightly, humorously weird, and then their personalities gradually change and acquire unexpected depth. Albeit with humor to go with the flashes of dark seriousness.
Then there’s the mysterious main trio of Adam, a person hiding so many secrets, and Zee the succubus ex porn star who’s also a part owner along with Adam of the hotel. Zee has his own secrets and background to be revealed. And there’s Victor, billionaire businessman and vampire who’s strangely interested in Andy and the hotel. Along with the villain of the story.
So much is going on here that it’s a page turner. Be prepared to read until it is finished. And then need more. Honestly, what happened to Clayton?
Moving quickly to book 2, and leaving a definitive , yes, read this, right here.
SOS Hotel:
✓ For a Supernaturally Safe Stay #1
◦ Friendly Sanctuary for the Fiendishly Fabulous #2
A scandalous, ex-porn star demon and a morally shady, billionaire vampire walk into a bar…
But this is no joke. It’s opening day at the SOS Hotel, and that lust demon? He’s my business partner. I know. What was I thinking? The sexy, suave vampire however? He’s something else…
Creating a sanctuary for the supernaturals left here when the tear in the veil sealed was always going to be difficult, but it’s all I have, and I’m going to make it work. Despite the murders, the missing humans, and the psychotic real estate mogul who wants to bulldoze the hotel…
The SOS Hotel must thrive whatever the cost. Because if it fails, I’ll lose everything. Including my life.
My name is Adam. I’m just the boring human who works here, and I absolutely, definitely do not have any secrets.
Welcome to the SOS Hotel. What can possibly go wrong?
Warning: SOS Hotel contains explicit language, situations, and content that some readers may find uncomfortable. For full warnings, please see the author’s website or the paperback “look inside sample”
It’s been a while, from the beginning of the year, since the first book of this two story series was released . So it took me a while to mentally catch up on the events that Fool Me Twice opens up on.
That the cliffhanger that Fool Me Once ends on and this novel opens up with. Our three characters , Lark, Arin, and Draven, fighting for their lives in a sandstorm.
But first a note about the triggers and the fact this is dark, dark, fiction. The author states that the reader should go to her website for all warnings pertaining to the subject and books but there’s only one for the first book and imo, the second warrants far more serious warnings.
From Ariana Nash’s website:
Potentially triggering content for Fool Me Once includes but is not limited to: attempted suicide (main character), incest (non-consensual, off-page, not between main characters), dubious consent (main characters).
Assume triggers are on-page, unless off-page is specified above.
However, in Fool Me Twice , there’s on page rape, rape of a corpse, torture, dismembering, murder . Make no mistake, this is extremely disturbing reading at times.
The person who’s the main villain here is Razak, the head of the Court of Pain. It’s a role he’s embraced, and embedded deeply within himself.
There’s so many storylines to keep track of within this universe. Each court in the Shatterlands have their own internal politics and affairs that are affecting the overall outcome of the game Razak is playing for total domination and the power of a god.
There’s the Court of Love, Justice, War, and Pain. Trying to remember who and what has happened to all the various groups and characters can be narratively burdensome.
But when Nash narrows her story line down to the traumatic events and harrowing relationships between the prince of Pain, physically and emotionally damaged Lark, brother to Razak, Prince Arin of the Court of Love, and Draven, warlord of the Court of War, as they navigate the treacherous landscape of their lives.
This is a story full of people who can’t or won’t communicate, people believing in the power of lies over truth, manipulation over trust, and fear over hope. It’s a compelling, tough and brutal journey Nash takes the reader on, twisting these men’s perceptions of life around. To do this, the author puts them and the reader through some truly dark, horrific situations and terrifying moments, which make such changes believable and raw.
Finally, after a hellish epic climatic battle , are the characters able to say they survived and won out when even they thought everything was over.
Bloody, done in, exhausted, and almost dead.
Oddly satisfying and the reader feels just as exhausted.
Not sure I would want to read it again. But it’s so well written I’m glad I read it once.
Who should I recommend this to? Those that love really dark LGBTQIA fantasy romance. Take those trigger warnings seriously and realize that Fool Me Twice is twice as dark.
If you’re seeking a light fantasy fiction, this isn’t for you.
They must be read in the order that they were written to understand the storylines and character development.
The epic, heart-wrenching conclusion to the Court of Pain duology. Spanning four courts, devious and doomed royals, and the most unlikely of loves between a prince and his fool.
They say in the darkest of times, the brightest star has no choice but to shine.
I’m no star, nor am I a hero. But I could be the villain. To protect Arin from Razak’s scheming, I’ll have to be.
He’s my shaft of sunlight through the storm, my hope in the darkest of times, but Prince Arin is also my weakness. And Razak knows it.
The shatterlands are under threat, the crowns are missing, and as the pieces of Razak’s puzzle begin to fall into place, its picture becomes clear.
It was never about the crowns, or the courts.
It was never about vengeance, or spite.
It was always about love.
And Razak will not stop until he’s destroyed mine, and all the shatterlands with it.
*
Court of Pain is a dual point of view, dark MM fantasy duology brimming with courtly spice, morally ambiguous characters, and the fool who plays them all.
This is a dark world with potentially distressing content. For more information on content warnings, please visit the author’s website.
Fool Me Once is Ariana Nash’s opening act in her new dark fantasy series. This is a story and series that comes with a author’s note about triggers in the themes. However, it sends the reader to the author’s website to read them so they aren’t readily accessible.
They should be. While everything that happens and is brought up fits in with character development and the universe that’s being created by Nash , it’s disturbing enough to warrant the trigger warnings.
They include off page forced incest, off page rape, attempted suicide, dubious consent, knife play, revenge sex, torture , and enforced confinement/imprisonment by means of a collar. So yes, plenty of triggers.
Now that’s dealt with, Nash is also creating a darkly fascinating world of shattered lands, a missing god, and warring crowns that should be helping each other to safeguard and protect the world the god left for them. Instead they are creating chaos by attacking each other.
Dallin, God of Order divided the Shattered lands into 4 crowns for 4 courts. Love, Justice, Pain, and War.
What a grand concept and Nash starts the arc and journey into the mystery of the missing god with the horrific events and violence that is the world currently.
There’s Lark, one of the darkest, most traumatized, and multi-layered individuals here. He’s the Court of Love’s Jester , a master manipulator of people, a collector and distributor of lies and illusions. He’s both the agony of heartbreak , he’s deceit, and potentially the weak hope for love to revive and survive all the worst this world has to throw at it and him.
This is such a carefully written character that his depths are only gradually revealed through the storytelling. And I expect to see more as the series progresses. I think he’s going to break our hearts. Again and again.
There’s more important characters, each with startling strengths, worse frailties, and appalling histories. One is the mysterious Prince of Love. To reveal anything about this astonishing character is to spoil some of the best narrative elements Nash has in store for the reader.
Psychologically, emotionally, the Prince is impressive because, like Lark, he’s nothing like what he appears on the surface. Everyone here operates on hidden agendas, deep secrets, and years of planning for revenge/ulterior motives. It’s a narrative chess game but done with extreme violence and long range tactical aggression.
Much like her last series, the deck of cards and card tricks are woven into the story and strategy of Lark’s character. I found that a interesting element. And want to see how it’s used going forward.
Also like Nash’s Shadows of London series, this ends in a cliffhanger. So I expect the rest of the books to follow that format too.
I was enthralled by Nash’s dark new world and traumatized characters. I was so connected to Lark, and all the events as they were occurring. It’s a bleak place, Lark and the rest are indeed in a chaotic world. Read the trigger warnings and take them to heart.
Then decide if adult dark fiction with amazing characters and a well written harrowing story to follow is for you.
I’m recommending it under those guidelines.
Court of Pain :
✓ Fool Me Once #1
◦ Fool Me Twice #2 – TBD
Description:
The king of the Court of Love wants me dead, the queen wants me in her bed, and the prince… He wants the only piece of me I will never surrender.
They call me jester, dancer, trickster, lover.
I exist to entertain.
But behind my sideways smiles, my quick hands and magician’s tricks, I trade in their lies, their secrets. I know their deepest desires, their wicked schemes. Their sins are my currency.
Their reign is a card castle, and I hold the card that’s about to bring it all down.
Fool Me Once is a dark MM fantasy brimming with courtly spice, morally ambiguous anti-heroes, and a fool who plays them all.
This is a dark world with adult MM content.
Potentially triggering content includes but is not limited to: attempted suicide (main character), incest (non-consensual, off-page, not between main characters), dubious consent (main characters), knife play (main characters), revenge sex (main character, off-page).
Assume triggers are on-page, unless off-page is specified above.
We met Kazi, aka Kazimir Skokan, vampire, who’s public face is that of a international internet sensation, a interesting facade for a member of a secretive society of powerful paranormal beings.
That’s the Brotherhood, a group of vampires hunting another equally ancient faction of vampires with a different allegiance towards the gods and the human race. It’s control Vs Chaos basically.
He’s on a kill mission when the story opens. His target a true crime reporter, Felix Quaid, with his Unexplained in Maine podcast, who refuses to stop digging into the affairs of the Brotherhood. Felix has to go.
Only the enemy intervenes.
Nash builds a story much like a traditional Smith Island cake, just one layer after another, until you have a thin, multiple level wonder. You may not be sure of what you’re getting until you’ve cut into it, grabbing that slice of scrumptiousness, finished it, and savoring all the ingredients.
That’s how I feel about all the many, many elements Nash introduces here and in the previous book. It’s like I’m staring at the cake but don’t know how it’s all going to work out yet.
It’s a lot and very ambitious. Here we have Kazi and Felix, their story and relationship. It veers off onto another continent. Picks up Felix’s history with his family. Picks up Kazi’s bloody backstory. What does get sidelined is the manner in which Felix “ lost” everything, his podcast, etc. That’s a fairly important thing to lose track of. But we do get a tiny glimpse into Felix’s family life. Kazi’s journey is rooted in history and location. Nash was outstanding in both.
But Nash has a lot of narrative ground to cover. We have to establish a meaningful relationship between two former enemies, bring about a change of heart within Kazi about humans and their role in the world (as well as with himself). Nash also has the enemy there to expound on their own destiny, mission, you know how a big bad absolutely MUST make speeches about themselves. It’s in the Evil Handbook. All the while, moving the storylines forward with enormous amounts of drama and angst.
There’s several really great twists, one that’s going to bring the sniffles out as well.
But the author isn’t finished. Smith Island Cake remember? There’s genetics, explosions, betrayals (sorry, but everyone will see who the baddie is in this instance), and more loose end mysteries. All that isn’t revealed or relayed in any satisfactory manner in the story other than bare minimum at the end.
At the end, I just had way too many unanswered questions to the unresolved aspects of this story to feel satisfied. I really liked it, but didn’t love it.
And really know one is talking about Mikalis to each other?
There’s no mention yet of the next installment. I’ll be waiting for an update.
I find the elements and promise here fascinating. If you’re a fan of this author and paranormal fiction, you decide whether to wait until more of this series is released to read the stories or read along as they are published.
I’m recommending it because I’m just as curious as the rest of you.
Internet sensation Kazimir Skokan, is loved around the world for his luxury photoshoots and envious lifestyle. But Felix Quaid has never hated a man more. Ex-investigative journalist turned true-crime podcaster, Felix knows something is off with playboy Kazi. From the late-night back-alley meetings to the people around him who later vanish, behind Kazimir’s flashy smile, he’s rotten to his core. Not to mention rumors of darker, dangerous, some-say supernatural occurrences around Kazimir. Felix even has photos to prove it.
But the last time he tried to expose Kazimir Skokan, his story was inexplicably shut down, taking Felix’s career as a journalist with it. Kazimir owes him the truth. And Felix is going to make sure the whole world knows it.
*
Kazi has new orders. Kill Felix Quaid. The Blackrose brotherhood leader, Mikalis, is never wrong. But in this, Kazi disagrees. Sure, Quaid is a pest, perhaps even a stalker, but no more than any other overzealous fan. Still, what Mikalis wants, Mikalis gets. And what’s another dead meat-bag to Kazi anyway? He stopped caring who lived and who died long ago.
Making Quaid disappear should have been easy. But in Quaid’s final, crucial moments, a pack of cult members kidnap them both, mistaking Quaid for a member of the brotherhood. Now, trapped together, their time running out, Kazi must work with Quaid if they’re to survive the insane Nyx-worshipping acolytes.
But as soon as they escape, Mikalis’s orders will still stand: Quaid must die.
Kazi thought he’d long ago given up on caring who lived and who died. Apparently, he was wrong…
*
Sparks fly in the second book in the all-new gay vampire psychopathic romance. Please note these books contain morally grey characters, unlikable heroes, enemies to lovers, and all the Ariana Nash angst you didn’t know you needed.
Each book in the series follows a new MM couple and ends in a HEA/HFN. This series is fast burn.
I’m a fan of Ariana Nash’s books. This author’s highly imaginative ability to create exciting stories and interesting , layered characters in urban fantasy or paranormal worlds just captivates me.
Violent Desire sees Nash plunging into the world of chaos and darkness by way of warring factions of vampires, unknown to the human population. It’s a campaign that spreads across the globe and has been ongoing for centuries. Perhaps since the beginning of creation.
Nash starts In immediately with the dark elements. It’s that sort of story that comes with trigger warnings at the beginning.
Everyone here is a murderous sort of person. The body count is extremely high. These aren’t your sparkly vampires. Even the “good guy “ vampires aren’t especially good. All are killers, just with more rules.
Nash threads the world building with more myths and mysteries than actual facts which is a bit frustrating but probably speaks towards the plots coming in the future stories, if I’m picking up on the hints here.
Trust no one. Got it.
Det.Eric Sharpe is a grieving, determined man on a course of revenge when we meet him. That’s the first layer, which when pealed away when a plan goes so wrong, reveals the brutalized, traumatized man his broken mind has tried to forget.
Nash does this type of character so well. Someone who’s undergone immense trauma, undeniable pain and suffering, been brutalized and is still struggling with the mental and emotional effects. In Eric’s case, it’s even more complicated because his is has its origins in something so monstrous no one believed him.
It’s such a great hook. As one of our narrators, it pulls you in emotionally and you stay connected, even as he struggles through the darkness of his past. FYI, trigger warnings.
The other narrator is a vampire. Honestly, I found him less compelling, at least until towards the end. Zaine, one of the Brotherhood. It’s hard for Zaine, even as a vampire, to match up with the pathos and complexity that is Eric. We just get bits and pieces of Zaine’s history, a lot of posturing at Atlas, the headquarters of the Brotherhood, but not a ton of depth.
The hunt is focused around a old vampire named Sebastian, who has ties to Eric. So the story’s narrative “dance” remains in many respects on Eric and Sebastian, not Eric and Zaine. And the boss of the Brotherhood. Hmmmmm.
Plus there’s so many twists that Nash is weaving into the series and story that have no solution here. Fascinating mysteries that will flow all the way through the series and probably other characters, as has happened with other series.
So I’m recommending this book and I’m onto the next.
It features another couple. That should be interesting. I’ll let you know. I always am up for new takes on the paranormal and their origins. Should be quite the ride!
Twelve immortals, twelve outcasts, one mission. To kill their own kind, before it’s too late.
Detective, killer, vigilante. Eric Sharpe is tired of watching criminals walk free. When a lowlife drug dealer kills his partner and escapes justice, Eric plots his own revenge. His plan is faultless but for one thing: the handsome, mysterious man who arrives moments before Eric’s plan comes to fruition. Not only does the mysterious man know Eric’s an undercover cop, he knows exactly what Eric did fifteen years ago—an event so traumatic Eric has been trying to bury it ever since. And the mysterious man? Fifteen years ago, Eric killed him.
Now he’s back to reclaim what’s his: Detective Eric Sharpe.
Immortal, predator, vampire. After betraying himself and the Blackrose Brotherhood fifty years ago, Zaine can’t afford another mistake. There’s one rule above all others the Brotherhood stand by. One rule that can never be broken. Never, ever care. All Zaine has to do is hunt and kill the savage nyktelios vampires and keep his head down. And he was doing just fine until he saved Detective Eric Sharpe from a vicious vampire attack. He can’t stop thinking about the intelligent, handsome, haunted man. Walking away is the right thing to do, but the detective and Zaine are hunting the same killer—a vampire who knows more about both of them and the Brotherhood than anyone realizes.
A vampire seeking to bring down the Brotherhood for good.
Zaine can’t walk away. Eric won’t walk away. The vampire must be stopped, Brotherhood rules be damned, and they’ll go down fighting together to end him.
***
Violent Desire is the first book in an all-new fast-burn MM paranormal romance series. Each book features a new gay couple ending in a HEA/HFN.
Content notice: These are adult books with dark content. These vampires do not sparkle. They’re relentless in their mission. They do bad things for good reasons, and some do good things for terrible reasons. They DO NOT CARE. The members of the brotherhood have been described as psychopaths with fangs.
For content warning, see the paperback copyright page.
Ariana Nash’s Shadows of London series comes to a close with Without A Trace. It’s a finale story that’s got the complexity and character surprises we’ve come to expect from this author and series but it’s also has some of the flaws that have kept it from fulfilling the promise it’s showed from the very beginning.
First the elements that made Without A Trace a moving, complex story. At the close of Truth or Dare #4, Alexander Kempthorne and Dom have been “presumed dead” and are now happily living new lives together under new identities.
They are powerful with their matching “tricks”, yet Alexander is determined not to tell Dom the complete truth about their shared past history. That lack of communication and transparency has haunted their relationship and will shatter their current one.
The rigid character personalities that Nash has built for both Alex and Dom are the best aspects of this story. Each man with his rich, tortured past, has their reasons for a lack of clarity and trust while still being deeply, painfully in love with each other. They have depth.
The magic, the latents, the horrors lurking under London. All extremely well done. The torture and bigotry that’s shown towards latency. Believable.
But for all the terrific descriptions, horrifying scenes, and chilling dialogues, there’s the whole frustrating , frankly unrealistic Kage Mitchell element to factor in as well as a couple of villains so blatant that they might as well as worn a sign.
But it’s the Kage Mitchell element that’s the most bothersome. He of the “let me commit many betrayals, atrocities, actually kidnappings and murder attempts “ and is then let walk away time and again because “awww, soft spot”. He’s really only there for one reason. To make a certain reappearance at the end and then boom. If you list everything about this character and his actions and story appearance, it’s complete nonsense. Kage Mitchell is a narrative tool and not an especially good one. More an annoying, one note replaceable one.
Given what Dom’s background is and then how Kage’s actions impact Dom, Alex and the other, it’s not only unbelievable but frankly a storyline that disconnects one from the events happening because it’s so implausible.
Kage is that ill conceived narrative subject that just kept popping up and stomping over all the lovely complex proceedings. Right to up to his laughable unreal last words at the end.
Too bad.
Still , it’s a good fantasy series. With many exciting things and aspects to it, including a strong couple at its heart.
Alexander Kempthorne has one more secret to tell, but it could cost him everything. Including Dom.
The windswept Scottish Highlands.
Everything has changed.
With new names and new lives, Dom and Kempthorne should be living their happy ending, but it’s not over yet.
Kage Mitchell knows they’re alive and he’s discovered the single most devastating secret Kempthorne has yet to tell Dom.
There is no other option. Kage Mitchell must die.
But he’s the least of Kempthorne’s concerns. With their identities revealed, and a war brewing between latents and normals, the shadows are on the rise once again, and an old threat awakens beneath London. A threat that could change latents, and the world, forever.
Kempthorne has spent his whole life running from his past. But now, the past is back, and alone, Kempthorne’s not strong enough to win this fight. When the terrible truth is revealed, will Dom forgive him enough to fight with him?
The Shadows of London series comes to its climatic finale in Without a Trace.
***
Please note, the Shadows of London series is set in London and the characters are all British (so is the author). Although the series has been edited in US English for the US market, to include US spelling and grammar, many English slang words and spelling remain as part of the character of the work.
I have loved this series to date. Ariana Nash has come up with some truly imaginative magical elements for her characters and aspects with which to frame out this series.
Some, especially in that last story have been breathtaking in the scope and manner in which the drama unfolded, with respect to Montgomery and the events within Wordsworth. Over to top outstanding.
But in and around the narrative pyrotechnics and Dom’s growing relationship with Alexander Kempthorne, there was a few things starting to pick at me.
Not quite in the TSTL (to stupid to live) or TSTC (to stupid to communicate) categories , but in the TSTSTBGIFOY grouping. That’s the To Stupid To See The Bad Guy In Front Of You category!
It makes a giant appearance here in Truth or Dare (Shadows of London #4) by Ariana Nash. That and other elements just make this book a narrative stumbling block in what was a nicely crafted series.
I honestly lose my patience here. Both with the author and characters over this. Especially when it’s a repeated offense. And not just with one character. It’s with one major character who , over and over, betrays EVERYONE! And then another person arrives. Does some very shady things. But let’s have our men trust them again. And again. And yea, again. You get my point. There’s no end to it. A toddler would say no to these people.
The author would have the reader and our beloved characters go with the flow , emotionally , with everything at stake ,with these iffy people.
Hmmm. It’s so counterintuitive. Alexander Kempthorne is a brilliant man, mistrustful of most. Where is that person here? Dom’s ex military and the son of the King of Thieves. Intuition alone would have had this playing out totally different except that , their actions seemed needed to fit in with a plot counter to the constructed personalities we come to know so far in the previous books.
Only at the very end did a semblance of the canny Alexander reappear.
This story had some nice elements but they were overshadowed by far too many exasperating or plain odd aspects to this story.
There’s one last story. I certainly need to know how it all ends. I mean, certainly no one will trust that character again. I mean really. That’s not even a possibility, right?
Guess we will find out later this year.
Shadows of London Series reading order:
🔹Twisted Pretty Things #1 🔹Tide of Tricks #2 🔹Trial by Fire #3 🔹Truth or Dare #4 🔹Without a Trace #5- finale/later 2022
America. The land of the free. Unless you’re a latent.
Kage is missing. Alexander Kempthorne would prefer he stay that way. Life at the new-look Kempthorne & Co agency is difficult enough without adding a missing American to the mix. But John “Dom” Domenici won’t abandon someone who was once their friend, even if Kage is “technically” an enemy.
But as the team investigate Kage’s disappearance, a traumatic, hidden past comes to light. And a missing person case soon turns into a fight for survival for Dom and Kempthorne, in a land not-so-free.
***
Breathless action, suspenseful mystery, and steamy romance combine in the fast-paced gay adventure series from the author acclaimed for their enemies-to-lovers, epic twists, and morally conflicted characters.
Please note the Shadows of London series is predominantly set in London with British characters. Although the series has been edited in US English for the US market, to include US spelling and grammar, many English slang words and spelling remain as part of the character of the work.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 