It has a lot of potential but...

The narrator did a good job bringing the story to life.

I was really looking forward to this audiobook because I really enjoy paranormal romance but it seems like so much was missing. The characters were not well developed and there was little we knew about this world. I did not expect the main male character Micah to have been mated to another male... He was also supposed to be this scary independent warrior but all I saw was a pathetic individual that wanted to end his life. If a bond was that strong it would have taken more time to get over Jackson. I don't understand why there was any M/M intimate moments. If I wanted to listen to any of that in detail, I would head over to another genre.

There was so much that could have been done with this story. It seemed to jump around a lot between characters and much of it was totally irrelevant for the main story. IMO the story did not flow well and a lot of it did not make sense to me. I did not connect with the main characters. I know some people might actually like the things I dislike so I try to explain my reasons the best I can. I'm a big fan of the BDB series. I was hoping to find a similar series but this series is just not for me.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

4 people found this helpful

Good

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was given to me for a honest unbiased review. This was a good book. A great start to a series. Was a little confused due to lack of world building, but this was a good start to a series.

3 people found this helpful

"BROTHERHOOD" SERIES & ALL-GENDER RELATIONSHIPS

Any additional comments?

I was gifted this audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher for an unbiased review.

Introducing AKM... A new series revolving around the vampire members of "All the King's Men," an ancient Royal protectorate group that has evolved to become more of a secret force against the evil Dreks.

The concept is refreshingly new and many players are expertly introduced giving us glimpses into what their stories may be. This first book is about the vampire Micah and the human Samantha. Micah is the group's toughest enforcer and we meet him at the height of despair over the break of a relationship he believed to be a heart-bound mate. Samantha is on the run from a rich but abusive husband. Being ex-military, she uses her in-shape body to stay under the radar as a cash-only exotic dancer. Unfortunately, it was Micah's friend Trace's story that grabbed me the most. Shrouded in a mysterious background and lifestyle, with a surprise identity, he turned out to be the ultimate protector.

The conceptual story is great! The execution, IMO, needed some timeline tweaking?
Introducing Micah as suicidal was a mistake. First impressions, and all, I was never able to see him as the bad-ass his character was meant to be. Also, validating Micah and Sam's connection seems like (the author's) afterthought, written in as an explanatory missing link.

Micah's story should have opened as he celebrated some Alpha victory by watching Samantha dance... leading into his attraction to Jackson. THEN I'd have met an Alpha Micah, understood his later despair in a way experience, not recollection achieves, and the ultimate (life)mate revelation would've fallen easily into place.

I was pleased with the inclusion of genderless relationships; accepting that love is love, regardless. Brushing lightly into BDSM just upped the hotness ante. Everything taken into consideration, it was a good start to a new series.

Two Thumbs Up.

3 people found this helpful

Interesting Story

Micah was one guy that went from total alpha back to wanting to die then back to alpha male. He is saved by Sam who is his true mate and they both have to save her from the dregs that he was allowing to kill him and her crazy X-husband. To top it all off there were hints of M/M which I don't like and am glad that it was just a small part of the story. I can see that one of the author's future books will be about the M/M couple on the team. Probably will not listen to that one. This story did have several twists but a good HEA and the narrator brought the story to life. There were parts that felt like I missed something, went back to listen but it was still not there. So I guess the author slashed it on the editing floor because it felt like something should have been there. loved the whole idea of Trace. Can't wait to listen to his story. I am also interested in the background story of their team leader. Guess I will have to wait on them as well. I got this book via audiobook boom and am happy to leave this review.

1 person found this helpful

Some M/M action

Great narration, even a decent story line, unprepared for the M/M scene and the domination part of the storyline. Overall a decent read, just be prepared.

Unique story-love it!

Unique concept with great characters and story development! Great read!!

I received a review copy

Good job, overall. Was missing a few things.

I normally am not a fan of 'human-like' vampires, or female leads with short hair, or domestic violence survival plot devices, but this had enough to let me look past that since it had rare things I did love. Such as several bisexual characters, a little sub/Dom action, and a simple story that didn't bog itself down too much. I'm on the fence about continuing the series because I saw no mention of a pregnancy in the near future and that's probably my biggest interest. So jury is out. Also would have liked to know why the biggest deal in the story (aka, why Jackson broke up with Micah) happened in the first place. that was never explained.

I liked it

I read the other reviews that weren't that favorable, but I liked the story. Even though, I love the Brotherhood series, this series is not weighed down with sooooo much angst which got a bit tedious after awhile. I loved how fast the book moved. I also like how there are hints of other characters that may have their own series in books to come. I read fantasy for the fantasy of it. Not for the reality of how long it may take people in real life to be with someone. I found this writer refreshing and cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

Surprised

I have read hundreds of books trying to find a vampire series that was good enough in my eyes to keep me interested start to finish. This book was all that. I would of liked a bit more build on the characters, but they were all well written for the story. It had great flow, and plenty of sex appeal to help it along. Narration was spot on. Thank you for an enjoyable listen.

Not my cup of tea

I don't think this story was necessarily bad. In fact, the author's writing style paints very good pictures.

I'm always a bit skeptical of any book portraying BDSM culture, and this one is no different. Mind you, it's nowhere near the train wreck the 50 shades series is, so there's that. It's a bit hard to write about it when you lack decent experience, and there are a lot of people out there with the wrong types of "decent experience." I expected for these portions to fall short, but I was pleasantly surprised at the try. D/s is not absolutely take and give, respectively. Doms take pleasure in giving their subs what they want within the confines of boundaries; subs take pleasure by giving over control of their pleasure to their Doms.

Honestly, I applaud the author in doing better than the other cult classics with this subject matter. I gave this book a decent rating because I enjoyed the story. However, I never connected with any of the characters, so this book did not grab me.