Title: Guns n' Boys: Bloodbath
Series: Guns n' Boys 6
Author: K.A. Merikan
Publisher: Acerbi & Villani ltd.
Release Date: 4th March 2017
Heat Level: 4 - Lots of Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 115 000 words
Genre: Romance, Thriller/Suspense, mafia, organized crime, cartel, adopted, undercover, homophobia, assassin
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Synopsis
“I don’t even know who I am anymore.”
Seth would follow Domenico to the depths of hell. He promised to always be at Domenico’s side. But hell becomes all too real when they infiltrate the world of Toro - a notoriously security-obsessed arms dealer, who has eyes and ears everywhere.
Seth becomes unable to steal even a moment of intimacy with Domenico, and the tension grinds them down each day. Beyond the deceptive paradise of Toro’s villa, violence is an everyday occurrence, and the swimming pool could just as well be filled with blood. To survive, Seth has to become the man Domenico needs him to be, but in the process, he might lose who he truly is.
With Seth trained up, and Mark as backup, victory is so close Domenico can taste it. They just need to prove themselves to Toro as valuable assets. With each day though, Seth seems to be drifting away from Domenico, hidden behind a mask of cruelty and indifference. It is exactly what Domenico asked of him, so why is it so difficult to see Seth become his mirror image?
POSSIBLE SPOILERS:
Themes: mafia, cartel, assassin, organized crime, homophobia, human trafficking, undercover, family ties
Genre: Dark, twisted romance / crime thriller
Erotic content: Explicit scenes
Length: ~115,000 words
WARNING: Adult content. If you are easily offended, this book is not for you.
Excerpt
“He doesn’t know us yet, but he will once I’m done with him,” Domenico said in a voice so chilling Seth felt odd about having wanted his hands all over in the morning, just hours before. Then again, even now, Domenico’s cool demeanor wasn’t a deterrent. If this side of Dom were something Seth truly despised, he’d have taken any opportunity to leave Dom many times over. Which of course he didn’t because he was a dumb, fat moth to Domenico’s flame, and he’d stick around no matter how many times he got burned.
The prisoner spat out some bloodied saliva and grinned, shaking his head. “Who are you even working for?”
Domenico let out a cloud of smoke, which swirled in the dim space. “We’re working for ourselves, and we’ve had an excellent track record so far.”
The man laughed, shaking his head wildly. “You’re in way above your head! What do you think is in that box, huh? A golden machine gun? Diamonds? You will regret ever stepping foot on our boat.”
Anger boiled over in Seth, and he planted his foot in the man’s stomach. Bile rose in his throat when he thought that the bloodshed and the risk they’d taken to hijack the vessel could have been for nothing.
Dom shifted on top of the trunk. “What is in the trunk?” he asked, almost softly, and nodded at Seth. A signal to keep going. To torture. First beat up, and then what? Cut off the guy’s fingers?
The man curled up as much as he could with his hands tied to the chair, and Seth hesitated, only to get a nasty surprise kick to the shin when their prisoner decided attack was the best way of protecting himself.
“You motherfucker!” This time, Seth had no mercy. He kicked the bastard’s stomach so hard the chair twisted, and he fell over, trapping one of his wrists between the chair and the floor. The choked scream did not soften Seth’s resolve that he was doing the right thing now. This was a man working for a cartel, caught on his way to deliver some goods to Raul Moreno. Why would he be worthy of Seth’s pity anyway?
Domenico leaned forward, watching the man’s face twist in discomfort. “What’s in the trunk?”
The mercenary gave a breathless laugh. “Something as common as mosquitoes,” he uttered, and it must have piqued Dom’s interest, because he stood up and approached.
“What then? Cocaine?”
The man grinned at them with his reddish teeth. “More than that.”
Seth stood back at the other side of the tiny cabin and crossed his arms on his chest. This was one guessing game he wasn’t about to play with the bastard.
Domenico sighed and slowly lowered himself. The burning end of the cigarette in his hand was bright red when it pressed against the mercenary’s cheek. The fucker gave a choked noise, clenching his teeth so hard Seth could practically hear them crack.
“You sure you don’t want to tell me? You’re dead anyway, so what is it to you?” asked Domenico.
“Well, it’s not explosives, so why don’t you just check yourself?” the man hissed after taking a few raspy breaths. Watching it made Seth so tense his muscles felt like made out of concrete.
Domenico sighed and looked back at the trunk.
“It’s sealed,” Miguel said from his spot at the door.
“I know,” Dom muttered, still gazing at the piece of luggage that might as well hold a medium-sized fridge.
The prisoner laughed. “Go on. Or are you scared of Raul Moreno?”
Seth rolled his eyes. “Pathetic attempt at reverse psychology there.”
The guy looked back at him with a frown, and Seth could bet he had no idea what that meant.
Domenico stayed silent, then pulled out a knife and presented it to Seth, handle first. “Open the trunk.”
Seth took the knife and approached the leather-bound box, but he licked his lips and watched the seal, giving himself a few more seconds. He wasn’t exactly afraid of it being explosives, since he doubted their prisoner would encourage them this way, but on the other hand, maybe that was exactly what it was, since the man had to understand by now that he would die soon anyway.
But Domenico knew his job like no other man, and he must have thought of that possibility. If he insisted Seth open the trunk, it had to be fine, even if the contents turned out to be disappointing, like a batch of Raul Moreno’s favorite popcorn.
Seth still decided to ask. “Are you sure? What if it’s a caiman?
“Just be careful. Nice and slow,” said Dom, moving his hand to their prisoner’s neck when Seth kneeled in front of the trunk.
The paper seal marked by some symbols and letters beckoned Seth’s attention, and it almost felt like he was about to slice into flesh. How would they explain the open seal upon arrival? Would they even need to? Maybe it was just a formality no one paid attention to anymore? His stomach clenched as he cut through the paper. The cracked and dusty leather suggested it wasn’t the first time the trunk had been used, and its size held no answers as to what secret it could hold.
Slowly, he opened several metal latches, and then three leather straps that further secured the lid in place. The silence inside the cabin was absolute, and he even heard the rubbing of leather against leather. His last thought before he raised the top of the trunk, which felt oddly heavy and sturdy, as if there was metal under the thick layer of leather, was that it had to be a very specialized container if it had been so clearly used for a long time.
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5 Stars!
I am soooooooo glad that I read this blurb-unread, for the impact-effect that this book had on me. Sooooo much lovely, not-obvious romance in this, yay!!
It's no secret that I love, love, love the stuff that KAM put out, and that Seth and Dom are my all-time fave leads of theirs, or that I'm a beta of theirs. I love the combination of ruthlessness and gentleness, of passion and love, of danger and romance, of the unknown and the stuff that's there in the little details that Dom and Seth are all about, even when it's not always that obvious.
I went into this tale not having read the blurb - it's not necessary for me to, when it's a Seth and Dom novel, as I need my regular fix of these guys and I'll take anything I get. This tale takes place shortly after the events in book 5, with Dom, Seth, Mark and Miguel travelling to rendezvous with Dana and Toro, not knowing what Toro knows about them, or if Dana is still on their side, or what the Moreno family knows about them. They're still trying to figure out who Mr Tropico is, on top, and trying to get stuff done that'll allow them to go back home and live freely. Yeah, like that's going to be easy, right?
There's a lot of bloodshed and gore in this, but there's also time, at the start at least, for some really sweet, sexy and hot Dom and Seth time. I loved the mention of their wedding rings, and how it affected both of them to have to remove them for the duration of the mission, and how Dom was comforted by the pale band of skin on his finger once he'd removed his ring. I loved the Seth-goes-all-dom-top scene just prior to the removal of said rings, which read like Seth claiming his man, and I loved seeing not just Dom's submission, but how much he needed to belong to Seth at this point, how much he wanted to be taken by his husband. I loved how at one point in the tale, when it was suggested that Seth might need to...do stuff to keep up appearances, Dom came out with a growly, possessive, 'he's my husband and he's not...' - who knew this guy was such a romantic? Well, I did, from a couple of books back, but in this tale, because they couldn't be open and honest about their relationship in unknown, possibly hostile territory, it was the little things that counted. The little glances, touches - and the dot-text thing that I can't tell you more about or risk spoiling a sweet little something in this tale.
So, yes, there's a lot of violence and many, many people meet their end. Seth has become a harder person, simply because he's having to portray himself as a ruthless trafficker and being that person 24/7 takes its toll, especially as he and Dom are posing as brothers and have barely any time together. Dom's almost out of his mind with worry about Seth and what might be really afoot and what might be in store for them at any time. They could be discovered, tested, asked to prove allegiances and they have no time to plan or discuss strategies. Despite Dom's focus being their ultimate mission/plan for their future, he can't help focusing on the love of his life and keeping him safe. There's another instance in this tale concerning, 'all my worldly goods' that brought a lump to my throat and that made me love Dom all the more, and Seth for his reaction. Seth's a gentle soul, but when he needs to find and use his cojones to keep his man safe, he transforms into a protector as focused as Dom. I've loved seeing the changes in Seth from gentle, sweet guy to man'd-up, cold, focused guy when that's needed of him, and at the same time, that he hasn't lost the essence of who he truly is. I loved the ending of this tale, when once again Seth has access to a kitchen and where that other part of him is allowed to emerge. I loved seeing Dom's enjoyment of Seth, and his enjoyment of Seth's enjoyment - these guys have come a long, long way from where they started off, and they're still so, so far off getting mundane/boring.
And yes, I am Seth-and-Dom-sexy-time obsessed, so let me tell you a little about the scene that follows once danger is contained. OMFG was it hot! It starts with Seth getting ready for his husband, then there's a bit of a 'boudoir' type of scene with Seth unashamedly servicing his man (no, not talking about sex yet!) and getting them both ready for the night to come. And then, once in the bedroom, it's a re-claiming of each other, in a scene that's off-the-charts hot, that's all about what Seth and Dom are about, it's about opening up about their wants and desires, about how much they've been missing each other and what they had to do to survive being apart - if KAM weren't blushing and fanning themselves when they were writing this bit, then they're made of stronger stuff than me.
Back to the tale: Miguel plays his part in things and Mark has a surprisingly large part, one in which we start to see the man he will one day become. A man worthy of being Dom's son and worthy of Dom's legacy. He grew, matured, man'd-up, killed, was a protector and saved the day in one part of the tale, and we also saw him conflicted and a little sad, before his epiphany over what he already had and was considering giving up. I loved seeing him embed himself properly in the series, as here, he earned his place.
There's also the unknown quality that is Nero Moreno - is he bonkers? Playing his own game? Playing every one? A good guy/not-so-bad-guy, or is the epitome of evil? I know he's a tease and that we'll be seeing more of him in future tales - you only have to read the two bonus scenes at the end of the novel to realise that.
Talking of bonus scenes, one introduces a character I'm dying to know about, but I've asked KAM not to tell me more if it's going to be a spoiler for future tales, and yes, they've clammed up. I am intrigued by this character's seeming obsession with Seth, which kind of echoes Dom's obsession with Seth, but not in any way that I can see myself liking, but it hints at some explosive times to come.
The other bonus scene hints about a side romance that we may perhaps be seeing, featuring two characters I've mentioned already, but how they'll get together is going to be the stuff of LOL!s and of WTF?s, I think.
That's about it for this book, but my review can in no way do the tale, or Seth and Dom's love, justice, so you'll just have to buy a copy and see for yourselves.
It's no secret that I love, love, love the stuff that KAM put out, and that Seth and Dom are my all-time fave leads of theirs, or that I'm a beta of theirs. I love the combination of ruthlessness and gentleness, of passion and love, of danger and romance, of the unknown and the stuff that's there in the little details that Dom and Seth are all about, even when it's not always that obvious.
I went into this tale not having read the blurb - it's not necessary for me to, when it's a Seth and Dom novel, as I need my regular fix of these guys and I'll take anything I get. This tale takes place shortly after the events in book 5, with Dom, Seth, Mark and Miguel travelling to rendezvous with Dana and Toro, not knowing what Toro knows about them, or if Dana is still on their side, or what the Moreno family knows about them. They're still trying to figure out who Mr Tropico is, on top, and trying to get stuff done that'll allow them to go back home and live freely. Yeah, like that's going to be easy, right?
There's a lot of bloodshed and gore in this, but there's also time, at the start at least, for some really sweet, sexy and hot Dom and Seth time. I loved the mention of their wedding rings, and how it affected both of them to have to remove them for the duration of the mission, and how Dom was comforted by the pale band of skin on his finger once he'd removed his ring. I loved the Seth-goes-all-dom-top scene just prior to the removal of said rings, which read like Seth claiming his man, and I loved seeing not just Dom's submission, but how much he needed to belong to Seth at this point, how much he wanted to be taken by his husband. I loved how at one point in the tale, when it was suggested that Seth might need to...do stuff to keep up appearances, Dom came out with a growly, possessive, 'he's my husband and he's not...' - who knew this guy was such a romantic? Well, I did, from a couple of books back, but in this tale, because they couldn't be open and honest about their relationship in unknown, possibly hostile territory, it was the little things that counted. The little glances, touches - and the dot-text thing that I can't tell you more about or risk spoiling a sweet little something in this tale.
So, yes, there's a lot of violence and many, many people meet their end. Seth has become a harder person, simply because he's having to portray himself as a ruthless trafficker and being that person 24/7 takes its toll, especially as he and Dom are posing as brothers and have barely any time together. Dom's almost out of his mind with worry about Seth and what might be really afoot and what might be in store for them at any time. They could be discovered, tested, asked to prove allegiances and they have no time to plan or discuss strategies. Despite Dom's focus being their ultimate mission/plan for their future, he can't help focusing on the love of his life and keeping him safe. There's another instance in this tale concerning, 'all my worldly goods' that brought a lump to my throat and that made me love Dom all the more, and Seth for his reaction. Seth's a gentle soul, but when he needs to find and use his cojones to keep his man safe, he transforms into a protector as focused as Dom. I've loved seeing the changes in Seth from gentle, sweet guy to man'd-up, cold, focused guy when that's needed of him, and at the same time, that he hasn't lost the essence of who he truly is. I loved the ending of this tale, when once again Seth has access to a kitchen and where that other part of him is allowed to emerge. I loved seeing Dom's enjoyment of Seth, and his enjoyment of Seth's enjoyment - these guys have come a long, long way from where they started off, and they're still so, so far off getting mundane/boring.
And yes, I am Seth-and-Dom-sexy-time obsessed, so let me tell you a little about the scene that follows once danger is contained. OMFG was it hot! It starts with Seth getting ready for his husband, then there's a bit of a 'boudoir' type of scene with Seth unashamedly servicing his man (no, not talking about sex yet!) and getting them both ready for the night to come. And then, once in the bedroom, it's a re-claiming of each other, in a scene that's off-the-charts hot, that's all about what Seth and Dom are about, it's about opening up about their wants and desires, about how much they've been missing each other and what they had to do to survive being apart - if KAM weren't blushing and fanning themselves when they were writing this bit, then they're made of stronger stuff than me.
Back to the tale: Miguel plays his part in things and Mark has a surprisingly large part, one in which we start to see the man he will one day become. A man worthy of being Dom's son and worthy of Dom's legacy. He grew, matured, man'd-up, killed, was a protector and saved the day in one part of the tale, and we also saw him conflicted and a little sad, before his epiphany over what he already had and was considering giving up. I loved seeing him embed himself properly in the series, as here, he earned his place.
There's also the unknown quality that is Nero Moreno - is he bonkers? Playing his own game? Playing every one? A good guy/not-so-bad-guy, or is the epitome of evil? I know he's a tease and that we'll be seeing more of him in future tales - you only have to read the two bonus scenes at the end of the novel to realise that.
Talking of bonus scenes, one introduces a character I'm dying to know about, but I've asked KAM not to tell me more if it's going to be a spoiler for future tales, and yes, they've clammed up. I am intrigued by this character's seeming obsession with Seth, which kind of echoes Dom's obsession with Seth, but not in any way that I can see myself liking, but it hints at some explosive times to come.
The other bonus scene hints about a side romance that we may perhaps be seeing, featuring two characters I've mentioned already, but how they'll get together is going to be the stuff of LOL!s and of WTF?s, I think.
That's about it for this book, but my review can in no way do the tale, or Seth and Dom's love, justice, so you'll just have to buy a copy and see for yourselves.
Meet the Authors
K. A. Merikan is the pen name for Kat and Agnes Merikan, a team of writers, who are taken 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.
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