Review Tour ~ Laurent & the Beast (Kings of Hell MC #1) by K.A. Merikan (Review + Giveaway)
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
Length: 135,000 words
Cover: Natasha Snow
Blurb
Nothing can stop true love. Not time. Not even the devil himself.
1805. Laurent. Indentured servant. Desperate to escape a life that is falling apart.
2017. Beast. Kings of Hell Motorcycle Club vice president. His fists do the talking.
Beast has been disfigured in a fire, but he’s covered his skin with tattoos to make sure no one mistakes his scars for weakness. The accident not only hurt his body, but damaged his soul and self-esteem, so he’s wrapped himself in a tight cocoon of violence and mayhem where no one can reach him.
Until one night, when he finds a young man covered in blood in their clubhouse. Sweet, innocent, and as beautiful as an angel fallen from heaven, Laurent pulls on all of Beast’s heartstrings. Laurent is so lost in the world around him, and is such a tangled mystery, that Beast can’t help but let the man claw his way into the stone that is Beast’s heart.
In 1805, Laurent has no family, no means, and his eyesight is failing. To escape a life of poverty, he uses his beauty, but that only backfires and leads him to a catastrophe that changes his life forever. He takes one step into the abyss and is transported to the future, ready to fight for a life worth living.
What he doesn’t expect in his way is a brutal, gruff wall of tattooed muscle with a tender side that only Laurent is allowed to touch. And yet, if Laurent ever wants to earn his freedom, he might have to tear out the heart of the very man who took care of him when it mattered most.
Excerpt
Hound’s alarmed growling was coming his way, along with whines, when he reached the right door and opened it, only to have the massive Rottweiler’s body rush past him and into the corridor. Beast expected his pet to rush toward the room where the accident happened just minutes ago but Hound looked back at Beast, as if signalling he wanted to be followed, and rushed the other way, stirring the worst of feelings in Beast.
Was there an intruder somewhere in the house? With the sheer size of the former asylum that has served as the Kings of Hell Clubhouse for the last fifteen years, it was easy to overlook things happening in the disused parts of the property. They once had a bunch of teenagers who came over wanting to spy on the orgy. That thankfully didn’t end in blood, and out of the whole mess they got Jake to join their ranks.
Beast wondered whether he shouldn’t go back to the armory and get himself a gun but ultimately decided against it. There would be police and emergency services coming for Davy, and he didn’t want to run around with a firearm, no matter how good their relationship with the local police was.
Hound moved as if he were following a clear trail, but Beast couldn’t smell anything apart from dust and dampness. They were leaving behind the shouting and even the sound of the ambulance approaching, and eventually entered a corridor so disused it had a thick layer of dust on the floor. Now even Beast could see faint footprints in the dust, and next to them, dark droplets that could be blood.
Hound smelled the traces, looked back and broke into a run, which had Beast following him with the worst of expectations as to what he would eventually find. His heart beat faster as they ran down the dark hallway.
The building was a labyrinth, and this far away from where they all lived and worked, it wasn’t even wired anymore, so he breathed in the smell of mildew and followed Hound through the darkness in hope he would not stumble.
Windows in the doorless rooms on both sides of the corridor were the only source of light, now delivering a faint red and blue glow of the approaching ambulance. For all Beast knew, this could have been a gothic castle, something out of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, with bloodthirsty monsters waiting for their next victim in one of the endless hallways, and yet he only ran faster, listening to the steady tap of Hound’s paws.
Without any hesitation whatsoever, Hound rushed inside one of the rooms and gave a growl so vicious something inside Beast mourned his decision not to take a gun with him. But no one shot at him when Hound let out a single bark. Beast pushed past the empty doorway, jumping over a fallen chair, only to see someone hiding in the shadows.
Judging by the long, wavy hair and small stature, Beast at first thought it was a woman, but then the person spoke with a distinctly male voice.
“I… I’m not certain where I am.” The stranger took half a step out of the shadow, and into the flashing light coming from outside. His accent was distinctly foreign. French maybe?
Beast took him in with a scowl. Blood covered the stranger’s face, hair, dripped from his chin, from the tips of his trembling fingers, and stained the outfit that looked as if he’d stolen it from the set of a costume drama. Knee-high boots, fitted pants, a vest worn under a tailcoat.
“What the fuck are you doing on our property, boy?” hissed Beast, watching the soft features of a very young man. “Whose blood is this?” he asked, still cautious. In his experience, a non-threatening presence could hide an adept fighter, so he was not taking any chances as he joined Hound in front of the stranger, who was so short in comparison to Beast’s own six foot five form that his red-stained head only reached Beast’s pecs.
The stranger backed away into the corner, whimpering in fear the moment Hound growled at him again and lowered his head, but Beast wasn’t having any of it and grabbed the boy’s arm. “Is the blood yours then? Someone attacked you? Where?” he asked, not hesitating to pat the intruder down, to make sure there were no weapons hiding under the fancy coat.
The boy tried to weasel out of his grip, but he didn’t seem adept at using force. “N-no. I don’t think it’s mine. I don’t know. Is this hell?”
Beast groaned, staring at the silly-looking young man, whose white shirt was completely drenched in red. Someone must have died to produce this much blood.
“You will explain yourself to King.”
4.5 Stars!
Yes! K.A. Merikan has done it again with this book. They are so great at creating dark and dangerous worlds and characters.
What I Loved: I loved this one. Not only did I totally fall in love with Laurent but I adored Beast and then there was Knight who I am anxiously awaiting to find out more about. This was a great beginning to a series because each character we are introduced to has that special something that makes me want to read their stories.
Beast is not so much a gentle giant, let's face it, he can truly be a beast. However, he's not evil by any means. He knows how people see him, civilians outside of his club and he tries to do whatever is in his power to not frighten them even more. He's not intentionally trying to scare innocent people or to make the world fear him. Beast also has a fierce loyalty and need to protect those he cares about. When Laurent falls into that category, it's clear how he will do anything for someone he feels connected to. Without giving too much away, there are some pretty painful reasons for Beast's actions and way of thinking and although there is a few times he pisses me off (no one is perfect lol), I also had quite a bit of empathy for him as well.
Laurent was lovable and endearing most of the time. I had to keep telling myself he couldn't help the way he held back so much. He's traveled through time and has a lot on his shoulders so I'll give him a pass on some of his actions. I definitely loved how he seemed to look past the outside of Beast from the beginning.
This is definitely a darker, more graphic and violent read. There are no punches being pulled and we get to see an almost reimagined dark and grim fairytale. I'm a huge fan of this type of thing so I really liked the mystical feel, the bit of paranormal in the story. It's not too often I read about characters making a deal with the "Devil" or the like, so I found it different yet highly entertaining while anticipating how things would eventually turn out and be resolved.
What I Liked: I love to see MM MC books. I liked how the MC was open about sexuality and who the members slept with. Their whole lifestyle was centered around making up their own rules in the world and being free to live how they chose. So that meant they could be with whomever they wanted as well, there wasn't a huge fear of being killed because they invited another man into their beds.
What I Didn't Like: The chemistry between Beast and Laurent was well done and very believable. They were great together because each man provided exactly what the other needed. However, there was more than one occasion in which the men's actions really made me mad and I found it hard to understand.
Beast was too quick to yell, berate and walk away (I understood his lack of self confidence due to his appearance) when he knew some of Laurent's limitations. Laurent, on the other hand, was so determined to never be a slave or indentured servant that he didn't even bother to find out what it means to be "owned or belong to" by someone in the MC world. There was too much drama when it came to these things.
Overall, I loved this book and can definitely recommend it.
***Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by the author/publisher for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.***
May 15 - Dirty Books Obsession, Urban Smoothie Read, MM Good Book Reviews
May 19 - Bonkers About Books, Diverse Reader, Just Love
May 22 - We Three Queens, Book Love, Books Laid Bare Boys, Keysmash
May 24 - Padme's Library, Angels With Attitude Book Reviews, Bayou Book Junkie, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Mikku-chan
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.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
May 19 - Bonkers About Books, Diverse Reader, Just Love
May 22 - We Three Queens, Book Love, Books Laid Bare Boys, Keysmash
May 24 - Padme's Library, Angels With Attitude Book Reviews, Bayou Book Junkie, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Mikku-chan
Author Bio
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.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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