Release Blitz ~ My Dark Knight by K.A. Merikan (Review + Giveaway)
Cover Design: Natasha Snow
Length: 145,000 words
Kings Of Hell MC Series
Blurb
Knight. Party monster. Handsome Savage. Doesn’t do monogamy.
Elliot. Obsessive. Intense. Uncompromising.
Newly single, Knight is done with relationships. All he's interested in is bringing down The Count, an Internet personality who is tarnishing his family name. An opportunity to crush him comes when the audacious clown shows up at the Kings of Hell MC clubhouse to film for his YouTube channel. But when Knight meets Elliot, the man behind The Count, he no longer knows what to do with him.
Knight has never seen a more pathetic creature than Elliot. He’s also never met anyone who needed him more. Skinny, messed up, and a bucket of trouble as thick as tar, everything Elliot does seems to be a wordless death wish. No matter how much Knight hates Elliot’s alter ego, under the makeup and theatrics hides a fragile young guy with a passion for history, and Knight can’t help but catch Elliot every time he falls.
Elliot has bad taste in men. Always hopelessly attracted to violent brutes, his favorite is a long dead serial killer. But he gets more than he’s bargained for when he seizes an opportunity to meet the man of his dreams. The ghost is manipulative and dangerous, offering Elliot all he’s always wanted, for a price he can’t possibly pay.
Elliot is faced with an impossible choice between two men.
One alive, one dead.
One carnal and honest, one drizzling sweet, poisoned promises into his ear.
One unwilling to commit, the other promising an eternity together.
And Elliot doesn’t settle for half-measures. He craves a love that is all or nothing, passion that will consume him, and desire to burn him alive.
Elliot is ready to either get that, or die trying.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS:
Themes: enemies to lovers, protector, cruelty, motorcycle club, alternative lifestyles, demons, tattoos, impossible choices, deception, crime, self-discovery, healing, black magic, gothic, commitment, ghosts, possession
5+ Stars!
As VP of the King's of Hell MC Knight has a responsibility to do what is best for the club, his brothers and their family. But his commitment to his club is tested when he meets Elliot aka The Count, a small time social media celebrity obsessed with the famous serial killer William Fane.
Fane is the one man that has Beast and the rest of the MC afraid, even if he is dead and buried. The idea that Elliot could actually believe he is in love with the monster makes everyone sick including Knight. However, there is something about Elliot that Knight can't help but be drawn to and he can't stop rescuing him, even from the club.
Ok, the truth is, as I began this story, I could not stand Elliot. Not only was he annoying and irritating like a gnat, he was also what I figured was mentally ill. I mean, the man had an obsession with a serial killer who he'd convince himself he could have changed. If he couldn't have changed him, so what, he'd accept him as he was because that's what you did when you loved someone. He blamed William Fane's victims for what they'd gone through and as for Laurent who'd killed William Fane in self-defense, well, Elliot concluded that Laurent was the evil one and if he hadn't have betrayed Fane and broke his heart, Fane wouldn't have attacked him which led to his death. Obviously, Elliot is disturbed and needs to seek professional help.
Somehow though, close to the middle point of the story, I realized I had gotten a lot of it wrong, I'd judged Elliot harshly without really trying to understand him and that's when my heart started to break for him.
Elliot is and isn't all that complicated after all, he's actually not that different from so many other people out there that have absolutely no sense of self-worth and will look anywhere including the most dangerous of places in hopes of finding someone that will truly understand them and give them the one thing they've always longed for, love. Elliot didn't get it from his mother, who abandoned him. Nor his father who mentally and physically abused him. He didn't have friends or family to get close to. His relationships were always with closeted men who bore a resemblance to his father's emotional abuse and treatment of him. The only attention he ever got was either negative or degrading. He was forced to romanticize Fane in his head because it was the one area of his life where he found others who would listen to him and show him positive attention and admiration (his followers on his blog).
What makes his character complicated in my mind is that having read the previous book, I already knew the real William Fane. We got a good look at his deviance and pure evil as well as Laurent and his side of the story. It's already set into stone to hate William Fane and not to be blinded by his charm and false persona. Unfortunately, Elliot doesn't have that advantage and is only able to see what he wants to see. So, in the end, my opinion of Elliot drastically changed and I wanted him to finally get something good.
Now Knight was a completely different story because I loved him in the very beginning. He definitely earned the name Knight whether he's in white or black leather. Not only is he tough and sexy (and oversexed) he's also loyal and protective and sweet (most of the time). He's very dedicated to his family both his MC family as well as his actual family and, of course, his ancestors that he compulsively researches. I adored him.
However, my love for him grew sour after a while because what I thought was a sweet man who cared for Elliot turned out to be pretty cold when faced with the implication that his relationship with Elliot might be more than just friends with benefits. As he broke Elliot's heart, he quite quickly and efficiently broke mine as well. Luckily, he has some redemption (obviously, since this is a story about love) and I fell for him again but I will say that my perspective of him changed and then changed again.
Elliot truly goes through a lot in this story. This man is beaten down in some way from beginning to end and while sometimes I felt he brought it on himself, other times it brought tears to my eyes. He's definitely a character I will always watch for in this series.
Were Knight and Elliot hot together? Yes! They definitely had some smokin' chemistry and their relationship, although volatile at times, was definitely entertaining and impossible to not get invested in. I thought they were very well matched from the fact that Knight was the protector which Elliot desperately needed. They both enjoyed the same things and never grew tired of each other's company and with all that happened in the story they had a very strong and impenetrable connection.
As for the overall story, I honestly loved it. I am very excited about all the many possibilities this series holds while it centers around one of my favorite themes, Motorcycle Clubs. We get this intriguing and intense group of bikers and a creepy and dark paranormal/supernatural element that is woven throughout each story all culminating in a bigger and darker story of demons and sacrifice and sin. I love how unique it all is and how easy it is to get sucked deep into the story as well as care for the characters.
I'm quite anxious for the next book in the series which is about Jake. Jake has gotten a bigger part in this story and I sense something big going on with him and can't wait to get answers. I'm pretty sure it will be BDSM but I'm prepared and willing to dive right in. I just hope we get to see how the relationships we've already seen have grown and become stronger. Not to mention find out who our next villain will be along with the new man who has just come into their lives.
Do I recommend this book? Hell Yes! I love K.A. Merikan and they write some of the best dark MM biker books I've ever read. There's always something so engrossing about their stories that I never would've imagined loving if it were written by anyone else. So, yes, I say read My Dark Knight but first, read Laurent and the Beast. While both books could be considered standalone since they feature different couples, you'll definitely get a greater experience having read them in order.
***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.***
Author Bios
K.A. Merikan have a few sweeter M/M romances as well, but they specialize in the dark, dirty, and dangerous side of M/M, full of bikers, bad boys, mafiosi, and scorching hot romance.
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