This is the first book in the series Lords of Discord by Jocelynn Drake. The LGBT, Paranormal romance was published 2019 and I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Kenneth Obi. I liked the narrator, he was good at changing his voice and only a few times, when he tried to be too sexy, does it sound a bit funny.
The plot follows Ethan Cline, an orphan whose family was slaughtered by vampires. Looking for his family’s killer brings him into the arms of the sexy vampire Marcus Varik. The oldest brother among four vampire brothers. They are immediately drawn to each other but their relationship is tested when secrets comes to light and lies are exposed. The Varik family is in danger, and one of the dangers comes from Ethan.
Ethan is a kind, openly gay man. He is openminded, a bit too openminded. He hardly reacts when he is told that vampires keep pets that they kill when they are bored with them. When he asked if vampires care about humans, they ask him if he cares about his hamburger and he just shrug and say no, clearly having no idea what animal rights is about. That is caring about the hamburger you eat.
Marcus is a serious, gentleman with a bit of a brooding side. He just wants to be left alone, and protect his family. He is gay, but being from a time where such a thing is illegal, he is so far into the closet that he becomes afraid when faced with the possibility of love.
There is also a bunch of colorful characters, such as the brothers. The party animal and very sassy Rafe, the secretive and dangerous Winter and the nerdy but kind Bell. That along with the mysterious vampire father Adrian, a crazy but sad mother and a secret society of humans that want to destroy all vampires. This book is filled with likable characters.
The story is a mix of different vampire stories. The different supernatural powers of each vampires seem to be taken from twilight. Clans and political intrigues similar to Vampire the masquerade, sexiness from pretty much every vampire story you have ever known. I liked it, but people who has read a lot of vampire stories might feel that it was a bit too close to all those stories and that this one lacks its own identity.
It was an interesting and most of all entertaining story. A lot of sex, which doesn’t interest me, nor does the dominating tone that seem to haunt MxM stories to the point that it has become a trope. The characters were definitively the highlights of the story and what gives this book life. I wanted to read more about them and will read future books if only because I miss them.
The plot is a bit lackluster, mostly because it feels familiar. Its nothing new, but to me it doesn’t have to. The book is easily read, entertaining and I enjoyed myself every bit of the way. Because it is so very similar to many other stories, I will lower the rating a bit but I still give it a high one, 9 out of 10. Some might think the story to be too similar to other vampire stories but I did not. It was familiar enough for me to enjoy it, and other vampire fans might as well, but still has enough of flare to give it an identity of its own. I would highly recommend this one for those who enjoy vampire books, not to dark but not too light either.
With Kind Regards
Senefer.
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