This is the second book in the Lords of Discord series written by Jocelynn Drake. It was published this year, 2020 and is the most recent addition to the series. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Kenneth Obi, a good narrator who brought life to the story with different voices for a large cast. The book is a supernatural MxM story with vampires, sass and intrigues.
The plot goes from the eldest brother Marcus and his lover Ethan to the party boy of the family, Rafe who just want to stay out of the politics of vampires. But destiny has another thing going as he is called by the Arsenault who is having problem with their members being murdered. Their handsome leader, Philip, asks Rafe for help and Rafe has never said no to please a handsome man.
The plot feels, slow, compared to the first book. It was not bad but just felt unfocused. Which is strange since it has a clear goal but most of the time was spent on Rafe flirting with Philip and having sex with him. It with other words more focused on the relationship than the plot that pretty much only comes in to add a little spice.
The first book had better balance between the two and the plot had a big part of the character Ethan’s story. In this one the plot, the murders, feels a bit detached from Philip and Rafe. It shouldn’t be that way since it has connection to Philip but the murder is constantly used as a way to get Philip and Rafe together and feels like an afterthought.
Now, I still love the Varik family, and they are good characters. Aiden comes into play more in this book and I liked that addition even if he is a bit… Useless. He is pretty much there to be moral support even though it is hinted that he is strong enough that all vampires fear him. Other new characters are the love interest Philip with an ability to find outcasts and tortured soul to help them and some of his clan members, Ezra and Julius.
Neither Ezra and Julius are developed well and I frankly, mixed them up a bit in the book. They both was suppose to be these grim, strong vampires who disliked the thought of trusting others. Sure, they had a role later on but it felt a bit random. Like the author had realized that she needed to come up with roles for them in the conclusion. Both their final roles were a bit cliché and made little sense, which the villain even comments on.
There are no overall faults with this book, so if you enjoyed it then I can see that, but I felt it was a bit unplanned. Some of the things felt undeveloped, such as the new characters and the plot. I didn’t dislike the book but I was rather bored with it and enjoyed it far more every time another of the brother entered the picture. Which is not a good thing, since that meant that Rafe and Philip wasn’t strong enough characters for keeping my attention.
That said, it wasn’t that bad. It was just underwhelming compared to the first book which I adored. I gave the first book a 9 out of 10 and will most likely read it again. This one I will not read again and will most likely skip. With all that said, I give it a 6 out of 10. It was above average, but I can see if others might adore this book and give it a higher rating so don’t let mine discourage it and find out for yourself.
With Kind Regards
Senefer.
Read with Senefer 