Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Devour
SERIES: Unbreakable Bonds #4
AUTHOR: Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott
NARRATOR: Kenneth Obi
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
RELEASE DATE: October 15, 2019
LENGTH: 9 hours 14 minutes
BLURB:
Ian Pierce is the chef and part owner of the hottest restaurant in Cincinnati. His chosen family is full of happy relationships, and the scruffy, snarky cop who has been haunting his dreams is one step closer to being in his bed. But everything comes crashing down when the past he narrowly escaped nine years ago comes to a deadly head.
Hollis Banner was enamored of Ian at first sight. He’s kept his distance, knowing the gorgeous, self-confident man is out of his league. Yet, there’s no standing aside when Boris Jagger escapes a raid. Jagger’s world has been nearly destroyed, and this time, the crime boss is coming after Ian and his friends personally.
Hollis will do whatever it takes to keep Ian safe as they escape to a safe house with a couple of Ian’s overprotective friends. And Ian finds himself in a race to unlock painful memories – memories containing information that could take down the very last of Jagger’s illegal operations forever.
Trigger warning: Flashbacks to abuse could be possible triggers for some.
REVIEW:
I’ve been wanting Ian’s story for a while now. Wanted to see more of his and Hollis’ dancing around each other. On the one hand I wanted Ian to find his happily ever after, especially after everything he’d gone through. On the other hand, his story would undoubtedly also deal with his past as a trafficked kid. A guarantee for heartbreak if there ever was one. In the end, this book was a book where both were true.
I think everyone has been waiting for the time where Jagger would make a play for Ian again. For this showdown to happen. So when it does, the entire family, along with newly adopted Hollis mobilises to take care of their own. Though not only to protect Ian, but also rescuing the latest batch of children trafficked by Jagger. It’s dangerous to say the least, at times the dangers and flying bullets follow the other without much time for relief – or recuperation. I think the latter is my main issue with this book. All of our guys are just a liiitle bit too invincible. I don’t mean I want them to get hurt – or even worse die. But the things they do survive are just a few too many with a few too minor injuries – or more serious injuries that are just shaken off.
Even though this book deals with some truly horrifying subjects, it doesn’t go down the rabbit hole into the soul-crushing territory. It’s absolutely angsty, and you might or might not feel the overwhelming urge to take a dull knife to some well-chosen parts of Jagger when details of Ian’s past is discussed – or all of the time he was present. Still this story is more about finally accepting and letting go of the past, dealing with the demons and moving forward, and that’s something that both Drake and Elliott should have credit for.
I love Kenneth Obi’s narrations, a recent discovery, but still a big fan. He takes the characters and make them real for the listener. I love how his intensity varies with the story, the breathiness during the hot and heavy scenes, the added fear during the fights, and Ian’s fear during the flashbacks and whenever Jagger was rearing his ugly head. Obi has a variety of different voices for the characters that makes it (in theory) easy to distinguish between them. Sadly, there were a few times where his voices for Ian and Hollis were mixed and switched. While this narration wasn’t flawless or among his best, I still enjoyed every second of it. And fans of his and this series should not miss out on this story.
We don’t really get that über-sweet happily ever after in this book. However, we do get a solid happy for now. A new beginning, but honestly to me that’s even more valuable and believable and more than well-deserved.
RATING: 
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