Reviewed by True

 

TITLE: These Deviant Ties

AUTHORS: Amy Thorn, Kamisa Cole, Amy Davies, Emma Jaye, Andréa Joy, C.P. Harris, Alice La Roux, Laura Lascarso, Andi Rhodes, Nero Seal, René Van Dalen

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

LENGTH: 722 pages

RELEASE DATE:  December 7, 2021

BLURB:

Deviants and delinquents…

These men exist outside the law. They walk in the shadows and thrive in the dark.

Bad to the bone, they take what they want.

What happens when what they want is you?

What happens when the anger that burns through their veins is now directed at you?

Can enemies really become lovers or is it just a losing game?

These Deviant Ties follows sixteen authors who bring you steamy, dark MM stories that will make your toes curl and your heart pound.

 

REVIEW:

Eleven stories with dark themes, by eleven authors! Some are even written by my favorite authors. What more can you wish?

Stories with bikers, motor clubs, presidents, mafia, gangsters, assassins, fighters, survivors, instant attraction, dub-con, non-con, enemies to lovers (my favorite), abuse, knifeplay.

I pre-ordered this one already a while back, I had the opportunity to read it earlier. Lucky me!

 

Some warnings:

This anthology is dark romance and contains dark themes such as torture, non-con, dub-con, knife play, and somnophilia. Some events may be triggering. Reader discretion is advised.

 

1 – BELOW THE BELT BY ANDI RHODES

Grizzly and Rowan

They, the Satan’s Legace mc, take people from the streets, put needles in their necks.
Rowan, ex-army, is one of them, he has to fight for his life, literally, at the Underground Tournament! Grizzly, the prez of the mc, admires Rowan, shame the man will die anyway, not by his hands, by one of the fighters from the Satan’s Legacy Death Match! Rowan has no plans to die, he has plans for Grizzly.

A cruel, harsh, explosive story, quite convincingly written. Rough, tough, dirty-mouthed scum.  I  loved the palpable intensity.

2 – IL DIAVOLO BY ANDRÉA JOY

Skyler and Ashton

Getting caught and hanging on a ceiling wasn’t something Ashton expected to happen. The man who approaches him seems familiar, only he can’t remember him, like a lot of other things.

Ashton will pay for who he is. Pay for the loss of what they had.
Keeping him to torture, first in the basement now chained in a room.
After Skyler is done with Ashton, he’ll never forgive him.

Getting a view into their past and present we learn what happened and what will happen.
Another violent story, hurt, claims, possessive acts, but also some softer feelings.
Absolutely captivatingly written, I loved the roughness and the sensuality, the characters were rough and engaging. I would love to read more about them.

3 – CAGED IN SHADOWS BY AMY THORN

Shakespeare and Liam

Hate and revenge are what keep Shakespeare alive. Revenge for what’s done to him, losing everything because of this drunk lowlife. He knows how to get to him, take his son Liam instead and torture him to death. An eye for an eye.

Shakespeare hadn’t thought it through the right way. This young guy isn’t who he thought he was.
Hurt, comfort, wild tough men, members of an mc, it was a short but satisfying read.
Nicely written, just enough information to see and feel the whole picture.

4 – EVIL BEAUTIFUL BY RENÉ VAN DALEN

Gideon and Kellen

A story about a powerful gangster Gideon and a feisty tattoo guy Kellen. The gangster falls for the guy, acts like a jerk but wants to claim him anyway.
Enemies are just around the corner.
The concept was nice, maybe a bit too romanticized for a bloody read, it was also a bit chaotic, I didn’t get the presentation of all the characters, too many for such a short read.

I was a bit disappointed with the way how bisexuality was portrayed. The plot was quite intriguing.
Overall a nicely and captivatingly written story.

5 – IN THE EYES OF MY ENEMY BY CP HARRIS

Dante and Angelo

Love and hate, such strong feelings, the love they felt from when they were young was replaced with hate, or was it still love?
A dark romance, where torture happens and death is so close, you could feel it breathing in your neck. It could happen by infection, dehydration, hypothermia, or just one shot. Dante and Angelo will always be hot for each other, they had heavy-loaded sexual encounters, every time I expected it to be the last one.
Awesomely written dark story, the hugely intense, heavy feelings are palpable. The loss and desperation were heartbreaking. Love and hate *shudder*

6 – HIS REVENGE BY AMY DAVIES

Eli and Piero

Ai, this was the bloodiest so far.
First, we get a peek at what happened to Eli, years ago, after he kissed a boy.

If you are against the family, you will not live.
Piero Cometti, head of the Italian mafia family, loves to break and destroy boys. He has his sight set on Eli.
Eli hates the arrogant Piero but also feels the strong pull. He will never give in, certainly not after the man broke a friend of him. Dang, Eli’s body tells a different story.
Piero who is excellent with knives wants to try soft, just for Eli.
Their demons will play and fight with each other.

So far, for me, the best of this anthology, awesomely written, thrilling, bloody, a lot of knife play, a tiny bit of softness, a mountain of violence, and revenge?  with a capital!!

7 – PAWN’S GAMBIT BY EMMA JAYE

Victor and Vladimir

Vladimir wanted so much more out of life, he wants what Victor Tabor has, wealth, freedom. Victor invites Vladimir to his yacht to play a game of chess.
Victor enjoys playing games, and I’m not talking about chess.
Being gay isn’t allowed in the USSR, attraction to your own gender was a mental illness; practicing on it was a crime.
Victor is a powerful dangerous man, his demands make Vladimir cringe. He wonders if he’ll ever see the next day again.

Oh boy, that was a great story, crazy, with original, unpredictable circumstances, the surroundings were exceptional, all highly intense.

8 – LOAN SHARK BY NERO SEAL

Liang and Kir

Liang Cheng has power, is sharp, and belongs to London’s upper society. Being robbed by a boy makes him furious, it’s almost funny. In no time he got the boy in front of him on his knees, sighing a contract of service.

Kirill Pestov is the son of a Russian businessman, who doesn’t want to save his son, it’s a lesson to learn.

Love and hate, Kir doesn’t want to obey Liang but also doesn’t want to be sold.
A lot of resistance, cruelty, non-con, and sexiness, deliciously written. Extremely entertaining!

9 – NIGHTINGALE BY LAURA LASCARSO

Julien and Kahlil

Living at St. Bernadine, an orphanage, Julien and Kahlil grew up together. From little boys to young men, both attend Divinity, a prep school in Miami.
Both get an offer for the future, Julien as an assassin, Kahlil as an accountant, a more legalized one. Over the years Kahlil bitterly despises Julien more and more.
Somehow Julien, with his delicate features, always gets what he wants.

Jealousy, envy, hate, love, it all passes the revue, the last two stand out, the very last one… hmm.
Overall a great story, with a nice buildup, captivating and entertaining!

10 – SACRIFICE MY TOUCH BY KAMISA COLE

Maso and Hael

Oh my, that was a great read, just how I like them, forced proximity, dub-con, non-con, a bit of Stockholm Syndrome.

Maso has to take care of the injured Hael, keep him hidden and captive. Hael needs medical care or he will die. Maso is enthralled by Hael, he feels an attraction. Pity Hael hates him even his body speaks otherwise.

Absolutely captivatingly written story, with engaging characters, quite intimate. I love the focus on both men together. Every emotion was palpable. I desperately want to read more about these men, because dang they are hot.

11 – PAINT IT RED BY ALICE LA ROUX

Cam and Ronin

Pinned down in bed by a sassy boy wasn’t something Ronin expected. Cam, the boy from the fight cage, what is he doing here and how did he get into this secured house where Ronin were supposed to protect the leader. The kid is fast, one moment he’s on his knees with his mouth full and arms tight together, the next Ronin lies on his back with his legs tight and the kid is gone. How? Ronin’s head is full with Cam, he’s the enemy, he can’t be attracted to the enemy.
When Cam approaches Ronin quite injured, Ronin has to make a decision. Trust him or not.

Another great story, immensely captivating, dark, enough developed, just how I like them.

Looking back at all eleven stories of this anthology, I can conclude I loved the concept and loved the content! The stories were all wonderfully written, well worked out for short reads, and didn’t disappoint with the label dark!

 

RATING:

 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon