Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Devil’s Dance

SERIES:  Rebel Kings MC #1

AUTHOR:  Garrett Leigh

PUBLISHER:  Fox Love Press

LENGTH:  374 pages

RELEASE DATE:  February 3, 2022

BLURB:

Opposites attract. The outlaw biker and the accountant. Straightlaced vs straight to hell. Or heaven, depending on how you look at it.

And you can look at it any way you like, doesn’t mean it’s true. Either way, falling for snarky Alexei Ivanov is the lightbulb moment I’ve been waiting for my whole damn life. Or at least since my head got turned by someone else. A man I call brother, but he’s so much more than that.

I’ve loved Saint Malone for years. My loyal wingman has owned my heart so long I figured it had died of yearning for him. But Saint is as fragile as he is deadly. I don’t know how to help him until Alexei brings me to life in ways I can’t describe.

He opens my eyes, and I see them both.

I love them both.

With the weight of the underworld bearing down on me, I just gotta stay alive long enough to tell them.

Devil’s Dance is the first in a hurt/comfort, dark romance, MMM duet from the world of the Rebel Kings MC. Expect: tattoos, leather, and an enigmatic Russian hitman.

REVIEW:

Devil’s Dance is a gorgeous love story mixed with an engaging, suspenseful plot about an outlaw motorcycle club in Devon, England. This is far from a book focusing on titillating, three-way sex. This is a story, first and foremost, about committed love and the ability for it to expand beyond one partner. This praise comes from a reader (me) who doesn’t enjoy MMM – with one exception, Garrett Leigh’s Misfits. She handled the ménage so well previously that I decided to give it another try. And I loved it. 

Cam and Alexei have a preternatural draw to one another. Inevitability is a characteristic that I crave more than any other in MM romance. I turn into a swoony mess. It’s also a difficult dynamic to create – it’s ethereal and magical – but Ms. Leigh achieved it beautifully. Not only that, she successfully created a second inevitable pairing between Cam and Saint, one that’s been simmering for years and now threatens to boil over. Alexei is the catalyst that brings it all together.  

Cam is the president of the one-percenter motorcycle club, the Rebel Kings. He’s trying to take the club in a mostly legitimate direction, like his father, the former president who was murdered for trying to put an end to sex trafficking by European cartels in his territory. Cam has had enough of corruption and criminal gangs hurting his construction business, his MC brothers, and innocent people. 

“The decisions I made kept people alive or got them killed, and it was a heavy cross to bear.”

Amid the pressure and growing concerns, he takes a night off to go to a bar in Bristol to pick up. Across the room, he and “Teddy” (Alexis’s alias) lock eyes and are soon getting down and dirty in Alexei’s nearby flat, for one night only. The otherworldly bond kicks in, though, and it’s clear it was never going to be a one-off.  

Cam tries to fit in seeing Alexei when he can, but major trouble and extreme danger are brewing for the Rebel Kings. They continue to work on blocking the trafficking of underage girls, but defying powerful criminal organizations results in a bounty on Cam’s head. Alexei is more than the accountant he fronts as and he soon becomes Cam’s secret guardian angel. As he and Cam grow closer, Alexei recognizes the unexplored love Cam and Saint, his Sergeant-at-Arms, feel for each other. 

“Saint fixed his gaze on me, taking me hostage with his forest-green gaze. “I know what it’s like to see him for the first time and know you’ll never be the same again. That pain in your face when you talk about him? I see it every time I look in the goddamn mirror.” – Saint to Alexei 

If you’re unsure about trying a story with a polyamorous relationship, Devil’s Dance would serve as a worthy gateway book. As I mentioned, I like my books with very strong connections but I’ve never been able to see how that works within a throuple. I’ve tried other books that just weren’t for me – in fact, I’m generally left frustrated and sad that the third man detracts from the love building between the first two men. However, that’s just not the case here. Saint’s involvement enriches the love between Cam and Alexei because Cam and Saint’s story was already in place, just not acted on. Cam will never be fulfilled while ignoring his suppressed feelings for Saint. Alexei intuitively recognizes Cam can’t be complete without Saint, meaning he could never be his best self or the best man for Alexei, either. To love Cam means to welcome Saint into the fold, which he does generously and happily.  

Saint doesn’t get in on the bedroom action until two-thirds through the book and it becomes a lovely relationship. And let’s be real, the sex is off-the-charts hot, even though there’s not a lot between all three men. I imagine there will be lots more in Saint, the second book in the Rebel Kings duet.  

You will quickly fall in love with all three intriguing characters, each multi-layered, although I think we’ve only seen an inkling of Saint’s backstory and motivation so far. I can’t wait to delve further into his development in book two. The men don’t live in a vacuum: the other MC brothers figure prominently in the exciting and compelling battle against multiple enemies. The supporting cast is outstanding and I look forward to reading more about them, as well. I’m pleased to report the book does not end on a cliffhanger, although it’s clear there’s a continuing story to follow. It’s going to be a long four months until we get the conclusion. *sigh* If you love Garrett Leigh, love MMM, or are thinking about giving it a try, don’t hesitate to indulge in Devil’s Dance. 

RATING: 

BUY LINK: 

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