Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Master of Mayhem
SERIES: Frat Wars, Book 2
AUTHOR: Saxon James
NARRATOR: Iggy Toma and Alexander Cendese
PUBLISHER: May Books
LENGTH: 6 hours and 43 minutes
RELEASE DATE: April 4, 2022
BLURB:
Bro big or bro home.
Robbie.
As social chair of Sigma Beta Psi, I’m the life of the party. It’s what I’m known for, and if it’s not fun, I’m not interested, simple as that. I’m not someone who overthinks. So, when one of my brothers hooks up with a dude from another frat house, it catches me off guard when I can’t stop thinking about them…together.
There’s only one way for me to get this obsession out of my head, and that’s by jumping in with both feet and putting it into practice. The problem is, the one guy who’s up for the ride is the last one I’d expect.
Brandon.
Being risk manager of a frat house is nobody’s idea of a good time. My brothers get annoyed when I put a damper on their plans, and wrangling drunken frat brothers isn’t how I pictured my Saturday nights of senior year. I’m bored. In a rut. Study, frat duties, planning for the future.
When is it my turn to let loose for a moment? So, when my dumb-as-bricks frat bro is scoping out the house for a little experimenting fun, I throw out the offer like it isn’t the most nerve-racking thing I’ve ever considered.
I never imagined I’d actually enjoy it.
REVIEW:
Saxon James’ second Frat Wars book, Master of Mayhem, provides exactly what it promises: mayhem. Fun, frolicking, fraternity hijinks, revelry, and juvenile antics – all hysterical but also serve a purpose. They bond a group of jocks in the Sigma Beta Psi fraternity into a brotherhood. Chad Doomsen, VP of Sigma house and star of the first book King of Thieves; Zeke, fraternity president; Robbie, the prankster extraordinaire and fraternity social chair, and Brandon, the fraternity’s risk manager. These young men, in particular, are fast friends and found family. Indeed, the best part of the book is the relationship between these four and their desire to continue their brother-like bond well after graduation, which looms imminently.
Master of Mayhem focuses on Robbie and Brandon’s best friends-to-lovers, dual bisexual awakening romance. These guys are seemingly opposites but, at heart, are pretty similar. Upon seeing Chad come out as bisexual in falling for rival fraternity member Bailey Prince, Robbie realizes he seems to be attracted to men and is determined to explore it. He’s very brash and unapologetic about it, not embarrassed to, for example, barge into Chad’s room immediately post-coitus with Bailey, to ask Chad to let Robbie touch him … Chad and Bailey give Robbie the big ixnay on that request, but Robbie unexpectedly finds a willing participant in Brandon. The circumstances of their getting together are strange, but once together, they are like fireworks, sparking and then exploding with off-the-charts chemistry.
Like King of Thieves, Master of Mayhem is delightful, low angst fare. An easy read that will have you laughing out loud. James revisits these likable, charismatic characters as she deftly crafts a thoughtfully plotted storyline around them. Its silly college fraternity friskiness will have you thinking back to your college days fondly. Despite the fairly trite premise, James, as usual, twists the tropes into something refreshing and new. I found Master of Mayhem to be even more enjoyable and satisfying than King of Thieves. And the epilogue … well, James outdid herself there.
Iggy Toma (as Brandon) and Alexander Cendese (as Robbie) are back at the mic to narrate the audiobook of Master of Mayhem. This narrator pair is a boon to any story, and this is no exception.
Cendese could not be more perfectly cast in his role as Robbie. His oft-hyper energy mirrors Robbie’s buffoonery and bold, energetic personality. In addition, Cendese uses a robust, vitality-infused delivery to convey Robbie’s determination and I-don’t-give-a-f*ck attitude. Cendese’s voice for Brandon, though, felt a bit off to me. It’s higher-toned than Robbie’s, which makes sense as Robbie is a big guy with a bigger personality, and the lower, brighter voice Cendese gives him fits. But Brandon’s voice sounds whiny at times and even a bit nasal. For me, it didn’t fit how I pictured Brandon, but YMMV. What’s notable, though, is that Cendese’s Brandon voice is quite different from Toma’s voice for Brandon, and that distinction is distracting.
Toma uses his matter-of-fact, borderline sarcastic delivery with its wry edginess to capture Brandon. Brandon is a complex personality with conflicting aspects to his character. He’s the risk manager, so he’s responsible and steadfast. Yet, at the same time, he’s a risk-taker in his expressed desire to participate in the fraternity antics and partying rather than always acting like the wet blanket, unable to join in the fun. But also in his willingness to jump in and explore his sexuality with Robbie. Toma nails Brandon’s beleaguered personality in his relationship with his girlfriend through his slower pacing and downward inflections at the end of sentences and phrases. As usual, Toma is a master of conveying emotion through his volume and intonations.
Overall, Master of Mayhem is a terrific audiobook. The story is better than the first one, and the narration is as well, except for the dissonance in Brandon’s voice. Notwithstanding, it’s an audio that’s easy on the ears and makes James’ well-written story come to life in a way that ebook form alone doesn’t.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
[…] Reviewed by Larissa […]