Reviewed by Cindy
TITLE: Lightning Born
SERIES: Monsters & Mayhem Book 1
AUTHOR: Sam Burns
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 177 Pages
RELEASE DATE: September 23, 2022
BLURB:
He wakes with fire in his veins, and at first, that pain is all he knows. He is born of obsession, magic, and the storm raging above his creator’s laboratory.
They tell him that his name is Davidson, or Davy Dearest, the beloved of the doctor who brought him back to life.
He cannot speak when he wakes, but the doctor doesn’t seem to mind. Perhaps because it keeps him from saying that he doesn’t remember a life before waking up. Keeps him from saying that he doesn’t feel anything but fear for the doctor. But the doctor’s assistant, Gio, seems to understand. He’s always there to help, to reteach the things Davidson has forgotten with patience and kindness.
But if he really is Davy, love of the doctor’s life, then why is he drawn more and more to the kind, quiet Gio? As clues from Davy Dearest’s life start to pile up, the picture they paint is more grim than he could have imagined, and it sets Davidson and Gio on a dangerous path to freedom and redemption.
Lightning Born is an MM horror retelling of Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus, as part of the collaboration Monsters & Mayhem: An MM Horror Collection, adapting some of your favorite classic horror stories with an MM romance twist. It contains themes darker than the average Sam Burns book, including suicide, so take care and keep that in mind before you dive in!
REVIEW:
Davidson wakes up not knowing quite what happened to him, but he knows something isn’t right with the story being told to him. He may not be sure what his name is, but he knows what it isn’t.
The premise of this story is familiar and unique at the same time. Dr. Frankenstein and his monster are familiar to us all, but what if the real monster wasn’t the man who was brought back to life?
Sam Burns does a great job of giving us a character we can empathize with. Davidson finds himself in a very strange situation and is unsure of how to feel about being brought back from the dead.
Geo is a man who just wants to do something to make things better for humanity and instead finds himself in a situation that has gotten really out of control.
Rocky doesn’t know who she is or where she came from, but has more guts and spunk than Dr. Grant knows what to do with.
And Dr. Grant? What is his story? Why is he doing things that many people would consider to be so wrong?
I found so much about this story interesting. It kept me reading long after I should have gone to bed because I couldn’t bear to put the book down. I enjoy that it’s a modern story as it adds another element of intrigue to the plot. The reader spends all their time in Davidson’s head and it was very compelling to watch him work through everything that had happened to him.
My only complaint about this story is that it should have been a little longer. I would have loved to have seen some more build up in tension. It always makes the climax so much sweeter! I would have like to have gotten to know Davidson a little better and I’m kind of mean because I feel like he should have struggled a little more with the craziness going on around him.
I will be checking out the stories in this series. I’m always up for something that’s old and new at the same time. I’ve read Sam Burns before and they are turning out to be a good, reliable author who always keeps me interested in the story they are telling.
RATING: 
BUY LINK: