Sunday, March 31, 2019

March Book of the Month: In the Arms of the Beast by KA Merikan


Summary:
--- The real demons live within ---

Laurent. Time traveller. Devoted husband. Stubborn as the devil himself.
Beast. Kings of Hell MC president. Will stop at nothing to protect his family.

After everything Baal put them through, neither Laurent nor Beast considered ever making another pact with a demon, but in the spur of the moment, temptation becomes too great, and they decide on one more deal.

This time, with Mr. Magpie.

But the gift might prove to be more than they can handle. The danger to the human world has already strained their relationship, but Magpie’s offering brings out the worst in both Laurent and Beast. Confronted with each other’s flaws, they need to decide if, despite all they’ve been through together, perhaps they’re just not meant to be.

With the world on the brink of collapse, and their pact binding them in new and unexpected ways, they have to put their differences aside to stand a chance at saving their family.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS:
Themes: motorcycle club, alternative lifestyles, demons, tattoos, secrets, crime, gothic, opposites attract, biker, commitment, family, sacrifice, relationship issues, established couple
Genre: Dark, paranormal M/M romance
Content: Scorching hot, emotional, explicit scenes
Length: ~105,000 words (Book 5 in the series)

FINAL BOOK IN THE SERIES. NOT A STANDALONE.

WARNING: This story contains scenes of violence, offensive language, and morally ambiguous characters.


When a pact with Mr. Magpie is made, both Laurent and Beast have differing reactions and they are both determined and stubborn towards the pact.  Will this be one too many pacts for the Kings of Hell?

HOLY HANNAH BATMAN!  I warred with myself whether to read In the Arms of the Beast, not because I didn't want to but because I didn't want to say goodbye to this series and knowing this was the finale made me want to prolong it as long as I could.  HOWEVER, my need to know what happened to my favorite motorcycle club won out and in I jumped.  Boy am I glad I did because as I already stated: HOLY HANNAH BATMAN!!!

Now, I won't touch on the plot but I will say if you have been reading Kings of Hell MC as I have from the very beginning this is definitely one you don't want to skip because you already know how amazing this group of people are and if you haven't started or you were waiting for it to be completed to begin, well now you can and trust me you will not be disappointed.  This one starts off from where Gray's Shadow ended which means it truly grabs the readers attention from page one.  There's love, hate, twists, turns, good, bad, hope, defeat, wins. losses . . . well I think you get the idea that Arms has a little bit of everything that we've come to expect from the Kings and their enemy, Baal.  That's all you're going to get from me about the plot as everything is important and I refuse to ruin anyone's adrenaline rush that I know you'll experience as I did when reading.

Now as for Laurent and Beast, well it was a no-brainer that the series should end with the same couple we first met but don't think that doesn't mean they are the same as they were in Laurent and the Beast.  Beast is still gruff, straight forward, and takes no BS from anyone but he's also got a side that is, well I refuse to use the word "soft" because no one is going to accuse Beast of being soft and live to tell the tale, but he definitely lets his heart show more but the tough guy we've come to know and love is certainly his goto side.  As for Laurent, well he's still a bit naive when it comes to life in the 21st century but he is learning more and more every day.  One thing I found to be interesting with Laurent in book one was his love of everything plastic(don't ask me why other than its the last thing I would have thought of in a time travel storyπŸ˜‰) and though he still loves plastic, circumstances cause him to learn that not all plastic is a good thing for the future.  This is a minor element but for me it showcases the authors' talents for making the little things more than just a plot device to fill in pages and that even when characters grow they always retain a small bit of who they were.

Who knew such a dark and twist filled series good be so inviting?  Who am I kidding, of course it would be inviting.  Kings of Hell MC has a little bit of everything and I can honestly say "everything" because since book one started with some time travel it even has a little sci-fi factor(okay that might be stretching it because its down to demonic elements that the time travel occurs but I'm sticking to the "has everything" statementπŸ˜‰).  In the Arms of the Beast is a fitting end to the series, although after reading it I have to be honest that I don't think we've seen the end of this group of guys(or at least some of them) but I won't elaborate on what made me come to that decision because you'll have to discover that on your own just as I did.

In the Arms of the Beast is a win-win from beginning to end but it is definitely not a standalone.  Sure, you'd still enjoy the book if you started here without reading the first four but you'll be scratching your head and going "huh, wonder what that's about" a lot so I highly recommend reading Kings of Hell MC in order, you won't be sorry.

RATING:


A hot flash pierced Laurent and trailed all the way to his toes when Beast’s blue eyes met his. The red neon above the entrance shed a colorful glow on his powerful figure, but his face, scarred as it was, softened with tenderness. Beast hadn’t expected Laurent’s presence, but he’d appreciate it nevertheless. Laurent might not be competent at using guns or fighting, but he would support Beast as best as he could on the difficult path his man needed to walk.

When Gray started talking to Beast outside, taking away his attention, Laurent refused to wait any longer. He put his notebook away and went straight for the door, itching to put his arms around his man. He doubted thinking of Beast in such a way would ever grow old. His. Man. A concept unthinkable in year 1805, the time Laurent had left behind.

“How did it go?” he asked when Beast had finished the hurried conversation.

Beast didn’t answer at first, instead sweeping Laurent to his chest until Laurent’s feet left the asphalt. Relief was like warm water splashing down Laurent’s back, and he circled the thick, warm neck with his arms, bumping their foreheads as tenderness took root in his heart.

“We have it,” Beast whispered into Laurent’s ear.

Laurent kissed Beast with a smile, itching to see the jewel. “But are you not injured?” he asked when he spotted dried red dots on Beast’s vest.

Beast shook his head and gave Laurent another peck on the lips. If the blood wasn’t Beast’s, Laurent didn’t need to know who it belonged to.





Author Bio:
K.A. Merikan are a team of writers who try not to suck at adulting, with some success. Always eager to explore the murky waters of the weird and wonderful, K.A. Merikan don’t follow fixed formulas and want each of their books to be a surprise for those who choose to hop on for the ride.

K.A. Merikan have a few sweeter M/M romances as well, but they specialize in the dark, dirty, and dangerous side of M/M, full of bikers, bad boys, mafiosi, and scorching hot romance.


EMAIL: kamerikan@gmail.com 



In the Arms of the Beast #5
AMAZON US  /  AMAZON UK
WEBSITE  /  GOODREADS TBR

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