Saint Brothers #5
Angel
I’ve been through a lot with my brothers—from sinister politicians to stalkers and serial killers. The craziest of all has been watching them fall in love with their soulmates. Our lives are dangerous, so it’s a miracle one of us found love, let alone four. As the only one still single, I’ve accepted a future of loneliness.
Until one night, a drag show changes everything.
With a voice like an angel, legs for days, and eyes that sweep me away from my own heavy thoughts, Kona intrigues me. Everything about him makes me want to know more. He’s also in serious need of saving.
What I don’t realize is how deep the danger runs or how quickly I’ll jump into it to keep him safe in my arms.
Kona
My life is a nightmare of my own making. I had to keep my brother safe, and to do that, I accepted help from a monster. The Dead Kings Motorcycle Club is a dangerous, violent, and deadly crew. At the helm is Brick, the man who thinks he owns every part of me, and never hesitates to show me, especially when I step out of line. Sadly, this is my forever.
Until one night a Saint walks into my show, and I know he’s going to be the one to change everything.
What I don’t know is who, after the dust settles, will be the last one standing.
Last One Standing is the final book in the Saint Brothers series. While each book has a different couple, the characters in books 1-4 are important to this story. I recommend reading the series in order: Slay Ride, Kill Me Sweetly, Mine to Keep, What’s Left of Me, Last One Standing.
Last One Standing is a guaranteed HEA but there may be some sensitive subject matter, be sure to read the author’s notes at the beginning of the book.
Just, WOW!!! Last One Standing is a perfect title for this series finale. We finally get to see Angel's journey to HEA, and that's not a spoiler because no matter how dark, how much mayhem Davidson King puts her characters through, she always gives them what they deserve: love and joy.
I mentioned the perfect title and it's fit for the last single Saint but it also describes the fate the brothers may face. I won't touch on the plot too much, but as it has been all the way through, there is darkness to this tale. I may be a Jedi and light side of the Force lover but sometimes I enjoy a little dark with my romance too. I will say, yes, it's dark and a hard topic with potentially triggering effects for some, for me it's probably the least dark of the five. The domestic violence("domestic" might be pushing a bit as I don't feel Kona ever truly had the relationship feels in his heart but I can't think of a better word at the moment) is hard, is devastating, is not good to put it simply. However, I didn't quite feel the same levels of psychological terror in Last One Standing, it's there but not quite on the same level. Maybe that's just me. Having said that, it's not a bad thing to be a little less and it's definitely heart hurting and soul crushing at times just slightly "smoother around the edges".
As for Angel and Kona. Angel has always seemed to be the seen-but-not-heard brother. By that I mean, he's more action and a little less vocal in the first 4 entries, don't get me wrong, he speaks his mind just a little less than his brothers IMO. Here we get to see and hear his feelings, thoughts, and emotions which gives the reader a little more insight to a few of his scenes from the other books as well as his mindset here. Kona, what can I say about him without giving too much away? He has a heart of gold and a deep desire to protect his little brother, Pika, which is what puts him into the situation he finds himself in. Don't think I blame him for the danger and abuse he lives with because I don't, we all have to play the hand we're dealt and sometimes that means accepting help in the last place we want. Kona never expected things to spiral to where they went when he made the choices he did. I love how it's Pika that reaches out to help his big brother by taking that leap of faith with the Angel and his brothers.
I'm going to stop there before I give too much away, just know you won't be disappointed. If you've been following the Saint Brothers, then you definitely don't want to miss this finale and if you've been waiting to start till all 5 brothers' tales have been told, now you can begin and what a ride you're about to discover. Each entry is a different brother and has its own dark enemy but I personally can't imagine not reading this in order. There are characters and plot mentions from previous entries in each new book, the author does a wonderful job in filling in some details to refresh the reader's mind so you won't be truly lost but I think it's so much more enjoyable and easier to connect to the characters in order.
One last note, it doesn't seem possible that it's been nearly 3 years since we were first introduced to the Saint brothers in O Deadly Night: A Dark MM Charity Anthology. I'm so happy the author took her entry, Slay Ride, and expanded it into a full novel and this amazing series. I hate seeing this come to end but all things must, and who knows, maybe the brothers will have more tales to let the author in on down the road but for now, I will cherish these stories and enjoy reliving them for years to come both in ebook and audio.
CHAPTER ONE
ANGEL
I lived in a house with nine other people, and finding peace wasn’t easy, so when I came home from running an errand to a blessedly quiet house, I wanted to cry with joy. I loved every one of my brothers—which included Four—and their partners, but being able to sit down in the living room with a mug of coffee, a book, and silence was a rare commodity.
I rushed to the kitchen, vigilant as ever that one of them could pop up and ruin the bubble of silence. I placed a pod in the coffeemaker and while that was dripping, I went to my room to snag the book I’d been reading.
Five minutes later, I was sitting on the plush couch, drinking my java, and reading my book. This was a little slice of heaven.
“People!”
And now it was shattered.
“Where are all the people?” JJ chuckled. “Anyone catch my Drusilla impression from Buffy?” He was shouting, and no one was answering back.
If everyone was upstairs, they wouldn’t because their bedrooms were all soundproofed. There was no way I was getting away without JJ seeing me. I wasn’t in his sight yet but—
“Oh, Angel…good, good.”
“Hi, JJ.”
“Why are you so glum? Oh, wait. It’s a day ending in Y—never mind.”
“I try to like you, but you make it hard.”
JJ beamed and he turned to yell again. “Where is everyone?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t care. They aren’t here, and I was enjoying the blissful silence, but I guess dreams are made to be pulverized into the dirt when you’re around.”
JJ narrowed his eyes. “You’re extra pissy today. What’s wrong?” Of course, he decided to sit next to me. “Tell JJ. I can help you.”
“I’m fine.”
“Mmhmm. You know who says they’re fine?” He quirked a brow.
“People who are fine?”
He blew a raspberry and lightly slapped my knee. “Funny guy. People who are in fact not fine.”
“I’m not doing this with you. Why are you looking for everyone?”
JJ pursed his lips and stared at me for a second, eventually sighing. “Keep your secrets, whatever. I was looking for everyone because I have a surprise.”
“You’ll probably have to wait until dinner. You know how they all scatter.”
He nodded. “Yeah, but it’s really quiet.”
“Which is why I was taking advantage of it.”
JJ smiled. “Okay, I’ll let you be, but I’m calling a family meeting. Don’t go far—it’ll be right before dinner.”
“Can’t wait,” I deadpanned.
When he left I could’ve gone back to my book, but that was not how things worked here in this house. He would be the first domino. I closed my book but remained seated, drinking my coffee, and waited.
Two minutes later the door opened, and Gabe and Mason walked in.
“I don’t understand, Gabe. You paid for the ultimate cleaning service for your car, but you vacuumed it yourself. It’s literally part of the package.”
“He was doing it wrong.” Gabe shrugged, and Mason rolled his eyes. Then he saw me.
“Hey, Angel, what’s up?”
“JJ is calling a family meeting to take place right before dinner.”
Mason’s brow furrowed, and he looked at his watch. “That’s in like, an hour. You’re going to sit there until it’s time?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
He slowly nodded and grabbed Gabe’s hand. “Let’s leave this room, babe. Angel is being weird.”
Gabe snorted. “He’s always weird.”
I shot him the middle finger and watched as they walked up the stairs.
Next was Matt, followed by Nick, Four, Shep, Phoenix, and Noel. And soon enough the house was a cacophony of sounds, and not too long after that, the aroma of Shep’s and JJ’s cooking filled the air.
So much for quiet. I stood and went to my room to drop off my book, then to the kitchen to put my mug in the dishwasher.
I leaned against the doorjamb and watched the controlled chaos. Shep was at the stove with JJ next to him, grinning at whatever he was saying. Noel and Phoenix were at the table snapping green beans while Nick periodically grabbed one to eat, earning a smack from Matt. Mason and Gabe were peeling potatoes and playfully arguing about their car-wash situation earlier. And finally, there was Four. He was in the corner, phone in hand, his eyes on me.
When I met his gaze he lifted a brow. He was observant; JJ was too. I was bothered, uneasy, and possibly a little depressed.
Ever since Two had moved away with his family, I hadn’t been able to shake this mood. I hadn’t truly felt anything for anyone until him, and I’d thought the feeling was mutual. But as soon as he’d heard he had a family that wanted to get to know him, I’d ceased to exist.
Aziza had explained it to me. “You want a relationship with someone who barely knows who he is. His whole life, he has been a hostage—someone designed to manipulate others and kill them. Two is years away from growing a romantic attachment, and he may never. Letting him go is the best thing you could do for him right now.”
So, I did. I’d put on a happy face, told him I was proud of him, watched him get into the car with family he didn’t know and drive away.
“Everything is simmering; I need to talk to you all.” JJ broke through my memory, and I looked over at him. “We can do it here; everyone is accounted for.”
“What’s up?” Nick sat back and offered JJ an encouraging smile.
“Okay, so, you all remember when that new fancy club opened up a couple of months ago?” JJ was practically vibrating with excitement.
“There’s a new club?” Matt asked.
JJ huffed. “It’s called Stilettos and Sangria, ring any bells?”
Everyone shook their heads except Phoenix. “Oh, yeah! It’s a drag queen club, right?”
JJ beamed. “Thank you, Phoenix, yes!”
Phoenix turned to Noel. “It’s that place I told you where it’s ridiculously hard to get a reservation—apparently, the headliner has really drawn a crowd, and it’s so impossible to get in.”
“Which brings me to my surprise!” JJ shouted and Phoenix gasped. “No, don’t ruin my thunder.” He pointed to Phoenix.
Phoenix mimed zipping his lips, but he was bouncing. I hated that I had a feeling I knew what was about to come out of JJ’s mouth.
“I was able to get us all a reservation for this Friday night!”
Yup, I was right.
“Ah!” Phoenix jumped up and was clapping. Everyone else was a mix of emotions—some were happy, others either wide-eyed or indifferent, simply shrugging.
“Isn’t that family night?” Matt asked.
“Yes. It’s why I tried for a Friday. It’s the only night you all have to be here, so I knew it wouldn’t conflict with any plans or work.” Judging by his smug expression, JJ was clearly proud of himself.
“What if we don’t want to go?” We all turned to where Four was sitting. He stared unblinkingly at JJ.
“Why wouldn’t you want to go, Four?” JJ leaned his hip against the counter. “It’s supposedly an amazing show.”
“It’ll be loud, and I don’t like crowds all that much.”
JJ bit his bottom lip, but I was sure he’d convince Four. “I got us a roped-off area in the VIP section purposely because I had a feeling you’d hate being smushed by people you wouldn’t know, and there are a lot of us.”
“How’d you manage this if the place is so hard to get into?” Gabe wondered.
“I have my ways.” JJ winked. “I really think this will be so much fun.” He sighed. “Do we need to vote on it?”
“No.” Shep dropped the wooden spoon he had in his hand loudly. “You did something nice for all of us—we don’t vote on gifts.” Shep narrowed his eyes at each of us. “Do we?”
No one responded, so I figured I would. “We’ll all go. If it’s too much on Four, then we’ll deal with it when and if it happens.”
JJ’s eyes widened. “Wow, thanks, Angel. I appreciate you’re willing to give this a try.”
I lifted my shoulder. “I like theater and musicals—how different could it be?”
The room went completely silent, and I hung my head. It was going to be completely different.
Davidson King, always had a hope that someday her daydreams would become real-life stories. As a child, you would often find her in her own world, thinking up the most insane situations. It may have taken her awhile, but she made her dream come true with her first published work, Snow Falling.
She managed to wrangle herself a husband who matched her crazy and they hatched three wonderful children.
If you were to ask her what gave her the courage to finally publish, she’d tell you it was her amazing family and friends. Support is vital in all things and when you’re afraid of your dreams, it will be your cheering section that will lift you up.
Last Man Standing #5
