What do you think?
Rate this book
The Darkmourn Universe Collection -Discreet Edition: Books One to Three
This Darkmourn Universe *omnibus edition* contains the first THREE Lord of Eternal Night, King of Immortal Tithe and Alpha of Mortal Flesh It is all three books bound as one , large manuscript.
Lord of Eternal Night - is a complete, M/M *stand-alone novel*, inspired by Beauty and the Beast & Dracula… with added bite.
Jak’s life has only one meaning; break the curse or die trying. Marius’s life has no meaning; not since he was cursed into the twisted, bloodthirsty creature of night.
For years the witches have waited for their salvation, a way to return the magic that was sacrificed when the curse was first cast. Jak, a boy born with power that the witches have not seen in a century, is their prophesied saviour.
The one who is to kill the creature, break the curse and restore magic to his coven
Sent to the creature’s castle as the final Claim, Jak must get close enough to land the final blow. It is what he has trained all his life to accomplish. Not all is as it seems when Jak uncovers secrets and half-truths. The creature is not the haunting beast he had been brought up to hate. Emotions war as new feelings are uncovered. For what is more dangerous than hate? Lust.
King of Immortal Tithe - is a complete, M/M *stand-alone novel*, inspired by Hades x Persephone... but if Hades fell in love with Persephone's brother instead. Human. Arlo Grey will do anything to fend off the sickness that longs to destroy him. To uphold the promise he made to his parents, ensuring the protection of his sister from the world and its dangers. Especially if the dangers come in the form of elves from a realm beyond that of the human world. Elf. Faenir Evelina is scorned for the murder of his family. Forced by the bitter Queen to partake in the Choosing, he discovers a single person who can resist the deadly grace of his touch. It has been many years since the vampiric disease spread wildly across Darkmourn, making humans a rarity. And protection from the undead comes at a cost, one that Arlo is forced to pay when he is stolen by the Prince of Death. Arlo finds himself tangled in a web of secrecy, family politics and unbridled magic when he comes face to face with the impending doom... his truth.
Alpha of Mortal Flesh - is a fantastical and spicy reimagining of the Red Riding Hood tale except if Red was Riding the Big Bad Wolf Witch . To Darkmourn, Rhory Coleman is married to the Head of the Crimson Guard - when in reality, his husband is nothing but a monster. Since his mother was brutally murdered by rogue vampires, and his father died of a broken mind - Rhory was left in the hands of someone who was supposed to love him. Someone who vowed to protect him actually threatens his existence with every breath. Rhory must hide his innate powers alongside the bruises left by the hand of his husband. Until everything changes when a mysterious summons requests Rhory's 'unique talent'. He finds himself standing before a paranormal threat, one unlike anything Darkmourn has seen before. Wolf . Calix Grey is a monster. Everything has been taken from him. His brother, his parents, his heart. He has nothing left to fight for - until fate comes knocking on his door. He believes Rhory Coleman is the key to ensuring his brother is returned home - but is the price to pay worth the pain? After years of peace between the mortal and immortals of Darkmourn - the Crimson Guard are corrupted by those who are clouded by dark pasts. Murders are left unsolved. Family secrets are tangled in a web of iron. And it will take those who lost everything to discover their truth. Even if that means unleashing a dangerous creature into the streets of their home.
Lord of Eternal Night - is a complete, M/M *stand-alone novel*, inspired by Beauty and the Beast & Dracula… with added bite.
Jak’s life has only one meaning; break the curse or die trying. Marius’s life has no meaning; not since he was cursed into the twisted, bloodthirsty creature of night.
For years the witches have waited for their salvation, a way to return the magic that was sacrificed when the curse was first cast. Jak, a boy born with power that the witches have not seen in a century, is their prophesied saviour.
The one who is to kill the creature, break the curse and restore magic to his coven
Sent to the creature’s castle as the final Claim, Jak must get close enough to land the final blow. It is what he has trained all his life to accomplish. Not all is as it seems when Jak uncovers secrets and half-truths. The creature is not the haunting beast he had been brought up to hate. Emotions war as new feelings are uncovered. For what is more dangerous than hate? Lust.
King of Immortal Tithe - is a complete, M/M *stand-alone novel*, inspired by Hades x Persephone... but if Hades fell in love with Persephone's brother instead. Human. Arlo Grey will do anything to fend off the sickness that longs to destroy him. To uphold the promise he made to his parents, ensuring the protection of his sister from the world and its dangers. Especially if the dangers come in the form of elves from a realm beyond that of the human world. Elf. Faenir Evelina is scorned for the murder of his family. Forced by the bitter Queen to partake in the Choosing, he discovers a single person who can resist the deadly grace of his touch. It has been many years since the vampiric disease spread wildly across Darkmourn, making humans a rarity. And protection from the undead comes at a cost, one that Arlo is forced to pay when he is stolen by the Prince of Death. Arlo finds himself tangled in a web of secrecy, family politics and unbridled magic when he comes face to face with the impending doom... his truth.
Alpha of Mortal Flesh - is a fantastical and spicy reimagining of the Red Riding Hood tale except if Red was Riding the Big Bad Wolf Witch . To Darkmourn, Rhory Coleman is married to the Head of the Crimson Guard - when in reality, his husband is nothing but a monster. Since his mother was brutally murdered by rogue vampires, and his father died of a broken mind - Rhory was left in the hands of someone who was supposed to love him. Someone who vowed to protect him actually threatens his existence with every breath. Rhory must hide his innate powers alongside the bruises left by the hand of his husband. Until everything changes when a mysterious summons requests Rhory's 'unique talent'. He finds himself standing before a paranormal threat, one unlike anything Darkmourn has seen before. Wolf . Calix Grey is a monster. Everything has been taken from him. His brother, his parents, his heart. He has nothing left to fight for - until fate comes knocking on his door. He believes Rhory Coleman is the key to ensuring his brother is returned home - but is the price to pay worth the pain? After years of peace between the mortal and immortals of Darkmourn - the Crimson Guard are corrupted by those who are clouded by dark pasts. Murders are left unsolved. Family secrets are tangled in a web of iron. And it will take those who lost everything to discover their truth. Even if that means unleashing a dangerous creature into the streets of their home.
776 pages, Paperback
Published October 20, 2023
1 person is currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Ben Alderson
36 books14.4k followersBen Alderson is a #1 Amazon bestselling author. His stories are set in fantasy worlds filled with magic, adventure and MM romance. Ben lives in Oxfordshire and, when not writing, can be found reading, taking Winston - his Labrador - out for long walks, or obsessing over Marvel’s The Scarlet Witch.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 23, 2024
0. The look
(+) I wanted to read these books for a while but I didn't want covers with people, let alone scarcely dressed men in suggestive poses on my bookshelf. This version is really pretty, including decorated chapter papers.
1. Book One
(+) A lot of recognisable elements of Beauty And The Beast integrated in original story.
(+) The end of the book has considerably more drive and plot than the rest, and I enjoyed reading it.
(+) Marius was an interesting character
(-) Best way to describe the MC is obnoxious little prick. He was shallow and only able to think of one thing at a time. Every time a new thing came to his attention, he forgot about everything else. Additionally, he was bratty and the supposed character growth fell flat.
(-) Everything was pretty on the nose. There were no surprises because the 'hints' weren't subtle, and I could guess the ending and 'revelations' too early for any suspense to build.
(-) Where was the starting tension coming from? It was definitely not from the long and deep conversation the protagonists were not having until way too late.
(-) How can you miss the amount of days gone by while having sex? I just cringed a lot while reading certain parts.
(-) The non-existent editing. Missing words, doubled paragraphs, grammatical errors. A lot of them. Repetitive and redundant wording and sentence structure.
(☆) 2
2. Book Two
(+) Quite an interesting plot. I wanted to know what would happen next.
(+) I liked Faenir and the depth that was build for his character. I was looking forward to uncovering his background and motivations. (Minor issue, see below)
(-) As soon as the physical relationship developed, the book lost plot drive. It got better again later on. Also, sex in public is a big No for me.
(-) Faenir's unjustified cruelty at the beginning. Didn't fit his character, was never really discussed or resolved.
(-) Arlo's suddenly shifting motivations without much provocation or trigger. He seemed to jump on ideas sometimes. I would have like a bit more reasoning.
(-) Plot holes and inconsistencies until the end.
(-) Rushed ending. It didn't really connect well and felt a bit constructed.
(-) The editing is better, but still not good.
(☆) 2.5
3. Book Three
(+) Big improvement in the story. Not as linear or just going from point A to B. There were more characters with their own comprehensible motivations that wove into each other and formed a more rounded narrative.
(+) I liked how Rhory was written (with just minor issues). There was more depth regarding backstory, emotional build-up and development.
(+) The writing was way better than in the previous books. The characters had more agency, it was more intricate and not as predictable...
(-) ... but it was still not great. The storytelling relied heavily on the mystery-box-principle instead of keeping the reader's attention by being involved in the characters and events. Sure it keeps your interest up but for the wrong reasons.
(-) Characters not giving information for no reason but holding off the big mystery-box-reveal. There were so many points where I was hoping for solid reasons why people couldn't tell Rhory things, but the only ones I got were "I don't want to talk about it" and "Now is not a good time.".
(-) While Rhory was quite well-developed - even though his ambitions and wants were all over the place and constantly changing - Calix was pretty shallow. He's got the odd flashback here and there, but I fully couldn't really connect to him and ultimately didn't care about him.
(-) Not a real minus, but the title is atrocious. Makes it sound like bad fan fiction.
(☆) 3.5
4. Conclusion
The whole series goes from mediocre to good fan fiction. The idea of a retelling inspired series is nice, but the execution falls flat. It's something you can probably get for free on ao3. If you have €30 to spend on passable writing with some good scenes and enjoy queer fantasy than go for it, but don't expect much more than superficial entertainment.
(+) I wanted to read these books for a while but I didn't want covers with people, let alone scarcely dressed men in suggestive poses on my bookshelf. This version is really pretty, including decorated chapter papers.
1. Book One
(+) A lot of recognisable elements of Beauty And The Beast integrated in original story.
(+) The end of the book has considerably more drive and plot than the rest, and I enjoyed reading it.
(+) Marius was an interesting character
(-) Best way to describe the MC is obnoxious little prick. He was shallow and only able to think of one thing at a time. Every time a new thing came to his attention, he forgot about everything else. Additionally, he was bratty and the supposed character growth fell flat.
(-) Everything was pretty on the nose. There were no surprises because the 'hints' weren't subtle, and I could guess the ending and 'revelations' too early for any suspense to build.
(-) Where was the starting tension coming from? It was definitely not from the long and deep conversation the protagonists were not having until way too late.
(-) How can you miss the amount of days gone by while having sex? I just cringed a lot while reading certain parts.
(-) The non-existent editing. Missing words, doubled paragraphs, grammatical errors. A lot of them. Repetitive and redundant wording and sentence structure.
(☆) 2
2. Book Two
(+) Quite an interesting plot. I wanted to know what would happen next.
(+) I liked Faenir and the depth that was build for his character. I was looking forward to uncovering his background and motivations. (Minor issue, see below)
(-) As soon as the physical relationship developed, the book lost plot drive. It got better again later on. Also, sex in public is a big No for me.
(-) Faenir's unjustified cruelty at the beginning. Didn't fit his character, was never really discussed or resolved.
(-) Arlo's suddenly shifting motivations without much provocation or trigger. He seemed to jump on ideas sometimes. I would have like a bit more reasoning.
(-) Plot holes and inconsistencies until the end.
(-) Rushed ending. It didn't really connect well and felt a bit constructed.
(-) The editing is better, but still not good.
(☆) 2.5
3. Book Three
(+) Big improvement in the story. Not as linear or just going from point A to B. There were more characters with their own comprehensible motivations that wove into each other and formed a more rounded narrative.
(+) I liked how Rhory was written (with just minor issues). There was more depth regarding backstory, emotional build-up and development.
(+) The writing was way better than in the previous books. The characters had more agency, it was more intricate and not as predictable...
(-) ... but it was still not great. The storytelling relied heavily on the mystery-box-principle instead of keeping the reader's attention by being involved in the characters and events. Sure it keeps your interest up but for the wrong reasons.
(-) Characters not giving information for no reason but holding off the big mystery-box-reveal. There were so many points where I was hoping for solid reasons why people couldn't tell Rhory things, but the only ones I got were "I don't want to talk about it" and "Now is not a good time.".
(-) While Rhory was quite well-developed - even though his ambitions and wants were all over the place and constantly changing - Calix was pretty shallow. He's got the odd flashback here and there, but I fully couldn't really connect to him and ultimately didn't care about him.
(-) Not a real minus, but the title is atrocious. Makes it sound like bad fan fiction.
(☆) 3.5
4. Conclusion
The whole series goes from mediocre to good fan fiction. The idea of a retelling inspired series is nice, but the execution falls flat. It's something you can probably get for free on ao3. If you have €30 to spend on passable writing with some good scenes and enjoy queer fantasy than go for it, but don't expect much more than superficial entertainment.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 of 1 review