Risky Taste

Sinful Surrender #4

by N. Slater, Griffin Solace

For better or worse, they say.

I call bullshit.

Three years ago, I had my best friend at my side, a husband, and a dream to be the best army doctor there was. My name would be on the lips of every soldier who walked into a clinic bearing my last name.

Now?

My best friend succumbed to the demons in his head, my husband left me, and my dream of being a doctor is anything other than exciting. Nothing but the sweet taste of the alcohol can dull the pain.

Until my brother and his squad return from their tour, bringing three sinfully gorgeous but off-limit men who only want what’s best for me. With soft caresses and lingering gazes, I’m falling for three men I can’t have.
But when they are the only thing protecting me from spiraling, I cling to the love and hope they’re offering.

Between last-minute missions, possessive soldiers, and a romance that my brother will definitely not approve of, everything as I know it will be forever changed.

An 18+ Dark MMMM Military Contemporary Romance.

Genres: M M Romance, Dark, Military Fiction

Kindle Edition

First published March 20, 2025

About the author

African American. Indie Author. Chaos Writer.
Polyamorous & Found Family Stories Brought to Life.
From PRN to fantasy, contemporary to dark & twisted, there's a little something for everyone.

Reviews

[Kez Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wild ride, with some dark family drama, trauma and healing, and a sweet and supportive group romance. Poor Noah endures so much, and it seems the cause of all his agony is from someone he never expected. Sebastian, Declan and Logan are so protective, caring and obsessed, it was sweet to see them rally around Noah and give him what he needed.

[theshadyivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

General: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🫦🫦🫦

✨✨✨ Risky Taste by N. Slater (@slater.47), is a dark MMMM military contemporary romance. It is book four in her Sinful Surrender series, but can be read as a standalone. ✨✨✨

Tropes:
⚜️ Fast burn
⚜️ MMMM
⚜️ Hurt & Comfort
⚜️ Low spice
⚜️ Brothers best friend
⚜️ Protective boyfriends
⚜️ Betrayal
⚜️ Mild suspense

I absolutely adored this story and its characters, though I couldn’t help but grow to despise Noah’s family.

We meet Noah at a breaking point in his life. He’s fighting to divorce his abusive husband while struggling to stay sober amidst overwhelming mental anguish. Things take a turn for the worse when his brother returns home after a three-year deployment, bringing along his three best friends. Before they left, Noah had shared some spicy encounters with all three of them, and those feelings haven’t faded. This becomes evident as they witness the battles Noah is facing alone. Meanwhile, his brother remains completely oblivious and starts acting jealous of the attention his friends give to Noah. The situation escalates quickly, revealing a much deeper reason behind Kurts behavior.

The story is incredibly complex, weaving together a web of relationships between all the main characters. It’s deeply emotional, and I loved the way it flowed. While it’s a low-spice story, the evolving crime mystery kept me hooked from start to finish. I couldn’t put it down and finished the book in just two days.

Quotes:

“I got you, babe,” I purr into his ear as I roll him onto his back. “I’m going to show you how you should have been loved. How you should have been touched. I’m going to help you remember what it was like when it was just us and then hopefully, I’ll be the one you call next time when you need out of your head.”

“We’re not sending you there alone, Noah. God, I wish you could truly believe me when I say that we’re not going anywhere. That we will be your strength, that you can lean on us.”

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[Leilani Noack · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was good and kept me intrigued. I love Noah and felt so bad for him and all things he went through. That little twist towards the end was pretty good. I can’t wait to see what comes next!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be honest, in the past books from this author were pretty hit or miss for me, but lately everything i have read by them has been pure gold and this book is no different. The suspense and story line just pull you in and make you not ever want to stop reading. The 4 MMCs dynamic together are absolutely fantastic. I love how Sebastian, Logan, and Declan care and treat Noah. Please be sure to read the trigger warnings as there is a lot of mental health rep in this book. I would recommend this one to anyone looking for MMMM or Military romances.

[Emma Bakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do love a military man and what's better than 1 - 4!!

I really liked this. I liked the mystery element and that betrayal. I also really liked the personalities of the characters and how they all came together.

Noah has been through so much and he finally starts to get his HEA. Noah was easily my fav character, he is smart and a solider but also broken. He has struggles and they way they are showed throughout the book shows a full character development in that nothing ever goes away you learn to live with it.

I would love to see these guys again and this will be going on my reread list.

[Alexandra Kjær · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful story from N Slater. Lovable characters and hateable (is that at word) villains!

You can't help but fall for Noah, just as the rest og his men, and they are all wellwritten and relatable.

This book made me feel a lot, and it dives into a lot of darker topics, like abuse and addiction, but it doesn't take away from the story at any point.

The spice is rather subtle in this one, but the passion is ever present.

[Ashley -Goldstarreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was quite the tale. So, Noah, sweet and broken Noah has had a hard go of it the past 3 years. He married a jerk, that was abusive and refuses to give him a divorce even though he left him two years before, he battles an addiction to alcohol, his brother is a tool that doesn’t see him or his pain but is overseas for 3 years with his best friends and squadron, leaving Noah alone to suffer his PTSD, alcohol addiction and his jerk of an ex. He’s drawn to his brothers friends though, so when they return, he’s surprised to find those same three friends are drawn to him too. The problem is his brother. Kurt is a jerk too. He warns his friends off his baby bro, he doesn’t care about Noah’s feelings and suffering. But there’s something dark going on beneath the surface and it soon spirals out of control. Noah is so sweet and he fights so hard to win against his many demons. Sebastian is amazing, Logan is wonderful and Declan is broody and protective. These four are so amazing together. I will say it’s a bit of a fast fall, though there was some sparks and connections from years earlier. It is a low spice but there is some sprinkled in. Well written, engaging and intriguing. This conspiracy they uncover is twisted and there’s some angsty heartbreak. Overall a great read.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Noah and his men so much. This has been one of the best MM+ books that I have read recently. It was spicy, dark & sweet all in one nicely wrapped book! Very good if you’re looking for MM+ and military

[K Huskić · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one! An emotional journey, but one I didn't want to stop reading.

Noah was sweet and kind, but he struggled with an alcohol addiction, the death of a close friend, and his brother's complete lack of interest in his well-being.

When his brother and friends finally come home after their deployment, the friends immediately gravitate towards Noah. They can see he's hurting and they do everything they can to be there for him, and help him. They were so protective of Noah, and sweet with him.

I liked the twist to this story, the manipulation and plotting against the main characters, and how that aspect all played out.

This was another great read from this author!

[jor · Rating 5 out of 5]

N. Slater has never let me down!! This was an emotional book for me. This story explored dark themes and the family drama was insane but I appreciated the quick pace. I adored Noah and just felt for him from the beginning. The relationship between the characters was beautiful to watch grow. I love the way they took care of and comforted Noah when he needed it. I would definitely suggest reading the trigger warnings before picking this book up but it was an amazing read.

[Kim Says It's Time To Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my, this book had me freaking out the ENTIRE book!!!! The ending, what happened and who all did what, was just freaking WILD!!!! Oh man, this was so freaking good!!!!!!

[Elana Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Noah's life has been a series of disasters from a traumatic deployment and an abusive husband who refuses to divorce him. Holding him together are his brothers three best friends, Declan, Logan, and Sebastian. When they come home from a deployment Noah's brother's friends make their feelings known. Meanwhile a plot against Noah is uncovered and Noah's men do everything in their power to protect him. The dynamic between the guys is adorable and I loved their story. The overall plot was a little stressful and Noah's mental health at the beginning was not great and could be triggering to some. Spice level: 1.5

[ChristiLovesBooks_smut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Risky Taste, book 4 of the Sinful Surrender series, by N. Slater @slater.47. First off, I am a fan of Nic’s & this book was no different!

What a fantastic book about Noah, Sebastian, Declan & Logan! Tropes: Contemporary, MMMM, PTSD, Brothers Best Friends, Family Member is Abusive, Found Family & HEA!

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading this book The characters are really enjoyed the interaction and the development of the characters and storyblock.I was Engaged With a story and how well everything turned out once I started reading.I could not put this book down.This is another hit and I definitely will put this in my 2025 must read

[Heather Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't even know what to say. I started reading and couldn't put it down n.slatwr knows how to bring you into her book worlds

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[lex ❄ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This author's books have something that always make me end up loving them. I really enjoyed this one even when it's more of fast burn, usually not my thing, but the hurt/comfort element was just too well done and I couldn't help but go with flow.

The story is about Noah, he's a doctor in the middle of a divorce trying to cut ties with his ex partner because of his abusive behaviour. He receives devastating news at the beginning of the book, at the same time he notices his brother Kurt is back in the city and with him, it means that the three men -Kurt's best friends- Noah has been involved with in the past are also reappearing into his life: Sebastian, Logan and Declan. But his brother has always been serious about Noah being off limits for his friends, and everything gets more complicated when said three men offer their help and more to Noah, and he can't help but reach out to them.

I'm a sucker for N. Slater's type of MC in their h/c books. I just love the premise of a character finding comfort in others' arms after having so many past bad experiences with ex partners, finally being presented with the love and support they deserve. It's endearing in the best way, it made the book feel like a hug and provide reassurement despite all the attempts to bring them down.

I also really loved the dynamic between all, I live for the type of relationship where many characters are focused into one and want to give them the world. The element of danger at any time also added a new aspect to it, because the three guys were always ready to do anything to protect Noah. It was nice that they never crossed Noah's boundaries and used a lot of communication, giving Noah time and space when he needed them but also made sure that he was always safe. The protectiveness was over the roof and that was perfect.

Another thing I also enjoyed was the background plot and the few details of mystery. At first, I have to admit I was confused at the reason behind Kurt's opinion being taken too seriously by Noah, just because his brother would react really bad if he knew his true feelings. But then I understood, considering Noah's experiences and what happened later. I sort of guessed the truth about it, but not exactly the story behind it so that was a good surprise.

There were also a few details I wasn't fully satisfied with : the last plan one of the guys had and how it was executed didn't feel believable to me; I thought the love interests were very similar to each other, not really flashed out and I felt only Noah got development; and I was waiting for a foursome/DP scene but that never happened, it's one of the things I always look forward in MM+ books. I'm still okay with the last one though, I don't really look for smut in h/c books (I read erotica for that lol), at least it was teased.

Ultimately, things were wrapped up nicely and I appreciated the whole journey. I always say hard-earned HEAs are the best and I stand by that. I would've loved a longer epilogue or for it to be placed later in time, but overall I really loved to follow Noah's story and see him grow into a person that feels more grounded and safe with the help of his men.

-This was an ARC review.

Tags: (might miss some of them)
-POV: first person
-Content warnings: discussion of domestic violence, abusive ex husband/partner, discussion of trauma, using trauma agaisnt said person/as weapon, ptsd, grieving/mourning coercive behavior, violence, harassment
-Elements: betrayal, hurt/comfort, protective MCs, fast burn
-Sexual act(s): barebacking, creampie, blowjobs, fingering, handjobs
-Dynamic: MMM/M, three men into one guy, strict (3) top and (1) bottom, friends to lovers