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Overkill

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Declan Morrison is a man of self-control. As the semi-reluctant leader of the up and coming rock band, Station Zero, he is forced to be the responsible front man keeping the boys in line. But responsibility comes at a price and that price is often lonely.

When Tate Newman walks into an audition as Station Zero's new drummer, he turns Declan's world upside down and forces him to question his boundaries and restrictions.

The want, the need and the drive to be more to Tate than his front man leads Declan down a path of deception, lies and the possibility of never having what he wants most in life.

Can six months on the road with Tate make him lose control, or will it all be... overkill.

105 pages, ebook

First published August 29, 2014

122 people want to read

About the author

Elizabeth Daniels

4 books13 followers
Elizabeth Daniels is the possible made up persona of a girl who loves love and loves to read about love.

Elizabeth is a wife and mother who lives in the desert valley of Southern California surrounded by gorgeous mountains that are covered with bright orange poppies every spring. She shuffles a home full of boys and finds it unnerving to be the minority in the house most of the time. She loves animals, doesn’t eat them, and has rescued the three canines that lay at her feet as she writes.

She recently took her love of boys who love boys on a challenge to let the characters out of her head and tell their own stories.

She is taking a chance at this thing called writing, when she is not busy being lost in a book.

She may be crazy.
She may be brilliant.
She may be trying not to talk about herself in the third person because it’s pretentious and creepy.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
Profile Image for SheReadsALot.
1,861 reviews1,266 followers
September 7, 2014


For reals, yo. Know why?

I really love musician romances. I spent my formative MM years (I've been reading MM/Slash for probably over half my life) on musician fan fiction stories. Who knows how many hours I spent poring through endless websites and live journals looking for the next greatest story?

Let me tell you, I have found plenty of duds in my time. And then a winner like "Overkill" gets discovered and I'm all happy. This is not fan fic. However, my feelings for this one is reminiscent of back then and...I'm excited as fuck right now, yo.

Don't let the no sex tag scare you away, this story is delicious. To me, when a story has no sexy times, you must rely on interesting characters and a kickass story as this one delivers.

Declan and Tate are band mates for Station Zero - the frontman and drummer respectively. They both gay but have to hide their sexual orientation from the public. But their attraction can ignite matches and cause fires. The reader gets to accompany Station Zero while these two deny themselves, while going on tour as an opener and on the precipice of signing a contract. So what could go wrong?

*smirks*

"Overkill" gives good UST. And I revel in good UST.
"The need was pouring off the man in waves, and Tate was drowning in it."

Let's cheer for Unresolved Sexual Tension,one time?



The tension is oh so thick, you could slice it with a knife. Mmm...*groans with a full mouth*



You want some?

The boys go through some of the big misunderstanding/ I'm-not-gonna- tell-you-the-full-story-because-I-care-for-you trope. I happen to enjoy the hell out of that trope. Plus, there are interesting secondary characters namely the resident ladies' man, Chuck and Keith. Keith's quiet but I like the silent ones.

I can't choose which main character I preferred more. Declan isn't a hugger except for pets and kids which I adore and Tate is patient, sweet and rocks a suit hotly. I like them equally. Yes, they make bonehead moves but who doesn't make mistakes now and again. It's the end results that counts. ;)

This is me now:



Just rolling around and smiling in my musician romance squee. It was cute, sexy and fun.

My thanks to the author and the team behind this story!

Recommended for lovers of UST, musician romances and first time MM readers (I think this one can break you in nice).
Profile Image for Ami.
6,239 reviews489 followers
December 11, 2014
I promised the author that I would give my honest opinion -- although I always do that :). But still, since I kind of think of the author as a friend, I need to state that. And because of that, this review would be kind of long because I tried to be as clear and 'constructive' (for lack of better term, because I think constructive criticism is not reader's role) about it.

You've been warned :)

It thought it started good.... and intriguing. The prologue, especially, made me excited to find out what happened between Declan and Tate. What made Tate said all those things being his fault and ended it with "“You, Declan. I want you.” ... Did Tate do something? Did Tate withhold himself from being in a relationship with Declan. Intriguing!!

But then, well, I had issues ... several of them. Duly noted, I thought Elizabeth Daniel's writing is good and I did like her boys. Ms. Daniels seemed to write the things she loved by heart and it did show. So what was wrong with it, for me, then?

Since it had to do with the story plot, I had to put under spoiler tag



In conclusion, it was quite strong in the beginning but personally it faltered after awhile. Having said that, I thought this was a nice start from Ms. Daniels. I know that she had another story in the works from this event and I'd love to read about that one as well.
Profile Image for Lori.
Author 2 books100 followers
October 12, 2014
What did I think? I'll do a proper review when I'm not visiting family but I have been DYING for people to read this story. I was lucky enough to beta for Elizabeth Daniels and I have been so eager for this story to be released.

I'm not usually a fan of band stories, but I fell in love with these boys. If UST is something you like in a story the this is the one for you. It is so hot at times. SO HOT. It has everything I love in a story, great characters, a good storyline and beautiful writing.

I will review properly soon but just know I loved this story.


ETA:

Okay, so I'm back and ready to tell you all exactly what I loved about this story.

Firstly, I would say that Elizabeth took the prompt and delivered, whilst making the story completely her own. Her characters are wonderful (Chuck, *growls*) and they each shine in their own light.

For the umpteenth time since he met Tate Newman, Declan thought about how screwed he was and how much he was starting not to care.

The two MC's are Declan and Tate, and I can't remember a time when I wanted two people to get together more. From day one the need and want they have for each other is evident. It's just there, bubbling under the surface and boy was this apparent in the writing.

Band stories are so not my thing, I'm not that interested in music and famous/wealthy MC's generally do nothing for me...with this book though I totally made an exception. I read it to help a friend with her story - I stayed because I could not walk away from these characters. I think it's because in this book passion is evident. The passion of the writer for her characters, the passion of the characters for what they're doing and who they are. The passion of a story that needs to be told.

Declan annoyed me at times - he really did. I mean, talk about bullheaded...yet, I understood him. I could see why he was making the decisions he did. Even when it came to there being a I could deal with it. It was there for a reason - the character's reason and not just to get from A-B in the story. ED took another trope I dislike and turned it on it's head.

The UST..yep, I mentioned it before, but I need to mention it again. It was hot. If UST is something you like then you need to read this story...the pay-off is SO worth it.

I don't want to get all spoilery so I'm stopping there...of course I couldn't not mention the beautiful cover, another amazing one from the talented Natasha Snow. The retro record cover vibe is just perfect for this story, and showcases artist and writer working together inordinately well.

Just one last reminder - Chuck is MINE. So hands off!

Chuck swallowed and nodded. “Got it, boss. Only be the bad boy in private.”

*growls* Yes Chuck, that's right!

Now available FREE at Smashwords. If UST is your thing then this is the story for you. https://www.smashwords.com/library
Profile Image for Catherine.
1,611 reviews271 followers
March 26, 2015
I really enjoyed this story.

I mean, what's not to love about two sexy, driven individuals falling in love (especially when those men are friggin' rock stars!)? Am I right? (I know I'm right.)

The story started off strong. The author plopped her readers into the middle of a pretty intense conversation between our two main characters, Declan and Tate, punched us in the heart with a simple, frustrated, lay-my-heart-bare type statement from Tate, and then left us hanging as she whisked us back in time seven months to introduce us to her characters and the first revelation that would set everything else in motion. As far as storytelling devices go, it's a favourite of mine, and I felt that it was very well done in this instance.

Of course, the characters are the heart of any story, and both Declan and Tate were incredibly endearing. I loved Declan's passion for music and his commitment to the success of the band and the happiness and security of his bandmates, but it was Tate's sweet nature and healthy self-confidence that I was most drawn to. They were kinda the perfect foil for one another. It's really no wonder why the UST in this story was off the charts.

And, given their careers as musicians and the fact that they were still doing their best to break into an industry which is extremely image conscious and sales-driven, the story's main conflict felt entirely authentic.

But, as much as I enjoyed its premise, characters, and conflict, the story wasn't perfect by any means. There were some undeniably awkward POV changes, and a few instances that felt as if there was a sentence or two missing. This caused some of the transitions between thoughts or sentences to feel a little abrupt or disjointed. There was also that bit with the mime that, despite reading it twice to be sure, still didn't entirely make sense to me. Honestly, I'm not sure if that was as a result of a lack of clarity in the writing or me being obtuse while I was reading it. *shrugs* Could go either way.

Overall, though, I thought that Overkill was a really solid debut effort from this author.

Of course, when you set an intensely romantic moment to my second favourite song from one of my very favourite albums of all time (and then toss in a reference to one of my favourite fluffy M/M books for good measure), you kinda have an unfair advantage. Chances are I'm gonna love the hell out of it. And I did. A lot. :D

My thanks to one of my favourite gingers for participating in the Love's Landscapes event (not once, but twice!) and for all of the behind-the-scenes work that editors, beta readers, and the MM Group Mods put into making this FREE event a massive success!
Profile Image for Natasha.
547 reviews249 followers
September 9, 2014


I don't recall the last story I read that had so much damn UST. Which obviously is a good thing.

Spoiler free, for a change.

I also don't read a lot of M/M stories about musicians, but this one just sounded too good to pass up. So many times I yelled at my iPad. Well, sometimes I was shocked and squeaked at it, but for the most part I just wanted them to touch wieners immediately. But where's the satisfaction in that? I felt like from the first intense moments of the story, Declan and Tate were just constantly eye-fucking each other, but couldn't act on it. All looky, no touchy.

Another great thing about this story is that the information pertaining to music, instruments, the way they work, etc. is accurate, and this matters to me. It's all in the details, people. I know some shit about music and instruments, okay? Accuracy and clarity is extremely important, and Daniels carries through.

I felt like Daniels had a lot of deeply rooted meaning in the imagery here. I think Declan had some issues... the author incorporates the useage of space a lot. I felt like when Declan had a lot, he wanted less, and when he had none, he wanted more. It was like he was uncomfortable within his own skin. It was kind of sad. :( I'm assuming that came from his parents behavior.

“I want you, but more than that, Declan― I want you to find the space to take what you want.” Tate smiled sadly. “With or without me, I want that for you so much it hurts.”


Okay. I'm delving too deep and I need this to be a spoiler-free review. Right. Right.

I think this story was fantastically enjoyable, and frustrating, which added to my enjoyment of it. I also thought that the ending was perfect for these two characters. I didn't want any more, and I was given just enough.

I'd recommend this (and am) to all my friends.

This squid about sums it up:

Profile Image for Sunny.
1,012 reviews126 followers
February 26, 2015
Laughter, heartache, goo, exasperation, and overheating...I experienced it all while reading this story.

I really liked the sexual tension between Declan and Tate, and all the sexy details showing their attraction to each other. Collarbones, glasses, forearms...mmm...
And I'm still smiling over that meet cute :)

The dialogue was well done, and I enjoyed the banter between the bandmates. I didn't like the communication issue, though, or the conflict that came with it. I was not happy with Declan.

The time jumps and flashbacks were a little disorienting and a lot happened off page or through the flashbacks, but it didn't bother me overmuch.

A steamy story with moments of unexpected humor that relieved the more angst-filled times.

I liked it.
A lot :)
Profile Image for Jenni Lea.
801 reviews301 followers
omg-cant-wait-to-read
August 29, 2014

I was fortunate to have the privelege of beta reading/editing this one. I can't wait to read the finished product!

The UST is through the roof! :D
Profile Image for Ann.
1,452 reviews135 followers
September 1, 2014
The author nailed the prompters request for UST and she nailed it hard! Declan is such a strong character and Tate is just too charming for words. I loved their story and both hated and loved their frustration, which is quite the point with the UST I believe. I would read more about these two in a heartbeat, loved it!
Profile Image for Jeanne 'Divinae'.
994 reviews17 followers
August 29, 2014
This was a good story, that has lots of sexual tension.
Declan is the front man of his band. They are/were on tour, as the opening band. They are hoping to get signed onto a label themselves. He is their manager(even though they have one…). He takes on tall the responsibilities. All is going okay, until their drummer ups and quits right before tour. In comes, Tate. He is a sexy, bad-ass drummer and he is Declan’s wet dream. Then he finds out he is also gay, but unlike Declan isn’t out to the public.

The sexual tension is thick enough to slice with a knife. It is strong throughout the whole story. Declan almost messes everything up with no repair after a ‘scandal’ arises involving the two of them.

Profile Image for Jennifer☠Pher☠.
2,970 reviews273 followers
September 9, 2014
Yeah!! This was great. I devoured the story and when it ended I just wanted more. I laughed out loud and smiled like a lunatic. Just great. Talented people amaze me :)

Read.

Thank you Elizabeth Daniels for this free story and thanks to all the other authors who participated in this event.

Profile Image for Kristan.
379 reviews41 followers
September 3, 2015
Overkill is sweet, sexy, and filled with sexual tension. The UST was very well written and is a hot button for me. (I adore UST stories).

Declan is the leader of the rock band Station Zero. He's openly gay, and sometimes as a result from being in the public eye, he takes flak because of it. He doesn't want that for the new drummer, the incredibly sexy and also gay, Tate, so he strongly encourages Tate to stay in the closet. (From what I remember he didn't really consider Tate's opinion on the matter). They head out to tour for a 6 month run and half way through, these two men can't stop staring at each other. They share a date and as a result, management and Declan come to an agreement that for the good of the band and their future, Declan and Tate can't be together. The next 3 months are filled with regrets, longing looks, and missed opportunity.

This unfortunately fell into the misunderstanding category and I couldn't fully recover from it. There were major moments that took place off page; the ending of the relationship before it began, and the eye opening conversation that led Declan to changing his feelings.

Oddly enough, the one thing that most people have issue with is the one thing I found to be very endearing: Tate being scared of the mime. I thought it was cute and made for a memorable and tender moment on their first date and is one of the main reasons I would re-read this story. That and the sexual tension - which was very well done.

A sweet, sexy, well written musician read.
My thanks to the author for their time and participation in the Loves Landscapes event.
Profile Image for Marcy.
549 reviews
September 12, 2014
I really like Tate and Declan. ...and their story.

Of course I was frustrated with Declan on several occasions because he wouldn't just talk to Tate but I feel that the author managed the pacing well. I've read some stories where the 'miscommunication' trope becomes agony and ridiculous, and I was a little anxious that that would be the case in this story. I was happy for that not to be so.

Their chemistry and UST sucked me in...and I just wanted them to kiss dammit. lol! Even better though was the sweetness...the longing looks and emotional connection.

And I love a sweet HEA, which was delivered in this story.

So...are we going to get a story for Daniel? Pretty please? EDIT ***Oops! I meant Chuck! I NEED Chuck's story!!!!

Profile Image for Yajaira.
79 reviews16 followers
September 17, 2014
I really liked this story! I normally don't like shorts because I'm a greedy reader, (no, really I am) but Overkill was super cute! I thought the writing was well done, the sexual tension was awesome. There were even a few lines from Declan's internal dialogue that had me groaning, they were so sexy! The music stuff was really cool too. I don't know shit about it, but I like that it felt as if the author really knew her music.

Now I need to nag the author about writing those two poor boys a fuckawesome sex scene!
Profile Image for Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~.
1,893 reviews139 followers
September 2, 2018
2.5 stars

*sigh* I am in a reading funk these last few books as I try to get some of these lingering Love's Landscapes stories off my TBR list. This one is no exception.

It had such a promising start too. UST? Musicians? On the road and constantly in cramped places where they can't act out their feelings? It was building up pretty good, despite the insta-lusting, and I was starting to feel some of the UST. Then the Thing happened, some almost-scandal that caused one character to willfully lie to the other and keep them in the dark for Their Own Good. Or in this case, the Band's Own Good. And sorry, but that just wasn't a good enough reason for Declan to lie to Tate for months about why they couldn't be together. I get that the author needed to draw out the UST, but there were plenty of other ways to do that without going there. And for a dude so worried about public perception for The Sake of the Band, Declan sure is into voyeurism. Makes no sense. Then Tate has this over the top reaction when he learns about the lie and that pretty much killed any interest I had in their relationship.

And look, I'm not usually one to complain about lack of sex scenes or fade to black. I actually tend to prefer that in most cases. But there's an expectation when it comes to UST that we actually get to see them resolve their unresolved sexual tension. No such luck here. If I had still cared by that point, I would've been frustrated, but instead I just shrugged and was thankful the book was almost over.

This author also has a weird relationship with commas. They're not there when they should be, but she makes up for it by occasionally throwing one where it doesn't belong. The secondary characters weren't really fleshed out, and some of the scenes had some strange jumps in them. Some editing would've helped with that.
Profile Image for Pixie.
1,227 reviews17 followers
July 26, 2015
2.5 rounded up. I love rock star books and I love m/m so imagine my delight in seeing this little gem AND it was FREE!!!! Glee, yup that is the only word that could describe the joy I felt. I saw the warning that there would be NO SEX but I also read about how the sexual tension was so good it almost didn’t matter. Everything I read was spot on. I loved the boys - Declan and Tate, I loved the buildup, the desire they both felt for each other but tried to deny because they didn’t want it affecting the band. I didn’t like it BUT I got it because seriously they were right. Two band members fucking is all kinds of wrong, ends in devastation and band breakups. Plus for the other band members it’s awkward, seriously no sex on the bus is a good rule…no exceptions.

I think what this book suffered from was lack of pages. There were huge jumps in time and glossing over what should have been detailed events and conversation for the sake of trying to get the whole story worked out in 100 or so pages. Even them getting together was a brief two pages or something like that. The epilogue was nine months later and shows them as an established couple. I felt the good parts were rushed and I was cheated. This could have been so much more…
Profile Image for Mirjam.
1,890 reviews112 followers
November 25, 2017



“Just kiss me, Tate. I need you to kiss me.”

A short story that managed to make you feel the unresolved sexual tension between Declan & Tate, it was just so palpable.

It is lust at first sight for both of them that gradually grows into something much deeper and stronger but Declan is ordered to stay away from Tate by their manager, telling Tate “We are friends. Nothing more. I had a good time. I’m sorry if you misread any of my actions last night as me wanting anything romantic with you. You’re a great guy, but I’m not interested.”
Still the two just kept constantly eye-fucking each other while maintaining their silent treatment.



This is a quick, entertaining but a bit frustrating read, with the lack of communication on Declan's part. I did like the ending , it wasn't OTT sweet, the guys just still being themselves.
Profile Image for elstaffe.
1,269 reviews4 followers
Read
February 20, 2023
Pull quote/note
"he touch was feather light, but it seared Tate. He was certain it would leave a permanent mark. If his brain function capability worked, he would remember to check for it later." (116/155) this could be just an editing error but I prefer to think that we are so in Tate's head and he is so weight that "brain function capability" is something he thought
Profile Image for Sharon.
1,713 reviews2 followers
March 27, 2025
Declan does everything for his band but keeps his sexual orientation private, is his new drummer gay? Should he pursue him... no.
Profile Image for Annika.
403 reviews10 followers
October 27, 2014
Started of well but went downhill from there.
While Declan as well as Tate started out to be characters I rather liked they both just bombed it with their behaviour. And I don't even talk about Declan's decision so many here seem to disapprove (I actually understand this decision, he made it not only for himself and Tate in my opinion but his two other bandmates would be affected as well. Jeez they quit their job and put all their hopes into a succeeding with the band, so yes, if I would be the responsible decision maker I would have to consider them as well).
But Declan shooting Tate down and than coming on to him only to shoot him down again? Not nice.
Tate's reaction in the pool?? Dumping OK, drowning? Are you serious??
Then the whole thing about a gay band or two openly gay band members incl. the lead singer. As much as I sincerely wish it would not have any influence on their success, it will have. Jeez, even straight singers keep the illusion of being "available" up to be successful. So a bit more real life feel would have been appreciated.
One add star for the great beginning and one of my favorite scenes, how Declan sees Tate the first time! Really really well done!
Profile Image for Mely P.E..
63 reviews11 followers
January 14, 2016
 photo Goodreads Melys corner_zpsegf7wf4m.png

Non sono riuscita a finirlo. Avrò letto sì e no 10 pagine prima di capire che non mi piaceva e 20 prima di rendermi conto che no, non avrei resistito fino alla conclusione.
I personaggi non mi hanno preso, così come la storia e lo stile (non sempre corretto nella concordanza dei tempi narrativi... se narri - in termini italiani - al passato remoto, quando racconti qualcosa accaduto ancora prima devi usare il trapassato e mantenerlo, altrimenti non si capisce più niente).
Niente contro il genere, comunque. Probabilmente ad altri il libro piacerà, ma il modo in cui è sviluppato/scritto non fa per me.
Profile Image for Serena.
3,259 reviews71 followers
April 2, 2016
Love's Landscapes Anthology Volume 12 by Shayla Mist

My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.
Profile Image for K.
1,607 reviews83 followers
January 30, 2015
3.5 stars rounded up
reviewette to follow
Profile Image for 315.
692 reviews26 followers
mm-stand-alone
May 27, 2016
Genre: contemporary
Tags: musicians/rock stars, slow burn/ust, sweet/no sex, sexual tension, homophobia, deception
Profile Image for Rissa (an M/M kinda Girl!!).
1,116 reviews11 followers
Want to read
September 8, 2014
STORY INFO:
Genre: contemporary
Tags: musicians/rock stars, slow burn/ust, sweet/no sex, sexual tension, homophobia, deception
Word Count: 39,129
Profile Image for GlamLawyer .
1,597 reviews
October 17, 2015
This story started out promising but somewhere along the way it lost its drive. I still enjoyed it.
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