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All Roads Lead to Hades
When Jamie was five, his family was murdered. The murderer had never been found.
Now, at twenty two, his life is still in danger, but Jamie stopped caring a long time ago. Meeting strange, secretive Kyle breaks his gloomy routine.
He finds himself intrigued. He finds himself wanting.
He is ready almost for everything, just to stay with Kyle… even if Kyle himself might be the reason for the endless nightmare that is his life.
*Warning: M/M; situations that some readers may find objectionable.
Now, at twenty two, his life is still in danger, but Jamie stopped caring a long time ago. Meeting strange, secretive Kyle breaks his gloomy routine.
He finds himself intrigued. He finds himself wanting.
He is ready almost for everything, just to stay with Kyle… even if Kyle himself might be the reason for the endless nightmare that is his life.
*Warning: M/M; situations that some readers may find objectionable.
140 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 4, 2015
About the author
K.S. Morgan
4 books18 followersK.S. Morgan lives in the capital of Ukraine. She is an obsessive reader and writer of dark romance novels.
You can contact her via
Email: emberlynn48@gmail.com
You can contact her via
Email: emberlynn48@gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 17, 2016
First things, first ...
I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
How fun was that?! :D So many MM books follow the same handful of formulas that I find it refreshing to read something out of the norm, something a little more unique. Especially when it leans towards the darker side of things.
All Roads Lead to Hades is one of those stories that can be easily spoiled, so I will do my damnedest to leave the mysteries intact.
Jamie's family is murdered when he his five, leaving him the only survivor. Seventeen years later, Jamie is still living in fear. When he crosses paths with Kyle, Jamie instantly suspects something is not quite right. Still, there is an attraction, and a romance blooms.
You are taken on a ride of secrets, suspicions and mystery and even though I realized rather early what was going on, looking at the other reviews, that probably had more to do with me as a reader than the story itself.
There is a warning for possible "objectionable" situations, nothing worse than your average Law and Order episode, but if you are upset easily, you have been warned.
In the end, we get a little dark, some romance and a few twists and turns along the way.
There is a handful of editing/proofreading issues but nothing that hurt my enjoyment of the story. Nothing that a thorough proofread couldn't fix right up. But if you are one of those readers who become indignant at such things, wait until the next edition.
I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
How fun was that?! :D So many MM books follow the same handful of formulas that I find it refreshing to read something out of the norm, something a little more unique. Especially when it leans towards the darker side of things.
All Roads Lead to Hades is one of those stories that can be easily spoiled, so I will do my damnedest to leave the mysteries intact.
Jamie's family is murdered when he his five, leaving him the only survivor. Seventeen years later, Jamie is still living in fear. When he crosses paths with Kyle, Jamie instantly suspects something is not quite right. Still, there is an attraction, and a romance blooms.
You are taken on a ride of secrets, suspicions and mystery and even though I realized rather early what was going on, looking at the other reviews, that probably had more to do with me as a reader than the story itself.
There is a warning for possible "objectionable" situations, nothing worse than your average Law and Order episode, but if you are upset easily, you have been warned.
In the end, we get a little dark, some romance and a few twists and turns along the way.
There is a handful of editing/proofreading issues but nothing that hurt my enjoyment of the story. Nothing that a thorough proofread couldn't fix right up. But if you are one of those readers who become indignant at such things, wait until the next edition.
January 14, 2016
I was given a copy of this book free by the author in exchange for an unbiased review.
Wow, what a twisty, turny story. Just when you think you might have figured it out ( and I didn't), it take you off in another unexpected way.
Jamie, a sole survivor when his family is massacred when he is 5, meets Kyle a man who seems perhaps too good to be true.
The first half of the book is through Jamie's eyes and then we see Kyle's story, which is heartbreaking.
I loved this story, it kept me guessing but for a lot of the book I didn't like Kyle. I was unsure what to make of him and found him creepy.
One small thing though. Some of the formatting is a little off. Paragraphs end in the middle of sentences and then the new paragraph starts with the rest of that sentence. Some sentences are one words which again look odd.
Wow, what a twisty, turny story. Just when you think you might have figured it out ( and I didn't), it take you off in another unexpected way.
Jamie, a sole survivor when his family is massacred when he is 5, meets Kyle a man who seems perhaps too good to be true.
The first half of the book is through Jamie's eyes and then we see Kyle's story, which is heartbreaking.
I loved this story, it kept me guessing but for a lot of the book I didn't like Kyle. I was unsure what to make of him and found him creepy.
One small thing though. Some of the formatting is a little off. Paragraphs end in the middle of sentences and then the new paragraph starts with the rest of that sentence. Some sentences are one words which again look odd.
January 11, 2016
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Ms. Morgan for offering up your story.
It's not really easy to rate this book because it gives very mixed feelings. It is above all a psychological thriller that can give a feeling of uneasiness. But at the same time it is a book that when you start to read it you go to the end... That’s a book that we love or hate, but it does not leave indifferent.
Do I like the main characters? Not really because they are both manipulative and neurotic (but in the light of the childhood they had, this seems comprehensible). For me, their relationship grows much too quickly and they do everything in a hurry. But this can also be explained by the fact that they don't know what will bring them the next day, will they still alive... for them better is worth to live intensely the present moment than to take the time to gradually build a lasting relationship.
It is also important to say that some acts, some feelings may seem shocking to some readers. But that's all the ambiguity of this book. After some hesitation I gave the maximum rate to this book, because even if I don’t like the two MC, or certain passages of this story, that is more related to morality than to the quality of the book. There are a few flaws, but it is a very involved story, disturbing but also very well written and very intense. Excellent!
It's not really easy to rate this book because it gives very mixed feelings. It is above all a psychological thriller that can give a feeling of uneasiness. But at the same time it is a book that when you start to read it you go to the end... That’s a book that we love or hate, but it does not leave indifferent.
Do I like the main characters? Not really because they are both manipulative and neurotic (but in the light of the childhood they had, this seems comprehensible). For me, their relationship grows much too quickly and they do everything in a hurry. But this can also be explained by the fact that they don't know what will bring them the next day, will they still alive... for them better is worth to live intensely the present moment than to take the time to gradually build a lasting relationship.
It is also important to say that some acts, some feelings may seem shocking to some readers. But that's all the ambiguity of this book. After some hesitation I gave the maximum rate to this book, because even if I don’t like the two MC, or certain passages of this story, that is more related to morality than to the quality of the book. There are a few flaws, but it is a very involved story, disturbing but also very well written and very intense. Excellent!
December 10, 2015
This is an unusual story. I wish it was longer because it has very interesting characters and I wouldn't mind reading more about them. I'd say all of them are crazy, but in a good way, except for the murderer of course. Kyle is complicated, I can see how his obsession with Jamie was formed and it chills me to think about his life before he actually met him. When Jamie wanted to have all holidays celebration, I think it meant more for Kyle than for him, because Kyle needed it just as much.
I didn't guess the murderer. The confrontation was sort of dark, I still can't think about what Jamie did calmly, that's just omg. He has some darkness inside that I didn't see at first. In the end I changed my opinion, Kyle now seems more vulnerable to me, and frankly I'd say it's Jamie who is more dangerous out of them too.
I didn't guess the murderer. The confrontation was sort of dark, I still can't think about what Jamie did calmly, that's just omg. He has some darkness inside that I didn't see at first. In the end I changed my opinion, Kyle now seems more vulnerable to me, and frankly I'd say it's Jamie who is more dangerous out of them too.
July 19, 2024
DNF @ 22%
This romantic suspense apparently has a really cool twist that the majority of reviewers agree is really epic but I'll never find out what it is because the writing is so juvenile that I couldn't continue.
The dialog is unnatural and stiff with the MCs frequently not using contractions and talking in stilted ways that make them sound like robots. At other times, the MCs sounded like they weren't fluent English speakers, which wasn't supposed to be the case. Maybe the author isn't a fluent English speaker and based the dialog on their own speech patterns? Who knows but it was unbearable. Here's an example of Jamie talking to Kyle after Jamie wakes up from a nightmare:
"My crazy mind hurts every time I sleep. Why am I so sure I deserve death in my dreams? Like I did something wrong, like there is any reason..."
If this were a historical or if you read the words with a slight non-English accent then it sounds okay but neither apply to this story. Jamie is a native English speaking 22 year old living in the 21st century, which means he wouldn't phrase things that way.
The rest of the writing was equally juvenile. The pacing is unbelievably rushed at the start with events happening at breakneck speed which doesn't allow readers to connect with either character or what's happening. The writer should have just skipped the beginning and conveyed the setup through telling instead of showing, but it's pretty clear that the author isn't an experienced writer.
Jamie's characterization also made no sense. The guy's parents and sister were murdered when he was five and since then, he's been attacked twice by somebody who everybody assumes is the killer. Whether the guy is trying to finish off what he'd started or if he's obsessed with Jamie and just trying to kill everybody around him is unclear. Suffice it so say that Jamie is very paranoid for good reason. He doesn't allow anybody close to him, he refuses to work/live/be in the same place for long periods of time and his entire life revolves around him being paranoid. So when Kyle offers to let Jamie be his housemate for really cheap, you'd think Jamie would be suspicious and it would take him ages to trust Kyle, right? If it turns out that Kyle is doing a lot of suspicious, creepy stuff that Jamie is fully aware of (knowing Jamie's name and that he's looking for a place to rent despite Jamie never having met him before, watching Jamie sleep and touching him while he sleeps, knowing Jamie's favorite drink from Starbucks and having all the ingredients ready to go when Jamie moves in so Kyle can make him his drink every morning etc), it would be a given that Mr. Paranoia would run for the hills immediately, right?
Well, no. Jamie trusts Kyle immediately and none of Kyle's obviously inappropriate, red flag behavior shakes that trust. The reason this happened was because the author needed Jamie to want to be around Kyle in order for the story to work, but this was a manufactured plot convenience that made no sense.
I also hated that Jamie was supposed to be in his early 20s but he often acted like a child. He threw a full on temper tantrum after waking up from a nightmare (yelling, kicking his bed) and Kyle has to reprimand him like he's a kid so he doesn't accidentally break his foot or something else. Then there's a weird conversation between Kyle and Jamie where Jamie asks what Kyle wanted to be when he was growing up, Kyle says musician and Jamie immediately declares that Kyle would be the world's best musician...despite not knowing if Kyle has any musical talent and anyway - it's a childish thing to say. Kyle reacts to all of Jamie's childish behavior the way any parent would, which meant I felt uncomfortable when I remembered that these two would eventually be a romantic couple.
In addition, I'm pretty sure I guessed what the twist would be, based on the huge, obvious clues that the author leaves right from the start. Several reviews claim that the twist was different from what they thought it would be, but the writing is so bad that my curiosity isn't strong enough to make me want to skim through it. It's too bad that the writer didn't spend more time polishing this or pay to get an editor's assistance because it sounds like the story has a unique plotline and that's something the genre desperately needs more of. But if the story isn't readable then none of that matters.
This romantic suspense apparently has a really cool twist that the majority of reviewers agree is really epic but I'll never find out what it is because the writing is so juvenile that I couldn't continue.
The dialog is unnatural and stiff with the MCs frequently not using contractions and talking in stilted ways that make them sound like robots. At other times, the MCs sounded like they weren't fluent English speakers, which wasn't supposed to be the case. Maybe the author isn't a fluent English speaker and based the dialog on their own speech patterns? Who knows but it was unbearable. Here's an example of Jamie talking to Kyle after Jamie wakes up from a nightmare:
"My crazy mind hurts every time I sleep. Why am I so sure I deserve death in my dreams? Like I did something wrong, like there is any reason..."
If this were a historical or if you read the words with a slight non-English accent then it sounds okay but neither apply to this story. Jamie is a native English speaking 22 year old living in the 21st century, which means he wouldn't phrase things that way.
The rest of the writing was equally juvenile. The pacing is unbelievably rushed at the start with events happening at breakneck speed which doesn't allow readers to connect with either character or what's happening. The writer should have just skipped the beginning and conveyed the setup through telling instead of showing, but it's pretty clear that the author isn't an experienced writer.
Jamie's characterization also made no sense. The guy's parents and sister were murdered when he was five and since then, he's been attacked twice by somebody who everybody assumes is the killer. Whether the guy is trying to finish off what he'd started or if he's obsessed with Jamie and just trying to kill everybody around him is unclear. Suffice it so say that Jamie is very paranoid for good reason. He doesn't allow anybody close to him, he refuses to work/live/be in the same place for long periods of time and his entire life revolves around him being paranoid. So when Kyle offers to let Jamie be his housemate for really cheap, you'd think Jamie would be suspicious and it would take him ages to trust Kyle, right? If it turns out that Kyle is doing a lot of suspicious, creepy stuff that Jamie is fully aware of (knowing Jamie's name and that he's looking for a place to rent despite Jamie never having met him before, watching Jamie sleep and touching him while he sleeps, knowing Jamie's favorite drink from Starbucks and having all the ingredients ready to go when Jamie moves in so Kyle can make him his drink every morning etc), it would be a given that Mr. Paranoia would run for the hills immediately, right?
Well, no. Jamie trusts Kyle immediately and none of Kyle's obviously inappropriate, red flag behavior shakes that trust. The reason this happened was because the author needed Jamie to want to be around Kyle in order for the story to work, but this was a manufactured plot convenience that made no sense.
I also hated that Jamie was supposed to be in his early 20s but he often acted like a child. He threw a full on temper tantrum after waking up from a nightmare (yelling, kicking his bed) and Kyle has to reprimand him like he's a kid so he doesn't accidentally break his foot or something else. Then there's a weird conversation between Kyle and Jamie where Jamie asks what Kyle wanted to be when he was growing up, Kyle says musician and Jamie immediately declares that Kyle would be the world's best musician...despite not knowing if Kyle has any musical talent and anyway - it's a childish thing to say. Kyle reacts to all of Jamie's childish behavior the way any parent would, which meant I felt uncomfortable when I remembered that these two would eventually be a romantic couple.
In addition, I'm pretty sure I guessed what the twist would be, based on the huge, obvious clues that the author leaves right from the start. Several reviews claim that the twist was different from what they thought it would be, but the writing is so bad that my curiosity isn't strong enough to make me want to skim through it. It's too bad that the writer didn't spend more time polishing this or pay to get an editor's assistance because it sounds like the story has a unique plotline and that's something the genre desperately needs more of. But if the story isn't readable then none of that matters.
January 11, 2016
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank so much to K.S. Morgan and the M/M Romance Group for the oportunity of reading it because i realy loved it.
I had a bit issues about it, mostly in the start, maybe for the first half of the book i felt like i woudn't like it and didn't feel like much was going on, but when the book was around the half, i realized how wrong i was. There were some events that change the way i was feeling about the book and from that moment i couldn't stop reading. There was a very interesting turn of events and that was the part i loved the most of it, but i dont want to say much about it so i don't spoil it to everyone else.
The problem i had from the book was that i didn't think the emotions of the characters were well transmited, i coudn't feel the pain, the love or anger from each of them and that is always a big deal for me, that's why i didn't give it a higher rate.
The book start a bit slow but it get so much better, the plot was different to what i'm used to and is always good to read something that goes to unexpected places.
I have a few comments on the characters, but that may have some spoiler so beware before keep reading thig.
I think there was some hopelessness in Jamie, and maybe that explain the careless way he act around someone that, from the start show some signs that something wrong was going on with him. there was a phrase on the book that i liked "feelings are often illogical and irrational" and i believe that his conduct was a clear portray of that, because he needed to believe in someone even knowing he shouldn't.
Kyle was my favourite character, i think his backstory made the character more sympathetic and the creepy way he acted also reflects how feelings can make someone act irrational, but in this case i think he was in a really dangerous path and i dont see a happy ending in this situation, obsession is not love, even if may seem like, but i think for the story it worked well. It was the getting to know him that make the book so great for me.
Overall i believe it was a great story, it had some interesting twist that keep my attention all the time and make it worth reading.
I had a bit issues about it, mostly in the start, maybe for the first half of the book i felt like i woudn't like it and didn't feel like much was going on, but when the book was around the half, i realized how wrong i was. There were some events that change the way i was feeling about the book and from that moment i couldn't stop reading. There was a very interesting turn of events and that was the part i loved the most of it, but i dont want to say much about it so i don't spoil it to everyone else.
The problem i had from the book was that i didn't think the emotions of the characters were well transmited, i coudn't feel the pain, the love or anger from each of them and that is always a big deal for me, that's why i didn't give it a higher rate.
The book start a bit slow but it get so much better, the plot was different to what i'm used to and is always good to read something that goes to unexpected places.
I have a few comments on the characters, but that may have some spoiler so beware before keep reading thig.
I think there was some hopelessness in Jamie, and maybe that explain the careless way he act around someone that, from the start show some signs that something wrong was going on with him. there was a phrase on the book that i liked "feelings are often illogical and irrational" and i believe that his conduct was a clear portray of that, because he needed to believe in someone even knowing he shouldn't.
Kyle was my favourite character, i think his backstory made the character more sympathetic and the creepy way he acted also reflects how feelings can make someone act irrational, but in this case i think he was in a really dangerous path and i dont see a happy ending in this situation, obsession is not love, even if may seem like, but i think for the story it worked well. It was the getting to know him that make the book so great for me.
Overall i believe it was a great story, it had some interesting twist that keep my attention all the time and make it worth reading.
January 7, 2016
(Originally Reviewed for Love Bytes Same Sex Book Reviews with a copy provided by the author / publisher for an honest review. Rated 3.5 out of 5.0 Stars.)
Well…where do I start? I applaud Ms. Morgan on publishing her first book. That said, it doesn’t really read like a first book, particularly since is it a self-published book on Amazon. I may have seen a couple very tiny editing issues, but it was far above many of the self-published books we see from time to time. This one had some time taken on it, and was well edited. Good job!
Now to the story. This is going to be a hard one to review without giving spoilers, but I’ll do my best! Jamie, as the blurb said, was only five years old when someone killed his father, his mother, and his beloved little sister. All of this happened shortly after Jamie’s arm was broken in a strange altercation with a teacher at his school.
Over the years there have been other strange occurrences and death seems to be following Jamie. Now suddenly Jamie has been offered a room in a house owned by a strange man named Kyle, who seems to be keeping a secret or maybe just outright lying about the reason for his generosity.
What will happen as the story progresses and Jamie finds out the truth? No spoilers, you will have to read it for yourself!
I liked this story. I thought it was above average for a first time book, and was surprised more than once while reading it at the sharp plot and storyline twists and turns. Frankly I had no idea what was happening until the very end of the book! Well played Ms. Morgan! Based on my liking it and the above average writing in the book, I’m going to rate it 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. Honestly, if this book had had another 80-100 pages and the characters had been a little more fleshed out, I think it definitely would have been a 4.0 or 4.5. Hopefully the author will add a little more to future works. But that is just my opinion! Some of you might love it at this length!
I look forward to reading further works from this author.
Well…where do I start? I applaud Ms. Morgan on publishing her first book. That said, it doesn’t really read like a first book, particularly since is it a self-published book on Amazon. I may have seen a couple very tiny editing issues, but it was far above many of the self-published books we see from time to time. This one had some time taken on it, and was well edited. Good job!
Now to the story. This is going to be a hard one to review without giving spoilers, but I’ll do my best! Jamie, as the blurb said, was only five years old when someone killed his father, his mother, and his beloved little sister. All of this happened shortly after Jamie’s arm was broken in a strange altercation with a teacher at his school.
Over the years there have been other strange occurrences and death seems to be following Jamie. Now suddenly Jamie has been offered a room in a house owned by a strange man named Kyle, who seems to be keeping a secret or maybe just outright lying about the reason for his generosity.
What will happen as the story progresses and Jamie finds out the truth? No spoilers, you will have to read it for yourself!
I liked this story. I thought it was above average for a first time book, and was surprised more than once while reading it at the sharp plot and storyline twists and turns. Frankly I had no idea what was happening until the very end of the book! Well played Ms. Morgan! Based on my liking it and the above average writing in the book, I’m going to rate it 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. Honestly, if this book had had another 80-100 pages and the characters had been a little more fleshed out, I think it definitely would have been a 4.0 or 4.5. Hopefully the author will add a little more to future works. But that is just my opinion! Some of you might love it at this length!
I look forward to reading further works from this author.
January 19, 2016
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a hard book for me to review. On one hand, K.S. Morgan has delivered us a fresh, exciting and chilling story about a young man, Jamie, who has spent his entire life running away from an unknown person out to kill him. On the other hand, we have a story that is underdeveloped in many ways with several grammatical errors.
In the end, I ended up giving the story 3 stars, but there is a lot of potential for more. The synopsis is spot on. We have Jamie who has nothing in life. All that he has ever loved has been taken away by a monster out to destroy him. Jamie just goes through the emotions of living, not really caring any more if his luck of surviving has finally run out. He visits a man who is renting a room, Kyle, and he slowly begins to enter the land of the living again. Kyle, though, has secrets and lots of them. Jamie knows this but he is drawn to Kyle’s strength and the security he offers.
The first part of the story was a mess, plain and simple. The story moves extremely fast and nothing is developed. The reader is thrown in the lives of these two with zero character growth and a choppy story. To be honest, I was nervous that I would never get into the story because everything was rough around the edges.
Once Jamie decided to celebrate Halloween, the story got immensely better. Life began to be breathed into the characters. I wasn’t as detached as I was before. The story also takes off. It’s not simply Jamie having a sucky life. Honestly, when I hit this point in the book, I didn’t want to put it down. I was invested. It may have taken a while, but it happened.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, I really did. With some work, this could be a great story. Worth the read though.
This is a hard book for me to review. On one hand, K.S. Morgan has delivered us a fresh, exciting and chilling story about a young man, Jamie, who has spent his entire life running away from an unknown person out to kill him. On the other hand, we have a story that is underdeveloped in many ways with several grammatical errors.
In the end, I ended up giving the story 3 stars, but there is a lot of potential for more. The synopsis is spot on. We have Jamie who has nothing in life. All that he has ever loved has been taken away by a monster out to destroy him. Jamie just goes through the emotions of living, not really caring any more if his luck of surviving has finally run out. He visits a man who is renting a room, Kyle, and he slowly begins to enter the land of the living again. Kyle, though, has secrets and lots of them. Jamie knows this but he is drawn to Kyle’s strength and the security he offers.
The first part of the story was a mess, plain and simple. The story moves extremely fast and nothing is developed. The reader is thrown in the lives of these two with zero character growth and a choppy story. To be honest, I was nervous that I would never get into the story because everything was rough around the edges.
Once Jamie decided to celebrate Halloween, the story got immensely better. Life began to be breathed into the characters. I wasn’t as detached as I was before. The story also takes off. It’s not simply Jamie having a sucky life. Honestly, when I hit this point in the book, I didn’t want to put it down. I was invested. It may have taken a while, but it happened.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, I really did. With some work, this could be a great story. Worth the read though.
November 17, 2015
All Roads Lead to Hades possesses a unique story-line and interesting, strong characters. This is a twisted romance/mystery, it has some shocking and disturbing moments, but it’s hard to stop reading once you started. Jamie is a young man whose family was murdered. He can’t find a place to live in his small town because people are scared to befriend him, but one day he receives a call from Kyle who offers him a dream house for basically just a few bucks.
Some of Jamie’s decisions seemed strange to me at first. Only later I realized how much the death of his family and the murderer who kept stalking him affected him. He wasn’t afraid to die anymore, he was waiting for it to happen. Kyle was a mysterious and beautiful stranger who showered him with attention, but from the start Jaime could see that Kyle was hiding something. I didn’t figure out what it was. I didn’t have an idea of who the murderer would be, so I can say I was genuinely shocked. I won’t say anything about him, but let’s just say that he’s a really creepy individual.
I loved romance between Kyle and Jamie. It was beautiful, fresh and unusual, it had a lot of moments I didn’t see coming. I think (spoiler about the type of the ending here)
Beautiful romance story and great mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat till the very end. I enjoyed this book a lot.
I received a free copy of this book from the author for an independent and honest review.
Some of Jamie’s decisions seemed strange to me at first. Only later I realized how much the death of his family and the murderer who kept stalking him affected him. He wasn’t afraid to die anymore, he was waiting for it to happen. Kyle was a mysterious and beautiful stranger who showered him with attention, but from the start Jaime could see that Kyle was hiding something. I didn’t figure out what it was. I didn’t have an idea of who the murderer would be, so I can say I was genuinely shocked. I won’t say anything about him, but let’s just say that he’s a really creepy individual.
I loved romance between Kyle and Jamie. It was beautiful, fresh and unusual, it had a lot of moments I didn’t see coming. I think (spoiler about the type of the ending here)
Beautiful romance story and great mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat till the very end. I enjoyed this book a lot.
I received a free copy of this book from the author for an independent and honest review.
January 25, 2016
*Disclaimer: a free copy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
“For our generation walks as in Hades, without the divine.” – Friedrich Hölderlin
Jamie Brooks returns to the small town of Greendell where it all began. A stranger offers him a room for rent for a paltry sum and Jamie accepts. His landlord Kyle appears to know so much about Jamie's past and vows to protect him. Jamie is conflicted and wants to trust Kyle despite the latter's secretive ways. He takes a risk anyway and gives in to their mutual attraction. However, Jamie's stalker is still out there biding his time...
From the get go, a lot of things in the book screamed red flag for me - Kyle, Jamie, the stalker and Kyle and Jamie's "twisted" love affair. Despite all those warning signs, my curiosity was more than piqued. With a morbid fascination, I kept on reading and did not stop until I was done. My eyes bugged out more often than I could remember doing so while reading this book.
At first, I could not believe how foolish Jamie was in trusting Kyle easily and allowing himself to fall for the guy that quick. I also could not believe how strange Kyle's behavior was and how obsessive he was over Jamie. Later on, as secrets were revealed and the truth started trickling in, I understood somehow and I felt sorry for both of them especially for the childhood trauma they suffered through and how their past affected them as adults.
The big reveal was a bit predictable for me but the details leading up to it and what happened afterwards held my attention. Author K.S. Morgan sure knows how to spin a tale fraught with tension and surprises. The romantic angle, though, was a tad unrealistic at first but considering the circumstances, I was willing to accept it for what it was.
As a whole, the story was dark and convoluted and a far cry from the usual M/M romance I get to read. It may not be for everyone and may not meet some reader's expectations. However, I did enjoy this psychological thriller. Otherwise, I would have rather slept than stayed up late again and finished it in one sitting.
“For our generation walks as in Hades, without the divine.” – Friedrich Hölderlin
Jamie Brooks returns to the small town of Greendell where it all began. A stranger offers him a room for rent for a paltry sum and Jamie accepts. His landlord Kyle appears to know so much about Jamie's past and vows to protect him. Jamie is conflicted and wants to trust Kyle despite the latter's secretive ways. He takes a risk anyway and gives in to their mutual attraction. However, Jamie's stalker is still out there biding his time...
From the get go, a lot of things in the book screamed red flag for me - Kyle, Jamie, the stalker and Kyle and Jamie's "twisted" love affair. Despite all those warning signs, my curiosity was more than piqued. With a morbid fascination, I kept on reading and did not stop until I was done. My eyes bugged out more often than I could remember doing so while reading this book.
At first, I could not believe how foolish Jamie was in trusting Kyle easily and allowing himself to fall for the guy that quick. I also could not believe how strange Kyle's behavior was and how obsessive he was over Jamie. Later on, as secrets were revealed and the truth started trickling in, I understood somehow and I felt sorry for both of them especially for the childhood trauma they suffered through and how their past affected them as adults.
The big reveal was a bit predictable for me but the details leading up to it and what happened afterwards held my attention. Author K.S. Morgan sure knows how to spin a tale fraught with tension and surprises. The romantic angle, though, was a tad unrealistic at first but considering the circumstances, I was willing to accept it for what it was.
As a whole, the story was dark and convoluted and a far cry from the usual M/M romance I get to read. It may not be for everyone and may not meet some reader's expectations. However, I did enjoy this psychological thriller. Otherwise, I would have rather slept than stayed up late again and finished it in one sitting.
January 11, 2016
A free copy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
My feelings towards this books are a bit ambivalent. I didn’t really care for the first half of the book. The story was too rushed, as was the relationship between Jamie and Kyle. Their relationship seemed more like an obsession (Kyle) and convenience (Jamie). I missed the build-up, the getting to know each other part of it was completely missing. And I’m sorry I don’t really believe that someone like Jamie, being on the run and have had many near misses with a stalker intent on killing him, would accept someone spying, lying and omitting truths at face value. Their relationship was too much and too soon, Kyle was too creepy for my tastes.
Then, around 50% of the book we got to know Kyle, and ironically this was my favourite part of the book. The flashbacks of his life were well paced and gave a good insight to who he was, and why he did the things he did. (I’m not condoning the stalking in any way shape or form). From his point of view, he’d known Jamie for the most part of his life, he was the one constant, the one thing that kept him sane.
The last part of the book was again a bit rushed. In general I also feel like this book would’ve benefitted a lot from adding a few side characters, adding a couple of scenes showing how they spent their days at work etc. Something outside the Kyle/Jamie bubble that the book was centered about. All in all, it was a good storyline, but a bit underdeveloped and rushed.
My feelings towards this books are a bit ambivalent. I didn’t really care for the first half of the book. The story was too rushed, as was the relationship between Jamie and Kyle. Their relationship seemed more like an obsession (Kyle) and convenience (Jamie). I missed the build-up, the getting to know each other part of it was completely missing. And I’m sorry I don’t really believe that someone like Jamie, being on the run and have had many near misses with a stalker intent on killing him, would accept someone spying, lying and omitting truths at face value. Their relationship was too much and too soon, Kyle was too creepy for my tastes.
Then, around 50% of the book we got to know Kyle, and ironically this was my favourite part of the book. The flashbacks of his life were well paced and gave a good insight to who he was, and why he did the things he did. (I’m not condoning the stalking in any way shape or form). From his point of view, he’d known Jamie for the most part of his life, he was the one constant, the one thing that kept him sane.
The last part of the book was again a bit rushed. In general I also feel like this book would’ve benefitted a lot from adding a few side characters, adding a couple of scenes showing how they spent their days at work etc. Something outside the Kyle/Jamie bubble that the book was centered about. All in all, it was a good storyline, but a bit underdeveloped and rushed.
December 23, 2015
While the pace of the story was fast, I'm contented with how everything played out. It was creepy and compelling, I felt like I was watching a movie where you're always expecting something abrupt and scary to happen, the atmosphere was that good. Now as for romance - it's not a typical love story, I don't even think Kyle is gay. Everything he does, everything he wants, everything he works for is centered on Jamie and Jamie only. Jamie is his life. I was skeptical at first because Kyle seemed too great and at the same time too creepy and overwhelming, particulary with his stalking tendencies, but when I learned his story I understood everything. A shocking development which I didn't see coming at all. His love for Jamie isn't perfect, it's sad because Jamie is all he has ever known. If not for his past, maybe they wouldn't have even got together. The ending made me do a double-take. That parking lot...
Read
January 18, 2016Review to come.
January 12, 2016
*A free copy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.*
In the beginning of the story we have Jamie, a twenty-two years old guy with a terrible past that keeps following him every step he takes since he was five. His family was murdered and while his whole life has been a nightmare , he stopped caring a long time ago. One day, he receives a phone call and everything changes. He meets Kyle and from there, Jamie starts to see and feel things in another way. Kyle knows about his past and he constantly promises J. that the murderer will never hurt him again. Jamie feels that there’s something strange behind Kyle’s behavior but he has to wait until his 23rd birthday to understand and see what exactly is. Secrets are revealed and Jamie will come to face his true feelings towards Kyle and towards his past.
Can Jamie listen to his heart after he finds out about his family’s murderer and who really Kyle is?
I’ve to say that sometimes the book was a bit confusing but after reading the end, everything was good.
3.5 stars.
In the beginning of the story we have Jamie, a twenty-two years old guy with a terrible past that keeps following him every step he takes since he was five. His family was murdered and while his whole life has been a nightmare , he stopped caring a long time ago. One day, he receives a phone call and everything changes. He meets Kyle and from there, Jamie starts to see and feel things in another way. Kyle knows about his past and he constantly promises J. that the murderer will never hurt him again. Jamie feels that there’s something strange behind Kyle’s behavior but he has to wait until his 23rd birthday to understand and see what exactly is. Secrets are revealed and Jamie will come to face his true feelings towards Kyle and towards his past.
Can Jamie listen to his heart after he finds out about his family’s murderer and who really Kyle is?
I’ve to say that sometimes the book was a bit confusing but after reading the end, everything was good.
3.5 stars.
January 23, 2016
I received an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Jamie is living with a horrible past--his entire family was killed in front of his eyes when he was only five years old. The murderer was never found, and since then, he has been haunted by the man who continues to attack the people he loves. Then, a man named Kyle comes out of nowhere and offers Jamie a safe haven. The two grow closer, but Kyle maintains some secrets about his past...
I enjoyed this book and I couldn't put it down! There was a lot of suspense, and I could never figure Kyle out until it is revealed at the end. There was a lot of disturbing content, but I thought it was believable and I never thought it was weird. I would have liked to see a little more character development as we seemed to jump into the action almost right away. Kyle is kind of creepy, and yet Jamie apparently puts a lot of trust into him very quickly. Also, scenes like the Trick-Or-Treating was so cute I would have liked to read more. Overall, I really liked it and I'm looking forward to more from the author.
Jamie is living with a horrible past--his entire family was killed in front of his eyes when he was only five years old. The murderer was never found, and since then, he has been haunted by the man who continues to attack the people he loves. Then, a man named Kyle comes out of nowhere and offers Jamie a safe haven. The two grow closer, but Kyle maintains some secrets about his past...
I enjoyed this book and I couldn't put it down! There was a lot of suspense, and I could never figure Kyle out until it is revealed at the end. There was a lot of disturbing content, but I thought it was believable and I never thought it was weird. I would have liked to see a little more character development as we seemed to jump into the action almost right away. Kyle is kind of creepy, and yet Jamie apparently puts a lot of trust into him very quickly. Also, scenes like the Trick-Or-Treating was so cute I would have liked to read more. Overall, I really liked it and I'm looking forward to more from the author.
December 22, 2015
It could have been a great read, but everything seemed so rushed.
I think it was some kind of mistake to try to tell this story so quickly - I mean, my copy had 103 pages and it was way too short. The characters was underdeveloped - yet they had their potential, but, like I said, it everything was rushed, there was no tension at all.
It's sad, the plot ideas were very good.
I think it was some kind of mistake to try to tell this story so quickly - I mean, my copy had 103 pages and it was way too short. The characters was underdeveloped - yet they had their potential, but, like I said, it everything was rushed, there was no tension at all.
It's sad, the plot ideas were very good.
December 6, 2020
This is a lovely early story from K.S. Morgan! I'm a huge fan of What He Grows To Be, so I was excited to hear about other things she's written. I read All Roads Lead to Hades in one sitting and I think it delivers exactly what I expected and what K.S. Morgan is so good at writing. It is a character-centered, suspenseful romance about two antisocial people who are absolutely desperate for love.
It tends to cut right to the chase in terms of exploring this dynamic, so it's lacking in detail (because often you have just the barest sketch of the setting - a scene in a restaurant comes to mind: literally all you know is that they are in some restaurant; another example is that at one point, Kyle makes an important, emotional meal for Jamie - but we don't know what the food is, through the entire scene!). But I didn't mind it too much because the focus on characters and relationship is exactly what I wanted. I will say that I think KSM gets better at doing this hyperfocus-on-characters in her later writing. Here, I get a sense overall that I'm reading an unfinished draft and there's a bit too much information missing.
What's so refreshing is that KSM makes no attempt to paint the dynamic in a 'believable' and healthy light. It's all fantasy: in the face of many reasons to doubt or hate each other, Jamie and Kyle consistently choose love and loyalty for each other. For example, I love this - that love is how you resist against an indifferent, judgmental, difficult, or downright evil society. It's love vs. convention. The best dream that Jamie and Kyle have is the dream of making a home and family together, eating and cooking and watching movies together.
It tends to cut right to the chase in terms of exploring this dynamic, so it's lacking in detail (because often you have just the barest sketch of the setting - a scene in a restaurant comes to mind: literally all you know is that they are in some restaurant; another example is that at one point, Kyle makes an important, emotional meal for Jamie - but we don't know what the food is, through the entire scene!). But I didn't mind it too much because the focus on characters and relationship is exactly what I wanted. I will say that I think KSM gets better at doing this hyperfocus-on-characters in her later writing. Here, I get a sense overall that I'm reading an unfinished draft and there's a bit too much information missing.
What's so refreshing is that KSM makes no attempt to paint the dynamic in a 'believable' and healthy light. It's all fantasy: in the face of many reasons to doubt or hate each other, Jamie and Kyle consistently choose love and loyalty for each other. For example, I love this - that love is how you resist against an indifferent, judgmental, difficult, or downright evil society. It's love vs. convention. The best dream that Jamie and Kyle have is the dream of making a home and family together, eating and cooking and watching movies together.
October 25, 2025
I understand this is a novella, but the plot literally went from 0 to 100 in 6 pages. The writing is genuinely terrible. There is no character development and everything happens at whiplash speed.
Jamie has the survival instincts of a goldfish and Kyle is a walking red flag. And don't even get me started on that hiking BS.
The sad thing is that this would probably be a great full length novel or series even, but it would need a massive rewrite/changes.
Jamie has the survival instincts of a goldfish and Kyle is a walking red flag. And don't even get me started on that hiking BS.
The sad thing is that this would probably be a great full length novel or series even, but it would need a massive rewrite/changes.
May 10, 2026
Jamie wasn’t that bright…
January 29, 2016
**Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**
I didn't know what to think going into this book. The blurb sounded interesting and intriguing. It fell flat. The characters weren't relatable to me at all.
My biggest pet peeve was actually a combination of things. At one point, I had to stop and dissect a sentence because she used eligible instead of edible. This misuse of words was common throughout the story. The other issue was formatting. The chapters weren't separated by anything other than a line or two. I had weird line spacing as well. I know that this book was probably self-published but I have seen some nicely formatted self-published books.
I could not connect with Jamie at all throughout the entire story. His character was underdeveloped and borderline tropish. I could not connect emotionally with him. That is one of my biggest must-haves in a book.
I wish that instead of most of the way through the book, we could have gotten to know Kyle more in depth throughout the story. The shift to Kyle was almost jarring in a way. It was a huge info dump which I am not a fan of. I know that most people would feel sympathy for Jamie, but by the end of the book, I related to Kyle much more. For most of the book, however, Kyle came across as a stalker and kind of a dick.
I did like the plot twist in who did it. However, the execution of this reveal, along with all of the information on Kyle, was poorly done. In a way, I was disappointed by who it was. I was also disappointed in how they got away.
This story gets two stars due to a promising plot line and the whodunit plot twist.
I didn't know what to think going into this book. The blurb sounded interesting and intriguing. It fell flat. The characters weren't relatable to me at all.
My biggest pet peeve was actually a combination of things. At one point, I had to stop and dissect a sentence because she used eligible instead of edible. This misuse of words was common throughout the story. The other issue was formatting. The chapters weren't separated by anything other than a line or two. I had weird line spacing as well. I know that this book was probably self-published but I have seen some nicely formatted self-published books.
I could not connect with Jamie at all throughout the entire story. His character was underdeveloped and borderline tropish. I could not connect emotionally with him. That is one of my biggest must-haves in a book.
I wish that instead of most of the way through the book, we could have gotten to know Kyle more in depth throughout the story. The shift to Kyle was almost jarring in a way. It was a huge info dump which I am not a fan of. I know that most people would feel sympathy for Jamie, but by the end of the book, I related to Kyle much more. For most of the book, however, Kyle came across as a stalker and kind of a dick.
I did like the plot twist in who did it. However, the execution of this reveal, along with all of the information on Kyle, was poorly done. In a way, I was disappointed by who it was. I was also disappointed in how they got away.
This story gets two stars due to a promising plot line and the whodunit plot twist.
December 22, 2015
Source: I got this book as a free books to review basis.
This book talks the story of a boy named Jamie who everyone around him that he loved had been murdered. And he has a psychopath murderer going after him torturing him. He meets another man whose name is Kyle, he is dark and mysterious which attracts Jamie. He is the perfect example of a perfect boyfriend.
The story was not my cup of tea unfortunately. I love Gay people. But this book was a very unrealistic love story. Kyle is a bit creepy still, he was obsessed with Jamie since he was a child. He had grown to love him. His father was even worse. I can't say much about this story without giving spoilers. There were a few misspellings in the ebook. But I smiled at a few parts.
This book talks the story of a boy named Jamie who everyone around him that he loved had been murdered. And he has a psychopath murderer going after him torturing him. He meets another man whose name is Kyle, he is dark and mysterious which attracts Jamie. He is the perfect example of a perfect boyfriend.
The story was not my cup of tea unfortunately. I love Gay people. But this book was a very unrealistic love story. Kyle is a bit creepy still, he was obsessed with Jamie since he was a child. He had grown to love him. His father was even worse. I can't say much about this story without giving spoilers. There were a few misspellings in the ebook. But I smiled at a few parts.
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