Black & Blue

by Ily Jacks

Trouble seems to follow me everywhere. No doubt accepting a ride from a sexy, fierce biker on a rainy night seems like another bad move. Except this one desperate leap of faith brings Declan into my life.

From unreadable machine to possessive lover, he challenges me to want more.

Can I finally throw off the shackles of my tough life and embrace the promise of a good man?

Black & Blue is a standalone M/M romance with graphic sexual content, violent situations, and extreme profanity.

Genres: M M Romance

114 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 7, 2017

About the author

Living in Indiana with my three sweet sons, three wacky cats, one super mom (and her ugly dog), I love cats, 1970s rock, Call of Duty, and sitcoms canceled before their time.

I also write M/F contemporary romance as Bijou Hunter.

Reviews

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*


Adam found himself in an impossible situation his pimp Leto made sure he never made enough money to escape the life he was trapped in.
Adam is unskilled and uneducated and he’s drowning in his life with no way out and so he runs. By the time he meets Declan he’s homeless, starving and desperate and he must be desperate since he actually decides to rob the huge Biker.
Luckily for Adam it turns out that Declan is a huge softie with a heart of gold who’s attracted to the beaten and ragged youth with the beautiful eyes.

Adam and Declan are both attracted to each other but Declan wonders if Adam is attracted to him or the room and food he’s provided.

This is a story about two men finding each other and themselves.
At times it’s beautiful and hot and funny and there’s some nice characters here.
I expected Adams past to catch up with him but this book isn’t about that it’s just about Declan and Adam.

Their first hot scene together is exactly that, hot. My favourites are the scene with Eric and then the clubs Autumn event, that was so funny.

While I enjoyed this book and I did I just didn’t love it and that’s down to me because I like a strong alpha male and while these two were both flawed and real I needed Declan to be something he wasn’t.
But please don’t let that put you off this is far more realistic.

I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by the author.

[Lyn❤Loves❤Listening to Real Voices Only!!!!❤️🎧📚 Addict ON HIATUS]

39% giving up. I was expecting raw, edgy, gritty read but that's not what I'm getting so I'm moving on.

[True Loveislovereview · Rating 3 out of 5]

A big bearded biker Declan who saves the beaten up 20 year old Adam. Adam has nothing, is hungry, sad and very lonely. Declan owns a restaurant and has a whole biker family. There is one policy DADT. Adam has no one who cares about him. So when the biker says to step on behind him....
Declan takes him in. He can help at the restaurant after his body is healed. They fall for each other (a bit too fast for the story in my opinion)

Declan don't want Adam confusing his own feelings toward Declan with gratitude. He withdraws from Adam so he can find his own footing.... that's easier said than done....
When they are together there is no loneliness or stress, just simple being together and enjoy each other. They suck and swallow a lot... and even go further. Declan thinks it's time to introduce Adam to his biker family...

Not a five star read but 3 is good. It hold my attention even it was somewhat light...
A sweet read nice written, about two souls meant to be together. One already with a family and one who never had one. Together they start their own.

Kindly received a copy from the author.

[Tristan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3~3.5/5

It was a fine book. Not a lot of complexity, but it works for the plot I guess.

[Bobo's Book Bank · Rating 3 out of 5]

BLACK AND BLUE is a M/M contemporary romance between a bad boy, MC member (Declan) and the down-on-his luck, younger man he rescues (Adam). This one was three stars for me and here's why. The blurb was intriguing enough to catch my attention and I definitely liked the premise of this story. I mean, I always enjoy reading about the big, bad possessive alpha falling like a tree for their "one true love"! And I realize that the book is more novella in length but I really, really wanted MORE! I kinda felt like I got plopped in the middle of their story and I needed a longer backstory, extra info about Adam's past and how he was able to overcome the difficulties of his former life. I would have also liked more of Declan and Adam TOGETHER, not just sex (although that was SCORCHING HOT!!) but I wanted to see them interact more. The actual writing is great, very clear and easy to follow and I'd love to read MORE (yeah, I've used that word ALOT!) from Ms. Jacks. Overall, this was a good afternoon read that I LIKED but didn't LOVE. Told from dual POVs with a sweet ending. I received, read and voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Cee Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

*´¨✫)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨)✯ ¸.•*¨)
✮ (¸.•´✶ (¸.•4.5 stars

"For the first time in my life, I'm chasing something I actually care about catching."~Declan

I hate calling a book sweet, but that is just what this was. A sweet, growth and development book. I adored Adam and loved the gruffy Declan. These two complimented each other. With age between them, this was really never a factor. Adam was a former rent boy down on his luck when he tried robbing Declan and his life changed. Declan was a bad boy biker who lived his life quietly; keeping under the radar from his biker brothers. Taking on Adam opened a whole knew way of thinking for the man who had much to lose, but desired more.

Two men who needed each other even when they had no idea that they did. A pleasurable read, and thumbs up on recommending.

I voluntarily and honestly reviewed this book without bias or persuasion from the author.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a new author me. I loved the book; it was sweet but not nauseatingly sweet. I did not find it to be either an "insta-love". Nice plot line. I liked the dialogue between Adam and Declan. I the way the author writes the sentence structure, the word usage, and the imagination. I would recommend this book for an entertaining and enjoyable read.

[John-Torleif Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok

Declan and Adam ended up being a very sweet couple together, but I had a hard time suspending my disbelief at the decisions that almost every character in this book made. Nobody actually thinks like these people!

[Fujosan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story

I really liked the characters ... all of them. None of them seemed over the top. I would have expected a little more difficulty with the MC when coming out but other than that great story.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a short story but filled with so much goodness. A good man, good sexual tension, good flow. Declan is a grouchy badass biker, Adam is essentially a starved, scraggly, drowned rat. How these two find a future? Well, an attempted mugging and a dry, warm place to sleep is what starts it.

After reading the synopsis I was just assuming that there would be Adam in need of a ride somewhere and then Declan would offer. Well, maybe not as simple and boring as that sounds, but that would be the basic idea, right? But instead we get a much larger picture of Adam, who he is, what he's desperate for, where he's coming from, and just what kind of situation he finds himself in. So much better than what I had in mind. When Declan shows up and places himself in the hero/savior role he becomes so much more than the mysterious biker from the synopsis.

So right away we get a sense that these two men aren't so simple, aren't headed for something codependent and dysfunctional. Well, not entirely. There's a whole lot that can go wrong here and the big things are discussed in the story and I'm glad of that. Adam has a darker past that he's eager to be rid of and away from. He's a bit like a puppy following after Deacon and any scrap of affection or crumb of attention and this has the potential to be quite unhealthy. While Deacon is incredibly attracted to Adam and gives in to it pretty quickly he recognizes that it's not the best way for Adam to continue living. He then does the adult thing and tries his best to teach Adam to stand up for himself, to make decisions, and dream of a future that may or may not include Deacon as a lover. With those lessons Deacon encourages Adam to be an adult and to mature into a good man.

Adam sees so much goodness in Deacon even though Deacon is hell-bent on denying that any truly exists. And then there's Maura, Deacon's ex-wife. Maura is a good woman and loves Deacon as a good friend which allows her to be happy for Adam's presence. She also takes it upon herself to give Adam a few essential tips to understanding Deacon and moving their romance forward. Maura and Deacon had two children together and Eric is sweet, accepting, and I really enjoyed the conversation they had about Adam. All of these point to Deacon being such a good person inside that his gruffness becomes endearing rather than something to be changed or overcome.

I'm not exactly a fan of his club. I do understand that the dynamic isn't all hugs and rainbows for everyone in or out of the club, but this particular dynamic just didn't work for me here. Aside from that there was so much to enjoy and so little to turn me off of the story. The feels were there, the passion was hot, and the conclusion was more than satisfactory.

Read and voluntarily reviewed this ARC for the author.

[Sarita Chapdelaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! It is beautifully written, engaging and the characters are so real. Everything about Black & Blue worked for me and I could not put it down. The best thing about this was that the considerable age difference between the characters was not a big deal. It was part of the story but it did not cause any angst. Adam had a horrible life until he met Declan and it takes him time to realize he is finally safe and cared for. Declan grew up in foster homes and was helped out by a biker gang when he was a teenager so he takes Adam home with him after he finds him starving and beaten. Their attraction to each other is immediate but Declan wants Adam to be with him because he wants to and not because he is grateful for being saved. Their relationship is challenging because Declan is not really out to anyone other than his ex-wife and he doesn't want to lose his place in the biker gang he still belongs to. This is a sweet and emotional book that I highly recommend reading. I can't wait to read more books by Ily Jacks.
I was given an ARC to review by the author.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the premise of this book. Adam on the run and down on his luck is rescued by Declan. Declan is there to offer a helping hand. While he is attracted to Adam, he is cautious about Adam's feelings for him. He is concerned that Adam feels indebted and not truly in love with Declan. I enjoyed all of the characters interactions. I particularly enjoyed the scenes with Declan's ex-wife and how accepting she is of Declan's choice for a partner. Though something was missing for me in the chemistry between Declan and Adam. For me, while the romantic scenes were hot they were missing "something". I am not sure what that something is, but it was there for me. The story is well written and enjoyable. I look forward to further stories from this author.

[Esther Alayeto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story. It's a beautiful and emotional love story. Awesome storyline that pulled me in right from the beginning and kept me glued to my kindle until the very end. I could not put it down. Adam and Declan are both incredible characters that I fell in love with instantly. I love how Declan is a rough and tough biker but so sweet and understanding with Adam. Adam is an emotional mess, always used to rejection but as Declan helps him, he also helps Declan "come out" to his kids and his biker brothers. This is a MUST READ!! Can't wait to read more from Ily Jacks.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adam was running from life as an abused rent boy, and Declan was enjoying finally making his own life decisions. They met in a crazy way, and Declan became Adam's unlikely hero, but they soon understood and supported each other better than anyone else. At different times, the story was sad, funny, humorous, frustrating, and - mostly - hopeful. I laughed at the aging MC members and Abbott the greyhound; and Declan's ex-wife and kids were great. I appreciated the epilogue. Overall, I just really liked this book.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mix a burly biker and a sexy former rent boy and what do you get? Read this book and find out! When this unlikely pair manage to get together it is a slow simmering fire.... It takes a while but they do find out they desire and need one another to mend what is wrong with them both. It is a good read and the characters are really likeable.

[Kristy Maitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly mostly for me of course, the chosen story plot was more pulling then expected. Both main characters Adam and Declan are more then interesting. So, my time spend on that book was satisfying.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Meggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a beautiful story. A story which has mix of sweet romance and hot sex. At the end we even got a realistic HEA. So in overall, great work by the author!