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The Men from GLEN #1
Song and Key
A Men From GLEN Mission
So-called monsters won’t hold these spies back!
For two secret agents on a mission to a secluded Romanian village, the toughest fight they face may not be against the folktale monsters lurking in the foggy mountains and old ruins, but against their unlikely attraction to each other.
Keller Key is the top operative at the covert Global Law Enforcement Network—and boy does he know it. Sexy half-Ukrainian, half-Korean Sevastyan Song is a close second. When the agents go undercover to investigate an old friend’s suspicious death, it soon becomes clear something sinister is afoot in the ancient forest and decrepit abbey. If an evil organization doesn’t spell the end of them, the angry locals might. But if they’re going to conquer their enemies, they need to keep their hands off each other and their minds on the case, in a rivals-to-lovers paranormal mash-up that gives new meaning to spy-on-spy action.
So-called monsters won’t hold these spies back!
For two secret agents on a mission to a secluded Romanian village, the toughest fight they face may not be against the folktale monsters lurking in the foggy mountains and old ruins, but against their unlikely attraction to each other.
Keller Key is the top operative at the covert Global Law Enforcement Network—and boy does he know it. Sexy half-Ukrainian, half-Korean Sevastyan Song is a close second. When the agents go undercover to investigate an old friend’s suspicious death, it soon becomes clear something sinister is afoot in the ancient forest and decrepit abbey. If an evil organization doesn’t spell the end of them, the angry locals might. But if they’re going to conquer their enemies, they need to keep their hands off each other and their minds on the case, in a rivals-to-lovers paranormal mash-up that gives new meaning to spy-on-spy action.
218 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 2, 2018
2 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Alix Bekins
20 books25 followersAlix lives in the coastal mountains of Northern California with her partner and their dog. She’s been writing for as long as she can remember in a variety of genres, including fiction, erotica, poetry, and nonfiction and has even managed to get some of it published from time to time.
Sexuality is the cornerstone of her life and work and always has been, through two degrees and several life plans. Her work and writing focus on the themes of self-discovery and coming out, with a healthy dose of kink on the side.
Alix is pretty sure she’s the only person in the world who wears a plastic Viking helmet as a thinking cap when she battles writer’s block. She always wins.
Contact info:
Email: alixbekins@gmail.com
Blog: https://alixbekins.wordpress.com
Sexuality is the cornerstone of her life and work and always has been, through two degrees and several life plans. Her work and writing focus on the themes of self-discovery and coming out, with a healthy dose of kink on the side.
Alix is pretty sure she’s the only person in the world who wears a plastic Viking helmet as a thinking cap when she battles writer’s block. She always wins.
Contact info:
Email: alixbekins@gmail.com
Blog: https://alixbekins.wordpress.com
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 31, 2019
3.5 Promising Hearts! - Team review with Sara!
The authors preface this story with the fact that they were inspired by the movie “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” and I could totally feel the spirit of it coursing through this with a little bit of Pine & Hardy chemistry from “This Means War” (minus Reese Witherspoon of course).
I will say this. I absolutely love love love the premise. Who doesn’t want to read about two spies at the top of their game, who have a not so little rivalry brewing and a lot of attraction simmering between them? Anyone?? Keller Key is the epitome of brash and impulsive with a sex drive to rival James Bond, and he just loves to push Seva Snow’s buttons. On the other hand, Snow is more reserved and by the book, and loves to make sure Key’s actions never seem to make him sweat nor bat an eyelash.
Know that there’s a ton of banter between these two as they investigate their boss’s friend’s suspicious death. It was fun, it was smart, but perhaps a bit too much? Song and Key bicker a lot. It’s definitely a you’re infuriatingly annoying that drives me to drink but are quite attractive I can’t seem to get you off my mind I want to punch you in the face throw you up against a wall and ravish you sort of dynamic. *snort*
Also know that this reads as straight contemporary where the paranormal aspect is highly suspect and mostly found to be a farce, but then there’s certain elements thrown in that make you question reality… and the end result?? These two come out of their mission irrevocably changed and wholeheartedly all in with each other.
This could’ve been waaaaay more smexy than it was, and I’m a bit peeved with the fade to black scene because that was completely unnecessary. Just saying. *grumbles*
However again, a very promising start. I’m definitely intrigued and I really look forward to what these two authors will bring next to this series regarding the future adventures and crazy antics of snarky sexy, top notch agents Snow and Key! Write faster, please!
Thank you to the author/publisher for a copy in exchange for a honest review
The authors preface this story with the fact that they were inspired by the movie “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” and I could totally feel the spirit of it coursing through this with a little bit of Pine & Hardy chemistry from “This Means War” (minus Reese Witherspoon of course).
I will say this. I absolutely love love love the premise. Who doesn’t want to read about two spies at the top of their game, who have a not so little rivalry brewing and a lot of attraction simmering between them? Anyone?? Keller Key is the epitome of brash and impulsive with a sex drive to rival James Bond, and he just loves to push Seva Snow’s buttons. On the other hand, Snow is more reserved and by the book, and loves to make sure Key’s actions never seem to make him sweat nor bat an eyelash.
Know that there’s a ton of banter between these two as they investigate their boss’s friend’s suspicious death. It was fun, it was smart, but perhaps a bit too much? Song and Key bicker a lot. It’s definitely a you’re infuriatingly annoying that drives me to drink but are quite attractive I can’t seem to get you off my mind I want to punch you in the face throw you up against a wall and ravish you sort of dynamic. *snort*
Also know that this reads as straight contemporary where the paranormal aspect is highly suspect and mostly found to be a farce, but then there’s certain elements thrown in that make you question reality… and the end result?? These two come out of their mission irrevocably changed and wholeheartedly all in with each other.
This could’ve been waaaaay more smexy than it was, and I’m a bit peeved with the fade to black scene because that was completely unnecessary. Just saying. *grumbles*
However again, a very promising start. I’m definitely intrigued and I really look forward to what these two authors will bring next to this series regarding the future adventures and crazy antics of snarky sexy, top notch agents Snow and Key! Write faster, please!
Thank you to the author/publisher for a copy in exchange for a honest review
November 4, 2019
3.5 Stars
Seva Song and Keller Key work for a covert agency called the Global Law Enforcement Network (GLEN). Both men are at the top of their special agent/super-spy game, each with contrasting personalities and disparate approaches to their work, with Keller being bold and impulsive in everything he does, while Seva is more strait-laced and methodical, planning for every action and reaction.
When their boss pairs them together to work a personal case involving the mysterious death of an old friend in Romania, Seva and Keller must put aside their differences to get the job done.
What they discover in the forests of Romania is beyond their imaginings, and before long, the pair finds themselves unexpectedly facing down monsters they believed to be purely myth and legend, while also attempting to stop a dangerous local conspiracy plot from unfolding.
In the midst of all the supernatural action and potentially life-threatening drama, Seva and Keller’s personal relationship swiftly transitions from antagonistic work partners to destined soulmates.
Song and Key has a lot working for it. The story delivers an imaginative premise and showcases some intriguing supernatural world-building. It also features two engaging leading men who happen to share some damn witty banter on their way to obtaining love and happiness, all while saving the day like the totally badass special agents that they are.
The dynamic between Seva and Keller worked a treat for me, and I enjoyed the brand of humour present in their every interaction. Although, I do wish this was sexier than it ultimately turned out to be (with nearly all of the sex scenes being fade to black, or completely off page). I felt Seva and Keller’s sizzling chemistry actually demanded some decent skin-on-skin action, but alas, I was left feeling deprived in this regard.
Overall, I enjoyed this one and I look forward to reading further in the GLEN series.
Seva Song and Keller Key work for a covert agency called the Global Law Enforcement Network (GLEN). Both men are at the top of their special agent/super-spy game, each with contrasting personalities and disparate approaches to their work, with Keller being bold and impulsive in everything he does, while Seva is more strait-laced and methodical, planning for every action and reaction.
When their boss pairs them together to work a personal case involving the mysterious death of an old friend in Romania, Seva and Keller must put aside their differences to get the job done.
What they discover in the forests of Romania is beyond their imaginings, and before long, the pair finds themselves unexpectedly facing down monsters they believed to be purely myth and legend, while also attempting to stop a dangerous local conspiracy plot from unfolding.
In the midst of all the supernatural action and potentially life-threatening drama, Seva and Keller’s personal relationship swiftly transitions from antagonistic work partners to destined soulmates.
Song and Key has a lot working for it. The story delivers an imaginative premise and showcases some intriguing supernatural world-building. It also features two engaging leading men who happen to share some damn witty banter on their way to obtaining love and happiness, all while saving the day like the totally badass special agents that they are.
The dynamic between Seva and Keller worked a treat for me, and I enjoyed the brand of humour present in their every interaction. Although, I do wish this was sexier than it ultimately turned out to be (with nearly all of the sex scenes being fade to black, or completely off page). I felt Seva and Keller’s sizzling chemistry actually demanded some decent skin-on-skin action, but alas, I was left feeling deprived in this regard.
Overall, I enjoyed this one and I look forward to reading further in the GLEN series.
Read
January 4, 20184.5 Hearts
Tag team review with R * A Reader Obsessed * !
What a fun start to a new series and what a great introduction to this amazing, hilarious, and sexy couple/partners that are Agents Song and Key.
This was fun. I love it when a romance has two characters who seemingly annoy the hell out of one another and love to pick on each other because you know they like one another. It’s the quintessential playground rule of being mean to who you like but with these two, the banter they share is so far from being mean. It’s fun and it’s how they communicate with one another.
Though not normally partners, after finishing the last mission they were assigned on together, Agents Keller Key and Sevastyan Song are tasked with a non-mission from their boss to investigate the mysterious death of his friend in Romania. Neither man is happy about being paired with the other, but they go about what they are asked to do and get to work on what is supposed to be a vacation.
Yeah, I am going to say that there is a partner/couple that tends to creep into the subconscious whenever I read a new romance with a duo that starts as unwilling partners and ends up lovers. It’s hard not to compare so I let the emotions come and let them go. You can’t compare the two so just don’t. Okay. It makes reading this much more fun.
So, Keller and Seva are on their way to investigate this mysterious friend’s death and we get a whole lot of banter from them that makes me smile. These two are fun and the UST is buried so deep they don’t recognize it and I was waiting for them to explode when they finally did. I won’t say if there were explosions because there are a few elements that pop up in the story that make the relationship work and one word that is used *ahem* - four letters that rhyme with late but starts with an M- *ahem* that had me onboard and fast.
Being along with Seva and Keller when they first get to their room and realize there is only one bed was so much fun. Waking up with them the following morning gave me hope and then there is a hike with creepy fog, a possible vampire, maybe werewolves and that word again that had me ready for some serious acknowledgements.
They mystery of the fog and the friends’ death had a touch of the Scooby gang to it but this book is FUN so it fit. I loved how Key and Song fell into their relationship, how Key reacted when he realized the traditional villains plan and how Song was ready to fight ancient evil to not lose Keller.
I will say there is a bit of head hopping in this story that had me confused about who was doing what and sometimes the tense would switch but it’s not the first time a book has done that and yet I kept going and still loved the heck out of it. I mean, how could you not love these two as they bicker, flirt and fall for each other all while trying to figure out who done it and if what they see is real?
Goodness. There is stuff in this I can’t spoil so I will cut this review short. I loved this story and really hope the Men from GLEN get another mission because there is so much to explore with what was gained from both Agents Song and Key while in Romania.
Tag team review with R * A Reader Obsessed * !
What a fun start to a new series and what a great introduction to this amazing, hilarious, and sexy couple/partners that are Agents Song and Key.
This was fun. I love it when a romance has two characters who seemingly annoy the hell out of one another and love to pick on each other because you know they like one another. It’s the quintessential playground rule of being mean to who you like but with these two, the banter they share is so far from being mean. It’s fun and it’s how they communicate with one another.
Though not normally partners, after finishing the last mission they were assigned on together, Agents Keller Key and Sevastyan Song are tasked with a non-mission from their boss to investigate the mysterious death of his friend in Romania. Neither man is happy about being paired with the other, but they go about what they are asked to do and get to work on what is supposed to be a vacation.
Yeah, I am going to say that there is a partner/couple that tends to creep into the subconscious whenever I read a new romance with a duo that starts as unwilling partners and ends up lovers. It’s hard not to compare so I let the emotions come and let them go. You can’t compare the two so just don’t. Okay. It makes reading this much more fun.
So, Keller and Seva are on their way to investigate this mysterious friend’s death and we get a whole lot of banter from them that makes me smile. These two are fun and the UST is buried so deep they don’t recognize it and I was waiting for them to explode when they finally did. I won’t say if there were explosions because there are a few elements that pop up in the story that make the relationship work and one word that is used *ahem* - four letters that rhyme with late but starts with an M- *ahem* that had me onboard and fast.
Being along with Seva and Keller when they first get to their room and realize there is only one bed was so much fun. Waking up with them the following morning gave me hope and then there is a hike with creepy fog, a possible vampire, maybe werewolves and that word again that had me ready for some serious acknowledgements.
They mystery of the fog and the friends’ death had a touch of the Scooby gang to it but this book is FUN so it fit. I loved how Key and Song fell into their relationship, how Key reacted when he realized the traditional villains plan and how Song was ready to fight ancient evil to not lose Keller.
I will say there is a bit of head hopping in this story that had me confused about who was doing what and sometimes the tense would switch but it’s not the first time a book has done that and yet I kept going and still loved the heck out of it. I mean, how could you not love these two as they bicker, flirt and fall for each other all while trying to figure out who done it and if what they see is real?
Goodness. There is stuff in this I can’t spoil so I will cut this review short. I loved this story and really hope the Men from GLEN get another mission because there is so much to explore with what was gained from both Agents Song and Key while in Romania.
March 8, 2020
**grm**
There was so much going on in this book and really too few pages to put it all in the plot. Some scenes were way too rushed and many things didn't get an explanation. The story had a good potential and Seva and Keller were just too funny together, but I really wished there were more pages and that all could go a bit slower, calmer...
{"You don't have to convince me that you're an equal-opportunity slut."}
----
{"Being your lover isn't that different from being hated by you.."}
Seva was a sarcastic little bit*h and I loved him. Kellar was funny. Both of them were hot, young and with a temper. There were also some scenes where both were jealous, but in the end they were just made for each other, and they already seemed a married couple anyway so... Waiting for the sequel, hoping there will be one, also because I really want to know more about the new division and the supernatural part of the plot.
There was so much going on in this book and really too few pages to put it all in the plot. Some scenes were way too rushed and many things didn't get an explanation. The story had a good potential and Seva and Keller were just too funny together, but I really wished there were more pages and that all could go a bit slower, calmer...
{"You don't have to convince me that you're an equal-opportunity slut."}
----
{"Being your lover isn't that different from being hated by you.."}
Seva was a sarcastic little bit*h and I loved him. Kellar was funny. Both of them were hot, young and with a temper. There were also some scenes where both were jealous, but in the end they were just made for each other, and they already seemed a married couple anyway so... Waiting for the sequel, hoping there will be one, also because I really want to know more about the new division and the supernatural part of the plot.
July 7, 2018
International superspies, secretive alphabet organizations, and a mysterious threat from the wilds of the Carpathian Mountains in Romania are at the center of this exciting action adventure. Aggressive wolves and a vampire make their appearance right in the prologue, so there is no question about the type of challenge this is going to be. Although… nothing much is as it seems, so the truth is a variation on the “usual” paranormal lore. Sevastyan Song and Keller Key are two secret agents with diametrically opposing philosophies, personalities, and modi operandi. They are in a bit of a personal competition about who is the better man, and their infighting provided some much-needed levity throughout this intense, suspenseful tale.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
April 23, 2018
Alix Bekins and Connie Bailey partner up to write a classic secret-agents-on-a-mission book, easily read in a single afternoon. It does take advantage of a few too many tropes, but is overall a fun LGBTQ+ novel that shows up to please fans of the paranormal, and pay homage to fun spy movies that everyone secretly loves, and it's easy to enjoy the banter between two agents trying to do their job and deal with rampant sexual tension (along with strange monsters and evil secret agencies) at the same time. -BE
Full review at: https://skiffyandfanty.com/blogposts/...
Full review at: https://skiffyandfanty.com/blogposts/...
September 4, 2018
I don’t remember why or when I picked this up. I assume due to a friends review, but I am glad I did.
A great start to a series, intriguing and fast paced. I adore Song’s malapropisms and Key’s inability to stop flirting with everyone.
GLEN is a top secret private organization that keeps the work safe and during this series beginning run into werewolves and vampires.
I would have liked more sexy time between our heroes but with everything going on I understand there really wasn’t time. Except for one frosting encounter the rest takes place off page. That is very disappointing as our heroes are sexy!
A great start to a series, intriguing and fast paced. I adore Song’s malapropisms and Key’s inability to stop flirting with everyone.
GLEN is a top secret private organization that keeps the work safe and during this series beginning run into werewolves and vampires.
I would have liked more sexy time between our heroes but with everything going on I understand there really wasn’t time. Except for one frosting encounter the rest takes place off page. That is very disappointing as our heroes are sexy!
January 6, 2018
An entertaining mix of action/adventure, supernatural, and romance. It's a light read and humorous enough for me, and I was happy that the sex wasn't graphic. Looking forward to read the next book of this series!
January 10, 2018
3.5 Stars rounded up. A good start to a potentially great series.
January 5, 2018
I finished Song and Key with an overall feeling of disappointment. I felt like the author was trying to write a comedy but the majority of the interactions between the main characters read more along the lines of siblings bickering in car after a long drive than lighthearted entertainment... "Are we there yet?"
The paranormal elements seemed to be more of an afterthought than an integral part of the story and the smoke-and-mirrors approach failed to capture the element of mystery alluded to in the blurb.
The opposites attract/friends to insta-lovers romance lacked chemistry.
This is the first book of Alix Bekin's I've read and, unfortunately, I just can't recommend it to my fellow readers.
The paranormal elements seemed to be more of an afterthought than an integral part of the story and the smoke-and-mirrors approach failed to capture the element of mystery alluded to in the blurb.
The opposites attract/friends to insta-lovers romance lacked chemistry.
This is the first book of Alix Bekin's I've read and, unfortunately, I just can't recommend it to my fellow readers.
March 31, 2018
I found the book a bit convoluted and overly drawn out. I mean, I guess it’s not an awful book, but I was confused more often then not.
April 5, 2019
A bit unusual, with some faults to the story, but the potential is there to be an interesting series.
This was sort of an 'enemies-to-lovers' story but it didn't really play out that way. Song and Key are agents Kellar Key and Seva Song. They are the top two agents of the secret organization GLEN. Though they are the top they never work together, and in fact with their different style they wouldn't work well together. So, not so much enemies as antagonists with some professional/personal competitive jealousy behind it. However, when the leader of the organization needs to have an off the books investigation of the death of a friend, sending his top two agents is obvious even if they don't get along. Forced to work together it shows how they can mesh professionally and brings to light some physical appreciation they each have. It's when the actual case starts heating up that everything just goes to hell.
Rather than enemies to lover, this was kind of "enemies-to-insta-love". Not exactly the usual and it didn't exactly work. Insta-love is a difficult to balance thing; though it is instant due to the circumstances, it has to feel genuine, not forced, and that there is a strong and loving connection between the two characters. By having these two jump from being 'enemies' to being proclaimed to be soul mates and falling right away in love (or lust?) it didn't really sell it. I would have enjoyed either a rather immediate lust-to-lovers things that started right from when they worked together the first time, or a gradual change of enemies growing to lovers as they worked together. But being so at odds with one another and then having it proclaimed by another as a soul bond made it feel forced and the chemistry didn't have a chance to build between the two. Though it became more evident near the end of the book I regretted the lack of story to truly allow it to feel real between them.
The unbuilt universe was another difficult part to this story. There is a major paranormal element to the whole story (being a part of the PNR line this is not surprising) but the two men know nothing of it. Obviously, this means that the paranormal world gets built up as they discover it. But really, not much was discovered. What little was found was told to be a secret, something the men couldn't learn about as the Council didn't allow that information to be told. Then the bad guys turn out to have an organizations that no one knew about, which is odd because they are supposed to be so omnipresent. Finally all of the learning about paranormal abilities and changes happens off page and is barely talked about! There is so much potential here but the world and the relationships languish from not being truly explored and built on page.
This was sort of an 'enemies-to-lovers' story but it didn't really play out that way. Song and Key are agents Kellar Key and Seva Song. They are the top two agents of the secret organization GLEN. Though they are the top they never work together, and in fact with their different style they wouldn't work well together. So, not so much enemies as antagonists with some professional/personal competitive jealousy behind it. However, when the leader of the organization needs to have an off the books investigation of the death of a friend, sending his top two agents is obvious even if they don't get along. Forced to work together it shows how they can mesh professionally and brings to light some physical appreciation they each have. It's when the actual case starts heating up that everything just goes to hell.
Rather than enemies to lover, this was kind of "enemies-to-insta-love". Not exactly the usual and it didn't exactly work. Insta-love is a difficult to balance thing; though it is instant due to the circumstances, it has to feel genuine, not forced, and that there is a strong and loving connection between the two characters. By having these two jump from being 'enemies' to being proclaimed to be soul mates and falling right away in love (or lust?) it didn't really sell it. I would have enjoyed either a rather immediate lust-to-lovers things that started right from when they worked together the first time, or a gradual change of enemies growing to lovers as they worked together. But being so at odds with one another and then having it proclaimed by another as a soul bond made it feel forced and the chemistry didn't have a chance to build between the two. Though it became more evident near the end of the book I regretted the lack of story to truly allow it to feel real between them.
The unbuilt universe was another difficult part to this story. There is a major paranormal element to the whole story (being a part of the PNR line this is not surprising) but the two men know nothing of it. Obviously, this means that the paranormal world gets built up as they discover it. But really, not much was discovered. What little was found was told to be a secret, something the men couldn't learn about as the Council didn't allow that information to be told. Then the bad guys turn out to have an organizations that no one knew about, which is odd because they are supposed to be so omnipresent. Finally all of the learning about paranormal abilities and changes happens off page and is barely talked about! There is so much potential here but the world and the relationships languish from not being truly explored and built on page.
February 28, 2018
I was given a copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
So - if you can imagine a slash fiction Twilight tribute (set in Romania) that draws heavily on ideas from both Charlie Cochet’s THIRDS series and Abigail Roux’s Cut and Run books - you might be able to wrap your head around the premise for this series.
And while the premise is a little bit tired and a little too complicated, it is the writing that lets the story down. The dialogue between characters is so choppy that I wondered several times if the story had been written in another language and clumsily translated into English. There are too many characters here and I struggled to keep track of their names. The convoluted plot made very little sense even after a lengthy explanation by baddies at the end.
The blurb had me excited for a new m/m action adventure series but after struggling through the first book, I won’t be reading any further books in this series.
So - if you can imagine a slash fiction Twilight tribute (set in Romania) that draws heavily on ideas from both Charlie Cochet’s THIRDS series and Abigail Roux’s Cut and Run books - you might be able to wrap your head around the premise for this series.
And while the premise is a little bit tired and a little too complicated, it is the writing that lets the story down. The dialogue between characters is so choppy that I wondered several times if the story had been written in another language and clumsily translated into English. There are too many characters here and I struggled to keep track of their names. The convoluted plot made very little sense even after a lengthy explanation by baddies at the end.
The blurb had me excited for a new m/m action adventure series but after struggling through the first book, I won’t be reading any further books in this series.
January 28, 2025
3.5 Stars
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