Cloak and Silence

The League: Nemesis Rising #5.5

by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Every Life Has A Price™

One of the fiercest soldiers the Phrixians have ever produced, Maris Sulle has been an outsider from the moment he was born different from the rest of his royal military family. And once his deadly secret was exposed, it cost him everything—his birthright, his family, and his stellar military career.

Ture Xans spent his entire life hiding from everyone around him—his family, his friends, and anyone who wanted to get close to him—while trying desperately to fit in and keep his head low. Badly hurt by everyone he’s ever known, he trusts no one except his own best friend. But honestly, he can’t understand why he trusts her. Nor can he believe her when she describes a loyalty between the League allies the likes of which he’s never seen.

Yet when Ture is captured by the League in a coup he wanted no part of, his life is saved by a hero he thought only existed in fables. A man who is every bit as scarred and mistrusting as he is. One who has no interest in being dragged into another war for any reason. Having spent his life as a living study of doomed relationships, Maris is well aware of the fiasco that invariably follows. Still, there is something about Ture he can’t resist. Something that won’t let him walk away when he knows he should. But when old enemies return to threaten them both, they either have to stand together or die alone.

Genres: Romance, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy, Science Fiction, M M Romance, Audiobook

210 pages, Hardcover

First published July 8, 2013

About the author

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New York Times and international bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon is a regular at the #1 spot. With legions of fans known as Paladins (thousands of whom proudly sport tattoos from her series and who travel from all over the world to attend her appearances), her books are always snatched up as soon as they appear on store shelves. Since 2004, she had placed more than 80 novels on the New York Times list in all formats including manga and graphic novels. Her current series are: Dark-Hunters, Chronicles of Nick and The League, and her books are available in over 100 countries where eager fans impatiently wait for the next release. Her Chronicles of Nick and Dark-Hunter series are soon to be major motion pictures while Dark-Hunter is also being developed as a television series. Join her and her Paladins online at MySherrilyn.com and www.facebook.com/mysherrilyn

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Reviews

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm pissed about this book. Thoroughly pissed.

I have a weakness for Sherrilyn Kenyon's books. They are kind of angsty, melodramatic guilty pleasures of mine, and I had yet to find a story of hers that didn't win me over in the end. It figures that her M/M story is the one to fail for me. Oh, the irony.

I have to say, I am thrilled beyond belief that Kenyon wrote a M/M romance. It just goes to show you that M/M is going mainstream in a big way. I also have loved the character of Maris ever since he made his first appearance in The League series, and I was beyond excited for his story. This, however, was a total let down.

Even a stellar narration from Holter Graham couldn't save this book. The main problem with this story is the way Kenyon writes her gay characters. These guys constantly "giggle" and swoosh, and every time they do something that is "manly", like fight or pick up something heavy, another character has to exclaim, "Are you sure he is gay??" Yes, gay men can be both manly and homosexual. They aren't mutually exclusive! They call themselves "goddess" and "sweetie" and are oddly feminized. Now, I know there are gay men all over the spectrum, and I have read amazing books with guys that toe the line between masculine and feminine, but in this book it read as "I have to make these guys stereotypically gay seeming so everyone knows they are gay." It just rubbed me the wrong way.

And the sex... jeez. Admittedly, that middle ground between no-sex-on-page and full-on-sex that Kenyon likes, doesn't translate well to gay romance. But things like this would happen in this book, "He kissed his way up his neck and then he entered him." Mind you, this would be like when they were cooking and or sitting on the couch. I was so confused as to the logistics of everything. It was literally like the author took a scene from one of her M/F romances and changed "he" to "she". It felt really odd.

What did I like about this book? Well, I still loved the bromance between Maris and Darling and I was really happy that Maris got his HEA, but most of the book was problematic for me. The angst was also off-the-charts and I had a difficult time buying all of the drama at times. I also thought that the passion, the sexual tension was missing from this story. Maybe because it was more insta-love than a hard fought romance like in all of the other stories? And it was a touch boring...

I'm going to continue on to Hauk's book because I happen to love her M/F stuff. Go figure.

[Kristalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Final rating: 4.5/5 stars

First things first: I cannot describe how much i love The League series. I was in love with it and i am still in love with it, and no matter how many times i read these books, i will never grow tired of them. I have grown attached to the characters of this universe, and i can't help but love them all and want more about their lives and families.

Attention: this is the first mm story in The League series.

This was everything i expected and i got even more. I love Sherrilyn, she never let me down with her books, and despite everything, she is a wise woman and great author, so if you have not read Sherri's books before, do it now!

This book was:
♦ emotional
♦ funny
♦ heartbreaking
♦ beautiful

Another thing that is important for this story is that is meant to be read after Born of Silence at least. It gives you better insight to Maris and Darling's relationship which is damn complicated considering those two are inseparable. And mostly because those two plots are pretty much connected, unlike the other books (well, actually, the book starts with one of the scenes from the end of Born of Silence).

Maris Sulle has been one of my favorite characters in the whole league series. He is and will be always adorable and great character. And i was out of my mind when i first saw that he would be getting his own story, and with Ture! I liked Ture from the moment he appeared in Born of Silence, but Maris captured my heart in both this and all the others (Still, no one can beat Darling Cruel on my fav list).

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CHARACTERS :
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So... Meet:

♦ ~Maris Sulle~



Maris Sulle is one of the fiercest and deadliest assassins of Phrixians race, but also a disowned prince. He is a part of Sentella, but not active member so he goes as civilian.

Maris has always been a dear friend of Darling Cruel, and he would do anything for him - even give up his own happiness to see Darling with woman he loved. Maris is highly loyal to Darling, because Darling saved his life multiple time, and without him, he would be no one and nothing. He saved him when Maris' family disowned him and he gave him reason to be alive. And he will never forget that debt.

He is funny, he is adorable and he is truly wonderful guy - but he also keeps secrets, more dangerous that people think. Secrets of his own race. He is badass, fierce, and he doesn't trust easily. He will always and forever love Darling, even though he will never have him, but he accepted it. But he needs his own happiness too, but he is tired of hurting himself...

Maris felt his throat tighten. “I stopped fighting for myself a long time ago. But as much as I despise killing, I hate losing someone I love a lot more. How, with all my training and skills, can I stand back and let the ones I love most risk or lose their lives and do nothing for them?”

So when he meets Ture, he shows Maris that not every person is same and that he will accept everything that he is.

“I won’t hurt you, Mari. My heart is scarred and in pieces, too. I don’t trust lightly, but I want to trust you.”
“I will be here. Waiting.”

Some serious spoilers => I knew his past was horrible, but learning it this way was even worse... It's no wonder why he would rather be alone, than be hurt again. And his true watery form was adorable..i never expected him to be a mermaid...merman something?

♦ ~Ture Kelsin Xans~

“Are you calm now?”
Ture rolled his eyes. “Yes, my sanity just arrived.”

Ture is a friend of Zarya's, Darling's wife, and he rarely trusts people. They only hurt him and crushed his hopes, and because of that he sees only the worst in them. He believes that there are no people who would do anything for love and he refuses to believe in that. Until Darling and Maris appeared and showed him that there are people worth fighting, loving, and dying for.

Ture was interesting, and he was perfect balance for Maris, which i loved. he is funny and adorable and just fluffy ♥ He is not a fighter like Maris, but he has his own means of protecting his own.

Now that Ture had found one, he wanted to hold on to it for awhile. But even as that thought went through him, he knew the truth.
Love never lasted. People betrayed. And lovers inevitably disappointed each other.
What if they didn’t?
Ture tried to squelch that treacherous thought. He didn’t want to have hope. Hope had never been kind to him.
Ever.

♦ Other characters:

Darling was amazing in this book, and as always, there to support Maris, and his choices. I just can't stop loving him no matter what i do! I loved Anachelle as well, the cute pregnant woman who grew to my heart. And i loved every Sentella member that appeared as usual. I can't help but grin every time Hauk makes jokes :)

Maris nodded as Darling left. Hauk came in a second later.
“What are you doing here?”
Hauk grinned. “Sitting on you while you panic. Making sure you don’t do something stupid. Are you planning to be stupid?”
“I try to avoid it.”
“Good for you. I don’t. Rather I embrace my natural stupidity with both arms.”

Anyway, i was so happy to read about them all that my brain went out of the window.
____________________________________________

OVERALL :
____________________________________________

Fantastic addition to the story ~ Maris and Ture deserved their own happy ending, especially after all they had gone through. And i will forever love Maris, and i can't wait to read next League books just so i can read more about him and other Sentella members. If you wanna skip this book because you are not a slash/mm lover, you can do so, but i would still advise you to read it. After all, they are part of the big family too!

Favorite quote:

And she said to me that all little girls, regardless of what they say, dream of a prince to come in and sweep them off their feet and save the day. But what no one ever mentions is that all little boys dream of a princess to do the same thing for them. But the problem with princes and princesses is that they’re spoiled and self-absorbed. They act in their own best interest. They don’t go after their loved ones to rescue them so much as they do it for their own vainglory, and to serve themselves. While she’d had many princes try for her hand, it was a king who had claimed her heart. Unlike princes, kings take responsibility. They think of others instead of themselves and they will risk everything, even their very lives, for those they love. It is never about them, but rather about the ones they cherish most. They love to such depth that they would sacrifice all just to see their family smile. For every thousand princes, there is only one king. And such rare men do not deserve a useless princess who sits on her duff and orders others to worship her and do her bidding. Kings deserve queens— rare women who never flinch to do whatever it takes to keep their king safe. Women who have the courage to face any attacker and to rally to whatever challenge life throws at them.

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MY THE LEAGUE REVIEWS:

◉ Born of Night (The League, #1)
◉ Cloak & Silence (The League, #7)
◉ Born of Fury (The League, #8)
◉ Born of Defiance (The League, #9)
◉ Born of Betrayal (The League, #10)


This review can be found on my blog: infinity-of-time.blogspot.com also known as...

[Sharon ∞❥ is an emotional book junkie ❥∞ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story starts off with one of the big battles/rescues from Born of Silence. We get to see Maris in all his splendor...and so does Ture. They both have their own self doubts to overcome before they can accept what's staring them in the face.

I was so happy when I heard that we were getting a book about Maris. He's been around for a while but I really enjoyed getting to know him in Darling's book. And I'm thrilled to say that he's even better in his own book...even if it was short.

I loved, loved, loved getting a more in-depth view of Maris' and Darling's relationship. Sure, we've read about some of it before but the stories are taken to the next level...and I don't know but for some reason they had a greater impact. Reading about what they went through for each other and how they were there for each other, how could you be jealous over that? Thankfully, Ture is a better man.

Speaking of Ture, I really liked him too and I thought it was wonderful that he would be the one for Maris. Ture doesn't play games and he is genuine....he just has to give Maris time to see...and believe that.

I was curious how the sex scenes would be between the two especially knowing this was a short story. And well, they were short and too few. I didn't feel they were any different from SK's m/f scenes and I guess that's a good thing. Even though it wasn't a sex scene, I loved when Maris and Ture were in the pool. The passion between them was great and I liked that Maris' "Phrixian" didn't bother Ture.



We do get to meet some great new characters especially Anachelle and "T". I was a bit sad at what happened. And we do get to meet Ture's brother and more of Maris' brothers...which was interesting. I really hope that Safir gets a book.

Amazingly for a short story, there's a whole bunch of drama and even when things seem to be wrapping up, we're hit with another whammy. I loved how everything worked out though.

Looks like Hauk's story will be next. I think it will be great seeing how his unfolds. Thankfully, November is not far away!


Favorite quotes:

♥ “Come home with me, Mari. Let me hold you like I’ve been dying to since the moment I saw you skidding into my cell with both blasters blazing.”

♦ “Did you know that the Phrixians have thirty-three words for honor? Twenty for loyalty? Three dozen for betrayal, but not a single word for love?”

♥ "Your services were necessary and memorized."
(My heart went out for little Maris when he said this!)

♥ “I can’t believe I finally found you.”

“Just make sure you keep me.”

[Yvonne Francis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am so disappointed in this book. I really love The League series, I feel that this is Kenyon's most innovative and creative story line, not a lot of repeated stereotypical romance formula present. That being said, I'm so so sad that this book ended up being so predictable..and not even in a good way! Maris and Ture feel like flat characters in this book, while in the last book both seemed animated. Their relationship is boring. The romance scenes are boring. The fight scenes are boring. The torture scenes are boring!

This book would've been much better if the characters and storyline had been longer and fleshed out. Kenyon's team has posted on Facebook that there was no more material to add, hence the ebook only publication at this point. I'm so disappointed that she didn't pull a page out of Acheron's book and go back in time to tell more of Maris' story, or even Ture's. She could've expanded on a Phrixian storyline, or, as you're nauseatingly told over and over, both of Maris and Ture have been hurt, why didn't an old flame come between them? Or a crazy abusive one try to break back in so Maris could show his warrior side?

Or, for crying out loud, why didn't the book include more of the war that they just started in the last novel?!

But nope. They just think over and over "I've been too hurt...this can never last". I'm pretty surprised that neither of them fainted after this. There were many places this storyline could've gone and didn't. I think that it would have been better to publish this as a side story in another novel, or in an anthology. It almost has no place within The League storyline and it feels awkward in my head to include the minuscule amount of information presented here, that progressed the overall storyline of the series along...by this -- much.

The ebook is $3.14 from B&N. I'm glad I didn't pay anymore for it, and it is fitting that the worst book I've read by Kenyon was the cheapest. I guess it was worth reading if your other option is watching reruns of MASH or staring at a wall.

Also, piss poor job done when it comes to trying to promote equality for GLBT communities. The author's note was straight up "don't judge me, I'd never do anything like what my characters are doing...not that it's wrong...just not for me". Yep. Uh-huh. Way to hedge your bets and try to appeal to both sides while staying in line with heteronormativity. There were two sex scenes, one of them interrupted and short, and they were awkward and unrealistic. If you read or wanted to read this novel for the GLBT romance line, I'm sorry it sucks and don't bother. Try reading J.R. Ward's Lover at Last book within the Black Dagger Brotherhood series instead.

[Bry · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off let me just say that Kenyon deserves mega props for writing a m/m book. I know a couple of other mainstream authors have written one but I haven’t read any. So yeah – that alone is a big hell yeah in my book. Secondly, she deserves mega props for writing Maris in the first place. After Syn he is my favorite character in this series – he is upstanding, loyal, selfless, witty, humorous, loving, and like 20 other wonderful adjectives. He impressed the hell out of me in Born of Silence (book 5) and I was so happy to learn that he was getting his own book, and thus his own HEA!

So yeah – I totally liked this book! But it also had a couple of cons that were bad enough they are worth mentioning. But let’s start with the pros!

1. Maris and Ture: Awesome. They were both pretty believable with all of their emotional baggage and hang ups. But they were both also strong enough to take a chance on the other which paid off big. They were upfront like real adults about the issues they each had and never one tried to hide anything. It was pretty damn refreshing watching two adults actually be adults with one another.

2. Maris’s background comes to light and damn what a life he has lived. I always got that he loved Darling, but now I see why he loved Darling. And Ture was so amazing but understanding too once he learned about it. Poor Maris though – I just want to hug and squeeze all the bad memories right out of him.

3. The emotion was really raw in this book (although it *could* come off as whiny at points) – the two characters vulnerabilities were relatable and presented well.

4. And my fave part of this series is how much the other characters still get to play a role even though it isn’t “their” book. (Although some of the names floated right over my head and I couldn’t remember who they were – like Darling’s sister.)

But now we have to address the cons…At first I built this book up a bit in my head so its only chance was to fall short in my mind, but in reality these were some pretty obvious failings.

1. The length of the book felt fairly short. Longer than a novella, but shorter than a novel. Thus, the overall plot of the book was totally lacking. It started with the declaration of war between the league and Darling, but then this impending doom is only ever mentioned a handful of times throughout the rest of the book. I think this book was more of a filler novel than I anticipated as I can see the war plot being significant in future books as it develops. Honestly there wasn’t any overall action plot to this book – it focused solely on Maris and Ture’s relationship. And while that’s not a bad thing, it just isn’t how the rest of the series is written.

2. The sexy fun times were lacking and few and far between. Every other book in this series (or just by this author) is stuffed full of engaging and elaborate sex scenes. There was mainly 2 in this book, and both were short and semi vague. Also the acts themselves showed how little knowledge Kenyon has about it. Not to be crude but you can’t just jump right into anal. You gotta prep a little bit. Otherwise…OUCH!

3. The baby daddy plot was just weird – nuff said.

Pros and cons aside though I totally enjoyed the book and will continue the series! Maris and Ture were wonderful and I can’t wait for them to pop up in future books!


***********************


(Prior to reading the book)

YES!!!

At the end of Born of Silence all I wanted was for Maris to get his own book, and I thought that wouldn't happen since Kenyon alludes to his relationship with Tuere so much. So i figured that was all he would get!

So glad we get to read an entire book from Maris's POV and good on Kenyon for going against the norm with some M-M romance!

Can not wait to read this!

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This definitely calls for a happy dance!!!! I cannot wait until this book comes out!! I'm counting down the minutes until I own this book!!!!

EDIT: I just finished this book last night and it was everything I hoped it would be and more. If you don't like homosexual romance in general then you might not want to read this book.
I found this book to be everything that I love about Sherrilyn Kenyon's writing. The romance was different from what she has wrote about in the past but seeings how the romance was different from traditional romance, what can you expect? The humor was amazing. There were parts of this book that actually had me laughing out loud. The action was great and believe me there was plenty of it. After reading this book I can see why she didn't want to make it longer or shorter. It was perfect just as it was. While I do wish that this book had been published in paper I'm even more happy that it was published at all. I give this book five stars and wish I could give it more! I can't wait for Hauk's story to come out next year!

[Briar's Reviews · Rating 1 out of 5]

I haven't picked up a book by Sherrilyn Kenyon before so I decided to jump right in with a book I had been gifted. Turns out - don't start in the middle of this series. You need to understand the first six books to get what's going on in this one.

The writing is good but it's not really my style. It felt like there was a lot of nothing going on for most of the story and since I didn't know all the background to what happened before, I was very, very lost. I think Sherrilyn is a good writer, but I definitely needed to know all of the background to get anything about the story. Like the weird Phrixian race - I don't know what it is, what they look like, anything. The two men falling in love was fantastic, but I couldn't understand their differences since I didn't know why humans and Phrixians shouldn't be friends.

There were a lot of stereotypes and the homophobia was... not amazing. I can tell the writer doesn't normally write M/M romances and well... it didn't work well but I will take the attempt as a positive since it means this fictional world has M/M romances...

Overall, good story and I'm sure fans of this series will like it.

One out of five stars.

[Nadia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Also posted on Amazon:

Over the years I have read most of Kenyon's books and over the last few years I have seen them slowly become worse in plot and writing- several typos and wrong words here and there, and all possessing the same plot (Man has a horrible background- poor them!- then woman feels sorry for them and the man has reservations about their relationships, then there is a fight scene and bam! Suddenly all of their problems are fixed and they are so totally in love that they get married and have babies). Because of this, I have been turned off her books. I decided to cave this book for several reasons: 1) I wanted to support an author who was willing to bring a homosexual relationship into regular fiction and 2) It was very cheap compared to the rest of her books.
This book is not sexy. At all. Usually there's at least a sizzle and spark between them, but it was almost completely glossed over in this book. The sex was also not hot at all and lasted about a paragraph. I found it an interesting idea having an amphibious main character as I haven't read any other books with that kind of character in it before. Ture's cooking sounds divine, but his sudden blurting out of a love confession was way too quick and had little to no build up. Other than talking about him coming out to his family, there is little backstory.
One thing that annoyed me a lot was the seeming blase way they handled death. One: Why is Ture so muscled if he wasn't from a warrior culture (seriously, why would a chef get that built on a world like that?) Two: He kept going on about how much he loved ******** and then *** died and nobody was upset longer than a paragraph, except to be happy to adopt the baby. Seriously? Not even going to cry a little bit? No? Okay then. Three: He killed his brother and seemed nonchalant, but it was stated earlier that he couldn't shoot properly, and why is Ture suddenly so blase about killing when earlier he was trying not to vomit?
Positives: Kudos for bringing a homosexual relationship into mainstream paranormal fiction. Kudos for creating an amphibious character. Kudos for making a chef a main character and making food that sounds delicious.
This will probably be the last book of hers I read but hopefully the quality of Kenyon's books returns to that of books like Night Pleasures etc.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so Happy Maris got his HEA, even though I still want him for Darling and its hard to get over that thought, I love them so much together but Maris will always be just a friend for Darling...
and Ture , I was unsure of him at first and I don't know how my love for him will grow, but he showed it, the best he can to Maris, by being patient, loyal and above all he cherished Maris his whole heart...

can't wait to read the next one Hauk is so funny, I love him:)
and Safir, I am worried about him:/

[Heather C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review can be found at The Blog of Sid Love

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maris Sulle has spent most his life devoted to the one man he loves but can never have, the happily married Darling Cruel the only person who has ever loved him for exactly who he was. But, when on a mission he rescues the jaded Ture and feels a connection he can't seem to deny. But they both must overcome their past and insecurities especially when danger seems to be following them.

I feel like I have been waiting for this book forever; it is the book in the The League series that I have been anticipating the most, I just wanted Maris to have his HEA after all the horrible events he has endured. This book overlaps with Born of Silence at the point where Darling, Maris and the gang rescue Zarya from the League. But instead of seeing it from Darling and Zarya's POV we see Ture and Maris instead and the connection between them is almost instant.

I don't normally read M/M books, for some reason they have never appealed to me, but Cloak & Silence,for me, was less about being an M/M book and more about me wanting two characters I love to have a happy ending. Like with all Sherrilyn Kenyon books though, the road to true love is paved with torture, persecution and betrayal, and although some of the melodrama does have my eyes rolling, mostly my eyes were glued to my kindle screen desperate to see what would happen next.

I really enjoyed this book, it was worth the wait, the romance essentially was rather sweet as the both look past each others scars, internal and external, and fall in love, with some hot 'n steamy scenes to keep us drooling. The League is definitely one of my favourite series, full of romance, action and heartbreak and I can't wait to read more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*SOBS*

Why is it, whenever I check on this book the release date is always further and further away! I want it and I want it NOW

[Kade Boehme]

Holy balls! My jaw hit the floor when i saw Sherrilyn Kenyon made good on an M/M story for Maris. STFU! *flails*

[Vero]

DNF at 18% - expect a rant. This is. Really. I cannot believe it. I really really liked many of her books. But this.No. Nope. Not good at all. Ugly and most hated insta-love makes a swift appearance. Ture is a girl. Sorry, but he is. He is described as a beautiful and muscular man, but he is a girl. And a needy, clingy one at that, with the accompanying sob story, how he never could trust anyone. In a m/f novel I'd rant and say "what a bad heroine, silly, weak and cliched".And Maris. He is also beautiful beyond compare (of course without knowing it). And his fighting style and skills defy description (this is actually the expression the author used).This might be the reason why the author just quit trying with the describing.
It is all tell, no showing. Oh, and obviously the author believes all gay men to be girls at heart. Otherwise I cannot understand the "feminine gestures" and the giggling and all the other silly stuff, that is probably meant to make clear that the hero's a gay guy, and not a macho hetero prince.One little gem: "Impressed with both their (fighting) skills, Ture frowned at Zarya. "Are you sure Maris is gay?"" - valid question as we all well know, that great macho fighter can't be gay. And all gays are little limp-wristed girly twinks, or what? Cliched and prejudiced much?This was such a huge disappointment. I loved Acheron, but this was so annoying that I had to DNF, otherwise my little kindle would have been in danger when I turn into the incredible pink Hulk.To be fair, I haven't read anything else in the series (the league) - maybe Maris is a solid character there and you can overlook stuff like "Maris has always been a sucker for a man in pain" - yeah nothing more sexy than blood and gore and torture - and his strange, silly behaviour. So, rant over.

[Haley · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Spoilers ha, surprised book was even long enough for any storyline*

Wow what a let down, most of the time i imagined them with pink t-shirts tied up at the front and denim daisy dukes. In my books i like my gay men staunch and well hell even just like men! Certainly not calling everyone under the sun sweetie, baby or honey and they certainly don't refer to themselves as queens or bitches. It all just seemed so forced and stereo typial gayness, his personality and history just does not make sense with what came through in this book. The comparison with this book and the other M/F says alot about the author really, why even bother if you weren't going to give it your all? This book was so rushed and very awkwardly written. Its like a 60 year old monk trying to write a sexbook. Now Qhuinn and Blay BDB... thats how i like my books with gay men. Ya lost me on this one Sherrilyn.

Also when Tures "i think of her like a sister" gets murdered, heck did they even bury her body or did they just all get on with it while her body rotts on the floor of his restuarant? For someone that ment alot to him i don't even recall him mentioning her death or even reacting to it (i *think* Maris let out a roar?)...

I find it so hard to believe you are the same author that wrote Dark hunters. (I actually just checked)

[♥ Rebecca ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like Maris deserved so much more than this. He should have a totally epic romance like everyone else. Instead of this novella length story of his totally vanilla relationship with a chef which was set up by a friend. No offense to normal people, but this is The League and Sherrilyn Kenyon we are talking about! Plus, after Maris' lifelong devotion to Darling, I thought it would take so much more for him to fall in love with someone else. This was too rushed.

Plus, I didn't like how the book seemed to think that all gay men are effeminate. If Maris and Ture were both effeminate, fine. But it felt to me more like the book was actually trying to say that there are no other kind of gay men. It was weird, and annoying. Sadly, mm is not her forte.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cloak & Silence
The League: Nemesis Rising , Book 5.5

I Picked Up This Book Because: #Barbsbookopoly roll 2. “A book set in space”

The Characters:

Maris Sulle:
Ture Xans:

The Story:

I’m ashamed to say I didn’t retain much about this book. Ture (I think) was kidnapped with Nikerian’s mate (maybe) and Maris was involved in the rescue. They take a liking to each other. There is a lot of painful past and Maris has a current price on his head that causes a problem. This wasn’t a bad book. I just think I wasn’t in the headspace for it. I also think I should have read the book as the narrator's super soothing (and not distinct between characters) voice had me zoning out but I felt no need to go back on minutes missed.

This is a series I absolutely loved in the beginning and it pains me that I’ve grown apart from it. The library has the next book. Maybe I’ll give it a try soon to see if I’ve completely lost that loving feeling. Overall I was just kind of underwhelmed.

The Random Thoughts:



3 Stars

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the fan backlash of Born of Silence and the lamest reasonings imaginable to make a beloved gay character straight I suppose Sherrilyn Kenyon felt she owed it to her fans to give us a gay love story. And to be honest she did. For some reason this book is listed as number six, but at less than 200 pages and it already being revealed in Born of Silence that Maris gets his HEA with Ture this book should really be listed as 5.5.

I don’t mind that this is really a novella because Maris was a minor character and Ture was a random gay bestie of Zarya so this wasn’t a story I was dying to read. It clarifies how Maris and Ture went from being "rescuer and rescued” to “super in love boyfriends”. Because in Born of Silence their love seemed based on the fact that they are the only two actually gay characters, and since there is no one else for them to hook up with they might as well be with each other. This book doesn’t alternate from that, but at least we can see how they fell in love. Be prepared because once again this book is filled with torture porn. This series really should change its name from "The League" to "Oh Yeah, You thought You Were Tortured and Betrayed By Loved Ones? Well Wait Till You Hear My Story”. I mean dang, can we be introduced to just once character who hasn’t been screwed over. Just one character with a family who loves them and is still alive. A character who hasn’t been horribly betrayed and currently in fear of being murdered by that betrayer. Seriously with the amount of people who are broken or with insane vendetta’s its a wonder anything in this universe gets done. How does a severely emotionally crippled person grocery shop when there is bounty on their head?

The story starts out seeming like its going to be filled with ridiculous gay stereotypes. It picks up when Zarya and by default Ture are rescued from a League Prison. Ture comments more than once about Maris and how he is not "acting gay”. Which is so ludicrous. The man is a warrior in rescue mode, what the hell did Ture expect him to be doing fixing everyone’s hair and make up while singing show tunes? Also I was really sick of reading about how in love Maris is with Darling. News flash Gay people have friends of the same gender who they are not in love with, and Gay people are as capable of not falling in love with straight people as straight people are of not falling in love with Gay people.

Stereotypes were put aside, and we did get to see two people fall in love. Also there was added motivation to keep the series going, the new conflict could fuel more than a few books. We also learned more about the Phrixians, and it was cool to learn they are not really human. And maybe we will get another gay storyline that is an actual full book. Because Maris’ brother Kyr is way to bloodthirsty if you ask me, something tells me that male coming out of the closet would mellow him right on out...

[Jen Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like I have been waiting forever for this book. It's been more than a year since I read Born of Silence, and despite the elapsed time, my enthusiasm has never waned about seeing Maris and Ture's story. I will say this, League fans, be sure you've read that book before reading this one or you will be spoiled to high heaven.

This --to the best of my knowledge-- is Sherrilyn Kenyon's first stab at m/m. And I have to tell you, it feels just like any one of her m/f romances... only you get two tortured heroes instead of just one. Two men who have known nothing but betrayal and derision. Two men who have never been loved. Essentially, you're doubling the Kenyon effect. For fans, it's really win-win.

The story begins at the same time as the events roughly 3/4 of the way through Born of Silence, only it's told through the eyes of Maris and Ture. It starts with Ture and Zarya being tortured by the League and follows the events through their rescue and recovery. Zarya was already trying to hook Maris & Ture up, and their connection was real from the very beginning. Neither thought they could make a real go of it, though. Maris was too in love with Darling and Ture was too tied up in his work. Yet, the more time they spend together, the more they are unable to ignore their growing regard and attraction. And before they know it, they fall in love and their walls come crashing down.

There are problems, of course. Their emotional scars run deep, but the external threat is serious. There is a huge target on Maris' back, which means danger for Ture by extension. And there is the Darling-factor. Maris fears his love for his best friend will forever keep him from a real relationship. But there is really no doubt that each man has finally found someone who would never hurt or betray him.

As for the sex... it's pretty on par with the heat level of other League books. For m/m fans, there is a noticeable absence of prep/ lube and Kenyon straddles the line of being mostly clear in what's happening. The lube issue notwithstanding, I was generally satisfied and I think most readers will be too.

Overall, I enjoyed it, though it was a bit predictable. It was also a little over-the-top at times, with lines like: "Tell me what it's like to be held by someone who really loves you" and "I can't be hurt anymore. I am tired of it." Like I said before, it's pretty standard Kenyon, but maybe a little more pronounced because of the double-hero factor.

Rating: B

[Yodamom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maris, what a sweetheart. This poor man has been beaten, battered, bullied and unloved most of his life except for one person Darling. It has been painful to watch his love for Darling over the last books. While Darling loves him it is not a romantic love, and yet it is unbreakable. Maris has told his lovers that he will never love anyone more than his precious friend and with that they leave him. So, he stands to the side watching his friend have the love he will never get and willing to live that way forever.
omg it has been heartbreaking to watch him suffer.




His suffering might come to an end with one rescue. He rescues someone who will challenge everything he believes in about his worth, and his ability to love. This new guy is absolutely wonderful. He's a chef, an honest man, a generous friend and has known his own sorrows for too long. Together, these two struggle to go beyond the scars.
I love these characters in this series, the good guys, not the bad guys. These are good solid people, who offer themselves up for the good of others. Maris and Ture are two of the best. I loved reading this story it left me smiling and there is nothing wrong with that.

[Nusejka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it! Maris is my little favourite since Born of Silence and I am really happy that he finally found someone although I would be perfectly happy with a Darling-Maris love story too :P (sorry, but I'm still not a fan of Z...)
Anyway, there was some wtf point in the sex scene, I mean Maris and Ture have to be really skilled to just 'slid inside' without any lubrication or preparation...
Other than this it was a very delicious morsel to a hardcore League fan because you cannot not laugh when the Sentella guys show up and start bitching and teasing :) I love this bunch of idiots and can't wait for Born of Fury, it is a shame that we can't get it till next year :(

[Andria Potter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, how I wanted to like this so much more than I did. I had high hopes for this book but it felt like a badly written m/m avengers fanfic, in an odd way, mixed with star wars blasters and spaceships thrown in for fun. There's even a guy with an eye patch a guy named Hauk (cough Hawkeye cough) that fires arrows from his bow and it read like an incredibly strange fantasy romance high on science fiction elements.

On the one hand I did enjoy it to a point. Mostly because I kept laughing at the ridiculous lines and stupid decisions people made in this book. It's been a hot minute since I last read Sherrilyn Kenyon so that this fell through so hard hurts in a way. I truly hoped for better on this book.

Pros to reading: quick read, no cliffhangers, happy ending

Cons: I have no clue who anyone is except Syn and I only vaguely recalled his story. The writing felt ridiculous and cheesy at times. The romance wasn't what I hoped for either in an m/m story.

Overall?

2.5 🌟 rounded up to 3

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Maris has to save Ture from danger, he falls head over heels for the alien. Is it meant to be though or will he be heartbroken yet again? Read and find out for yourself.

This was a great installment of the League series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. If you enjoy Sci-fi romance with action, adventure and more, then be sure to check this book out at your local library and wherever books and e-books are sold.

[Debby Tiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not the first or even second time I have read this short story. The first time I read this book, I was a sheltered young woman sneaking a listen to it as a audiobook, the only way I could get this story from my local library.
I wish Maris and Ture had been given a full-length volume. Kenyon's books are primarily straight, and although I adore them, they can tend toward the melodramatic and formulaic.

Maris information page, official website

I love this world and these characters: Hauk is always good for a laugh, Darling is the love of my readerly life, and Syn is always such a loveable grouch and genius.
Maris's story is nothing less than heartbreaking. I'm not going to lie, I really love him and Darling together (I don't think Zarya deserves Darling, but Maris definitely does), and I wish they got together or became a threesome with Ture. Nothing against Ture at all. Any man who can cook that well and is that kind is instantly more attractive, and his patience and resistance to jealousy is even more appealing.

Favorite quotes:

Maris steeled himself at words that usually sent him into a murderous frenzy. Just not against pregnant women.

"What were you like as a child?"
"Brooding. Aggravating. Temperamental... Haven't really changed, now that I think about it."

"I'm not always a flamboyant queen. I do have occasional moments of screaming normality."

"Now unless you're craving extensive dental work and reconstructive surgery, get out of my face."
"Did you know that the Phrixians have thirty-three words for honor? Twenty for loyalty? Three dozen for betrayal, but not a single one for love?"

"I so love how Mari sugarcoats things for the ones he loves."

"Just don't make me the creepy uncle," Hauk said. "Remember, we have Fain for that."

Favorite character: Darling.

If you like this series, I recommend Sasaki and Miyano, Vol. 1, Captive Prince, The Demon Prince, Grimspace.

[Stormy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, so first things first. I love SK. Witnessed by the fact that if this series was written by anyone else, I never would have even touched it. Ever.

I enjoyed Nyk's story and Sin's story and Caillen's story (despite listening to it via audiobook and finding out the "real" pronunciation of Caillen's name). I have stumbled a bit over the 2nd generation stories. And then came Darling's story, which I had been very much looking forward to...but she chickened out.

I mean, I guess she followed the voice of the story in her head, but it felt like a bitter cop-out to me. I was so incredibly disappointed.

So yeah, now we get Maris' story. In some ways, I find the timing of this release to be a bit curious and coincidental. I mean, SK has a popular vampire series...as does another author and they both broke with m-m stories in 2013.

The other author put out a hardcover book, full production. It was long and involved and she gave those boys the full measure of her writing ability. They got the same literary treatment as all the other heterosexual characters in the series.

SK...disappointed me again. First, the book came out on Kobo...no hardcover, no paper back, not even available on Amazon. It came out nearly in secret to the outside world...if you are not a hardcore SK follower, you did not know this book even existed. I had to download a new reader...just to access it.

Then, the book starts with, essentially, an apology from the writer about why she even wrote the thing.

And finally, the length was...under-inspiring. This is a woman who has shown that she has a nearly limitless imagination for paranormal (and historical/fantasy) story telling. She has written 4 books about one mortal character's life, for crying out loud. Yet she cannot give full measure to Maris. He does not get equal literary treatment as her heterosexual characters...he gets a half-measure story.

I am a bit heart-broken actually. For Maris, for Ture, for SK...that she couldn't let herself tell this story, for losing her courage.

I am fully on the fence about whether I want to give her props for going there at all, since it was clearly so terrifying for her. But considering some of the truly amazing m-m fiction I've read this year alone, including a similar story by a very similar author, she really, really...dropped the ball here.

Phooey.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait to read this. I loved Maris in Born of Silence.

UPDATE: 7/13/13

Happy Dance!!! Maris & Ture's story is finally released & I get to read it. :)

Before I continue I will say this: This is a M/M romance so if you don't like that type of story & you read this book anyway . . . then don't complain that you didn't like it. Now having said that.

I just love The League & was so excited that Maris got his own HEA. This story was basically to show us fans how Maris & Ture ended up together at the end of Born of Silence . . . so if you didn't read it first don't complain about spoilers. :)

And now that I've finally got to read this story? Now I have to wait months for Hauk's story Born of Fury to come out so I can get my next fix of The League. Sadness! :(

[Shiran · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Yes, well, I tried seriousness once and found it made my butt look fat. Who wants to live like that?”

Short and sweet! I'm not the biggest M/M romance fan but I really enjoyed this story. I fell in love with Maris in the previous book and it was so nice to get this little insight into his world. I still find it hard to picture Maris as the fierce warrior he can be and I really loved how this book showed both sides of this lovable character. I also loved the history behind Maris's species, I really didn't realise he isn't human and it was so cool to see another great alien in this series. Ture is really the perfect man and I loved how he accepted every aspect of Maris's life. Their relationship built so nicely and I fell in love with both of them and the story went on.

This series has really captivated me and I'm completely invested in the lives of these characters. Their love for each other is heart-warming and I have to admit every minute that I'm not immersed in this world is just boring and lonely. The banter between the characters is hysterical and with every book I get more and more excited for the next character's story.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I'll admit that I've never read anything else by this author, but I have GR friends who do and so I found out about this book. I was hesitant to buy this because being the 6th book in an ongoing series I thought I would be totally lost, but I caved. I was amazed, this author did a wonderful and tasteful job with this character's story and now I find myself wanting to read more of this series and the rest of her books-though this story was written in a way that I didn't feel like I was missing anything.

Maris' and Ture just break my heart; and I wonder how all these guys just didn't go insane. No one should go through even half of what this men have survived, so their resilience and strength is just amazing to witness. Really an extraordinary cast of characters, who I hope I'll be able to get to know better (I'm getting my hands on the prior books in the series).

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

About 15-20 minutes ago I could have put currently reading. I bought, started, and finished it within 2.5 hours. While it is a short book (especially in comparison to the rest in the series) it is more than well worth the read. Maris and Ture are perfect for each other, even in their inconsistencies and flaws. I love the way Sherrilyn Kenyon makes you live inside of her characters. They are vibrant, funny, and so full of life. the things that you learn about Maris in this book at heartbreaking and breathtaking, especially if you discover them through Ture. Poor Darling. But for me, it was past time for Maris to get his happy ending. And Sherrilyn Kenyon could have have created a better hero for one of my all time favorite book heroes!

[Gwen (The Gwendolyn Reading Method) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super happy that Sherrilyn Kenyon put a same sex couple as the leads! My only issue is that it's too short, so the ending is really kinda abrupt.

[multitaskingmomma · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Published July 10th 2013

Fans of the League series need wait no more - Maris is getting his own book.

One of the fiercest soldiers the Phrixians have ever produced, Maris Sulle has been an outsider his whole life. He grew up with a secret that cost him everything - his birthright, his family, his military career. He's only ever had one love, and Maris has sacrificed that to see his best friend reunited with the woman he loves. His good deed done, he now feels lost and adrift. Even though his new family does its best to include him, he's once again on the outside looking in.

Ture has spent his life hiding from everyone around him while trying desperately to fit in. Badly hurt by everyone he's ever known, he trusts no one except his best friend - and honestly, he can't understand why he trusts her. Nor can he believe her when she describes a loyalty between friends the likes of which he's never seen.

But in his darkest hour, Ture is saved by a hero he thought only existed in novels, a man every bit as scarred and mistrusting as he is and who has no interest in being dragged into another relationship with anyone.

Having spent his life as a living study of doomed relationships, Maris is well aware of the fiasco that must inevitably follow courtship. Still, there is something about Ture he can't resist - something that won't let him walk away even when he knows he should.

And when old enemies return to threaten them both, these two must either stand together or die alone.

I was quite surprised when this book came to my attention. I never expected Sherrilyn Kenyon to give us her sixth installment of The League Series where her two main characters are men. I can just imagine the outcry of her League fans - crying out (probably) why Ms. Kenyon decided to write an MM book. And that is coming from a League fan and reader who is also an avid MM reader.

Some things bothered me though, when I started reading. The Author's Note. I am a little hesitant to mention this but I read it twice before I actually went into the story. I got the impression that Ms. Kenyon was hesitant to write an MM story. I don't know, is it just me? did I misunderstand it? I don't know.

Now for the book.....

The story opens straight from Born of Silence (The League #5) where Darling and Maris rescues Zarya and Ture from the captivity. However, this is when I actually started doubting the sincerity of this written work. Please don't get me wrong. Where Ture and Maris were playful, animated and quite naughty in League 5, here in League 6, that all disappeared. There was absolutely no continuity to their characters. I got the impression that their comfort level dropped. Where once they were playful, here they were like two predators circling each other, both trying to find out the weak points of the other. There was none of their candidness either. This I found strange and flat for lack of a better word. There was no "sizzle," nor any of the "oomph" that got me excited when I first read them.

And finally, where the rest of the League Series love scenes were verging on the erotica, here there was none. The scenes were honestly quite flat (ugh! again that word) and I got the impression (once more) that the writer was hesitant to write male on male love scenes.

I have to give kudos to Ms. Kenyon for writing this as this gives her readers and fans a closure on the Ture and Maris affair. Unfortunately, I have to be honest and write that I expected so much from this installment and it just fell short.

I will recommend this read to all the League fans out there. It is a great read and a fantastic closure for these two men.