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Light from the Dark
After a year of picking up the pieces of his shattered life, former US Marshal Micah Beasley takes a job as bodyguard for a spoiled rich kid who can’t leave his house. It’s supposed to be a cupcake assignment. He just needs to get back in the game. What could possibly go wrong?Brilliant and incredibly talented, Christopher (Kit) Auberon wears tragedy as a second skin. Kit is all that’s left of a powerful family. Seemingly forgotten, he’s spent his entire life in seclusion at the family estate, and he likes it that way. He’s free to play his games and create worlds without ever having to set foot in the real one.Kit’s past is anything but forgotten. When death threats become real threats, Micah and Kit are forced to put their differences aside to discover who wants Kit dead.But there are monsters in Kit’s closet that should never be disturbed.Dark fairy tale subject matter.
396 pages, Paperback
First published March 5, 2015
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January 12, 2016
I had to let this one settle in my brain overnight before writing a review. I was torn last night about commenting on some parts of the book that bugged the shit out of me and exactly what number of stars to give it.
Sleeping on it didn't help. I'm still kind of on the fence. So I'll try to explain why.
3.5 stars, rounded up
First and foremost, my favorite kind of M/M romances are heavy on the romance, lighter on events going on around the couple. 50/50 is a nice mix but I can usually handle 60/40, but more than that, I start to get a little bored and sometimes skim. There are exceptions, of course, if the story is written particularly well and intrigues me. Light from the Dark's main focus was on a man MC Chris "Kit" Auberon whose life was shattered when he was 8 years old. Both of his parents and his beloved nanny were murdered in front of him and he was kidnapped. When he finally escapes, he is left with no memory and no voice. He is tucked away in a huge mansion and labeled agoraphobic because he never leaves his property or his rooms in the mansion. Fast forward to Kit in his mid twenties.
When death threats start coming in against Kit's life, his uncle hires ex-Marine, ex-US Marshall MC Micah Beasley to protect him. When Micah arrives he quickly learns that there are whole slew of secrets about Kit and his family that he has not been privy to and quickly regrets the assignment. But something about Kit implores him to stay...
So, Micah and Kit, both extremely damaged men, start a emotional and physical relationship that was a delight to read. I don't want to give anything away, but both men turn out to be passionate, considerate lovers and the sex is white hot. They quickly fall in love which I bought hook, line and sinker.
Now, the mystery surrounding Kit's disappearance and the murders is the main part of the story. I found it suspenseful and incredibly entertaining and even though I would have preferred more of the Kit/Micah relationship, I was sucked in and couldn't put this book down. I read the whole thing in one sitting, which is unusual for me. But once the book hit about 80%, the story line absolutely fell apart for me and was merely a distraction, waiting for Kit and Micha's relationship to be the focus again. While the mystery started out great, lots of great twists and turns, the author took it too far, in my opinion, and messed with it at the end to the point it became comical. New family relations were discovered, parentage came into question and it even It took me back to my Knots Landing and Dallas watching days. I found it absolutely ridiculous. And, on top of that nonsense, Micha's family is introduced in the last 20% and a whole slew of new revolutions about his family comes into play. I admit to laughing-out-loud several times at just how convoluted the whole thing became. It was too much. Too, too much. Very SNL The Californians, which every new revelation.
But the romance was fabulous. Very Mercy Celeste. She did not disappoint there. I loved the boys and really felt their passion. The first 80% of the book was a sure-fire 5 star for me. But the story absolutely fell apart in the last 20% and I was incredibly disappointed and was a 2 star rating. That's how I came up with my overall 3.5 star rating.
Fans of high drama and family intrigue are going to absolutely love this one! Start reading now, don't delay! But if you are pickier about the story lines connected to the romance, you may want to skip this one and read another book by Ms. Celeste. My favorites are the fabulous In From the Cold, Let It Go and Need You Now, all on my absolute favorites shelf.
This review is also posted at Gay Book Reviews
Sleeping on it didn't help. I'm still kind of on the fence. So I'll try to explain why.
3.5 stars, rounded up
First and foremost, my favorite kind of M/M romances are heavy on the romance, lighter on events going on around the couple. 50/50 is a nice mix but I can usually handle 60/40, but more than that, I start to get a little bored and sometimes skim. There are exceptions, of course, if the story is written particularly well and intrigues me. Light from the Dark's main focus was on a man MC Chris "Kit" Auberon whose life was shattered when he was 8 years old. Both of his parents and his beloved nanny were murdered in front of him and he was kidnapped. When he finally escapes, he is left with no memory and no voice. He is tucked away in a huge mansion and labeled agoraphobic because he never leaves his property or his rooms in the mansion. Fast forward to Kit in his mid twenties.
When death threats start coming in against Kit's life, his uncle hires ex-Marine, ex-US Marshall MC Micah Beasley to protect him. When Micah arrives he quickly learns that there are whole slew of secrets about Kit and his family that he has not been privy to and quickly regrets the assignment. But something about Kit implores him to stay...
So, Micah and Kit, both extremely damaged men, start a emotional and physical relationship that was a delight to read. I don't want to give anything away, but both men turn out to be passionate, considerate lovers and the sex is white hot. They quickly fall in love which I bought hook, line and sinker.
Now, the mystery surrounding Kit's disappearance and the murders is the main part of the story. I found it suspenseful and incredibly entertaining and even though I would have preferred more of the Kit/Micah relationship, I was sucked in and couldn't put this book down. I read the whole thing in one sitting, which is unusual for me. But once the book hit about 80%, the story line absolutely fell apart for me and was merely a distraction, waiting for Kit and Micha's relationship to be the focus again. While the mystery started out great, lots of great twists and turns, the author took it too far, in my opinion, and messed with it at the end to the point it became comical. New family relations were discovered, parentage came into question and it even It took me back to my Knots Landing and Dallas watching days. I found it absolutely ridiculous. And, on top of that nonsense, Micha's family is introduced in the last 20% and a whole slew of new revolutions about his family comes into play. I admit to laughing-out-loud several times at just how convoluted the whole thing became. It was too much. Too, too much. Very SNL The Californians, which every new revelation.
But the romance was fabulous. Very Mercy Celeste. She did not disappoint there. I loved the boys and really felt their passion. The first 80% of the book was a sure-fire 5 star for me. But the story absolutely fell apart in the last 20% and I was incredibly disappointed and was a 2 star rating. That's how I came up with my overall 3.5 star rating.
Fans of high drama and family intrigue are going to absolutely love this one! Start reading now, don't delay! But if you are pickier about the story lines connected to the romance, you may want to skip this one and read another book by Ms. Celeste. My favorites are the fabulous In From the Cold, Let It Go and Need You Now, all on my absolute favorites shelf.
This review is also posted at Gay Book Reviews
Read
September 21, 2016DNF at 86%
Damn...I almost NEVER dnf books but this one was sooo long I couldn't push myself more.This started as a 5 star read.The characters are very fascinating and the plot really promising. Then things started to get weird and 80% into the book they became a big clusterfuck. So no rating...dammit.
Damn...I almost NEVER dnf books but this one was sooo long I couldn't push myself more.This started as a 5 star read.The characters are very fascinating and the plot really promising. Then things started to get weird and 80% into the book they became a big clusterfuck. So no rating...dammit.
January 8, 2019
I would have given this book an enthusiastic four stars if it had been just a bit more...competent. Not really in terms of technical merit, though heavens knows this needed an editor (too/to confusion, comma problems, etc.), but mostly the fact that the story just doesn't seem to have any polish whatsoever. Micah is brought in as a bodyguard for Chris, and yet he never really does any guarding of Chris' body. Um. At least, that isn't in a purely sexual way. Except for that one time with the ceiling.
I mean, look; Micah is a Marine, a guy who spent time both with LAPD and as a U.S. Marshall, and he doesn't have the brights to weed out the incompetent security staff? He spends his time on defense when that is not an effective way to ensure security, and on top of that, it's last-minute defense. I'm shocked he wasn't killed in Afghanistan. Must've been blind luck that carried him through his two tours, not to mention all his other baggage.
Then, near the end, we get this massive info dump in regards to said baggage from Micah's past. When he was arguing with his mom and step-dad, I was just sitting there confused because it seemed like I was supposed to already know why Micah was upset with his step-dad, when I had no clue because the guy hadn't been mentioned before.
The whole thing was just sloppy. It could have been great. The characters were trying to be interesting, the premise was cool, and the twists kept me guessing. Too bad the execution was so sodding awful.
I mean, look; Micah is a Marine, a guy who spent time both with LAPD and as a U.S. Marshall, and he doesn't have the brights to weed out the incompetent security staff? He spends his time on defense when that is not an effective way to ensure security, and on top of that, it's last-minute defense. I'm shocked he wasn't killed in Afghanistan. Must've been blind luck that carried him through his two tours, not to mention all his other baggage.
Then, near the end, we get this massive info dump in regards to said baggage from Micah's past. When he was arguing with his mom and step-dad, I was just sitting there confused because it seemed like I was supposed to already know why Micah was upset with his step-dad, when I had no clue because the guy hadn't been mentioned before.
The whole thing was just sloppy. It could have been great. The characters were trying to be interesting, the premise was cool, and the twists kept me guessing. Too bad the execution was so sodding awful.
January 28, 2016
Well, that was kinda crazy. Train wreck, can’t look away, have to know what happens next crazy.
Ok, let’s first get this out of the way. So the last Mercy Celeste book I read I hated. I still think about it. That of course made me a little wary about reading something else by her. But, I wanted to read this book from the minute I read the blurb. So, I stopped being a baby and did just that.
What a wild and crazy ride. For real.
I totally enjoyed it and totally didn’t all at the same time. It is confusing what I feel. I mean, I loved Chris but not Micah. I was intrigued by Chris’s past and was just confused by Micah’s. I feel that Micah was set up to be one thing but he wasn’t that at all and it totally made him seem and look ridiculous. Shame. He should have been placed in the story in a totally different way, it would have suited him and the story better. What he was didn’t show so I just wish he could have been something else.
Chris on the other hand was a well-developed character with an awesome personality and I believed in him. I wanted to know everything about him and I wanted him to find pure and absolute happiness.
The secondary characters kept the mystery part moving. I suspected everyone as you should in a mystery type story. It was like a game of Clue.
I love books that have crazy mansions or manors or estates or whatever you want to call them.
Old family, rich family, reclusive heir. Mystery, suspense, danger and just the right amount of humor. Overall I enjoyed it. I shook my head a lot but I smiled a lot and was eager and really never wanted to put it down. Glad I didn’t totally give up on the author because of one bad experience.
Ok, let’s first get this out of the way. So the last Mercy Celeste book I read I hated. I still think about it. That of course made me a little wary about reading something else by her. But, I wanted to read this book from the minute I read the blurb. So, I stopped being a baby and did just that.
What a wild and crazy ride. For real.
I totally enjoyed it and totally didn’t all at the same time. It is confusing what I feel. I mean, I loved Chris but not Micah. I was intrigued by Chris’s past and was just confused by Micah’s. I feel that Micah was set up to be one thing but he wasn’t that at all and it totally made him seem and look ridiculous. Shame. He should have been placed in the story in a totally different way, it would have suited him and the story better. What he was didn’t show so I just wish he could have been something else.
Chris on the other hand was a well-developed character with an awesome personality and I believed in him. I wanted to know everything about him and I wanted him to find pure and absolute happiness.
The secondary characters kept the mystery part moving. I suspected everyone as you should in a mystery type story. It was like a game of Clue.
I love books that have crazy mansions or manors or estates or whatever you want to call them.
Old family, rich family, reclusive heir. Mystery, suspense, danger and just the right amount of humor. Overall I enjoyed it. I shook my head a lot but I smiled a lot and was eager and really never wanted to put it down. Glad I didn’t totally give up on the author because of one bad experience.
March 7, 2015
....."Then don't. I'm safe with you. You make me feel safe. You make me feel loved."
Just the right mix of everything in this something-a-little-different of a tale which I throughly enjoyed.
February 3, 2016
Ms Celeste writes to a formula and that's not necessarily bad; basically you get interesting likeable characters, hot sexual discovery then a drama-llama invasion at around 60%. A few of her books I've loved.
Here the characters were likeable but the sexual discovery felt a bit odd, without any tangible chemistry. And it needed a strong connection considering other issues. But they were interesting enough that flaws aside I really enjoyed the story up until that 60% mark, until then it was a solid 4* after that the stars fell fast, I found myself grimly skimming in determination to finish.
The drama-llamas, that was taking a giant leap on a tangled bungee rope into roiling angst filled waters. Reveals started and didn't let up, unfortunately in the fucked-up-families-galore buffet it was impossible to track who was who. I don't know who was related to who, who worked for who, who thought who was who, who knew of who, who was doing who, who produced who! Pretty sure some hadn't been mentioned before appearing and perhaps some of those whos should be whom - but I no longer care.
It needed a major edit. There's a diagnosis thrown out there and from that moment on I had to resist the urge to analyse rather than follow the story, the writing got choppy too, for long periods I wasn't sure of the pov. or at times who was in the room. And not sure what was going on with the nicknames throughout 'Beastly' kept making me wonder if this was fanfiction. Christopher became Chris or Kit or Beauty and Micah became Beez or Beastly and you'd address 'Kit' to have 'Chris' answer and...yeah!
Took me the longest time to figure out that the keyboard next to the computers wasn't a computer keyboard. And considering he's an ex-marine, ex-marshall, probably ex-boyscout, I wouldn't trust Micah to babysit my fishies! Seriously after a week of heading up security he has no idea of the house layout, where the cameras/intercoms are, hasn't met/vetted the security team, doesn't even know who his boss is, but has already got naked with his client. He's a strong character but no security expert.
A good start and enjoyable story until the drama starts, then there's just too much and the awkward presentation makes it far too confusing to keep interest, I'm still not convinced the plot makes any sense.
And funny how one insignificant sentence can have you waving your arms, gesturing to your kindle and reading aloud. Mild rant under spoiler:
Here the characters were likeable but the sexual discovery felt a bit odd, without any tangible chemistry. And it needed a strong connection considering other issues. But they were interesting enough that flaws aside I really enjoyed the story up until that 60% mark, until then it was a solid 4* after that the stars fell fast, I found myself grimly skimming in determination to finish.
The drama-llamas, that was taking a giant leap on a tangled bungee rope into roiling angst filled waters. Reveals started and didn't let up, unfortunately in the fucked-up-families-galore buffet it was impossible to track who was who. I don't know who was related to who, who worked for who, who thought who was who, who knew of who, who was doing who, who produced who! Pretty sure some hadn't been mentioned before appearing and perhaps some of those whos should be whom - but I no longer care.
It needed a major edit. There's a diagnosis thrown out there and from that moment on I had to resist the urge to analyse rather than follow the story, the writing got choppy too, for long periods I wasn't sure of the pov. or at times who was in the room. And not sure what was going on with the nicknames throughout 'Beastly' kept making me wonder if this was fanfiction. Christopher became Chris or Kit or Beauty and Micah became Beez or Beastly and you'd address 'Kit' to have 'Chris' answer and...yeah!
Took me the longest time to figure out that the keyboard next to the computers wasn't a computer keyboard. And considering he's an ex-marine, ex-marshall, probably ex-boyscout, I wouldn't trust Micah to babysit my fishies! Seriously after a week of heading up security he has no idea of the house layout, where the cameras/intercoms are, hasn't met/vetted the security team, doesn't even know who his boss is, but has already got naked with his client. He's a strong character but no security expert.
A good start and enjoyable story until the drama starts, then there's just too much and the awkward presentation makes it far too confusing to keep interest, I'm still not convinced the plot makes any sense.
And funny how one insignificant sentence can have you waving your arms, gesturing to your kindle and reading aloud. Mild rant under spoiler:
July 15, 2015
5 stars rounded down because something left a bad taste in my mouth
If I were to rate this solely on how hot the dirty talk coming out of Micah's mouth was, I'd give it 5 stars hands down. By far, the hottest dirty talk I've read in a while. Compared to Mercy's other reads, I would have rated this as #1. And there are some unique things this book brings to the table as well. An asexual, androgynous MC? Yes please!
But then. It. Went. Downhill.
I'm just going to be honest. Shit got cray-cray.
If there were a test on who was related to whom, and who some of these people even were? I'd fail miserably.
And since a big part of the story was trying to finally resolve what happened to our MC, Kit, from years before, keeping these batshit secondary characters straight is a must. As a result, the rating took a dive.
I can overlook the grammatical errors, but I can't overlook that last 20%. When it suddenly turns into the Jerry Springer show, and you're desperately hoping Maury will show up to proclaim someone the father, you know it's beyond redemption.
Maybe in the future, I'll read the first half again, and remember the good times.
And the dirty talk.
If I were to rate this solely on how hot the dirty talk coming out of Micah's mouth was, I'd give it 5 stars hands down. By far, the hottest dirty talk I've read in a while. Compared to Mercy's other reads, I would have rated this as #1. And there are some unique things this book brings to the table as well. An asexual, androgynous MC? Yes please!
But then. It. Went. Downhill.
I'm just going to be honest. Shit got cray-cray.
If there were a test on who was related to whom, and who some of these people even were? I'd fail miserably.
And since a big part of the story was trying to finally resolve what happened to our MC, Kit, from years before, keeping these batshit secondary characters straight is a must. As a result, the rating took a dive.
I can overlook the grammatical errors, but I can't overlook that last 20%. When it suddenly turns into the Jerry Springer show, and you're desperately hoping Maury will show up to proclaim someone the father, you know it's beyond redemption.
Maybe in the future, I'll read the first half again, and remember the good times.
And the dirty talk.
March 13, 2015
I really liked this one, what can I say I love me some crazy!
honestly-ill-never-get-around-to-it
March 8, 2015ow, blurbache: "He was being paid to babysit and get paid for it"
March 18, 2015
3.5
I couldn't put this down and adored the two main leads and the set-up, and for the first 40% was sure this was a 5 star read. But the problems started to add up, and with it the frustrations.
So basically my reaction to this is mixed: I loved the characters, their romance, and the way the mysteries were set up. But the problem with setting up a fantastically suspenseful mystery is that you need at least a moderately satisfying resolution. I will definitely read more of this author, but I'll also probably check the reviews carefully for books that play to Celeste's strengths and actually deliver on the promises made in the set up.
I couldn't put this down and adored the two main leads and the set-up, and for the first 40% was sure this was a 5 star read. But the problems started to add up, and with it the frustrations.
So basically my reaction to this is mixed: I loved the characters, their romance, and the way the mysteries were set up. But the problem with setting up a fantastically suspenseful mystery is that you need at least a moderately satisfying resolution. I will definitely read more of this author, but I'll also probably check the reviews carefully for books that play to Celeste's strengths and actually deliver on the promises made in the set up.
June 7, 2015
2.5 Stars
Nice cover. Premise was very good, the execution and story... not so much. And where was the usual Mercy Celeste trademark steam? Anyway...the story was too convoluted and detracted from any sort of (actual) bodyguard work and necessary passion. I felt no heat between Micah and Kit and little reason why they connected, other than they were there. Also, don't get me started on Kit's issues and condition. No! I'll add this, people on the ASD find sarcasm is not their friend, for Kit to have 'sarcastic' as part to his voice modulation, for it to be implied or perceived as such by Micah, is...interesting.
That everyone was related/attached in some way was not a winner. I also kept thinking throughout that those vicious guard dogs were less than useless.
Shame about the book, I was so hopeful. I absolutely love this author in full swing. I hope for another cracker from her soon like Beyond Complicated or Behind Iron Lace, wonderful books. Oh yes, editing - including sentence structures that made me triple take, not great for reading flow, and one of the MCs is actually called Kit not Kid.
Nice cover. Premise was very good, the execution and story... not so much. And where was the usual Mercy Celeste trademark steam? Anyway...the story was too convoluted and detracted from any sort of (actual) bodyguard work and necessary passion. I felt no heat between Micah and Kit and little reason why they connected, other than they were there. Also, don't get me started on Kit's issues and condition. No! I'll add this, people on the ASD find sarcasm is not their friend, for Kit to have 'sarcastic' as part to his voice modulation, for it to be implied or perceived as such by Micah, is...interesting.
That everyone was related/attached in some way was not a winner. I also kept thinking throughout that those vicious guard dogs were less than useless.
Shame about the book, I was so hopeful. I absolutely love this author in full swing. I hope for another cracker from her soon like Beyond Complicated or Behind Iron Lace, wonderful books. Oh yes, editing - including sentence structures that made me triple take, not great for reading flow, and one of the MCs is actually called Kit not Kid.
March 9, 2015
*Sighs*, I really wanted to like this but oh my goodness it was all over the place and not in a good way. I felt like I was in an incestuous version of Clue. Everybody was related, and not in a good way. I had an issue within the first 5% and 3 grammar errors already, that was not a good look about things. I didn't like the writing it was super choppy, disjointed and completely discombobulated. I got tired of the 20 X thousand mentions of snow, light, and darkness. Also if a person has to keep reminding me he isn't normal I'm going to take it.
Let's start with the MC's, I didn't like either guy. Well Tamika, if you didn't like them why did you give it 3 stars. For THE ROMANCE ASPECT ONLY, and because I liked the name Beastly. Micah had to be the worst bodyguard in bodyguard history. I actually don't see how he even made it to the U.S. Marshals, he literally didn't do his job. I mean common mistakes, seriously. My father is a better bodyguard than that. You are so thrown off your game you let someone with no training what so ever tripped you up twice. He might as well put a big ass sticker on Kit's forehead. Kit, hmmm yeah I don't really if I liked him. I get some of the things that were did to him. I didn't see him as high functioning autistic, I honestly think the author just made that a thing on top of everything else wrong with him, it could be me.
I'm not even going to get into the 10 plus people who didn't factor in for me including the deceased. I'm disappointed in this book, because I had high hopes for it based on the blurb as well as the cover, and in my mind Micah doesn't look anything like that.
March 14, 2015
I love a good fairy tale. I'm not ashamed to tell you that I have, in fact, seen (and own most of) every Disney movie out there. So when my one of my fave authors known for drama, steam, and angst remakes a head-in-the-clouds fairy tale, I'm in.
Here's the thing with this book. We have these two broken beyond recognition characters-I mean, seriously tortured-who find one another when they are fairly lost themselves. What I like so much about them is that they both hold characteristics of the individual characters, Beauty and the Beast. Neither is wholly pure while the other is growly and traumatized. These guys, in true Mercy form, are introduced during fairly low points in their lives, or at least with those low points haunting them. I adore Kit and his voice, by the way. Cracks me up. But they're not all black moods and hard lives. Kit is a snarky, sarcastic mess most of the time but he's still got this innocent, virginal air about him. And Micah where he wants to be moody, can't help but cave to pretty much anything Kit wants. And oh, how he caves. He's got this amazing soft side that's completely plush. I just adore them both.
And the story. Gah! I have to say, the mystery is so good. Like addicting. Who is stalking Kit and why? Then Kit's own personal mystery or demons or whatever you want to call it. Why he acts the way he does. The way Mercy handles these subjects are lovely and heartbreaking at the same time. And the poor Micah and his past with his job and ex-lover. God, this is a good book.
Light from the Dark is exciting and sexy and fun. Angst mixed with humor. Sex appeal mixed with drama. It's a great balance and I loved it.
Highly Recommended
Here's the thing with this book. We have these two broken beyond recognition characters-I mean, seriously tortured-who find one another when they are fairly lost themselves. What I like so much about them is that they both hold characteristics of the individual characters, Beauty and the Beast. Neither is wholly pure while the other is growly and traumatized. These guys, in true Mercy form, are introduced during fairly low points in their lives, or at least with those low points haunting them. I adore Kit and his voice, by the way. Cracks me up. But they're not all black moods and hard lives. Kit is a snarky, sarcastic mess most of the time but he's still got this innocent, virginal air about him. And Micah where he wants to be moody, can't help but cave to pretty much anything Kit wants. And oh, how he caves. He's got this amazing soft side that's completely plush. I just adore them both.
And the story. Gah! I have to say, the mystery is so good. Like addicting. Who is stalking Kit and why? Then Kit's own personal mystery or demons or whatever you want to call it. Why he acts the way he does. The way Mercy handles these subjects are lovely and heartbreaking at the same time. And the poor Micah and his past with his job and ex-lover. God, this is a good book.
Light from the Dark is exciting and sexy and fun. Angst mixed with humor. Sex appeal mixed with drama. It's a great balance and I loved it.
Highly Recommended
March 12, 2015
I was loving this book - a strong 4 - up until the climax, and then...
Well, all I can say is info-dump and convenient reveal of characters who weren't remotely alluded to in order to 'solve the mystery.' Not happy.
Average between 4 stars for the first 80%, and a 1 star for the last 20. With a slight bump since I really liked Kit.
2.5 disappointed stars.
Well, all I can say is info-dump and convenient reveal of characters who weren't remotely alluded to in order to 'solve the mystery.' Not happy.
Average between 4 stars for the first 80%, and a 1 star for the last 20. With a slight bump since I really liked Kit.
2.5 disappointed stars.
dnf-for-good
September 6, 2020Dnf! I don't like the author's portrayal of Micah. 🙄🙄🙄
Read
March 23, 2019Second book from this author that I could not finish...
Sorry. Not for me I guess!
Sorry. Not for me I guess!
March 13, 2015
The blurb sound worryingly similar to L.A. Witt's book The Walls of Troy.
I'll give this a try, here we go!
March 13 2015
Holy crap, there was so much freaking drama in this book, I felt like it was a whole season of "Days of Our Life" or any other soap-opera you can think of. Christ, everybody was related to everybody, they were all uncles and cousins and brothers....but it was all a secret! Once the eye-rolling came, I couldn't stop it.
So here's the breakdown to my rating: the book started off as a 5 stars!
But there are so many grammatical errors it makes me wonder if an editor even went over this book at all. TOO instead of TO was used all the damn time! And I even came across YOU'RE instead of YOUR! The sentence structure is so damn bad, it frustrated me to no end. In a whole paragraph we have over 30 very short sentences....ever heard of using a comma? It looks like this ","! And the punctuation is so messed up. I lost count of how many times a question mark was used instead of a period. It made the characters sound like they're unsure about what they're saying because it sounded like they were wondering/questioning instead of stating something. So this takes a star from my rating because it's bothering; so now I'm down to 4 stars!
After the halfway mark, the main characters started acting/behaving/talking like immature teenagers, which is a pet peeve of mine. Unless I'm reading a YA book, I want my men to act like men, not like children pouting and sulking! And the drama......oh my god! It was so over the top! All the interest I had in this book fizzled down to nothing, but I forced myself to finish the book! At the end, I didn't like the characters at all, not the main or secondary! And the fact that Kit's issues disappear all of a sudden made it even worse. So I take away 2 stars for drama-land.
So my final rating is 2 stars!!! Sorry, this really didn't work for me, so I can't say I'd recommend it either.
I'll give this a try, here we go!
March 13 2015
Holy crap, there was so much freaking drama in this book, I felt like it was a whole season of "Days of Our Life" or any other soap-opera you can think of. Christ, everybody was related to everybody, they were all uncles and cousins and brothers....but it was all a secret! Once the eye-rolling came, I couldn't stop it.
So here's the breakdown to my rating: the book started off as a 5 stars!
But there are so many grammatical errors it makes me wonder if an editor even went over this book at all. TOO instead of TO was used all the damn time! And I even came across YOU'RE instead of YOUR! The sentence structure is so damn bad, it frustrated me to no end. In a whole paragraph we have over 30 very short sentences....ever heard of using a comma? It looks like this ","! And the punctuation is so messed up. I lost count of how many times a question mark was used instead of a period. It made the characters sound like they're unsure about what they're saying because it sounded like they were wondering/questioning instead of stating something. So this takes a star from my rating because it's bothering; so now I'm down to 4 stars!
After the halfway mark, the main characters started acting/behaving/talking like immature teenagers, which is a pet peeve of mine. Unless I'm reading a YA book, I want my men to act like men, not like children pouting and sulking! And the drama......oh my god! It was so over the top! All the interest I had in this book fizzled down to nothing, but I forced myself to finish the book! At the end, I didn't like the characters at all, not the main or secondary! And the fact that Kit's issues disappear all of a sudden made it even worse. So I take away 2 stars for drama-land.
So my final rating is 2 stars!!! Sorry, this really didn't work for me, so I can't say I'd recommend it either.
February 23, 2016
4 Stars
This is one of those stories where you know you probably shouldn’t love it as much as you do, but you just can’t help yourself. It’s a total guilty pleasure read – one I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
I can clearly see why other readers wouldn't enjoy certain aspects of this story, and I even have a fairly strong list of reasons why I, myself, possibly shouldn't have enjoyed it – but I simply don’t care!
From start to finish, I was totally immersed in this (often times) convoluted tale, with its cast of peculiar characters. There were probably more secondary characters involved in this story then there needed to be, and there was a fair bit of crazy familial-based info-dump towards the final "mystery" portion of the story, but I still enjoyed the hell out of this crazy ride.
My enjoyment predominantly lies with the fact that I absolutely adored the MCs, Chris (aka Kit) and Micah (aka Beastly). The relationship that developed between the two was wonderful to witness and easily overshadowed any other issues I may have had with this story as a whole. I found Chris, in particular, to be an extremely interesting, deeply tormented, beautiful character to read. I loved slowly learning the truth about his past tragedies and trying to figure out how and why it affected him so intensely, in a number of disturbing, traumatic ways. It was a major hurt/comfort read-fest, and I loved that!
This is one of those stories where you know you probably shouldn’t love it as much as you do, but you just can’t help yourself. It’s a total guilty pleasure read – one I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
I can clearly see why other readers wouldn't enjoy certain aspects of this story, and I even have a fairly strong list of reasons why I, myself, possibly shouldn't have enjoyed it – but I simply don’t care!
From start to finish, I was totally immersed in this (often times) convoluted tale, with its cast of peculiar characters. There were probably more secondary characters involved in this story then there needed to be, and there was a fair bit of crazy familial-based info-dump towards the final "mystery" portion of the story, but I still enjoyed the hell out of this crazy ride.
My enjoyment predominantly lies with the fact that I absolutely adored the MCs, Chris (aka Kit) and Micah (aka Beastly). The relationship that developed between the two was wonderful to witness and easily overshadowed any other issues I may have had with this story as a whole. I found Chris, in particular, to be an extremely interesting, deeply tormented, beautiful character to read. I loved slowly learning the truth about his past tragedies and trying to figure out how and why it affected him so intensely, in a number of disturbing, traumatic ways. It was a major hurt/comfort read-fest, and I loved that!
March 16, 2015
Ever pick up a book with no expectations, then have it pound into you like a runaway train! That's how I would describe this book.
Micah Beasley is no longer a U.S. Marshall after a job he is on goes sideways resulting in the death of a child. Christopher(Kit) Auberon is a very rich and talented recluse. Kit's uncle hires Micah as a bodyguard for Kit. It seems like a no brainer of a job, till Micah finds out that Kit is mute. His mutism and isolation stem from the brutal death of his parents as a small child. What follows is a very complex plot, wound around a beautiful love story. This one grabbed me from the start, and still resonates with me even after the last page was read.
Micah Beasley is no longer a U.S. Marshall after a job he is on goes sideways resulting in the death of a child. Christopher(Kit) Auberon is a very rich and talented recluse. Kit's uncle hires Micah as a bodyguard for Kit. It seems like a no brainer of a job, till Micah finds out that Kit is mute. His mutism and isolation stem from the brutal death of his parents as a small child. What follows is a very complex plot, wound around a beautiful love story. This one grabbed me from the start, and still resonates with me even after the last page was read.
May 18, 2015
There was a lot going on in this book. Heaps of twists and turns and by the end I was like...
and eventually I was just ....
I liked the two main characters. Kit/Christian was an emotional basket case at times and Micah was his rock. The romance side was sweet and sexy but the rest of it - meh!
To sum up this book I'd say it was like Beauty & the Beast on the set of Bold & The Beautiful, with The Bodyguard thrown in for good measure!
and eventually I was just ....
I liked the two main characters. Kit/Christian was an emotional basket case at times and Micah was his rock. The romance side was sweet and sexy but the rest of it - meh!
To sum up this book I'd say it was like Beauty & the Beast on the set of Bold & The Beautiful, with The Bodyguard thrown in for good measure!
June 24, 2015
This was a bit of a disappointing read, especially considering that Beyond Complicated was one of my favorite reads. Seriously, on the smexy-o-meter it registers absolutely deliciously filthy.
This one? Not so much.
It proves that where plots are concerned, you can have too much of a good (or lukewarm OK) thing and this book just read like a cheesy telenovela.
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Everyone (and their twin) was sleeping with everyone at one point or another with tragic consequences...
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Oh and everyone is gay (duh, and it gets passed on from generation to generation, like colour blindness)...
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AND everyone is everyone's brother/first and/or second cousin/secret gay lover/twin/great aunt/aerobic instructor slash gardener slash secret sperm donor
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Everything is a big stinking secret, so why not keep secrets of secrets of/about secrets...
Whodunit? How about whudidn'tdun this, that or the other!
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There's Insta-Love and then there's just plain ridiculousness. Apparently it's as easy as catching stomach flu and much like the flu it leaves you fuzzy, unable to analyze situations logically or control your bodily functions.
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This should be a one star, but I did muddle through and didn't consider DNF-ing, which perhaps says more about me than the actual book.
This one? Not so much.
It proves that where plots are concerned, you can have too much of a good (or lukewarm OK) thing and this book just read like a cheesy telenovela.
Everyone (and their twin) was sleeping with everyone at one point or another with tragic consequences...
Oh and everyone is gay (duh, and it gets passed on from generation to generation, like colour blindness)...
AND everyone is everyone's brother/first and/or second cousin/secret gay lover/twin/great aunt/aerobic instructor slash gardener slash secret sperm donor
Everything is a big stinking secret, so why not keep secrets of secrets of/about secrets...
Whodunit? How about whudidn'tdun this, that or the other!
There's Insta-Love and then there's just plain ridiculousness. Apparently it's as easy as catching stomach flu and much like the flu it leaves you fuzzy, unable to analyze situations logically or control your bodily functions.
This should be a one star, but I did muddle through and didn't consider DNF-ing, which perhaps says more about me than the actual book.
April 3, 2017
REVIEWED FOR LOVE BYTES
4.5 Stars
This is my third time reading Light From Dark but my first time on audio – Derrick McClain did a superb job with the narration, all 12 and a half hours of it, and it’s definitely one I will be listening to again.
Mercy Celeste excels at writing damaged MC’s who have fraught lives and uneasy futures. Here we have a double whammy as both MC’s are damaged and the family, I use that word loosely, that surrounds them, certainly Kit’s, is built upon lies, deception and dark unspoken secrets. Christopher Auberon, or Kit, is the character that will draw you in from the start. Something happened to Kit when he was 8 years old and the only thing the authorities know for sure was that his parents died and Kit vanished. Kit turned up later with no memory and no voice – roll forward nearly two decades and Kit is left to live virtually alone, roaming around in a mansion, with seemingly no family or friends to really speak of and no idea of who he really is or what his future may hold – and he still has no voice.
Micah Beasley is hired by an uncle who seems to care little for Kit to protect him when death threats are being made. Micah has problems and issues of his own and he has no idea of what he is walking into when he agrees to the job of “babysitter” to the rich kid. It’s immediately clear to Micah when he meets Kit that things are not going to be quite as easy as he assumed. Instead of turning heel and running, which is his first thought, Micah allows Kit to get under his skin and pretty soon Micah finds himself caring for the strange young man who is so innocent in some ways yet not in others.
There is a strong element of mystery that runs alongside Micah and Kit’s blooming relationship. I loved Kit’s wonder at all things intimate and sexual – he literally had never kissed anyone and Micah was so gentle and patient with him. Having just been to see Beauty and the Beast at the cinema I couldn’t help but see similarities in the story – Kit finally moving forward with his life when someone showed him love certainly had a fairy-tale feel to it at times.
4.5 Stars
This is my third time reading Light From Dark but my first time on audio – Derrick McClain did a superb job with the narration, all 12 and a half hours of it, and it’s definitely one I will be listening to again.
Mercy Celeste excels at writing damaged MC’s who have fraught lives and uneasy futures. Here we have a double whammy as both MC’s are damaged and the family, I use that word loosely, that surrounds them, certainly Kit’s, is built upon lies, deception and dark unspoken secrets. Christopher Auberon, or Kit, is the character that will draw you in from the start. Something happened to Kit when he was 8 years old and the only thing the authorities know for sure was that his parents died and Kit vanished. Kit turned up later with no memory and no voice – roll forward nearly two decades and Kit is left to live virtually alone, roaming around in a mansion, with seemingly no family or friends to really speak of and no idea of who he really is or what his future may hold – and he still has no voice.
Micah Beasley is hired by an uncle who seems to care little for Kit to protect him when death threats are being made. Micah has problems and issues of his own and he has no idea of what he is walking into when he agrees to the job of “babysitter” to the rich kid. It’s immediately clear to Micah when he meets Kit that things are not going to be quite as easy as he assumed. Instead of turning heel and running, which is his first thought, Micah allows Kit to get under his skin and pretty soon Micah finds himself caring for the strange young man who is so innocent in some ways yet not in others.
There is a strong element of mystery that runs alongside Micah and Kit’s blooming relationship. I loved Kit’s wonder at all things intimate and sexual – he literally had never kissed anyone and Micah was so gentle and patient with him. Having just been to see Beauty and the Beast at the cinema I couldn’t help but see similarities in the story – Kit finally moving forward with his life when someone showed him love certainly had a fairy-tale feel to it at times.
April 9, 2015
This was a 3.5 rounded up to 4 just because I usually like Mercy Celeste's books. I was really enjoying this one until about 80% or so, when I just got completely lost. The convoluted mess of relationships between all the players just got too tangled up to figure out and I wasn't invested enough to try and understand it all. I did love love love the scenes between Micah and Kit, especially the sexy stuff. Mercy can definitely write the hell out of sex scene! But this wasn't enough to make up for the total mess at the end. Anyway, a good story for the most part.
January 26, 2023
Did I miss a prequel? Halfway through this very strange story a number of characters are introduced and plotlines unfold that have no relation to the first half. Some very unbelievable things happen in this novel.
I liked the narration by Derrick McClain.
I liked the narration by Derrick McClain.
March 30, 2015
Some editing niggles, but a great read. The last few chapters especially were very good, and the scenes between Micah and Christopher were touching and sensual. 4 stars from me.
March 23, 2017
Overall book rating: 4 Stars
Audio book: Narrator - Derick McClain - 4 Stars
Book Cover: 3 Stars
MC1: Micah AKA Beastly
MC2: Christopher AKA Kit
Fuckety Fuck fuck this book had me in a spin!!!!
It was Dark, it was Light
and every freaking color in between.
It was up and it was down,
It was funny and sad and crazy all at once!!!
I loved it - I hated it!!!
I was laughing - I was crying!
I was happy - I was sad
I wanted to hug - I wanted to kill!
I wanted more - I wanted it to stop!
Audio book: Narrator - Derick McClain - 4 Stars
Book Cover: 3 Stars
MC1: Micah AKA Beastly
MC2: Christopher AKA Kit
Fuckety Fuck fuck this book had me in a spin!!!!
It was Dark, it was Light
and every freaking color in between.
It was up and it was down,
It was funny and sad and crazy all at once!!!
I loved it - I hated it!!!
I was laughing - I was crying!
I was happy - I was sad
I wanted to hug - I wanted to kill!
I wanted more - I wanted it to stop!
March 8, 2015
Never thought Mercy could top "Behind Iron Lace" or "Under a Crescent Moon" in my book but she did. This is a great read about 2 men that have physical and emotional scars that have to learn how to let someone behind their shields, More in depth review to follow.
February 26, 2017
I liked this story, for the most part.
It had two of my favorite types of heroes: the first being some form of the Former Military/Cop/Security-Type hero who is angsting for one reason or another (PTSD is a personal favorite) and the other being a hero with some type of physical or mental challenge (not the PTSD-kind of mental challenge but more of the autism/OCD- kind of mental challenge). This story had Micah, the former Marine/former cop/former US Marshal and current bodyguard; and Kit, the mute/agoraphobic/high-functioning autistic video game creator.
It also had a pretty interesting mystery, though that storyline seemed to ramble at times. And the big reveal of the bad guy was just meh... I didn't guess the bad guy. This should have been a bonus since I'm pretty good at guessing and sometimes it's just nice to have that "Holy crap! I did NOT think it was [insert evil person's name here]!" kind of moment. The reveal here was not that kind of moment. More of a, "Huh. I didn't see that coming but why would I when it is not that creative and is sort of lame." Yet for some reason, even though the conclusion to the mystery was a bit anticlimactic, I was still entertained.
There were times, however, when things didn't quite make sense to me, almost as if I had missed something or as if what I was reading at that moment contradicted something I had read a few chapters back. That doesn't happen to me when I read and it bugged me until I realized some of the book's passages really were goofy, usually because of something stupid like a misplaced comma. If I were a responsible reviewer I would have made note of those weird spots and I'd be able to offer them up to you as documented examples. Unfortunately for you, after I figured out I wasn't "going stupid" and the writing really was a bit sloppy, I just didn't care enough to keep track of things.
What can I say, I was entertained enough by the story to ignore those minor mistakes. This is saying something, considering the fact that most of those errors were careless errors, which I hate the most, because they are the types of errors that could have been so easily avoided with just a few proofreaders. My 9th grade English teacher, Miss Lily, would have called them "lazy mistakes by lazy writers." I loved Miss Lily :-)
My final thoughts? Story-wise: I feel like there were holes in some places, while in others there were things that really could have been edited out. The technical aspect could have used a few good beta readers. Or even just some trusty high-schooler in need of extra credit in exchange for proofreading. There was an assortment of characters, some more intriguing than others.
But the best part? Call me shallow, but the sex scenes, god, the sex scenes. One word:hot. Scratch that, "hot" is too tame. I'm not talking about some crazy, kink-filled sex scene. This was so much more. I was initially a bit worried when Kit stated that if he had to describe himself, he would probably use the word "asexual." I've never read a romance novel with an asexual main character, though I know those books are out there. Seeing Kit's tenderness towards Micah, Kit's desire to make Micah feel good, the satisfaction and pride Kit felt when he realized his actions could bring such joy to Micah, well, those early scenes were hot in their own way. Partly, I think, because of how empowered Kit felt during them. But to all you naughty readers out there, don't worry. It doesn't take Kit long to realize that maybe he had been a bit...hasty...in describing himself as asexual. And no, I will not elaborate on those crazy-hot scenes. I'll let you experience that all on your own.
So I'd probably have to say this was a 3.5 star read, with the sexy times bringing it up to 4 stars.
It had two of my favorite types of heroes: the first being some form of the Former Military/Cop/Security-Type hero who is angsting for one reason or another (PTSD is a personal favorite) and the other being a hero with some type of physical or mental challenge (not the PTSD-kind of mental challenge but more of the autism/OCD- kind of mental challenge). This story had Micah, the former Marine/former cop/former US Marshal and current bodyguard; and Kit, the mute/agoraphobic/high-functioning autistic video game creator.
It also had a pretty interesting mystery, though that storyline seemed to ramble at times. And the big reveal of the bad guy was just meh... I didn't guess the bad guy. This should have been a bonus since I'm pretty good at guessing and sometimes it's just nice to have that "Holy crap! I did NOT think it was [insert evil person's name here]!" kind of moment. The reveal here was not that kind of moment. More of a, "Huh. I didn't see that coming but why would I when it is not that creative and is sort of lame." Yet for some reason, even though the conclusion to the mystery was a bit anticlimactic, I was still entertained.
There were times, however, when things didn't quite make sense to me, almost as if I had missed something or as if what I was reading at that moment contradicted something I had read a few chapters back. That doesn't happen to me when I read and it bugged me until I realized some of the book's passages really were goofy, usually because of something stupid like a misplaced comma. If I were a responsible reviewer I would have made note of those weird spots and I'd be able to offer them up to you as documented examples. Unfortunately for you, after I figured out I wasn't "going stupid" and the writing really was a bit sloppy, I just didn't care enough to keep track of things.
What can I say, I was entertained enough by the story to ignore those minor mistakes. This is saying something, considering the fact that most of those errors were careless errors, which I hate the most, because they are the types of errors that could have been so easily avoided with just a few proofreaders. My 9th grade English teacher, Miss Lily, would have called them "lazy mistakes by lazy writers." I loved Miss Lily :-)
My final thoughts? Story-wise: I feel like there were holes in some places, while in others there were things that really could have been edited out. The technical aspect could have used a few good beta readers. Or even just some trusty high-schooler in need of extra credit in exchange for proofreading. There was an assortment of characters, some more intriguing than others.
But the best part? Call me shallow, but the sex scenes, god, the sex scenes. One word:
So I'd probably have to say this was a 3.5 star read, with the sexy times bringing it up to 4 stars.
November 23, 2015
To say this book had me hooked from the get go and then proceeded to reel me in would be an understatement, the reason behind my capture was quite simply the storyline. It made me overlook a few errors and even my dislike of the main characters (though they both grew on me)! The storyline had me tapping my kindle at a rate of knots and even though it was faced paced it didn't flow it was a bumpy ride. And then it wasn't, then i was like 'WHOA........What?.......wait....wtf?!?!? It went from a seriously compelling intense thriller to bordering on the ridiculous and I went from devouring every word and loving it to devouring every word and thinking has this turned into a farce, with a sudden influx of all these new characters and the reasoning behind past events went from thrilling to absurd.
Did this affect my enjoyment of the book? To a certain degree yes. But it also makes me want to read more from this author knowing just how great this book started off and continued to captivate me for over half of the book.
I would recommend this book the sex was intense and hot and although some of the characters background stories didn't exactly sit right with me (only in the fact that I'm sure some of the truths were
contradicted, however that might be just my interpretation as there were a lot of facts and went the truth won out there were times when I had my confused, scratching my head moments)
Defiantly worth the read!
Did this affect my enjoyment of the book? To a certain degree yes. But it also makes me want to read more from this author knowing just how great this book started off and continued to captivate me for over half of the book.
I would recommend this book the sex was intense and hot and although some of the characters background stories didn't exactly sit right with me (only in the fact that I'm sure some of the truths were
contradicted, however that might be just my interpretation as there were a lot of facts and went the truth won out there were times when I had my confused, scratching my head moments)
Defiantly worth the read!
July 8, 2015
Crazy to left and right of me! I really wanted to like this book but alas it was not for me. I love a good mystery-suspense-thriller-whodunit but with these plot twists it just drove me nuts and to the point where the romance was detracted from the book. Since I suck in general at giving reviews I suggest reading Gigi’s and Tamika’s reviews for this one to get a better idea of this book if you want to read a review before reading.
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