Leandro is a capricious fae, and he has it all: a glamorous casino as his personal playground, more power than he knows what to do with, and Kol'tso, his pet incubus. When Kol'tso tries to push the boundaries of their relationship and provokes feelings in Bryce, a nosy detective, the arrangement becomes more and more complicated. Kol'tso soon finds out there is a high price to pay for angering one of the fae. He finds himself trapped between his nature as an incubus and his desire for freedom. Leandro and his personal security guard Gideon may just be the only obstacles standing between the incubus and everything he wants.
Undone is approximately 122,000 words.
Undone portrays realistic themes of abuse and dubious consent. It also includes mature elements some readers may find unsettling.
It’s not very often I read a story where I’m unsure until most of the way through the book who will end up with whom, who will redeem themselves and who will go even darker, and so on. This book kept me guessing, and though there was a loose end or two that I would have liked to see tied up, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
I've been a fan of R.Phoenix for a while now. The darkness, intrigue, and at times taboo nature, always is done right when she's writing a story. Morgan Noel is new to this genre and is the co-author of Undone. I always like finding new authors and when they join forces with ones I already love it's exciting.
Undone is a log story but extremely fast paced. You literally lose track of time when you get into it and that is a wonderful thing. It's told in four POV's and I know that can be a turnoff for some people, myself included, it wasn't in this case. Only minor issue I had with it was sometimes it took me a paragraph into the chapter to realize who's POV I was in. But it wasn't often. I was so happy it wasn't head hoppy and each character was unique. Nothing worse than carbon copy characters. All four MC's: Kolt, Bryce, Leandro, and Gideon, were original and precise. I loved each of their journeys and how all of them circulated around Kolt... Even Kolt's himself.
The authors give fair warning to readers before purchasing this book that it's dark at times and there is dubious consent and abuse. I won't say I wasn't warned and, in my opinion, when warned you can't complain. I thought, while sad, those scenes were very well done and poignant to the story giving it just the right edge to the climax building.
What happens when a Fae, a Nephilim, and a human fall for an incubus? LOL sounds like the beginning of a joke but that, in a nutshell, is what this book is about. How three different natures fall in love with an incubus. All handle it differently but only one is the victor so to speak.
If I had one complaint it would be the rushed ending. For such a long book that was flawlessly done the ending threw me for a loop. I closed the book with questions I knew I shouldn't have. I can't state them in the review because it would absolutely be a huge spoiler but had it been slowed down and those 2 things addressed this book would be dang near perfect.
I do recommend this to those who love some dark fantasy with an HEA.
Really interesting story, great characters, definitely not a romance in the typical sense. But the ending didn't go as expected and because of a lack of detail (unlike in the rest of the story), it felt hurried. As if the authors were like "Come on, we've only got an hour to get this finished".
I loved everything about this book. It’s characters, the plot, the magic on it and the uncertainty of what might happen. It was amazing.
It was a long book, but I didn’t felt the time reading it. It was impossible to put it down. I was reading as fast as I could to know what would happen next. The plot was great. What I liked the most about it was that I just couldn’t guess what would happen next. I didn’t even knew who I wanted to get what they want because all of the characters , or at least most of them, were so good that I wanted them to succeed on what they wanted, and it was obvious things couldn’t be that way. There are some elements of abuse and dub-con that might be a problem for some readers, so beware before reading, although there isn’t scenes too explicit regarding those subjects.
Another thing that I loved about it were the characters. Leandro’s short temper was something I enjoy a lot and the way Kolt suffer was something beautiful. He was such a bittersweet character, but not be fool just for his pretty face, he’s also very deadly. There are other interesting characters too, but those two were the ones that had most of my attention. I loved them both for very different reason. They were all really good. The paranormal elements on the story were something I enjoy too, mostly the way Leandro use it.
Overall it was an amazing book to read, I had a fantastic time reading it. It isn’t extremely romantic but it doesn’t lack a little romance either.
This was another fresh read for me. I enjoyed the multi (4pov) and the rather unusual approach on the romance angle.
I listened in one go Audiobook: John Noble
Tags: non/dubcon; Master/slave; captivity; abuse; (mis)use of magic; murder; death (no MC); morally ambiguous characters; betrayal; bribe; forced sex work; suicidal ideation; mm; HEA
*10+stars*...WOW......I wasn't sure when I started this if I was in the mood for it...I started and thought I was gonna put it down for a while....But...I just kept going and within a couple of pages I was hooked......I loved Kolt although he was a bit of a naughty boy at the start......He's the Incubus and Leandro's slave but he was such a cutie and wasn't treated that well...and as the book goes on he gets treated even worse...I felt so sorry for him...He wanted help but no one really helped him....Bryce Ackerman the cop now he was just all over the place but he did try to help......Leandro didn't like Bryce esp after sleeping with his slave....Gideon who's Leandro's bouncer if you like I loved from the start too...I'm not giving anything away but you will love Gideon...this is a really great book...I loved it........There's a part near the end that made me so mad at Leandro and so upset for Kolt.....This is a must read and an amazing book x
**Copy received for honest review** 3.5-4 stars I am stuck how to review this...... While I enjoyed it, there were times when I got confused due to the character pov change not being indicated. The main characters (Kolt, Leandro, Bryce & Gideon) annoyed me at times too., each for different reasons. I wanted Kolt to stand up for himself more, Bryce to be of more help, Gideon to do more to help and stop things and for Leandro to really suffer for the things he did. The writing was really good and the plot was too but I feel it could've been executed better. Overall a good read.
Well this book has several POV's and a couple are not necessary. I feel like the ending was just rushed and didn't fit with the story and it was random as well. Gideon and Kolts relationship was none existent until 90% of the book was over and random because they were all domesticated, something we didn't see coming because it didn't build up or anything just bam random domestic scene with the guy used to help sell your body. The book just didn't end well. Or begin well. The middle... is was a jumble
Undone by R. Phoenix and Morgan Noel is a paranormal novel where supernaturals, or otherkin, live among mortals. Leandro, a fae, owns a casino called the Lucky Blight as well as an incubus slave by the name of Kolt’so - Kolt. Then there is Gideon, a nephilim, is technically his part of Leandro’s security in the casino. More specifically though, he is the hired “muscle” who is forced by his boss to ‘Take care of problems’.
By nature, Fae enjoy playing games, trapping people in their webs and getting them to do things against their will. It’s all a power play for them. Even to the point of playing one person against the other for their own enjoyment. In walks the unsuspecting human by the name of Bryce Ackerman. Little does he know that the night he walked into the Lucky Blight, his life would change. Bryce found himself thrown into a world where otherkin lived, thrived, everything he knows is turned upside down and Leandro’s reach even affects him.
I have read other books by R. Phoenix as well as Spoiled, which is a collaboration between R. Phoenix and Morgan Noel. I loved everything that I have read so far and Undone certainly did not disappoint. I was thrown into the story and held captive by the wonderful world building and in-depth characters. I found myself rooting for some characters, wanting to throttle others and falling in love with them. I definitely have my favorites of the book. Oh My Goodness! Kolt, I love him. And Gideon? Man.
While I won’t give any spoilers, the ending was indeed a surprise. Yet it warmed my heart to see it. You’ll definitely be cheering at the end of the book! Pick Undone up today and read it. You won’t be disappointed.
Undone is certainly a page turner, one to keep you up all night, or several in a row, blurry eyes and all, reading “Just one more chapter.” I felt and identified with the fears, pain, despair, and shame of the main characters. The authors have done a wonderful job of getting you into the heads of all the major players in the story, including the perfectly justified (in his own mind) antagonist. I had to know what would become of the main characters, including the antagonist, and how it would happen. There were a couple of places I wish there was more, that I was left wondering how something had come to pass, and in one case I’d hoped for it to play out on the page instead of mentioned afterward. It’s a personal preference thing. I can’t explain further without spoilers. Additional books to further the story- and possibly flashbacks to fill in “wonderings” -would be amazing and eagerly awaited.
Really great book. I liked the plot and the characters. I thought that the magic system was very interesting and I was intrigued by all the different supernatural people. It's a dark book and some scenes were hard to read but I was in the mood for something darker. I liked that it kept me guessing, I had no idea how it was going to end and I found the ending very satisfying. I'm also really curious about the prequel.
I really enjoyed this! I loved the push and pull of all the characters, and there were some intensely hot scenes. I think my only complaint was that the final pairing was a little bit under-developed--I would have liked that specific character to have had a larger role in the story in general.
I really liked the world building in this and a lot of the characters, plus the exploration of a toxic relationship and coercive control, but there are a couple of threads that felt unfinished. Particularly to do with the organisation. Otherwise a good read.
Enjoyed, 4.5 I received this book by the author for an honest opinion. I love anything paranormal and this duo certainly know how to deliver a story. This book is about Kolt an incubus who after having pledged himself in a time of need years ago to leandro a fae to help him manage his nature is starting to see leandro for what he is. Leandro is manipulative and possessive of kolt but enjoys his games. One such game leads to unexpected results which will change the life's of these characters. The story was full of twists and was darker then your average fluffy romance dealing with a slightly psychotic fae who tries to control kolt. I enjoyed the characters and was not sure who kolt would end up with in the end so it kept us on our toes. My favourite character though was leandro even though he's off hinged and not very pleasant but I think this character was dynamic and onion like, not very pleasant if you bite it raw but prepared in the right way could be something special. There thats my analogy of him😀 but at the end of the book he's at rock bottom, I would enjoy seeing him being redeemed. The ending I felt left certain things not concluded so maybe a sequel. A good fantasy book
This book was amazing!!! I rarely read paranormal books, so I was a little nervous to begin this book but WOW it truly blew me away. First off, the writing is amazing! This is the second book I have read from R Phoenix and the first from Morgan Noel. I loved all of the characters! Kolt was perfect and I really liked Bryce, Gideon and even Leandro. You know the writing is amazing when you have equal love and hate for a character..ie..Leandro. The storyline was great and there relationships were raw and intriguing. Great read!! I really hope Percy gets a story!
Three stars overall - The book started off so strong and I was instantly in love because of how dark it was and how the author portrayed it in the writing as well as how they integrated supernatural beings into the real world. I love that you can see the world building in a lot of the interactions between the various species like how there’s prejudice towards other kin from humans and how all species including other kind and humans have prejudice towards incubus. The world building was very nice to uncover.
However;
It’s like the book started going downhill half way through and I have no clue what happened. It just started off so strong and then I go thoroughly disappointed as soon as I saw the decline in writing. The dynamic between Koltso and Leandro was so interesting to see in the begining I was itching to see how Koltso would get out of that situation but as soon as the scenes before and after Leandro cuts Koltso’s hair we see more of Leandros character shine through and he’s so raw and vulnerable in that scene and so goddamn…pathetic. He was brought up to be such an meticulous character calculating his every move and always getting what he wants and that’s all thrown out the window because of that embarrassment of a tantrum he threw just because he was jealous. It’s like Leandros entire character is bipolar because one minuet he whores Koltso out and he’s fine with it and then he doesn’t and he gets mad at koltso for doing what he’s been trained to do. Make it make sense. That being said. All the fear I had for Koltso from Leandro and all the tension I had from his character because of how cold he came off instantly dissipated. I can’t think anything other than the fact that he’s just fucking weak. The layer half of the book is just him getting completely swayed about his emotions and nothings calculated anymore, nothings carefully taken into consideration, there’s no hidden agendas or anything it’s just him lashing out over and over and over again while trying to keep Koltso’s attention. It’s so embarrassing. And that was it for Leander, he was genuinely like that until the end of the book even to go so far as to not give a shit about the businesses he spent so long creating. Where’s the character we knew before?
I think maybe I got my hopes up because of such a beautiful start.
One another note the ending was fucking trash. I don’t know why but the authors thought it was be good to end Koltso and Leandros affairs off screen and just mildly mention it in the end despite the whole book leading up to Koltso’s escape and Leandros punishment. It was completely rushed too. Koltso ends up in a lovey Dovey relationship with Gideon in the end and it’s completely forced. The chemistry between Kolt and Gideon is very one sided. If anything I don’t think it makes sense that kolt is in a relationship with Gideon. The most I’ve seen of their chemistry is Gideon discovering his emotions for Kolt after he starts pitying him and amidst Kolts various breakdowns but I do I think the power dynamic in their relationship ship is minimal compared to a lot of other books I’ve read with a character with ptsd to their savior and I’m very thankful for that. Their relationship is just under developed, if anything it shouldn’t be there at all. I think the story would’ve been much better if Gideon stayed a friend who wanted to help Kolt to recover and become his own independent person. Even better than that, considering Kolt was literally kept in that club for so long instead of becoming a random domesticated couple he could’ve helped Kolt become more independent and Kolt could’ve ventured out on his own.
I knew immediately after seeing these two authors in a Facebook takeover event that they were going to be a brilliant writing duo. I'm happy to say that *sing-song voice* I was right!
I didn't expect to not be able to put this book down, but that's exactly what happened. I read it ALL in one sitting. I was captivated from the start. Not only with the characters, but with the story. It was fresh and witty and funny and dangerous and angsty! The world they created was well thought out, gritty and visceral and delivered in such a way that I felt like I was there. They can paint the best pictures with their words.
The characters... just, wow! I loved them all. Even Leonardo. The "Capricious fae" was written in such a way that even if you don't agree with the how or the why he does and feels what he does, you can understand what drives him and how he can justify to himself and others. I didn't expect to have half of the feels that I had for him. I must love me some cray-cray. He is a master of games, duplicity and power.
Kol'tso was much the same. I could talk for hours about this character, but I will only say that I was on the edge of my seat on more than one occasion waiting to see what he was going to do. Again, this is a character that is from another world, an Incubus and he plays by different rules. I felt bad for him. I felt for his situation. He was trapped. Owned and made to do everything from how he dressed to how he looked (literally), to who he serviced at the whim of Leonardo. Yet he was a strategist and made the most of his situations. I wasn't surprised to see that he ranged from loving and submissive to brutal and devious. A great and complex character!
I will say that Gideon was not at all what I thought he would be. I love that even though I thought it was a possibility he would go in a certain direction, I wasn't absolutely sure until he actually went and committed to that direction. And even then, there was the chance that he could turn and do something completely different, much like the entire story. Twists and turns, secrets and so many possibilities!
Even the "humans" in this book are fascinating. I love when we are depicted as a species that thinks too much of itself and our human characters stumble and flail in surprise when they discover the depths of the doo-doo they just stepped in.
Great job with this one ladies! I wouldn't mind seeing more stories from the world that you created with 'Undone'. I highly recommend this book!
Holy Moly - what a fantastical blend of fantasy characters! This is a full-length story The Characters - Kolt'so -at times I wanted to reach in and just hold him, let him know he wasn't alone other times I wanted to smack him upside the head and tell him to get his chit together. You could say I enjoyed the many facets to his character - In his situation, I firmly believe that many of the traits he displays would be natural. Some were just straight up survival instincts. My heart broke for him Leandro - Sadistic, definitely unstable, greedy, narcissistic, possessive, psychotic - Kolt'so master, Fae, Casino owner - There were a couple scenes that led me to believe that Leandro might be redeemable - Then again maybe not. I was so torn over his character - I wanted to annihilate him while at the same time I kept hoping something would click, removing the jaded lenses he viewed his reality through Gideon - Gideon is Leandro's right-hand man, the gatekeeper - Another character who had me on the fence - he is also an "other world" creature - I can't really say a whole lot about him without spoiling some of the storylines. Bryce - Had me in stitches - I really liked his character - sarcastic, witty, a dark realist. He is the new law in town (sort of) and he seems to be at a point in his life where he is just grazing through the moments with a sort of #ck it attitude - that is until he becomes the pawn in a game he did not even know he was playing and to top it off his mundane world takes on a whole new level of twisted fantasy Supporting Cast - There are quite a few secondary characters that I hoped to get more of. Most of them were pretty well situated into the storyline - there was a couple who played significant roles in the storyline but were not quite as established Storyline- I was left a bit confused and apprehensive at the closing of the book - I was left with a whole lot of questions and no answers! The story flowed well until about two thirds into the book - there was a couple of scenes that I wished had a bit more detail or reason to them. I also would have liked a slower build to the conclusion as well as more of deets on the downfall of one of the cast members. And what happened to you know who? I really liked him! Overall I want more and I am looking forward to getting answers to all my questions (hint hint)
I have waited a few days to write this hoping it would help me, but it hasn't. I heard so much about this book and really wanted to read it and when the opportunity came, I was really excited to be able to do so. But I wasn't happy with the outcome. I do want to say, first and foremost, the authors did a great job of collaborating and overall, the book wasn't bad. However, there were a few scenes in this book that were hot button for me and because of them, I can't rate this book higher. I also have to say that the blurb and the warning isn't quite correct. No matter which way you try to spin it, there are scenes of rape in this book. Just because you write a character whose nature is feeding off sex, doesn't mean it's consensual when it happens.
In this book, Leandro is an all powerful fae. He's taken Kolt as a slave. Being an Incubus, Kolt needs to be around people all the time to feed himself or he could kill. At first with Leandro, it seemed to work. He feed off people in the casino and he was ok. But things began to get worse. He was constantly pimped out. If he did something Leandro didn't like, he was punished. And badly. To the point, Leandro, several times, almost killed him. He tried to run away but his nature made him end up killing people so he ventured back thinking he'd be safer and it would be safer for other people. But Leandro pulled the ultimate punishment that drove Kolt almost to the brink. Thankfully he was saved but now he had to figure out how to live life safely and away from all that could hurt him.
There is no nice way to say it. Leandro is a psychotic asshole. He's like a child throwing a temper tantrum. I hate him. I loathe him. He is nothing but a bully and an asshole who needed knocked down a few pegs. He would kill people on a whim. He hurt Kolt in ways that were manipulative, condescending, and hurtful. He often raped him to get back at him for something he did. I don't care what Kolt’s nature is, if he's sobbing trying to get a breath and trying to stop the sex, it's rape. And what pissed me off even more is everyone stood around and watched this happen. No one would dare stand up to him. I felt so sorry for Kolt. He was in an abusive relationship with no way out. And then people would get his hopes up for freedom only to dash it away. His one chance at freedom ended so badly, he thought he would be better off with Leandro. He was so starved because of Leandro’s abuse, he committed murder in trying to fix himself. The only redeeming thing that helped me get through all this was that Gideon, Leandro's bodyguard, finally pulled his head out of his ass and helped Kolt to freedom. He was finally free. And Leandro was getting what he finally deserved.
I can't recommend this book. If you want to try it, feel free. I hope you like it. But the way Kolt was treated was abominable and I can't condone it. Happy reading.
Leandro and Kol’tso are still working through just how their agreement works for them when other players enters the picture and the chaos begins. This ride is a long one but once I started, I was engrossed in their story and the pages flowed by quickly. Kol’tso is still trying to figure things out and he knows that he wants his freedom, but he is not so sure about the cost. There are many characters and emotions going on in this book. Kol’tso and Leandro are on opposites of the spectrum and seeing the two interact made for an intense read and add in all the others and I was quickly turning the pages. Gideon is one of the many players in this story and we find out just how far he will go to right what he sees as a wrong. These are not your sparkly and friendly beings they live in a world that is dark and full of magic.
The authors have woven a wondrous world full of strong characters. It grabs you and does not let go until the end. This book is a dark and edgy read that will have you hoping the characters find their hearts desires and fight for what they want but with the magical world you know it is never that easy. Leandro is a vindictive and calculating man and we see just how much with his treatment of Kol’tso. Some of the story is hard to read at times and you love to hate the characters. I had such high hopes for many of these characters when I first began this story, but the authors threw in much better twists that I did not see coming.
This book is beautifully written and once it grabs you there's no way you'll be able to put it down until you've devoured it. The story of a lost soul looking for his place in this world and the more he tries to mold himself to the men around him, the more he finds himself being lost. Kolt'so is an incubus bound to a ruthless, narcissistic, fae master named Leandro. Leandro keeps him around as a slave, making him play games with the patrons of his Casino. But when Kolt ends up feeding off a cop and fucking him, Leandro gets enraged and binds Kolt in a spell forcing the incubus to feed only on the fae. Gideon, who is a nephilm, and works as a bruiser in the casino has feelings for the incubus that the incubus doesn't know about. When the cop comes back to ruin the peace of the casino in a botched attempt to save the incubus, everything starts going crazy and Leandro starts revealing his dark side, punishing the incubus and keeping him under tabs. Well, basically its about Kolt having to survive when the fae makes it impossible. This book made cry so much, and I laughed out loud at the one liners and especially Bryce's dad jokes lol So, did I mention how crazy good this book is?
This is an unusual but extremely interesting MM paranormal story but I would hesitate to call it a romance & it certainly kept my attention. The well-paced plot is emotional with very intense situations & has dark undertones with some good scene descriptions & world building. The characters are well-developed & have absolutely unique personalities although at times some of them are inclined to be quite devious and/or have deadly intentions while another character has romantic inclinations. There is: a incubus slave (Kol’tso aka Kolt), a somewhat psychotic fae (Leondro), a nephilim acting as security (Gideon), a human detective (Bryce), a organization, twists & turns, drama, intrigue, suspense, slavery, deceit, betrayal, manipulations, threats, abuse, despair, fear, vulnerability, desperation, forced non-consensual scenes, forced starvation, dubious consent, cruelty, vengeful feelings, mass murder, investigations, political agendas, isolation, surprises, disappearance & strangely enough there is love, contentment, steamy scenes & a well-deserved happy ending.
I'm not sure how I felt about this book on the one hand I couldn't put it down, I just had to know what happened next and on the other hand I'm not really sure I liked what happened next most of the time. I don't want to say it left me feeling unsatisfied because that is not necessarily true but it left me wanting something different at times. I wondered about the characters drives and motives, about their sanity and about what was the truth and what wasn't, which kept me going but the more I found out the more I was less certain I liked where it was going. In the end I liked it but I was still left wanting something more.
This was a great read. Finely crafted in both storytelling, detail, and character complexity and depth. The dark scenes were poignant and really struck emotional chords. The emotion from each character evoked emotion in me as well and I often times found this weird liquid falling from my eyes...
My only complaint would be the ending. While I can see why Kolt ended up with who he did, the relationship needed some more development. I wouldn't have minded another 100-200 pages of that story developing so that I wasn't left with so many questions. If the authors decided to put out a followup novella, I'd read it in a heartbeat.
I haven’t felt this sorry for an incubus since Jex Lane. Long book with surprisingly little filler. Multiple POVs Kolt the slave incubus, Leandro the fae master, Gideon the private security and Bryce the human detective. Worst character was Bryce who is pretty much an idiot waving a badge around. The relationship between the other three is complicated with Lee pretty much spiralling into obsessive insanity.
I liked the writing style but the content itself was hard to read and either left a numb or bitter taste. Trigger warnings, forced starvation and stereotypical discrimination. Towards the end things sped up rather quickly. Good book with a solid HEA ending.
This writing duo is a match made in heaven...or maybe hell. Undone is an artfully written glimpse of what he world would be like if normals and fae mixed. I enjoyed how carefully each character was drawn. The plot is engaging and the sex is H-O-T. It was great to see a book so deliciously dark, end with an HFN or HEA. Can't wait to see what this duo gives us next. Five stars.
Uh! That was intense! I would have devoured this book in one sitting if real life didn't keep distracting me :) The plot unraveled fast, and althought it was clear that a disaster was looming, it was hard to predict what might happen next and how the conflict might be resolved. All chatacters were interesting in their own unique way, and oddly enough, I felt most sympathy for the most unsympathetic of them :)
I’m fairly new to this genre so I had to do research as I was reading to discover the characteristics of the various otherkin. The star of this story is a plucky little incubus names Kolt who is the slave of the fae, Leandro. But my favorite character was the hunky Gideon who worked along with the troubled Bryce to help the unfortunate Kolt. Excellent storyline and full bodied characters. Hope there’s a sequel.
The characters were very well developed and felt real. They were very flawed. This was a book that I couldn’t predict the ending of, which has been unusual. There was one character, and I don’t want to give a spoiler away, that I really wish I had a better ending. However it was well written and I will read other books by these two authors.