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The Hanged Men #1
Blood Sports
There are deadly games... and then there are blood sports.
In Hanged Men territory, there are two rules: you don’t steal horses, and you don’t disturb their leader in his cozy retirement.
Someone broke the rules.
Jove Alms, an infamous kingpin who passed his crime empire onto his sons, is called home by signs of a traitor in his old territory. There is only one witness: a young stablehand with doe eyes and no clue what he's stumbled into.
Tobias Nimh is just trying to get by. Working under the thumb of a slavedriving horse trainer, he spends his days trying not to get trampled, and mostly succeeding. When abducted and interrogated by mobsters, he assumes his time is up. He doesn't expect rescue — or to overhear a mysterious phone call, making him a valuable pawn in a massive plot.
Jove soon finds Tobias to be a thorn in his side as much as an asset. Impulsive, frustrating, and adorable, the kid is hard to hate and even harder to handle. Jove is first distracted, second annoyed, and finally... obsessed.
Meanwhile, Tobias keeps forgetting to fear for his life. It's hard to focus on the big picture of criminal conspiracy when he's too busy trying to pour cold water on his dirty thoughts. Jove is more than twice his age, ice cold, and comes from a world of murder and wealth Tobias can barely comprehend.
Betrayals, conspiracies, and blood sports aside, the only real question is who will crack first.
Blood Sports is a dark MM mafia thriller. Written as the first in the Hanged Men series, it can be read as a standalone.
In Hanged Men territory, there are two rules: you don’t steal horses, and you don’t disturb their leader in his cozy retirement.
Someone broke the rules.
Jove Alms, an infamous kingpin who passed his crime empire onto his sons, is called home by signs of a traitor in his old territory. There is only one witness: a young stablehand with doe eyes and no clue what he's stumbled into.
Tobias Nimh is just trying to get by. Working under the thumb of a slavedriving horse trainer, he spends his days trying not to get trampled, and mostly succeeding. When abducted and interrogated by mobsters, he assumes his time is up. He doesn't expect rescue — or to overhear a mysterious phone call, making him a valuable pawn in a massive plot.
Jove soon finds Tobias to be a thorn in his side as much as an asset. Impulsive, frustrating, and adorable, the kid is hard to hate and even harder to handle. Jove is first distracted, second annoyed, and finally... obsessed.
Meanwhile, Tobias keeps forgetting to fear for his life. It's hard to focus on the big picture of criminal conspiracy when he's too busy trying to pour cold water on his dirty thoughts. Jove is more than twice his age, ice cold, and comes from a world of murder and wealth Tobias can barely comprehend.
Betrayals, conspiracies, and blood sports aside, the only real question is who will crack first.
Blood Sports is a dark MM mafia thriller. Written as the first in the Hanged Men series, it can be read as a standalone.
291 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 3, 2021
168 people are currently reading
1082 people want to read
About the author
Daniel May
52 books645 followersDaniel May writes MM romance and erotica with a focus on dark contemporary, kink, and BDSM. Originally a lover of sci-fi and fantasy, he turned his sights on the erotic as a joke that went over surprisingly well.
Completed series: The Taste of Ink (rereleased as A Fresh Taste of Ink trilogy)
Ongoing series: Hanged Men
Facebook group, the Daniel May Maelstrom:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/23035...
Sign up for the newsletter at danielmayauthor.com to receive free bonus content, news, and behind-the-scenes sneak peeks at upcoming works.-
Completed series: The Taste of Ink (rereleased as A Fresh Taste of Ink trilogy)
Ongoing series: Hanged Men
Facebook group, the Daniel May Maelstrom:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/23035...
Sign up for the newsletter at danielmayauthor.com to receive free bonus content, news, and behind-the-scenes sneak peeks at upcoming works.-
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 192 reviews
December 12, 2021
Not what I expected after reading previous works by Daniel May that were kinky, smutty, raunchy, and so hot. This was more of a who-is-trying-to-kill-me thriller with a couple of sex scenes.
That said, I did very much enjoy the story and the ending. The genre is thriller/romance/horror/comedy with a happy ending
Wondering if we will be seeing more of the horrific Saturday horses.
That said, I did very much enjoy the story and the ending. The genre is thriller/romance/horror/comedy with a happy ending
Wondering if we will be seeing more of the horrific Saturday horses.
November 12, 2022
Creepy, kind of dark, a bit weird and a fabulous book. Tobias/Red has become one of my favorites MC’s ever, I just loved him so so much. Jove was a bit hard to digest what with being a cold blooded murderer (I almost cried when he killed that kid in the beginning). It’s ironic though..When I stumble upon a dark mafia/assassins book I always roll my eyes at the concept of “a mob kingpin/an assassin with a golden heart”. You know, the one that only kills scum and secretly donates to charities (even writing this and I rolled my eyes lol) and yet , here we have an actual mob murderer doing an actual murder and I gotta say it did not sit well with me and made me sick to my stomach but it was indeed more realistic.
What else? Let’s see…the horses were freaking creepy , the sons seemed deranged and the whole atmosphere of the book had a dark and twisted vibe I surprisingly enjoyed . I loved the slow burn , I loved that they weren’t sex fiends and the book wasn’t sex on every page, I loved that Tobias wasn’t the usual submissive twink pining for the mob king’s love . He was a normal young guy who acted according to his age - not very loving or sugary but rather practical and honest. And so so funny 😆
I enjoyed a lot this book!
What else? Let’s see…the horses were freaking creepy , the sons seemed deranged and the whole atmosphere of the book had a dark and twisted vibe I surprisingly enjoyed . I loved the slow burn , I loved that they weren’t sex fiends and the book wasn’t sex on every page, I loved that Tobias wasn’t the usual submissive twink pining for the mob king’s love . He was a normal young guy who acted according to his age - not very loving or sugary but rather practical and honest. And so so funny 😆
I enjoyed a lot this book!
June 27, 2022
This is an age gap, biawakening, grumpy-sunshine Mafia romance with murderhorses. And that is a sentence I never thought I'd write.
Even though I am 100% onboard with age gap, biawakening, and grumpy-sunshine, I never would have picked this up if Daniel May didn't blow my socks off with his Taste of Ink series. (Yes, it was my socks that were blown off. Shut up, you guys!! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!) Mafia romance has just never been on my radar; it's not a genre that really appeals to me.
Although, murderhorses -- that is a commitment to bonkers-for-the-sake-of-bonkers that I absolutely endorse.
I found myself really enjoying this, though. I mean, I guess (again, not having read any Mafia romances) that "stern Mafia dude who's empirically speaking bad, but also kind of sympathetic because he has his own moral code and standards, and on the one hand is a mega-alpha, but on the other hand a secret softie" is a pretty established trope in this genre? But it's done really well here! And "ingenue sucked into mafia shit through no fault of their own who ends up being Mafia dude's moral compass while also being extremely competent but never really getting their hands dirty or being complicit in Bad Shit" is also probably pretty standard? But again: done well!
The plot itself is sort of incidental but, as with Taste of Ink, the character work is excellent. Jove and Tobias (who have alternating POV chapters) are just fun, funny, smart characters to hang around with. If their relationship is a wee bit on the insta side, it nonetheless works: they have a great connection and it's eminently believable that these two would be pulled towards each other and end up together. And I love that Daniel May's own experience with and expertise about and love for horses -- not the murder kind -- is so evident on-page. There's something so pleasurable about reading an author who's extremely knowledgeable and passionate about something: it really carries through into the text, in this case grounding and giving a much richer and more authentic feel to a story that is, let's face it, bananas.
To me, this qualifies as a slow burn, and while it's a bit steamy, it's nowhere near as hot as Taste of Ink. Then again, Mt. Vesuvius is not as hot as Taste of Ink. The seventh circle of hell: not as hot as Taste of Ink. FLORIDA IN AUGUST IS NOT AS HOT AS TASTE OF INK!!!
Sorry, got distracted there.
Anyway: if you're a fan of age gap, biawakening, grumpy-sunshine, Mafia romances, and/or murderhorses, give this one a go. It's good fun!
Even though I am 100% onboard with age gap, biawakening, and grumpy-sunshine, I never would have picked this up if Daniel May didn't blow my socks off with his Taste of Ink series. (Yes, it was my socks that were blown off. Shut up, you guys!! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!) Mafia romance has just never been on my radar; it's not a genre that really appeals to me.
Although, murderhorses -- that is a commitment to bonkers-for-the-sake-of-bonkers that I absolutely endorse.
I found myself really enjoying this, though. I mean, I guess (again, not having read any Mafia romances) that "stern Mafia dude who's empirically speaking bad, but also kind of sympathetic because he has his own moral code and standards, and on the one hand is a mega-alpha, but on the other hand a secret softie" is a pretty established trope in this genre? But it's done really well here! And "ingenue sucked into mafia shit through no fault of their own who ends up being Mafia dude's moral compass while also being extremely competent but never really getting their hands dirty or being complicit in Bad Shit" is also probably pretty standard? But again: done well!
The plot itself is sort of incidental but, as with Taste of Ink, the character work is excellent. Jove and Tobias (who have alternating POV chapters) are just fun, funny, smart characters to hang around with. If their relationship is a wee bit on the insta side, it nonetheless works: they have a great connection and it's eminently believable that these two would be pulled towards each other and end up together. And I love that Daniel May's own experience with and expertise about and love for horses -- not the murder kind -- is so evident on-page. There's something so pleasurable about reading an author who's extremely knowledgeable and passionate about something: it really carries through into the text, in this case grounding and giving a much richer and more authentic feel to a story that is, let's face it, bananas.
To me, this qualifies as a slow burn, and while it's a bit steamy, it's nowhere near as hot as Taste of Ink. Then again, Mt. Vesuvius is not as hot as Taste of Ink. The seventh circle of hell: not as hot as Taste of Ink. FLORIDA IN AUGUST IS NOT AS HOT AS TASTE OF INK!!!
Sorry, got distracted there.
Anyway: if you're a fan of age gap, biawakening, grumpy-sunshine, Mafia romances, and/or murderhorses, give this one a go. It's good fun!
March 22, 2024
Huh, I never wrote a review for a book I rec all the time and love?
Re-read Feb '24 with Kayek, and the re-read with a buddy is just as good, if not better, than the first time around! I love experiencing the Saturday horses aka murder horses with someone else for the first time. Absolutely still five stars.
What can I say that hasn't already been said? It's the "I don't read mafia/mob books, but..." book. And it has murder horses, for fucksake. Just give it a whirl.
Highlights and Fearful Moments:
• He had a very brief window before ‘endearingly verbose’ became ‘noisy bitch I want to strangle’, and he had to capitalize on that window.
• The kid tried unsuccessfully to yank himself away, glowering more viciously. He reminded Jove of a feral kitten trapped in a towel.
• Jove had never slept with a man before, but he thought he had a good idea of what to do.
• And it was an eerie animal overall. It moved slowly through sheets of sunlight, in and out of the jungle’s shadow, giving a sparkly impression like a unicorn.
• Amused at his earlier fright, Tobias said, “Hello.” The gray looked back at him and its mouth opened. “Hello,” it said.
“Hello,” came a voice from above.
“Hello, hello.”
“Hello.”
• The eyes. The eyes were too close together. Too far forward.
• It sniffed the ground, flared its lip at some strange odor, and Tobias saw that the creature had teeth like a dog’s, teeth that were sharp and polished white from gnawing bones.
• The silvery gray dropped back onto its haunches. It bared its teeth, eyes rolling and then coming to focus on Hadrian and his mare. It began to circle like a wolf, fast and splashing in the water, head down, eyes bright, seeking a hole to leap through.
• It backed up, gnashing its teeth and shaking its head, tossing blood left and right. The others loomed up to take its place.
• Water churned all around, splashed on his legs, and then suddenly that silvery gray face burst out of nowhere. Tobias saw the blood on its nose, the white of its teeth. The rage in its blue eyes.
• Then they heard it. A low whistle. The sound snuck out of the dark before any actual animal— one clear, assertive whistle followed by a number of echoing whistles. Then the eyeshine appeared. Little pale gold dots, floating in pairs in the blackness. There came the sound of hooves clicking on tile.
• “Huh,” he said. “I guess they can climb stairs after all.”
Yeah, you need to read this.
Re-read Feb '24 with Kayek, and the re-read with a buddy is just as good, if not better, than the first time around! I love experiencing the Saturday horses aka murder horses with someone else for the first time. Absolutely still five stars.
What can I say that hasn't already been said? It's the "I don't read mafia/mob books, but..." book. And it has murder horses, for fucksake. Just give it a whirl.
Highlights and Fearful Moments:
• He had a very brief window before ‘endearingly verbose’ became ‘noisy bitch I want to strangle’, and he had to capitalize on that window.
• The kid tried unsuccessfully to yank himself away, glowering more viciously. He reminded Jove of a feral kitten trapped in a towel.
• Jove had never slept with a man before, but he thought he had a good idea of what to do.
• And it was an eerie animal overall. It moved slowly through sheets of sunlight, in and out of the jungle’s shadow, giving a sparkly impression like a unicorn.
• Amused at his earlier fright, Tobias said, “Hello.” The gray looked back at him and its mouth opened. “Hello,” it said.
“Hello,” came a voice from above.
“Hello, hello.”
“Hello.”
• The eyes. The eyes were too close together. Too far forward.
• It sniffed the ground, flared its lip at some strange odor, and Tobias saw that the creature had teeth like a dog’s, teeth that were sharp and polished white from gnawing bones.
• The silvery gray dropped back onto its haunches. It bared its teeth, eyes rolling and then coming to focus on Hadrian and his mare. It began to circle like a wolf, fast and splashing in the water, head down, eyes bright, seeking a hole to leap through.
• It backed up, gnashing its teeth and shaking its head, tossing blood left and right. The others loomed up to take its place.
• Water churned all around, splashed on his legs, and then suddenly that silvery gray face burst out of nowhere. Tobias saw the blood on its nose, the white of its teeth. The rage in its blue eyes.
• Then they heard it. A low whistle. The sound snuck out of the dark before any actual animal— one clear, assertive whistle followed by a number of echoing whistles. Then the eyeshine appeared. Little pale gold dots, floating in pairs in the blackness. There came the sound of hooves clicking on tile.
• “Huh,” he said. “I guess they can climb stairs after all.”
Yeah, you need to read this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2025
4.5⭐️ I love this book. It is so freaking weird—a crazy mix between violent mafia romance and some warped paranormal weirdness. It’s funny, thrilling, and mysterious. I smiled at the banter and laughed at the dark, dry humor. The romance and steam are top-notch too, subtle but impactful.
I love the grumpy/sunshine relationship between Jove, a 50 year old retired mob boss and Tobias, the down-on-his-luck 22 year old. Their age gap was significant but it still somehow made perfect sense.
Jove’s soft side and desire to protect Tobias is so swoon.
Overall, just a very fun book.
I love the grumpy/sunshine relationship between Jove, a 50 year old retired mob boss and Tobias, the down-on-his-luck 22 year old. Their age gap was significant but it still somehow made perfect sense.
Jove’s soft side and desire to protect Tobias is so swoon.
Overall, just a very fun book.
July 12, 2024
engaging plot, i LOVED the fucking crazy horses and the climax, but the romance was lacking af….they fell in love in like 3 days💀💀 needless to say i was fucking confused af hearing them say i love you🤣 i’m gonna try to finish this series bc i want to get to the femme top in the third book😩
March 7, 2022
3.5/5
Tropes and Elements:
- Age gap
- Size difference
- Dark romance
- Mafia
- Horror
- Horses! So much horse
How do I start with this book... there were definitely parts I liked about it, and I did cry from Feelings at some point which shows a sign that I was engaged with the text because I got emotional about it.
Let's start with the most prevalent part of the books: this is a lot about horses. So much horse. I counted, 350 references to horses and 291 pages. That's a lot of horse. Horses are important to both characters, apart of their lives in different ways. I guess I learned a lot about horses. This book also has murder horses, and there were scenes that it straight up ended up being a horror book for me. If you have a fear of horses, I think this will trigger you. I'm serious. While these horror horses are fictional, they're scary as fuck. Not to mention I looked it up and there is proof of horses eating people alive, so. There's that.
Out of the two main characters, I loved Tobias. He's funny as hell, and spunky and cute. A great match for Jove and I like the idea of them together. They had great chemistry and the size difference was hot. There were a lot less sex scenes than a usual Daniel May book, so you may be disappointed by that if you're expecting a smutfest. Tobias also had some cool moments, and I like the nickname Jove gave him. I also liked the different side characters - the sons, Izawa the rival, all of them. Even if some of them are quite crazy. If this is a series I suppose I'd be interested in reading theirs, especially if there's more tropes of size difference etcetera.
There are a lot of twists and turns, and the ending antagonist I did not expect. However, this book took some time getting there. it is not really 'action-packed' - there was early violence, sure, but I felt it picked up around the 65% mark, and that is a problem because it's easy to sort of lose readers in the first 50%. I know this is May wanting to get into plottier works, so I imagine the pacing will get better.
As for the relationship between the MCs, I didn't really buy their connection. I like them together, I do! The final chapter, which was really an epilogue, was cute. The big climax at the end and the moment between the MCs did have me cry a bit because I finally felt their emotion for each other and the believability of them being together, but that was at the 85% mark. I feel like that could've been communicated earlier. It felt like shortcuts were taken and the romance not explored. However, it does end really in an HFN and a character admission that they weren't really sure what 'love' is. The events in the book also span over a few days (which we are reminded), so I guess it makes sense. It's not instalove, but it's . . . something?
Overall, did I enjoy myself? Sure. It also dragged a bit, and the horror parts I wasn't expecting and had me taking breaks because I do have a small fear of horses and this exacerbated it ultimately. I did get the Feelings and I'm happy I read it, but I wish this had more romance to it.
Tropes and Elements:
- Age gap
- Size difference
- Dark romance
- Mafia
- Horror
- Horses! So much horse
How do I start with this book... there were definitely parts I liked about it, and I did cry from Feelings at some point which shows a sign that I was engaged with the text because I got emotional about it.
Let's start with the most prevalent part of the books: this is a lot about horses. So much horse. I counted, 350 references to horses and 291 pages. That's a lot of horse. Horses are important to both characters, apart of their lives in different ways. I guess I learned a lot about horses. This book also has murder horses, and there were scenes that it straight up ended up being a horror book for me. If you have a fear of horses, I think this will trigger you. I'm serious. While these horror horses are fictional, they're scary as fuck. Not to mention I looked it up and there is proof of horses eating people alive, so. There's that.
Out of the two main characters, I loved Tobias. He's funny as hell, and spunky and cute. A great match for Jove and I like the idea of them together. They had great chemistry and the size difference was hot. There were a lot less sex scenes than a usual Daniel May book, so you may be disappointed by that if you're expecting a smutfest. Tobias also had some cool moments, and I like the nickname Jove gave him. I also liked the different side characters - the sons, Izawa the rival, all of them. Even if some of them are quite crazy. If this is a series I suppose I'd be interested in reading theirs, especially if there's more tropes of size difference etcetera.
There are a lot of twists and turns, and the ending antagonist I did not expect. However, this book took some time getting there. it is not really 'action-packed' - there was early violence, sure, but I felt it picked up around the 65% mark, and that is a problem because it's easy to sort of lose readers in the first 50%. I know this is May wanting to get into plottier works, so I imagine the pacing will get better.
As for the relationship between the MCs, I didn't really buy their connection. I like them together, I do! The final chapter, which was really an epilogue, was cute. The big climax at the end and the moment between the MCs did have me cry a bit because I finally felt their emotion for each other and the believability of them being together, but that was at the 85% mark. I feel like that could've been communicated earlier. It felt like shortcuts were taken and the romance not explored. However, it does end really in an HFN and a character admission that they weren't really sure what 'love' is. The events in the book also span over a few days (which we are reminded), so I guess it makes sense. It's not instalove, but it's . . . something?
Overall, did I enjoy myself? Sure. It also dragged a bit, and the horror parts I wasn't expecting and had me taking breaks because I do have a small fear of horses and this exacerbated it ultimately. I did get the Feelings and I'm happy I read it, but I wish this had more romance to it.
December 12, 2021
I was expecting more
It took me awhile to get into this book.
I’m like why is everyone trying to kill a stable boy. What is the point of this?
Tobias was that stable boy. Jove kidnaps him from the kidnappers. Never found out exactly who those people were. I guess traitors. I skimmed often. I’m not a fan of excessive internal dialogue and this book has a bunch of it, hence the skimming.
I guess this book was supposed to be dark but I was like meh. Saturday horses. Really?!? That’s the scary monsters. Again, meh. Jove was interesting I guess but the chemistry with Tobias wasn’t very hot to me. They were very mismatched. The sex was interesting and not necessarily in a good way.
As we slowly get to the point and the conclusion of the story, I knew the traitor from the beginning. It was no big *gasp* shock for me. At least, he didn’t get away with his crimes and was properly dealt with.
Will I read book 2? I guess it depends on who certain characters are paired with but I doubt it. The writing wasn’t what I thought it could be. Potential was there but it meandered too much and I got bored often.
There was an HEA.
It took me awhile to get into this book.
I’m like why is everyone trying to kill a stable boy. What is the point of this?
Tobias was that stable boy. Jove kidnaps him from the kidnappers. Never found out exactly who those people were. I guess traitors. I skimmed often. I’m not a fan of excessive internal dialogue and this book has a bunch of it, hence the skimming.
I guess this book was supposed to be dark but I was like meh. Saturday horses. Really?!? That’s the scary monsters. Again, meh. Jove was interesting I guess but the chemistry with Tobias wasn’t very hot to me. They were very mismatched. The sex was interesting and not necessarily in a good way.
As we slowly get to the point and the conclusion of the story, I knew the traitor from the beginning. It was no big *gasp* shock for me. At least, he didn’t get away with his crimes and was properly dealt with.
Will I read book 2? I guess it depends on who certain characters are paired with but I doubt it. The writing wasn’t what I thought it could be. Potential was there but it meandered too much and I got bored often.
There was an HEA.
December 8, 2021
Reading this book was an absolute delight. It has lots of elements I really enjoy. As a mafia boss the main character was unrelenting and unapologetic, there were some intense scenes in the bedroom, there was a mystery to the plot that had a few unexpected twists. There was also some gore and horror which kept me turning the page. If it had been a film I would have been hiding behind my cushion.
There was some really nice moments where more than one character put themselves before others.
I love the authors style of writing and would read anything they put out.
I am hoping there is lots more to come in this series. There are a few intriguing characters I would like to find out more about.
Highly recommend.
There was some really nice moments where more than one character put themselves before others.
I love the authors style of writing and would read anything they put out.
I am hoping there is lots more to come in this series. There are a few intriguing characters I would like to find out more about.
Highly recommend.
August 9, 2023
OMFG. Twinks,
murderhorses, betrayal, sons,
and lovers. Mays rocks.
murderhorses, betrayal, sons,
and lovers. Mays rocks.
July 15, 2022
3.5
For a freebie, this was super fun. And the last 25% alone was 4+ star material.
The writing was great. This was my second Daniel May book, and I can safely say I like his writing style. However, the beginning was a little chaotic, in the way that things were happening real fast from the get-go, and there were these, um… paranormal elements, that didn’t get explained until 70% or so. It felt like I’d missed reading a prequel, sometimes. 🤔
The romance was good, even if it wasn’t the main focus here. Just a little insta, but it was bearable. Jove was OK, if a little bland, but Tobias was such a cutie! 😍 I loved his self-deprecating humor. The 20+ age-gap here was barely noticeable, too. I liked that it wasn’t fetishized.
All that said, I want to know more about Jove’s SONS, Hadrian in particular, of course (I know how to pick them… 🙈💔), and I’m gonna get book 2 as soon as it comes out.
For a freebie, this was super fun. And the last 25% alone was 4+ star material.
The writing was great. This was my second Daniel May book, and I can safely say I like his writing style. However, the beginning was a little chaotic, in the way that things were happening real fast from the get-go, and there were these, um… paranormal elements, that didn’t get explained until 70% or so. It felt like I’d missed reading a prequel, sometimes. 🤔
The romance was good, even if it wasn’t the main focus here. Just a little insta, but it was bearable. Jove was OK, if a little bland, but Tobias was such a cutie! 😍 I loved his self-deprecating humor. The 20+ age-gap here was barely noticeable, too. I liked that it wasn’t fetishized.
All that said, I want to know more about Jove’s SONS, Hadrian in particular, of course (I know how to pick them… 🙈💔), and I’m gonna get book 2 as soon as it comes out.
June 27, 2022
This is my first read by this author, as their other stuff seems to focus on darker kinks that aren't quite my thing. This one, however, seemed to be a little more plot-focused, and a slightly more mainstream type of dark kink, which is right up my alley, and I quite enjoyed it!
I really enjoyed the writing and the characters here, and the bit of world-building was great. There's a very slight sort of paranormal twist that added a fun bit of flavor, and overall I just found it quite fun and compelling. The ~mystery~ plot aspect was a bit obvious, but I was having such fun with the characters that I didn't mind. Looks like there should eventually be a sequel focusing on a different pairing, and I'll definitely keep an eye out!
I really enjoyed the writing and the characters here, and the bit of world-building was great. There's a very slight sort of paranormal twist that added a fun bit of flavor, and overall I just found it quite fun and compelling. The ~mystery~ plot aspect was a bit obvious, but I was having such fun with the characters that I didn't mind. Looks like there should eventually be a sequel focusing on a different pairing, and I'll definitely keep an eye out!
December 23, 2021
Jove is a powerful man, his looks are sharp, rough, scarred and he’s huge, he’s also the leader of the Hanged Men.
Tobias is a small, good-looking nobody, trying to stay alive, wondering when Jove will kill him.
For now, he’s of use for Jove, he overheard a phone call, an important one, it seems.
Being captured by Jove brings Tobias to places he has never been, the rich and upper-class places.
Tobias had the hots for Jove, when the man stares at him he just wants to stop his own slutty thoughts.
Jove finds Tobias intriguingly vulnerable, with his big doe eyes and a mouth good for… hmm. Jove is getting obsessed and annoyed by Tobias.
Tobias steps behind Jove in a, for him, unbelievable rich world of expensive clothes, luxe hotel rooms, and big yachts. Jove looks at home, Tobias far from.
Watch them trying to uncover a rat., their mutual love for horses, the reflections.
Who is to trust and who isn’t.
Wheeee, I loved the tension between both, opposite, the impossible became possible.
The crimes, the conspiracy, the bloody parts, the whole plot, it was hot and captivating af.
Awesomely written, entertaining, with great environments.
Absolutely thrilling story with delicious obsession, and some intense encounters. A winner!
Tobias is a small, good-looking nobody, trying to stay alive, wondering when Jove will kill him.
For now, he’s of use for Jove, he overheard a phone call, an important one, it seems.
Being captured by Jove brings Tobias to places he has never been, the rich and upper-class places.
Tobias had the hots for Jove, when the man stares at him he just wants to stop his own slutty thoughts.
Jove finds Tobias intriguingly vulnerable, with his big doe eyes and a mouth good for… hmm. Jove is getting obsessed and annoyed by Tobias.
Tobias steps behind Jove in a, for him, unbelievable rich world of expensive clothes, luxe hotel rooms, and big yachts. Jove looks at home, Tobias far from.
Watch them trying to uncover a rat., their mutual love for horses, the reflections.
Who is to trust and who isn’t.
Wheeee, I loved the tension between both, opposite, the impossible became possible.
The crimes, the conspiracy, the bloody parts, the whole plot, it was hot and captivating af.
Awesomely written, entertaining, with great environments.
Absolutely thrilling story with delicious obsession, and some intense encounters. A winner!
April 17, 2024
OK, I liked this in even more than I thought I would. It was recced to me because I was looking for something akin to "peen too big. Ass broken." (please remind me who recced this to me! I can't find the comment on the discord!) This definitely had that, but also a surprising amount of humor and plot.
There was a bit of insta love, but it didn't seem to come out of thin air like some, so it was tolerable. I am DEFINITELY going to read more of this series.
There was a bit of insta love, but it didn't seem to come out of thin air like some, so it was tolerable. I am DEFINITELY going to read more of this series.
November 8, 2022
*Reread 11/8/2022. Still 5*.
This book was amazing. Best thing I’ve read all year.
I expected the dark political intrigue. (Mafia boss was a tip-off). I expected some romance. I already knew about the murder horses, so those were epic but not surprising. What I didn’t expect - but maybe should start to - was the dry, self-aware humor. I was *cackling* for the entire book. And not just from Tobias, who could arguably be called the comic relief in this story. Jove - big, serious mob boss Jove - had me chuckling with his sharp, merciless insights.
Others have mentioned that this was lighter on the romance. I didn’t find that true at all for me. It started off subtle, a slow burn with the first encounter at 50%. Surprisingly emotional horniness and some seriously hot scenes.
I’m reccing this to people I know who don’t even like romance.
This book was amazing. Best thing I’ve read all year.
I expected the dark political intrigue. (Mafia boss was a tip-off). I expected some romance. I already knew about the murder horses, so those were epic but not surprising. What I didn’t expect - but maybe should start to - was the dry, self-aware humor. I was *cackling* for the entire book. And not just from Tobias, who could arguably be called the comic relief in this story. Jove - big, serious mob boss Jove - had me chuckling with his sharp, merciless insights.
Others have mentioned that this was lighter on the romance. I didn’t find that true at all for me. It started off subtle, a slow burn with the first encounter at 50%. Surprisingly emotional horniness and some seriously hot scenes.
I’m reccing this to people I know who don’t even like romance.
April 18, 2022
3.5 stars
My favorite part of this book was Tobias, his narration, and his interactions with anyone and everyone. Since he brought a lot of humor and levity to the book it didn't feel as dark as it might have otherwise. Unfortunately Jove didn't capture me as much.
The plot felt a little slow moving at first, which wasn't helped by repeating scenes from different POVs (a pet peeve of mine since it stalls the forward momentum of the book and gets tiring to read) but there was a bit less of that as the book progressed. I ended up liking the mystery/intrigue part of the book which was pulled of well, and the romance was satisfying enough.
My favorite part of this book was Tobias, his narration, and his interactions with anyone and everyone. Since he brought a lot of humor and levity to the book it didn't feel as dark as it might have otherwise. Unfortunately Jove didn't capture me as much.
The plot felt a little slow moving at first, which wasn't helped by repeating scenes from different POVs (a pet peeve of mine since it stalls the forward momentum of the book and gets tiring to read) but there was a bit less of that as the book progressed. I ended up liking the mystery/intrigue part of the book which was pulled of well, and the romance was satisfying enough.
August 13, 2022
3.5 stars
There could have been more relationship development between ex-mafia boss Jove and stable boy Tobias, and maybe a bit more world building, but I still totally dug this.
The mystery kept me invested enough in what was happening and even googling to find out if Saturday Horses were really a thing. Because, seriously. WTF!!! I’ve never read anything like them before and wish that they’d played a bigger role in the story.
When the end came I was satisfied. I just wished the author had pushed this a bit further because it definitely had the potential to be more.
There could have been more relationship development between ex-mafia boss Jove and stable boy Tobias, and maybe a bit more world building, but I still totally dug this.
The mystery kept me invested enough in what was happening and even googling to find out if Saturday Horses were really a thing. Because, seriously. WTF!!! I’ve never read anything like them before and wish that they’d played a bigger role in the story.
When the end came I was satisfied. I just wished the author had pushed this a bit further because it definitely had the potential to be more.
September 13, 2023
Rating: 2.5 Stars (rounded up)
I've been wanting to try a book by Daniel May for a while but the kinks in his other books aren't my cup of tea and I prefer plot-focused romances over erotica. That means I was overjoyed when this one came along and I was excited to finally get to experience this author's work. Unfortunately, my experience ended up being a mixed one. While I enjoyed a lot of things in this story there were an equal number of things that didn't work for me.
The positives include the dark, creepy atmosphere that Jove's stone cold attitude at the beginning of the story and the homicidal, flesh-eating horses provided. The mixture of the casual mafia violence combined with the creepiness of the horses made for a really cool atmosphere. Speaking of horses, I also loved how seriously the author depicted everything regarding horses in this story. The murderous demonic horses aside, this book is full of love for horses and equestrian life with loads of details that demonstrate how comfortable the author was regarding this topic. I really loved how the various barns and the strictly-herbivorous horses were depicted and it gave the story a cozy, warm feel that beautifully balanced with the dark, creepy horror that the strictly-carnivorous horses introduced.
I also liked Jove at the beginning of the story. His cool demeanor and casual attitude when it comes to violence made him just as terrifying as the horses. I also liked that Tobias wasn't the typical helpless and stupid damsel-in-distress character that mafia books like this usually include. At the same time, the author kept his confusion and fear realistic. He reacted the way most people would when they end up in a crazy situation that they don't understand - some fear, some confusion but with enough intelligence that he tried to figure things out and find the best path forward.
Another thing I liked was Jove's relationship with his three sons. In fact, the complex relationship between Jove and his sons was more interesting to me than the romance between Jove and Tobias, which isn't a good thing when the story is marketed as a romance. But on the bright side, I would have probably liked the story even more if the romance had been removed entirely because there was a lot of other stuff that was done well.
I also really enjoyed the writing style. I blew through this book very fast and that's purely due to how lovely the writing was. I also enjoyed having many scenes be re-told from both Jove and Tobias' POV. They were such different characters and they were approaching every situation from completely different perspectives which made both versions of the scenes interesting. Another thing I appreciated was that there might have been loads of violence but the author deliberately kept the gory stuff off-page.
Unfortunately, everything else didn't work for me.
The Romance
I'm not a fan of age gaps so the romance didn't work for me, but not for the reasons I thought. In most mafia MM romances, the older MC (usually the mafia boss) is very controlling and borderline abusive while the younger MC is usually just horny and useless. In this case, the author steered clear of these common archetypes by making Jove respect Tobias and having Tobias not be a horny puddle of useless goo 24/7. Unfortunately, their relationship still didn't work for me.
One of my issues was that I didn't understand what attracted Jove to Tobias other than finding Tobias mildly entertaining. Tobias isn't providing any knowledge, life experience or skills that are useful to Jove, they don't have anything in common and they don't share any life experiences or history with each other. I didn't understand why Jove went from casually murdering a young guy without a second thought at the start of the story to falling head over heels in love with another young guy just because and also amuses him. I didn't feel any chemistry between them and I didn't understand how their relationship would work in the long term.
Adding to the difficulty with the romance was that Jove had never been attracted to men before but he adjusts to a) being attracted to Tobias and b) having sex with Tobias very quickly and without any thought. Instead of it feeling like a casual bi-awakening, it kind of felt like the author had forgotten that they hadn't made Jove be gay/bi from the start. It was odd. I also rolled my eyes at the instalove that the author crammed into the story. After just 1 week of knowing Tobias, Jove is apparently in love with him and is a completely changed man. Excuse my eye rolling.
Lastly, the factor that killed the romance for me was that the author constantly emphasized how Jove and Tobias' relationship strongly resembles a father-son bond and that made the added in sex factor feel icky. There's the fact that Jove calls Tobias 'kid' through the entire story. Then there are the many direct parallels between Jove and Tobias' dad and also between Tobias and Jove's sons (who are even older than Tobias). The author wasn't even trying to be subtle - the parallels are purposeful and that made them even harder to deal with. For example, Tobias' dad had been a jockey and had really wanted Tobias to learn how to ride but Tobias had no interest in horses when he was young. Then the dad bought Tobias a fat little pony as an intro-horse and Tobias still didn't want anything to do with it. Well, it turns out that Jove's son Nerva also had no interest in horses but Jove is a big horse fan so guess what Jove bought Nerva when he was young? That's right - a fat little pony that could be Nerva's intro-horse. But just like Tobias, Nerva wasn't interested in anything related to horses. So yeah, the parallels between the different sets of characters were very present in the story.
There's even one conversation where Jove and Tobias reference the fact that their relationship allows them to 'redo' the damaged father-son bonds with their respective biological father/sons. Basically, I got very, VERY strong father-son vibes between them throughout the entire book (which the author never failed to re-emphasize) so having sex be added into the mix grossed me out. This was another reason I would have preferred for the romance to be removed because I think it would have been really interesting to have Tobias be a surrogate son (with Jove being the surrogate dad) and through that bond, Jove can heal his relationship with his other sons.
It didn't help that my shipping radar pinged hard at Izawa (Jove's long term enemy) + Jove and Tobias + Hadrian (Jove's youngest son, approximately Tobias' age). Those two couples had so much more in common, were more interesting and were more realistic than Jove and Tobias.
The Suspense Plotline
Unfortunately, many details of the suspense plotline were handled sloppily, which impacted my enjoyment of it.
Also - the entire suspense plotline lacked a sense of urgency because Jove had this tired and resigned attitude throughout the entire book. He gets told there's a traitor in his organization and then he's told the traitor is one of his sons but he reacts with tired resignation and absolutely no urgency. He'd rather spend his time hanging out/having sex with Tobias than figuring out what's happening in his own organization. Even after somebody attempts to kill him, Jove's attitude doesn't change. He was a bored, tired old man and I understand that he's nearly 60 and he liked his retirement, but come on! I wanted him to remain the badass, violent, intimidating mafia boss he had been at the start of the story. Not a tired old man who just shrugged and threw up his hands in defeat when things got a bit complicated.
The Paranormal Aspects
Based on other reviews, I see I'm not the only one who got curious and googled flesh eating horses to see if they're real. So it turns out that some cultures do feed their horses meat and have been doing so for 4000 years (these cultures are located areas where plants are hard to come by so they feed horses an omnivorous diet). And in mythology, there are stories involving demonic flesh-eating horses who closely resembled the horses in this story. So the existence of the psycho horses from the story were based on fact, mythology and the author's own imagination and I really loved that.
However, at 70%, we randomly learn that THAT WAS EPIC!! But...just like with other plot elements, the author fails to follow up on this and make it a meaningful part of the story.
Conclusion
I don't mean to be rude but based on some reviews I've seen of the next book, it appears the author didn't address the issues I had with this book. In fact, it appears those issues had gotten worse and new ones were piled on top so I think I'll steer clear of this author for the time being until he's smoothed things out.
I've been wanting to try a book by Daniel May for a while but the kinks in his other books aren't my cup of tea and I prefer plot-focused romances over erotica. That means I was overjoyed when this one came along and I was excited to finally get to experience this author's work. Unfortunately, my experience ended up being a mixed one. While I enjoyed a lot of things in this story there were an equal number of things that didn't work for me.
The positives include the dark, creepy atmosphere that Jove's stone cold attitude at the beginning of the story and the homicidal, flesh-eating horses provided. The mixture of the casual mafia violence combined with the creepiness of the horses made for a really cool atmosphere. Speaking of horses, I also loved how seriously the author depicted everything regarding horses in this story. The murderous demonic horses aside, this book is full of love for horses and equestrian life with loads of details that demonstrate how comfortable the author was regarding this topic. I really loved how the various barns and the strictly-herbivorous horses were depicted and it gave the story a cozy, warm feel that beautifully balanced with the dark, creepy horror that the strictly-carnivorous horses introduced.
I also liked Jove at the beginning of the story. His cool demeanor and casual attitude when it comes to violence made him just as terrifying as the horses. I also liked that Tobias wasn't the typical helpless and stupid damsel-in-distress character that mafia books like this usually include. At the same time, the author kept his confusion and fear realistic. He reacted the way most people would when they end up in a crazy situation that they don't understand - some fear, some confusion but with enough intelligence that he tried to figure things out and find the best path forward.
Another thing I liked was Jove's relationship with his three sons. In fact, the complex relationship between Jove and his sons was more interesting to me than the romance between Jove and Tobias, which isn't a good thing when the story is marketed as a romance. But on the bright side, I would have probably liked the story even more if the romance had been removed entirely because there was a lot of other stuff that was done well.
I also really enjoyed the writing style. I blew through this book very fast and that's purely due to how lovely the writing was. I also enjoyed having many scenes be re-told from both Jove and Tobias' POV. They were such different characters and they were approaching every situation from completely different perspectives which made both versions of the scenes interesting. Another thing I appreciated was that there might have been loads of violence but the author deliberately kept the gory stuff off-page.
Unfortunately, everything else didn't work for me.
The Romance
I'm not a fan of age gaps so the romance didn't work for me, but not for the reasons I thought. In most mafia MM romances, the older MC (usually the mafia boss) is very controlling and borderline abusive while the younger MC is usually just horny and useless. In this case, the author steered clear of these common archetypes by making Jove respect Tobias and having Tobias not be a horny puddle of useless goo 24/7. Unfortunately, their relationship still didn't work for me.
One of my issues was that I didn't understand what attracted Jove to Tobias other than finding Tobias mildly entertaining. Tobias isn't providing any knowledge, life experience or skills that are useful to Jove, they don't have anything in common and they don't share any life experiences or history with each other. I didn't understand why Jove went from casually murdering a young guy without a second thought at the start of the story to falling head over heels in love with another young guy just because and also amuses him. I didn't feel any chemistry between them and I didn't understand how their relationship would work in the long term.
Adding to the difficulty with the romance was that Jove had never been attracted to men before but he adjusts to a) being attracted to Tobias and b) having sex with Tobias very quickly and without any thought. Instead of it feeling like a casual bi-awakening, it kind of felt like the author had forgotten that they hadn't made Jove be gay/bi from the start. It was odd. I also rolled my eyes at the instalove that the author crammed into the story. After just 1 week of knowing Tobias, Jove is apparently in love with him and is a completely changed man. Excuse my eye rolling.
Lastly, the factor that killed the romance for me was that the author constantly emphasized how Jove and Tobias' relationship strongly resembles a father-son bond and that made the added in sex factor feel icky. There's the fact that Jove calls Tobias 'kid' through the entire story. Then there are the many direct parallels between Jove and Tobias' dad and also between Tobias and Jove's sons (who are even older than Tobias). The author wasn't even trying to be subtle - the parallels are purposeful and that made them even harder to deal with. For example, Tobias' dad had been a jockey and had really wanted Tobias to learn how to ride but Tobias had no interest in horses when he was young. Then the dad bought Tobias a fat little pony as an intro-horse and Tobias still didn't want anything to do with it. Well, it turns out that Jove's son Nerva also had no interest in horses but Jove is a big horse fan so guess what Jove bought Nerva when he was young? That's right - a fat little pony that could be Nerva's intro-horse. But just like Tobias, Nerva wasn't interested in anything related to horses. So yeah, the parallels between the different sets of characters were very present in the story.
There's even one conversation where Jove and Tobias reference the fact that their relationship allows them to 'redo' the damaged father-son bonds with their respective biological father/sons. Basically, I got very, VERY strong father-son vibes between them throughout the entire book (which the author never failed to re-emphasize) so having sex be added into the mix grossed me out. This was another reason I would have preferred for the romance to be removed because I think it would have been really interesting to have Tobias be a surrogate son (with Jove being the surrogate dad) and through that bond, Jove can heal his relationship with his other sons.
It didn't help that my shipping radar pinged hard at Izawa (Jove's long term enemy) + Jove and Tobias + Hadrian (Jove's youngest son, approximately Tobias' age). Those two couples had so much more in common, were more interesting and were more realistic than Jove and Tobias.
The Suspense Plotline
Unfortunately, many details of the suspense plotline were handled sloppily, which impacted my enjoyment of it.
Also - the entire suspense plotline lacked a sense of urgency because Jove had this tired and resigned attitude throughout the entire book. He gets told there's a traitor in his organization and then he's told the traitor is one of his sons but he reacts with tired resignation and absolutely no urgency. He'd rather spend his time hanging out/having sex with Tobias than figuring out what's happening in his own organization. Even after somebody attempts to kill him, Jove's attitude doesn't change. He was a bored, tired old man and I understand that he's nearly 60 and he liked his retirement, but come on! I wanted him to remain the badass, violent, intimidating mafia boss he had been at the start of the story. Not a tired old man who just shrugged and threw up his hands in defeat when things got a bit complicated.
The Paranormal Aspects
Based on other reviews, I see I'm not the only one who got curious and googled flesh eating horses to see if they're real. So it turns out that some cultures do feed their horses meat and have been doing so for 4000 years (these cultures are located areas where plants are hard to come by so they feed horses an omnivorous diet). And in mythology, there are stories involving demonic flesh-eating horses who closely resembled the horses in this story. So the existence of the psycho horses from the story were based on fact, mythology and the author's own imagination and I really loved that.
However, at 70%, we randomly learn that THAT WAS EPIC!! But...just like with other plot elements, the author fails to follow up on this and make it a meaningful part of the story.
Conclusion
I don't mean to be rude but based on some reviews I've seen of the next book, it appears the author didn't address the issues I had with this book. In fact, it appears those issues had gotten worse and new ones were piled on top so I think I'll steer clear of this author for the time being until he's smoothed things out.
November 23, 2024
This one was not a good one for me friends. I am definitely the outlier here so please take this with a grain of salt.
1.5 stars rounded down
I had high hopes for this novel as my first foray into the m/m mafia genre, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to expectations. The writing style, while perhaps charming to some, felt too informal for me—it came across more like a rough draft than a polished book. I’m all for a bit of flair, but when words like “looooong” or “fuck meeeee” are stretched out, it pulls me right out of the story. I know this style works for a lot of readers, but for me, it felt jarring and detracted from the overall experience.
As for the plot, I had a hard time connecting with it. The story leaned heavily into a mystery, but it felt as though it assumed readers were already familiar with the intricacies of the horse trading and breeding underworld—which, frankly, I’m not. This left me more confused than intrigued.
The characters, Jove and Tobias, didn’t feel fleshed out as much as they did exaggerated versions of the twink and daddy trope. It’s clear they were meant to embody these roles, but that was essentially their entire character development. And the romance? There was none. Tobias seemed to be dragged around while Jove agonized over coming out of retirement, but none of it had any emotional depth or real chemistry. The random island with killer horses? Just… what?
Also, Jove calling Tobias “red” all the time was a weird choice. If you’re supposedly in love with someone, maybe try calling them by their name every once in a while?
All in all, I’m not invested enough to continue with the series. I might revisit this review once I’ve had more time to process (and recover from surgery), but for now, I’m calling it quits.
1.5 stars rounded down
I had high hopes for this novel as my first foray into the m/m mafia genre, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to expectations. The writing style, while perhaps charming to some, felt too informal for me—it came across more like a rough draft than a polished book. I’m all for a bit of flair, but when words like “looooong” or “fuck meeeee” are stretched out, it pulls me right out of the story. I know this style works for a lot of readers, but for me, it felt jarring and detracted from the overall experience.
As for the plot, I had a hard time connecting with it. The story leaned heavily into a mystery, but it felt as though it assumed readers were already familiar with the intricacies of the horse trading and breeding underworld—which, frankly, I’m not. This left me more confused than intrigued.
The characters, Jove and Tobias, didn’t feel fleshed out as much as they did exaggerated versions of the twink and daddy trope. It’s clear they were meant to embody these roles, but that was essentially their entire character development. And the romance? There was none. Tobias seemed to be dragged around while Jove agonized over coming out of retirement, but none of it had any emotional depth or real chemistry. The random island with killer horses? Just… what?
Also, Jove calling Tobias “red” all the time was a weird choice. If you’re supposedly in love with someone, maybe try calling them by their name every once in a while?
All in all, I’m not invested enough to continue with the series. I might revisit this review once I’ve had more time to process (and recover from surgery), but for now, I’m calling it quits.
March 2, 2023
Great! Just the right balance of comedy to sex to violence to horror imo. Love the whole murder family too, looking forward to the next book. I had avoided this series because I heard it was mafia romance but tbh I think the creepy murder horses do enough to bring the story into the realm of the supernatural - it’s not trying to be realistic in any way. (See also the architecture on the island, which is straight out of a Bond movie in a very fun way.)
ETA I thought of more stuff I loved about this book! Specifically, the EXACT right amount of detail it had about the settings. So many books go with real geographical locations and then get the details wrong or make up fake geographical names/facts that add nothing to the story. This book pretty much did neither and it was fantastic.
ETA I thought of more stuff I loved about this book! Specifically, the EXACT right amount of detail it had about the settings. So many books go with real geographical locations and then get the details wrong or make up fake geographical names/facts that add nothing to the story. This book pretty much did neither and it was fantastic.
July 16, 2023
I don’t really know what to say except that this absolutely bonkers book busted through whatever funk caused me to pick up and put down four other books. Was it compelling? Yeah, in a twistedly fascinating kind of way. Did I like it? I’m not sure. The romance wasn’t the strongest, and I could have done with a little more of Jove becoming absolutely feral over Tobias. Also as a horse person, my brain is rebelling hard against the concept of murder horses.
So I guess I’m glad I read out of my comfort zone, but also WTF.
So I guess I’m glad I read out of my comfort zone, but also WTF.
October 22, 2022
The age-gap mafia romance with bloodthirsty murderhorses that you never knew you needed!
Yet another fun instalment of ‘Vicky no longer has any moral standards for her characters so long as they’re soft for each other’!
Honestly, it’s tender, lyrical, completely bananas and Daniel May knows his horses, murderous or otherwise - I highly recommend.
Yet another fun instalment of ‘Vicky no longer has any moral standards for her characters so long as they’re soft for each other’!
Honestly, it’s tender, lyrical, completely bananas and Daniel May knows his horses, murderous or otherwise - I highly recommend.
December 18, 2021
At least one of these stars comes from the Saturday horses. I just think they’re neat. And I want one. Immediately.
Things I did not like:
1. POV overlap in the beginning: scenes were rehashed from both viewpoints several times, but especially in the beginning. It wasn’t necessary, and it was boring.
2. Plot absent or glacial in the beginning: I really wasn’t sure where the story was going for a long time, probably over half of the book. There were little tiny hints here and there, but outside of murder horses I couldn’t tell.
3. The end of the romance felt rushed and unsupported somehow: yep
Things I liked:
1. horses: hell yeah murder horses
2. the plot, when it showed up: once we got to the conspiracy/family involvement aka Jurassic Horse Island, it was a very fun read. Family dynamics, Izawa, the secrets, the horses…it all came together.
3. Hadrian: he wasn’t around much, but I liked what I saw at the end. Intriguing.
4. Izawa: Also intriguing. I’d like to read his book.
5. Tobias: hilarious - I loved his POV. He did well for being kidnapped and totally lost at all times.
6. the sex and the sexual tension: hot.
7. Angel: soooo cute
Overall:
I count this a win, want more murder horses.
Things I did not like:
1. POV overlap in the beginning: scenes were rehashed from both viewpoints several times, but especially in the beginning. It wasn’t necessary, and it was boring.
2. Plot absent or glacial in the beginning: I really wasn’t sure where the story was going for a long time, probably over half of the book. There were little tiny hints here and there, but outside of murder horses I couldn’t tell.
3. The end of the romance felt rushed and unsupported somehow: yep
Things I liked:
1. horses: hell yeah murder horses
2. the plot, when it showed up: once we got to the conspiracy/family involvement aka Jurassic Horse Island, it was a very fun read. Family dynamics, Izawa, the secrets, the horses…it all came together.
3. Hadrian: he wasn’t around much, but I liked what I saw at the end. Intriguing.
4. Izawa: Also intriguing. I’d like to read his book.
5. Tobias: hilarious - I loved his POV. He did well for being kidnapped and totally lost at all times.
6. the sex and the sexual tension: hot.
7. Angel: soooo cute
Overall:
I count this a win, want more murder horses.
May 7, 2023
Age gap, mafia, terrifying horses, and intrigue!
This book was better than I thought it would be based on the first chapter, but not as good as I expected from all the hype I saw on Reddit.
The characters were fun and I liked the banter, but I just didn’t feel the connection between the two MCs. I happily forgot the age gap because they were truly well-developed characters and it just wasn’t about that really.
The story was extremely unique though and so interesting. It was a slightly slow and confusing start, but well worth it to keep going. I loved the whodunnit aspect and was invested the entire time.
I will have nightmares about those horses for days though!
This book was better than I thought it would be based on the first chapter, but not as good as I expected from all the hype I saw on Reddit.
The characters were fun and I liked the banter, but I just didn’t feel the connection between the two MCs. I happily forgot the age gap because they were truly well-developed characters and it just wasn’t about that really.
The story was extremely unique though and so interesting. It was a slightly slow and confusing start, but well worth it to keep going. I loved the whodunnit aspect and was invested the entire time.
I will have nightmares about those horses for days though!
January 26, 2022
Many things wrong with this book. Things like two protagonists who fall in love between one conversation and the next- insta-shit with bells on right there. A baddie with no clear motive and a rather flimsy excuse for becoming a naughty person. Saturday horses that needed more back story and development. A whole lot of (supposedly) morally ambiguous mafia- mad, bad, dangerous to know- types who just didn’t feel the need to be, you know, mad, bad or particularly dangerous. FYI saying it don’t make it so. A plot with more holes than my knitting. And quite surprisingly a main character who questions nothing about liking men when he always thought he would be with women. Come on, wouldn’t there be some introspection? Navel gazing, or even a good old freak out on the cards? I’m sure I would react in some way if I were in the same position. Obviously I’m not and I’m projecting, this is fiction after all. I’ve DNF’d or had a right moan for less with other books. So what did I do? I read the book, I had fun, I just let it all go… Get me being all zen. It won’t last, don’t worry.
I suppose what I really need to say is I loved this book in spite of its flaws. So if you are going to read this. Suspend your disbelief from the nearest, tallest, tree. And with the title words from one of my shelves firmly in mind, Ignore flaws and go with it. If your up for the ride bear in mind that you shouldn’t try saddling a horse from the locked stables at the back.
One star removed for the above reasons.
*4 Stars*
I suppose what I really need to say is I loved this book in spite of its flaws. So if you are going to read this. Suspend your disbelief from the nearest, tallest, tree. And with the title words from one of my shelves firmly in mind, Ignore flaws and go with it. If your up for the ride bear in mind that you shouldn’t try saddling a horse from the locked stables at the back.
One star removed for the above reasons.
*4 Stars*
December 9, 2021
This is a Guy Ritchie movie just waiting to be filmed!
I had so much fun reading this book! Tobias cracked me up constantly – resigned to being in the wrong place at the wrong time and potentially dying at any moment, he said whatever was in his head!
Jove was magnificent – I could well imagine him in my head and loved everything about him. The brothers were fantastic – I think Hadrian was my favourite but only just – and the whole story of a retired kingpin being baited out of retirement to face his death was written fast-paced and fun. The cast of characters were really interesting – I know who I want to be in the second book – and although I kinda guessed who was doing what, it was still utterly fascinating.
I will never look at horses the same way again and cannot wait for book two to be written/come out.
An absolutely cracking 5/5 from me!
I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews in exchange for an honest review.
I had so much fun reading this book! Tobias cracked me up constantly – resigned to being in the wrong place at the wrong time and potentially dying at any moment, he said whatever was in his head!
Jove was magnificent – I could well imagine him in my head and loved everything about him. The brothers were fantastic – I think Hadrian was my favourite but only just – and the whole story of a retired kingpin being baited out of retirement to face his death was written fast-paced and fun. The cast of characters were really interesting – I know who I want to be in the second book – and although I kinda guessed who was doing what, it was still utterly fascinating.
I will never look at horses the same way again and cannot wait for book two to be written/come out.
An absolutely cracking 5/5 from me!
I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews in exchange for an honest review.
December 6, 2021
Amazing! I couldn’t put this down, the action and tension is non-stop AND this was so well written to top it off. Loved the main characters, especially Tobias, and I think the author did a good job of balancing out the intensity with many genuinely funny moments, too.
If you are a fan of dark MM, age gap, size difference, morally dubious characters and/or murder-horses, you HAVE to read this!
If you are a fan of dark MM, age gap, size difference, morally dubious characters and/or murder-horses, you HAVE to read this!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2021
DNF @60%
This is the second book that I’ve read by this author. This one is significantly better than the first one I read (Claiming the freak… cleaning freak something like that. That one was…. Bad) BUT it isn’t any better.
I am bored. Not even the “intrigue” and “suspense” can help me finish this. I don’t care one bit about either MC nor their supposed romance.
Red is okay, I guess, but this is a character that shot a person in cold blood for the first time ever and is walking around like nothing happened. He also, supposedly, had a close relationship with his mom and by 60% (and even less) he hasn’t mentioned her except in passing and has not made ANY attempt to contact her and let the poor woman know that he is alive. He is too busy trying to suck Jove’s dick. By 50% they were already exchanging spit and cum (without condoms 🥰)
Jove is boring. That’s it.
The very first sex scene was 🤷🏻♀️
The bones in this are good and it could have been great but there is just something about it that stops it from doing so.
This is the second book that I’ve read by this author. This one is significantly better than the first one I read (Claiming the freak… cleaning freak something like that. That one was…. Bad) BUT it isn’t any better.
I am bored. Not even the “intrigue” and “suspense” can help me finish this. I don’t care one bit about either MC nor their supposed romance.
Red is okay, I guess, but this is a character that shot a person in cold blood for the first time ever and is walking around like nothing happened. He also, supposedly, had a close relationship with his mom and by 60% (and even less) he hasn’t mentioned her except in passing and has not made ANY attempt to contact her and let the poor woman know that he is alive. He is too busy trying to suck Jove’s dick. By 50% they were already exchanging spit and cum (without condoms 🥰)
Jove is boring. That’s it.
The very first sex scene was 🤷🏻♀️
The bones in this are good and it could have been great but there is just something about it that stops it from doing so.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2024
‘Jove’s mind settled on the word ‘red’ and turned it into a name. He knew better than to name something that would probably have to be disappeared in a swamp somewhere, and yet, the kid was ‘Red’, and Jove’s instinct at that moment wasn’t to interrogate as much as it was find a clean towel and wipe that dumb face.’
I really enjoyed reading Blood sports don’t get me wrong at times I was a little confused but once I reread it I’m sure that won’t be a problem.
This book is filled with violence, betrayal and love which keeps you hooked from the start.
I thought the relationship that slowly develops between Jove and Tobias was really interesting and quite sweet in places but it would have been nice to see a bit more.
The characters in Blood sports are very complex but as we get further in you realise that they aren’t all bad and begin to see who they really are behind that big bad mask they wear.
I really enjoyed reading Blood sports don’t get me wrong at times I was a little confused but once I reread it I’m sure that won’t be a problem.
This book is filled with violence, betrayal and love which keeps you hooked from the start.
I thought the relationship that slowly develops between Jove and Tobias was really interesting and quite sweet in places but it would have been nice to see a bit more.
The characters in Blood sports are very complex but as we get further in you realise that they aren’t all bad and begin to see who they really are behind that big bad mask they wear.
July 23, 2022
Pleasantly Surprised
I got this book in a giveaway because it had an interesting premise and was an author I hadn't read before.
I'm glad I took the risk because it was so good.
The writing was good and the story equal parts intriguing and nerve wracking at certain points.
For our MCs, I adored Toby "TOBIAS" 😂😂 from his very first showing on page till the very last page. His inner musings were so funny as well and I found he paired perfectly with the stoic Jove.
Another thing I enjoyed was the characterisation. None of the characters were what they seemed at first glance which made the story much more nuanced.
Once again, I loved this so much I'll definitely be reading Nerva's book! Can't wait!
I got this book in a giveaway because it had an interesting premise and was an author I hadn't read before.
I'm glad I took the risk because it was so good.
The writing was good and the story equal parts intriguing and nerve wracking at certain points.
For our MCs, I adored Toby "TOBIAS" 😂😂 from his very first showing on page till the very last page. His inner musings were so funny as well and I found he paired perfectly with the stoic Jove.
Another thing I enjoyed was the characterisation. None of the characters were what they seemed at first glance which made the story much more nuanced.
Once again, I loved this so much I'll definitely be reading Nerva's book! Can't wait!
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