Author: Lynn Hagen
(http://www.lynnhagen.com)
Genre: Alternative M/M, Paranormal,
Shape-shifter
Length: 36,061
Publisher: Siren Publishing, Inc.
(http://www.SirenPublishing.com)
Blurb
Steele Avery is as lazy as the day is
long. When the mates of the Den show up
for a night of partying, Steele and his brother Paine follow the group into
demon realm. But what started out as a good time ends with Steele being bitten by the club owner, Diablo, who claims to be his mate.
Diablo Teslow is a dragon shifter. He has been tucked away in the demon realm for over twelve hundred years. He is content with running his strip club until a beautiful cheetah shifter walks into his life.
Now that he has bitten Steele, Diablo must defend his mate against the Dragon Hunters, a group of supernatural creatures created for one purpose only, to exterminate the entire dragon race.
But Diablo is not only fighting the Hunter. His mate was taught that letting another man top him was a sign of weakness. Diablo must find a way to claim Steele or remain alone for the rest of his life.
* * *
Lynn Hagen’s Forged in Steele is the eighth book in the Brac Village
series. It is hands down a five star
explosion of page turning delight.
The opening paragraph places a huge ass
smile on my face depicting Steele as the epitome of a lazy and untroubled man
with cat like qualities. Anyone who have
such finicky, yet adorable felines know this as a fact. To see such parallels is hilarious. Creatures of comfort and affection, on their
terms, has Steele Avery pegged. However,
don’t let his super laid-back demeanour fool you, Steele has an undercurrent of
pain and shame that eats at him every day.
However, hope is not lost with Steele. When
marked by his mate Diablo, all hell breaks loose in a pissed off and horny
Steele, who doesn’t believe that Diablo is his mate. With no scent or pull to convince Steele that
Diablo is his mate, he cruises the strip club for a willing twink for a booty
call. His antics are hilarious when none
of the twinks will give him the time of day as they scatter like trapped humans
in an infested zombie arena.
The first chapter sets up the pull and tug
of Steele and Diablo’s budding relationship.
They have a fire and ice combo that singes when it’s hot and shivers
when it’s cold. Steele’s denial pushes
Diablo to make a decision and step up his pursuit of convincing his mate that
Fate gave them to each other.
Two very different personalities clashing,
with some heavy yearning, draws them together, only to be shoved a part by
Steele’s past. The cruel and vicious
taunts of his older brothers is drilled into his head, “Only a bitch lets a man
top him.”[1]
The reader can clearly feel Steele’s turmoil and even though he says the words,
they lack conviction. Finding Diablo
slowly chips away his armour with his mate’s subtle seduction and
honest-in-your-face mannerism. It is
sheer fascination to see their struggles as they step closer to each other in a
wary and delicate dance.
The balance of angst and brevity is
cleverly laced throughout the book with Steele’s twin, Paine leading the
way. Paine in one word is
hilarious. The things that come out of
his mouth has me in fits of giggles. For
example, “Paine jumped up and swatted his own ass. ‘I don’t care who knows that
I like a big, fat cock in my ass.’”[2],
or another favourite that has me chuckling, “I vote we shove her into an oven
and eat her house.”[3]
Steele and Paine’s brotherly love is so
believable that I can picture them bickering and teasing each other in my
living room. It adds to the story, the
brotherly connection and over the top antics.
The first penetrative sex scene with Diablo
and Steele has tender moments that makes me respect Diablo more for how he
dislodges Steele’s unhealthy view of submitting to him. It is handled with care and concern that has
the reader peek beyond Diablo’s cranky, less than friendly, and
don’t-piss-me-off-cause-I’m-a-bad-ass-dragon-that-could-eat–you-in-one-gulp
personality.
And once Steele finally accepts that there
is nothing wrong with his yearning of domination and surrender to Diablo, the
sheets are burning up between the two of them.
They are hot, hot, hot, which leaves me wanting more.
Forged
in Steel, has it all. I love the doubt, the struggle, the
reflection, the action, the crazy friends, the zany twin, the lurking danger,
the well-intended help from a sexy as hell demon leader, and the sizzling sex
scenes. Of course, there is a surprise
closer to the end of the book that I have my fist pumping. By the end of the novel, Steel is a bonafide
bottom, loving every moment when Diablo gets a hold of his tight butt.
I recommend Lynn Hagen’s Forged in Steel, for anyone wishing to
be pulled into a fast paced, endearing story filled with internal angst and
laugh your butt off antics between the characters. Hang on for the ride, because it’s five stars
all the way.
2 comments:
Love Lynn Hagen! Wonderful review!
Thanks Karen, she's one of my fave authors too! :)
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