Tho I loved the book, I feel like I am stuck in a loop. One of the MCs is suffering from one illness or another and the other MC falls in love with him while taking care of the sick. This is my fourth or fifth book with the same premise in a row (ok, not in a row but extremely close to each other). I hate to say it, but it took away a little from enjoying the story, and it's not even the author's fault. 

There is a lot of insecurities, self-hatred, tho Ondro doesn't realise it at first, and self-digging (can I say it in English?) ...soul-searching maybe a better word, and coming to terms with the past, the present and the consequences/the future; letting fears go and grabbing the proverbial bull by the nuts horns.

It was at times a scary read, considering that here we are in the 21st century and we still have ugly nasty pockets in this world where hatred is worn proudly and in bright colors for all to see. On the other hand even full acceptance often comes with labels that can be hurtful, not letting us see a person beyond "gay". 

Both characters have suffered. Not all the secondary characters in this book survived, but in the end ... oh, no, that would be a spoiler ;)

I am going to file this book under "culinary" tag: too much food. 
Too much sex, come to think of it, too.

And way, waayyy too much dog.

And I feel sorry for MC's because their faces must really hurt by now from all this smiling. 
I feel I need something very depressing, to even out the mood :/

1.5 stars. Rounding up to 2 for the outdoor adventures.

This story is a disaster. I remember seeing a few negative reviews a year or so ago, but I have no idea what had happened to them. They are not here anymore. I should have known better. I should have paid heed to the warnings.

If you think this is about an archaeological dig, it's not. If you think it's about Creed and outstanding security services he provides, it's not. If you think there is a complicated story that involves dangerous gods and their immense powers, it's not.

This is about a bunch of horny teenagers in grown-up god and human bodies, who drink, f*ck like bunnies (I dare you to flag me for that word, when every other sentence in this book contains a profanity), tell each other tragic sappy stories about their past and run around with googly eyes, falling in insta-love and whispering saccharine nothings when not swearing. These are the Gods. These are tough and rough disciplined ex-military types.

Creed is hired to provide security for a group of archaeologists. He makes a huge deal over it while talking to his client. But what does he do when he gets to the site? Shouts, yells, throws a fit or two and then goes off on a drinking/banging spree first with a member of the dig, and not a couples of hours later with Loki. Creed is too full of himself, and "A limp dick bastard with a God complex" definition suggested by one of the characters describes him to a T.

And so it goes on, Creed and Loki traveling all over the place, bragging about their intelligence, drinking, banging, talking feelings (yuck... yuck.... sticky sugary stuff ...bleh *shrugs*). Everything falls into places when they need it, cause - Gods. They take care of that crap. And so on through now 75% of the book.

Then there is the issue with the Sleeper. Gods don't want him disturbed, but put him in a sealed chamber in an active volcano. What do you think will happen if the said volcano awakes? The seals will be broken, the Sleeper will rise. That's what. Gods Morons.

Strongly reminds me of The Student Prince. All party with little plot.

Still reading (can't believe myself). Will report on the rest later.

And so, I am sad to report that the story is not improving. Ancient gods, who waited literally hundreds of thousand of years for their one and only soulmate, are now rapidly finding them not only within the same week of 2015, but 2 out of three popped up at the same location. The Dig.



What are the odds? O.o

...and then there were poor puppies and poor abused boys and who knows what else, put there for the sole purpose of squeezing out a tear, creating more drama and producing more sap.



DNF-ing at 88%. Actually I did scroll to the end of the book, but couldn't concentrate on any of it.

Want to mention: inconsistencies, contradictions, messed up narrative (not always sure in which timeline I was), cliches and various other wtf-ery waiting for you on every page and in every paragraph. But, yaoi novel, what did I expect. I went for something naive and low quality - a quicky, if you please - and I got it for about 60%.

And then BIG guns came out.

NOT A SPOILER, BUT A SERIOUS WARNING (this is all in the book, not my words, except for "wtf", so keep your finger off that "flag" button):

*

The book took a turn for pure brutality: brutal rape, brutal beatings, brutal murder, brutal zombies, brutal weres, brutal winter, just effing brutal all around with a bouquet of taboos thrown in just for the shocker. It includes consuming human flesh, tearing off limbs, sucking out brains and eyes, ripping out "bowels", fisting, tearing up assholes (literally, of course), dancing on the bloody floor and stomping through the guts, watersports, piss enemas, knotting, implied incest (why not go all the way, wtf?), bestiality and manimal sex/rape (shifted form). I am sure I missed a few juicy bits while rolling my eyes. Please, don't hold it against me.

1 star for the first 60-65%, which still contained a story. The rest - super-massive black hole.

Thank you for your time.

PS Must mention: one of the scenes in the book reminds me strongly ofPrisoner in the Viewfinder. Particularly the scene on the cruise ship with Michael Arbatov, his uncle Yuri and Akihito. A young blond photographer, a pure soul, raped and abused by bad Russian homophobic mobsters.

I am totally in love with this book! Something about the lighthouses and the seaside and the merfolk appeals to me immensely.

My only complaint is that I couldn't get quite close to Merou, read more about his side of the story; there is still plenty of info to piece it together, just ...lacking somehow.

As for mansel in distress, oh well. There are boys in trouble out there, and I am sure lots of them can use some help. Being a man doesn't mean you must plow through life with a stoic face, unfazed by troubles. This particular setting in this particular book didn't bother me at all. 5 stars.

PS Delicious story, I might re-read it one day :)

Merou

Priddy

or maybe this is Priddy :)