Guest Reviewed by Morgan
Title: Brazen
Author: Jordan Castillo Price
Series: Channeling Morpheus #6
Heroes: Michael/Wild Bill
Genre: MM Paranormal
Length: 72 Pages
Publisher: JCP Books
Release Date: February 17, 2012
Available at: JCP Books, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: It’s a sultry July night, and Wild Bill is content. It’s deliciously warm outside, the fireworks are about to start, a whole pint of freshly-tapped blood is on the menu, and his boyfriend hasn’t murdered anyone in months.
Too bad Bill’s contentment isn’t shared by Michael, who’s tired of his own lack of experience. He hints that a new lover in their bed might broaden his horizons. Their first encounter might have been a threesome, but it certainly didn’t end well for the third participant.
Even now, Bill can’t seem to shake the memory of the hickory stake protruding from the chest of his old nemesis. Lust wars with guilt as Wild Bill tries to figure out how to bury his past, once and for all.
Review: We start the second grouping of books with Michael and Bill enjoying the Fourth of July after having imbibed in a full pint of blood. Michael is enjoying blood more and more and Bill realizes – with the help from science – how to sate his hunger in a way that is maybe less guilt producing?
The getting of the blood, thanks to a luscious gal named Rachel, plants the seed of a ménage in the boys’ heads. Will they? Won’t they? They do. With Damien, from book 2, of all … people?
Again, it isn’t what anyone expected. Was it hot? Oh yeah. You betcha! Was it emotionally satisfying to any of them? Hmmm….
Sure, the ménage may bug some people, but really – this is not your typical couple and frankly, I think this exemplifies their relationship. Michael has to share Bill every time he feeds, so there is already that hurdle there and this, with Damien biting him too, sort of explains why that is so painful to Michael. Blood means a lot to him, and this allows us to see just how much.
I think this is the most important part of this book: the boys’ relationship to blood and the guilt that comes with it. Talk about co-dependency! Can it be healthy? Is there more to the story than we see here? I think so.
At the end of the segment JCP writes “Michael isn’t the only one who gets some good emotional mileage from the story…[Bill] enjoys a full pint of blood during the fireworks and mentions that it hasn’t always been the case, that he usually stopped himself much sooner for fear of taking too much. … we get to see that [Bill’s] been a bastion of restraint this whole time. The chain-smoking and the dabbling with whiskey are as much about keeping his blood urges under control as they are a clinging to his past…we can see how much of his inner landscape revolves around guilt and regret. “
Can I just say how amazing it is to get these glimpses into the creation of the characters and the story from the author herself? I am grateful for these glimpses into the creation of this series and find the insight makes the reading so much richer an experience.
As if the gripping story line and fascinating characters weren’t enough, getting to see inside the writing process is icing on an already decadent cake. Fantastic doesn’t begin to cover it.
I highly recommend this book and this series and give it 5 of 5 stars.
Overall Impression: It was amazing!
*I purchased my own, personal copy of this book for review.*
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