Erryn reviews ‘Unloveable Bastard’ by K. A. Merikan. Published by Acerbi & Villani ltd on October 10, 2017 and is 315 pages. The audiobook was released April 22, 2021, is narrated by Wyatt Baker and is 8hrs and 58min. A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Why I read this book: I loved Wrong Way Home.
“This is not the night you die.”
After years of working for a loan shark, Robert is done with blood and violence. All he has to show for it is a bag of money and a lifetime of regrets. There’s no other way out of his line of work than in a body bag.
So Robert decides to die.
But on the night he chooses to seal his own fate, destiny offers him a chance at redemption. When Robert saves a handsome young escort from a terrible death, he has no idea he is setting in motion much more than one last attempt at proving that inside the hardened shell, he is a decent human being.
Charming, quick-witted, and full of smiles, Nathan is all Robert could dream of. He’s also ready to fall into the arms of his gruff protector. Robert, on the other hand, has never been with a man and will first need to fight his own demons if he is to accept that his whole being wants to make Nathan his.
With his former boss hunting them both, time is ticking, and Robert might just not get the chance to decide before it’s too late. More importantly though, Robert will stop at nothing to protect the man who’s made him feel alive again, the man who is the only thing between him and the abyss.
“I never had to think much about death before, but I did yesterday. I thought I would die. In a hole. Covered with dirt. Suffocate underground. But then you saved me.”
Possible spoilers:
Themes: enemies to lovers, protector, cruelty, homophobia, crime, self-discovery, family conflict, age gap, escort, self-hate, first time, revenge, on the run
Genre: Dark, gritty, M/M contemporary romance
Content: Scorching hot, emotional, explicit scenes
Length: 90,000 words (stand-alone novel, HEA)
Warning: This story contains scenes of violence, torture, mentions of suicide, offensive language, morally ambiguous characters, homophobia, and homophobic language.
Buy Links: Audible | Amazon | Add to Goodreads
My Review:
I’m a fan of dark romances. I am easily swayed by ambiguous characters. I’m finding them more and more acceptable. Partly because I know this is fiction, and partly because I want to believe there is redemption out there for anyone who seeks it.
That being said, Robert isn’t seeking redemption. He’s seeking death. Although as an enforcer for a loan shark he’s enacted violence, he’s never really felt connected to his victims. Then one day he goes a step too far, and realizes he’s done with this lifestyle. He was dragged into it as a young man. Now he’s older and wised up. He’s ready to die.
Except, you know, we don’t always get what we want. He saves a young man’s life and, suddenly, he has something to live for. Now, I have to say I loved Nathan, and I loved what he did to Robert. Suddenly the dark character had a reason to keep going. A mission. He becomes a protector, using the same skills that’ve gotten him by in life, only for good this time.
This is a redemptive story. One I enjoyed. So I’ll keep going back to K.A. Merikan books. Because sometimes I enjoy walking on the dark side. Oh, and Wyatt Baker? He narrates many of these books and he’s just perfect for them. An interesting and oddly enjoyable read.
My Rating:
8.5/10 Pots of Gold (85% Recommended) – Compares to 4.25/5 Stars
K. A. Merikan is the pen name for Kat and Agnes Merikan, a team of writers, who are taken for sisters with surprising regularity.
They love the weird and wonderful, stepping out of the box, and bending stereotypes both in life and books. When you pick up a Merikan book, there’s one thing you can be sure of – it will be full of surprises.
To keep up to date with their new releases (and get a free book in the process!) sign up to their newsletter: http://kamerikan.com/newsletter
e-mail: kamerikan@gmail.com
More information about ongoing projects, works in progress and publishing at:
K.A. Merikan’s author page: http://kamerikan.com
FUN FACTS:
– We are Polish,
– We’re neither sisters nor a couple,
– Kat’s an artist, and Agnes is a psychologist but neither works in her field,
– Kat’s fingers are two times longer than Agnes’s.
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