Rhenna Morgan

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

If you’ve been following my reviews, you’ll know I’m a big fan of the Men of Haven series for the underlying themes of family and doing what’s right. You might also have noticed I’ve expressed concern about the edge of risque behavior they mention but which occurs off screen. Well, that’s thrown out the window with Axel and Lizzy’s story.

I state this up front because I’m not the only one leery. I didn’t quit the book because Morgan show more is a talented writer, and she brings the emotional connections to life during those scenes. While Lizzy is introduced to this behavior in the book, Axel makes sure he has consent and takes care to confirm she’s still willing at all points. It also doesn’t go into any of the violent aspects beyond a bit of rope. It’s not my thing, but thanks to the writing, I was able to accept it was theirs even though the dominance play was very much front and center in detailed description.

Nor was this the only way Down & Dirty differs from the rest of the series. Instead of discovering Lizzy is in imminent danger and helping her solve the problem, the trouble rose from her past. When the psychological abuse became physical back then, her good friend Rex pulled her out, but the effects still linger.

What starts as a revenge plot turns a little more current as her ex-manager and lover tries the same tricks. Axel is not one to stand back and let this happen, but the brothers do their homework. They find a way to make the man pay not just for his crimes against a younger Lizzy but also those he continues to perpetuate.

While it is different in those two aspects, otherwise, the book holds to the same principles as the rest of the series. They have a family of choice that supports and backs them. This is true even before Lizzy is willing to admit she’s bonded with Axel because of her history with the ex-manager. The brothers even adopt her friend Rex because he’s as much or more her family than anyone with blood ties.

The mothers take Lizzy under their protection, attempting to make up for everything she’d been denied in her family life. Lizzy growing comfortable with female friends is lovely as is her acceptance of how she trusts Axel’s character no matter what appears to be going on. That trust is confirmed in the best way possible at the climax, solving the one niggling aspect of the series for me in a beautiful way. I’ll say only that accepting the friendship of the other women in the Haven group is one of many changes she makes. You must read the book to find out the others.

It’s a testament to the strength and complexity of the characters and the story that I enjoyed this novel despite it going a little beyond my comfort zone. Rhenna Morgan could have lost me here, but she has not. It’s a beautiful story that asks a lot of both Axel and Lizzy while giving the Haven family another chance to demonstrate how family should come together and do the right thing. They protect their own members, but also help any others affected by the same wrongdoing. The series holds true to its themes and offers clear examples of making the right choices even when they are tough ones.

P.S. I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review. show less

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

There’s this shiny ideal of the white knight who is perfect and kind and all the things that make the rescuer untainted by real life. The Haven Brotherhood (both series and characters) are none of that. They are rough-talking, hard-living, explicitly sexual men who are willing to skate the edges of the law to help those they consider family, and even just those they find deserving. It’s one of the reasons this series appeals to me because it’s show more showing you don’t have to be perfect to make a difference.

Claim and Protect lives up to the promise of the previous books with people who came from harsh backgrounds learning to open up to love thanks to the nurturing environment of the Haven Brotherhood. Sure, maybe the term “nurturing” would stick in the craw of these rowdy guys, but maybe not. Unlike a lot of portrayals, these men are in touch with their feelings, at least where family is concerned, and they have a firm sense of right and wrong. They won’t stand for injustice even when the law cannot or will not act on it. Nurturing and healing the soul seems to be one of the main criteria in choosing new brothers. They look for good people who haven’t gotten a good shake in this life, and do their best to repair the damage.

Odd to say after spending so much time talking about the brotherhood, but it felt as though the brothers played less of an active role in Claim and Protect than in the earlier books. The brothers and Trevor’s foster father are key to Trevor learning he can, and should, aspire to a loving relationship despite his history, but they largely play a supportive role, giving him the confidence to overcome his past even as he attempts to help Natalie and her son Levi.

To avoid spoilers, I’ll say only that Natalie falls under the protection of the brotherhood long before Trevor accepts the connection thanks to a potentially dangerous situation putting both her and her son at risk, but it’s also clear his chosen family recognizes the claim even while Trevor denies it. Trevor has something in common with Natalie, enough both to bring them together and tear them apart. While the implications of his doubts as they relate to Levi never get spoken, Natalie helps Trevor see the role choice and character play in who you become.

Like the other books, mistakes are made on all sides, but the strength of this series is in not only how they resolve the consequences, but how each character owns up to their involvement in the problem. Part of what makes this work is the mistakes are rooted not in accident, but deliberate choices based on trust and risk, tied into how the main characters feel about each other and the weight of their personal demons.

In the beginning, I referred to knights, and I think this is one of the reasons I’m enjoying the series so much. This is very much like the Arthurian tales. Not the ones cleaned up for children, but the original ones where there were those trying to undermine the dream at every turn, using whatever means available, and the knights themselves were real people with failings but also with a determination to bring about a better world than they were born into. Consider it a modern round table with hot sex and tangible love if you will. Unlike the original, though, there’s no question of the brothers turning on each other and falling for the same women.

Speaking of the hot sex, once again, this slides toward the risque, and may end up going further than I’m comfortable with, which would be a pity. However, though there’s talk, all action occurs off-screen while the consent (my particular hot button) is made very clear.

What I haven’t talked about yet is the deep connection Trevor makes not just with Natalie, but with her son. He recognizes Levi as a person in his own right and wants to help him learn not all men are as manipulative and dangerous as Levi’s father. But more than that, he seems to honestly enjoy Levi’s company. If the brotherhood took a back seat, it was to give enough space to establish this father/son relationship as much as the romantic one, and I’m a sucker for people who see kids as more than appendages who won’t be able to think until they reach adulthood. Trevor’s bond is visible on the page, and raises its own consequences as Natalie has to measure the damage to Levi if her own relationship with Trevor doesn’t work out.

This story has themes in common with the others, but in each case, Morgan has found a new twist to those themes and peopled the tale with characters who feel real, live with purpose, and form strong connections, not just survive. I remain hooked on the Haven Brotherhood.

P.S. I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review. show less

Down & Dirty by Rhenna Morgan
Men of Haven #6

One of the true pleasures in my life is finding wonderful characters that I would love to know in real life. Each and every book in this series is such a book. Who wouldn’t like to have a “family” of men who have chosen one another to be “brothers” and live by a code of honor that puts family first...no matter what. Add to that the men are HOT and ALPHA and know what they want when they see it and you have a series I eagerly await each show more book that comes out to see which man will meet his mate next. AND...this time it is Axel McKee who finds Elizabeth “Lizzy” Hemmings and knows she’s the one.

We meet Lizzy as she is getting to perform with her band Falcon Black and then she meets Axel when she goes out to get the band’s payment from the club owner they have just finished playing in. The guy is a bit of a scuzz-bucket with a reputation for trying to cheat performers out of money and Axel, knowing this, steps in...and it does not go over well. So, how is Axel to woo the lady if he makes a bad impression? Call in a brother? Perhaps.

What I liked:
* Axel – what a wonderful man he is...in all ways always!
* Lizzy – a brilliant musician and so strong to be able to overcome her past!
* The relationship between Axel & Lizzy – sizzling and so mature – in more ways than one
* Seeing the family members and how they are changing
* Meeting the band members and wondering if they might have books of their own
* Well...really...just everything about the book except for…

What I did not like:
* Joffrey – I was supposed to hate him and I did and was thrilled to see he was dealt with in the perfect way.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lady Amber Publicity, HQN-Carina and the author for this wonderful book in a superb series. This is my honest review.

5 Stars show less

This was a delightfully steamy and tense mafia romance. One dark mafia boss who follows his own code of honor, one damsel in distress who will do anything for her child, and oh the sparks that fly between them. Sergei might be a bad boy to the world, but I love how Evie brings out his softer side (even though that makes her a target). It's pretty clear these two should absolutely be together from the start - those sparks are just too hot to be wrong. I appreciated the danger and suspense show more woven in thanks to Sergei's life, and I got so wrapped up in the book that it felt strange when I reached the end. I can't wait to see what the next books in the series have in store! show less