just what I needed

I usually read light and fluffy but every once in a while I need a good cleanser so a nice dark and gritty book is needed.

this had it all. narration was on point as usual and the story was everything I needed

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What a Ride! Marvelous Performance by W. Baker

Spectacular!!! When it comes to dark and damaged characters, who are thoroughly deserving of love, nobody does it better than the Merikans! They always deliver, and Love Among Reptiles is one heck of a ride.

The audio is beautifully narrated by Wyatt Baker, I just love the tone of his voice and could happily listen to it all day long.

an audiobook copy of Love Among Reptiles was provided for the purpose of my honest review, all opinions are my own

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Entertaining from start to finish

M/M
Enemies to lovers
Slow burn
Cartel
Standalone
Self acceptance


Trigger warning: ⚠️

Grousome scenes of murder and violence, child trafficking, drug use, kidnapping, drugging, sexual assault.

I absolutely loved this story. It is a good lenghth at almost 11 hours and it kept my interest from start to finish. I couldn't stop listening. There are so many twists to this story and nothing is ever really what it seems.

Both of the main characters were fantastic and they had amazing chemistry. It is a slow burn but there's some steam later on. The bodyguard Miguel had claimed to be straight but was really conflicted with internalized homophobia with how he was raised, so he needed to sort that out first. Nero wants Miguel from the first page, so there was lots of banter and teasing and push and pull and tension, .it was very entertaining. Nero is quite the character. I loved him from the start even when I probably should have hated him. He was the out and proud and wild type. Just having fun and not looking for love.

This is the 4th book I've read by this author and I have loved them all. I love the way they write stories and develop characters. I absolutely recommend this, just read the triggers first. There are very gruesome descriptions that made me gag a few times and stuff like that doesn't usually bother me, but I'd still read it again.

The narrator had a pleasant reading voice, seemed age appropriate for the story and kept a good pace. He expressed all the emotions wonderfully, did a pretty convincing Spanish accent and brought the story to life. All of the characters voices sounded the same unfortunately so I can't rate the performance 5 stars even though I really enjoyed the performance.

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Love Among Reptiles

Kat and Agnes are my go to authors for the dark, deprived and beautifully damaged.
Love Among Reptiles has it all and if you liked reading Guns N’ Boys you will love this! You first meet Miguel and Nero in the Guns N’ Boys series but you don’t have to have listened to that series to enjoy this book.
This is much darker than the motorcycle mayhem series so be warned, but it also has some very sweet and unexpected tender moments.

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Great Story & Narration🎧Wild, Twisted & Intense!

Love Among Reptiles is a dark and twisted story, one that drew me in like no other, grabbing my attention and holding it hostage throughout the entire book. K.A. Merikan never ceases to amaze me with their writing style and the original and interesting stories they create, stories that may take some out of their comfort zone. This book is Miguel and Nero’s story, Miguel is out for vengeance and Nero is his ticket to getting it. Nero is the son of the cartel boss who destroyed Miguel’s family and Miguel became Nero’s bodyguard, hoping it will get him close enough to kill his father. Nero is a wild man, from his looks to his behavior, he has no qualms about killing, who he screws or who screws him and he made it a habit to hit on his bodyguard without even knowing or caring if he is into him or even into men. Miguel tried very hard to not want Nero, but Nero's flirting and sexcapades were like foreplay for what was to come. The chemistry between them was explosive, and he could only deny it for so long. The complexity of these characters and the layers to the story is fantastic and there is never a dull moment in this book. It is a cleverly plotted story with plenty of drama, angst, action, twists and turns, thrilling suspense, heartfelt emotions, yeah, even cold-blooded reptiles and emotionally distanced people have a heart, and some steamy romance. K. A Merikan, thank you for another amazing story and wild ride. 

🎧📚🎧 And for the fabulous narration, Wyatt Baker did a great job bringing these characters to life, humanizing them, giving each their own distinct voice and personality, making it easy to follow along and tell who is who, his accents and voice choices were amazing. He had a complete understanding of the characters he portrayed, captured all their emotions, projected them into his performance and had you feeling every single one. Baker is a versatile voice artist and an entertaining storyteller. Thank you for another fantastic listen.

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Dark and Captivating Love Story

I loved this story, kind of reminded me of Romeo and Juliet only with much happier ending. I liked both character very much, Miguel so sweet and dedicated, Nero so very brave and loyal they made a great couple. The struggles and challenges these two went through were intense and I enjoyed following every minute of their adventures. Narrator did a great job, his performance made this a perfect listening experience.

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Dark Romance

This is an enemy to lovers story. Miguel is the bodyguard of the cartel heir Nero. His motive for hiring the cartel is revenge. Revenge on Nero's father. Miguel is grumpy and has a terrible history with the cartel.
Nero, on the other hand, is openly gay, conspicuous and loud. And he takes what he likes.
Both men did not know love. So far.
The character development in this book was great, because both Nero and Miguel are fighting an inner battle. However, from different motives. And my heart has bled for poor Miguel.
But they must survive in this immoral world in which they live. This includes accepting the other, but also accepting oneself.
The story is dark and sometimes violent. It's definitely not for the faint-hearted, but I found the story very entertaining and action-packed. And then there's a kiss and a glimpse of light on the horizon.

Wyatt Baker has brought this dark story to life very well. He gave the characters the right accent and I was able to tell the protagonists apart. He did a great job!

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1 person found this helpful

Oddly compelling

I’m always game for a new KA Merikan audio. I’m never quite sure what I’ll get. And they provide warnings – which I don’t read – and those are there to help others determine if they want to dive in. I just…go for it. And I wasn’t disappointed with this one. Dark. Deep. Violent. Oh, so much violence. Pretty much what I’ve come to expect from KA.

I actually liked both MCs in this book. Nero’s living the high life – he’s a gangster with all the prestige and none of the responsibility – his dad runs the show. He does whatever he wants and gets away with it – including some pretty despicable things.

Miguel’s motivation is crystal clear – avenge the destruction of his family. His mother’s groomed him for this role, and he’s spent three years working with Nero to try to achieve said goal. Here’s the problem – how do you move on with life once you’ve accomplished your mission? He’d planned to go to the local cemetery and put a bullet in his brain.

His problem?

Nero.

Oh, what a ride.

This is a dark romance and I loved it. And I’ll totally grab the next Merikan that comes my way.

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Intense and Vivid

Love Among Reptiles is a standalone dark romance set within the Guns N’ Boys universe. Miguel and Nero were introduced in that series, but disappeared. This is what happened after they disappeared from Dom and Seth’s lives (the main characters from Guns N’ Boys). I’m not caught up with all of the Guns N’ Boys books, only seven of the eleven in the series are audiobooks at the moment, but I felt like I wasn’t missing anything. This book works as a standalone very well – you don’t have to have read anything previously from Guns N’ Boys or any other K.A. Merikan series to fully enjoy this book. And enjoy it I did.

This book is dark, bloody, and violent. The main characters are morally gray at best, but definitely live on the wrong side of the law with little remorse and only a touch of guilt. These are men who do what they have to do in a cruel world. With such cruelty and casual violence in their daily lives, it’s no wonder these men have hard shells. This makes them falling in love even better. I’m a sucker for hard, dangerous men realizing that they are desperately in love and are willing to burn the world down for their love. It’s intense and keeps me on the edge of my seat. Nero and Miguel go through so much to finally find their happy ever after, but find it they do. I think it would be great to get a short story or two of their lives after the HEA – I want to know how they settle into domestic life.

The audiobook was narrated by Wyatt Baker who does a fantastic job like usual. I love how Wyatt narrated this book and really brought the characters to life. He made the intense, action-packed scenes feel vivid and I was utterly enthralled. The audiobook production was well done.

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Dark and Gritty revenge MM

Miguel is out for revenge for his sister's and father's deaths, and he is prepared to kill and do anything to prove to his mother that he can avenge their deaths.

Nero is the son of the most feared cartel boss, but is he as deadly as his father? Miguel works his way up through the cartel and becomes Nero's bodyguard.

Great story, but it is dark and, in parts, quite revolting, but that could be my imagination as well. :-)

It was narrated by Wyatt Baker, who does a sterling job narrating this book with great character voices, and it sold the story to me. However, I did speed up to 1.45 on audible like usual.

Love Among Reptiles
By: K.A. Merikan
Narrated by: Wyatt Baker
Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins

❤❤❤❤ Overall
🎧🎧🎧🎧 Narration
📚📚📚📚 Story
Read at 1.45 speed on Audible

I received this audiobook for free from GRR at my request. My review is my opinion and an honest review - neither the author nor GRR influenced my opinion.

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