Review – Haevyn by Darcy Abriel

Publisher: Samhain
Publish Date: Out Now!
How I got this book: review copy from author

Everyone has their poison. For Haevyn Briena, it’s her inability to resist a dare. This time it’s a challenge from her friend and lover, Grisha, to sneak into the popular, illegal cage fights that always end in all-male orgies. Eagerly she snaps up the gauntlet, unaware that she will end the night forever changed.

When expatriate humanotic warrior Entreus locks eyes with Haevyn at the sex-fueled event, he is instantly captivated. Despite a duty that binds him to an exiled malevolent sorcerer, he seeks her out in a shattering, illuminating encounter.

Grisha’s plan is in motion—to bring both his warrior lovers together and heal their scarred souls with a combined passion that he alone cannot provide. But Haevyn’s tormented past refuses to die. And Entreus will not rest until the Core that ruined his life is destroyed.

Amid ever-tangling emotions and a brutal plot to take over the city, the three lovers walk a tightrope that could be cut at any moment. Fighting for justice, bound by duty…and a love that could alter the foundations of their world.

Warning: Watch out for oiled-up, naked trinespined warriors battling for top position, feisty tracer females that fit oh-so-snugly in between, and sexy nights that segue into complex relationships. Beware of tebitcheckers wielding those nasty little contulators at illegal, testosterone-drenched cage confrontations.
*Blurb from Goodreads*

Both this book and the first in the series, Silver, caught my eye because of the AMAZING covers. they are just so beautiful and captivating. When Abriel contacted us for a review, I was both excited and nervous to give these books a try.

Haevyn is an adrenaline junkie, and the night she sneaks in to see a men-only fight is the night that changes her life. She always had an aversion to the altered humanotic beings, but her first sight of the fighter Entreus has her second guessing her beliefs about them. Little did she knew her longtime lover and best friend Grisha was setting her up, he believed that Entreus and Haevyn needed each other, and was willing to do anything to set them up.

Entreus has long been held in a gilded prison due to his alternations, and struggles in his fight for equal rights. When Haevyn enters his world, he is attracted to her in ways he never thought possible. With many different political power plays working against them, will Entreus and Haevyn be able to not only save each other, but their bond to Grisha?

Let me start this review by saying that Abriel has created one of the most unique and confusing worlds I have ever read. Not only has she created her own scientific terms for all the different people and races and altered humans, but the actual world itself is so incredibly robust that I frequently found myself getting lost. It made for a really slow start, and a few times I even set the book down just so I could get my brain back to normal functioning mode. I’m not usually a big hard-core Sci Fi reader because of this reason, so I definitely struggled at first. That being said, I was also totally intrigued by the world. There were some crazy cyberpunk, steampunk, sci fi elements that absolutely blew me away with its awesomeness.

I really enjoyed our three main characters. Although we didn’t get a ton of page time with Grisha, he reminded me of the typical beta-hero. He was the foundation to both Haevyn and Entreus, providing support and healing when they both desperately needed it. Both Haevyn and Entreus were super developed characters, and both had so much going on with them. Haevyn had to deal with her ongoing issues with the humanotics and her growing attraction to Entreus. She had her younger brother causing all kinds of angst for her, a job she absolutely hates, and a political powerplay she gets stuck in the middle of. Entreus is also dealing with his attraction to Haevyn, trying to hide her from his wizard lover, and his pent up problems with the overall political world. They are a group of hot mess, incredible characters.

And holy moly was this book hot. Abriel didn’t shy away from anything erotic. We got some man on man, woman on woman, menage, BDSM and all other types of sexual interludes. It seemed like whenever someone wasn’t making some back alley deal for more power, they were going at it like bunnies. The scenes were hot and sexy and everywhere throughout the book. This was definitely a heavy erotic story.

I really enjoyed the ongoing plot conflicts with the government officials, but I’m going to be honest and admit that I am still fuzzy on the details. there really was SO MUCH going on that I found myself skimming over some parts because no matter how many times I read them, they still were not computing in my head. However, I was engaged enough to love the journey and snicker at the outcome.

All in all this was an interesting read. The world-building was almost too much for me to handle, and yet the characters were so alive that I needed to know how it all panned out for them. While I had hoped for a few more sexy scenes between Haevyn, Entreus and Grisha, I loved the way their relationship ended. If you pick this one up, be sure you can devote lots of quiet time to read it, and bring a pen and paper to take notes, it might help!
I give Haevyn a C.

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