Journey back to Neverland, NC with NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author Gina L. Maxwell as she turns your favorite villain into the hero you never knew you needed.THEY CALL ME HOOKI’m Captain of the Pirates; a villain by design and a loner by nature.I don’t need anyone. More than that, I don’t want anyone. Especially Officer John Darling who insists on seeing the good in everything, including … in everything, including me. If there was ever any good inside of me, it was snuffed out long ago.
I’ve avoided him for years, but now I need his help to save my brother’s life and take down Fred Croc, the monster from my childhood and my current employer.
Now Darling is undercover in my crew, living in my loft and forever working out shirtless. Taking Croc’s operation down from the inside is dangerous as hell, but Darling’s probing gaze and the natural way he defers to my dominant side might just be the end of me.
But I’ve lived in the dark for too long, and no amount of light can save me. Not even one as bright as Johnathan Darling.
HE CALLS ME DARLING
I’m a Task Force Officer with the FBI; a protector of the innocent and a man in love with a villain.
Before I was even old enough to understand it, I had a crush on the broody teen called Captain Hook, following him around like a puppy and hoping he’d show me the slightest bit of attention.
He never did, though, not for years. Not until I became his only viable option for getting his crew member back and throwing Croc behind bars. Now he can’t ignore me, and he can’t hide the desire burning in his eyes when I sink to my knees, eager to serve my Captain however he needs.
But secrets are hard to keep in close quarters, and when I discover the darkness lurking in his past, eradicating the evil in Neverland is no longer my only mission. Come hell or high water, I’ll make Hook see that he’s never been the villain of this story…he’s the hero.
*Trigger Warning for readers sensitive to characters with sexual assault in their pasts. Please read the Author’s Note in the beginning of the book for more details.
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Fast and furious, just finished.
I knew Hook’s story was going to be a bit of a roller coaster, but I didn’t realize just how meaningful it would be. Hook’s story isn’t just about overcoming, its about learning to believe in your own self worth, learning to trust that others can care for you, and most importantly learning to let your heart feel, both pain and joy.
I know from her posts this was a challenging book for Gina to write and I’m so proud of her for taking the extra time to make sure it was right, because she told Hook and John’s story beautifully. This is a romance, but it’s a romance that’s balanced perfectly between the steam, the heart, the action, and the base storyline. It all flows together seamlessly.
Hook’s story was tough to read at times, but overall just a straight (no pun intended) up beautiful story of love and redemption, the redemption happening within Hook himself! Also, while I think Pan is great and you should read it too, Hook can be read as a Stand-alone , though you’ll be missing a bit of backstory, just an FYI. Also, I keep focusing on Hook but John is an amazing character as well, total badass with a heart of gold!
I can’t wait for more of this series, I fall deeper into ‘love’ with all of the Lost Boys/Pirates each book, these are characters that are sure to stick with you and drag you back into their (sometimes ugly) fairytales, again and again.
Intense. Emotional. Gritty. Everything I wanted in a steamy suspense and everything I never knew I wanted in a fairy-tale re-imagining. Hook is a fantastic M/M story that will leave you panting for more!
I fell in love with London and Neverland North Carolina from the first paragraph of Pan. I have also been anticipating Hook from about 30% into Pan. Any seasoned author can incorporate wonder into a book for a side character, but Maxwell laced bits of Hook so perfectly that he was in my head throughout the rest of Peter’s book and the subsequent months after as I waited for this story to be completed.
Lots of authors write the tortured hero. None are quite like Captain James Hook though. He has taken bullet after bullet for the Lost Boys and his pirate crew over the years, but it cost him his self-image. His self-deprecation is both heart-breaking and somehow charming to John. Captain Hook is the “dark.” He is what everyone needs despite being feared. John Darling is the “light.” He heals and inspires everything he touches. His patience and sense of right and wrong are imperative throughout as he helps untangle Croc’s corrupt business and as Hook weeds through his own issues. Never has a couple felt so yin and yang in their utter perfection for each other.
This book was heavy but satisfying. I loved that I could feel the hurt, desperation, and anger because it made the love, justice, and happiness shine through all the more in those precious moments. This book is for anyone who knows love really can conquer all if we are patient enough to draw other’s dark out and brave enough to let other’s light in.
Like most of you, Hook by Gina L. Maxwell has been on my mind since finishing Pan and reading the bonus epilogue to get just a bit of insight into the tortured Hook and the man who wants to be the one to help save him. Unlike you, I’ve been privy to Hook and John’s journey from the start; I’ve been just a message away as Gina L. Maxwell painstakingly worked to be true to Hook and John’s character, to truly illustrate just how much Hook loathes himself, even though he tries to hide his pain, his darkness, his self-recriminations, so that he remains the silent and broody Captain who most fear and/or idolize.
Hook’s process of self-discovery, of allowing his sins and his nightmares to be unleashed, not for public consumption, but for one person who promises to bring light to his world is not a straightforward situation or a quick process. The physical and mental abuse that Hook suffered and the ways he’s tried to cope with his demons wasn’t a productive method, but it’s the only way he’s known, and that’s going to be a difficult habit to break, but if there was anyone who could do it, it was John Darling, the boy who worshipped Captain Hook and now the man who sees Hook as his Captain and no one else’s.
As much as John is the hero of this story, and believe me, he is one amazing guy who constantly battles for those who can’t do it themselves because he wants to give a voice and some light to the lost and lonely of London. The way that he methodically works his way into, not only Hook’s space, but his heart, illustrates that he is a man of conviction and he won’t stop when it’s something he truly believes in or someone he truly feels deserves the world – like he does when it comes to James.
Hook may not see himself as a hero, and let’s be honest, he definitely does commit quite a few unheroic acts, but he’s not the villain either; he’s not a monster who is irredeemable – that hellacious honor goes to the devil himself – Croc. But Hook, to me, is a scarred and tortured man who was once a boy whose life was never truly his own…who sacrificed his body and his soul so that no one else would have to suffer what he himself did and if that doesn’t speak to just how heroic he is – scars and all – I don’t know what does.
Even at the end of the story – an emotional and character-driven tale – Hook is still a work-in-progress and rightly so because the damage done to him is not something that will ever go away…but it is something he can learn to cope with…to deal with in a way that is not counterproductive and, thankfully, John will be there to bring Hook back into the light when the darkness gets a little bit too close for comfort.
Gina L. Maxwell wrote Hook and John’s story as Hook wanted and needed it to be – the pushy bastard – but it’s his book, so it makes sense that he would be the one to demand more from Gina than she thought possible, but with John’s guidance and light and Hook’s resolve to lay everything out for the readers to see, Gina has served as Hook’s mouthpiece and did amazing justice to his and John’s journey!!!
Hook (Neverland Series Book 2)
Gina L Maxwell
There are so many things I want to say about this book, I don’t know where to start.
Firstly there needs to be a special star rating for books like Hook, 5 stars just doesn’t do it justice. I haven’t had a book capture my attention, my heart & my tears as much as this one has in years.
The story of Hook is so tragic & beautifully sad, Yes, he’s an asshole to almost everyone and nobody questions it because that’s just Hook. But as you read through his story and you’re let into the tragic childhood this broken man had stolen from him, your heart bleeds.
Our heroes saviour John Darling (who we met in Pan) has always been enamoured by The Captain. The struggle Hook battles trying to reject but secretly dying to receive Johns emotional support of love and determination to help heal his heart is just perfect. Maxwell writes the intimacy between these two souls so well I found myself not breathing while reading those moments. The way John submits willingly to James subconsciously knowing it’s needed sees their sexual relationship blossom as Hooks trust in John grows.
This book was originally due out in April, but Maxwells determination to give this character a story that was realistic regarding the abuse he received as a child, and how he could begin healing and learning to love, meant it wouldn’t be released until she was 100% satisfied. In her words “Hook was telling the story, I had to listen to what he said”
She could of wrapped it up and given us a story about a angry bad dude who had a hot affair with a cop, but I’m so very glad she didn’t.
It’s Maxwells dedication to her readers that sees this book have an alternative chapter for those concerned with triggering content.
For anyone hesitant about this being a M/M, don’t be, I was so caught up in the story it wasn’t even registering that it was between 2 men. It is so much more than that.
Gina L Maxwell has a way with words and she has just taken her gift to another level with Hook, beautifully written and one I’ll definitely read again.
I’d rather be ruined by James Hook than be safe with anyone else – John Darling
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#hook #neverlandseries #ginalmaxwell #romancereviewsbyp #jamesandjohn #thecaptainanddarling #heartbreakingandbeautiful
Always, Captain. Always.
…..
Who you work for and getting dealt a really shitty hand in life doesn’t make you a villain. When will you realize that you’re the fucking hero of this story?
…..
Hook is filled with so much love, hope, and redemption it’s hard not to fall in love with James Hook & John Darling. This is the first m/m book that I’ve ever read, and I just want to say that I’m so glad it was. I’ve always loved the world of Neverland and to have this dark romance, contemporary retelling of Hook’s story is one no one should miss out on.
Gina Maxwell is a new to me author but handles the darkness of feeling unloved, unworthy, and physical/mental abuse in the perfect way. All along the way when Hook felt unworthy, John made sure to prove just how worthy of love and hope he was. The chemistry between these two is sizzling hot and undeniable. I loved how their road to a HEA is paved through coming together to defeat the one man who embodied everything evil and wrong about Neverland: Croc. Even though this is a part of a character series, it is a standalone and can be enjoyed without having read Pan’s book before.
I absolutely loved this book, Gina pulls on your heartstrings and doesn’t let go. It was heartbreaking at times and then lifts you back up. I fell in love with these characters from the start. Such great character building. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.