Fast cars. Outlaw country boys. Snarky werewolves, vengeful ghosts, and menacing monsters. Dawson King’s family has been hunting things that go bump in the night in Transylvania County, North Carolina, since before the Revolutionary War.Dawson was never happier than when he was racing his souped-up Mustang along winding mountain roads and hunting monsters with his best friend, Grady. Then Grady … friend, Grady. Then Grady fell in love with him, which should have been perfect since Dawson had already fallen hard for Grady.
But Grady was only seventeen, and Dawson feared that sooner or later, Grady would realize his feelings were just a first crush, and then he’d be gone, leaving Dawson devastated. They both needed space to figure things out. So Dawson joined the army, while Grady stayed on the mountain.
Four years later, Dawson is coming home. He’s more sure than ever Grady is his forever love, and they’ve both agreed to begin this new aspect of their relationship as soon as Dawson gets back.
Then Grady’s father is killed in a werewolf hunt gone wrong. Grady is devastated, and he’s throwing mixed signals about moving forward. Dawson knows he needs to hold off on this new thing between them until Grady has time to grieve. But monsters never sleep, and one hunt after another throws Dawson and Grady into constant danger, while tension and unresolved feelings ripple between them.
Making it even harder, Dawson’s got a secret. He’s dreamed of death omens—which point to something stalking Grady. Can Dawson figure out who’s trying to kill Grady, save his life, and win back his heart?
Plenty of mutual pining, hurt/comfort, spooky chills, sexy thrills, and a very happy ending. The Kings of the Mountain is the first novel in the series. It is a MM romance intended for readers 18 years of age and older.
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Kept me glued to my e-reader from start to finish!
I’m still kind of a newcomer to Morgan Brice’s books and haven’t yet read all of her backlist. But the ones that I’ve read I have loved and Kings of the Mountain is no exception. This book really grabbed me right from the first page.
The story is pretty slow-burn as far as any sexy time goes. It’s more about the rebuilding of a friendship and relationship after Dawson and Grady are separated for 4 years while Dawson was in the service.
What really kept everything exciting, and had me hanging onto every word, were the interactions between the characters; the thrill of hunting nasty monsters didn’t hurt either. I suspect that a lot of what happened in this book is setting up the series for more stories. We met some interesting secondary characters that I’d like to find out more about – especially Grady’s brother Knox.
Dawson and Grady have a lot of stuff to work through and there are some awfully close calls while they were out hunting that had me holding my breath in places. I really can’t say enough good things about this story and I look forward to reading more books in the series.
A copy of this book was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com*** (Posting on 6/11/20.)
Kings of the Mountain by author Morgan Brice, this story was not my favorite, but I didn’t hate it either. There are time jumps in this story and I am not a fan of those. The connection is good between the characters, but I was not blown away by it. This story is written in dual POV which is helpful in getting into the mindset of each of the characters.
Dawson he hasn’t been home in three years. He was in Afghanistan and normal life is a culture shock to him. He has to find himself again. Find what his new normal is. His best friend had been Grady.
Grady wasn’t a cousin by blood, but he might as well be. He had always had a crush on Dawson. Grady has a lot of emotional baggage to sort through as well.
Overall good story. I was lost in a few places and felt the characters were just okay. Was a good one-time read for me.
Four Twinkling Stars
Great start to a new series. The author once again brings strong characters and weaves another entertaining paranormal read. It’s a second chance romance between Dawson and Grady who have a hot chemistry. The author pulled me in with all the emotions and describes the scenes in vivid detail. It’s well written ,moves fluidly and is an enjoyable read.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.
The start of what looks like will be a great series. I could ‘see’ the gorgeous locations. Plenty of new takes on supernaturals, werewolves, vampires (there are no good ones) and ghosts and how to help or kill them! The romance between the two main characters Grady & Dawson had me groaning in frustration for a long time, big relief there finally was a HEA! Clever use of some Welsh in Transylvania County (turns out there really is more than one Transylvania), of all places, and an East Anglian mythical hell hound somehow found its’ way into the plot!
I loved getting to read Kings of the Mountain. Lots of monster hunting while Grady and Dawson get reacquainted with each other after Dawson gets back from his four-year stint in the Army. This story is a slow burn and Grady and Dawson don’t get together until the end of the book. However, they grew up together since they’re cousins, not blood related because Grady’s dad was adopted, so we did get quite a few flashbacks from before Dawson left. I can’t wait to see more of Grady and Dawson in the next book in the series when it comes out. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced ready copy from StoryOrigin.
I’ve had to marinate on this book. I liked it, but I wasn’t sure about some of it. So, after thinking about the story, I decided to rate this book 4 stars. The story is good and well-written, but the romance feels more like an afterthought than anything real, and I’m really hoping that it develops more in future books in this series. As with all of Morgan Brice’s books, you have a creative, unique, and intriguing cast of characters. I really love them, and the original plot pulls you in. I highly recommend this book and give it 4 stars. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
This was a great read. I loved both Dawson and Grady. These two would have become the couple they wanted to be so much sooner with better communication, but I loved watching them fight monsters and vanquish ghosts until that happened. Both men had PTSD that showed up in different ways, Dawson from his time in the military, and Grady from watching his father die. This caused stressful moments, in addition to the action and excitement of fighting paranormal beings. The flow of the story kept me interested and engaged, and the secondary characters were as well written and likable as Daw and Gray.
I love the idea of a monster-fighting family living in the mountains, and I hope to see more of the Kings in the future.
I’m already a huge fan of this author, and loved this new series.
The world building is fabulous, and gave me a Supernatural with a touch of Dukes of Hazard vibe from the onset. I love that the sheriff and his men are werewolves, and the name of the mountain and the car amused me. As always, I appreciated the cameo mention from another character from one of her other series, which is one of my favourite things about this author.
Dawson and Grady are both very likeable characters, and there’s plenty of hurt/comfort in this story. I liked that their PTSD was handled head on, and realistically, and that it did impact their decisions moving forward, as they struggled to follow their hearts, yet be there for each other. I also liked that they make mistakes and that not all hunts go well, and sometimes people die. It upped the stakes and added an edge of realism and danger. I really felt for Grady in particular and what had happened with his father.
Denny is wonderful. He’s caring, and yet no nonsense and tells them what they need rather than what they necessarily want to hear. What he tells Dawson when he calls him an idiot is very spot on, and perfect.
The narrative winds back and forth between the past and the present, but I thought because these guys have a complex and long friendship as well as relationship it made for a richer story being able to see their history rather than being told about it. The various hunts are all quite different, and I particularly liked the haunted motel, and the twist of why the ghost decides to make his presence known.
I thought the final show down was exciting, and I liked how the story came together with all the threads explained as part of it. I’m already looking forward to reading more of these guys, and also hope to see them take a role in part of the author’s larger universe.
Morgan Brice’s Kings of the Mountain is an urban fantasy/paranormal romance. These are my favorite subgenres. But this one didn’t wow me. Although it was explained, I still didn’t understand why the two main characters, Dawson and Grady, couldn’t get together when they realized their feelings for each other and no one else would have objected. And even though Grady is only two years younger than Dawson, he was treated as much younger. I think the story would have worked better if Grady was much younger, in my opinion. But I liked the action and story line about the paranormals. I think that saved the book for me.
Cooper has retired from the NFL and came out of the closet as bi. The only hitch? Well, he hasn’t exactly done anything to further um, educate himself on his newly proclaimed identity. No matter because he’s somehow charmed his best friend’s ex, Liam, into helping him with his gay bucket list. Liam will help him experience all the non-sexual aspects of his list, Cooper will get his fix of the guy he has been obsessed with forever now, and everything will be great. Except not. Not because of course they’re not going to be able to keep their hands off each other when they’re so attracted to each other. The biggest obstacle to them won’t be that Liam is Taryn’s ex, though, but because Liam always promised himself no more athletes after his relationship with Taryn ended so badly, and Cooper’s passion is still football even if he isn’t playing it professionally any longer.
This is such a sweet, low on angst, witty read. I absolutely love the way these two interact with each other. Their crazy pet names, their snark and their wit, and how charming Cooper is and Liam pretends to barely put up with him. They’re just so cute together. I loved the first story in this series, Bet on Me, and I am glad to know the series is still just as wonderfully written, just as sexy, and just as sweet with its second outing.
Always by my side
“But not everyone can hunt the things that go bump in the night.” I for one am glad that there are hunters that do though, especially Daw and Gray. I’m picturing Sam and Dean as their kindred spirits and a fantasy come true. Grady and Dawson have history, friendship, demons of their own, an innate feel for the hunt and a love that cannot be broken. It (and they) may get dinged and scratched but that just gives it (and them) character and fortitude. I wonder what’s in store for them next. A high-speed adventure that will have you clamoring for more.
This was my first experience with the work of Morgan Brice! I am hooked!
You’ll find yourself tangling with witches, ghosts and beasts of all kinds. You’ll face grief in the face of the loss of a parent and in the separation of a loved one during war. Most of all you’ll fall in love with two hunters who take the long way around to finding love in each other’s arms.
Heart pounding, pulse racing, tears and laughs.
Go explore the mountains of North Carolina as you’ve never seen them before!
If you’re a fan of the show Supernatural I think this is the book for you. Grady and Dawson are monster hunters, and through the course of the story deal with a whole host of supernatural creatures. I really enjoyed the way Brice developed their relationship. It’s told through dual POVs with really well placed flashbacks, that make you really root for them to work out. The whole will they-won’t they got a little old, but I think that was well explained too with the reasoning behind Gradys emotional turmoil. And while the relationship didn’t really get off the ground until the end of the story, the afterward alludes to this becoming a series so I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes! Overall it’s a high adventure, slow burn story that I highly recommend.
RIght off the bat, I have to say, that if this wasn’t a Morgan Brice book, I probably would have DFN’d it after the first couple of chapters because I loathe when books jump around in time and this book was a bit excessive in all of the jumps between before Dawson left and after. But, I’ve never been disappointed in her books yet, and the story, and relationship between Dawson and Grady redeemed this one.
I loved that Dawson was focused on protecting Grady, and each time that he decided to hold back on their physical relationship, I thought that it was completely in line with his character, and how a normal person would react in the same situation – well, normal for a monster hunter…
I liked the growth that both characters experienced over the course of this story, and how that growth led to a much stronger foundation for their relationship to grow beyond the friendship that they had as children.
I’m excited to see more of these two, especially as they interact with the other teams that all seem to be hunting in that area recently. Maybe something bigger than what each team sees individually is in the works?
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
As a huge fan of Morgan Brice I’ve read anything she had written, so this book starting a new series was a must have for me. I don’t know where to begin explaining how perfect this new book is, from the complex and captivating plot, full of action, danger and some mysteries, to the wonderful characters, in special Grady’s and Dawson’s, whose relationship even if started out so controversial and haunting, was at the same time so pure and soul-stirring that it was simply meant to be. A fantastic and epic love story that I hope is just the beginning of many more supernatural adventures. Long live the Kings!!
Dawson and Grady have been raised as cousin. They fight monsters. Dawson is fresh from the military while Grady has been home fighting his own personal battles. They have been in love since they were teenagers. They decide they’re going to try to be together, but other things come between them. This has a good story line, unique to me. I really enjoyed it!
I am voluntarily leaving a review form an ARC that I received from Gay Romance Reviews. My reviews are solely based on my thoughts and opinions
Kings of the Mountain is this first book in the Kings of the Mountain series by Morgan Brice. This is a paranormal story featuring an m/m romance, dangerous shifters and paranormal elements, hurt/comfort, suspense, and heat. The story is enjoyable, and Grady and Dawson were good characters and likeable.
I admit that I wasn’t sure about this book at first. The book cover didn’t really draw me in but the blurb intrigued me enough to go for it and read. I am glad I gave it a read. The story was interesting, with action, suspense and steam. I am interested to see how the series evolves with future books.
Well the author sure made Grady and Dawson go through a lot separately and together before they finally got together. This is a fun twist on monster hunters. Both Grady and Dawson know they love each other but taking that next step is hard. They are also young but have seen things most people never dream of. This was a good start to a new series by Morgan Brice. If you like the other books by Morgan Brice then you will enjoy this one too.
*I received a copy of this book via Hidden Gems and am voluntarily leaving a review.*
This is book one of a new series, it sets up our main characters Dawson and Grady very nicely. It mixes their history together with present day shenanigans.
We have an exciting mix of ghosts, shifters, weres and just downright bad witches.
The series will follow the adventures of these two and their family and friends. Personally, I can’t wait!
The Kings were in the monsters hunting business, and have been for generations. Fae, wendigo, werewolves, ghosts…you named it and called their number, they took it down. The ones doing all the hunting in this book were Grady and Dawson. Just two men, at the end of the day, trained to do a job, but not enhanced humans with increase speed or powers, and I really liked that. They were fragile, so to speak, and they got hurt multiple times during the story, which made it more realistic. Cocky, for sure, yet aware and fearful of the risks they were taking.
The book is told in an interesting combination of past, present and internal monologues, from both Grady and Dawson’s points of view. The author chose to recount the evolving of their relationship, from their youth to present day, with a series of flashbacks. I liked how the jumps from then to now were integrated in the storytelling, how Dowson and Grady’s musing over their feelings were dispersed among their monster hunting escapades. And, let me tell you, they’ve been through enough of them. It was thrilling and amazing, because the author made it seem like a study in mythology, lore and urban legends. Each job the guys took came with historical description or myth explanation, all ghosts, creepy creatures or witches with their own set of tools to take them down.
Most times it seemed like Dawson and Grady weren’t going to make it alive during their risky encounters with the paranormal, and I almost lost hope they’d manage to fix things between them. But, happily, at the end of the book they were pretty much alive and reeeallly cozy with each other. Good thing, too, because this way they’ll take me on lots of future adventures in the next books of this series. Can’t wait!