— Forgive me, Father, for I will sin —Adam. Catholic priest. Celibate. Does not yield to temptation. Emil. Sinner. Seducer. Snake. Hot as hell itself.After a sheltered childhood ruled by religion, all Adam wants is to be a good priest and make his parents proud. But it’s hard to stay virtuous in a big city like Warsaw, and when he makes one slip up, his life spirals into ruin. He is sent to a … Warsaw, and when he makes one slip up, his life spirals into ruin. He is sent to a tiny mountain village where he hopes to live down his shame and work on restraint.
But staying celibate becomes far from easy when he meets Emil, a local man with long dark hair, a mysterious past, and as little morality as he has luck. Emil has no qualms about flirting with a priest. Worse still, he seems hell-bent on tasting forbidden fruit and unearthing the desires Adam has always kept hidden.
The odd village hides secrets far more sinister than Adam’s insatiable lust for Emil. Old Slavic magic looms everywhere. Superstition mixes with reality. Someone is watching his every move. Someone follows him in the dark, lurking in the shadows of the ancient forest. Adam is plagued by disturbing events, and Emil could be his only salvation even if he is the devil himself.
Can a priest shepherd the black sheep to safety or has he been the wolf all along?
POSSIBLE SPOILERS:
Genre: Dark, paranormal M/M romance
Content: Scorching hot, emotional, explicit scenes
Themes: Occult, witchcraft, Slavic superstition and myth, folklore, priest, forbidden love, hurt/comfort, metalhead, little town, temptation, religion, paganism, cult, old gods, possession, demons, magic, homophobia, bigotry, prejudice, coming out, fish out of water, soul mates, mysterious man, tease and denial
Length: ~ 120,000 words (standalone)
WARNING: This story contains scenes of violence, offensive language, self-harm, and morally ambiguous characters.
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There’s this thing that hit me reading this book (a bit unrelated maybe), and it made me smile, because I realized that all the latest books published by this author, going back to Feel My Pain, had one thing in common: they made me completely love one of the main characters and almost hate the other.
Maybe hate is a too strong word, but I was definitely not a fan of Adam and his behavior, his choices and the way he’s hurt Emil. Because if there was one thing Emil didn’t need, was more hurt. Avoided, humiliated and judged by the people of his village, treated as a pariah and never offered help, while his kind heart should have attracted only happiness. And, despite my not so warm feelings for Adam at some points of the story, it was undeniable that him and Emil just belong together.
And anyway, I need to thank the authors for the cardio workout. My pulse started spiking up when Adam’s mother told the story of his birth, to increase more and more as the plot progressed, up until the surprising end. The creepy level was off the charts and everything about this story was just messed up, but I couldn’t stop myself from reading. Scary, twisted, gritty and yet, wonderful. LOVED IT!
Where the Devil Says Goodnight elegantly mixes romance with horror to create this addictive, ominous story that captured my attention immediately. Adam and Emil are so vastly different from each other; one is a priest and the other the grandson of a witch. But despite their differences, they are destined for each other. Set against a small Polish town backdrop and infused with Slavic culture and myths, this was one of the most unique and fascinating romances I’ve read this year. The audiobook was extremely well done with some amazing vocal performances that took me by surprise (in a very good way).
I came across this book thanks to a giveaway and omg why I didn’t hear about it! Gotta say I never thought about reading a m/m book with demonic possessions and closeted priests before but maybe I should search for more stories with this themes. Since the story is narrated from both MC’s POV sometimes I wanted to yell at the characters (especially Adam) but it helped me to understand the reasons behind their actions. I’m really looking forward to reading the next book in the series as soon as I can.
So this not a bad book. It is definitely a good book. A book many people love. It was just not for me. I would definitely recommend this book to someone looking for a dark, PNR, mystery with folklore/satanic worship and heavy on catholic type religion.
For me, this book was exactly as described. I just found it completely out of my realm of anything that I would like. Don’t get me wrong, I was intrigued by this book and felt with the subject matter, it would be alright because I would really fall for the characters, but I really couldn’t fall for them until the 50% mark and they did have sweet and loving scenes, so that did help and see how their relationship was shaped and how it grew. In the end though it was intense and really creepy and to me, unbelievable. I did not love this book, it was a good book, just not one I will ever want to read again. It is also quite long.
When you listen to an Audiobook, the Voice Actor is what makes or breaks an Audiobook. And the minute I heard his voice, I was hooked from the start.
And Man!! The Devils Voice made me jump when I first heard it So Cool!
Loved the Devil too!
I Give this Book a 4.5/5 Star Rating, Listing as 5.
HEA(?): Yes!
Relationship Type: M/M
Heat: 4-4.5/5
Romance: 4-4.5/5
Suspense: 5/5, the suspense was pretty awesome(!), when you think you know everything you kinda really don’t and you’re always kept on your toes.
Drama: 5/5
Dark(?): Yes, definitely Dark & Delicious.
Book Formats Owned: Audiobook & Ebook.
I Will Give No Spoilers about this book.
Looking forward to reading the Next Standalone in this series!
Where to start with this book. How about the fact that I really did enjoy it. In the synopsis the reader is told that the story is a dark, paranormal MM romance that includes religion, the Occult, folklore, temptation, old gods, possession, demons, violence, self-harm and more. To say I was amped up for this book would be putting it lightly but sadly my expectations were bit too high, so I struggled with what to rate this one. The fact that I haven’t been able to stop thinking of it helped me decide on 4 stars.
Adam is a priest who has been denying his sexual identity for a long time and looks at it as a sin that he needs to repent for. After a little mistake he is sent to the small village Dybukowo. Here he hopes to work on his self-control and his faith. This village is full of Old Slavic magic and superstitions and the home of a man who makes him feel like he’s never felt before. He hates to learn to face his personal demons if he’s to ever make it out of Dybukowo alive.
The story as a whole as a wonderfully creepy vibe the moment Adam arrives in the small village. Underneath all the dark of it the moments that stood out to me were the moments of truth and love between the characters. However, I did not like Adam, I didn’t like his denial and his obliviousness to the way his actions hurt Emil. I didn’t dislike him being a priest but his lack of faith in what really mattered. On the other hand my heart latched on to Emil and didn’t let him go. No matter what sh*t the universe threw at him he couldn’t help to see hope that his situation could change.
Story progression wise, in my opinion, was tame and slow until 35% and then escalated quickly and somehow slowed down for far too long. I think it suffered for how long it was but it did have a very satisfying ending that left a smile on my face. As the synopsis says the sex in the book is off the charts hot, explicit and highly emotional.
In the end, I really enjoyed Where the Devil Says Goodnight. I love anything, fact or fiction, to do with the subject of Slavic midsummer traditions – I find it fascinating. I don’t know if I’m just desensitized to what people would view as dark romance, but I was let down in that aspect for the most part. If you enjoyed the movies The Apostle, The Ritual, or Midsommar, I think you’d quite enjoy this book also.
Brilliant- loved it
I have been holding out on reading till it was completed in a pretty package. The cover is just stunningly gorgeous. I think this is the 39th book I read by these authors. I hate that I’m not in the majority that loves this book. The romance was not strong enough for me especially the beginning when it started against one will. I needed more of Father Adam’s inner monologue about accepting his true self. It just seems to rest on the physical aspect of his and Emil’s relationship and I felt very little emotional connection between these two people. The secondary characters came off as one dimensional and I felt nothing about their ending in this story. I’m flat out not a fan of a certain exchange between Chort/Adam and Emil near the end of the book. Emil was just too accepting of the changes and you found out that exchange didn’t need to happen in the first place.
Overall, I wish that the lore was understood better throughout the story and not an information dump at the end. I’m amazed that Emil’s family left him so unprepared for his future. The flow of the story was good enough that will be checking out the next book in this series.
3 stars
Fantastic! What a story.
K.A. Merikan’s Where the Devil Says Goodnight is one incredible journey, and I enjoyed every last bit of it.
Wyatt Baker does a stupendous job bringing these amazing characters to life… the voices, the accents, the special effects – it’s all quite an experience. Definitely go with audio for this one.
4.25 Stars
Adam Kwiatowski is a young priest censured to a small country village parsonage. Though Adam fought his internal desires for many years, the temptation intensifies when longstanding folklore and deeply repressed needs emerge. Over the years, Emil Słowik experienced a slew of bad luck and continues to be the target of prejudice. But as a new priest arrives, Emil slowly begins to believe in hope and an opportunity for change.
“Who would have thought the chaste priest is such a slut in private?”
Told in dual POV, the story begins with how pagan beliefs affects the lives of Adam and Emil. Delving into each of their characters, it becomes clear as to what drives each and where their vulnerabilities lie. Together they find a mutual connection, yet when insecurities plague Adam, he is forced to confront the demon he’s been refusing. As for Emil, his nature is to sacrifice for others, but it can cost him everything.
“I don’t know what it is, but from that night when I met you, I could sense… you were meant for me. As if we were supposed to meet.”
In this book, I enjoyed how the fantasy theme effectively sets an eerie tone as the unknown mingles with superstition. Though their personalities and struggles are so different, I liked Emil and Adam equally. With Emil, he is sex on a stick with his long dark hair and effortless sexuality. I felt for him throughout and wondered how much more he could tolerate. While Adam initially appears to be saintly compared to Emil, I liked the conflict he had to face and how much hotness it added to the forbidden. As the plot evolves, all the elements come together in an enticing way.
Where the Devil Says Goodnight is a MM fantasy romance sure to allure with its steam and imagination.
~Audiobook Review~
Story: 4
Narration: 5
Overall: 5
I have read some really dark and depraved books. This story has some seriously dark and taboo subject matter, but it is nowhere near as bad as some reviews have suggested. The world building is fantastic, and the Slavic folklore, old gods, old magic, and the Catholic Church make for an extremely interesting plot.
Adam has been sent to a small town, away from temptation, or that was the plan. He is doing his best to live a celibate life and push down his natural instincts. Then he meets Emil, and Adam knows he is no good for him to be around.
Emil has been plagued with bad luck and blamed for every bad happening in the town since he lost the last of his family. Now crows dog his every step, and although he may come across as confident, he’s lonely and probably will remain so.
There are some pretty blasphemous happenings throughout this story, so if you are sensitive to possession, ancient religions, demons, possible unconventional sexy times, and murder, you might want to check the warnings and reviews before diving in head first. Me? I’m into almost anything, so it’s pretty hard to offend me.
I really enjoyed the book, but it definitely got better toward the last several chapters. It’s a bit different than others by the authors, but it was still a highly entertaining story.
Wyatt Baker did a fantastic job with the narration. The characters are well differentiated, and the pacing kept the flow of the story smooth. Very nice work.
#GRR
Well this was an interesting book and I enjoyed it. I didn’t mind any of the themes. So I am straight up admitting that I read some of the reviews (good and bad) It wasn’t perfect but nor was it something I would never read and I most definitely finished this book. I recognize that I don’t look for the hidden meanings in books, I read them straight up and don’t look for a blue curtain to mean more than it was a blue curtain. I knew there was talk of occult, but I don’t study that and don’t have opinions more than I mostly don’t believe it. I am not religious and don’t hold more than respect others belief and I have a lot of questions about some catholic practices. So I don’t hold as big a concern over a priest totally not keeping his vows.
I actually liked the flow of the story and felt more like I was reading a mystery and I enjoyed that aspect of the book. It wasn’t a perfect little community that really in some ways is a century behind the times, while still up to date with other things. I can’t imagine what it’s like to live in Poland and respect that it might be that way. I liked that there were so many things happening and I felt like I was putting puzzle pieces together.
As for Adam and Emil’s romance, well I liked it, maybe there were parts a little disturbing, but I expected it to be dark. There were such sweet romantic moments and maybe a few a little crazy.
I loved how this story came to an end and I would recommend if you aren’t bothered by any of the triggers. And ones I read other reviewers said, I clearly missed some undertones. I was more disturbed reading their book Straight as a Wheel, which I loved. So my recommendation is read if you like or aren’t bothered by dark themes, but if you question anything, it may not be for you.
BTW, this is my longest review. I kind of felt I needed to defend my stance that I liked this book.
I also listened to the audio and liked it as well.
Spooky, irreverent, steamy M/M story about an unlucky guy and the priest he falls for
Adam, a newly ordained 25yo priest is unhappy and has unnatural cravings he doesn’t want. In fact, he chose to go into the priesthood to avoid questions about female relationships that he would never have. When he makes an unfortunate mistake, he must leave Warsaw and go to a parish in Dybukowo, which is a small village in the mountains of Poland. His arrival is ominous in itself: windy cold rainy night, terrible and long bus ride, nobody to pick him up and a rude woman who would not give him a lift. So, he attempts to walk to the parsonage. Strange things happen on this walk until he meets the awe inspiring “behemoth” named Emil on his beautiful stallion, Jinx.
Emil is almost 30yo, been here his whole life and has lived a most unfortunate and unlucky existence. The people in the village don’t like him and are down-right mean to him. They don’t even know that he is gay, which would just be another thing that would appall them. There are sparks at this first meeting, but Adam is trying so hard to be the priest he needs to be that he discourages any advances.
Whoa! This is one haunting and eerily spooky story. There were times when I cringed and others when I was scared for the characters. There are quite a number of steamy scenes. (The car scene!!) Things appear to get sketchy toward the end with surprise after surprise. Each story in this series ends well for all the good guys, maybe not so well for the ones you grow to dislike. I volunteered to review an ARC of this book through Gay Romance Reviews and it is recommended to those who like scary and steamy M/M stories. I give it 4.5 haunting stars. If you like scary movies, you will love this book!
4.25 stars
Throughout his life, all Adam Kwiatkowski wanted was to serve his God and make his parents proud. As a young priest, he was heading in the right direction until an indiscretion led him to be transferred to a remote village. What supposed to be helping him avoiding temptations turned out to be a complete opposite when the village’s black sheep, Emil Slowik walked into his life.
I liked both of the main characters. Adam’s reluctance to accept his true self was both amusing and frustrating. Emil had such a hard an unfortunate life it was hard not to feel for him.
For so many years, Adam had struggled with desires he didn’t dare speak of, but Emil had seen right through him and used that knowledge to unsettle Adam’s spiritual equilibrium as if it were a game.
This story was intriguing with its mix of religion, Slavic folklore, and paranormal/horror. I loved the mysterious and eerie ambiance, the fascinating festivals, and supernatural creatures. The book started great, but it was long and slow in the middle. Thankfully it ended weirdly wonderful.
Where the Devil Says Goodnight is a tale of embracing oneself. It would appeal to readers who enjoy a taboo paranormal romance.
Nothing is as it seems!
“Maybe this was why I could never find peace? Something was always calling me back home. To you.” ~ Adam
Emil Slowik (Sex on a stick, lustful sinner, seductive)– lost his parents/grandparents at an early age and left to his own devices in a town run by the self-serving few. Endured years of pain, hook-ups, few friends and many enemies. Loved a man who found it hard to love him back. Stuck in Dybukowo, can’t seem to make financial ends meet. Lovers have come and gone. Then Adam appears into his life, in the rain, like a whirlwind. An immediate attraction, but unusual connection ensues.
Adam Kwaitkowski (Catholic Priest, virgin, attempting to be celibate) – due to his upbringing, unwilling to accept his attraction to men. Inflicted emotional/physical/ and mental abuse. Secretly wanted a man he refused to allow himself to openly love. Blamed demons, possessions and sin for his true nature. A priest who was filled with lustful needs and desires which landed him on a dangerous path of discover from Warsaw to Dybukowo.
The parents/grandparents of both these young men were a step by step, disservice to their lives. The secrets continue to unfold until the very last chapter.
Connections among all the other mentions characters continue to make sense from the first page to the last. No one was left with a question of what their purpose was in the story line.
A page turner full of mysticism, cult, religious faults, greed, newly explored love, passion, pain, compassion, blame, friendship, growth, trust, and learning.
If you are a fan of KA Merikan and mind bending occult stories, you will not be disappointed.
Never be afraid to test your mental boundaries.
Think you can guess the outcome? Not a chance in hell!
Covers all of these cult loving themes and many, many more: Dark, paranormal, chock full of M/M content, hot, emotionally tugging, witchcraft, occult, superstition, folklore, hurt/comfort/love, bigotry, prejudice, and homophobia.
***I hope Adam and Emil make appearances in the next book…***
(I received an ARC copy for my honest review)
Yes, the book is dark. Yes, the book is taboo and scandalous. Yes, there is lore and paganism and Polish backwoods. The thing this book is most of all though, is a masterpiece of words. The characters, plot, background and descriptions are so masterful, it boggled my mind! The craft put into words is the key to the spectacular success of this tale, which is spun in evocative and magical phrases.
The story and content is something every reader has to judge against their sensibilities and triggers. If you pick the book up though, you will not be disappointed!
Where the Devil says Goodnight is the first hook in the Folk Lore series by KA Merikan. This is a dark paranormal m/m romance with elements of fantasy, horror, the taboo, mysteries, possession, and temptation. The story was fascinating and the characters were interesting…overall a fantastic book. Adam the Catholuc priest who finds himself in a whole new world of temptation and morally ambiguity when he comes to a new town and meets the sexy seductive Emil. Definitely recommend for those who like to read dark and taboo.