Reviews

Predatory by Brooklyn Ray

leahkarge's review against another edition

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5.0

I received an early copy of this from the author, and holy heck, this series just keeps getting better and better, y'all.

nerdinthelibrary's review against another edition

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1) Darkling
2) Undertow
2.5) Unbroken


content warnings: violence, child abuse, magical drug use, explicit sex, consensual pain during sex
representation: mlm protagonist, asian mlm main character, interracial m/m main relationship, trans mlm main character, gay main character of colour, m/m side interracial relationship, black sapphic side character, m/m minor relationship


“This was an endangered version of Tyler, a part of him Donovan only caught while they were alone together. He’d seen it when they were dancing, pressed close and breaking boundaries, heard it when Tyler called him baby, felt it in a smile hidden in Donovan’s neck after an edging session. [...] That smile—the one Tyler gave him, coy and loose—came from a place Donovan wished he could access whenever he wanted.”



I can't even express how hard you are all sleeping on this series! This is the third installment in the Port Lewis Witches series and follows Donovan, a wereleopard trying to deal with his magic, his fucked up relationship with Tyler, and the messy situation his circle mates have gotten them all into.

This book delivers on everything all the other ones did; great writing, fantastic atmosphere, hot, kinky sex, endearing characters, it's all still here! This is easily one of the most consistent series I've ever read and I could genuinely read ten more of these and never get bored.

I fucking loved Donovan and Tyler's relationship. You may not know this about me but I am a sucker for a good angsty romance, and these boys deliver. They're both full of so much angst individually and put together they're an angsty mess. But even with all that sweet, sweet angst, there are still several incredibly well-written, incredibly erotic sex scenes that are probably the least kinky of the series thus far, but are still super kinky.

I can't even express how much I love the constant explicit consent throughout the sex scenes that Brooklyn Ray writes. There's also frequent discussion of things like BDSM etiquette and just generally how to make sex not suck for the person you're with, and it makes my lil heart sing to see all of that in a witchy erotica new adult series.

I'm also loving the direction the plot in this series is going. The plot generally will take a backseat for the sexy times, but that doesn't mean that Brooklyn Ray is slacking off in that department. The trajectory of the plot is so interesting and I love how it manages to weave all the characters together in seemingly effortless ways. I will never get tired of the fun cameos that are littered throughout this series.

Honestly, this book was a perfect third entry in this series. I'm so glad I saw someone I'm following review the first book because otherwise there's no way I would've ever heard of this series, and my life would be much worse for it. If you want a quick, witchy, sexy read, then you should definitely pick up this series, you won't regret it.


I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

iam's review against another edition

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4.5 stars
Predatory picks up pretty much immediately where Undertow ended, and while Donovan is the new POV character and thus opens up a whole new arc about his own magic and his relationship with Tyler, it's definitely not a standalone.

Content warnings include: sex on-page, BDSM (impact play, pain play, bodage), graphic injury (broken bones, bruising), mentions of: murder, drug abuse, death of a sibling, domestic violence (parent beating child.)

The Port Lewis Witches series's overall arc is getting more important. Victor and Michael from [b:Unbroken|41541534|Unbroken (Port Lewis Witches, #2.5)|Brooklyn Ray|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1552062566s/41541534.jpg|64809993] appear, and while their part isn't so big that you wouldn't understand it if you hadn't read that, I still strongly recommend the book!

I liked Donovan from the first time he appeared in [b:Darkling|37642899|Darkling (Port Lewis Witches, #1)|Brooklyn Ray|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1513808419s/37642899.jpg|58313999]. He's the youngest of the circle and struggling with his magic, mainly with the Were Leopard inside him. There's also a bit of uncertainty about his earth magic, but that was barely mentioned.

Despite the overarching plot, the main focus of the novella lies on Donovan and Tyler's relationship. The previous books have hinted at it being extremely toxic, which it wasn't, though it also wasn't entirely healthy.
They are kinky, and while they do have communication issues their kink is well negotiated with several safewords in place.
Overall I enjoyed them a lot as a couple.

The previous books in the seris have a bit of a world building problem, which wasn't really resolved in Predatory, but it's barely noticable anymore. I'm enjoying the setting a lot and each book establishes the setting more and more, though there still could be a bit more background information. Predatory does very well in this area, for example with Donovan going to his normal classes in one scene, and I loved seeing these witches and their culture in non-magical day-to-day life and situations!!!!

As usual, the frequent sex scenes were superbly written. There was quite a bit of angst around the main relationship and the plot and more, but it never got overwhelming.

I received an ARC and reviewed honestly & voluntarily!

jjcrafts's review against another edition

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5.0

This is the third novella in an NA contemporary fantasy series. Each book follows a new member of a circle of witches and every single time I pick up one of these books I think it can't possibly be as good as the last one and yet. It is. They are. They always are. The writing is heavy with atmosphere and magic. Each character we follow feels unique. The emotions are so real and I love that we see so much of all the previous characters because they're all together. Each book builds on the overall story but is a whole story in itself as it's based on the single characters journey. The series is so magical and so very queer and I can't wait to read the next one.

CW: explicit sex scenes

starshineprince's review

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emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

misssleepless's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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noveldoll's review

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5.0

<3

caphewritings's review

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4.0

4.25/5

charkinzie's review

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4.0

Ninestar press was kind enough to send me Darkling and Undertow so that I could catch up before I read the most recent installment. I loved these two books.

Let me tell you, this series is well worth the time you’ll invest to read the entire thing. In Darkling, Ray introduces the reader to Ryder. Ryder has a lot of secrets, and his partner, Liam – a water mage and storm wielder – knows some of those secrets – others will blindside him. Ryder comes from a family of Necromancers. It’s a divisive history to live with and Ryder has struggled with all his family members. Born a fire-witch, Ryder can feel the darkness within him that is fighting for dominance. The closer Ryder and Liam become, the more their energies feed off one another.

The cast of characters is rounded out by Christy the psychic who is an absolute sweetheart, circle leader – Tyler who is an air-mage with a volatile temper, Donovan who is a new witch with earth-based powers. When Ryder and Liam become “tethered”, the group pulls together to try and get to the bottom of what is going on within their magical circle. They should be defending each other, supporting each other but it seems that all of them have secrets they are keeping.

The second installment in the series is Undertow and focusses on Liam. Liam hears the heart-stopping cry of a Kelpie one night while he’s down near the ocean, and it stirs up something inside him that threatens his existence. This story is difficult to describe because I found myself unable to put it down. I was wrapped up in wanting to understand what was going on with Liam, his family, More is revealed about Ryder’s family, and the circle is strained to the breaking point. Liam is given a prophecy that he can’t even imagine fulfilling because it might mean giving up everything he loves.

This brings me to the newest installment of the Port Lewis Witches series: Predatory. In this tale, Ray focuses on Donovan Quinn. Donovan is the newest of the witches. Donovan is entangled in a relationship with Tyler. I say entangled because their relationship is a little insane. I was fascinated by the power imbalance between the two of them and the undertow of emotion and affection that was almost painful to read about.

Undertow ends with a terrible incident that polarizes the circle, and Predatory picks up with people divided over what to do to try and appease the wounded parties. One of the problems that keeps cropping up is that the progression fo Donovan’s magical prowess seems to have stalled. He can sense that there is something raging inside him and feels as though he’s moments from losing control.

Tyler and Donovan’s relationship is one of the most interesting I’ve read in a very long time. The dynamic between these two is absolutely scorching, a little frightening and sometimes heart-breaking. I loved these two boys and would gladly read an entire series just about them! thank you, Brooklyn Ray, for writing one of the most unique and original couples I’ve read in a long time!

This series has a well-rounded set of diverse characters. They’re fully developed and I fell in love with them all for different reasons. They’re delightfully magical, and no one is pure-good or pure-evil which I loved. This is a complex tale, but don’t let that stop you from beginning the journey. I’m delighted to see that there is another book coming in this series.

Predatory is available for pre-order from NineStar Press on June 21! You’ve got time to pick up the other books and catch up!

terriaminute's review

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5.0

There are some neat twists in the overall plot, but getting to understand Donovan was such a treat for me that I almost feel like the other stuff is a bonus I'll appreciate later. And finally understanding Ty better as well - inasmuch as secrets only lead to more questions - just makes me even more eager for the next installment. Donovan meeting Michael and Victor was a strong hint for me, but also a neat surprise. (Read 'Unbroken' for their story, my favorite demon romance so far.)

If you haven't read this series yet, and you enjoy magic and witches and etc, what are you waiting for?