I like my life. My job doesn’t force me to wake up at the crack of dawn—owning a tattoo shop has a lot of perks. I have my own apartment, a brother I can tease endlessly, and one of my closest friends owns a bar which I visit almost every night. On top of that, I’m handsome and charming so finding a hookup is fairly easy for me.
I’m definitely not the overthinking type.
The only constant thought in my head is how to get back at the Devil. Cole Devenport. The king of hell and bane of my existence. We have a prank war going on and it’s usually fun. But what he did to me today is unforgivable. He didn’t cross the line, he’s...obliterated it. And now Satan will face my wrath.
But what if this time it turns into something…different? Something I’ve never experienced before? Something that excites me more than anything has before.
Lucifer is tempting me and I don’t want to resist.
Content warning: This is an MM story. It contains a prank war, rats, an eccentric MC, strong language, very hot sexual scenes and hilarious side characters. This is book four in the Love After Forty series. Each book follows a different couple.
I can't remember a time when I wasn't reading a book. Whether it was sci-fi, romance or a detective story didn't matter, because it was the perfect way to escape from reality for a little while. When I wasn't reading, I was imagining my own stories, and after a while I started writing them, hoping to give other people that little escape I still enjoy so much.
My books are full of dark humor, spicy kinky scenes, possessive, obsessed, protective MCs and always have happy endings.
I live in Japan with my two kids and my stinky, super cute Frenchie.
Find me online: @paulinaiankanebooks on Facebook and Instagram!
I have one word for you. Falkor. That's the name of one of MMC's dick you'll have the pleasure to read about over and over and over... and over again.
Man, I'm so disappointed. I like this series and the MMCs, I really do and this was probably the most anticipated book in the series, Kaiden and Cole, enemies to lovers.
But damn, this wasn't it. I can't even say it was an okay read, because it wasn't.
🟢 Enemies to lovers; for a while there it actually worked 🟡 Both MMCs around/after 40 years old 🔵 Pranks 🟣 Story underdeveloped 🟠 Naming of both MMCs dicks all the time was ridiculous 🌶️ Spice quite good; t/t-->b
The storytelling here leaves much to be desired. A lot of loose ends where you question yourself where's the rest of the story. The book didn't get enough pages for the love story that was set for Kaiden and Cole, so it feels like we got just a glimpse into it.
Everyone knows about Kaiden and Cole, both men owners of their own business, pulling pranks on each other because their potential hook-up didn't really go as planned about a year ago. It was always mentioned and it was funny up to a degree, but since both MMCs are mature and entrepeneurs, I was very surprised with their frat dialogues- especially Kaiden's - and demeanor. It wasn't attractive and it took away much needed depth from this story.
Both MMCs had quite a harsh backstory and it was dealt with in a few sentences alone while that could've been a prologue, so we'd get to know them better, know where they're coming from and what's happening to them in present time.
Kaiden and Cole basically start hooking up and then realise they both want more. They still prank each other, but things get emotional and heavy, so the story should absolutely delve deeper and explain a few things to us, but that didn't really happen.
A really great disservice here was done to Kaiden's character. Instead of his character living up to what was painted for him - a tall, muscular guy with tattooed neck, arms, chest, long blonde hair, green eyes, bad childhood, a manslut and now finding his match in Cole, another tall blonde guy from old money who's dominant and serious, making Kaden work for his attention. But no. Kaiden was like a 40 year old frat bro and Cole an adult with real-life problems who just happened to fall for him.
This group of friends talked about Kaiden's newly developed feeling for Cole like they're college kids out having a pizza, it was not believable and as ridiculous as Kaden's continuous naming of his dick.
The story had quite a few grammatical mistakes and these parts of the book just made the story almost unreadable;
"I ignore the looks directed at me— boys drop their boxers at the sight of the tight fabric of my sharply tailored, expensive suit pulling on my muscular ass and biceps. My confident strides and the air of dominance I exude surely help with that." I strongly advise for a man to be present with the developing of the next story, make him a beta reader and please accept his pointers.
"My after- nuclear- orgasm recovery time is three to five minutes, and bibbidi bobbidi boo, I’m my cheeky self again." The recovery time of both forty year old MMCs is just spectacular in this book. Spectacularly not-believable.
“Take off your fucking clothes and assume the position.” Assume the position? Said who? Your Dom at the club? Or the one you paid for? Cole here will only say "get on your fucking hands and knees," but I mean, what do I know?
I won't go on because we could be here for a while. The writing was - and I mean no harm here - clearly about how a woman would think or talk or deal in specific situations. This was not the love story of two 40 year old men.
But I did like both MMCs, as I love all the main characters in this series, but these books don't go over 3⭐ mark for me, they never do.
I’ve read every book in this series and from the BEGINNING I’ve been waiting on Kaiden and Cole’s story. I could feel the chemistry disguised as animosity even with them as barely there side characters.
Now I will say, this could have easily been a 5 star read, BUT the editing was pretty bad. There were so many mistakes. Easy mistakes. Wrong words, missing words, periods randomly in words. It was sloppy and very distracting.
Other than that, the story itself was SO GOOD. Y’all. When I say Cole and Kaiden are passionate I mean it. These two want to either strangle each other or screw each other…sometimes both. Both are tops until hands grabs throats and one of them discovers a submissive side that’s delicious.
Their relationship is a bit volatile, a bit hectic, a bit harsh, and a bit abrupt, but by the end, it’s absolutely perfect and sweet and SO SEXY. Gah! I couldn’t get enough of these two! I felt for both guys and their pasts and I felt like they were perfect for each other.
I swear, I had a love/hate relationship with this book. While I loved the enemies with benefits deal Kaiden and Cole had going on, I really disliked the frat boy language used for a couple of guys over 40. I was also really surprised by the refractory period for these guys. Impressive, but not probable.
They did have some excellent chemistry together and the pranks were actually kind of funny. There was some seriously underdeveloped family drama on Cole’s side that was just used to stir up some drama in the third act. Oh, and we also got the use of the phrase “I’m clean” when talking about STIs. Ew. Authors need to stop that. It’s so antiquated.
This was an okay read. There were moments that made me smile and really root for Kaiden and Cole. But there were also moments that made me roll my eyes and contemplate DNFing. Another round with an editor wouldn’t have hurt either, as there were missing words here and there that made me re-read sentences a few times to get it right. Overall, good but not great. 3 begrudging stars.
Why does this one get five stars where the rest got four? Honestly, because of the anglerfish note at the end. I mean, also I love a newly awakened sub. But.. mostly the anglerfish.
In the final book of the series we get the two pranksters Kaiden and Cole. After a chance meeting in a bar a year ago, Cole turning down Kaidens invite to join him and another guy, Cole moves his business to the floor above Kaidens store, Ink Me - then begins the never ending back and forth pranks.
Then Cole moves into the apartment across the hall from Kaiden - the apartment he wanted to buy. Then Kaidens pranks, and his mouth, push Cole a step too far and he spanks him and leaves him with a sore ass and confusing feelings.
““Doesn’t matter,” he says. “You came back to me.” I nod. “And I always will.” My voice sounds hoarse when I tell him. “I’m going to keep you.” He looks at me wide-eyed with astonishment. His hand wraps around my wrist as usual, fingers squeezing, like he’s anchoring himself to me.”
Kaiden, a self proclaimed eccentric and man-slüt finds he can’t think of anyone else anymore and constantly provokes Cole into more action. Though he has never been submissive - or a bottom - he can’t get enough of submitting to Cole. But Cole still is holding back and even though he tries, he can’t help his possessive and caring feelings for Kaiden.
This story was so fun, the back and forth banter and pranks, super steamy, such a great story!
““Until you. I thought I liked the submissive role because it was new and exciting. That I’d try it with other people when we got fed up with each other.” A possessive growl leaves my lungs and Kaiden smirks warmly at me. “But I don’t want it with anybody else but you. Because being without you makes me miserable, a thousand times multiplied to infinity miserable.” I feel fcking butterflies trying to burst out of me at his confession. This reckless, annoying, sweet, so damn complicated and sexy as fck man is in love with me.”
✋🏻MM Romance ✋🏻Enemies to Lovers ✋🏻Submission ✋🏻HEA
DNF @86% ... ugh, why did I try to read this??? I didn't like Kaiden throughout the series and continued to not like him throughout this book. My irritation with ALL the "over 40" men in this series acting like 20-something frat boys and not 40-something-year-old men continues with this book, as does my annoyance with sex literally being the only connection and basis for their "love." But the straw that finally broke the camel's back and had me DNF'ing this one was when - once AGAIN - this author chooses to have all the significant non-sexual moments in the plot happen off page, shown just in a quick narrative recap afterwards 🙄
In the last book, , and then in this one she does it again, .
It's either lazy storytelling or simply an amateur skill level irt the craft of writing, but either way I'm glad I found her newer series before this one, or else she'd probably have ended up on my personal DNR list. Even though I do plan on picking up her next Angels of Wrath book, I just can't anymore with this one. I'm out.
2 stars… Oh god I hate to do this. Ugh. I read all 4 of the books in this series and I liked the first three a good amount. Does the author say “butt cheeks” a little too frequently for my liking? Yes but I can get past that. What I can’t get past? How awful Kaiden and Cole seem together… let me explain.
Okay I think we all like a little enemies to lovers. Cole is uptight and broody and a bit of a dom. Kaiden is usually a slutty too but is happy to bottom for his arch nemesis sexy Cole. Here where my problems start… how do these two do such horrible things to each other and seem to not care. They say nasty things to each other? Fine. They barely talk and blow each other off right after fooling around? Mostly fine. They disappear without talking? Also fine.
Like at some point I was just begging for some fucking emotions besides fake shitty banter. Like I wanted Cole to say something nasty to Kaiden and Kaiden to be visibly upset and for Cole to apologize. They got fucking married for crying out loud and they know all of nothing about each other. I mean seriously? I feel like these two would date for 2 months and dump each other from lack of any real connection besides sex. I hated this and felt like they never really sympathized with the other or cared about the other in any meaningful way. And it was incredibly disappointing.
2/5 on spice. 1/5 on kink. 1/5 on tears. I wish they liked each other… like at all?!
Kaiden Donnelly enjoys his laid-back life as a tattoo shop owner, complete with a cozy apartment, a teasing brother, and a bar-owning best friend. Confident and charming, he thrives socially without overthinking. However, his playful prank war with Cole Devenport, aka the Devil, takes a dramatic turn when Cole crosses an unforgivable line. As Kaiden plots his revenge, he begins to feel an unexpected, thrilling attraction to his nemesis, leaving him tempted by the forbidden.
I enjoyed this story with the two men who were in a love/hate dynamic shown via their so-called prank war. Both of them were very different but together they were passionate and explosive. I did think that there was detail missing and the ending was far too quick. Easy to read and understand. This was an MM story with mature content.
I have been eagerly awaiting this book and was very excited to see that it was out. I love Kai and Cole’s back and forth banter and their prank wars, and we all knew where that was going to lead. I didn’t so much care for Cole’s hot and cold act throughout the book though, like most of the book. It works out in the end for them, but it was extremely frustrating for me. I really liked how they still kept up with their pranks even after they solidified their relationship.
I have been waiting for Kaiden’s story. I loved Kaiden and Cole’s pranks and banter.
Cole was the perfect guy to tame Kaiden. They were funny and steamy together. I would have liked for them to show them really talking more to see how their feelings grew on a deeper level but I was not disappointed in Kaiden’s book. They had a super sweet HEA that fit them perfectly!
Out of the 4 books, this is the one I have been waiting for. Kaiden and Cole didn't disappoint. Their banter and pranks made the story. Actually laughed out loud when Kaiden jumped into Coles' arms. Rollercoaster of a story. My favorite of the 4 so far.
The snark, the pranks, the laughs and the sexual tension. I was so looking forward to this book and it didn’t disappoint. Megan and Kate were a funny addition! Fourth in the series and much better to read in order.
A pretty quick cute read. I almost put this down but got to a point that wasn’t overly campy. I liked Cole the best even if his side was brief. Lots of steam makes this worthwhile.
I really love it when a relationship builds over the course of the entire series. Makes the build up so much better. Also, this series is not listed as such on Goodreads, but it would be helpful to readers if it were.
This wasn't my favorite of the series, but it was a good way to close it out. Cole and Kaiden's relationship/feud was a big part of the series, so it was nice to finally see it all come to a head.
Unexpectedly good. New to me author, went into this because I wanted a quick fun read and was positivily surprised. Will check the others in the series.
After what is referred to as a meet rude at a bar and soon after realizing they will be seeing each other plenty more, a prank wars starts between Kaiden and Cole. Who you could imagine hate one another (even though they are attracted to each other). Said prank war ends up being foreplay more than anything. It starts as hate sex when they give in and soon enough that will lead to much more.
I wouldn't say that this book is the best writing I've ever seen because it wasn't. That's just my opinion here. However, I really did enjoy it and I finished it within a couple hours. Kaiden is kind of a sweetheart and he's funny. He loves to get on Cole's nerves. Cole who often finds him infuriating. Even after they are together, there are a few pranks pulled.