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Black and Blue #2

The Quiet House

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Levi Black has mostly recovered from the events of a year ago. The only lingering effects are that he’s much more well known in York than he’d like to be, and he’s a lot more cautious about walking around his house naked. However, those events brought him the capricious and fascinating Blue, so he’s not complaining. On the contrary, he’s happy, in love, and looking forward to Blue finally moving in with him. And if sometimes he wonders what Blue sees in a boring cartoonist, he keeps that to himself.

Blue Billings is finally ready to throw off the memories of his past and move in with the person who means the most in the world to him. His psychic abilities have grown in the last year to his mentor Tom's consternation, but Blue is determined to look on the bright side. He’s also focused on ignoring all the warning signs that he’s received lately.

However, even deeply buried secrets have a way of rising to the surface. And when a surprise from Blue’s past turns up and draws them away to a lonely house on the Yorkshire moors, Levi and Blue must fight for their survival once again.

From bestselling author, Lily Morton, comes the second book in the Black & Blue series. The books are intended to be read in order.

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 26, 2021

284 people are currently reading
865 people want to read

About the author

Lily Morton

79 books3,319 followers
Lily is a bestselling gay romance author.

She lives in sunny England with her husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven't had a proper conversation with her since she got her Kindle.

She has spent her life with her head full of daydreams, and decided one day to just sit down and start writing about them. In the process she discovered that she actually loved writing because how else would she get to spend her time with hot and funny men?

Her latest release is Under Gorse and Stone, which is a magical Christmas story about a centuries-old dragon and his human mate.

https://getbook.at/UnderGorseAndStone

You can keep up with Lily's latest releases and read the exclusive short stories '3 Dates' and ‘Best Love’ by subscribing to her newsletter: https://bit.ly/LilyMorton-Newsletter

Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/SnarkSquad

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5 stars
1,533 (52%)
4 stars
952 (32%)
3 stars
358 (12%)
2 stars
50 (1%)
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3 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 451 reviews
Profile Image for ☆ Todd.
1,442 reviews1,584 followers
August 9, 2021

After loving Lily's first outing in the paranormal genre, I'd anxiously awaited the release of her second ghost story, which began a year after where the initial book left off.

As the story started, Blue had finally agreed to move into Levi's happy home, formerly known as the haunted murder house, allowing them to move their relationship to another level.

[Blue, without the last book's hair dye...]


But when Blue's long-lost father, Declan, arrived with a proposition to scope out a haunted mansion, Blue was much more interested in getting information on his deceased mother's past than with any present-day ghosts.

So with Blue's cantankerous boss and friend, Tom, in tow, the guys found themselves surrounded by new apparitions and mysteries in the middle of the English moors.

I still loved Levi and Blue just as much as before, however, while I'd found the first book to be fairly spooky, I can't really remember any scenes in this continuation that gave me the shivers or made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I kept waiting, but scary just wasn't in the cards for me this time around.

I suspect that part of the reason for my lack of chills was that the owner of the ancient manor, Viscount Ingraham, seemed to be turning the entire ghost hunt into some sort of sick supernatural competition, almost like some type of immoral reality TV show. It just felt much more "Blair Witch Project" than "The Ring".

I also experienced a ton of skepticism with Blue, Levi, and Tom's decision making when faced with some severely fucked up events at the mansion. After several very close calls with Blue and Levi nearly dying, over and over and over, they kept rationalizing reasons to *STAY*, which far surpassed the line of believability for me.

I finally got to the point where I was basically That Bitch sitting in a movie theater, screaming at the screen:
"Do NOT go back inside that house. OMG, I mean it. Aaaaaaand they're back inside.

I hope you ALL DIE, I swear to God, because you're apparently too stupid to motherfucking live!!!"
Or something like that. "Allegedly." ;- )

When all was said and done, though, Tom had totally stolen the show, Declan's worth as a human being had been (at least partially) redeemed, and Blue was finally convinced of how deeply and truly Levi loved him, so while sometimes frustrating, it all worked out well in the end.

I'd rate this one at around 3.5 stars, even though it had less of that *spark* of magic than the first book.

Personally, I'm hoping that book 3 will be Will and Jem's story, which I'd read in half a heartbeat.

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Profile Image for Snjez.
1,027 reviews1,034 followers
March 27, 2021
It makes me sad to give this book such a low rating since I loved the previous one, but it just didn't work for me.

There are so many little things happening here that don't make any sense. I didn't find the story scary at all, I just couldn't take it seriously. Even Levi and Blue felt off to me.

I liked the beginning and I liked some sweet and funny moments, but that's about it.
Profile Image for Ariana  (mostly offline).
1,682 reviews96 followers
April 3, 2021
2,75 stars

I really like Levi and Blue, and this was an entertaining and relatively creepy read, but unfortunately for me, something didn’t gel in the plot.

.) The author didn’t convince me of any good reason why Blue and Levi would have to put themselves into such danger, when they were warned plenty times not to go to or remain at the Quiet House.

.) Both Blue and Levi are put into horrifying situations non-stop, but once they are over, it felt as if it had never happened, and they just plod on, risking their lives… for what?

.) It annoyed me a bit that both men behave pretty illogical at times, with a total lack of self-preservation, bordering on stupidity.

.) The addition of Declan is interesting but doesn’t really lead to much.

.) That goes for quite a few things new developments here:

What happened to the Crow? He just appeared once, and then …gone?
Why is Blue suddenly declared ‘ready’ to operate as a psychic by Tom, when he still seems clueless himself and gets knocked about and hurt non-stop during the events at the house? I could not pinpoint how Tom gets to that conclusion, at all.
What is it about Levi and his? Guess that will come up in book 3?

.) I didn’t like the Viscount throughout the book. He comes across as false, pretentious and downright irresponsible. I was totally taken aback that he suddenly at the end? It simply didn’t feel right.

.) The big finale fell pretty much flat for me. It all seemed terribly contrived.

All in all, many of my questions remained unanswered, and I wonder if I'm somehow missing the point.

This definitely feels more like a ‘mickey take’ of ghost and horror stories with many standard situations taken straight from popular preconceptions, something the author does acknowledge a couple of times in jest, and probably that’s what it is supposed to be.

Sorry to say it didn’t bowl me over.
Profile Image for Layla .
1,468 reviews76 followers
October 30, 2021
I don't know how to rate this so I'm sleeping on it..
.
.
.
I received an ARC from GRR and this is my honest review.

While I liked this book... I didn't love it. This hurts my heart to say... I think this is the first Lily Morton book I've rated less than 5 stars. #ConeOfaShame

What I loved....

- Blue and Levi where as usual adorable together. #SugarySweet

- The plot was interesting, the events surprising and it was creepier than book 1 for me... the horror moments were detailed and a bit graphic. #Woah!

- I loved the lack of drama between Blue and Levi... despite their insecurities, they communicated well and talked it out...both were feeling subpar and the other showed them their worth. #YoureItForMe

- I loved the romance in this book. Blue and Levi are great together and there were many swoon factors throughout the book... #HappySigh

- That sex scene in the Quiet House was Hot AF... I reread that scene... #NoShame

What I didnt love...
- It took more about 2 days to finish this book which was an anomaly for me with a Lily book. I kept putting it down when I normally binge-read her books and don't put them down.

- I skimmed.... that has never happened before too.
Something just felt off with the book...maybe it was me, not the book..maybe it was the wrong book at the wrong time?? I dont know....

- There was some abruptness with some dialogues and events.. some things that just didn't add up.

- I also think that there could have been more steam in the book, at least towards the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Cæsar.
285 reviews32 followers
September 21, 2025
Exhilarating!
Spooky and scary, new and darker atmosphere, great adventure, romance, comedy, steamy sex scenes, I had a lot of fun reading this story! Plenty of emotional moments to treasure and very frighting bits to make me holding my breath! Really satisfied with the book!



I Have also this book on Audible, Joel Leslie gave another spectacular performance, I absolutely love his acting skills, his commitment is really gratifying, it was a delight! Congratulations!!!

Nice work from Natasha Snow Design very cohesive and has the right level of the creepy mood! the photo from Michelle Lancaster was not how I visualised, but I believe it works!

5 ⭐️
Profile Image for Diana.
639 reviews18 followers
April 3, 2021
I’ve been waiting for this book for a while now, so I was thrilled when my friend Jill mentioned it was out. Of course, I dove into it right away and I was not disappointed.

The story itself was just ok. Don’t get me wrong, I was interested in the haunted house and all the spooky things, but there was so much build up, I just felt a little let down. What kept me interested was Levi and Blue, of course. I adored these two in book 1, and they are even better together now. Yes, they both still have nagging thoughts in their head about their relationship, but I loved the growth between the two.

I hope the series continues because I could read more about Levi Black and Blue Billings
Profile Image for Eugenia.
1,908 reviews319 followers
March 28, 2021
2.5 rounded up because I finished it. Barely.

This is a sad day.
This is a day I give a Lily Morton book a low rating.

I expected much more from this book.
I liked The Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings. I adored the audiobook by Joel Leslie. Levi and Blue were interesting an unique characters. Well, in that book.

In this book:
Levi and Blue were little different aside from the fact that one could see ghosts and one could not.
Scratch that, here, ghosts go wild and anyone can spot them, it seems.
The pair are ridiculously insecure and believe the other won’t want them. How many times did they repeat the same thing in their head and to each other and to Tom?? Gah.
These characters were nothing like the ones in the first—I lost their individuality in their insecurity and constant, “I love you’s.”

This book WAS NOT SCARY.
NOPE.
Not even a little bit.
The first one, yes.
This one had me waiting for it to get scary, but as one reviewer (Snjez) pointed out, it just got silly.

There was TOO MUCH BANTER.
It took away from any sort of spooky setting. Funny is not spooky.

Will I read another book in the series if Lily Morton writes one? Yes. But, I’ll go into it with lowered expectations.

My rec? Beware of the sophomore slump in a series.
Profile Image for Elisa Glendenning (on hiatus).
539 reviews46 followers
April 7, 2021
2.5 Stars

I liked the first book but unfortunately this didn’t work for me and it was a struggle to finish. It started off okay but very quickly went downhill. Blue and Levi seemed off (I didn’t like all the insecurities), it wasn’t scary in the slightest (not one goosebump), I found the plot OTT, I didn’t find any of the banter particularly funny and I wasn’t keen on one of the steamier scenes (but that’s totally on me). I was left with some unanswered questions - but no doubt, all will be revealed in a future instalment. I did like the epilogue, however, and will read the next in the series.
Profile Image for Cadiva.
3,999 reviews439 followers
March 26, 2021
OMG don't read this on your own at night especially if you live in Yorkshire like me!

If this book wasn't written by Lily Morton there isn't a chance I would have read it.

I don't do ghosts, or things that go bump in the night, and I certainly don't read about spooky houses filled with creepy incidents and scary noises.

But, having utterly fallen in love with Levi Black and Blue Billings in book one, I knew I'd have to put my big girl pants on and get stuck in.

And what a ride it was. As a Yorkshire gal, I'm intimately familiar with the locations of these books, albeit this is a made up stately home.

But there are many of them I've trawled my way round on school trips, with their own stories of ghostly happenings or murderous ancestors, to get a real feel for this setting.

The North Yorks Moors are bleak at the best of times, when they're covered in an unearthly mist and people are being frightened out of their skins, it makes for an adrenaline rush!

Lily skillfully mixes in the romance parts of this narrative as Blue and Levi come to realise the depth of their devotion to each other.

We also meet a surprise person from Blue's past and spend time with the ever wonderfully grumpy Tom.

I'm also intrigued by Jem, who I'm seriously hoping is going to be Will's love interest, as that dark and brooding man really needs his own sunshine one and Jem was a cracker.

Of course, it's a Lily book, so there's all the snark and humour you've come to expect.

Blue is particularly on form with his sarcastic comments and Tom's dry wit is also freely aired.

With consummate ease, this book rattles its way through a plot which owes as much to the great Victorian melodramas as it does to the creepy world of the 18th Century Hellfire Club.

Lily pulls off scenarios which could leave the reader scoffing in disbelief but instead had this one frantically reading through into the early hours to reach the epic conclusion.

Another stunning piece of work and I really hope not the last we see of this pair!

#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Profile Image for Ana  Nimity.
1,302 reviews62 followers
March 24, 2021
The second book in Lily Morton's foray into paranormal is, not surprisingly, even better than the first, which is an accomplishment, because I think The Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings was, until The Quiet House, then best thing Lily's written.
I love the character development, the way the relationship has grown, and continues to grow, between Blue and Levi. I love the plot, which in any other hands might veer into a Scooby-Doo cartoon plot, but instead ratchets up tension from the first chapter to the last.
Lily paces the story beautifully, with enough romantic and sexy moments to keep it solidly in the romance category, but with plenty of ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties and things that go more than bump in the night, sprinkled liberally with humor and an unerring sense of timing that gives the reader comic relief at all the right moments.

I adore these books and hope there's at least one more to come.
Profile Image for Kaity.
1,997 reviews24 followers
March 12, 2024
Reread/Relisten #2: March 2024

Still enjoy these two as much as I did the first time I picked up the Black and Blue series. I am now on to book 3, sorry Will and Jem, I am skipping your book! haha

Reread/Relisten #1: February 2023

Love these two and all the shenanigans they get up to!

I am now so excited to read Will and Jem’s book!!!

4.5 stars: July 2021

Not gunna lie I loved this book. I know there have been mixed reviews about this book but I was holding off until the audiobook came out because Joel Leslie did a great job with the first one that I wanted to get fully immersed in this one too.

Also don’t know how many people will come at me for saying this but I enjoyed this book more than the first one. I think since we got more sass from all the characters and it made things lighter when all that craziness was happening to them.

Yes there were definitely times where I rolled my eyes and were yelling at Blue, Levi and Tom to get out of the house like one would do in a cheesy horror movie. And like those movies they don’t listen to the audience haha.

Even with those moments though I very much enjoyed the continuation of Blue and Levi’s adventures!

I also would love a Jem and Will story… just sayin…
Profile Image for Vanna.
808 reviews96 followers
November 15, 2021
2 Disappointed stars!! 🙄 I don't know where to begin with this one; I was so excited for this second round of paranormal adventures with Blue and Levi that I am feeling supremely let down. It started out well enough with Blue and Levi in love and Blue about to move into Levi's home (the infamous house from Book 1,). Levi is busy planning the perfect Christmas for Blue and their extended circle of friends, when out of the blue (yes, I get the irony) a stranger () turns up at their door asking for favor issuing him a dubious invite. Despite Levi's misgiving, crow warnings (don't ask 🙄) and well-meaning advice from friends, Blue feels compelled to go ahead. Obviously Levi joins him, as well as Tom.. but once they arrive at the House of Horrors all hell breaks loose. 😱😱 Not only are the other guests hostile, the place is riddled with ghostly traps, some supernatural.. some manmade. Aaaaand, this is where LM lost me; because although not a horror fan I do appreciate a well-written so called cold case solved with the help of ghosts and spirits, which was the case in the first book. Here however, there were so many ghosts, evil spirits and literal monsters residing in many parts of the house and the extended land that it was hard to get a sense of it all. The whole gamut of ghosts etc felt like a campy version of the cabin in the woods kind of film where there is hint after hint of danger and death and yet the protagonists decide to hide in the attic or the garage full of knives and chainsaws. If the point was to shock and startle the reader, I don't know about the others, but I was rolling my eyes and was just flipping pages 🙄. Conclusion: Blue has to be the stupidest medium alive to have no sense of self-preservation 😳
I can't help but compare this book to another book I read recently, Spooky Business (The Spectral Files #3) and it was so much better at notching up the fear factor without using so many gimmicks. I think LM went completely OTT on this one and it became a campy horror/ghost story. The heat and intimacy between the MCs was also missing in this story which is sad, because I do love Blue and Levi.
I'm not sure whether I'll be back for Book 3, maybe if LM drops the big gimmicks and writes a grown-up paranormal romance and 🤷‍♀️.
What a mess!! Not recommended by me! 👎
Profile Image for Dani.
1,678 reviews318 followers
January 16, 2024
Definitely not as scary as book one, but still really engaging and entertaining.

I love Blue and Levi together, but I think Tom is actually my favourite character - he reminds me of an older man I used to work for who'd only crack a smile when I brought him a cup of tea and biscuits 😂

Looking forward to the next book!
Profile Image for Caz.
3,276 reviews1,180 followers
April 25, 2021
I've given this a B at AAR

Lily Morton’s The Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings introduced readers to the eponymous quirky and snarky York-based ghost-tour guide, and Levi Black, a cartoonist from London who, after the death of his mother and a bad break-up, moves to York after inheriting a house near the Minster from a distant relative.  It’s a fun mix of romance and ghost story, with likeable characters, some lovely moments of poignancy and lots of the author’s trademark witty banter, and I – like many of Ms. Morton’s fans – have been eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.  The Quiet House is that book, and once again the author has penned an intriguing story and peopled it with some great characters – some we’ve met before, some who are new – and shown she’s more than able to bring the spooky when called for.

The Quiet House takes place around a year after Blue and Levi were nearly killed ridding Levi’s house of a particularly dangerous and malevolent ghost.  The intervening year has seen a number of changes in their lives – good changes – with Blue working to understand and control his abilities and he and Levi becoming closer and finding their way forward as a couple.  Blue still leads his ghost tour once a week, and when the story begins, Blue notices an old man dressed all in black standing quietly at the back of his tour group. He’s far too solid-looking to be a spirit, and Blue believes he’s just a late arrival – and a stingy one at that, when he disappears without paying the fee.  Not until a day or so later does he learn what he’s seen, when his friend, employer and mentor in all things psychic, crotchety bookshop-owner Tom Pattison, explains that what he saw was a spirit – or more correctly a “crow” – a warning that trouble is on the way.

And it arrives when Levi opens the door one evening to a stranger asking to see Blue – a stranger who looks oddly familiar.  With good reason.  The man is Declan Shaw.  Blue’s absentee father.

Blue has never even met his dad seeing as how he legged it before Blue was born; he recognises him from an old photo his mother kept with her at all times.  Declan’s sudden appearance evokes mixed emotions in Blue – anger for sure, but curiosity, too; maybe Declan can fill in some of the blanks for Blue, tell him some of the things about his mother he longs to know.  But Declan shows no sign of wanting to build anything with his son; he’s there to offer Blue a lucrative job at the home of his eccentric employer, Viscount Ingram, whose massive country house on the Yorkshire Moors is reputed to be the most haunted house in England.  Ingram wants to open the house to the public as a hotel of the macabre – and he needs a psychic to tell him about the spirits he can see, to interact with them and tell him their stories.

Much to Levi’s dismay, Blue is intrigued and seriously considering the proposition.  He’s worried that Declan will hurt Blue, but when Tom reveals the house in question has a terrible reputation and that it’s haunted by some very violent sprits, it seems that there is a great deal more to worry about than Blue’s relationship with his father.  Tom and Levi know Blue is going to need all the help he can get, and together, the three of them make their way to the grand estate, where right from the off, Blue and Tom are affected by the overwhelming sense of evil that permeates the place.

And of course things go from bad to worse once they arrive.  It turns out Blue and Tom aren’t the only psychics to have been invited to unlock the secrets of this particular haunted house, and that over the past year or so, Ingram has extended the same invitation to many psychic guests  – and now it seems the spirits are seriously pissed off and that something truly powerful and evil has been awakened.  And not only that, but Blue’s worst nightmare seems to be coming true. Something is targeting Levi.

Lily Morton is known for writing funny, sexy contemporary romances with plenty of snark and plenty of steam, but in this series, she shows she’s able to turn her hand to something different.  The steam and humour are still present (albeit a little toned down), but the paranormal element of the story is the main focus, and she creates a real sense of menace and disquiet that slowly pervades the book, becoming stronger and stronger until we reach the novel’s dramatic climax.

I was delighted to see Tom get a bigger role in this story; he’s a curmudgeon with a heart of gold and a real soft spot for Blue, and I love his deadpan sense of humour.  The other secondary characters –  an eccentric viscount, a TV psychic and a couple of nasty blasts from Blue’s past �� are vividly drawn, and I hope Jem, the cameraman who would rather be photographing penguins than poltergeists, will make that trip to York and meet up with Blue’s friend Will again.

The romance in this book is more low-key than before, but even though Blue and Levi have been together for a year, they have some lovely, tender moments together, and I was really pleased to see how far Blue has come since the last book, when he was skittish and insecure, used to keeping himself apart and waiting for rejection.  He’s the same whimsical, smart-mouthed so-and-so he always was, but there’s a sense of stability and equanimity in him that weren’t there before.  And Levi – sweet, caring, loveable Levi – is his anchor, the person who keeps him grounded and tethered to reality.  Their devotion to one another shines through, even in moments of insecurity and doubt.

The Quiet House is an entertaining read that boasts a winning combination of snarky psychic, lonely viscount, ghostly monks, satanic rituals and the grumpiest mentor ever.  It’s a nicely balanced mix of funny, sexy and spooky, and I enjoyed my return to the world of  Black & Blue .
Profile Image for Saimi Vasquez.
1,958 reviews94 followers
November 10, 2023
Blue y Levi ya están establecidos en su relación, ahora por fin de mucho tiempo se mudan juntos y comienzan una vida juntos. Sin embargo, ambos todavía tienen miedo que el otro se canse de ellos y los abandone. Blue, teme que Levi consiga a alguien mas interesante y lo deje. Mientras Levi siente que Blue puede tener a alguien mucho menos aburrido y soso que el. Y aunque su amor aun es muy fuerte, el miedo de Blue de sentirse inferior lo lleva a aceptar una propuesta de pasar un fin de semana en una mansión embrujada. Así Blue junto con Levi y Tom se van a la mansión y lo que encuentran no es nada de lo que esperan. Pero podrán lograr convencer al dueño de cambiar sus planes? Podrán sobrevivir al fin de semana? Quien es la presencia maligna que sienten en la casa? Habrá alguna forma de "eliminarla"?

Este libro fue mucho mas sencillo que el anterior, tenemos la típica trama de la mansión embrujada, los "médiums" falsos y el espíritu diabólico acechando. También tenemos mucha menos investigación y mas intuición. Sin embargo, me sigue gustando la dinámica de la pareja, aunque ahora Blue parezca mas un investigador paranormal que un psíquico de oportunidad.
En fin, me ha gustado hasta ahora la serie, vemos si el autor publica otros libros de ellos mas adelante, probablemente los lea.
Profile Image for Justin.
85 reviews21 followers
June 16, 2025
As a gay™ it is in my nature to LOVE horror and this book was no exception. It was giving Clue, Hill House and Conjuring. A little spooky and a little OTT. It was a great Sunday bed rot read.

We are back a year after the first book with Levi and Blue. In the first chapter alone we get some public spice and I was not mad at it! Both Levi and Blue are VERY insecure in their relationship in this book, it becomes one of the major plot points. While it goes get a bit repetitive at times, I get it. A year long relationship is a big deal, we get first fights, moving in together, and throw in being able to see the dead and a host of other things and I'd be insecure too. They are a really lovely couple though and Levi is DIRTYYYYYY. (Bless him)

The spooky part of the book was good! It was a little silly and campy but I ate it up. Blue has been developing his powers so it did not feel as we were recycling moments from the first book. Also had a few moments of my heart pounding as I was turning the pages! (oOoOOo spOooOoky!) I'm glad we got to see more of Tom and Will too. Blue has such a fun little found family.

Only complaint is there was some British slang I had to google. (ugh American, sorry) but I will be well versed by the end of the next book in the series!
Profile Image for Alisa.
1,894 reviews202 followers
April 1, 2021
I didn't think this one was nearly as good as book one. I enjoyed it but was a little let down. I was expecting to be scared and to feel lots of feelz. Neither of which happened.
Profile Image for Ken W.
452 reviews1 follower
November 8, 2023
Excellent!

This might be even better than the first book! I love Blue and Levi and I’m disappointed there isn’t a book three! There is a spinoff book that I’ll definitely read though! Highly recommended! Five ghostly stars! ⭐️ 👻 ⭐️👻⭐️
Profile Image for Teeny.
1,636 reviews47 followers
March 22, 2021
I thought the 1st book was scary but OH BOY~~!! It had nothing on this one!! WILL SCARE YOU SHITLESS is the road Lily traveled here and no matter how prepared you think you are, you aren't!!! Especially if you are like me and tend to give the horror genre a wide berth!

I won't say anything more and spoil the book and the atmosphere she builds in it that you can feel heavy in your breast and you are sure you'll see your breath fogging, but I do need to post my favorite thing in the book:
"This is why bloody commas are so important," This by the brilliant mouth of Tom.

As for Levi and Blue they come out of the book stronger and more solid in their relationship. Have no fear, the angsty-shelf I used isn't for them but for all the fear Lily inspired.

I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review.
Profile Image for ~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~.
3,588 reviews1,128 followers
August 14, 2024
The second installment of Black & Blue wasn't as good as the first.

The romance was mostly on the backburner, and the plot was a bit silly.

I didn't find anything that happened at Lord Ingram's house to be scary. Too many things didn't make sense.

There were all these contrived situations where Levi and Blue were separated, even though they vowed to keep together.

Still entertaining though.
Profile Image for haletostilinski.
1,524 reviews652 followers
April 11, 2021
Overall, I was pleased with this second installment in this series. This is the first, I believe, at least MM romance, that Morton has done that focuses on the same couple for more than one book, and I think overall she did really well. There a few snags here and there to make me go down from the usual 5 stars I love giving her books, but still overall a good continuation, I think.

Levi and Blue are sweet together, and after a year together, they've really settled into their relationship in this one. But there are still things they had to work through in their relationship, which were touched on here. I thought maybe they could have been touched on a bit more, talked about by these two a little more, but I like where they came to be by the end of this. A

And in a way, the new haunted house they had to endure in this one brought them even closer together than they were before.

But I don't think I'm the only one who came to be frustrated near the end with how many excuses and how many times these guys refused to run the fuck away from that house when they had the chance. It just eventually came to feel a little contrived and ridiculous, just to keep these two at the haunted house until the climax.

Like why would Blue be all "we have to leave, we have to get the fuck out of here right now" one second and then be like "I have to stay" even for his father, especially for his father who has never been in his life and has shown he isn't that good of a man, and the viscount, as nice as he could be, WAS the cause of all the shit that happens, and Blue changes his mind like that, separates himself from Levi and goes after his estranged father and the viscount, when he was just going "we have to get the fuck out of here"??? At that point it felt WAY past contrived.

I know Blue is a good person and everything, but why would you put your life in danger and separate from the man you love for two people who don't entirely deserve it? I know it all works out in the end, but it just...it didn't feel believable, and it was just too much for me to get past, and my main reason for giving a star off of this.

I also felt that it wasn't as scary as the last one was and there were so many times the scares could have been better, but I wasn't as annoyed or bummed about that as the finding every way to rationalize staying in a scary haunted house with spirits trying to kill you and those you love.

Otherwise, this was enjoyable and I loved my Blue and Levi parts, I loved them just being together and in love, and I loved Tom and am actually really interested in a book about Will and Jem, the plot for the most part was interesting, even if it wasn't as scary as I would have liked.

It's just when you take the believability out of the MC's actions where things get to be a little too much, too contrived and ridiculous.

But overall, a strong second outing. The beginning and middle was overall wonderful, and there parts of the end I very much enjoyed. It just faltered near the end, especially, with how many times they were like "I can't leave, we have to see this through" WHY? For what fucking reason? I mean, it made no sense.

Blue and Levi may have come out even stronger from this experience, which yes, is good, but it could have just worked on the believability factor. At least with the first one, that is where Levi lived and he was trying fix it up and he wanted to stay in that town and was falling for Blue and all that to keep in the house despite the scary shit.

But they had no obligation to be in that house. Yeah there was money to be had, but Blue and Levi are not motivated by that, ya know? They aren't greedy, so other than that, it just...yeah, made no sense.

Definitely worth a read for the Blue and Levi relationship development aspect and the good beginning middle, but for me it just faltered a little near the end. Still would give it a thumbs up overall, though!
Profile Image for Bookreader87(Amanda).
1,168 reviews44 followers
September 8, 2021
4 stars for the narrator. I liked him better in this book than the last I listened of his. He did well with the different characters and kept me entertained.

3.25 stars for the story. Another paranormal experience for Blue to get through. This time it reunites him with his father. The father works for a Viscount who lives in a house that is filled with paranormal activity. He is looking for help with the stories of the spirits of the house for a future hotel or at least that is what he says. However the house is more lively than expected putting Blue, Levi and others in danger.

It was an interesting storyline. I like the progress of Blue's and Levi's relationship. Also loved Tom having a bigger part.
Profile Image for Janet (iamltr).
1,225 reviews85 followers
March 12, 2023
I have to say that this was a much better book than the first one. It was emotional, exciting, and sucked me in immediately.

Slight spoilers

In here we again have Blue whose life has been unbelievably hard and is a psychic and Levi, the goodest man who has ever been good when one day Blue's father, whom he has never met, shows up with an offer of a lot of money for spending a weekend in a haunted manor.

It might have been longer but it's hard to do a search on an audiobook to confirm.

Anyways, like always there were bad ghosts and good ghosts and even charlatans that also were invited to stay. Things of course get ugly but it all works out in the end

During the course of all this you can now see that Blue has accepted being in love with Levi and it was great.

My only knock on this was Joel's narration. By now if you have read my reviews, you know that Joel is one of my favorite narrators so this may be a a shock but the way that Blue and Levi were narrated made it hard to tell who was who. I could not tell the difference. The other characters were done well so I was surprised to have this happen.
Profile Image for Cyndi.
755 reviews45 followers
February 9, 2024
3.5 stars because I don't like unanswered questions. Rounding up because I adore Blue, Levi and Tom and had so much fun reading this book.
Profile Image for Leaf of Absence .
128 reviews23 followers
March 29, 2021
This was--disappointingly--not great.
Nothing much happened in the entire middle section, as if the author didn't quite know where she was going with the story, only to have the action pick up at the end in an over the top that felt rather anti-climactic, because no time was spent on creating a good villain. The secondary characters where so thin, if they turned sideways they'd be invisible, which is a shame as there were great opportunites for creating conflict and tension, with all the in the haunted house.
Profile Image for Lily Loves &#x1f4da;.
779 reviews31 followers
May 27, 2022
I read this because I wanted to read it before The Sceptic comes out and the two MC’s in that book are in the Black & Blue books. I enjoyed the first book in this series about Blue & Levi and I loved that Lily Morton wrote a creepy paranormal story. Starting this book I wasn’t able to concentrate too well and the story wasn’t grabbing my attention so I didn’t expect much but I loved it! I knew my mind was on things outside of reading and that I had to keep reading and sure enough once I was able to give my full attention to the story it sucked me in!

Blue and Levi are so dang sweet! They are so in love and that shines through in the story. They made this book for me and I enjoyed them even more than I did in the first book. Them being together for a year already but still having those little insecurities that come with a relationship made sense but there wasn’t any lack of communication or relationship angst which worked so well. Instead the story is focused on the house that Blue and Levi agree to stay at for 3 days along with Blue’s boss and mentor Tom. The happenings going on in this house are certainly crazy and the owner of the house is a colorful character who doesn’t understand or seem to mind that he’s stirring up spirits.

This is such a fantastic series and I do hope Lily Morton has more planned for Blue and Levi. They are the cutest couple ever!!!!!
Profile Image for ML.
1,607 reviews1 follower
April 1, 2021
It pains me to write such a review since I loved book one but.....


If you like your main characters being in peril at every turn, this book is for you.

Blue and Levi were different in this book.
A bit insecure and if I’m being truly honest, not as likable as the first book.

This was like a Supernatural episode gone wrong. While I really like paranormal books, this book did not resonate with me.

Anyway, they all go to this house that is supposed to be the most haunted house in all of the UK. The owner of the house is basically a deranged cartoon character named Viscount.. blah blah.. he is also Blue’s (show up out of now where) father’s employer. The cartoon viscount wants to open the house up as a hotel. Blue’s past catches up with him as guests of the viscount are Spud and Fay. 2 bad pennies from book 1.

Chaos ensues and the story reaches it’s inevitable conclusion. There are happy spots but overall I think it was a very gloomy experience.
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