Lying with Scorpions (Memory of Scorpions, #2) in Riptide Publishing

Dec 21, 2013 Kaje Harper rated it it was amazing

Shelves: m-m, signif-past-abuse, intense, favorites, fantasy, bittersweet

Kendras is now the Officer of the Scorpions. And although their numbers are small, and half of them are new, he feels that heart-deep loyalty to his men that has always been the Scorpion way.

Adrastes has claimed the throne of Dalman. And he is once again moving in the halls of power to which he was born and bred. As his lover and bodyguard, Kendras is at his side watching, seeing the machinations and schemes, the plans and power, that are so different from when this man was Kendras' own Officer. ...more

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Oct 26, 2014 Adam rated it it was amazing

Shelves: military-men, secondary-or-multiple-couples, alpha-males, mm-pnr-or-fantasy-historic, mild-angst-or-tension, knights-and-swords, other-worlds, action-packed, z-half-star-less, favourites

4.5 stars

Aleksandr Voinov rocks my world!
description

I've always enjoyed high fantasy, though I haven't read much of it, and I definitely haven't read many MM medieval fantasies. Now after reading Lying with Scorpions, I can't wait to find other gems in this sub-genre!

Book 2 of the Memory of Scorpions series picks up right where book 1, Scorpion, left off. The old king is dead, the ocean priesthood are scheming, Adrastes is claiming Dalman for himself, and Kendras is trying to fill his role as the new leade 4.5 stars

Aleksandr Voinov rocks my world!
description

I've always enjoyed high fantasy, though I haven't read much of it, and I definitely haven't read many MM medieval fantasies. Now after reading Lying with Scorpions, I can't wait to find other gems in this sub-genre!

Book 2 of the Memory of Scorpions series picks up right where book 1, Scorpion, left off. The old king is dead, the ocean priesthood are scheming, Adrastes is claiming Dalman for himself, and Kendras is trying to fill his role as the new leader of the Scorpions as best as he can.

This sequel is quite different from book 1, and that's mostly because the story goes in a very different direction. In Scorpion, Kendras and the Scorpions were largely on their own, fighting for their very survival. In book 2, Kendras is still fighting for the Scorpions' survival, but he does it from a position of power as the king's right-hand man. What that means is that there is significantly more politics, intrigue and diverging factions than there were in the first book. But don't let that scare you, because the action and adventure are still here in spades!

We're also introduced to a cast of new characters, the most notable of which is Graukar. Graukar is a commander of an isolated Dalman fortress, an accomplished military strategist and very popular with his soldiers. In other words: he's a potential threat to Adrastes. But even so, Kendras can't help but be drawn to Graukar, especially once his relationship with Adrastes begins to sour.

I think the only thing I can say about Adrastes is this: prepare to have any illusions you might have held about him to be shattered. He ends up being a far more complex character than he was in 'Scorpion.' Whether that's a good thing or not, you can judge for yourself.

Overall, I really enjoyed 'Lying with Scorpions.' In this book, readers will get romance, action, betrayal and a whole host of other fun stuff. In particular, you'll get a flawed yet amazing MC, Kendras. A lot of questions readers might have had about Kendras after book 1 are answered here, especially about his past, but by the end you'll have even more questions. I would recommend this series for all MM readers, and even fantasy readers looking for something different! =D ...more

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Dec 21, 2013 Christina rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, m-m, military

Lying With Scorpions picks up right where book one ends. Adrastes is on his way to claim the throne of Dalman with Kendras at his side. Adrastes and the Scorpios are walking into a mess of trouble. The fear of political power games, the lies, conspiracies, assassination attempts, revenge, betrayal, are all very real threats. This is a journey that both Adrastes and Kendras have to take, both together and separately. Adrastes was born a leader but he now needs to figure out how to become a King t Lying With Scorpions picks up right where book one ends. Adrastes is on his way to claim the throne of Dalman with Kendras at his side. Adrastes and the Scorpios are walking into a mess of trouble. The fear of political power games, the lies, conspiracies, assassination attempts, revenge, betrayal, are all very real threats. This is a journey that both Adrastes and Kendras have to take, both together and separately. Adrastes was born a leader but he now needs to figure out how to become a King that the masses will follow. As leader of the Scorpions, Kendras has to learn to trust his decisions while trying to deal with his past and how he and his men fit into Adrastes' plans. He is pulled in many directions. You can feel the war within himself and his struggle with his feelings for Adrastes.

Now on to the details. Where the first book takes off from page one, this book has a slower pace. In fact, the beginning was too slow for my liking. Adrastes' political dealings dragged a bit and Kendras' inner thoughts were a little repetitive. I wish he didn't doubt himself so much. This got annoying at times. I was hoping that he found that inner strength sooner.

Around 40% the book changes. We get the action and tension akin to the first book. There are twists and turns and unexpected reveals. The emotional impact of the second half of the book hits hard.

Book two brings many new characters, plus more of my old favorites and some romance! I was so happy when Widow came into the picture. I love all his craziness! Of course Selvan also has a very special warm place in my heart. He is always there when Kendras needs his calming presence. I wish we saw more of Kendras with his men, especially Selvan. I love him.

Voinov brings great characters to this series. He deals with race, gender, and sexual identity like no other. My favorite new character was Amrash, the Jaishani Ambassador. There's a deadly quiet, mystery, and power that surrounds Amrash. Then there's Runner, the new badass female Scorpion recruit. I can't wait for this to be explored more.

Finally, there's Graukar, the Commander of Eagle’s Test. He's wise and passionate and in many ways brings a very real threat to Adrastes. At first, I thought Graukar could have his own agenda, which I liked, but then it seemed like his character flattened out. It's funny because he brought so much to Kendras but I lost the mystery behind him. I really hope there's more to him in the next book because I really like him. (view spoiler) Beautiful!

Never kneel and mean it. If you have to crawl, be the scorpion under the rock — ready to strike at the hand turning the stone.

Kendras must now find his own path. I can't wait to see him become the leader he was meant to be!
...more

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Jan 14, 2014 Thomaidha Papa rated it really liked it

Shelves: combat-war, fantasy, m-m, blood-gore

3.5 Hearts
Review written for MM Good Book Reviews

Well, it’s finally done and after a long time filled with anticipation, book two of the Memory of Scorpions takes us into yet another enthralling tale.

In direct opposition with Book one, this novel starts relatively calm. Adrastes is now the new Lord Protector and on his way to claim Dalman and her throne with his very own personal guard, the Scorpions, and his lover Kendras at his side as his personal bodyguard. And they are needed too, because A ...more

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Feb 21, 2014 Letti rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Wow, I have no idea how to review this one... I have so many questions and to be plain at this point I don't trust any of these characters so many lies, secrets and deception.... I don't know what crawled up Kendras ass... He was no better with his lies and deception, people who live in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones....

I have no reason to distrust Adrastes character at this point... I'm not sure what his ultimate game plan is but so far it seems legit...

"If you cut out a weed, you have ...more

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Dec 21, 2013 Lady*M marked it as dnf

Shelves: m-m-romance, fantasy

I am giving up for the time being and I'm not rating the book (I am at maybe 73-74 %). The big part of the problem is me - I am just taken up with other things right now. When I'm reading the book, it flows easily, but I am also too easily distracted from it and I cannot do it justice.

The second problem for me is that this book doesn't feel like sequel to Scorpion - the book I fell in love with - but some other story with the similar characters. Gone is the gritty, masculine world of the previo ...more

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