Monstrous Survivors Series by T.J. Hamel, Taylor McNiff

Jake is doing the best he can. He’s going on 10 years working an undercover sex trafficking operation that has forced him to rub elbows with the filth of the world - and smile while doing it. He’s good at his job, though. Especially the part where he keeps his boss’s head on straight. Even when that boss decided to risk everything by falling for one of the slaves they were tasked with saving. He’s exasperated and running on fumes... moreJake is doing the best he can. He’s going on 10 years working an undercover sex trafficking operation that has forced him to rub elbows with the filth of the world - and smile while doing it. He’s good at his job, though. Especially the part where he keeps his boss’s head on straight. Even when that boss decided to risk everything by falling for one of the slaves they were tasked with saving. He’s exasperated and running on fumes. And then his boss asks him to save his love’s new friend, Casey, by buying the slave for himself. What could possibly go wrong? Nothing, if Jake can help it. He certainly won’t make his boss’s mistake of falling in love with the man he’s tasked with saving. Except… Jake’s a daddy who hasn’t been able to actually be a daddy in far too long, and Casey pushes all of his buttons in the best, most dangerous ways. Add in some forced proximity, Casey trusting him above all others, a stuffed dolphin, bubble baths, and late-night cuddles, and Jake has a feeling he might not be able to help it after all. Jake has a feeling he’s doomed. ** This book follows two characters first introduced in T. J. Hamel's Monstrous Deeds series. Though this book can absolutely be enjoyed as a standalone, they are best enjoyed after reading These Monstrous Deeds, A Dangerous Game, and One Last Time. less

Maison Beckett has always been the tough guy. The soldier. The leader. In all the years that he was a commander in an undercover operation, he never faltered. Not once. At least, not until the enemy got their hands on his little brother, Carter. Then Maison Beckett began to crack. Every day that passed was a piece of himself he lost. He sacrificed everything but his dying breath to get his brother back and bring the operation to a close, and if they’d asked he’d have given them that too... moreMaison Beckett has always been the tough guy. The soldier. The leader. In all the years that he was a commander in an undercover operation, he never faltered. Not once. At least, not until the enemy got their hands on his little brother, Carter. Then Maison Beckett began to crack. Every day that passed was a piece of himself he lost. He sacrificed everything but his dying breath to get his brother back and bring the operation to a close, and if they’d asked he’d have given them that too. But it's over now. It's time to heal. It's time to put the pieces back together. Except, Carter hates him, he's butting heads with his operatives, and his own trauma is refusing to be ignored. If Maison was cracking before, he's breaking now. One wrong move and he swears he's going to shatter. Then he meets Nolan. Maison read somewhere that people in Japan will pour gold into the cracks of broken pottery, highlighting their fissures instead of hiding them. They're pieces of art - beautiful because they're broken, not despite it. He wonders if, with a little bit of gold, he and Nolan could become something beautiful too. ** Though this is book 2 of the Monstrous Survivors series, it's only book 1 out of 2 for Maison and Nolan's love story. Their story will conclude in "Piece Us Together" in Summer 2024. There is no cliffhanger - this book is HFN. less

It all started with Maison’s little brother, taken from him by his enemies. It was a mess of danger and heartbreak. A love story or two even came out of it all, one of them between his brother and the best friend meant to only save him. Their relationship as brothers is hanging by a thread. It’s not all bad, though. The mess brought a man named Nolan into his life... moreIt all started with Maison’s little brother, taken from him by his enemies. It was a mess of danger and heartbreak. A love story or two even came out of it all, one of them between his brother and the best friend meant to only save him. Their relationship as brothers is hanging by a thread. It’s not all bad, though. The mess brought a man named Nolan into his life. A sunshine boy who sits by the fire with him at night, not making him speak his horrors out loud, the two of them just existing, alive, free, safe. Nolan is the happy ending to something he never expected to end happily. He’s everything Maison could possibly need. The problem? Maison isn’t everything Nolan could need. He can’t be. He isn’t built that way. It’s time Maison asks someone for help. The last time he saw Hunter Meridian, the man was at the other end of his weapon, accidentally caught up in a bad night. He has no reason to want to help them. Hunter is a good man, though. More than that, he’s a good dom. He’ll do anything to help. He just has to figure out a way not to fall in love with them while doing it. Maison doesn’t think he and Nolan will have that problem. He’s confident, even. Except, Maison can’t stop thinking about that kintsugi art, where art is made from broken pottery. He and Nolan are broken, cracked right down the middle and split into pieces, and Hunter just might be liquid gold, ready to pour into their cracks until the three of them are something whole, something beautiful. How can he and Nolan walk away from that? ** this is book 3 in the monstrous survivors series, but it is book 2 of Nolan and Maison's story. You must at least read book 2 of the series (Pieces of Us) to understand what happens in this book. There is a partner added, making this book mmm with a HEA. less