He’s a monster with sharp teeth, but I’m the snake he won’t see coming.

Miguel. Tormented. Lethal. Dead inside.

There is only one reason Miguel became the bodyguard of a cartel boss’s son. So that one day he can take revenge and put a bullet between his father’s eyes. To do that, he needs to keep his secrets close and play a double game with the outrageous Nero Moreno.

And there has never been a more infuriating demon of a man than Nero. From his filed teeth and green hair to the gaudy gold necklaces and a diamond-studded AK-47, he is narco excess personified and everything Miguel despises.

The fact that Nero hits on Miguel every chance he gets is just another burden, because Miguel decided long ago that there is no room for love in his black heart.

Nero. Slutty. Deadly. Lives to spite the world.

No one refuses Nero Moreno. When he sets his sights on a man, sooner or later, his mark surrenders. With the endless buffet of flesh available to him, he shouldn’t care about rejection, but every time his insanely hot bodyguard gives him the cold shoulder, Nero is more set on seduction.

He can see a spark of interest behind the dead black eyes. What does Miguel hide under his tattooed skin and expressionless face? Why won’t he let Nero touch him? Is his heart really made of stone, or does it hold a soul gentler than Miguel would like to admit?

Nero will not rest until he finds out.

When their goals collide, blood follows bullets, and it turns out nothing is as it seems.

How was it?

I’ve discovered this author with Just Here for the Pain, which was a nice surprise, but Primal was the one I throughly enjoyed. From my limited experience with K.A. Merikan I know to expect darker adult themes in a grittier story, however this one has more blood and gore than the previous books I read.

This particular story though, has a solid foundation. I mean I really liked the setup, the cartel background, Miguel and Nero’s backstory, the initial relationship between them, and how it slowly evolved but a lot of the later parts of the story weren’t as smooth as the beginning. The flow was a bit off, even if these parts of the story had standout moments.

This pairing is completely chaotic but that’s part of the charm, Nero is loud and wild – sometimes annoying – while Miguel is quieter but just as chaotic. As for the heat between them, the tension turns out to be better than some of the hot scenes who mostly come in at importune time.

Love Among Reptiles is at times somewhat uneven but still entertaining.