Chokehold

5⭐️ and 5🌶 Lawd have mercy, this book was HOT 🔥 🥵. MM romance with a ton of smoking spice. Sexual tension, great storyline, character growth, dealing your own sexuality, self discovery, dealing with childhood trauma and abuse, one unhinged psychopath (whom is funny, reminds me of Killian Carson and Grey Hawthorne, but not quite as hilarious as they are), two stepbrothes falling for each other-one trying to fight it and the other figuring out emotions he's never had (he doesn't feel emotions like others)- and them dealing with someone from Cole's past. Such an amazing book. I loved the collaboration between Leigh and Harleigh, masterpiece for sure.

This book grabbed me by the throat from page one and refused to let go 😭🫠 At some point, I was actually scared to keep reading and had to take a break, that’s how intense it gets. The wildest part? The angst doesn’t even come from the main couple! Blaise’s father, Cole’s ex, Jackson, and then Cole’s dad, everyone is out here competing for “Most Problematic Character of the Year” 😩💀 My stress levels were astronomical. And yet… Cole and Blaise were absolutely feral for each other. The kind of unhinged chemistry that makes you question your morals, your sanity, and your Kindle’s overheating warning 🫠🔥 Their obsession feels dangerous, raw, and magnetic, and honestly, that’s exactly what makes this book so damn good. It’s messy. It’s taboo. It’s chaotic. And I devoured every single page.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 🔥 Dark. Twisted. Unforgettable. 🔥 Chokehold by Haleigh Beck & Leigh Rivers is an unrelenting ride of obsession, forbidden desire, and volatile passion. Cole and Blaise—stepbrothers who are as toxic as they are irresistible—drag you into a whirlwind of chaos, secrets, and undeniable chemistry. Their love-hate dynamic is a masterclass in tension, with each encounter pushing them to their limits and daring them to cross every forbidden line. Cole is a walking storm—tortured, angry, and hiding a past that claws at his sanity. Blaise is his opposite—haunted but defiant, drawn to the darkness they ignite in each other. Together, they are fire and gasoline, sparking a connection that is as destructive as it is addictively passionate. Every interaction is a dangerous game, every touch a promise of chaos, and every kiss an explosion. The push and pull between them is brutal, beautiful, and absolutely impossible to look away from. And just when you think you know where their story is headed, it pulls you deeper into the darkness. If you crave MM romance with taboo tension, raw emotions, and unfiltered spice—this one is a must-read. But be warned: it’s not for the faint of heart. 🔥🖤

⭐️⭐️⭐️.2️⃣5️⃣ While this was mildly decent, I was still glad to be done with it. Occasionally, I'll get a hankering for a mm romance. I've come to realize I really enjoy the male perspective more than the females, hence where I think my enjoyment stems from. With a mm book, that's basically the entire book... the male perspective. Never mind that it's written by a woman author, lol. Anyways, I said that to say I think that's why I rated this book a little higher than if it had been a more traditional male/ female romance. The plot was kind of generic, and there was a bit too much sensational stuff going on with the masks, the hunt, the daddy issues, the girlfriends, the trauma. There was a lot going on. I think I could've gotten behind these characters a lot more if there had been less excitement (thrills) and more meaningful moments. The spice seems hollow when I don't feel connected to the main characters. I need the dots to connect for it all to come together and make sense. This felt more lustful and erratic at times. Smooth transitions from one scene to the next were sparse and fleeting. Most of the time, I felt somewhat jarred going from one instance to the next, like there was missing context... something. The writing was decent, though it did have a tendency to be choppy in style. I will likely give another book from either of these authors a try if something sparks my interest. I thought the character dialog had a nice flow. While I wouldn't classify it as…

"Chokehold: A Dark MM Romance" by Leigh Rivers and Harleigh Beck 🖤🔪 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 9.5/10 👨‍🍳💋 Spice Meter: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 10/10 My Review: A wild and bonkers ride that resembles an MM retelling of "Cruel Intentions". The story follows two stepbrothers who are football players, they hate each other, but are drawn to each other. The book is full of confrontational, erotic, and violent elements, with flawed and grim characters. It's a dark, raw, and manipulative tale of toxic bad boy love that explores themes of gay suppression, shame, and childhood abuse. Despite its intense and triggering content, the book has a beating heart at its core, making it a thought-provoking and emotional read. A chef's kiss. 🖤🔪 The Highlight: ✨️ All of it.️ - The emotional depth, the spice was off the charts! and it will downright shock you. If MM erotica/romance is your thing, you'll hate that you love this. It's addictive and I devoured it in two days. Would I Reccomend: For those who like explicit dark content. This book isn't a fuzzy romance, it takes you by the throat and disrespects you. It has a page of triggers at the front. I reccomend proceeding with caution. ⚠️