Haven’s Creed by Parker Williams

​Title: Haven’s Creed                    Word Count:94,000

Genre: Dark Gay Romance

Blurb: An act of violence destroys his family and ends the life he knows. To escape his haunted past, he joins the military, where, as a sniper, he is trained to kill with precision and detachment. When a covert organization offers him a new purpose, he becomes Haven, an operative devoted to protecting the innocent when he can and avenging them when he cannot.

After ten years of battling the evil in the world, the life no longer holds the attraction or meaning it once had, and he’s ready to walk away. Then he meets Samuel, a young man forced from the age of twelve to work as a sex slave. If ever a man had a need for Haven, it is this one.

Yet nothing about this growing relationship is one-sided. Sammy gives Haven a stability he’s never known, and Haven becomes the rock upon which Sammy knows he can depend.

When Sammy reveals something about the enemy Haven has been hunting for months, Sammy fears it will destroy what they’ve built and he’ll lose his home in Haven’s heart.
My Review: This is a very dark tale of the underground world of sex, innocence lost and some of the worst crimes against humanity. There is an elite group formed for when justice fails. Our main character is sent out to rid the world of the type of scum that would get off scot-free when palms are greased. He is a professional, an assassin, he is the personification of his name Haven. Haven has always been able to take care of his targets without blinking an eye, but lately when he comes home from an assignment he feels very restless. Crimes of sexual slavery are on a rise and his handler Rook appoints him as the best man for the job.

 It is on one of these missions he finds a downtrodden, sorely abused boy named Sammy. Sammy is the most beautiful thing Haven has ever seen, even underneath all the grime and filth he is covered with. Sammy clings to Haven for dear life and it’s the first time Haven decides to use his safe house by taking Sammy with him. It soon becomes clear that Sammy is nervous around everyone else but Haven. Sammy looks at Haven as his protector. Haven calls in assistance from the people who take care of him on his downtime. The doctor gives Sammy a clean bill of health , despite him being a bit malnourished and scared of going outside. Kelly, the man who takes care of him while he is home notices how Sammy clings to Haven. He realizes that there is something between these two men right off the bat.

Sammy is very obvious about his attraction to Haven,  but Haven resists because he believes it’s just hero worship. Sammy blossoms before his eyes and in the weeks to come, it soon becomes clear that Sammy has an underlying strength to him.  He let’s Haven know that he will take care of him and ease the burdens of his mind. Haven comes to realize that he can rely on Sammy’s strength. Although Sammy has been  victimized , he definitely doesn’t portray a victim.  He is comfortable with Haven’s profession and accepts him for who he is. Sammy understands the purpose of Haven being an assassin and relishes the fact that his man is a protector for the innocent.

With every kill that Haven does,  he loses a piece more of his soul. Sammy becomes his rock, the one who puts him all back together when he comes home . Sammy is now his haven, something Haven thought he’d never find. They fall into a D/s relationship with Sammy being the dominant. It seems a bit strange at first , but it actually makes total sense. Sammy needs not to feel like a victim and he knows he will always be the strength for Haven.  Haven needs to checkout after a job and allow someone else to make all the hard decisions for him. Haven knows in his heart that there is no one else he would rather trust to take care of his heart and soul than Sammy. Their relationship is very intense and they take what they need from each other. 

It turns out that the kingpin that Haven is hunting is Sammy’s mother Valerie. Haven can’t wait to kill her, since she is the one who sold sweet Sammy and so many other kids into sexual slavery. There is no love lost between Sammy and his mother, but he fears that Haven will never be the same after this assignment.  Sammy explains that he is a mirror image of his mother in looks. He is afraid that the similarity will tear Haven apart or hinder him from doing his job.

Sammy runs away when he sees that he can’t change Haven’s mind. Haven is hurt and despondent when  Sammy doesn’t  come home. He goes off half cocked and gets himself caught in Valerie’s trap. Valerie tries to break Haven and gives him quite a few injuries,  but Haven being the professional regains the upperhand eventually. He is just about to kill her when Sammy walks in. Sammy is trying to protect his man, he takes the gun and kills his mother without flinching.

They are both safe and they go home together, but it takes almost a year for things to go back to normal. Sammy agrees to see a therapist and work through his angst and trauma. Haven proposes and Sammy is definitely ready to take his last name. It is on their one year anniversary that Sammy finally returns to his glowing  self. I give this my ratings of 4- lose the underwear.