Guns N Boys 7: Gilded Agony by K.A. Merikan

Title: Guns N Boys: Gilded Agony Word Count:257
Genre:Contemporary Gay Mafia Romance

Blurb: “We are two halves of the same rotten apple.”

Deep in the Amazonian jungle, there is a mansion with a rose garden and a hen house where juicy tomatoes are the perfect shade of red, and marble countertops glisten. Inside, where even the shadows don’t reach, something is rotting, and the perfect facade can only hold the stench for so long.

Domenico promised his husband that he would keep him safe, keep him away from the bloodshed and the brutal world of cartel violence. But when a guest arrives to help retrieve a stolen transport of guns, something sinister sneaks into his home, something more dangerous than his enemies. Or has it been there all along, and he just hasn’t noticed?

Seth’s life is what others dream of. Endless leisure time filled with cocktails, a kitchen stocked with anything he wishes for, and a private pool in the sunshine. What’s missing is the man he shares it with, the man he fell in love with. If being cut off from the mafia business was what he wanted, then why is it so painfully lonely in paradise?

Desperate to be the supportive husband Domenico needs, Seth buries his rage, his violent urges, and the anger that simmers inside of him. But he can only hide in plain sight for so long, and when a guest invites him to play with fire, one misstep, one wrong move, could burn their safe haven to the ground.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS:
Themes: mafia, cartel, assassin, organized crime, family ties, domestic violence, inequality, betrayal, revenge

Genre: Dark, twisted M/M romance / crime thriller

Length: ~92,000 words (Book 7 in the series)

WARNING: Adult content. If you are easily offended, this book is not for you.
‘Guns n’ Boys’ is a gritty story of extreme violence, offensive language, abuse, and morally ambiguous protagonists as well as scorching hot, explicit love scenes. Behind the morbid facade, there is a splash of inappropriate dark humor, and a love story that will crawl under your skin.

My Review: The glorified title of ‘house husband’ has never been one coveted by Seth Villani- Acerbi, but that is exactly what his everyday life has turned into. Looking in from the outside, he has everything at his disposal. He has chickens, his own little garden and whatever else he doesn’t have ,there is money enough to buy it. Seth feels unfulfilled in his life and certain subjects are off limits between him and his husband Dom. Seth feels the tension in their relationship and drinks his loneliness away. When Dom seems to have forgotten their anniversary, Seth drinks until he passed out right after he puts away all the awesome food that he prepared for their intimate private dinner.

Domenico Acerbi feels like he is protecting Seth. He keeps his business dealings away from him and doesn’t talk about work. Taking over Toro’s operations has left a heavy burden for him to carryout. He needs to gain the respect of the people and he needs to prove that he can be a bigger badass than Toro, particularly to the Morenos who are even bigger drug kingpins. Not being able to unload his burdens has created a slight divide between him and Seth. Dom notices that Seth drinks more now and this leaves him feeling disappointed, especially when he comes home late on their anniversary to find his husband passed out . He doesn’t understand why his husband seems so ungrateful with the life of luxury he leads.

It soon becomes clear that Dom isn’t the only one who looks at Seth as his indolent trophy husband, so does Mark and Miguel. Mark is no longer a boy and has since taken on a more active role in the business as Dom’s right hand. This gives him the sense that he can mock Seth’s position as his resentment grows. Things boil over when a 5 million dollar gun shipment is stolen from right under their nose. Domenico is furious and certainly stressed. He feels two inches tall when he has to explain to the Morenos. When Dom feels as if Seth keeps bothering him with inconsequential party preparations, he blows up. Seth feels humiliated and like a stranger in his own home. He definitely sees the ‘fragile’ position he has been relegated to, especially when one of Toro’s men makes a slur comparing Seth to his wife.

Nero Moreno and one of his men Diego rolls into town for the party and also to search for the missing shipment. Diego can’t seem to take his eyes off Seth and corners him in the kitchen , making passes at him. Seth is dumbfounded by Diego’s interest mainly because he knows his husband is Dom. It’s obvious that Diego has a death wish, this titillates and piques Seth’s interest. It reminds him of how Dom was when they first met. Seth likes to flirt with danger, but he knows he can’t take it too far because he is very much devoted to his husband. It’s just his way of testing his appeal.

When Diego makes a disparaging comment about Seth’s lips to Dom, Dom shows him why he is now called Toro. Dom gives him a good thrashing, while barely even blinking. Going home to a darkened home, Dom is slightly worried when he sees movement by the pool. Seth chooses that night to draw Dom in with a sexy role play about him cheating with the pool boy. With his anger still simmering so close to the surface from his fight with Diego, Seth is unknowingly playing a dangerous game with Dom. Dom devours his sexy husband voraciously and unleashes his dominance over him. Dom plays around with breath play by pushing Seth’s head in the pool.He goes at him with such intensity and Seth loves it. The needy part of Seth demands this rough side of his lover. They both are in heaven, reconnecting in this most carnal way. Dom through out the idea of Seth wearing a cock cage and he is certainly intrigued.

Things are going great between the loving couple for a few days before everything goes to shit. They come home from a party to find their son Mark in their bed with an underage girl Lilli who Dom has said is off limits. Dom is infuriated at Mark’s stupidity. He gets really rough and punches him in the face. Seth jumps into the fray to stop Dom who pushes him hard causing him to hit his face. Seth is now incensed at his husband’s lack of self control. Now his face is swollen and bruised. Dom is apologetic, but the damage is done.

Seth is slowly stewing about all his mistreatment lately. He’s restless with the life he leads. When Diego comes by , Seth is surprised. He has enough sense not to let him into their home, but he still entertains him and feeds him cake. Diego take things much too far when he masturbates in front of Seth. Seth knows that a line has been crossed and he immediately shuts it down. He knows he can never let anything happen again. Seth feels really guilty and he treats Dom like a King when he gets home. Little does Seth know the events he has set in place through his actions.

Their lives are impacted by tragedy when Diego claims to have a tip on the missing shipment. Their world is about to implode. Diego throws Mark over a cliff after an argument ensued. By the time Mark comes out of the hospital , he has lost an eye. Seth is devastated that his son is hurt. Dom tries to understand what happened and questions Mark. Mark reveals that Diego said he was sleeping with Seth. Dom sees the guilt written all over Seth’s face. Unbeknownst to him , Seth has somehow led on this madman in believing that he is interested. Domenico is enraged and feels utterly betrayed. This time he doesn’t even think before he punches Seth, because he wants to pound him. His heart feels like it’s been ripped out with every revelation of his husband’s near infidelity. He doesn’t even care that Seth didn’t sleep with Diego, the intent was there.

Things get messier when they set a trap for Diego, using Seth as bait. Nothing goes as planned. Diego gets Lilli to get Seth to open the gates and then kills her. Seth tries to lure him away from his unprotected family in the house. Diego believes Seth is his and he is ready to collect. Domenico is blinded by rage when he witnesses his husband’s infidelity with Seth kneeling before Diego pleasuring him. He doesn’t realize that Seth is only doing this to survive. In the end its Seth who ends up killing Diego while Dom is severely injured.

Seth knows his life of complacency has ended. It was time for him to remember the man he was and accept all consequences of the life they lead. No longer could he pretend to be the ‘house husband’ cooking and cleaning. Their foundation has been rocked to the very core, which was built upon trust. Dom is disoriented as he doesn’t know what to believe of Seth anymore , a man who was his everything. A man who he thinks is ungrateful for the luxurious life he had. Dom put another nail in their coffin when he shoots all of Seth’s chickens, the only thing that gave him peace in recent times.Dom cannot see that somewhere along the way he stopped giving of himself, the most important thing that Seth craved. They have both made mistakes and it will be very hard to come back from these events.

It takes almost losing Seth when he boards a boat, for Dom to come to his senses. He realized that throughout the years, Seth has always remained faithful to him no matter how many men have tried. They have a serious talk and Seth explains the despair and how truly stifled he felt in their relationship in the last two years. Dom is saddened that his overprotective personality has led them down this road. They know that it’s going to take hard work to rebuild the trust on honesty that they one had. They need to re-engage and become attuned to each other feelings like they once was. They end up in Buenos Aires feeling more like themselves than in El Encanto. Seth has reclaimed agency in their relationship and Dom allows his man to flourish and appreciate all that entails. I give this my ratings of 4-lose the underwear. I love catching up with Dom and Seth, but I’m ready to delve into Mark’s story. Can’t wait!!!