Sicarii Series Parts 1-3 by Adrienne Wilder-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway Tour
SICARII part 1
Release Date: April 28, 2020
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Ben Corbin lost his parents then his uncle and clues to the man responsible take him to the small town of Spencer. While Ben is determined to get justice for the murder of his family, he finds himself drawn to Jacob Moser, an ex-prostitute with ties to the killer.
Jacob Moser owes his life to Marcel Serghi. A man forged into a killer under the most brutal conditions. A man who saved him when no one else would.
Ben and Jacob, two men from completely different worlds, who have no idea how much they need each other until a killer brings them together.
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REVIEW:
SICARII part 1 by Adrienne Wilder is a contemporary, adult, dark, erotic psychological thriller focusing on Ben Corbin, Jacob Moser and Marcel Serghi.
DEFINITION: In ancient times, in Judaism, the Sicarii were assassins and murderers who carried a dagger known as the sica.
WARNING: SICARII part 1 contains graphic scenes of M/M sexual situations that may not be suitable for all readers.
Told from three third person perspectives (Ben, Jacob and Marcel) SICARII part one introduces the players and sets the premise that follows a betrayal and vendetta in the world of the SICARII. Marcel Serghi is a member of the House Sicarii; an assassin who has disobeyed the laws of their covenant and as such finds himself the target of a woman seeking vengeance for someone she lost. Marcel is no longer the assassin of memory but a man who is much more. With former rent-boy (aka male prostitute) Jacob Moser as his part-time companion and sexual partner, Marcel bides his time knowing someone will come seeking revenge, and that someone has come looking for justice, at a cost to his own family and the people he loves. Enter Ben Corbin, a twenty-something young man who has last everyone and everything, and with one final act of rebellion, Ben sets out to take down the man he believes killed the only family he has ever known.
We are introduced to Marcel’s young neighbor, high school teen Sam Waters who is struggling with his sexual identity. Sam has been bullied most of his life, and Marcel Serghi sees something in Sam that calls to his heart. Building up Sam’s confidence, Marcel sets up a series of tasks for the young boy but his reasons and determinations have yet to be revealed.
SICARII part one is a story of betrayal, vengeance, power and control; of obedience and resignation; of family, love, and eroticism; of loss, lessons, deception, acknowledgement and acceptance. A complex and original story line, SICARII part one is compelling and dramatic that barely touches the surface of Marcel Serghi’s dark and dangerous history.
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SICARII part 2
Release Date: April 28, 2020
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Ben Corbin has been swept up in a vicious game of revenge. A pawn to be sacrificed in a life or death game of chess.
In order to survive, Ben must make a deal with the devil, Marcel Serghi.
A mistake from Jacob’s past is brought into the game. And it could cost Jacob more than his pride.
It could cost him Ben.
Ben and Jacob, two men from completely different worlds, who have no idea how much they need each other until a killer brings them together.
••••••••••
REVIEW: SICARII part two is a contemporary, adult, dark, erotic psychological thriller continuing to focus on the growing relationship between Ben Corbin, Jacob Moser and Marcel Serghi.
WARNING: SICARII part 2 contains graphic scenes of M/M sexual situations that may not be suitable for all readers.
Told from four third person perspectives (Ben, Jacob, Marcel and Sam) SICARII Part two follows two paths: Ben Corbin’s reasons for searching out Jacob and Marcel have spiralled into a murderous rampage by someone else. In need of security and reassurance, Marcel will offer Ben his protection but payment will come at a cost to both Jacob and Ben. Jacob has been in love with Marcel for as long as they have been together, and Ben is a threat to Jacob’s peace of mind. When Jacob is instructed to prepare Ben for repayment of his debt, Jacob and Ben find themselves pushed together in an effort to overcome their mutual fears.
For all intents and purposes, Marcel Serghi is an emotionless manipulator: a lonely old man who continues to be a bit of an anomaly with super human strength and power. I am not sure if there is a slight paranormal and preternatural edge to Marcel Serghi but some of the characters also question the who, what and how of the older man’s strength.
Meanwhile, teenager Sam Waters befriends another gay teen at school, a young boy who is bullied as much as Sam. Having been attacked and pushed one too many time, Sam takes action, earning him a reputation amongst the student body, but a reputation that is building animosity from the homophobic crowd.
SICARII Part two focuses more on the sexual relationship between Jacob, Ben and Marcel, and Ben’s education and preparedness for Marcel’s taking. Jacob, although deeply in love with Marcel Serghi, finds himself attracted to a man who isn’t prepared to make restitution with his body or his mind. The $ex scenes are intense and dramatic with questionable issues of consent and force, regardless of what Marcel pressures the two young man to believe- in this I struggled with the acquiescence of Ben in the face of threats both real or perceive. SICARII Part two is a twisted and unusual tale of love, relationships, protection and control.
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SICARII part 3
Release Date: April 28, 2020
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Marcel Serghi lives by the rules of his House Sicarii where he was honed into the perfect killer; merciless, emotionless, incapable of remorse.
Jacob Moser has always had undying loyalty to Marcel for saving his life.
Until Ben.
Now Jacob must make a choice, to love or live. Because breaking a vow with Marcel means returning what he gifted Jacob.
A chance to live.
Ben and Jacob, two men from completely different worlds, who have no idea how much they need each other until a killer brings them together.
••••••••
REVIEW:SICARII Part 3 is the third and final instalment in Adrienne Wilder’s contemporary, adult, dark, SICARII erotic psychological thriller focusing on Ben Corbin, Jacob Moser and Marcel Serghi, as well as the burgeoning relationship between high school students Sam Waters and his friend Roshan.
NOTE: SICARII contains scenes of graphic violence and assault, and M/M sexual situations that may not be suitable for more sensitive readers.
Told from several third person perspectives (Ben, Jacob, Marcel, Sam and Yvette) SICARII Part 3 is the culmination of three story lines that follows the controversial relationship between Ben, Jacob and Marcel, and the vendetta against Marcel Serghi for sins of the past. Marcel Serghi is a member of the House of Sicarii, a House of assassins who must abide by the rules of the covenant. Believing Marcel must sacrifice himself for the death of her brother, twenty years earlier, Yvette wages a war against Marcel, threatening everyone in his life including Ben, Jacob and Sam. When Marcel is called to present himself before the Court of Justices to speak to the accusations by Yvette, Ben and Jacob take their own relationship to the next level, a relationship of which Marcel is no longer in control.
Meanwhile, Sam Waters continues to do battle with the high school bullies, a battle he wages with determination and might. Sam’s relationship with Roshan becomes public fodder for the homophobic tormentors but Sam, with the help of Marcel, endures yet continues to suffer throughout the story, having become the target of vengeance and hate.
SICARII is a story of power and control; of discrimination and abuse; of betrayal, vengeance, acceptance and love. Sam and Roshan’s relationship is symbolic of the struggles for many young men coming to terms with the sexual identity but also is representative of Marcel’s relationship with his first love Alexander. Jacob finds love with Ben Corbin, a love he was unable to find with Marcel Serghi; and Marcel uses his membership in the House of Sicarii to protect them all. A strong final instalment SICARII part 3 leaves a little bit of mystery surrounding Marcel Serghi, an emotionless, anti-hero with almost preternatural abilities, and a dark past shrouded in death, personal loss and destruction.
Copies supplied for review
Reviews by Sandy
The killer watched.
Light bled from Sam Water’s window, backlighting his silhouette. The pencil danced in his hand. Whatever drove him from his bed must have been important. He was up early, even for a school day.
Marcel leaned against the porch railing and coaxed a cigarette from the package in his hand. The momentary flame from the lighter outlined the web of scar tissue across his palm and three and a half fingers. The car bomb had also spared his thumb. A good thing. Learning how to write with his left hand would have been a bitch.
Not that an old dog couldn’t be taught a new trick. He was no old dog, but the teachings ingrained in him had been done so under conditions leaving no room for change.
The cherry of his cigarette flared in the darkness.
Night in this suburban neighborhood was nothing like where he’d grown up. Tucked in the mountains, there were only the stars, the moon, and the occasional candle. There the darkness wasn’t just a state of being. It was a living thing. All-consuming and unforgiving, conspiring with the wilderness to kill those too weak to survive.
Here the darkness was just a veil; once lifted, life returned, shattering any chance of reaching such perfection.
The storm door to the house opened, and the wooden slats on the porch creaked.
Mild green tea and aloe mixed with the honeysuckle blooming along the split rail fence nestled between the houses. The heat left over from the shower clung to Jacob’s skin.
“I wish you wouldn’t smoke.” In the darkness, there was only the sound of his breathing, the rustle of his clothes, the weight of his body pressing against the space around Marcel. A space that shrank to nothing with another small step.
Jacob’s caress traced the line of Marcel’s jaw. Layers of scars disrupted the gentle movement.
“Did you find your money?” Marcel exhaled a stream of bitter smoke.
“You gave me too much again.”
“It is a tip. For…you know. Good service.”
Jacob teased his fingers down the back of Marcel’s neck. There was more in his touch than physical contact. There was longing, yearning, endless want. But Marcel would never be able to give the man what he yearned for.
“You don’t need to tip me. You already give me so much.”
“I make you live in a motel.”
“Only because it’s close.”
“I could buy you a house.” The tip of the cigarette flared. Jacob was right, he shouldn’t smoke. Damn things never tasted like anything but shit.
“I don’t want a house.”
“You should. You are young. Young people should want a house. A family. A car. You have nothing.”
Jacob rested his cheek on Marcel’s shoulder. “I have you.”
“Nothing.” Marcel snuffed out the cigarette between his finger and thumb, then slid the butt into his shirt pocket. “You should go. Get some sleep.”
“I napped.”
Marcel cupped Jacob’s chin. He didn’t need the light to know how Jacob pleaded with his eyes.
Marcel saw it every time they were together. “No. I have told you many times.”
“Maybe I keep hoping.”
“It is a waste.”
“I don’t see it like that.”
“I could let you go. I could give you enough to go wherever you wanted. Back to school, maybe. What was it you wanted to do again?”
“I don’t want to go to school.”
“You should.”
“I’m happy.”
“You need more than an old man’s cock in your ass. You could go back and get your degree.”
“It takes years to be a doctor, and that dream sailed a long time ago.”
He was young enough to catch up to it. Or simply change direction altogether. All Jacob needed was motivation. A reason to want more. Someway for him to see there was more.
Marcel leaned down, and Jacob tipped his face up, leaving his mouth an inch, maybe less, but definitely not more, away from Marcel’s.
“You need to save those for someone you love.” Marcel traced the bow of Jacob’s lips with his thumb.
“Maybe I have.”
“No, Jacob. I fuck you. That is all.”
“And I’m okay with that. I—”
Marcel stopped him with a press of his finger. The tremor running down Jacob’s body was nothing more than a flutter of his pulse.
Jacob swallowed. “Please don’t send me away.”
One day Marcel would. But not today. Or tomorrow. Jacob wasn’t ready. “Friday. Ten o’clock.”
Marcel went back to tracing Jacob’s lips. He deserved to be kissed, to be loved. But that part of Marcel had been stripped away those nights on a mountain ledge when he was a boy.
“Go home.” He patted Jacob’s cheek. “Rest. You will need it.”
The whisper of tennis shoes against wooden slats faded into steps of rubber soles on concrete. Then those too were gone, leaving Marcel to the darkness.
In the window of the house next door, the boy finished writing whatever had pulled him out of bed. He folded the piece of paper in careful movements. Then he disappeared from view, and the patch of light coming from his lamp winked out.
And the killer watched.
I am a writer of contemporary and speculative fiction and artist of all things monster. I live to create new worlds and the people in them. Several of my books have been best sellers both nationally and internationally. I have also been a finalist in the LAMDA awards, the “Oscars” of gay literary works.
I do my best to write original stories with powerful characters and emotion as well as a fast-paced plot. My goal isn’t just to deliver a good story but to take the reader into the story and let them experience the characters as if they are right there with them.
While almost all my books have a romantic element, I will be the first to admit, they are not traditional romance. In fact, I’d like to think there is nothing traditional about them. And the stories I paint are done so way outside the lines of traditional genres.
One of my favorite things to do as a writer is push the boundaries of what makes a story and to deliver the unexpected and maybe even change the perspective of the reader.
My characters are more often than not, beautifully flawed, not always the good guy, and make mistakes. Their stories will take dark turns which, in the end, make the light at the end of the tunnel all the brighter.
If you’re looking for something different, exciting, and unique, my books are for you.
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Great reviews, Sandy. This series looks very intense and dark.
Wonderful review, Sandy. The premise looks very good. Thanks.
Thanks for the fantastic reviews, looks like a dark read!
Wonderful reviews and excerpt, thanks
Looks great, thanks Sandy
sounds interesting, though intense. thanks sandy.
Thanks, Sandy. Looks like a good series.
Thanks for hosting Sicarii and taking the time to review!
Thanks for the great reviews and excerpt.
Looks like a great series, Thanks, Sandy.
Looks like a great series, thanks for the wonderful reviews.
Great reviews, thanks Sandy.