Oversight by Santino Hassell | The Community #2
Paranormal Romance, LGBTQIA
Publication Date | June 26th, 2017
ARC from the author and Netgalley
Book Blurb:
Spoiler Alert! The following blurb contains spoilers for Insight, book one of The Community.
Holden Payne has it all . . . or so he thinks. As heir to the founder of the Community—an organization that finds, protects, and manages psychics—he’s rich, powerful, and treated like royalty. But after a series of disappearances and murders rock the Community, he’s branded the fall guy for the scandal and saddled with a babysitter.
Sixtus Rossi is a broad-shouldered, tattooed lumbersexual with a man-bun and a steely gaze. He’s also an Invulnerable—supposedly impervious to both psychic abilities and Holden’s charms. It’s a claim Holden takes as a challenge. Especially if sleeping with Six may help him learn whether the Community had more to do with the disappearances than they claimed.
As Holden uncovers the truth, he also finds himself getting in deep with the man sent to watch him. His plan to seduce Six for information leads to a connection so intense that some of Six’s shields come crashing down. And with that comes a frightening realization: Holden has to either stand by the Community that has given him everything, or abandon his old life to protect the people he loves.
| Book Review |
Because Insight was a shaky start to this series for me, I was nervous going into Oversight. My worry quickly disappeared, as I found this story to be gripping from the outset. The Community should be read in order, as the world really was established in book one. Oversight, on the other hand, filled in a lot of blanks while spending more time developing the characters, which I appreciated. The push and pull going on inside of Holden while he struggled to come to terms with what The Community was really about was wonderfully done. I like that while presented with facts, he couldn’t immediately go all in. He needed time to let things sink in, and I thought that was more realistic than just going in guns blazing to bring The Community down. Especially as it involved his entire family and was what a large portion of his upbringing revolved around. Six’s character was interesting. He had no concept of manners or boundaries, and his interactions with Holden were sometimes hilarious because of that. The heat was heavier in this one for sure, and Six and Holden had a lot of chemistry; Six may have been the inexperienced one, but there were a lot of firsts for Holden as well.
The intrigue was thicker here, and it ratcheted up the intensity of the story. The pacing was non-stop, and I found it impossible to walk away from this book. There were surprises in this one, as well as some strong female characters helping to lead the way and also appearances from Nate and Trent. The author did a fantastic job drawing the reader into Chase and Elijah’s story before it’s even begun. (Their story is next.) And man – that ending was killer. Oversight was a game changer for me. I’m now all in with this series and cannot wait for Sightlines. If you finished the first book in this series undecided on whether or not to continue, I urge you to give this book a go. You’ll find yourself immediately immersed in this story and hankering for the last installment!
| Rating |
Series | The Community
| excerpt |
He half-expected to be shoved away and for a fist to crash into his face right before the taste of iron bloomed in his mouth, but it didn’t happen. The hands gripping him closed down harder, grinding bone and muscle, but that was the only way Six reacted. He was frozen as Holden stroked his tongue gently and coaxed it into a response before sucking it entirely into his mouth.
A groan muffled against him, low and quickly aborted, but Holden heard it. And he felt the way Six leaned into him. It was barely a response, but it encouraged Holden to pin Six against the door and dive into a hungry kiss. Slicking tongues, frantically moving lips, and a full body press that made it quite clear that Six was into this. His dick was fully rocked up in a way that could not be explained by anything other than arousal for Holden.
It was right about the time triumph usually exploded in Holden’s chest with invisible banners and balloons celebrating a conquest, but this time he felt apprehension. He didn’t want to end this kiss. He wanted Six to keep exploring the inside of his mouth with a delightfully frantic lack of finesse, and he wanted a genuine fucking smile once they were done. But that wasn’t in the cards. That wasn’t what this was about.
| about the author |
Santino Hassell was raised by a conservative family, but he was anything but traditional. He grew up to be a smart-mouthed, school cutting grunge kid, then a transient twenty-something, and eventually transformed into an unlikely romance author.
Santino writes queer romance that is heavily influenced by the gritty, urban landscape of New York City, his belief that human relationships are complex and flawed, and his own life experiences.
| Connect with Santino |
Website || Twitter || Instagram || FB Group || FB || GR || Tumblr
Very cool that Oversight really made you click with the series. I like how you describe this pair and I look forward to seeing this whole psychic world and the intrigue with it.
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I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. This book felt so much clearer to me than the previous.
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I am bad with shaky starts, I give up so easily
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You know, I do, too, but not with an author I love! There was no way I could have given this series up!
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First time I hear about this series but boy, if you got me intrigued! I think I should definitely keep this one in mind 🙂 Thanks for sharing both your thoughts and the excerpt!
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I’m glad it sparked your interest, Silvia. I hope you get a chance to read it. 🙂
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I love this series. Sorry Insight was a bit of a slow start for you, but I’m glad you continued on and loved this one. I thought it was a great addition to the series. So much has been set up now, it does make for a quick read. I can’t wait for Chase and Eli!
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
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Oh my word. YES! That ending was killer. I need Chase and Eli’s story yesterday! I’m hooked. LOL
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Oh this looks good. I think the premise would have helped me at least continue after a shaky start but good to know that it pays off. You have me curious about this one!!
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I hope you get a chance to read it. I am so hooked now!
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Glad this was a stronger outing than the first book. Hope the next one is even better. Great review!!
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Thanks, Grace! I have my fingers crossed.
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I am glad this installment worked out better for you. Great review.
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Thanks, Nadene. 🙂
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i love when a book holds you captive like that! Great review 🙂
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Thanks, Kim. I love that, too! I makes me desperate to find another that has the same impact.
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So glad you enjoyed this one as much as you did. Isn’t it wonderful when a second book really takes a series to a new level? Great review!
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Yes! I love it when there’s payoff to sticking with a series!
Thank you, Carole. 🙂
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Wow. A perfect 5-star rating. I’ll definitely check this one out. Great review!
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I hope you love it as much as I did! 🙂
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I can see that you really love this author. You make me curious and want to give one of hers a try. Thanks for sharing this book and this new series, hon. Awesome review as always. I love all your reviews. 🙂
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Thanks! That is so nice of you to say.
Yeah, Hassell can do no wrong as far as I’m concerned. Some are definitely better than others, but I feel like he has his finger on the pulse of humanity, and it really shows in his writing.
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Sounds really edge of your seat! I love stories like that and I’m happy that you enjoyed this one. 🙂 Great review. ~Aleen
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It really was edge of your seat!
Thank you. 🙂
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Oh that’s awesome. Quite the change of feelings. Always nice when you’re nervous and it ends up rocking 😀
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Yes, I am all in now and waiting not so patiently for the next installment! 🙂
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I actually just read this author’s upcoming book Illegal Contact and really enjoyed it. He’s a new-to-me author but I was hoping to read some more of his work. I’m glad this one worked out so well considering your rocky start with the first one. If I give this series I go, I’ll be sure to power through to the second book is I have the same problems as you did with the first.
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Oh, I’m so jealous. I cannot wait to read Illegal Contact!
I will be interested to hear your thoughts. 🙂
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I feel the same as you. I liked insight but Oversight was a much stronger book all around.
For What It’s Worth
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It really was. It has me so excited for the third now that the author has upped the ante!
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