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.
Pixie at MM Good Book Reviews:
Title: Haven
Author: Parker Williams
Genre: Contemporary, Assassin
Length: Novel (193pgs)
ISBN:
Publisher: Parker Williams
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts
Reviewer: Pixie
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 eight 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.
Purchase Link:
Review: Haven is a man who is becoming despondent with his life: after an act of violence tore his family apart Haven has dedicated his life to protecting those who can’t protect themselves but after nine years of killing his calling seems to be waning; until he rescues a young man who rocks his foundation. Sammy has lived as a sex slave since he was eleven years old and his own mother handed him over to his owner, when Haven rescues him Sammy sees something in Haven that gives him strength and Sammy is determined to make Haven his.
The first thing I want to say is that this story isn’t for those people who shy away from violence or abuse, there is plenty of on page violence and signs of abuse with much child abuse, both physical and sexual, mentioned throughout the book. For me it was necessary because Haven’s and Sammy’s lives are not that of everyday people, they have seen the worst of humanity and continue to survive. It also gives you insight into the type of men they are and what drives them as well as how strong they really are, even if their inner strength begins to flag at times.
Haven is an unseen hero, a man who has been trained to make those who have escaped justice pay for their vile crimes. He’s part of a covert government organization whose reach is long and those who bribed, threatened and murdered their way to freedom have nowhere to hide. Sammy is a victim of one of those people and although he has been used and abused his inner core has never been touched; his hope of eventually escaping has kept him going.
While Haven is doing the right thing he can’t help but feel like he’s not a good man even if the people he has killed did deserve it, he’s beginning to feel tainted by what he does; he’s losing the strength of his conviction, but Sammy handles Haven in a way Haven never knew he needed and reinforces Haven’s conviction in his calling. Sammy will be a contradiction to many people; he’s full of strength and confidence with Haven but is scared and fearful of everyone else, but that’s how he reacts to the life he has had and Haven becomes the strength that Sammy needs to piece his life together.
Haven’s and Sammy’s relationship progresses quickly because Sammy isn’t about to let Haven slip through his fingers, their coming together is hot, and not quite how you would have first pictured it. I won’t go into further detail about it but Sammy is more of a handful than Haven thought!
The story is more than just about Sammy and Haven and Haven’s mission in life, we also see how Haven has forged bonds he hasn’t noticed, Kelly, Haven’s houseman, is more of a substitute father figure and Rook, Haven’s handler, is more like a fond distant uncle. Kelly and Rook have been with Haven since the beginning so even though Haven doesn’t realise it they are both there for him in more ways than one.
The actual storyline delves into some dark corners; they are hunting down an enormous child sex trafficking, drug distribution, money laundering and prostitution ring, it fills you with shear horror at the actions of some so-called human beings. And, it also fills you with a wicked sense of satisfaction as we see some of these people get their just desserts. You don’t like blood and guts? I think you might change your mind and celebrate the destruction of the bad guys in this book.
Parker Williams has written a story that is hard hitting, he doesn’t pull any punches and at times the story touches onto stomach churning… but I loved it, he shows the underbelly of humanity but he makes the bad guys pay, and pay in such a way that you feel like Karmic justice has paid them a visit. He gives us two incredible characters who have a lot of give and take between them, they balance each other out and their love does shine through. Parker Williams for this book I grant you the temporary ownership of the dark muse.
I recommend this to those who love stories that pack a punch, a storyline that grabs you by the throat, characters that you can’t help fall in love with, justice being delivered and an ending that is fantastic.
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Mary at Molly Lolly’s Reviews
HAVEN’S CREED – Parker Williams
Star Rating: 5
Review:
I have long held the opinion that I love Parker Williams voice. It is a cathartic breath of cool air on a humid summer night. Now whilst this is a departure from his other works in that both men have a dark and ugly, recent and far past, his love of his characters shines through.
Haven’s Creed is in some respects, a deviation from most of the work that Parker has shown us so far. It deals with abuse and violence against some of our most vulnerable, and focuses on two men who, together, are less broken than when they are apart. It stems from a deep seated desire for justice and a way to balance the scales in a world that sometimes is not fair or balanced, and justice is in short supply. It will not be for everyone, because even with the dark overtones there is always a vein of hope and innocence, a very thick silver lining.
Haven has a dark past and a lot of guilt, which seems to carry him forward in his life and his work. It has held him together, kept him sane, and has motivated him for a long time. But cracks are starting to show. He then meets Sammy who is another man who is almost broken, but in other ways and its like looking at either an accident waiting to happen or a perfect fit.
Well, it is a romance, so there are no guesses which one it ends up being, but having said that, Parker does not cheat us, the reader, or these two men out of a fleshed out storyline, multi dimensional main characters and secondary ones, protagonists that are believable and understandable (and definitely not likeable) and a storyline that does not take shortcuts.
It flows beautifully, the jobs Haven was sent to, the building of his relationship with Sammy, the realization that what he needs is not what he thought, the fears and the reactions. Whilst these men seem to fall into a relationship fairly easily, the development of the relationship is not effortless, and even if the circumstances are immensely different from what we are used to, Parker is able to get us to relate and make them seem real and tangible, all whilst keeping an air of positivity. It is his greatest gift, narratively speaking, to uplift the reader and take us on a journey, showcasing his version of happily ever after, which is beautiful and unashamedly sweet.
Genres and Subgenres: Contemporary, Romance, Gay
Applicable tags: Murder, Violence, Kidnapping, Abuse, Child abuse, Animal abuse, death
Gender Pairing of Main Couple: M/M
Job/Profession of the main characters: Black ops (wet work) / Nil
Where the story is set: No specific location
If sports plays a role in the story, which sport? No
If pets play a role in the story, which animals? No
If “Paranormal”, what type of creatures? No
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Molly Lolly at Molly Lolly’s Reviews:
I loved this story. Full stop, I couldn’t put it down! This story is dark and gritty but still so damn good you can’t help but keep reading non stop until you’ve devoured every single word. All the stars. Every single dang one of them is earned many times over for these two guys that have so many obstacles in their way but still manage to come out ahead in a happy and loving relationship with a beautiful happily ever after. Yet, I’m still left wanting more from these characters because they just jump out of the page at me and make me want to know them more. These two together were exactly what they both needed right when they needed it. I highly recommend this book to anyone that can handle a character that kills for a living but is actually the good guy.
Five stars
