Unmasked by Mia Monroe

Unmasked is an epic revenge story that features diabolical masquerade balls, a second chance at your first love, and some satisfying blood shed. I mean this is a vampire story revenge story, what did you expect!

From the blurb:

Would winning his heart replace the bitterness in mine?

High school was hell. My peers spent their waking hours tormenting me. My accent, my weight, my lack of social skills, and looks only a mother could love, made me a perpetual target.

Years later, fed up with being the underdog, I took matters into my own hands. My transformation was epic, dare I say, supernatural, and I returned to that town armed with perfect looks, a fat bank account, and enough charm to steal world secrets, but my heart hadn’t changed at all, and it was hungry for revenge. I craved the destruction of my enemies more than the blood I now needed to survive.

And then Eli returned. My first crush, despite the fact he was straight. Eli was the one person who stood up for me in high school. He was a true friend, but I loved him with the ardent focus of a teenager, and once I saw his face again, I knew that love hadn’t died out at all.

Suddenly revenge took a backseat to wooing Eli. Now I could be the man he deserved on his arm, but Eli saw past the new me to the person I still was deep inside. Could he want me if he knew what I had become? Would he love me if he saw me Unmasked?

Unmasked is an MM friends to lovers, spicy tale of revenge, involving a man willing to sell his soul to get what he wants, an awakening that leads another man back home, bullies getting what they finally deserve, and a vampire doing very vampire-y things. It is a standalone. C/W inside.

Jacqueleen the Reading Queen's Review:

"I might be entering my himbo era...

Michel's in his villain era, so that should work out pretty good for me."

What a delightful little revenge story! I won't lie. I enjoyed seeing the bullies get their comeuppance. They were downright nasty human beings. Every tidbit shared of the horror they put Michel through as a kid made me hate them more. But fear not! All the years of planning and sneaking Michel did definitely pay off in a big way. He literally sought out his revenge, while also doing a world of good for his hometown. Let's call it work/life balance.

On the other hand, the romance was super sweet. I have no doubts in my mind that Michel and Eli were absolutely meant for one another. For Michel, all roads lead back to Eli. He was his one bright light during the hell he endured in high school. Throughout their teen years, Eli never wavered in being a true friend to him. When he unexpectedly comes arrives back in their mutual hometown and appears to be just as kind and wonderful as he was back then, Michel can't help but fall back into that easy friendship they shared. And when he finds out Eli is also into men? Well, all bets are off honey because Michel is gunna make that man his. Sweetly enough, Eli already had plans to do the same with Michel. They really were adorable, and I enjoyed their fun HEA.

"You saw so much more in me than anyone else could. Even me."

Rating: 4.25 Stars

Sheena's Review:

I honestly didn't know what to expect when I went in to read this. I didn't know anything about it and it was just so much fun. It wasn't perfect. If I wanted to be pedantic, I could pick holes in it, but I choose to just enjoy things for the most part unless there's something glaring that throws me out of the story, and that didn't happen here. For a paranormal story, it's low angst, sweet and uncomplicated fun.

I loved the tale of Michel getting revenge on all his high school tormentors, really anyone who was ever bullied has surely dreamed of going back to their hometown as a success years later and rubbing it in those people's faces - just perhaps not to the extent that Michel took it 😂. Still, it's a more than a satisfying tale of revenge, with a dash of a second chance love story added in. I liked Eli and Michel together so much, but if anything, the romance kind of felt second to the revenge story - that's not a criticism. This runs parallel to the Immortal Assassins series, and it was great to see those boys there in their element, and taking Michel under their wing, so to speak.

Unmasked is fun, low angst, romantic and very bloody. The perfect paranormal read.

Rating: 4 Stars

Heather's Review:

Spun off from the Immortal Assassins and featuring a cameo of the vampires from New Onyx, Unmasked is a return to your roots revenge romp with a fated mates twist and vampire powers!  It;s a chance for Michel to avenge his childhood and win the heart of his best friend, who also feels the pull to return to his hometown.

This is a true bully revenge story with a vampire who orchestrates the resurrection of his hometown through removing the bully obstacles.

The love story unfolds sweetly and has a slow burn element, as Michel and Eli figure out how to be with each other and overcome their own pasts and insecurities.

It was a lovely read and the cameo from the Immortal Assassins was a nice twist.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Unmasked is available to buy as an ebook, paperback, or to read with Kindle Unlimited subscription.