Wyatt will do anything to help his brother, even if it means faking being in love with the man that betrayed him when they were younger. Unbeknownst to Wyatt, Matthias has been waiting for a chance to get close to Wyatt again, and after years apart he is willing to do anything and risk everything.
From the Covenant blurb:
The Firm can make any wish come true.
Money. A job promotion. Murder.
Whatever you desire can be yours—for a price.
The Firm has ruled St. Dismas for generations. To most, they’re just a myth.
But in truth, they are the last resort of the desperate.
I never understood why anyone would go to The Firm. There’s always a price to pay—a price you won’t discover until your request has been granted.
It was a path I swore I’d never walk.
Or so I thought.
When my brother is gravely injured, everything changes.
I have no choice but to go to The Firm.
I don’t know what they’ll ask of me, but I’ll give anything to save Jackson.
He has his whole life ahead of him, and I’ll make sure he gets to live it.
But when my price comes due, it’s nothing like I expected.
Not drug smuggling or murder. Not the darkness I braced myself for.
No, this is worse.
My price is to fulfill someone else’s request.
To give them what they asked for.
A marriage.
For anyone else, it may seem simple. But not for me.
Because the man I must marry is my worst enemy.
My rival.
The man I once trusted above all others—until he shattered that trust and threw it back in my face.
The idea of pretending to be Matthias’s doting husband for a year is my worst nightmare.
But I won’t do it for me.
I’ll do it for Jackson.
For my brother, I’ll pay the price.
Even if it means condemning myself.
SNik's review:
First in series (The Firm). Fake/forced marriage. Former childhood friends to enemies to lovers. Mainly single POV.
Desperation leads Wyatt to make a request to the mysterious Firm, help his brother and Wyatt will do anything in return. Wyatt agrees to a fake marriage to Matthias, his former best friend who betrayed and abandoned Wyatt in the past and Wyatt has never forgiven him.
I really enjoyed the concept behind this story, but it is always difficult for me to appreciate both characters when the book is mostly single POV. Wyatt really struggles with playing his part as a doting husband, and I wish there was more demonstration of his relationship with his brother, as well as Matthias’s with his own brothers. To be expected with this author duo, Matthias and Wyatt are super steamy, and the parts from Matthias’s POV really bring a poignancy to their former relationship. My favorite parts of this story involve the absolute sacrifice both these characters are willing to make for someone they love. This was certainly a page-turner, and a really fantastic start to a new series.
- childhood friends
- fake marriage
- forced proximity
- gay/bi awakening
This is the first of a new series, a co-write with Lark Taylor and Cora Rose. I've read Lark before but Cora is new to me. Based on this, I think I'd look for more. I liked the premise of this, a shadow organisation helps people desperate enough to ask them for help. But there's always a price to paid. Matthias and Wyatt were childhood friends, Wyatt from an extremely poor home and neglectful parents, and Matthias from money but with a father who's less than ideal, is pretty much all I can say without spoilers.
The story is told almost entirely from Wyatt's POV in the present day, with flashbacks from Matthias' POV. This really worked for me as it really kept Matthias' secret until the big reveal. I liked Wyatt very much, he worked hard to better himself until Matthias (so he believed) and his parents ripped everything away from him. A year after the start of the story, he's desperate enough to ask The Firm for help, regardless of the price he knows he'll have to pay. Once we met Matthias properly too, I liked him too, once I got past the initial arrogance and overbearing to the heart of him. The story is great too, with little flashbacks along the way that only add to the story and reveal it a piece at a time. I couldn't wait to turn the next page and see where it'd take me.
There is a LOT of heat in this book, these two are fire together. There's little to no soul searching once Wyatt realises he might not be entirely straight, and that perhaps it's been Matthias all along. It fairly scorches the pages without being too much. It's just right for these two.
I loved the cast of side characters, who I know we'll see again. All of Matthias' brothers and Wyatt's brother Jackson too, I can't wait to see again. I loved the world building, as in intro to a series this is more than solid and I can't wait to explore St Dismas and The Firm in future books. I LOVED THIS.
Jacqueleen the Reading Queen's review:
"πΈ'ππ ππππ ππ’ ππππ ππ πππ πππππ. πΈ πππππππ'π ππ πππππππππ ππππ πππ πππππ πππ πππππ πππ ππππ ππ πΌπππππππ π±πππππππππ."
I loved the whole premise of this new series by author duo Cora Rose and Lark Taylor. Since I enjoy both of their solo works, I had no doubt that I was going to enjoy a collab between the two and ultimately, I was right. The idea of a group of individuals who granted requests, no matter how ludicrous, intrigued me to no end. That only the truly desperate engaged their services even more so.
Unfortunately, Wyatt has finally hit the point of truly desperate. His younger brother Jackson is in need of expensive medical services and without more money coming in, he isn't going to get it. All manner of crazy ideas float around in his head about what The Firm are going to ask in return, but in the end they ask of him the last thing he ever expected: to marry the man who betrayed him.
Matthias was an interesting character for me. There was a lot going on beneath the surface. As we got to know him better, we would see glimpses of the man he hides beneath his mask of indifference. I did figure out where the storyline was going about halfway through, but it did not lessen my enjoyment of the book. In fact, I kept looking for more and more clues to see if I was right!
"π·π πππ πππππππ πππ πππ ππ π ππ πππ ππ’π ππππππππ ππ ππππππ. πΈ πππ ππ’π πππππ πππ. π°ππ ππππ ππππ ππ ππ πππππππππ."
Matthias brothers were a hoot. I liked how they all had these public personalities in social settings from being raised rich, but when in private among family, they were kind of chaotic. Just wait until you get to when they have their family game night. It's cutthroat in the competitive Buckingham crowd! The epilogue gives us a little sneak peak of who is next in line to meet their man, and I must admit, I'm immensely curious after that tease!
I'm going to be honest, I'm not usually a big fan of the enemies to lovers trope, but when I read the blurb for this book I NEEDED to read it. I had to know what sort of magic Lark and Cora would create together because both of them separately are fantastic authors, so for them to both write this together I already knew it was going to be amazing.
From the very first chapter I was immediately immersed in this world that Wyatt and Matt both live in. The writing of this story is truly exceptional, it's full of immaculate details on both the world building and the buildup and backstory of the characters. It has so much angst but that's counterbalanced by the love that shines through once these two men get out of their own way. The twists and turns were unexpected and were handled so well. I love when a book can surprise me, and this book definitely did that!
The relationship Wyatt and Matt have is complicated, they used to be best friends when they were kids but then something happened and they never spoke to each other again. Throughout the course of the story we (as readers) slowly find out what happened to cause Wyatt to dislike Matt so much, and we get to learn why Matt stopped communicating with Wyatt. I wasn't prepared for the massive plot twist surrounding Matt and his brothers, but wow was it a good one! Wyatt and Matt are.. frenemies for most of this story, then they become frenemies with benefits, which eventually morphed into more. I enjoyed the slow burn that occured between these two, they have so much history with one another that the angst worked well and fit with their story.
The relationship Wyatt has with his brother is so beautiful, he'll do whatever he can to help him even if it costs him dearly. And the bond Matt has with his brothers is equally as endearing, even if they do go about showing their love in different ways. I am really excited to see where else this series goes, I think we got several hints on certain future couples, and I really hope they each get their own stories! I want everyone to get their own happy ever after, even if it doesn't start out happy.
For those wondering, this does have Dual POV's, most of the story is in Wyatt's perspective but there are some chapters that are in Matt's. They were written in very distinct ways that you'll be able to tell whose perspective it is right away, (but each POV switch is also marked at the start of the chapter to indicate who's perspective it's in.)
Overall a really fantastic way to start off a new series and I am so excited to see where else this series goes! I wonder what else The Firm will get involved with.
Zakiyya's review:
The story centres on Matthias Buckingham and Wyatt Malone, both driven corporate lawyers and a shadowy society known only as The Firm, that wields limitless power behind the scenes. Years ago, Matthias walked away from the love of his life, Wyatt, without explanation, carrying a secret he could never share. But when Wyatt’s life starts to fall apart, he enlists in The Firm’s assistance, out of desperation.
What follows is a taut, emotionally intense reunion filled with betrayal, passion, and slowly resurfacing trust. The writing duo navigates the emotional complexity of second chances with care—Matthias’s guilt and Wyatt’s anger feel raw and earned, but so does the chemistry that never died between them.
The Firm’s influence adds a high-stakes edge to the romance, with morally grey dilemmas and moments that echo John le CarrΓ©-style thrillers. While some worldbuilding around The Firm remains deliberately ambiguous (leaving room for future instalments), the secrecy and manipulation add to the novel’s simmering tension.
The writing is slick, with dialogue that crackles and a moody atmosphere that heightens both the romance and the suspense. Some readers may wish for more backstory on the society’s origins but overall, The Covenant is an expressively charged ride that balances heart and heat with a dash of danger.
Really looking forward to Cade’s story next.
Covenant is currently available as an e-book and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription
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