Claiming Marcus

Lords of Discord, Book 1

By: Jocelynn Drake

Narrated by: Kenneth Obi

Vampires slaughtered my family. No one believed me until I met some new friends, who promised to help me get justice.

But nothing prepared me for Marcus Varik. Tall, dark, and mind-numbingly sexy. But he’s also shy, protective, and adorably eccentric.

Oh God, I should have never agreed to betray him. Hopefully, it's not too late to fix my mistake before I lose more people I love.

Claiming Marcus is the first book in an MM paranormal romance series that has vampires, betrayal, annoying brothers, music, heartbreak, hope, sexy times, and a raven named Ozzie.

©2019 Jocelynn Drake (P)2020 Jocelynn Drake

Loved it!!!

The story drew me in quickly and didn't disappoint. It didn't move too slow or drag with too much detail. The narrator could differentiate the voices a bit more though. All things said it was very enjoyable.

It’s a good story

The story is pretty cool. Classic vampire romance
The performance for Ethan and Marcus is so weird. The way the characters are described it’s hard to picture them with these voices. Marcus is described as tall, muscular and with should length black hair and piercing blue eyes. Which sounds like a dream yeah? But then the voice sounds the way I imagine King Kong would if he could speak. Ethan sounds extremely feminine, which is fine but his character doesn’t seem like he would speak that way. Idk it made the whole interactions between the two so hard to picture. You can have a deep voice without sounding like an angry monster. I skipped some parts and found myself happier that it was over

OUTSTANDING!

Marcus and Ethan's story is a must read. Or, just relax your eyes and allow the amazing narrator 's voice to take you away with the different characters' voices, while reading this amazing story to you. The whole experience was totally awesome. I highly recommend. Now, on to book II. Enjoy, you will not be disappointed! 🥰👍

low angst, great read, perfectly narrated

loved this story of a vampire finding his forever love. the story was written well and the narration was great! the voices really gave the book something extra and much better than what I could have produced in my own head.

interesting series start

Would I listen to it again: yes
Did the story keep me engaged: yes
Was I invested in the characters: yes

Story comment: good flow, well written characters, some good world building and an interesting story with lots going on. I liked both main characters and they kept me entertained.

Kenneth Obi has done a great performance on Claiming Marcus. I had no problem distinguishing characters and the rhythm, inflections and intonations all worked to bring the book and it's characters to life.

Outstanding narration; Exciting new vampire series

I'm not always a fan of vampire books, but Claiming Marcus is incredible! Kenneth Obi brought Marcus, Ethan, and the rest of the Varik brothers to life in the best way. The building plotlines about vampire clans and hierarchies were very exciting to listen to, and the romance was swoony and heartwarming. I can't wait to see what happens next in this universe and see who the rest of the brothers end up with!

SO GOOD

I loved this book. It was so enjoyable that I could not turn it off. It was such a good enemies to boss to friends to lovers story. I highly recommend this book! Narration was awesome. This is a must listen to!

Vampires Win

Going in I wasn't sure of this listen since vampires aren't my usual favorite. However given a chance I figured it was worth a listen. I was immediately drawn into a world where one main character, Ethan had his whole family slaughtered by vampires when he was a kid. He gets a job working for a vampire to help an overly zealous anti vampire group kill vampires for revenge. Marcus is a vampire who opted to be turned over with his brother to take care of his mother who was a mentally ill vampire. This story follows Ethan who falls for Marcus and realizes not all vampires are evil and there are redeeming qualities. He seeks to escape the league, and Marcus who falls for Ethan not knowing his history. There story is a wild story that was masterfully told. It left me no longer a sceptic and needing to hear the brothers stories and find out the rest of this family's journey. I can't wait to listen to the next installment.

Great start to this series!

I requested an audiobook code for this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I am a big fan of the Unbreakable Bonds series and the Ward Security series that this author writes along with Rinda Elliott. I have also checked out Jocelynn Drake's Exit Strategy series. It is safe to say that I really like the suspense and action writing of this author. As a paranormal lover as well, I could not resist Claiming Marcus. Vampires, action, suspense!!! I was in!

The first book of this series really sets up the world and lets the reader know how and why Marcus Varick and his three brothers; Rafe, Beltran, and Winter became vampires. In this world, there is a political system overseeing the vampire's behavior and besides the romance there is a lot of conspiracy and a possible takeover of the council that adds a lot of mystery and drama to the mix.

Ethan is a human who learned about vampires at a young age when his whole apartment building fell victim to a crazy female vampire and her henchmen. Learning about a female vampire with three sons, made Ethan suspect so he gets a job working for one of those sons. What little he thought he knew about vampires proves to be incorrect and he knows immediately that Marcus is not only sexy but is not evil. He continues to spy on the family until he meets Marcus's mother. While she does have some issues, Ethan is able to rule her out as the killer of his family and he wants out. But there is a anti-vamp group that isn't for letting vampires live just because they aren't guilty of that particular crime and they don't want to just let Ethan out.

Many revelations happen and a few lives are lost (one in particular is bittersweet.) Eventually the mastermind of the council's problems is revealed to be using the anti-vamp group as well, and she has unfinished business for one of the main characters. I really liked the setup of this world and I love the relationship between the brothers. They have moments where they don't seem quite as close, with Winter and Bel being a little aloof. And Rafe seems like he wants to revel in the hedonism that seems to be stereotypical of vampires. But if a brother needs help or a possibly new member of the family is introduced they are there for each other in a big way. I really can't wait for more of this series. Rafe's book is out and we know he is bisexual but Winter and Bel's preferences haven't been stated yet. I will definitely read all their stories though.

I can't end this review without mentioning the narration. Kenneth Obi is very talented, and I enjoy his voice. He varies his manner of speaking to separate at least the two main characters and he emotes well. He did a great job bringing this story to life.

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are

This is a fantastic start to a new series. Ethan's life was destroyed by vampires and he holds on to hope that one day he will get justice for his family. The Varik brothers were turned almost two centuries ago in order to protect their mother. Marcus, the oldest, has spent his years keeping his family safe. In his quest for justice, Ethan joins a humans against vampire group who send him in to work for Marcus and gather information to destroy the Variks. But Marcus isn't anything like Ethan was led to believe, and he begins to realize that not all vampires are evil. Marcus and Ethan are perfect together. The Varik brothers are wonderful and I can't wait for the brothers books.

Kenneth Obi had outdone himself with this narration. His evil vampire voice was enjoyably creepy. I will definitely be listening again. I can't wait for book 2.