Imagine, if you will: Dexter meets The Manchurian Candidate meets Six Feet Under, but, you know, make it gay. This description only scratches the surface of the absolute masterpiece of a story that is The Mercenary and the Mortician by Alexandra St. Pierre. I have SO much to say about this one, so buckle up.
At 10 years old, Callum is detained by the police, as a suspect in the murder of his abusive mother – a murder that is deemed “self-defense” as he was saving his sisters, Cassandra and Naomi, from his mother’s attack. Enter Damian, the leader of Apex, the largest mercenary organization in the area. He offers Cal a trade: allow Damian to groom him to become the best mercenary at the company in exchange for his sisters’ safety, wealth, and endless opportunities. He takes the deal and thus begins his career as killer for hire, while his sisters thrive in school and future accomplishments.
Ryan has taken over the funeral business from his father, who passed away when he was young. Although he basically runs it himself, he does get help from his sister Theo and a part time employee. His mother also lives in the house – a self-proclaimed witch with seer abilities. Iris has been promising Ryan, since he was a little boy, that his Dark Angel would come some day to save him. He spends his youth waiting, hoping, begging his Dark Angel to take him away from his grief from his father’s death and trauma from homophobia bullies, but ultimate gives up hope, resulting in panic and obsessive need for control.
At 10 years old, Callum is detained by the police, as a suspect in the murder of his abusive mother – a murder that is deemed “self-defense” as he was saving his sisters, Cassandra and Naomi, from his mother’s attack. Enter Damian, the leader of Apex, the largest mercenary organization in the area. He offers Cal a trade: allow Damian to groom him to become the best mercenary at the company in exchange for his sisters’ safety, wealth, and endless opportunities. He takes the deal and thus begins his career as killer for hire, while his sisters thrive in school and future accomplishments.
How do these two meet? Well, Callum attempts to murder Ryan, of course…😈
Okay first and foremost, this book is a thicc boy, coming in at 770 pages. Trust me, though, don’t let that sway you. There isn’t a wasted or filler word. The story truly needs to be this long in order for ample backstory, character development, relationship establishment, as well as the perfect amount of plot. Not one time did I feel compelled to skip through descriptions. I hung on to every sentence. Alexandra gives us the time and space to connect with the characters, envision every details of scenes, and truly swim within this world.
My favorite part? The voice. Callum is a complex character; part soldier, part golden retriever. All he wants is to be loved, but due to his abusive past, conditioning, and violence required for the job, he’s adapted his personality to be whatever the situation needs at the moment. He’s a dark menace, craving the kill, but he’s also a cocky, sarcastic flirt to attract those he wants to like him. Sure there’s description and flashbacks, but Alexandra leans heavily on voice to convey and paint a picture for the reader. Being in Callum’s head is equal parts hilarious and disturbing. And when we live in the moments when Callum has locked in to his goal of getting and keeping Ryan’s attention, we feel the obsession down to our core. We root for him to brutally end the lives of pedophiles. Our hearts bleed when we’re immersed in the overwhelming pain, physical and mental, that Callum experiences.
In Ryan’s head, we are challenged to suspend reality. There is a supernatural element to this mostly contemporary story: Ryan can interact with the dead peoples’ souls. As he embalms and preps the bodies for viewings and funerals, the souls are there with him, critiquing or simply chatting with him. Since Callum has dedicated his life to mercenary work, the sheer number of hauntings that follow him around overwhelm Ryan, to the point where his mother gives Callum a totem that he must carry around at all times to keep them at bay when he’s with Ryan. And don’t assume that this is just a throw away detail. Alexandra threads the needle so masterfully. We learn about it, we’re pulled in a different direction, and then in pivotal moments, Ryan’s ability to speak with the dead is used as a tool to bring meaning, solve problems, and heighten the emotions even further.
Oooookay, now it’s time to address the triggers. I’m not gonna lie, despite the immaculate comedic vibes, this book is dark. There’s detailed violence, torture, degradation, and body horror on the page. There’s on page extreme child abuse and pedophilic acts. I will say, though, it’s close, but not to the visceral level of Haunting or Hunting Adeline. So if you made it through that duology, you’ll be able to handle this one. But, you know, it’s still graphic, so take care.
Finally, the romance. You guys. There’s obsession, yearning, tension, resistance, gay awakening, hurt/comfort, “I will burn the world for you”, found family, and purposeful spice. All of the intimacy helps to drive the plot forward, convey emotions, and further deepen our understanding of how Ryan and Callum’s relationship develops over time. I mean, sure, we can make space for the times when a pure smut book just hits the spot (did that come out dirtier than I intended?). What I love even more is when the author utilizes sex scenes intentionally, as moments of forced vulnerability, the can break down barriers or build up connection, without which it could hinder the believability or risk denigrating the reader’s attachment to the characters as a unit.
Technically this is a duology, but the second book, Make Me, is written by a different author, Alina May. The authors are friends and, although they aren’t co-authors, the books were intentionally written to be a part of the same world. Book two follows three side characters from the first book, their story happening concurrently with the first book’s story. There’s some cross over with the first book’s characters, which is pretty cool because we’ve already watched those scenes through different eyes, so to see it from another perspective creates a unique experience.
Okay okay, this post is getting long, so I’ll stop it here, even though there’s so much more I want to say. I hope you get a chance to read this one. If you do, let me know! If you want to check out Alexandra St. Pierre, I’ll link her website down below. Hope you all are staying safe out there.
Book Details
Title: The Mercenary and the Mortician
Author: Alexandra St. Pierre
Categories: Dark MM Romance, Paranormal
Series: The Silent Hollow
Author Contact:
Purchase Links: (Paperback, Audiobook, and eBook. Available on Kindle Unlimited.)
Swoon 
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