I totally understood the title when Robert appears on the scene - at first he's cold, in denial (closeted), a little mean. But, he gets better, tries to make things right. I was on the fence about Nathan - he did some things I felt he shouldn't have. Overall, it's an good story - 2 men on the run from Robert's former boss, one struggling with his sexuality, the other trying to stay alive. There's a good dynamic between the MCs, and they have their romantic moments. It's certainly a dark story, so heed the trigger warnings.
To be honest, Wyatt Baker made it easier to get through the story. I enjoyed listening to him and how he is able to capture the noir'ish, gritty tone of the story. A really good listening experience!

Surprisingly emotional for 2 morally ambiguous men **Audio Review**

This story really did have a bit of everything: steamy moments, heart-pounding danger, family bonding, and even a character-centric journey of self discovery. I thought Wyatt Baker did an incredible job with the narration--his emotional delivery made me feel like I was right there with these men as they dealt with the rollercoaster their lives had become.

I don't know if I would call this romance "dark", but the characters were certainly morally ambiguous. I didn't really like Robert or Nathan when this audio began, but K.A. Merikan won me over as they always do. Despite all the terrible things Robert had to do throughout the story, there was something deeply sad about his lonely life before he met Nathan. Being forced into the closet took a serious toll on him, and watching him take the slow journey towards accepting his sexuality was kinda beautiful. Nathan initially annoyed me, only because he couldn't make up his mind about where his loyalties lay, but once he and Robert started to take their hookups more seriously I could see what a good heart he actually had. As I followed along on their tumultuous adventure, I was surprised by how emotional the romantic connection between Robert and Nathan was. These men had an unconventional relationship, that's for sure, but there were still strong ties that kept them together even when it seemed like the obvious choice to run. I thought the storyline was captivating, the tiny bit of suspense was thrilling, and the bond between Nathan and Robert kept me listening all the way until the very end to see if there was a way for these two very different individuals to make a relationship last.

**I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions.

DNF @ 45%..

i tried, i just couldn't connect with either character and i lost interest early on.. i tried to push through but nothing really helped. Bummed because i was on a roll with KA Merikan books being wins for me. oh well can't win them all. haha on to the next!

2 Hearts

Whelp. I'm totally the odd man out regarding this story. I had high expectations just because of the inherent reputation that comes with this writing duo, and maybe that set me up for a big fat failure. I was so wanting to be wowed and wooed, but sadly, that did not happen.

Overall, I love the premise. Who doesn’t want to see a bad guy redeemed in the face of love? To be on the brink of self destruction, only to find salvation in saving another? Essentially that's what happens when Robert saves Nathan from being executed, but I struggled with their journey towards their happiness.

For me, I never really connected with either character. Robert’s own ingrained homophobia and denial were hard to take and as usual, while understandable, it was just too painful to witness how poorly he treated Nathan again and again. His extreme hot and cold manner made my head spin, rubbing me the wrong way at each occurrence. Of course, he eventually unsticks his head out of his ass, but the transition didn’t feel true to me.

Apparently too, I might not be cut out for these types of scenarios where the MC’s are on the lam. The anxiety this wrought was just too much for my fragile self. I was a nervous wreck every time Nathan put his foot in his mouth and it seemed he could never not do that. Again, though understandable that he would react possibly poorly to all the crazy surreal and scary situations he was put in, I just couldn’t easily accept how Nathan dealt with the challenges he faced.

So, I’m gonna say my opinion won’t matter much in the face of the many who have absolutely adored this. Common things that all of my friends remarked on were the action, humor, and fabulous love story that unfolded. It seems I must be a bit dead inside because I hardly felt any of that. To top it all off, the easy resolution at the end was completely unrealistic to me, despite the sweet HEA.

Having said all that, I know for sure this hasn’t hindered me from trying more from this duo in the future. They wrote [b:Diary of a Teenage Taxidermist|23520702|Diary of a Teenage Taxidermist|K.A. Merikan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415557548l/23520702._SX50_.jpg|42949101] which is one of my favorites and one of the smexiest YA's I've ever read, so I know they have the potential to move and impress me. This just wasn’t it.

Thank you to the author/publisher for a copy in exchange for a honest review

For Lori and Chelsea’s thoughts, please check out the blog!

this book started off amazing
the internalized homophobia was showcased really well, and the action was good
but i feel like u cant really classify this as "dark"
theres graphic descriptions, but only at the start and the end
the antagonists dont really feel developed, theyre just... there in the back
also the end was underwhelming
but like... that romance was so amazing and swoony
ugh this is hard

I enjoyed this a lot!

Robert is an enforcer for a loan shark called Vogel. After 20 years of violence, it becomes too much for him and he decides to take his own life. But in the night he wants to commit suicide, he stumbles across Nathan - who is about to be buried alive. Robert saves Nathan, a young and pretty escort who's client turned on him out of the blue. Faced with Nathan's distress and innocence, Robert decides to do at least one good thing in his life by getting Nathan to safety. Which seems simple enough, except the men tasked to kill Nathan were working for none other than Vogel, Robert's own boss.

I must admit that the beginning of the book was a bit weak for me - it took me a while to get into it, but once the plot began to roll I was hooked.

Robert and Nathan are realistic characters - meaning they are far from perfect and have a big variety of flaws. They fuck up, hurt each other, have bad ideas and do things that are outright wrong. Their developement throughout the book was one of my favourite parts.
Especially Robert changes a lot - his character development revolves a lot around internalized homophobia and toxic masculinity. That wasn't always easy to read, but I am proud of how he dealt with it in the end.

Another aspect I liked was Robert's family, both in relation to Nathan and not.

The romance between Robert and Nathan has a lot of ups and downs, and I absoltuely LIVED for the incredibly sweet moments between them. They had me melting, especially considering how rough everything around them was.

Overall, We Met in Death is a gritty and dark romance that will keep you on your toes and expect the worse until the very end. Mind the trigger warnings, first and foremost suicide, violence and homophobia.

I was provided with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

• It started strong and then it quickly flopped. Really quickly.
• Boring, unidimensional characters with boring dialogue and boring inner conflict 
• Useless side characters 
• Good premise. Very poor execution
• The way the external conflict is managed by characters is ridiculous.
• Dialogue is so freaking cheesy for a dark romance 

“I love you, Nathan,” Robert said, and for once the words rolled off his tongue as easily as if there was no danger looming under their feet, as if this wasn’t the last time they saw each other.

This was my first book from the authors K.A. Merikan. It will not be my last. Generally I love the farm and gritty stories that makes my makes my throat tighten and my eyes to gloss over. I love to read about all the troubles that makes it hard for the main characters to be them selves and be together. I get it all in this book and on top of all the angst, there was even some fun. And of course there was the relief and the smiles in the end... because I do love when the guys get their HEA in the end.