City of Dragons World: The Gray Zone Series
Darwin's Theory: Complete novella series
Collection only offered in paperback
Includes novellas: Pain, Secrets, Promises, Lost, Found
My name is Darwin De Groi and I’m in love with Peter Forbes. For years I lived in pain, watching Peter but never having him. Then Peter learned he wasn’t going to be Human anymore—he was going to become Lesser-Bred. In Atlanta, dragon-Human hybrids kind of go along with the scenery, so for me Peter losing his humanness was no big deal. After all, I now had Pete and my world was perfect. Or so I thought. I mean, I knew love wouldn’t be a walk in the park, but seriously--top secret metaphysical experiments, underground Lesser-Bred societies, government contracts? And Peter in the middle of it all? I guess it just goes to prove that finding love isn’t about catching the man of your dreams, it’s about dealing with his deep, dark inhuman secrets. And not getting killed—and eaten—in the process. This book is intended for mature audiences (18+ years of age) only. It contains graphic m/m sex and violence.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Well worth the price and then some!
Still one of my fave books. Just read it again for the 4th time.
⭐⭐⭐⭐A great series, I loved it
A great series, I loved it. It gets better and better. It had a very interesting plot, great characters, a lot of funny moments but also a lot of emotion involved, a lot of love. It has some great twist. Definitely a recommend it series.
Individual novellas are available as ebooks.
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Darwin's Theory Novella 1: PAIN
Darwin's Theory Novella 2: SECRETS
My name is Darwin De Groi, and I’m in love with Peter Forbes. But Pete has this dream of becoming a metaphysical scientist and that means all his time—his attention—is taken up by college and studying. So in order to deal with the pain of watching Peter and never having him I spend most of my time in the Gray Zone, the no-man’s-land between the city of Atlanta and the Dens. There I’m free to drown myself; with drugs, with booze…
With the inhuman.
Lesser-Breds. Kin hybrids. The offspring of Humans and Dragons.
But then an act of revenge led to a stupid college prank, which put Peter right into my arms.
A better man would make the right decision and tell Pete no.
I am so not that man
After years of watching and never touching, I finally have the love of my life. And I will do anything for Peter Forbes, including sitting by while Georgia Tech’s metaphysical review board strips him of his scholarship. It doesn’t take the genius of a metaphysical scientist to figure out that something else is going on when Peter is handed his pink-slip and kicked out of the program.
See, Peter has a secret. Sweet Peter, gentle Peter, the love of my life Peter isn’t going to be Human anymore.
And if that doesn’t take the cake, the Lesser-Bred who knows Peter’s secret and put himself in charge of helping him become has decided that in order to keep people safe, to keep me safe, he needs to lock Peter away.
Yeah, right. Over my mutilated, maggot-ridden body.
Darwin's Theory Novella 3: PROMISES
I have come to terms with the idea of Peter becoming Lesser-Bred. See, sometimes I can look at the glass of milk as being half-full instead of close to empty.
Besides, it's not all that hard. Look at the benefits. More time alone with him, my greedy bastard self, and the bed. Granted, it's time we could be spending in the Gray Zone. I did promise to take Peter there to find a Lesser-Bred to meet his needs.
But since Peter hasn't mentioned going, I haven't bothered to remind him. What can I say, the idea of another man satisfying Pete in a way I can't doesn't exactly put me in my happy place.
Maybe, with any luck, Pete won't kill me.
Kill me and eat me.
Darwin's Theory Novella 4: LOST
Peter and me, we’ve been through a lot over the past few days. Pete bit me, and then was kidnapped by Whitcomb-I-Used-To-Have-Clown-Hair. In my attempt to rescue Peter I was forced to break the promise I made, which went something along the lines of not setting anything on fire or blowing anything up.
Everything is okay now because Pete and I are safe inside the Gray Zone. Now all we have to do is to deal with Peter’s becoming Lesser-Bred. Because I can’t feed Pete, it means buying a Lesser-Bred whore who can. But Peter is still worried he’ll come after me so he’s asked me for a favor, and Peter has never asked me for anything, so it’s no surprise I can’t tell him no. Only, if I keep my word, if I do the thing Peter has asked me to do, there’s a chance it could kill him.
Darwin's Theory Novella 5: FOUND
Watching Peter and never having him filled me up with an ache so deep, so empty, I was sure nothing could hurt worse.
That is, until I had Pete.
And lost him.
I hear Peter, I feel Peter, but I also know the dead don’t come back.
Unless, of course, Pete isn’t dead at all and a certain Whitcomb-I-Used-To-Have-Clown-Hair spiked the metaphysical epi-pen, so he could keep us apart. Although, it’s kind of hard to fake someone’s death when you can feel them inside your heart.
Metaphysical bonds between Humans and Lesser-Breds aren’t supposed to be possible. But then, I’ve been breaking the rules all my life, so what’s one more to add to the collection?
To Adam With Love (A Gray Zone Novel)
As a child Adam’s mother brought him to the Gray Zone, the no man's land between the crumbling city and the Dens where the Kin—the Dragons—and Lesser-Breds-their mixed-blood-offspring—live.
One day he would change, becoming one of the monsters and she knew fear and prejudice would drive people to do horrible things... Like a father slaughtering his family.
Adam escaped his father’s wrath by fleeing the Zone. After testifying against the man for the murder of his mother, he returned to the only place he’d ever known as home to wait for his humanness to disappear and to search for his best friend and only love, Ean.
Ean has lived within Gray Zone and among the Dragons since he was born. And while he is as feral as any of the monsters, he’s also Human. Long ago he promised to keep Adam safe, to make him his. Since Ean is only Human he must rely on the Male Batu to help him keep Adam and feed him as he changes.
But Love is a Human emotion and Dragons only keep what they value and Batu plans on making Ean belong so he has no use for a Lesser-Bred.
Ean refuses to lose Adam again, even if it means defying Batu and risking his place at the Male’s side and quite possible his life as Adam undergoes the metaphysical changes that will make him Lesser-Bred.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Delicious And Dark-Like Buttered Chicken and Chocolate
I hadn't really planned on spending the entire evening and into the early hours reading, nor staying up past even that to write this review, but it feels like a lifetime since I've read anything this beautifully told; this story- of Adam and Ean, cruel hierarchies, and loving mothers and murderous fathers is excellent...and not like, "gold star" exceptional or book club-select awesome, but more raw and visceral like breathing is to gasping- they each render the same result (to draw in oxygen) but they're still far different breeds.
⭐⭐⭐⭐Beautifully written angsty love story.
I fell in love with Adam and Ean immediately and felt like I couldn't draw a breath from the first page until the last until I learnt their fate.
Skin Deep (A Gray Zone Novel)
Taylor Simmons has everything a guy could want: a nice apartment, a great job, and Joey Martin, his perfect geek boyfriend. But then Joey gets sick and the fever burning him up is caused by metaphysical changes taking place in his body. Joey is changing. He's not going to be human anymore. He's Becoming Lesser-Bred.
The inhuman genes lying dormant in Joey's body have awakened and Taylor, who has always taken care of Joey, can't even begin to fulfill his needs. Joey needs to feed. And that means he needs others like himself. In order to keep Joey safe and to meet his needs, Taylor must allow Joey to be taken into the Gray Zone; the no-mans-land between the city of Atlanta and the Dens, where Kin--Dragons--roam the deserted streets, and be kept by the Male Kin Pavel and fed by the Lesser-Bred Gabriel.
Because of the prejudice against the inhuman, Taylor is stripped of his job, and his cushy apartment. But Taylor loves Joey and is determined to stay by his side, through better or worse.
And things definitely get worse as Taylor learns the darkest secrets in the nightmare world of the Gray Zone, where monsters roam the streets feeding on flesh and blood and humans are nothing but food.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐It's Never Just Skin Deep
Wonderful world building, original and unique. Add in Taylor and Joey and a few others and the story just flowed.
Worth (A Gray Zone Novel)
The Gray Zone is a no man’s land between Atlanta and the Dens. In this forgotten section of the city, roam Kin—dragons—and their mixed bred offspring, Lesser-Breds. There are no rules in the Zone, and even the most unwanted people in society are welcome.
Liam has been doing whatever it takes to keep his two brothers, Chris and Kevin, safe from his stepfather. He’s never known kindness. He’s never known what it’s like to be desired. Only used. Then he meets Jericho, a Lesser-Bred living in the Gray Zone.
Only the attraction Liam feels isn’t normal and he soon learns he’s about to enter the first stages of the Shift. The time when his Humaness is wiped away, and sleeping Kin genetics take over.
As if things couldn’t be dangerous enough, Liam’s stepfather goes behind his back and sells Chris into the flesh trade to pay his debts.
Now in order to get the money needed to buy back Chris’s freedom Liam faces sacrificing the life of the only person who’d ever shown him true kindness.
And possibly the only person who can save him as he becomes one of the inhuman.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐LOVE LOVE IT!
Its touching, brutal and sad to share in these efforts, and also very rewarding to read the outcome of his endeavors. The romance part of the Lesser Bred, Jericho may seem sudden, but dragonkin are not like humans in many ways. the story is so well crafted it will provide base with the differences and flow well into the zone , as though it is a reality in Atlanta today. ITs JUST THAT AWESOME!!! a total win!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Another Spectacular Read From Mr. Wilder.
As I've mentioned in many other reviews, I am not, and have never been, a fan of fantasy - of manufactured worlds with dragons and mystics and the like.
Yet each time I read one of Ms. Wilder's fantasies, I find my self drawn in, absorbed, fascinated, and carried along for an improbable but wonderful ride. And, after all, that's what I read books for.