I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Hollow Series: Neighbors of Sapphire Valley #2 Source: Author
on 03/03/2026
Genres: Dark Romance
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Ayden
I want to say that my life began to spiral the day of the accident, but it really started when I was thirteen. When fate decided to be cruel and make him my stepbrother. I’ve been gone for eight years, and it took a tragedy to finally bring me home. I wasn’t sure what my reunion with Keo was going to be, but he hating me definitely wasn’t on my bingo card. Now, we are living in our parents cabin together, and I know he doesn’t want me here. He doesn’t understand that I can’t go back to the life I had before, it may actually kill me.Keoni
He was always meant to be mine, but because their happiness mattered more, I had to suffer with the term stepbrother. I made a terrible mistake at nineteen, and I know he hates me for it. It’s why he never came back home for the holidays. It’s been eight years since I’ve seen him, and now he’s forcing himself into this cabin with me.
I received an ARC of Hollow for free from the author
Hollow is the second standalone book in the Neighbors of Sapphire Valley series. It’s the story of two step brothers, Ayden and Keoni, who are reunited after six years of silence by the passing of their parents. Similar to Calista’s past in Heavy, Ayden’s recent past comes back to haunt him in a violent and destructive way.
Hollow is a dark MM romance that touches on the subjects of depression, domestic abuse, loss, and grief. There were some things that happened that had my blood boiling and somethings that just broke my heart. Similar to Heavy, Hollow is just an absolute emotional roller coaster. Burns’ writing is fantastic as always and she knows when to hit with a gut punch and pat you on the head and say, “there there.”
What I appreciated about the way Burns wrote Ayden and Keoni is the fact that they aren’t the textbook ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ archetypes. They both have moments that show they can be either or. With that said, Keoni is definitely the bad ass while Ayden is the caregiver. This is also conveyed in their respective jobs with Keoni being a fire fighter and Ayden on the path to becoming a doctor. Their personalities just fit together like yin and yang.
Speaking of “fitting together,” Mel sure does know how to write some spicy scenes. This is my first MM romance and as a hetero cis male, I didn’t feel uncomfortable reading the spicy scenes. I honestly didn’t know what to expect, but what I got were well crafted moments that show the passion and love that Keoni and Ayden have for each other. Hollow has definitely opened my eyes to the MM sub-genre and I’m now looking for other dark MM romances I might like.
The story itself is fantastic. Yes, it’s a dark romance but it has its moments humor and passion to break the those intense scenes that keep you turning the pages. The pacing was fantastic and something I don’t see many reviewers comment on is the times when POV is switched. In the case of Hollow, those times are, well, perfectly timed. I think Burns is a master at cliffhangers at the end of chapters and building little moments of tension. Read her Filthy Duet and you’ll see exactly what I mean.
If you can’t tell from my review so far, M.L. Burns is one of the few authors on my “instant buy” list. Hollow is a fantastic second entry into the NoSV series and I’m so excited to see who our next couple will be. You loved Heavy, you’re going to love Hollow just as much, if not more.
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