Arath by Crea Reitan
A Van Doren Novella
MM Dark Romance
June 18, 2026
Be careful what you ask for.
Elgin Bolingbrook is drunk and in the wrong place at the wrong time. The mistaken target for a gang lands Elgin in my protection. He’s cute, confused, and so ridiculously responsive to me that I quickly become addicted.
As we close in on the gang who’s after Elgin, I realize that once we eliminate the threat, I’m going to lose the man I enjoy playing like a violin.
This is a LGBTQIA+ story with content not intended for those under 18 years of age due to graphic scenes and situations.
Purchase Link: https://geni.us/arathrelease
Arath by Crea Reitan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Arath, (Ara) is a Van Doren, protecting Philadelphia is his part in the family business. When he picks up a stray, he didn’t expect Ellie to fit into his world so perfectly. Elgin, (Ellie) is a hockey player. When he finds himself drunk in an alley, dodging bullets, he is rescued and (willingly) kidnapped by Arath.
As with all the men who fall for a Van Doren, Ellie easily accepts the crimes Ara commits. And all the Van Doren men are definitely Alphas, who once they find their other become possessive, sometimes over bearing, and passionate.
This book was kind of a letdown for me. I think Arath’s personality was rather tame. He still tortured and killed bad guys but it felt like he was removed from the actions. Elgin also felt very complacent. Not overly concerned with what was going on around him. He just followed where Ara led.
The book had a bit of a story but it was mostly about Ara teaching Ellie the many ways he could school him on sexual acts.
The characters felt under developed. Which is probably due to the length of the story. It’s just meant to be a bite of the Van Doren universe. I guess I wanted the whole meal.
Review Copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Crea lives in upstate New York with her dog and husband. She has been writing since grade school, when her second grade teacher had her class keep writing journals. She has a habit of creating secondary, and often time tertiary, characters that take over her stories. All of her RH relationships end up being heavily polyamorous – meaning it’s not just all the men for one woman. There’s also some M/M action going on. When she can’t fall asleep at night, she thinks up new scenes for her characters to act out. This, of course, is how most of her meant-to-be-thrown-away characters tend to end up front and center – and utterly swoon-worthy! Don’t ask her how many book boyfriends she has…
When not writing, Crea is an avid reader. Her TBR pile is several hundred books high (don’t even look at her kindle wish list or the unread books on her tablet). Sometimes, she enjoys crafting; sometimes, exploring nature; sometimes, traveling. Mostly, she enjoys putting her characters on paper and breathing life into them. Oh, and sleeping. Crea loves to sleep!
Author Links:Â https://linktr.ee/creareitan
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