Neil S. Plakcy
Samwise Books
28 September 2026
348
eBook - EPUB
MM Romance
ARC from Author
A closeted K-pop superstar. The stylist who has secretly loved him for five years. And a killer determined to destroy them both.
Bodyguards Aidan Greene and Liam McCullough expect their assignment at the Cannes Film Festival to be routine—until a sabotaged firework nearly kills Jin, the charismatic front man of K-pop sensation PRYZM.
Now Aidan and Liam must join the group’s international tour, guarding five idols as they travel from Paris and London to Amsterdam, New York, São Paulo, and Seoul. But the danger follows them across every border. Someone knows PRYZM’s schedule, has access to secured areas, and always seems to be one step ahead.
Jin has spent years projecting the flawless image his fans and management demand. His greatest secret is Sang-hoon, the devoted stylist who has stood beside him since before his debut—and loved him in silence all that time. After coming so close to losing each other, they can no longer deny what lies between them.
But an idol dating a member of his staff could end both their careers. As stolen moments ignite into a passionate secret romance, threatening messages give way to increasingly brazen attacks. Aidan and Liam must expose the person hiding inside PRYZM’s trusted circle before the next attack succeeds—and Jin’s double life is revealed to the world.
I received a request to review K-Pop Double Life from the author who had come across my review of another book in a similar vein. The story instantly appealed to be, blending Korean culture with MM romance. This book is part of a longer series featuring married bodyguard Aidan and Liam but each book can be read as a standalone story, including this one. There were some references to past events in the text but nothing that caused any trouble in following the story and were more like Easter eggs for fans of the full series.
K-Pop Double Life had the fun premise of a romance between idol Jin and his stylist Sang-hoon set against a thriller-like backdrop of a threat on Jin's life during an international tour. The pacing of the story worked really well. There were plenty of moments of tensions as threats were neutralised mixed in with quieter more emotional moments between the two main romantic pairings of Jin and Sang-hoon and Aidan and Liam. There was a little spicier content here and there but it never overtook the character or plot development.
All up it was an enjoyable MM read that I would recommend to K-pop and MM romance fans. The only thing that I stumbled over a little was how easily everything was settled with Jin & Sang-hoon's relationship. Things are changing in the K-pop industry, but that change is slow, and at present I think there would still be a lot more backlash even for a heterosexual pairing. However, this is a romance book, not a social critique, so of course I was happy to get a HEA ending! It's 4.5 stars from me.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
No comments:
Post a Comment