When first reading the blurb of this book I was immediately intrigued by the clear Orpheus and Eurydice inspiration and I was not disappointed! But what made me love this story was Kyarlin's absolute devotion to his husband, unfaltering even in the face of radical change. The story in itself is mostly easy to follow (there were a couple more convoluted passages) and branches out in multiple 'side quests', while the writing is pretty flowing. The Baldur's Gate vibes are are all there, along with a few references to Dante's inferno.
Never a dull chapter, it catches the reader's attention with its wide array of different characters and vivid descriptions of Hell's landscapes.
I have not yet read the first book of this series but now I definitely have to check it out!

Thank you Netgalley, and Candice Morris for sending me this advance review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I struggled with this one, and almost gave up several times.

It said it was a standalone, but you really need to read the first book to understand what is going on. It referenced a ton of stuff that happened in the first book, and I spent so much time being confused. I might try to re-read it in the future after reading the first book. This was really disappointing though. The blurb and marketing for it needs to be changed to reflect this. This is not a standalone novel at all, but a sequel instead.

There was so much info dumping at the beginning, and it moved along at a snails pace. There was way too much stuff for each character to keep track of. It was hard to keep everyone's backstory straight. Eventually the action picks up, and I sped through the rest of the book.

The worldbuilding was really good overall, and the writing was okay. The world was nicely fleshed out. I'm very familiar with D&D, and it did read like someone translated their campaign into a novel. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but not at all what I was expecting.

This one is hard to review, because it feels like I'm missing so much by not reading the first book.

Thank you to NetGalley & Candice for allowing me an ARC in exhange for an honest review!

I have been following Candice's work/progress since book 1, and was excited to see that she was continuing this story through to a sequel that can also work as a standalone. The artwork she's commisioned is gorgeous & the concept/imagery really drew me to this one.

Comparing this book to the 1st, the writing is just as solid, but with deeper/richer world building and characters. While still staying true to the world building of the 1st book, in this one we get a fresh setting and very interesting descriptions. This goes for the characters as well. Everything felt a lot more polished in this book and in turn it was easier to attach to our core group of characters.

I do think emotions/emotional gravity for our characters ran deeper in this novel and were expressed easier than in the 1st book. We got to see more depth to our main 3 characters, and more realistic interactions. With such a tragic backstory, it is hard to fully express all of the emotional weight for everyone involved. I do think Candice does a good job of having all of the characters within the group feel like relatable people, and express their grief individually. I will say, the beginning of this one started off so emotionally strong/charged, and did feel as it if fizzled a little as the story progressed. By this I mean, the richness of the language in the first chapter (grief/agony) settled into less prominent, but still present, emotional reactions by chapter 3. I do think this feeds into the pacing slightly.

Speaking of, the pacing was so-so for me. Some points were really strong, and I was very invested, and then others felt like they were dragging a little. We start off really strong and interesting, and then flip POVs and lose that momentum in my opinion. And each time we flip back POVs, I felt Suneelon's POV was weaker (or maybe more confusing). This lead to that dragging feeling where I wished we'd stuck with a 3rd person Kyarlin POV. However, this novel does not read as a "campain" nearly as much as book 1 did. I did feel like the overall plot structure was less point to point to point and more of a natural progression.

Overall, I enjoyed returning to this world and following our characters through another journey. These books are very much an emotional journey as much as a physical one for these characters, which I love. I can see so much improvement in this one over book 1, and look forward to seeing what book 3 has in store for these characters (you thought you could end it like that huh? 😭)

I loved this the aesthetic of the writing really built the atmosphere and created a vibe in the worldbuilding which lead to the development of the characters in a dreary buy fascinating magic system setting that flourished in building up the relationship we weren't privy of its past to. Also the tension and longing with each character was beautiful, it was luke reading in a trance like state wherein you can't step out even if you want to because it's so good!! Just excellent all around and I would highly recommend this.

3.75⭐️

This book felt kind of like a game of d&d so I think if u like d&d or Baldur's gate u would like this in particular the world and the magic, as long as u don’t mind that it doesn’t completely stick to the magic system within d&d

This book was interesting, sad and the main overall focus was on that of grief and loss and I think it really does well portaying those experiences

Some parts of this book seemed abit simple as if the author wanted something to be apart of the book so just put it in and didn’t really think about how to make it interesting or merge it in an interesting way for the reader

Some plot points that should have been really important and gotten a lot of time devoted to them where only very briefly focused on leaving the booking feeling very underdeveloped

The relationship between the mc’s was far from healthy and yet their devotion to each other was kind of beautiful

Kyarlin and Suneelon had such great chemistry. The writing was really good and the characters were interesting. I enjoyed the dark worldbuilding and the aesthetic of this world within the plot

I really enjoyed this book. The writing is superb and it holds attention till the end. The world-building is excellent.

1/✨ DNF for We Were Men Once by Candice Morris

On paper, this book should have been everything I love: horror + DND-inspired fantasy = yes please. And honestly, the vibe pulled me in at first and the writing flows fine. But the further I got (30%), the more it felt like I was missing key information. I couldn’t connect to the characters, and the plot lacked any urgency for me.

Turns out… this is actually book 2. Which explains a lot, because all the essential worldbuilding and character development clearly happened in book 1. And that gap was just too noticeable for me to keep going. Such a shame, because the concept is incredible.

This was a fun read. While I didn't know it was a sequel until the end, it was still a fun ride. I think I might have enjoyed it more if had read the first one before this, the dungeons and dragon like quests were fun to go through with the characters. Overall a great time!

I found myself shouting at this book more times than I can count, but rather than getting ahead of myself, let’s rewind to the very beginning. From the outset, I was utterly captivated by the Dungeons & Dragons elements woven into the story. The moments when the party engaged in their bustling town activities were delightful, each small interaction brimming with life and camaraderie. The author clearly understood the nuances of D&D, incorporating them in a way that felt authentic and not merely as a superficial label.

The banter among the characters flowed effortlessly, creating a dynamic that felt both genuine and relatable. Their journey wasn’t always smooth sailing; you could sense the underlying tensions and connections simmering beneath their surface interactions. When the narrative took a turn into Hell, the echoes of Dante's Inferno and the myth of Orpheus resonated throughout the text, beautifully layered without falling into the trap of mere imitation.

The balance between plot progression and character development was expertly achieved, immersing me so completely that I lost myself in the story. This is the hallmark of a truly engaging book—when the characters feel so vivid and ‘alive’ that you find yourself instinctively yelling at them in frustration over their reckless choices. The representation of Hell was intricately crafted, giving it the depth of an expansive realm rather than a mere backdrop. Often in literature, such settings can feel flat and artificial, but here, it was vividly rendered, complete with its complex political systems, unpredictable weather, varied landscapes, and rich societal culture.

Even though I had not yet ventured into the first installment of the series, I appreciated the author's effort to summarize critical events for newcomers. However, these explanations bore the subtlety of an elephant in a porcelain shop, jarring me out of the flow of the narrative. Still, they succeeded in making this book a standalone experience; I never felt adrift despite my lack of prior knowledge.

The ultimate praise I can offer this work is for its solid writing quality. The atmosphere it conjures is striking, particularly in its aesthetic choices and its chilling body horror elements that occasionally evoke eerie cosmic-horror vibes. Yet, despite these strengths, I struggled with the pacing and plot structure, which often left me disengaged. The storyline unfolded like a checklist from a video game: set a goal, converse with this NPC, complete a side quest, unlock the next area, engage in a battle, acquire a new macguffin, and then repeat. I found it challenging to forge a connection with the characters or the unfolding action, and the dense, sprawling narrative frequently left me bewildered as to how the cast had arrived at their latest predicament.

Did I enjoy this book? 1000%.
Do I also love all of the books and stories it’s based on? Yes.

We Were Men Once is a book that I think will reach a much larger audience than originally intended, if that makes sense. I love Dungeons & Dragons, and I also appreciate a slow build. This story balances romance and horror in such a unique way, romantic without being overtly mushy, yet horrific enough to keep you hooked. Morris pulled off something really special.

Xaraan, now Suneelon, is such a compelling “almost antagonist.” He never meant to be the bad guy, but now he’s the perfect picture of one. Meanwhile, his husband Kyarlin was a bit mopey, not that I blame him, but still.

Building a story like this takes time, and I think the slow build was necessary. But once it picks up? IT PICKS UP. As a reader, you enter Hell and it’s all systems GO.

I would’ve loved to see even more of the hellscape, but overall this is a striking love story, an odyssey-like adventure that uses the love between two men as its driving force.

I would definitely recommend this book!

I will be posting my review on Amazon, and Goodreads.
First off, you could read this as a standalone if you wish. But I would highly recommend read the first one like I should’ve done. It did get a little confusing because in the first one you get more in depth with the characters that are in this one now. And what kind of world this is what kind of relationships are there. This book does have a D&D feel with quest and the found family. Kyarlin will do anything to get his love back. Even if that means going to hell and making deals for him. But it comes with a big cost. Xaraan is now Suneelon serves one of the rulers of hell that he tried to kill when he was living. I like how Kyarlin would do anything for his love. And accepts all of him and whatever form he comes in. What I like about Suneelon he knew something was missing inside of him. When he became a demon. And he knew in his heart that he had a fight for that little feeling. The group that travels into hell to take down the leader. There are so many hardships to come, even death. What I like the most was the ending of the book because of what Kyarlin said was true.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Overall this story did not grip me the way I wish it would have and I don’t know if it is because I did not read the first book but in the description for this book it did say this could be read as a standalone. I do feel like I would have enjoyed this story more if I liked D&D. It is very much set up in that style.

I am not going to lie the first half of the book did have me wanting to DNF it. It was very slow pace and I did not connect with the characters as much as I had hoped I would. The love story was there and I really thought it would redeem this book but the main character was just very unlikable.

The writing wasn’t awful, I think that is what saved me from DNFing this book, I just did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Absolutely love the cover design though!

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc!

We Were Men Once is a fun, intense romp through Hell. It is fast paced, perhaps too fast for its own good, but I found that when I really got into the flow of reading it, it was fine. This world is heavily D&D inspired, and I appreciated the time and effort that went into it. I was very invested in the world that this book (and by extension the previous book) built up and felt engaged with it. The characters were fun, although I do wish that outside the main pairing + Lynn, we had more time to explore their characters. I know that there's a third book in the making, but I just felt that certain characters were just cut off completely before they could do much.

Overall though, I felt We Were Men Once was a great time!

I didn’t realize We Were Men Once was a sequel until the end, and while it can be read as a standalone, I do wish I’d had the background from the first book. The writing and world-building were captivating, blending dark fantasy with touches that reminded me of Dante’s Inferno and D&D. I enjoyed the tragic romance at the core, though the characters’ frustrating choices and lack of tender moments sometimes pulled me out of the story. Overall, while engaging, the pacing and some confusing plot elements kept it from fully landing for me. So overall, I'd give it a 2.5 out of 5 stars, but I'll round it up because I like the cover so much.

If you like dantes inferno and video games this is for you. Poetic justice served up for real. True love served up on a dark and dangerous platter. What this character goes through just to get his one and only back and his memories… i was on the edge of my seat. My heart pounding, aching. You felt true pain reading this. BUT the references to the symbolism were loose i wish there were some deep psychological quotes i could have maybe pulled from the book. But this is a very unique original idea.

So unfortunately this one wasn’t for me. :( I will say that the writing and the atmosphere of the story were both great! The characters seemed like they were multilayered and had interesting stories despite the fact that it felt like I was coming into their story in what felt like the middle. The main characters all have history together that is mentioned but that I was not given full context for and the main couple that the story focuses have no context for their love or their need to make it back together. When it came to the characters relationships with each other it felt like I was being told they care for eachother instead of shown. I think it does a disservice to this story to advertise it as a stand alone since technically it does have a book that comes before it. Upon looking into this further it seems that on most sites it is listed as a standalone (like good reads and fable) while on here it’s listed as Book 2. I don’t remember if it said that when I requested the book but either way. I feel if I had read the 1st book before I would have had a stronger connection to the characters and their world. If I have the time to backtrack and read the first book and then come back to this one with new eyes I might give it a shot and higher review.

I really wanted to love this one, but the pacing was a bit slow and the characters didn’t grip me the way I wanted them to. I unfortunately ended up DNF-ing this one.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Before diving into the review, I want to note that We Were Men Once is the second installment in a series. However, I read it as a standalone, so my impressions are based solely on this novel without prior knowledge of the established worldbuilding.

We Were Men Once is a dark and atmospheric blend of Dante’s Inferno and the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, with clear influences from Dungeons & Dragons. Morris crafts a haunting, tragic tale centered on Kyarlin’s desperate quest to find his husband, Xaraan — a man who sacrificed himself to defeat the archdevil Astaroth and whose soul has since been cast into Hell. A year after Xaraan’s death and rebirth as Suneelon, a memory wiped duke of Hell bound to Astaroth’s will, Kyarlin begins his journey into the underworld.

The writing is competent and immersive, effectively capturing the bleak tone and emotional weight of the story. That said, the first half of the novel feels heavily influenced by DnD-style questing — assembling a party, gathering items, facing mini-bosses — which, at times, made the pacing feel sluggish. There were moments I considered DNFing simply because the plot felt stuck in side-quest mode.

Fortunately, the narrative picks up significantly once the characters descend into Hell. From that point on, the story becomes an emotionally gripping exploration of love, memory, political intrigue, and sacrifice. The second half more than makes up for the earlier drag and delivers a powerful and resonant climax.

Despite the slow start, I ultimately found We Were Men Once to be a compelling and moving tale. If you can stick through the early pacing issues, there’s a beautifully dark payoff awaiting you.

I love that it reads like a dungeons and dragons campaign. It feels like im playing Baulders Gate Three but emphasizing the tragedy of it all