Category: M/M Paranormal Fiction

A MelanieM Review: Wishful Thinking (Club Raven #2) by Kiernan Kelly

Rating: 2 stars out of 5

wishfulthinkingSometimes doing the right thing requires otherworldly help.

A Club Raven Novel

Tony Brazzio, part-owner of Club Raven in Baltimore, is gifted with a psychic talent that allows him to influence the behavior of others. His first project, to rehabilitate hoodlums Bull and Dandy, fails when the lure of fat wallets ripe for the picking is too great for them to ignore. After Bull and Dandy fall into serious trouble beyond simple petty theft, Tony takes it upon himself to bail them out.

Charged with making a pair of blackmailing pickpockets “disappear,” Detective Thomas Arthur Clare is determined to get the job done. He doesn’t count on Tony’s interference, or his attraction to the mysterious, handsome man, to sway him.

Wishful Thinking (Club Raven #2) by Kiernan Kelly is the PWP story in the middle of what I think of as the Club Raven trilogy, three books written by three different authors that centers around a live structure seated on a meeting of lay lines/power positions that fronts itself as Club Raven. Its now a gentlemen’s club with odd  peculiarities (BDSM dungeon on occasion, paranormal library, law enforcement branch for paranormals, halfway house, you name it, including boarding house).  Here the most shallow of characters, pull in other shallow characters, who act and react with no apparent concern for their era or amazing surroundings.  A detective is thrown into this PWP soup for no good measure and just muddles it further with a jawdropping instalove, insta BDSM scene that had my head spinning.

That alone came close to turning this  book into a DNF.  So much in this tale made absolutely no sense, from the characters, to their actions, that you stopped  trying to make sense of it all and just wanted to race to the finish line.

What a waste of a perfectly neat plot device.

Cover art is the best thing about the story.

Sales Links

Evil Plot Bunny | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 171 pages
Published January 3rd 2017 by Evil Plot Bunny LLC
ISBN139781942831433
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesClub Raven #2

Club Raven:

Happy Medium (Club Raven, #1)  by Julia Talbot

Wishful Thinking (Club Raven, #2)  by Kiernan Kelly

Calling His Bluff (Club Raven, #3)  by B.A. Tortuga

A MelanieM Review: Happy Medium (Club Raven #1) by Julia Talbot

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

happymedium-1Andrew is out to debunk Max as a medium, not make love to him…

A Club Raven Novel

Max Bellame is working his way through 1870s Baltimore as a medium, even if he knows nothing about spirits. He uses the power of his mind to move objects, convincing his clients he’s the real thing.

Andrew Meechum works for Club Raven, a gentleman’s club that doubles as a paranormal research facility. He sets out to debunk Max, only to be fascinated by the man. Can Andrew convince Max to take a chance on love, and to find his true calling as a medium, or will their personal demons force them apart?

Happy Medium is one of three Club Raven stories that center around a 1800’s gentlemen’s club that’s actually a living structure that house men/beings who have paranormal talents.  Its also a library, science lab, law enforcement branch, ‘what have you’ when it  comes to the needs of the paranormal.  Its also very, very, kinky.  Think local dungeon in the 1890’s.  You only get enough knowledge about Club Raven to want to know more.  Its fluid enough that each author (there are 3) can bend it according to the needs of her story.

I read the stories out of order, reading this one second.  I think it hurt all three in comparison to be honest.  One story had depth to the characters, their relationship and the reason for the D/s dynamics was laid out beautifully.  In another it was more PWP.  Happy Medium is well, just that,  the novel that falls exactly between the two.

We meet Max Bellame at a seance’.  He’s got true ability to move objects with his mind and uses that telekinesis to make his clients think they are talking to the dead.  Enter Andrew Meechum from Club Raven, investigating Max, to see if he’s the real deal.  There’s an attraction between them them even as the seance starts to go wrong.  Yes, you could say that  sparks flew.

I liked the characters, I thought the author did a good job in laying out who they were, backgrounds etc.  What bothered me about them and their relationship?  How quickly they jumped immediately into not only sex (in the 1890’s!) but a BDSM relationship, specifically a D/s when one had no prior knowledge of kink or the workings of such.  It was “strap me now”.  And that bothered me so much wondering about the time frame (imprisonment or worse), the fact that someone new and frankly distrustful of the man and club would jump into acts that require high levels of trust.  Well, it hurt the rest of the story.

Which was quite good.

There is another plot layer which I wish had been enlarged  (and the bdsm edited into a smaller role) which included Club Raven in a large role, its inhabitants, and other beings.  That was far more dynamic in my opinion.  I loved the interaction between Max and Andrew here.

Insta love/insta D/s is one thing that pulled this story down.  The surrounding layers and  plot threads made it  interesting as did seeing characters I had already encountered in the other stories appear.  I still enjoyed the tale.  You might not be bothered by the instalove aspect.  Club Raven has so much to offer, I’m wondering if these authors are going to go past these three books.  I would love to see what the paranormal part of the Club  holds out for the lost souls of the 1800’s.

Cover art works for the characters and novel.

 

Sales Links

Evil Plot Bunny | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 186 pages
Published January 17th 2017 by Evil Plot Bunny LLC
ISBN139781942831419
Edition LanguageEnglish
URLhttp://www.evilplotbunny.com/index.php/happy-medium-a-club-raven-novel/
SeriesClub Raven #1

 

Club Raven:

Happy Medium (Club Raven, #1)  by Julia Talbot

Wishful Thinking (Club Raven, #2)  by Kiernan Kelly

Calling His Bluff (Club Raven, #3)  by B.A. Tortuga

A Lila Review: The Visionary by Charli Coty

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

the-visionaryColin Page, eighteen-year-old community college student, apple polisher and all-around goody-goody, has a secret. He sees things that aren’t there. Unfortunately, the Doc Martens on the floor of the mail vestibule in his apartment building really are there and attached to a dead body. Hunkered over the body is someone Colin had barely noticed before, Private Investigator Al Green. Most people scare Colin, but for some reason, Al doesn’t, even after he reveals that he knows about the hidden reality of their world.

Alonzo Green, despite his low-power mind, is determined to help right the wrongs he unknowingly contributed to. He’s also hopelessly smitten. He knows it’s wrong—probably even dangerous—to enlist Colin’s help with the investigation. And that’s before considering all Al has to fear from Colin’s fiercely protective and powerful mother.

Colin and Al put some of the pieces together, but as soon as one thing becomes clear, the picture changes. The search for the Big Bad takes them from Portland to Tacoma and Seattle, and eventually to San Francisco, but their journey into each other’s arms is much shorter.

The Visionary is a different type of paranormal story. We get to read about a world in which colors and energy take central stage. Other elements were added as the story developed, creating a complex system of interrelated events happening even before the main characters met. There are several supporting characters who allowed the MCs to get together in the end.

The story is divided into three parts; starting with Colin’s POV, then Alonzo’s, and lastly the two of them. They meet as soon as the story starts and become inseparable from that moment on. The more time they spend together the more twists and turns the story got. The mystery is hard to follow because the characters keep their cards close and the reader can’t guess a possible outcome.

The book is complex, which had me stopping and re-reading several paragraphs more than ones. There are jumps in time and events that caused some confusion and several scenes seem there only to be referenced further down the story. I think those missing time frames were necessary to make the story flow smoothly.

If you’re a fan of innovative story lines, this one is definitely one. The visionary concept was interesting, but not explained completely. It’s not a book to read in one sitting, but the more you read the more used you will get with the book’s style. Overall, a good story, just not for me.

The cover by Natasha Snow matches the story well. It’s a bit too dark, but it works with the essence of the story.

Sale Links: NineStar | Amazon | Nook

ebook, 156 pages
Published: January 30, 2017, NineStar Press
ISBN: 9781945952395
Edition Language: English

An Alisa Review: Rogue Magic by Kit Brisby

Rating:  5 stars out of 5

 

roguemagic_500x600While trapped in a stalled subway train on his morning commute, PR rep Byron Cole flirts with Levi, a young waiter with adorable curls. But Byron’s hopes for romance crash and burn when Levi saves him from a brutal explosion—with outlawed magic.

 

When Levi is imprisoned, Byron begins to question everything he’s ever believed. How can magic be evil when Levi used it to save dozens of lives? So Byron hatches a plan to save Levi that will cost him his job and probably his life. If he doesn’t pull it off, Levi will be put to death.

 

Byron discovers that he isn’t the only one questioning America’s stance on magic. And he learns that Levi is stubborn, angry, and utterly enchanting. Time is running out, though. Byron must convince Levi to trust him, to trust his own magic, and to fight against the hatred that’s forced him to hide his true nature his entire life. The more Levi opens up, the harder Byron falls. And the more they have to lose.

 

This was my first book by Kit Brisby and I wasn’t disappointed.  This story takes place in a world where those who have the ability to do magic are oppressed or imprisoned because of it.  And due to Byron’s uncle’s company many are quite afraid of what those with magic could do even though they have never seen it at work.

 

Byron has pretty much kept himself closed off after his parents’ deaths having to live in boarding schools and having an unloving uncle as his guardian.  He feels an instant connection to Levi when they meet which scares him since he has kept everyone but his best friend at arm’s length for so long.  He can’t help but keep thinking about Levi after his arrest and he starts to doubt everything he has ever been told about magic.

 

We get to see this story from a few different characters’ points of view and that goes a long way towards understanding the characters and also the world they live in.  Byron really has to prove himself to Levi and his friends through his actions for them to trust him, which he does with flying colors because when he decides to do something he goes at him 110%, even when his life is being thrown in to turmoil right along with everything else.  I loved how this author got the story across and how engaging it was.  I look forward to reading more of her books.

 

Cover art by LC Chase is wonderful; I love the visual we get of Levi and his curly hair.

 

Sales Links: Riptide Publishing | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 328 pages

Published: January 30, 2017 by Riptide Publishing

ISBN: 9781626495272

Edition Language: English

An Ali Review: Soothsayer by Cari Z.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

soothsayer-by-cari-zCillian Kelly can look into people’s eyes and see their fates. He’s running from a past filled with mistakes, lying low and selling his services on the sly. When he learns that Sören Egilsson, a man who sacrificed himself so Cillian could escape imprisonment two years ago, is somehow still alive, Cillian has to find out how. What he gets is the body of the man he loves possessed by an ancient spirit who draws Cillian into a battle to the death for the right to control Sören’s fate, and the power that comes with it.

I’ve read most everything this author has written and I’m a big fan of hers.  That being said, I think this is my favorite book that she’s written.  I was immediately drawn into this story and once I started it, I could not put it down.  It’s a fairly short book but a lot happens.  The blurb perfectly explains the plot.  Cillian is living with his mother’s best friend and trying to keep a low profile.  He’s been kidnapped in the past by people who want him to do bad things for them with his power.  While he’s currently doing alright, Cillian lives with a horrible regret from his past that he can’t seem to let go.  When the chance to right the wrongs he’s done comes up, Cillian jumps at the chance to make amends despite the danger to himself.  This leads Cillian, Soren and an Icelandic land spirit that acts like a teenager, to head out across the United States on a crazy road trip.  A road trip that includes bar fights, mobsters, roller coasters, paint ball fights, hand held missiles, cowboys, more ancient spirits, waffles and blowing stuff up.  

The plot is fast paced and super entertaining.  This is the kind of story that would make a great movie.  In addition to the fun plot, there are also a lot of emotions.  The author was able to weave a complex emotional story between Cillian and Soren and it was a relationship I totally bought in to.  I was rooting for these two the entire way.  I loved Cillian as the main character but I think the author did a great job on all of the side characters too.  There a lot of them but they are all fleshed out well and they are all unique and add purpose to the overall plot.  The spirit was just as important as Soren and actually had more on page time.  He stole every scene he was in with his petulant demands.  He made me laugh out loud more than once.

 I think this book has something for everyone and will appeal to a lot of readers.  It’s unique, romantic, funny and filled with great characters.  This is one I would definitely recommend.

Cover by Natasha Snow:  I love the cover.  I think it’s eye catching and gorgeous and it fits the story perfectly.

Sale Links: NineStar | Amazon | Nook

ebook, 184 pages
Published: January 30, 2017, NineStar Press
ISBN: 9781945952524
Edition Language: English

A MelanieM Release Day Review: A Face Without a Heart by Rick R. Reed

Rating:  4.75 stars out of 5

a-face-without-a-heartA modern-day and thought-provoking retelling of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray that esteemed horror magazine Fangoria called “…a book that is brutally honest with its reader and doesn’t flinch in the areas where Wilde had to look away…. A rarity: a really well-done update that’s as good as its source material.”

A beautiful young man bargains his soul away to remain young and handsome forever, while his holographic portrait mirrors his aging and decay and reflects every sin and each nightmarish step deeper into depravity… even cold-blooded murder. Prepare yourself for a compelling tour of the darkest sides of greed, lust, addiction, and violence.

Let me start off by saying that one, I think the synopsis didn’t quite get it right.  I don’t feel that A Face without a Heart is a retelling of that fabulous and horrific Oscar Wilde tale, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is rather a modern day ode to Wilde by Reed. The author takes Wilde’s story of a beautiful man who bargains away his soul rather than see himself as anything less than the perfect image he sees displayed before him and gives it a Rick R Reed, hmmm, not twist perhaps but something similar enough as though the demon who visited Dorian came back and said, ‘here’s another likely candidate.  Let’s choose him.’  And did.

If you’re not familiar with Oscar Wilde, or his story, The Picture of Dorian Gray, drop everything and go read everything you can by this man, including that one. First published in 1890 to great consternation and uproar, it holds up to this day, where its in release still.  If you’re not and are looking for a romance, stop!  There’s not one to be found here unless its one man’s love for his own reflection at the cost of his soul.  To keep that beauty intact, there’s nothing he won’t do, keep that in mind.

So no to the romance. Yes to the horror.

Yes to the slow disintegration of a man and the appearances of what a life ill-used in every possible manner can look like on a painting (Oscar Wilde) or in this case a holographic portrait which was a very neat upgrade I must say by Rick R. Reed.  From the moment Liam Howard, photographer and artist, sees the incandescent beauty of Gary Adrion, he wants him to pose for his holographic portrait.  Gary’s an innocent.  Until he see’s himself unveiled in all his perfection. The author chillingly carries us from moment to moment, in each character’s involvement with each other as they head towards this shattering unveiling that will shift all their lives forever and past to all its damning ramifications. There’s multiple pov here which works very well. We know what’s coming and still its effect is immediate and alive.  And we know Gary’s innocence has fled.

What follows is every bit as horrific and condemning of the ideas of eternal youth/beauty and lives lived empty of morality or worth to anyone but yourself as Oscar Wilde held forth in 1890.  Still true today?  You make up your own mind. I think Rick R. Reed has done a splendid job.  I highly recommend this story if you are a lover of horror and a well written tale.

Cover art by Aaron Anderson.  I understand what the artist was trying to do but I think it ended up looking more like a press run gone bad instead of a holographic image he was going  for.

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | DSP Publications

Book Details:

ebook, 4th Edition, 200 pages
Expected publication: January 31st 2017 by DSP Publications (first published January 25th 2000)
Original Title A Face Without a Heart: A Modern-Day Version of Oscar Wilde’s the Picture of Dorian Gray
ISBN 163533263X (ISBN13: 9781635332636)
Edition Language English
Literary Awards Gaylactic Spectrum Award Nominee for Best Novel (2001)

First Edition paperback published by Design Image Group, 2000.

Second Edition paperback published by iUniverse/Back in Print, 2006.

First Edition eBook published by Bristlecone Press, 2009

A Lila Review: Soothsayer by Cari Z.

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

soothsayer-by-cari-zCillian Kelly can look into people’s eyes and see their fates. He’s running from a past filled with mistakes, lying low and selling his services on the sly. When he learns that Sören Egilsson, a man who sacrificed himself so Cillian could escape imprisonment two years ago, is somehow still alive, Cillian has to find out how. What he gets is the body of the man he loves possessed by an ancient spirit who draws Cillian into a battle to the death for the right to control Sören’s fate, and the power that comes with it.

Soothsayer is not a traditional romance. It’s the embodiment of doing something in the name of love. With the added bonus of learning how the main characters reached that point in their relationship. Their love story is beautiful but unconventional.

The book is narrated by Cillian in the first person. We see what he sees and experienced all his emotions. Even so, Cillian doesn’t get lost in internal monologues or “I’m not good enough” rants. He knows his place in the world and accepts what faith had chosen for him. That doesn’t mean that he’d not do everything in his power to align things in his favor.

From the start, we are part of Cillian’s alter universe. He can be any tattooed guy walking around us. The world as we know it is the main setting, but the psychic current giving life to the characters exists in an underground civilization. They’re in touch with a different reality, and their abilities are a representation of that evolution. There are several terms to follow and different legends to learn about. And a good amount of suspension of disbelief is necessary, even for a paranormal story.

Character introductions take the beginning of the story and can be a bit too long but necessary. As well as seeing Cillian in action. But all those events and circumstances have a role later in the story. It takes a while for the main characters [Cillian & the Spirit] to interact, and even longer for the main couple [Cillian & Sören].

The author did good balancing the amount of travel time and the events around it. Most stops are entertaining and the Spirit adds the necessary comedic relief. A lot of the twists and turns are kept hidden away from everyone, including the reader.  The way the story resolution is achieved isn’t easily assumed. At least not completely, making the reader want to read faster.

Overall, this is a nice story to read if you are looking for a different interpretation of paranormals and alternative universes. Soothsayer is different from other books and creates a niche of its own. The book has a solid HFN with the possibility for more stories, but there aren’t necessary. What we get is enough to satisfy the reader.

Natasha Snow did a good job representing Cillian and his trip around the country.

Sale Links: NineStar | Amazon | Nook

ebook, 184 pages
Published: January 30, 2017, NineStar Press
ISBN: 9781945952524
Edition Language: English

Release Blitz: Rick R Reed’s A Face without a Heart (excerpt and giveaway)

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | DSP Publications
 
Cover: Aaron Anderson
 
Publisher: DSP Publications
 
Length: 56,887 words
 

A modern-day and thought-provoking retelling of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray that esteemed horror magazine Fangoria called “…a book that is brutally honest with its reader and doesn’t flinch in the areas where Wilde had to look away…. A rarity: a really well-done update that’s as good as its source material.”


A beautiful young man bargains his soul away to remain young and handsome forever, while his holographic portrait mirrors his aging and decay and reflects every sin and each nightmarish step deeper into depravity… even cold-blooded murder. Prepare yourself for a compelling tour of the darkest sides of greed, lust, addiction, and violence.

Excerpt


He was beautiful. Beauty is so seldom ascribed to men, too often incorrectly attributed to men with feminine features—wavy blond hair, fine cheekbones, teeth cut from porcelain. But I’ve always thought of beauty as a quality that went deeper than the corporeal… something dark, dense, inexplicable, capable of stirring longings primal, longings one would be powerless to resist.


He was beautiful. I sat on a Red Line “L” train, headed downtown, bags of heavy camera equipment heaped at my side, one arm resting protectively over them. I watched the young man, unable to train my thoughts on anything other than this man who had blotted out the reality of the day, magical and transforming. Beauty, especially so rare a beauty, can do that. The young man was an eclipse, his presence coming between myself and the reality of the day hurtling by outside train windows.


He had come in behind three foreign people, a bright counterpoint to their drab clothes, colorless, already wilting in the August humidity. They chattered to one another in a language unrecognizable, Polish maybe, and I was annoyed at their yammering, unable to block it out sufficiently enough to concentrate on the book I was reading, a biography of William Blake.


I almost didn’t notice him. It wasn’t like me to pay much attention to what went on around me, especially when I was preparing for a shoot. Usually I used the time on the train to set up the photographs I would take, the way I would manipulate light and shadow and how it fell on my models, to arrange the props, set up and test the lighting.


But something caused me to look up when the doors opened—perhaps I was struck by the dissonance created by the unknown language—and I saw him. Close-cropped brown hair, a bit of stubble framing full lips, a bruise fading to dull below his right eye. The bruise did not detract from the man’s beauty but served to enhance it, making of the rough features something more vulnerable. The bruise was the embodiment of a yearning for the touch of a finger, the whisper of a kiss. He wore an old, faded T-shirt with a Bulls logo, black denim cut off just above his knees, and a pair of work boots, the seam on the left beginning to separate. In spite of the workman’s garb, there was something intellectual about the man, an intensity in his aquamarine eyes that portended deeper thought.


At that moment, I made a decision. I don’t know what caprice seized me. I have always led an orderly life, completely without surprise. But when the train pulled to a stop and the young man stood, I acted on an impulse that was as sudden as it was uncontrollable.

Author Bio


Rick R. Reed is all about exploring the romantic entanglements of gay men in contemporary, realistic settings. While his stories often contain elements of suspense, mystery and the paranormal, his focus ultimately returns to the power of love.


He is the author of dozens of published novels, novellas, and short stories. He is a three-time EPIC eBook Award winner (for Caregiver, Orientation and The Blue Moon Cafe). He is also a Rainbow Award Winner for both Caregiver and Raining Men. Lambda Literary Review has called him, “a writer that doesn’t disappoint.”


Rick lives in Seattle with his husband and a very spoiled Boston terrier. He is forever “at work on another novel.”

Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/rickrreedbooks
Twitter: www.twitter.com/rickrreed
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+RickReedWRITER
Blog: http://rickrreedreality.blogspot.com/
Website: www.rickrreed.com
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rick-r-reed
Email: rickrreedbooks@gmail.com

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