Review: Roustabout (Carnival of Mysteries ) by Morgan Brice

Rating: 4.75🌈

Morgan Brice’s entry, Roustabout, is true to this author’s wonderful ability to weave a complex emotional story that’s a mixture of paranormal elements, mysteries, horror, the mundane, and the romantic.

The theme of a mysterious other worldly Carnival of Mysteries plays so well to this author’s strengths in terms of her characters and plots. The circus’s elements are beautifully crafted, right down to the title Roustabout who is defined as circus workers who handled materials for construction on fairgrounds.

Brice has used the circus/carnival aspects of the theme not just as the series intended but also in building a character as well defined as RJ Tucker, a psychic who’s spent years as a circus roustabout since fleeing abuse as a foster kid. Brice’s characters, one or both , are often depicted as emotionally wounded or physically scarred by their past history, carrying their trauma forward into whatever scenario the storyline might lead.

That’s certainly true for RJ, and Roustabout. Part of the mystery here is watching Bartlett Gibson, necromancer and an agent for the Tennessee Bureau of Supernatural Investigation, assigned to track the con “Ghost Boy” down , figure out who he’s dealing with and why this man is stealing from these people in a manner that feels so personal.

But Brice’s universe isn’t a mundane one, each character has a paranormal aspect to their character, so it follows that there’s an equally magical element to their storylines aside from the Carnival of Mysteries. Which in a Brice way, can indicate a darkly complex element or character to act as a catalyst or villain, as it happens in Roustabout.

This story ends up being a fabulous mixture of romance, emotional drama, mystery, police investigations and politics, paranormal characteristics , intense magical battles, and even the anguish of the realities of foster care as seen through the eyes of RJ’s memories. Brice digs deep into the circus culture so we even get the secret language, Cizarny that’s spoken within this mobile world. Such a richly crafted tale.

I love the chemistry of RJ and Bart together. They have that same energy and sense of belonging that makes them a great couple and team.

According to Morgan Brice, they appear as an established couple in her Kings of the Mountains series. So maybe this was her chance to give them an origin story. If so, how wonderful.

I’m highly recommending Roustabout. And now I’ll be off to check out that series above.

Carnival of Mysteries series:

✓ Crow’s Fate by Kim Fielding❤️

✓ Step Right Up by L.A. Witt

✓ Magic Burning by Kaje Harper ❤️

✓ Night-blooming Hearts by Megan Derr

✓ Go For The Company by Ander C. Lark❤️

✓ Roustabout by Morgan Brice❤️

✓ Assassin by Accident by E.J. Russell❤️

◦ Dryad on Fire by Nicole Dennis – Sept 13

◦ The Extraordinary Locket of Elijah Gray by Kayleigh Sky – Sept 6

◦ Smoke and Mirrors by Elizabeth Silver – September 20

◦ You Can Do Magic by R.L. Merrill – September 27

◦ Sting in the Tail by TA Moore – October 4

◦ Gods and Monsters by Rachel Langella – October 25

Buy Link :

Roustabout: Carnival of Mysteries

Blurb:

A con man and a government agent walk into a carnival…

Bartlett Gibson is a necromancer and an agent for the Tennessee Bureau of Supernatural Investigation. He’s hot on the trail of RJ Tucker, a psychic con man who has eluded him at every turn and led him on a merry chase. Pursuit leads to grudging respect in their game of cat and mouse, which becomes a high-stakes game of seduction. Bart chases RJ to the Carnival of Mysteries and realizes that nothing is as it seems. A dark witch’s curse ups the ante, creating a deadline for revenge and redemption, and the clock is ticking.

Falling in love breaks all the rules. Can Bart and RJ stop the witch, break the curse, and find a way around RJ’s spot on the “most wanted” list before time runs out?

Roustabout is a fast-paced MM paranormal romance filled with supernatural suspense, snarky humor, crafty carnival workers, sarcastic ghosts, midway magic, hurt/comfort angst, adversaries-to-lovers tension, and a very happy ending!

Part of the multi-author, shared-world Carnival of Mysteries series. Can be read as a stand-alone.

Morgan Bricehttps://morganbrice.com › booksKings of the Mountain

Kings of the Mountains series:

• Roustabout

• Kings of the Mountain

• Sins of the Fathers

Review: Bluz (a Culinary Creatures novel) by L Eveland

Rating: 5🌈

Well, Bluz is by far my favorite in an extraordinary paranormal series of magical depths. In Bluz , L Eveland has given this story so many riches in terms of narrative structure and character development that its almost tactile atmosphere could be overlooked for its sublime world building.

It’s inherit within its location, its beings, the culture in this story in a way that is so unique and deeply personal to both characters but especially one. That’s Greyson Boggs,human ,guitarist, a blues musician with an old border collie, Simon. Turns out Simon is also his guide dog as Greyson been going blind since early adolescence from retinitis pigmentosa, another perfectly implemented element.

But that’s just the beginning to the layers of this man. Here’s his voice.

“Footsteps crisscrossed in front of me, busy folk shuffling to places they didn’t want to be. I used the steady beat as my percussion, counting out a one, a two, a five-six-seven-eight while the guitar cried into the humid morning, conveying all the words I couldn’t.

I sang about the places I’d been from the deep dark hollers in rural Georgia to that summer I rode the rails all the way down to New Orleans. I sang about the south, about crawdads and creeks, collard greens and running from the law. The words came with no effort, shaken free from where they rattled around in my head with no pre-planned pattern. “

There’s a particular melodic progression to that voice, one that the author is also born with. And one that’s unfortunately disappearing from the world. It’s the sound and vernacular of spoken Appalachian English language, one of the oldest nonnative spoken languages here in the US. Specifically, the Appalachian dialect or as it’s also known, Smokey Mountains Holler dialect, with its colorful imagery, slow linguistic patterns, and changing tones /spoken words. It’s a language that might even feel a titch familiar, such as where I might say “I took the dog out”

it becomes :

“One night that dog was a-beggin’ and a-cryin’ to go out.”

*In The Language and Life Project that set about documenting the dialects, one man said of his talk “…it’s more like singing than talking…”

That’s pure Appalachian. A dialect so beautifully suited for an Appalachian blind blues singer named Greyson Boggs and his old dog, Simon, that it makes me question that this man is really fictional.

Except, of course, for the werewolves, demons, incubus, and such.

But they get the same layered treatment. A pack in financial straits and leadership issues. A storm coming, a real mixed community to meet, which includes a homeless shelter,imminent storms, and the raw reality of those who live life on the margins. That’s very much an important part of this story and Greyson’s as well.

Gaston, the chef who returned home to help out his recovering father and the pack’s restaurant, Bluz, is a marvelous character. Eveland did a wonderful job in giving him his own issues to work through and challenges to overcome. Gaston is lovely. But he’s next to the powerful Greyson. And he is one of those sharp shining personalities whose life becomes important to the narrative and the reader because of who he is personally. We care so much for him that it’s hard for anyone else to measure up. It’s that voice.

Gaston has a pansexual coming out, not that he wasn’t already, but out to his parents and pack. Another nice aspect of the story because there so many equally strong emotional things that are going on in the story. That includes homelessness. A camp where people/beings live , homeless shelters and what it must feel like to have no where to go when a major disaster is occurring. And it’s done in a matter of fact way that drives home the facts about this aspect of society even more.

There’s a happy romantic journey with communication, some very sexy mate bonding, and very familiar faces from previous books that show up at the end for a satisfying conclusion. Love it.

And through it all, runs songs, and southern cooking. BBQ and the Blues. Do not miss out on all the recipes at the end of each book, this time for pork butt. So yummy. Put on some Etta James or Bill Whithers and grill you some BBQ.

I’m highly recommending Bluz (a Culinary Creatures novel) by L Eveland. This series just continues to get better and expand on the topics within a paranormal realm. Fantastic.

• YouTube: The Language and Life Project : see video

Culinary Creatures:

✓ Brimstone #1

✓ Beefcake #2

✓ Bluz #3

◦ Brewtiful’s #4 – April 30, 2024

Buy Link :

Bluz: A High Heat, Low Stakes MM Monster Romance Novella (Culinary Creatures Book 3)

Blurb:

No one cooks like Gaston, and I’m hungry like a wolf.

Eight years ago, I missed my chance to be with the love of my life. Now, Gaston is back in town to rescue his pack’s troubled bar and grill, Bluz. He’s keen to rekindle things between us, but I’ve still got the blues over how it all went down before.

Gaston’s got a whole life out west full of fast cars, fancy dinners, and famous friends. He claims he’s ready to settle down, and that his wolf has chosen me, but I’m just a country boy, a drifter. Gaston is refined and cultured. I don’t fit into his elegant lifestyle, even if our nights together have been sizzling hot.

His wolf wants me, and I want him, but I’m running out of time to decide. Can I put our troubled past behind me before I lose him forever? Or will our relationship finally go up in smoke?

Bluz is a smoking hot and sticky sweet second chance MM romance between an anthropomorphic werewolf and a visually impaired blues singer. This third installment of the Culinary Creatures series can be read as a standalone, and features a delicious BBQ recipe for you to try at home!

*Appalachian language: The Language and Life Project

Review: Go For The Company (Carnival of Mysteries story) by Ander C. Lark

Rating: 4.75🌈

I believe that Go For The Company is a first published novel by Ander C. Lark and, if so I look forward to many more by this author. Ander C. Lark’s Go For The Company takes many popular paranormal themes and gives them the author’s own unique insight and twist to make them feel fresh and interesting.

Several things stood out here in the narrative for me. Lark’s knowledge of various cultures mythologies which plays In beautifully to the storyline in unexpected places. I also really enjoyed the fact that Lark never forgets that while so often the characters and narrative feels light and humorous, we are dealing with some dark and hellish elements. So yes, to the lovely moments and finding an engaging found family in Hell. However , Lark’s writing will insure that lurking in the shadows is something to be truly frightened of. And that the raw reality of the beings and place these characters inhabit is never far away from current events. Reparation/road to redemption or unrelenting torture. Disneyland rides or undergoing agony. Here we get both.

And a beautiful use of the central theme of the Carnival of Mysteries and Madam Persephone. Her character as a fortune teller is so poignant and layered. So well thought out.

As is the entire concept of Hell and Heaven, and its various entities. Such an entertaining place and a wonderful read.

Gabe’s journey through the afterlife isn’t one I would spoil for anyone. It’s just too good. The characters here are so multifaceted, the world building is extensive, and the plot horrifying enough to warrant a trigger warning or two about torture scenes, on page death, and domestic violence (not together).

As I said this author’s work was so enjoyable that I can’t wait to see what they do next. Until then, I’m highly impressed with Go For The Company (Carnival of Mysteries story) by Ander C. Lark and recommending it.

Carnival of Mysteries series:

✓ Crow’s Fate by Kim Fielding

✓ Step Right Up by L.A. Witt

✓ Magic Burning by Kaje Harper

✓ Night-blooming Hearts by Megan Derr

✓ Go For The Company by Ander C. Lark

✓ Roustabout by Morgan Brice

✓ Assassin by Accident by E.J. Russell

◦ Dryad on Fire by Nicole Dennis – Sept 13

◦ The Extraordinary Locket of Elijah Gray by Kayleigh Sky – Sept 6

◦ Smoke and Mirrors by Elizabeth Silver – September 20

◦ You Can Do Magic by R.L. Merrill – September 27

◦ Sting in the Tail by TA Moore – October 4

◦ Gods and Monsters by Rachel Langella – October 25

Buy Link:

Go for the Company: Carnival of Mysteries

Blurb:

Someone once said, “Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.” Gabe Rossi didn’t believe in either and figured it would be a long time until he had to deal with finding out if he was right. Instead, he’s dragged off a balcony the day after an unnerving meeting with a fortune teller and into a postmortem reality he never would have expected.

Now Gabe is in Hell, which ends up being full of some really nice people who have necessary (if unpleasant) jobs. He’s been promised a transfer to Heaven, but in the meantime Gabe will have to deal with a psychotic ex who’s turned out to be a former despotic ruler of Ancient Rome, an aged-down grandmother who keeps causing chaos, corporate politics, a pet hellhound, a lot of unanswered questions about his own existence, and a growing attachment to the guy in charge of the place. What’s a dead college student to do, aside from enjoy the company?

Go for the Company is part of the multi-author Carnival of Mysteries Series. Each book stands alone, but each one includes at least one visit to Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries, a magical, multiverse traveling show full of unusual acts, games, and rides. The Carnival changes to suit the world it’s on, so each visit is unique and special. This book contains slow-burn paranormal romance, asexual representation, and a guaranteed Happily Ever Afterlife.

Review: Night-blooming Hearts (Carnival of Mysteries story) by Megan Derr

Rating: 2🌈

I’m astonished. I adore this author and her stories rank among the many of my favorites and most rec’d.

But you can’t like everything someone writes. And at the top of my lists of problematic elements in stories these days is a TSTL character, even if he’s a dead one. In this case a Vampire . That’s a character that will have me wondering what an author is thinking because their actions are so inconceivably idiotic that a reader is smacking their head in disbelief as well as putting a DNF to a book that’s coming across as too poorly constructed to continue to.

But before that aspect is addressed, what needs to be talked about is a multitude of characters and a flawed base compiled from a complicated series and related universe that appear here with no solid foundation.

If you’re a new reader, and wondering why the name Dracula is thrown about for more than one character, you’re probably not alone. Even reader’s familiar with Derr’s books can’t conjure up all the necessary detailed information needed to get through the histories, government bureaucracy, relationships, and titles packed in here. Why are there dragons? Who’s married to whom? Why is Dracula not a single person ?English? American? Such a jumble. All the beings and their incomplete series information that’s constantly thrown at a reader. Mind Boggling.

So if you are feeling lost, that’s very legitimate.

So cut loose from a firm foundation with vague mentions of the city and bits of how the past and present sort of operate, the reader then has to dwell on the dubious details and main characters of the story.

This is not a positive thing.

Starting with someone we desperately need to connect with. That’s the traumatized, wounded, thrown away vampire Phoenix.

Now Phoenix came from a German royal household, the wealthy Grimmelshausens, but a magical experiment/explosion gone awry that almost cost him his undead life (don’t think about that too hard) did destroy his beauty. It’s the loss of his gorgeous face and body that gets him tossed out of castle, family, and fiancé as vampires trade on their looks for survival ( although money , power and prestige seems to be more important here). So many conflicting elements.

Phoenix , centuries old Phoenix, who survived on the streets doing what it took to survive. Because the other vampires were mean and ignored him. He couldn’t even get blood. This perplexed me to no end. He was a vampire, correct? But he got fat and had muscles, which is abhorrent? That was never a fully explained element. Just another fact in this character’s history which is full of such “huh “ moments.

But present day, he now has powerful friends on high , dragons, demons, beings we have no idea who they are but live in high rises, Phoenix is a powerful necromancer, world class apparently.

So our expectations are that the characterization that follows meets with those elements of his history and trauma.

But time and time, that’s not what we get. Instead, in almost every case, Phoenix presents himself as someone who has the emotional and physical skill set of a bunny rabbit. Survival abilities too. The “task “ he’s asked to take on in exchange for a family heirloom comes from his brother, a murderous, repulsive sort of man/vampire. One who turned on him, reviled him, all but personally stomped his broken body into the ground.

So what does Phoenix do? Repeatedly? Trust the brother, go out of his way to accommodate him, and poorly investigate said task. Keep in mind, this main character is a centuries old world renowned necromancer who was bitterly betrayed by his family, including this awful brother. Yeah, why not go with it.

That’s the mildest of how poorly this character is written. It gets so much worse that you want to beat your head against whatever reader you’re using.

And the other main character is just a cardboard outline used to hold up the romance. We’ve no firm idea who this magical cowboy is, other than a widowed healer with a son. There’s obviously a huge backstory . It’s just not here in this narrative. But he’s not a whole lot brighter than Phoenix in some respects.

Unfortunately, I kept on reading and ended up in a disaster of a storyline. I just started flipping through to the finale.

It’s all a huge nope.

If you’re a fan of this author, take a pass. If you’re a fan of this trope and series, do the same. Unless you’re someone invested in the connected series and knows who and what all these people are and what they’re talking about. Then maybe you should read it.

Not a recommendation otherwise.

Final note. The author indicated this story as a Dance with the Devil 8.1 , then a Carnival of Mysteries. That made more sense as the Carnival of Mysteries definitely feels like a forced element into an established universe. One that doesn’t really fit.

Other authors can use established elements, characters, and even a foundation in a series with a central theme but it can’t be to the point no one can understand the concept or context. Which is what happens here. Too bad.

Carnival of Mysteries series:

✓ Crow’s Fate by Kim Fielding

✓ Step Right Up by L.A. Witt

✓ Magic Burning by Kaje Harper

✓ Night-blooming Hearts by Megan Derr

✓ Go For The Company by Andre C. Lark

✓ Roustabout by Morgan Brice

✓ Assassin by Accident by E.J. Russell

◦ Dryad on Fire by Nicole Dennis – Sept 13

◦ The Extraordinary Locket of Elijah Gray by Kayleigh Sky – Sept 6

◦ Smoke and Mirrors by Elizabeth Silver – September 20

◦ You Can Do Magic by R.L. Merrill – September 27

◦ Sting in the Tail by TA Moore – October 4

◦ Gods and Monsters by Rachel Langella – October 25

Buy Link:

Night-blooming Hearts: Carnival of Mysteries

Blurb:

Phoenix sacrificed everything to become one of the greatest necromancers in nightwalker history—including his beauty, though that was by accident rather than design. As beauty is everything to vampires, he has been a pariah ever since, disowned, discarded, and largely forgotten by everyone he once called family and friend.

Nowadays, he lends his skills to sorcerer Jackie Black and the notorious Clan Mordred. If he still feels lonely and isolated, and rejected by the man he’d been stupid enough to think returned his interest, that’s his own problem, no one else’s. He’s used to rejection anyway.

Then his brother shows up on his doorstep begging for help with a blackmail problem—and offering the one thing Phoenix cannot refuse as payment. But if there’s one thing he’s learned about nightwalkers, it’s that nothing is ever as it seems, and problems always get worse before they get better…

Night-blooming Hearts is part of the multi-author Carnival of Mysteries Series. Each book stands alone, but each one includes at least one visit to Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries, a magical, multiverse traveling show full of unusual acts, games, and rides. The Carnival changes to suit the world it’s on, so each visit is unique and special. This book contains a lonely vampire convinced he’s unloveable, a pining cowboy who wants to prove him wrong, and a guaranteed HEA.

Review: Cast In Shadows (Shadow’s Lure Book One) by Alice Winters

Rating: 4🌈

It took me a while to get into the storyline and connect with the characters. Alice Winters is a favorite author of mine and one of her trademarks in writing is the types of high energy characters and their roles within her narrative structure. There’s always one that has a certain amount of overpowering verbal quality and quirky character. He is often the most dangerous player, impetuous, charming, chaotic, unpredictable and often quixotic.

Here he’s mysterious , murderous,and borderline abusive towards Bastian , the Caster he kidnaps. And we don’t know why. That’s potentially a big problem. Because he’s not charming enough yet to overcome that . Not at the beginning.

I’m talking about Andras, a dark magic user who can take over dead people’s bodies. A interesting element in itself because Winters is asking the reader to connect and develop feelings for an entity whose body can be deposed of. I really like this factor. And as the plot plays out, the character too.

But the chitter chatter snappy dialogue and constant murderous tone/thoughts that Winters uses in her other books and characters ,in fact , made Andras less attractive in the first part of Cast In Shadows, the storylines more dense, because the verbiage was distracting.

Especially when on the other side was a young man who was already being abused by his cult like family and domineering father. That’s Bastian, who is at the bottom rung for everyone, on both sides. Except the reader, who feels sorry for him. Bastian is an appealing figure and one who’s easily the most engaging for the reader.

Because he’s being beaten down by everyone and everything here. We emphasize with him. Constantly.

On the other hand, it’s a challenge to understand the chemistry between the Andras who’s kidnapped him and Bastian, who hates his life. Unless it’s a case of Stockholm syndrome.

Eventually, a wider plot and a mysterious revenge motivation is revealed, but not necessarily completely. This is a “tip of the iceberg “ sort of world building scenario where only bits and pieces get scattered around for the reader to gather up and process.

I’ll admit there’s some interesting and fascinating stuff here. And the hints being thrown around look towards some whoppers of future revelations. That second book should be great. But you have to read through the sometimes murky mess that’s the Cast In Shadows, especially at the beginning.

So I’m recommending this for fans of the author, the genre, and for the really interesting elements Winters has in store for the characters and series.

Shadow’s Lure:

✓ Cast In Shadows #1

◦ Casting Light #2 – Sept 19, 2023

Buy Link:

Cast in Shadows (Shadow’s Lure Book 1)

Blurb:

Andras

When the light-magic users known as Casters took everything from me, I vowed to make them pay.

Little did I know the perfect opportunity would show up in the form of a sweet Caster the moment I took his arrow to the heart… literally. Bastian knows that I’m made of dark magic, the very thing he’s been taught to destroy. But instead of turning away from me, he takes a chance on me, leading me behind the walls of the group out to kill me.

Bastian makes me remember that there’s more to life than revenge—although I can’t help but love the look he gives me when I cause chaos. But what I don’t realize is there’s someone who’s been watching me, someone only Bastian can help me fight.

Bastian

How is it that a man wielding dark magic is the only one who can save me?

Even though Andras goes against everything I fight for, I can’t stop myself from drawing him into my life.

What’s worse is that it’s clear he wants something from the Casters, but when he makes me laugh and feel like I’m living for the first time in my life, it’s impossible to turn him away.

When I find myself caught in a web of lies between those I trusted and those I feared, I realize the only one I can rely on is the one person who’s forbidden.

Cast in Shadows contains an antihero with no filter and a strange obsession with chili, a “pet” who sleeps through all the excitement, and possibly the least romantic movie date ever.

Review: How the Necromancer in the Gold Vest Saved My Life: WhoWoke the Dead? #4 (Princes of Mayhem) by Jocelynn Drake

Rating: 4.5🌈

How the Necromancer in the Gold Vest Saved My Life: Who Woke the Dead? #4 (Princes of Mayhem) by Jocelynn Drake feels more like a stepping stone to more adventures than it does a series finale. One of the reasons why is that this is a prequel series to the author’s Lords of Discord series (the vampire Variks) and now, happily, a lead in to a new series about those chaotic male witches who are both Sky’s best friends and form his coven. Be still my heart.

So yes, Drake packs a ton into the fourth story of this crazy but highly entertaining serialized story about a powerful necromancer who finds a loving boyfriend in a human fantasy romance author and they continue to have grand adventures together along with their friends and demon minions!

Who Woke the Dead doesn’t come together as fully as a whole storyline like the previous books have. This felt more like a group of engaging events loosely tied together leading the characters and readers to a HFN for Sky and Nolan.

In each small scenario, Nolan and Sky get to discuss their experiences and why they are so different and yet well suited for each other. Whether it’s Nolan taking care of an exhausted Sky after he’s made sandwiches for the underworld (an element I loved) or having an after party for witches, this couple just is #couplegoals. They are supportive, committed, and they communicate, with humor and sexy affection. What’s not to love?

So maybe it doesn’t matter that there’s not an all consuming drama here but two men finding each other and becoming boyfriends under extraordinary circumstances. Plus I love me some Dandy Dogs! More of these please!

I really hope Drake makes a second season of this series. I’m really excited to see what happens next on this couple’s journey.

In the meantime, I’m looking forward to the witches series starting with the blood witch , Moon. He’s up first.

I’m highly recommending the series (must read all four stories) , then continue on.

How the Necromancer in the Gold Vest Saved My Life:

✓ Disaster #1: Fun With Family

✓ Disaster #2: Pet Problems

✓ Disaster #3: Date Night

✓ Disaster #4: Who Woke the Dead? – finale

Related new series with connected characters:

Kings of Chaos- the witches of above

◦ Two Thousand Dreams (Kings of Chaos Book 1)-Nov 10,2023

Buy Link

How the Necromancer in the Gold Vest Saved My Life: Disaster #4 (Princes of Mayhem)

Blurb:

Disaster #4: Who Woke the Dead?

Something has escaped from the underworld!

Sky would like to point out that this is NOT his fault.

But, yes, something has escaped, and it has all the dead crawling out of their graves.

Naturally, the humans are freaking out.

Except for the sexy one living across the street.

Nolan is ready to jump into the fray and help Sky round up the underworld fugitive.

Sky’s going to need all the help he can get–not just from his coven but all the witches he can get his hands on.

How the Necromancer in the Gold Vest Saved My Life is a serial comprising four novellas that follow the insane adventures of necromancer Skylar Wallace and his next-door neighbor Nolan Banks. This is the final book and contains witches, demons, underworld minions, more sandwiches, stolen smexy time, an angry Grammy, and something scary running wild in Connecticut.

Review: The Human’s Incubus: A Brinnswick Story 1 by Michele Notaro

Rating: 4🌈

I really enjoy Michele Notaro’s work so I immediately picked up her release, The Human’s Incubus: A Brinnswick Story 1 . It’s the first in a new series but one that’s connected with two of her other larger series, and shared universe . Those would be the Ellwood Chronicles and Brinnswick Chronicles world.

Honestly, I don’t think I’ve read any of those books, but I will be after meeting some of the characters who crossed over from there into this story to help out our main characters.

That would be Hugo, a human with an angst-filled history and Zaos, an incubus with an emotional backstory who’s determined that Hugo is his viramore, his soulmate.

Unlike Michele Notaro’s The Magi Accounts series which I’m reading and throughly in love with, this isn’t the dark fiction that is. While it does contain hints about Zay’s horrific childhood, that’s all it’s got. See the author’s trigger warning. It does seem it’s more from the narrative in another series.

And that’s a bit of an issue as far as the world building goes. That the knowledge of the world is assumed because of the other series. There’s enough of a framework to fill in some necessary details but the overall structure isn’t quite there.

Does it spoil a terrific story? No. I loved getting to know Hugo and Zay, watching them navigate their way through Hugo’s problems, the idea of their bond, Zaos’ large family, and their (much needed) interference in their lives here.

I can’t wait for the next story and chapter in their relationship to be released. That will be The Human’s Heart (A Brinnswick Story Book 2). No date as yet.

Until then I’ll be heading back to pull up on the connected series and the universe I missed out on.

I’m definitely recommending this to all fans of the author and fantasy fiction.

A Brinnswick Story series:

✓ The Human’s Incubus #1

◦ The Human’s Heart #2 – TBD

Trigger warnings:

“Mentions of past child abuse/ sexual abuse (nothing on page).”

— The Human’s Incubus: A Brinnswick Story 1 by Michele Notaro

Buy Link:

The Human’s Incubus: A Brinnswick Story 1

Blurb:

When an incubus tells you he’s your soulmate, do you stay and listen or run and never look back?

I’ve spent most of my life knowing that supernatural creatures exist but never really interacting with any, so my knowledge of them is limited. Still, who would’ve thought a demisexual incubus was a thing?

Well apparently, not only is it a thing, but I have one who claims to be my soulmate—or viramore, as he calls it. And now he has it in his head that he’s going to save me from my past.

I think he might have a few screws loose, but something about him intrigues me, and I find myself drawn into his orbit. Could he be telling the truth? Could he really be my soulmate? Or should I be running from him the way I’m running from my enemies?

The Human’s Incubus is the first book in A Brinnswick Story series and is a MM paranormal romance. This series takes place in the Ellwood Chronicles and Brinnswick Chronicles world, but it’s not necessary to read those series first in order to enjoy this one.

Review: How the Necromancer in the Gold Vest Saved My Life: Date Night Disaster #3 (Princes of Mayhem) by Jocelynn Drake

Rating: 5🌈

Here we are at the penultimate story and it ends with, gasp, a cliffhanger! Ok , no surprise as this is a serialized story and that’s in keeping with the format. So it’s very much to be expected.

But before that happens, author Jocelynn Drake gives our main characters, adorable , powerful necromancer Skylar Wallace and his human equally adorable author and neighbor Nolan Banks a first date to remember.

Does it go off the rails immediately? Absolutely! Spectacularly wrong in all the right and humorous ways? You bet!

Where the previous story went dark, dark, deeply serious into the worst that Sky’s paranormal life and world offer to Nolan, a human newly discovering that humanity wasn’t alone. Date Night flips the narrative showing Nolan that magic and magical beings have a lighter side.

It’s a wild ride, literally, of a date night.

Even a suspected element that’s anticipated to be one of anguish and horror has an unlikely twist.

There’s plenty of side characters, including the vampire Varik brothers and mates. And Sky’s witchy best friends.

Honestly my hardest thing right now is the fact that there’s only one more book to come.

How can Drake deliver such fantastic characters, give us the potential for more revelations about them and their lives and leave us at four books? Short ones at that?

I believe the author needs to conjure us up a sequel.

Anyway, the finale is coming. It’s called Disaster, Who Woke the Dead?Naturally.

I can’t wait.

Absolutely recommending this and that. And the series.

How the Necromancer in the Gold Vest Saved My Life:

✓ Disaster #1: Fun With Family

✓ Disaster #2: Pet Problems

✓ Disaster #3: Date Night

◦ Disaster #4: Who Woke the Dead?-Aug 28

Buy Link:

How the Necromancer in the Gold Vest Saved My Life: Disaster #3 (Princes of Mayhem)

Blurb:

Disaster #3: Date Night

Date night! Date night!

It’s date night!

Life has settled down and Nolan has agreed to go on a date with Sky. There’s just one catch: Sky has to promise that it’s a totally normal, non-magical date.

I bet you can already see where this is going…

It would have been a totally normal, non-magical date if it weren’t for the purple fungus, a completely minor nonlethal mostly harmless but useful poisoning, and the pig.

Sigh…Will Nolan give him a second chance after this mess?

How the Necromancer in the Gold Vest Saved My Life is a serial comprising four novellas that follow the insane adventures of necromancer Skylar Wallace and his next-door neighbor Nolan Banks. This is book three of four and contains vampires, werewolves, witches, spells gone bad, good friends who should never call during a date, and a pig. Really. This will make your worst date look amazing. And did I mention it’s a full moon?

Review: The First and Last Adventure of Kit Sawyer by S.E. Harmon

Rating: 4.75🌈

“I only want two things in this world… I want you and I want us.—ANONYMOUS”

— The First and Last Adventure of Kit Sawyer by S.E. Harmon

I’m such a fan of Harmon’s books so I was thrilled to see a new story recently published.

The First and Last Adventure of Kit Sawyer by S.E. Harmon is a fabulous roller coaster of a storyline! It folds in so many different elements and does so in a complex, entertaining, and emotionally engaging manner.

It begins with the character of Christopher “Kit” Sawyer. He’s the son of famous archaeologists, men and women, including his parents, who were renowned for their courage, intellect, and incredible ability to make the most amazing archaeological discoveries, one’s guaranteed to inspire and motivate others as well as fund more research.

But for Kit Sawyer, there’s another path. One chosen because of a medical condition he was diagnosed with in childhood. One that saw him left behind as his grandparents, then his parents soared away cementing their legacy. Research and analysis with his feet firmly planted beneath a desk rather than on a pathway through a jungle.

Kit is a remarkable figure. We absolutely connect with him. We understand his feelings, that of resentment, anguish and love, bitterness and sadness that is threaded through with memories of love and loss. And the everyday struggles of his life with epilepsy.

The Sawyer family is a complex one. Each member having a believable drive and hold on each other, whether living or dead. That the Sawyer legacy is one the cut’s feels true.

That extends to a stepson that’s often treated more like a son of the blood in Kit’s eyes and the other main character here.

Ethan Stone is an equally complicated person. His personal history dovetails with that of Kit’s, their lives are so deeply embedded in each other’s. But the story will extract a different perspective of their lives from each other than each had been harboring. That’s part of the rawness and joy of this story.

Harmon’s use of the adventure to explore these men’s lives and history in a way to bring them fully into each other’s hearts again. It’s wonderful, it’s a bit bittersweet, and a bit scary.

Perfect!

There’s a mystical element here that puts them on the path to find a hidden Aztec city and civilization. Maybe even find a god along the way. All fabulous and truly exciting!

The last part is one wild, heart stopping moment to the next! It’s exhilarating!

The ending is a happy one but leaves the couple open for new adventures, which I certainly hope we will get.

I could see this and them as a series. I’m all in! So great in every aspect, the journey through the jungle, the cultural aspects, the romance, and the magnificent characters. Bring on the next new chapter!

Highly recommended!

Buy Link:

https://www.amazon.com › First-Las…The First and Last Adventure of Kit Sawyer – Books – Amazon.com

Blurb:

In the archaeology community, Christopher “Kit” Sawyer’s family is a legacy. And while he may be a historian, not a treasure hunter, he thinks he does a pretty good job of living up to the Sawyer name. He’s a book-smart research fanatic and does his best work at his tidy desk. No fedora and whip for him, if you please—a nice cup of coffee and a comfy chair will do. But decoding an ancient relic soon gives him more adventure than he bargained for.

Unwittingly, he unleashes a force he doesn’t know how to control. And now he has to reunite the relic with a powerful Aztec God. The trouble with that? Kit doesn’t where to find the Tlaloc’s temple. No one does, in fact. Finding it could be a discovery for the ages. It could also lead to his untimely death. So…yay? But it’s not like he has a choice. So off to the Mexican jungle he goes.

At least he isn’t going alone.

Ethan Stone, former stepbrother and overall pain in the rump, horns in on the expedition. An experienced archaeologist, he’s only coming along at their grandfather’s request—which annoys Kit to no end. But he knows Ethan is just the right person to get them through the jungle safely. It’s just too bad someone is trying to beat them to the temple. And he’s willing to do anything to get there first.

Ethan thinks Kit is in over his head. Kit is secretly afraid he just may be right. In manners of archaeology…and manners of the heart….

Review: Dearly & Vain Valentino (Dearly and The Departed #2) by L.A. Kaye

Rating: 3.25🌈

This is such a peculiar series. On one side, Kaye has created a terrific character in Keir Dearly, proprietor of Dearly & Son Funeral Home. Keir, one in a long line of Dearly men who can see and converse with the dead. That aspect of his life is due to an ancient curse on their family. Which is odd considering that it is really defined as a gift or a medium’s purpose not a curse outside of this world building.

But that perspective is reflective of the choices the author makes within this series.

But back to Keir. He’s intelligent, compassionate, an introvert who’s accepting of others and has a giving nature. In short, a fantastic person and character. And a perfect person to run a funeral home where the ghosts of the bodies delivered get a reception they deserve. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s grim, oftentimes it’s poignant, even heart wrenching. We get the ghosts memories of their last moments and then their families, if they have them, grieving at their services. All conducted by Keir.

That’s truly the best part of this book and series. It’s where the author goes spectacularly right. It’s in the smallest of details as Keir listens to the families or the ghosts pour out their hearts and emotions over the fact they’re dead, how they died, and then seeing them pass on.

It’s not even the ghosts that are the main aspect of each storyline but ones that factor in as part of the daily life of Dearly & Son Funeral Home that can make you feel the most emotions. The woman who denied her sexuality and the woman who loved her until it was too late. That bittersweet funeral was shattering. Or the young man in the wrong place at the wrong time who died by GSW and was met by the ghost of his father. Buckets of tears I tell you for such a small scene .

But it’s the other elements that make me question the world building, the storytelling and the series.

Unfortunately, it also includes the other main character and love interest.

That’s Dashiell Clegg, younger owner/mechanic of a cycle shop. First met when his nasty ghost brother wanted Keir to save Dash from the plot he set him up when he was alive. Yeah, it didn’t make much sense in the first book either.

Dash is a problematic character. Part of the two person narrative, his voice is a grating one. I never understood how writers could create such a self centered character and expect the reader to get on board with him as part of a romance. Here Dash has fled to another country rather than talk to Keir about his “gift/curse/fears” revelation. He also hasn’t communicated to his found family of coworkers in his shop who’ve always supported him, even in prison.

His thoughts and views are all about him. When eventually something happens to bring it to his attention that he’s causing Keir and others pain? It’s yes “I’m a jerk, I’m thoughtless “ but the author doesn’t create any real sense of realness or believability behind these thoughts.

It’s more a surface readymade answer you throw out rather than a real sense of introspection. In fact, there’s no sense of chemistry between Keir and Dash as characters. It seems like a forced element from the very beginning.

Aside from the lack of real relationships, there’s a new end of world story threads that again has little foundation but some interesting things about it. New characters appear, some very likable. And narratively, twists happen within the storyline that were predictable from the minute the clues begin to emerge. You knew which things or aspects of the plot were going to be the “bad ones “.

The author was telegraphing it with a red and black stamp. Ditto the good ones.

I can can definitely say that I’m reading these books with very mixed feelings. I’m appreciative of quite a bit of the author’s work here but just not connecting with some major elements too. Half and half.

It’s also fifty fifty as to if I’m going to continue to read on with the series. If I do, it will be for all the terrific moments and for the character of Keir that’s a true draw for me.

Dearly and Departed series:

✓ Dearly & Deviant Daniel #1

✓ Dearly & Vain Valentino #2

◦ Dearly & Notorious Nancy #3

◦ Dearly & Homeless Horace #4-Jan 16,2024

◦ Dearly & Threatening Thane #5-June 28, 2024

Buy link:

Dearly & Vain Valentino (Dearly and The Departed Book 2)

Blurb:

When the family business is death, how does one convince the deceased to embrace the afterlife without hurting their delicate feelings?

Keir Dearly, proprietor of Dearly & Son Funeral Home, is working his way through heartache after Dashiell Clegg, the object of his affection, has taken off on an adventure and left Keir behind. When a certain handsome detective shows up and wants to woo the mortician, temptation knocks. Will Keir answer while Dash is off trying to accept mind blowing news and navigate a new reality?

Valentino Rankin, a fledgling male model, becomes a client of Keir’s at Dearly & Son by paying more attention to his reflection in a store window than the flow of traffic. He refuses to give Keir information to assist with reconnecting him to his body and has a hard time accepting he has to fight a living biker and a cop for Keir Dearly’s affections.

How can Keir convince Valentino that the afterlife is calling, or is there something more to Valentino that Keir can’t see? Can Dash help clear things up with his newly acquiredskills that will be a surprise to everyone? There’s trouble with the electricity at Dearly & Son, and it’s nothing an electrician can fix!

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