Sawbones. The doctor behind all the heinous experiments and the battlefield nightmares. A sadist now being hunted and who’s hunting.
The Doctor starts off on the cliffhanger of a heartbreaker of that ending in The Gangster. Then it ended with a explosive revelation by Gillian Hamilton just as the DC Special Agents were flooding the building he and his outlaw lover, Gunner the Deadly, were in. Gillian forced Gunner to leave for his safety, before turning to face the unknown.
Now we know the results that awful day. Gillian Hamilton has lost everything. He’s been imprisoned by the Council, under conditions that have him losing his sanity and hope.
It’s a truly chilling opener.
We’re inside his mind and just so devastated as he’s emotionally bereft without Gunner’s loving support. He’s isolated, tortured, and still aware of all the sinister elements and evil characters in play around him.
Poe’s writing distills the horrors of Gillian’s state of mind as well as his physical damage with a cold conciseness.
The complicated storylines and whereabouts of the characters we care about are threaded neatly through the plot as Poe advances Gillian’s plight from stage to stage.
The suspense is tight and fraught with anxiety for Gillian’s safety. Poe starts to introduce more steampunk elements as well as horror aspects as the plot expands to bring in more characters and bigger sinister details.
I am so addicted to this couple and series. So of course, The Doctor ends on a moment of heartbreaking revelation once more. One, however, the reader was somewhat prepared for this time.
The Councilman will do you need to go is that what you’re telling me OK
1882—Gillian Hamilton, magic caster and Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Magic and Steam, has been stripped of his title, badge, and freedom. Gillian’s true name and powers have been exposed, so now he’s kept under lock and key. To make a tragedy worse, Gunner the Deadly has returned to his life out in the Wild West and has not been heard from since.
Rumors of a doctor, known only as Sawbones, with access to illegal magic have persisted into the new year. Gillian believes that violence, chaos, and certain death will befall New York City if this criminal isn’t apprehended. And despite having lost his sense of purpose, Gillian knows he’s the only one capable of confronting this new madman—with or without the backing of the FBMS.
But such dangers should never be undertaken alone. Gillian will need both Gunner’s deadeye marksmanship, as well as his love, if he’s to detain Sawbones before irreparable damage is done to the magic of his world.
———-
Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.
I was so excited to see the new story as I’ve been waiting to dive back into the fascinating world of Mannix Estates with its amazing group of characters.
That it includes a powerful medium in love with a blacksmith, a found family of ghosts from an assortment of eras , each with their own quirky personalities, as well as a staff that’s endearing and fascinating on their own, makes it a universe you can dwell in for a very long time.
The first book, Spirited Situations, introduced us to Josh, the medium, as he found his way to the very haunted Mannix Estates. It was also home to a 50 some odd year old open gateway, a beacon for trouble.
The ramifications from opening that gate continues into this story as the combined found family of Mannix Estates, alive and ghostly, need help to handle more trouble coming through that open gateway.
Masters builds upon a already lively and unique cast of amazing characters we come to love by adding several new people. One we’ve gotten to know anonymously by text when he’s helped in the last book. He acquires a name here. That’s Connor.
And his best friend, Gabe. And a paranormal enforcement agency.
So Masters is expanding her universe to include the growing series new topics, romances, and mysteries she’s threading through her storylines. It’s such an exciting element, one that lends a real sense of anticipation towards each new book and plot thread.
While that’s happening, there’s additional character growth in terms of power and romances.
Connor and site manager, Kieran, are the main couple working through their romantic impulses while dealing with demons, ghostly matchmakers, and, the everyday occurrences that comes with guests at a living history event sight.
The paranormal and the mundane, the magical and the murderous are all perfectly balanced for the most entertaining reads. I read right through!
And unfortunately now it looks like I’ll have to wait until 2023 for the next in the series.
Until then, I’m highly recommending the first two books in this fantastic series. Read them in the order they are written, to understand the relationships and theme storylines.
Wanted: one demon hunter. Beware the matchmaking ghosts.
After years managing a haunted hotel and estate, I thought things were good. Sure, the ghosts can be a handful—nosy, opinionated, interfering—but they’re also friendly and fun. We have a system. Everything was under control.
Cue hysterical laughter.
But after a minor blip with a demon in the basement and a vortex to the spirit world, the ghosts swear they have no more secrets. The danger is gone, and we’ve done everything we can to make the vortex safe. It should be fine. Nothing’s come through it for fifty years.
It’s never that easy at Mannix Estate.
Lucky for us, the demon expert we met online is willing and able to help us out. I’m so grateful, I’d willingly kiss his feet. Until he arrives and opens his mouth.
Connor is… a jerk. But he’s a sexy jerk who’s doing us a favor, so I’m going to be polite no matter what. Even when he makes me mad. When he flirts hard. When the roof falls in and we have to share a bed. When we realize the vortex upstairs is just the beginning.
Suddenly, Connor’s real strengths shine. Beneath the smoking hot yet annoying surface is a heart of gold, and I don’t think I can hold out against it… or that I want to.
——-
Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.
Silent Knight was totally charming. Low angst, sweet, and huge on holiday spirit. It should make everyone’s holiday seasonal reading list.
Simon Russell has been a staple in these stories for a while. But what type of being or who he exactly is has never been stated. He’s always been the sunny guy who hangs around the receptionist desk, or goes off to handle whatever requests have been handed out by the Manor’s guests or it’s Owners. He’s a good natured, gorgeous guy.
As the Manor gets ready for its holiday season, it also prepares for the arrival of its latest employee, Snow leopard shifter,Archer Knight.
Archer was part of the Guardians seen briefly in Grin and Bear it. Now Archer’s been forcibly retired from the Guardians due to physical disabilities caused on the job. He’s been hired by the Maddox siblings to work security at the Manor.
Archer is one of the great characters in this series. A magical attack left him without the ability to verbally communicate and with a heavily scarred visage. Archer communicates with ASL. His background is not a happy one and is best left to the story.
Having his fated mate be Simon Russell , who comes from a large, loving family is perfect. And makes for a romantic relationship you’re going to love to read about.
The reveal about Simon’s true nature is part of their mating bond. One more terrific element.
Silent Knight, a reference to the mute Guardian Archer once was is a lovely book about finding love and family when you least expect it.
Blackhaven Manor is a series of short romances that keeps surprising me with the wonderful stories and great couples.
I’m highly recommending you look into the series if you’re not familiar with them already.
Being part siren isn’t exactly a secret, but it’s not something Simon Russel likes to advertise, either. He’s not ashamed of who he is or anything so dramatic as that. But people tend to treat him differently once they realize he can manipulate their emotions. Just once, he wishes someone could see him and not the demon within.
Enter Archer Knight, a former Enforcer and the newest guard at Blackhaven Manor.
Forced into retirement after a poorly executed mission leaves him damaged and disfigured, Archer figures he has a right to be a little bitter. With his scarred face and surly attitude, he’s not going to win any popularity contests, which suits him just fine, or so he tells himself.
Until he meets Simon.
Mix one not-so-chance encounter, a heap of holiday cheer, and a dash of misguided but well-meaning intentions in this recipe for Christmas magic. Season with love and serve with a side of awkward family get-togethers.
Beth Bolden’s new book, Playing for Keeps, is the first in her new Miami Piranhas series about a fake Miami, Florida NFL football team that’s scrambling to come together. New coach and coach teams. And a slew of incoming new players to mesh with the ones already there.
One of those new players is one of the NFL’s legendary players, Sebastian Howard. Howard’s reign as one of the NFL’s outstanding corners is coming to an end as age has caught up with him.
But his agent and the coaches at the Piranhas have gotten him to Miami to talk about playing there.
But there’s a catch. He needs to play safety.
Beau Dawson, assistant coach and son to legendary head Coach Asa Dawson, sees a bright future ahead with the struggling Piranhas. But it includes convincing Howard, a brilliant player, to switch positions.
Playing for Keeps has multiple storylines. All important and all balanced beautifully to maintain our connections to each character, their evolving relationship, and to the team that’s trying to find an identity.
It’s also about family dynamics, juggling how they determine one’s journey in life, and the manner in which each still goes forward.
It’s a lot to pack in but Bolden does so without making this feel dense or heavy.
It was only at the very beginning where Sebastian Howard’s complaining veered towards non-stop whining that it almost lost me. Yes, I got that he was the GOAT at corner. But after a while I wanted his agent to give him a reality smack.
Luckily, it and Sebastian turned a corner and things smoothed out , sort of. Bolden’s run at a struggling NFL team feels believable. Down two, they aren’t functioning as a team. Having several of the people looking at answers feels about right.
The dynamics and talks among players on the queer spectrum? Also real. Putting out the pros and cons, the issues they’ve faced and those to come seems about right. As is the question about coming out while continuing to play. That’s a pertinent question that’s on the mind of many a closeted queer athlete because of toxic environments they play in.
While this is a low angst romance, it’s not without its drama and obstacles that each person raises to the possibility of a relationship. I liked how each man handled it in turn.
The romance between Sebastian and Beau is sexy, believable, and makes for great reading.
Bolden gets the football elements right, from exciting action on the field to tense drama inside the team. Great stuff.
I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment. Until then, I’m highly recommending Playing for Keeps (Piranhas #1) by Beth Bolden.
Sebastian Howard is the best damn cornerback in the NFL.
Or at least he was.
Age and injuries have taken a toll, and while most people have written him off, Sebastian isn’t ready to acknowledge that at only thirty-two, he’s already in the twilight of his career.
He signs with the Miami Piranhas intending to prove everyone wrong.
Only to realize that the head coach’s son, out-and-proud Beau Dawson, doesn’t believe he can.
Beau is infuriating but brilliant, and when he offers to help him on the field, Sebastian wants to say yes, but there’s one thing stopping him: the unexpected, inconvenient, and all-consuming crush he doesn’t want to have on Beau.
But Beau isn’t interested in playing it safe, with football or with anything else, and soon they’re embroiled in a hot—and secret—affair that would finish Sebastian’s career if Coach Dawson found out.
As Sebastian falls harder for Beau, he begins to realize that actually the worst thing in the world isn’t getting benched, but losing the man he loves.
A combination of adorable cover, new author, and fun title lead me to How To Summon a Boyfriend by Aja Foxx . It was everything I had hoped for.
Foxx actually had me at the idea of someone summoning a potential fake boyfriend but throw in the moniker Herby for the cute guy in need ? I’m all in.
A two person POV, we get a wide-eyed Herby who definitely sees things through a uniquely wonderful “Herby” perspective as well as a bored Hades, who’s role as the Ruler of the Underworld had gotten a tad tedious. It’s Herby who’s arrival shakes things up fundamentally.
The characters are well done, the dialogue snappy and the plot extremely well paced.
There’s so many terrific secondary characters from Lionid, to Abigor, Cerberus, and other figures of mythology.
I wish there was a bit more about Herby’s family, and those books. But it’s shorter length works against that.
I’m still so happy to have read this book. It was entertaining, a fun romance, with an exciting storyline.
I look forward to reading more from this author.
I’m recommending How To Summon a Boyfriend by Aja Foxx !
Herby I needed a boyfriend to keep my father from marrying me off to a man handpicked by him. What better way to get one than to summon a demon? When I found a book of shadows in my grandfather’s attic, I knew I’d found the answer, but something went wrong. Instead of summoning a demon, I ended up in hell. What was I supposed to do now?
Hades Judging souls was boring. Ruling the underworld was boring. Everything was boring. I needed something to happen to keep me from going insane. I never imagined the fates would answer my unspoken prayer by dropping a human into the underworld, and I’d certainly never met a human quite like Herby. He confused me, amused me, and drove me crazy. Why else would I agree to be his boyfriend?
Note: This story was originally part of the Fate’s Call Anthology – Manlove Edition. It has been revised and extended by 21,000 words.
Warning: Gay erotic romance. The material in this book contains explicit sexual content that is intended for mature audiences only. All characters involved are adults capable of consent, are over the age of eighteen, and are willing participants.
As a book I really ended up looking at it at two different ways once I completed it.
First let’s talk about Royal Lines as a contemporary romance. As a love story, it soars. The men are throughly seated in their prospective cultures and personal histories.
Marquis Miller is completely grounded in his Detroit family and city. His father and uncle, the Miller twin brothers , now in bad health, have worked their entire lives to bring their families, their business into the international company it is now and Marquis is it’s expected heir to head it after hockey. However, this is all about Marquis’ appreciation for his family and the City, black history, and his awareness of his family’s company abilities in promoting diversity. Marquis is a great character. Charismatic with depth.
Prince Kaleb, young son to a Royal family in mourning , is also well defined. He’s also grounded by a family in turmoil, a recent death of a not so loved Royal consort, necessary Royal marriages, unnecessary marriages, media intrusion, a moldering castle, and a Queen mother who’s in need of a son to handle everything as the heir seems unwilling or unable to do so at the moment. A family overwhelmed by circumstances yet always in the public eye. There’s no way not to feel for him. And when both men collide over a construction bid to replace the broken plumbing in said castle? You feel the sparks down to your toes!
This love story is stumbling hot! Marquis and Kaleb trying not to have an affair, discussing faulty pipes, and all they want is to bounce into the nearest Royal bed! Incendiary!
There’s various subplots about the other Royal siblings, also emotional messes, that get nicely tied up.
While this is a lust/love at first sight, it absolutely works. You buy into it completely because the way these characters are crafted, their personalities, you can totally see it happening.
As a love story, including the HEA ending? It’s a 5!
Now to the other part. Is this a hockey story? Um , in my opinion, no.
With the exception of a charity game that’s basically there to bring in Dunny for the next book, hockey isn’t here at all.
Boston isn’t mentioned. The team the Rebels are non existent except as a line where Marquis says he finished out his contract in the Epilogue. Nothing.
Marquis mentions that he’s a player for the team once. That’s the extent of it.
I’m sort of perplexed about a series called Boston Rebels when the last several books the team’s a ghost. And the story is more about what happens to players or ex players after they’ve left the team.
When you think about such wonderful series as Harrisburg Railers or Arizona Raptors or even the Owatonna U Hockey series, Cayuga Cougars series, those are absolutely about the team, ice on ice action, team dynamics, as well as players and their lives.
Here in this series, Boston Rebels barely exists. It serves only loosely as a something to tie these men together. Not a solid framework.
This pattern looks to continue with Dunny in the next story. Unfortunately it he’s seems he will have a life changing event. Read no hockey. Or , as I’m guessing, no Rebels.
So not sure why the team even continues to be even a element here.
These stories are excellent on their own. They can certainly be standalone novels. As a love story it’s amazing.
As a hockey romance? Not so much as that’s the element that’s almost totally missing.
I’m definitely recommending it. Loved the characters and the story.
The rest was just me wondering about the series. Take it for what it’s worth.
They’re setting fire to the sheets, but a romance between an out and proud hockey star and a closeted playboy prince could end up burning them both.
Marquis Miller might be one of the NHL’s best players, single, wealthy, and open about his sexuality, but he knows his future lies in taking over the reins of the family’s multimillion-dollar company after retirement. Jumping on the family jet, he heads to Europe, tasked with schmoozing a prince into accepting his company’s bid on a significant castle renovation. Assuming he’d be faced with a dusty old monarch well into his dotage, Marquis is stunned to find out that Kaleb is a young, sophisticated, beautiful man with an impressive work ethic, to-die-for eyes, and a certain flair that captures Marquis’s attention.
Dragging the royal palace into the twenty-first century is one battle after another for the King’s youngest son. Juggling renovations, his royal duties, and attempting to reverse his former playboy prince reputation is impossible when no one seems to want to give Kaleb a chance. His chaotic life takes yet another turn when an American hockey player arrives at the castle to discuss a renovation project. Marquis is the antithesis of Kaleb’s newly minted, responsible outlook on life, a jock, a player, willing to take chances. Although the forbidden sex is hot, Kaleb is not ready to turn on his family responsibilities for a pretty smile and a smart mouth.
For both men, family is everything, and romance will always come in second until they open their hearts to love.
Amy Aislin’s Lighthouse Bay is one of those lovely contemporary romance series that’s continues to resonate with me. It’s the gorgeous setting of Lighthouse Bay, with its small town community, with its variety of people, from it’s Mayor to it’s Main Street of stores ,who’s owners we’ve gotten to know well through the novels.
We’ve loved the town’s heartwarming displays at the Christmas season and watched, as they planned, built, and then marched down Main Street for the parades! Aislin has made us feel a part of these people and their community.
We’re there as they work through their personal issues, cry out and get support and love when facing a health crisis, and when they decide to trust and find true love again.
These are gentle, emotionally adult novels where the people are remarkable in their love for their town, friends and family, and the often slow to romances.
Often a balm to the heart with the gentle love stories, the men here in Sweet to the Core, Dev Stone of Dev’s Bakery, and Clark Ricci, wildlife biologist, with a little ghostly intervention, get their own story and HEA. It’s that favorite friends to lovers trope.
Dev and Clark have been a part of the previous books as everyone is connected through friendship and family relationships. Dev has had an enduring crush on his older cousin’s best friend for decades. Now in his thirties, Dev has no reason to expect their friendship to change anytime soon.
A two person POV, we have a front seat to the resigned state of Dev’s affections for Clark, the dreams he’s letting go of, and the way he’s pushing himself at the Bakery. Dev is a believable young man who’s falling into a pattern he soon won’t know how to get out of.
Clark Ricci, is a man who loves his job, but with his friends settling down, starts to get the uneasy feeling he’s missing something.
It takes his father’s very real, financial issues to launch a change for all of them. With some ghostly assistance that points the way to the Annual Sweet to the Core Apple baking contest.
Aislin’s beautifully layered characters, a community with its shops in all stages of financial growth, and a group of citizens that have come to feel like family, full of believable life situations, relationships that require communication and emotional depth, and lots of love, fill Sweet to the Core .
It’s a terrific way for this trilogy to end, however much I’d like it to continue. Or at least end on another Christmas novel.
I’m highly recommending this and all the books of Lighthouse Bay. They are lovely, heartwarming contemporary romances.
Dev has pined for his cousin’s best friend for years, but no matter how hard he wishes, Clark sees him as nothing but a friend. And it’s as a friend that Clark comes to him for help.
Clark’s father is on the brink of losing his house and the fastest way to make a quick buck is to win the $10,000 prize in the inaugural Sweet to the Core apple baking contest. Only problem? He’s never baked anything that hasn’t come out of a box.
But Dev has. As a baker, he’s Clark’s best chance.
For the first time, Dev has something Clark wants. Only problem? Dev needs the prize for himself. The only thing he wants—besides Clark—is to buy the local lighthouse where he last spent time with his parents before they died.
Working together means opening a lot more than a barrel of apples, though. They may have found the recipe to love.
But will Dev have to give up the only connection he has left to his parents in order to have it? Or will Clark let his father down? They can’t both have everything.
Jodi Payne and B.A. Tortuga’s Lone Star series is back with a second chance at love story between former young sweethearts who meet up ages later just when the timing might be right for them to get their HEA.
A longer story, Roped In has the necessary history and time that allows businessman, Jude Sharpe , to reconnect with his former love, rodeo champion , Rope Canutt, just as he’s getting ready to retire.
Jude, a widower and single father to 7-year old Silas, is a man who loves his son, enjoys his job, but is missing that love he shared with his husband who died of cancer. Jude is a well-rounded character, easy to recognize, and connect with. A good man and great father.
And Silas is a utter joy to meet and read about. Especially as he changes, committing totally to the ranch and life in Texas. His goats, his chickens. Adorable.
Rope Canutt is not one of those rodeo cowboys who’s dreading retirement. Instead, Rope has listened to his body, all the injuries and steel plate in his head, and recognized that it’s time to get out while at the top. It’s his last tour for his sponsors and to finish in the money.
It’s a portrait of a smart man , seasoned by years on the tour and the pain of old injuries. It’s a great character and he meshed well with his old flame , Jude.
The walks in the neighborhood in NYC, the visits in the kitchen. It’s a real pleasure watching the men get reacquainted with each other’s lives, seeing the sparks fly, and Rope start to love Silas.
The dramatic moments here are more about instances that happen in daily life. The huge decisions those that couples make when they decide they will make a future together.
The story, the romance, the family, they are all very realistic and wonderful.
It’s a perfect ending. And those that have come to love these cozy romances as well as readers who love contemporary love stories will throughly enjoy this.
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but sometimes distance makes people drift apart.
Rope Canutt has announced his retirement from bull riding and is making the most of his final year on the circuit, riding the big shows and resting in between so he can finish the season on a high note. He isn’t sure what’s next for him. He has no plan yet and nowhere to go, especially since his family sold their ranch a few years back.
Jude Sharpe remembers Rope fondly from their younger days in Austin. Mostly he remembers how hot the rodeo cowboy was and how much fun they had hooking up every time their paths crossed. That was a long time ago, and Jude’s been married and lost his husband to cancer in the years since they’ve seen each other. Now he’s raising a son alone.
When bull riding comes to New York City, Jude’s consulting firm uses their private box to entertain clients from Houston, and Jude brings his son Silas along to see the show. Rope is riding and Jude hopes to introduce Silas to a real bull rider. They’ve each lived a whole lifetime apart, and Jude and Rope aren’t sure how much they have in common anymore. So will they be drawn to each other when their paths cross again?
The books in this series are standalones and can be read in any order.
The Finding Home, The Complete Series, is a splendid collection. I love being able to read one story right after the other of the men of Chi an Mor, House by the Sea.
The first novel is my favorite of the collection. That’s
🔹Oz.
It hit all my buttons, as far as a contemporary romance, and it’s everything I’ve come to expect from a Lily Morton story. It’s alternatively hilarious, so believably authentic that you feel you’re actually seeing the places and people moving through the events as they unfold, smelling the lavender, feeling the salty winds drifting through the warm fields and gardens of the golden stoned manor.
So sure everything exists because they feel so real and grounded for you.
Oz Gallagher and Silas Ashworth , the Earl of Ashworth, are absolute perfection. Oz, small, fierce Irish born Londoner, with his firsts in Art History but a common background that will always insure no reputable firm will hire him, is that quick witted, smart mouthed soul . He’s instantly someone you love. An affair that deepens, page by page.
It’s helped along by Oz’s instantaneous connection with Chewwy, a mournful Italian Spinione , who becomes his shadow, to our delight.
Silas, the Earl and local vet, is just as warm and charming as Oz, but in a totally different way. He’s, posh but without the snobbery. He’s Cornish, where the land and house have as deep a hold onto him as for it to be cellular. He loves his land, his people, and , everything about Silas telegraphs that immense connection through Morton’s wonderful descriptions and thoughtful dialogue.
Theirs is a slow paced romance, working through each other’s issues to arrive at a wonderful HEA and heartwarming epilogue.
There’s so many outstanding secondary characters, many of whom we will see again in other stories, including those in this collection.
5🌈
🔹Milo is next. This is a more somber story as it deals with issues such as domestic abuse and it’s lasting effects upon the person who suffered.
Milo Ramsey had a stutter , caused by a childhood accident, that also made him a target for bullying. This story addresses that as well. The Milo we met in Oz’s novel is one that’s had some time to recover.
This story gives us the Milo we hadn’t met yet, the trauma he endured, and the journey he took to recover and recognize the characteristics of the man he loves aren’t like the one who abused him.
It’s one of self-discovery, forgiveness, and bravery.
There’s a age difference between Milo and Niall. Milo’s romance with Niall Fawcett, estate manager to the Earl of Ashworth, that is.
But it’s a wonderful romance, and thoughtful story, working through all the serious issues that’s being discussed here, and what that means for Milo, first and their future.
Very satisfying. 4.75.
🔹Gideon is last.
Gideon Ramsey is Milo’s older brother, close friend to Niall and Silas. They grew up together at a nearby house, close to Chi an Mor. But where Milo was kept close to home, Gideon, like Silas and Niall , was shipped off to boarding school.
Gideon became a famous actor. Hiding the fact that he was “gay “ on the advice of his toxic agent. The fast lifestyle caught up with him in his late 30’s, drugs, sex, alcohol. Until it almost kills him with a bout of bronchitis.
Enter Milo and Niall, with an intervention of sorts. A cruise and a nurse to transport him to Chi an Mor where he’ll recuperate.
Eli Jones is believable as the nurse and engaging. Gideon is acerbic , dryly funny, and charming. The cruise is a great way to have them get to know each other before they land and Eli is off to another job.
I felt there could have been more in the section with Gideon’s agent. That happened abruptly. The cottage visit was lovely.
I liked this story but the other two were clear favorites. The epilogue, however, was splendid! I could picture that so easily. What a grand way to send them off.
4.5🌈
All in all just an amazing collection of stories. I wish Chi an Mor was real and I could pay to visit. I’d be on the next plane out.
One small note just because it bothers me. Of the 3 covers. The one for Oz? Has absolutely no connection to any main character . Oz? Tiny sharp faced black haired blues eyes Irish man. Silas? Tall, black haired, blade like nose Cornishman.
The bestselling Finding Home series is now available in one collection. Set in Cornwall, the series follows a group of friends as they each find love with a lot of heat and humour along the way.
Oz Gallagher does not do relationships well. Bored and jobless after another disastrous hook up, he decides to leave London for a temporary job in the wilds of Cornwall. Surely managing a stately home on a country estate will be easier than navigating the detritus of his relationships at home.
However, when he gets there, he finds a house in danger of crumbling to the ground and a man who is completely unlike anyone he’s ever met. An earl belonging to a family whose roots go back hundreds of years. Silas is the living embodiment of duty and sacrifice. Two things that Oz has never wanted. He’s also warm and funny and he draws Oz to him like a magnet.
Will falling in love be enough to make Oz stop moving at last and realise that he’s finally home?
Milo has been burying himself at Chi an Mor, hiding from the wreckage of his once promising career and running from a bad relationship that destroyed what little confidence he had. Niall, his big brother’s best friend, has been there for him that entire time. An arrogant and funny man, Niall couldn’t be any more different from the shy and occasionally stuttering Milo, which has never stopped Milo from crushing wildly on the man who saved him.
However, just as Milo makes the decision to move on from his hopeless crush, he and Niall are thrown into close contact, and for the first time ever Niall seems to be returning his interest. But it can never work. How can it when Milo always needs rescuing?
Content warning: There are descriptions of domestic abuse in this book.
Gideon has everything he should want in life. Fame, money, acting awards – he has it all. Everything but honesty. At the advice of his agent, Gideon has concealed his sexuality for years. But it’s starting to get harder to hide, and his increasingly wild behaviour is threatening to destroy his career.
Then he’s laid low by a serious illness and into his life comes Eli Jones. Eli is everything that Gideon can’t understand. He’s sunny tempered, friendly, and optimistic. Even worse, he’s unaffected by grumpiness and sarcasm, which forms ninety percent of Gideon’s body weight. As Gideon gets to know the other man, he finds himself wildly attracted to his lazy smiles and warm, scruffy charm that seem to fill a hole inside Gideon that’s been empty for a long time.
Will he give in to this incomprehensible attraction when it could mean the end of everything that he’s worked for?
Unraveling The Threads of Fate by Alice Winters is an excellently written, highly suspenseful tale that contains a lot of moments of extreme anxiety and dread. It stretches over the all events that should be happening to the people in the universe here.
I say should because a major element is that one character, Alex Coleman, school teacher, has a gift. He can see invisible threads stretching from person to person. Red threads ties a person to their soulmate. But the black threads he also sees ties them to the one who will kill them. It’s a talent he’s had his entire life and one he’s hidden.
In this universe, those with special gifts are tested and tracked, starting at a early age. But Alex’s abusive childhood with a destitute drug dealer allowed him to evade it.
Bishop King, scion to a wealthy businessman, once was the only friend Alex had growing up, until a horrific event drove them apart.
Bishop too has a special talent. He can walk in people’s dreams. But in Alex’s dreams, he’s got the power to do more, see more.
When they meet again, at Career Day at Alex’s school, they set off a set of events that have a rippling effect for a multitude of characters as Alex and Bishop fight to find and change their fates, pulled along by the threads Alex is seeing.
Winters, in her inimitable manner, with wry, sarcastic, haunting, and heartbreaking dialogue and scenes gives us a scary and thrilling tale of fate altered at breakneck pace, a murderer on the loose, and two find trying to outwit both a murderer and plot they can’t understand, and deal with a abusive past that threatens them.
With alternating flashbacks that are chilling in their cruelty and ability to deliver the blows that continues to be felt in the future, and a present where dreams are nightmares of blood, black threads, and death, that the author manages to bring romance and fun into this is amazing.
All the characters are fantastic. It includes Alex’s sister, Cali, who he raised. Her friends. Even the adults the surround them, good and bad.
It’s a vile and fascinating mixture.
But watching them trying to figure out how to change the date of each person and event, it’s thrilling and scary and heart racing.
Alex Some people are born lucky. Then there’s me, destined to be loved by the man who knows my darkest secret. My gift has followed me my entire life—the ability to see the threads of fate. I can see the red thread tying together two people destined to love one another. But my gift has another side to it. A darker side. I can also see a simple black thread tied to the fingers of those who aren’t aware of it, connecting them to the person destined to kill them. And when I look down at my own finger, I can see the red thread stretched over to Bishop King. The man who is my soul mate.
But then why is the black thread also wrapped around our fingers? Bishop is sweet and caring, and I can’t stop my heart from loving him. I just need to thwart fate before it separates us forever.
Bishop I swore to never let myself be drawn back into Alex’s world, but the man is funny and charming and the moment we’re together I fall back into the familiarity we shared as teenagers. I know this time is different; he’s hoping that I can help him walk through his dreams to figure out how an innocent girl is going to die.
While his dreams tell of the future, mine allow us to find the truth. But what happens when we save a life and change fate–will it affect our own future? I can’t keep myself from falling for Alex, but what if helping him leaves one of us dead?
Unraveling the Threads of Fate is a standalone romance with action, mystery, humor, and a happy ending.
