Rating: 3🌈

It was the amazing cover that drew me to Teeth and Tarot: A MM Paranormal Romcom (le Fay Romances Book 1) by A.A. Fairview. I’m also a huge fan of paranormal/fantasy fiction and ready to read something by an author new to me, like A. A. Fairview.

This is their first series and it has some nice elements to it. The premise of a male witch, a twin, from a wealthy criminal family who’s now estranged from their father. Lance le Fay is clashing with a human being, Reagan, over his family’s deadly illegal activities.

That’s only some of the storylines that author A.A. Fairview has at the center of this novel but those are interesting ones, and the initial chapters are good ones.

However, Fairview’s characters and plots also work against themselves in letting whatever potential they showed early on slowly be pulled away. As the plot develops, the narrative makes less and less sense and the main characters themselves seem powerless (literally ) and of the STTL variety.

A witch, Lance le Fay, who’s backstory is never really filled in, with minimal exceptions of an appearance by his “evil twin” and with no real magical abilities (or explanation of the magic in this world). However , as Fairview will tell us, he’s done “bad things” for his family. Why and how he was made to do them is never clear.

Lance hides in plain sight, keeps his real name, stays in the same town as his notorious family, is estranged from them, but expects them to show up any moment to drag him back into their nefarious schemes. He could actually leave town but that would spoil the story. And maybe make sense.

Next he meets and is suspicious about a gorgeous stranger he hooks up with in a bar. Naturally he has sex with him after taking him home (which he never does). Yes, this is an incredibly stupid idea.

But that’s Lance le Fay. The entire story all he does is react without thinking. He runs off, puts others in danger. Runs here, runs there. Never has a plan about anything. Leaves bar alone at night to walk home after his friends tell him it’s the idiotic thing to do because there’s been a bunch of people showing an interest in him. Every scene is Lance demonstrating he’s basically a STTL character. That’s To Stupid To Live character if you didn’t know.

And for a witch, you can’t imagine why, because there’s no foundation for this aspect of his character. There’s one scene with him using magic that isn’t even remotely close to being impressive. A fizzle instead of an explosion. And that’s it. That and he reads tarot cards.

The other main character, Reagan (named after Ronald), is a hot mess, albeit a bit more interesting. But a hash is eventually made of him as well.

Here be more spoilers.

Reagan, the gorgeous hookup turns out to be a FBI agent, one specifically hired as a “honey pot” someone who lures in suspects with sex. Cause z, which absolutely makes no sense in law enforcement terms. But that aspect of his character and this story is weak and illogical in every way possible as written to start. He’s straight , but then has no issues with gay sex. He’s been selfish and self absorbed in his previous married relationship but shows no signs of changing until forced into a new relationship by means of becoming a werewolf.

Furthermore, towards the end, naturally his FBI phone rings, his bosses/colleagues calling to check on their errant agent. Reagan’s response isn’t to answer the call but hand it over to another werewolf/friend of Lance’s. That being, then at Reagan’s request destroys the unanswered phone, with Reagan saying he will be fired anyway.

Right. Because the unanswered call from an FBI agent will make that agency automatically assume that agent has quit and will be living another life , with a suspect in that suspect’s apartment where they had him under surveillance. No paperwork, turning in equipment, badges, etc. No following protocol. Sigh.

And yes, Lance takes the newly turned Reagan right back to the exact same apartment that’s seen Lance abducted from (various bad guys) , under surveillance ( his criminal family and the FBI), but no problem, why move?

From a potentially good start to a story that went downhill with ever increasingly outrageous plot lines and silly elements to a HFN that just made one shake their head.

The second book in this strange series is a different couple, female/male relationship, but no matter, I’m stopping here.

Too bad. A lovely cover and potentially nice elements that just never got the treatment they deserve.

Trigger warnings, here referred to as Content Warnings, are listed at the beginning by the author.

Cover Art:Sophie Zuckerman

Cover design: A.A. Fairview

le Fay Romance:

✓ Teeth and Tarot #1 (m/m )

◦ Crystal and Contracts #2 (m/f-different couple)

Buy Link:

Teeth and Tarot: A le Fay Romance (le Fay Romances)

Blurb:

t’s not my fault, I remind myself. Daily affirmation.

Unfortunately.

Lance fled the comforts of his wealthy witch family a decade ago and has settled into a human existence. But the nightmares remain and drowning out the memories with clubs, hookups, and early morning coffee runs only helps so much. When he spots a hot stud as his favorite coffee spot, things seem too good to be true. His gut tells him it’s too good to be true and to not trust the man who calls himself Adam.

But a one-night stand can’t hurt. Right?

Like a curse he can’t escape, Lance is pulled back into the world of witches, werewolves, and gangs. For every person he has in his corner there is another working against him. Never mind his stud hookup– who went and got himself bit by a werewolf. Forgetting things has never been easy and Lance isn’t ready to just forget this man… even if keeping him close puts them both in danger.

Teeth and Tarot is the first book in the le Fay Romance series following a family of witches, though the books can be read as stand alone. Teeth and Tarot features a witch and werewolf relationship between two men.