Ghost Dater has the feel of an addendum short story to the wonderful Soul Eater. It reads like a cute afterthought to that tale. Turns out I’m not far off.
The author’s publisher put out a call for Halloween shorts and Ofelia Gränd thought her readers would like to see what the couple was up to.
Having problems, apparently.
At Halloween, the anniversary of Sandy’s untimely death.
A reader needs to have read Soul Eater before this to understand the characters, their history, and what they are going through to have their relationship. Sandy’s feelings at his new status are understandable but the lack of communication about those thoughts between the partners is not.
As the ghostly aspects of his new life are still in a learning phase, the frustrations Sandy is experiencing are emotions that the reader can relate to. The author is so very good at expressing these emotions and thoughts through scenes and dialogue.
The story is very short, only 38 pages long. I felt that the balance of voices between Sandy and his sorcerer mate, Thad , was a bit off, with Sandy the dominant POV. Perhaps that’s on purpose so when we get into the story and see Thad’s part of the plot, it’s a bit of a surprise.
For me, I missed the surrounding characters and more of these characters’ current lives as they just didn’t seem to fit as well into a short story format given their complexity in terms of relationship and developing mate bond. It ends with them called off to a new case. I’d love to see that happen.
Here’s to another case and another novel. This is a wonderful bridge between the two. Happy Halloween 🎃.
Thaddeus Esax has a grumpy werewolf problem. For a year, he’s been mated to Sandulf Hunter, a ghost werewolf he brought back from the dead without meaning to. It’s been great. Thad’s been happy, and he believed Sandy was too. But Sandy has been sulking for more than a week, and Thad fears their relationship isn’t going as well as he believed.
The problem with being mated to a ghost is that said ghost never can leave your side, and therefore it’s extremely hard to keep secrets. Thaddeus wants to surprise Sandy, to cheer him up, but to do that, he has to trick him into believing they’re doing something they’re not.
Telling Sandy they’re having a Halloween party doesn’t go over well, but how do you trick a ghost? By making him believe he’ll be dressed up as a pirate for an evening, of course.
Swedish author, Ofelia Gränd’s latest novel reminds me that I really need to put her on my auto buy list.
Soul Eater’s wonderful universe drew me in completely and the storylines kept me invested in the characters and the potential for more tales to come.
She begins the story with a Paranormal Investigations Department that employs a number of different beings, from a psychic to a witch with detectives of various shifter species, including a jaguar Captain.
We get a glimpse into a squad out of sorts with each other and the cases several missing women to solve.
The individuals within the squad are divided into two groups, the magical humans and the shifters, as personalities and deep feelings have contributed to conflict between the members. Gränd’s believable well defined characters help the reader understand the differences that now exist between them as the case investigation gets underway.
I’m not sure exactly what it is about this author’s work that adds that extra dimension to it. That touch of subtle horror or oddity that overlies the most mundane of actions.
Not that there’s much of those here in a paranormal mystery murder thriller where shifters, sorcery, a ghost, and Halloween overlap .
Especially a wereghost. I found that aspect of the story so satisfying as it develops on multiple levels.
The author’s world building expands as the story goes along, our knowledge of the magical universe coming to include a division of human witchcraft into wizards, mages, sorcerers and warlocks, an distinction that’s been hidden from the human population and paranormal one alike. This has implications for a major part of the storyline and not one I would spoil. It’s just one more thing I found entertaining and added more to the characters.
It’s elements like this that will keep me returning to Gränd’s books and hopefully more in this universe.
I found the narrative fascinating, the elements marvelous, the characters well developed, and all of it thrilling and suspenseful.
A definite recommendation for this author and book! Love it!
Buy Link:
Blurb:
Detective Thaddeus Ezax is in over his head. He’s the only wizard in Rockshade’s Paranormal Investigations Department, and it was his name that got him the job. The Ezaxs are known as some of the most powerful wizards in the world, but Thaddeus isn’t your average Ezaxs. Is it any wonder his family shuns him?
When a kidnapping case is dropped into his lap, Thaddeus must act fast. While most five-year-olds can cast a location spell, Thaddeus can’t and is forced to get creative. When he finds himself in possession of a black market werewolf skull with a ghost trapped inside, accidentally releases the spirit, and somehow forms a connection with it, things get even crazier.
Sandulf Hunter doesn’t remember dying, but he remembers the last thing he saw before everything went black — a wizard. All wizards must die! The only problem is, the wizard standing next to him smells too damned good, so good Sandy thinks he might have to keep him.
And since wherever Thaddeus goes, Sandulf finds himself yanked along, he might not have a choice in the matter anyway.
If you’re a fan of this author and the series, Blackhaven Manor, or if you just enjoy an entertaining paranormal mystery, then this is the book for you.
It’s a terrific otherworldly thriller with a fated mates romance that has characters from that connected universe and references dramatic events that saw the creation of Hunters Hollow.
Now that one of the three Maddock dragon siblings has established a town and new hotel called Hunters Hollow as a sanctuary for the otherworldly community, the author is set to place a new set of fated mates romances inside the warded township and hotel.
It starts with Angels and Anarchy and a serial killer on the loose. A dead vampire Councilman brings together human waiter/bartender Braeden Burke and nephilim Detective Zarrik Cox . One as a witness , the other as an investigator.
Steele does an excellent job in defining the characters, their personalities, the magical bond that makes them gravitate towards each other, and the messy investigation that follows the murder.
I normally have a issue with couples that don’t communicate but, as friends and family point out, on top of an immediate bond, there’s a serial killer racking up the body count that’s taking up most of Zarrik’s time.
I wish that Braeden had been more open to the idea of therapy than he was, considering that as written, he comes across as severely traumatized by his experience. That was dropped as an element and not addressed again, a weak point here in an individual who has a number of great qualities.
In fact, Steele has potentially so many wonderful storylines threaded in here that not all could be fully realized or explored in the length given. I can only hope that the author will pick them up in the books to come.
The relationship ,once the communication ,begins is wonderful, the chemistry is warm and believable. They make a terrific couple.
The mystery, the dramatic finale, is exactly what you want to see and what the author delivers. With a bit of an unexpected twist.
I can’t wait for the next one in the series. Im definitely recommending Angels and Anarchy (Hunters Hollow, #1) by Arden Steele, it’s a winner.
Slinging drinks in New Orleans’ French Quarter isn’t the most glamorous job, but Braeden Burke loves the lights, the music, and the excitement. As a long-time believer—even before Otherlings had waltzed out of the paranormal closet—spending his nights flirting with gorgeous werewolves and smooth-talking vampires isn’t exactly a chore. His life is easy, colorful, and for the most part, free of drama.
Until fate throws him a curveball.
It was supposed to be his day off. Instead, Zarrik Cox is called in to investigate the murder of a high-ranking member of the Ministry of Otherling Affairs. Tracking down the only witness to the crime is easy. Discovering the vulnerable human is his mate is a complication he wasn’t expecting.
He might be a nephilim, but he’s no angel, and he’s damn sure no one’s savior. But with a killer on the loose, and Braeden caught in the crosshairs, there’s no limit to how far he’ll go to keep his new mate safe.
May’s Perfect Pixie series just took a decidedly darker turn in an already beautiful and layered world. Much like the vibrantly colored, glittery pixies the stories have been written about, Perfectly Charmed Pixie has at its heart, one Parsnip, a well known social pixie, as famous for his unusual aquamarine color as he is for his cable television series.
But the truth is on the cover. Parsnip’s fabulous Aqua is a fake. In reality, he’s faded to a ombré grey shadow. The lack of color born of trauma and the fact he was a prisoner of a pixie dust addict for months who drained him.
Yes, this story has a pixie dealing with his ongoing struggles with depression, PTSD, anxiety, and the very real consequences of his past. All by staring in a mirror. Plus Parsnip is fighting multiple internal and external battles here. With his fans and the Network over the expectations for his appearance, his insecurities, and his real fears for himself.
May has really outdone herself here. Because the series themes and world building just expanded in several quiet horrific ways.
Addiction to pixie dust has been mentioned before in the previous books but now we see the consequences. And worse . Because Parsley, Parsnip’s brother, is running a recovery home for those pixies saved from trafficking operations. But that’s still a minor aspect of the narrative.
A huge one is the warlock, Vander Kines, a fantastic character. Guardian to a young brownie, Byx, Vander owns a small shop that makes magical charms and he’s barely making ends meet. Mostly due to the fact he’s got a strong moral compass and won’t take jobs he feels is wrong or unlawful.
Vander and his ward, Byx, have a warm family relationship with a loss of a loved one that connects them. That beautiful dynamic carries over into the one that starts when Parsnips contacts Vander out of desperation.
Vander and Parsnips emotionally exist, at the beginning, outside of the circle of friends who form the basis of the strengths of the strange pairings here. But the subtle similarities in Parsnip’s relationship and personality bring them together with pixies Phil and Peaches, along with their fated mates. I loved this journey and all the tiny elements that the author wove into it. Btw? Those hair clips of Byx’s are incredible!
May’s attention to detail, however, is never lost by the sheer texture and depth of the new storylines being added into the universe, the darkness that is now so much closer to the characters than we thought, and new awareness of old dangers brought to light.
The different Pixie relationships are loving and unusual, the many beings who are important to the inner circle are expanding their storyline, and a new realm has opened up.
There’s so many key issues that May puts into play at various stages in the narrative that it’s chilling watching how they slowly develop into something more complex and threatening than has ever been hinted at before. It happens with whispers and the occasional nod from the characters that something is definitely amiss and will need to be investigated. Or something even more serious.
I got delicious shivers and a whole new appreciation for this author’s style and craftsmanship in this book and series.
The fourth book has a title. Is it part of a new series or this one? It’s most definitely connected. I needs it now I do.
Not familiar with this author? This is a fabulous place to start, with this series. But they really must be read in the order they are written in because of the relationships and events that occur that are building the foundation.
If I could give higher ratings I would.
Perfectly Charmed Pixie: Parsnip’s Story (Perfect Pixie #3) by M. J. May is a must along with the prior stories!
Absolutely gorgeous covers!
Perfect Pixie:♥️
✓ Perfectly Imperfect Pixie #1
✓ Perfectly Perfect Pixie #2
✓ Perfectly Charmed Pixie #3
Next: and part of this series/universe
◦ Perfectly Perplexing Zombie: Wendall’s Story – late fall/winter 2023
Youthful arrogance and misplaced trust left Parsnip’s once beautiful aqua colors little more than shades of muted gray. As a social pixie and host of a popular TV show, Parsnip desperately needs to fool everyone into believing he’s that same, stunningly colorful creature. Warlock-made charms are all Parsnip needs to keep up the rouse. But the financial cost is high, and each activated charm steals more of his life force. Despite this, Parsnip’s willing to pay any price. After all, who would want a faded pixie?
Everyone knows warlocks have no moral compass. But if that’s true, why does Vander Kines turn down more commissions than he accepts? Barely able to keep a roof over his head, his shop open, his brownie ward fed, and beer in the fridge, Vander should jump at the large sums of money clients are willing to throw in his direction. But no amount of cash is worth the cost of his soul, and his only true concern is keeping the young brownie safe.
When a magical mishap with Parsnip’s warlock sends the pixie through Vander’s door, Vander refuses his request until he discovers Parsnip is his one and only. Now, he will go to any lengths to make Parsnip happy—even trading his own life force in place of Parsnip’s.
Unfortunately, Parsnip isn’t fooling everyone, and a witch with a vendetta is determined to expose his secret, and she’s willing to kill Vander and hand Parsnip over to his worst ogre nightmare to get what she wants.
True, unvarnished love is hard to find and sometimes even harder to accept. Having found it, Parsnip’s willing to do anything to keep it safe…even if that means giving up his charmed life.
Perfectly Charmed Pixie is the third book in the Perfect Pixie series. It can be read as a stand alone but would be more enjoyable if the first two books in the series are read first.
Perfectly Charmed Pixie contains beautiful pixies—no matter what their colors, an ornery yet clever brownie, a morally sound warlock, pixie dust addicted ogres, good and bad witches, a questionably reformed siren, more honeysuckle mead, magic, and finding your perfect, other half.
A Ruse To Unchain Us brings The Magi Accounts near the end of this incredible dark saga. Two more stories to follow and we’ll see what happens to all the characters who have suffered and survived through this perilous, harrowing journey.
A Ruse To Unchain Us is emotionally draining and powerful in the wrenching scenes that Notaro delivers, one after the other, as the Ono-Nai tribe fights against government and witches alike to survive the battles against both and the tear in the universe. There are moments of such brutality and violence, common in this series, that hit you hard in the heart. As they should. Tissues should be issued along with the story.
Repeatedly, the author reminds the reader exactly what’s at stake, often graphic detail , what type of treatment the non humans have had to endure for decades. Along with the past traumatic history, there’s the current horrors they continue to endure, suffer under, as they battle to get their rights and freedoms.
As Notaro notes, read the trigger warnings because they definitely apply, as they have for the series. Torture, sexual assault and abuse (some off page) as children and adults , brutality , beatings, and horrific death is a common occurrence too. These beings have been and are continued to be subjected to the entire spectrum of the worst humankind is capable of simply because they aren’t human and are regarded as tools for the humans to use as they see fit.
To counter such agonizing moments and scenes, it’s balanced with those of pride, found family, bonds of deep affection, friendship, and abiding love. All of which have had to endure the pain and horror of the world they live in and survive to come together as the strong forces we see now.
Cosmo Ono-Nai, Mads, Jude, and the rest of the Ono-Nai pack must deal with the toughest challenges yet their pride has faced when The Red Cloth ups it’s attacks against the government and its citizens.
I won’t spoil the high stakes and action that occurs here. It’s intense, fast paced, incredibly emotional, and very suspenseful. And yes, filled with love and pain too , because this is a battlefield and people/beings are hurt and sometimes they die.
Notaro’s vision and realistic writing makes sure we don’t forget about the pain as well as the love, the loss that goes with the wins, such as they are. It’s raw, dark fiction and it rings so true.
Two more novels to go. One’s a companion story, Logan and Haiden get a book of their own. And then onto the finale. I can’t imagine how the author will tie up all the characters and storylines still moving forward but I’m sure it will be amazing. I’ll be so sorry to see this series end.
What a fantastic journey it’s been.
Until then, I highly recommend you read this series in the order it’s written if you haven’t already done so. Then read the intensely powerful A Ruse to Unchain Us (The Magi Accounts #4) by Michele Notaro. Just a great example why this author is an auto read.
The Magi Accounts:
🔹The Scars That Bind Us #1
🔹The Shackles That Hold Us #2
🔹A Date To Impress Him #2.5
🔹A Purpose That Restores Us #3
🔹A Holiday to Sustain Us: A Magi Accounts Holiday
🔹An Embrace To Hearten Me: The Magic Accounts 3.5
🔹A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts # 4
🔹A Heart To Revitalize Me #4.5 – September 20, 2024 (Logan and Haiden companion story)
It’s time to fight back, and by the goddess, I will help free my people.
The Cloaked Freeway is finally in a position to effect real change, and I want so badly to be a part of it. Since I was a little kid, it’s been my dream to free my people from under the human’s rule. And now I have the chance to make that dream a reality.
But helping them means giving up so much. I have a family now—a pride—and I don’t want to put them at risk. Luckily for me, my mate wants to be a part of the revolution, too, but that still leaves everyone else.
The world is turning into chaos around us and our family is being pulled in different directions, but I know one thing for sure. The Ono-Nais are fighters, and we’ll do everything in our power to keep each other safe and help those around us.
A Ruse To Unchain Us is the fourth book in the MM urban fantasy series, The Magi Accounts. It’s recommended to read the series in order because the romance progresses through the series and it has an ongoing storyline, but there is NO cliffhanger.
*Intended for adults only. Please read the trigger warnings at the beginning of this novel.
A Ruse To Unchain Us brings The Magi Accounts near the end of this incredible dark saga. Two more stories to follow and we’ll see what happens to all the characters who have suffered and survived through this perilous, harrowing journey.
A Ruse To Unchain Us is emotionally draining and powerful in the wrenching scenes that Notaro delivers, one after the other, as the Ono-Nai tribe fights against government and witches alike to survive the battles against both and the tear in the universe. There are moments of such brutality and violence, common in this series, that hit you hard in the heart. As they should. Tissues should be issued along with the story.
Repeatedly, the author reminds the reader exactly what’s at stake, often graphic detail , what type of treatment the non humans have had to endure for decades. Along with the past traumatic history, there’s the current horrors they continue to endure, suffer under, as they battle to get their rights and freedoms.
As Notaro notes, read the trigger warnings because they definitely apply, as they have for the series. Torture, sexual assault and abuse (some off page) as children and adults , brutality , beatings, and horrific death is a common occurrence too. These beings have been and are continued to be subjected to the entire spectrum of the worst humankind is capable of simply because they aren’t human and are regarded as tools for the humans to use as they see fit.
To counter such agonizing moments and scenes, it’s balanced with those of pride, found family, bonds of deep affection, friendship, and abiding love. All of which have had to endure the pain and horror of the world they live in and survive to come together as the strong forces we see now.
Cosmo Ono-Nai, Mads, Jude, and the rest of the Ono-Nai pack must deal with the toughest challenges yet their pride has faced when The Red Cloth ups it’s attacks against the government and its citizens.
I won’t spoil the high stakes and action that occurs here. It’s intense, fast paced, incredibly emotional, and very suspenseful. And yes, filled with love and pain too , because this is a battlefield and people/beings are hurt and sometimes they die.
Notaro’s vision and realistic writing makes sure we don’t forget about the pain as well as the love, the loss that goes with the wins, such as they are. It’s raw, dark fiction and it rings so true.
Two more novels to go. One’s a companion story, Logan and Haiden get a book of their own. And then onto the finale. I can’t imagine how the author will tie up all the characters and storylines still moving forward but I’m sure it will be amazing. I’ll be so sorry to see this series end.
What a fantastic journey it’s been.
Until then, I highly recommend you read this series in the order it’s written if you haven’t already done so. Then read the intensely powerful A Ruse to Unchain Us (The Magi Accounts #4) by Michele Notaro. Just a great example why this author is an auto read.
The Magi Accounts:
🔹The Scars That Bind Us #1
🔹The Shackles That Hold Us #2
🔹A Date To Impress Him #2.5
🔹A Purpose That Restores Us #3
🔹A Holiday to Sustain Us: A Magi Accounts Holiday
🔹An Embrace To Hearten Me: The Magic Accounts 3.5
🔹A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts # 4
🔹A Heart To Revitalize Me #4.5 – September 20, 2024 (Logan and Haiden companion story)
It’s time to fight back, and by the goddess, I will help free my people.
The Cloaked Freeway is finally in a position to effect real change, and I want so badly to be a part of it. Since I was a little kid, it’s been my dream to free my people from under the human’s rule. And now I have the chance to make that dream a reality.
But helping them means giving up so much. I have a family now—a pride—and I don’t want to put them at risk. Luckily for me, my mate wants to be a part of the revolution, too, but that still leaves everyone else.
The world is turning into chaos around us and our family is being pulled in different directions, but I know one thing for sure. The Ono-Nais are fighters, and we’ll do everything in our power to keep each other safe and help those around us.
A Ruse To Unchain Us is the fourth book in the MM urban fantasy series, The Magi Accounts. It’s recommended to read the series in order because the romance progresses through the series and it has an ongoing storyline, but there is NO cliffhanger.
*Intended for adults only. Please read the trigger warnings at the beginning of this novel.
A Ruse To Unchain Us brings The Magi Accounts near the end of this incredible dark saga. Two more stories to follow and we’ll see what happens to all the characters who have suffered and survived through this perilous, harrowing journey.
A Ruse To Unchain Us is emotionally draining and powerful in the wrenching scenes that Notaro delivers, one after the other, as the Ono-Nai tribe fights against government and witches alike to survive the battles against both and the tear in the universe. There are moments of such brutality and violence, common in this series, that hit you hard in the heart. As they should. Tissues should be issued along with the story.
Repeatedly, the author reminds the reader exactly what’s at stake, often graphic detail , what type of treatment the non humans have had to endure for decades. Along with the past traumatic history, there’s the current horrors they continue to endure, suffer under, as they battle to get their rights and freedoms.
As Notaro notes, read the trigger warnings because they definitely apply, as they have for the series. Torture, sexual assault and abuse (some off page) as children and adults , brutality , beatings, and horrific death is a common occurrence too. These beings have been and are continued to be subjected to the entire spectrum of the worst humankind is capable of simply because they aren’t human and are regarded as tools for the humans to use as they see fit.
To counter such agonizing moments and scenes, it’s balanced with those of pride, found family, bonds of deep affection, friendship, and abiding love. All of which have had to endure the pain and horror of the world they live in and survive to come together as the strong forces we see now.
Cosmo Ono-Nai, Mads, Jude, and the rest of the Ono-Nai pack must deal with the toughest challenges yet their pride has faced when The Red Cloth ups it’s attacks against the government and its citizens.
I won’t spoil the high stakes and action that occurs here. It’s intense, fast paced, incredibly emotional, and very suspenseful. And yes, filled with love and pain too , because this is a battlefield and people/beings are hurt and sometimes they die.
Notaro’s vision and realistic writing makes sure we don’t forget about the pain as well as the love, the loss that goes with the wins, such as they are. It’s raw, dark fiction and it rings so true.
Two more novels to go. One’s a companion story, Logan and Haiden get a book of their own. And then onto the finale. I can’t imagine how the author will tie up all the characters and storylines still moving forward but I’m sure it will be amazing. I’ll be so sorry to see this series end.
What a fantastic journey it’s been.
Until then, I highly recommend you read this series in the order it’s written if you haven’t already done so. Then read the intensely powerful A Ruse to Unchain Us (The Magi Accounts #4) by Michele Notaro. Just a great example why this author is an auto read.
The Magi Accounts:
🔹The Scars That Bind Us #1
🔹The Shackles That Hold Us #2
🔹A Date To Impress Him #2.5
🔹A Purpose That Restores Us #3
🔹A Holiday to Sustain Us: A Magi Accounts Holiday
🔹An Embrace To Hearten Me: The Magic Accounts 3.5
🔹A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts # 4
🔹A Heart To Revitalize Me #4.5 – September 20, 2024 (Logan and Haiden companion story)
It’s time to fight back, and by the goddess, I will help free my people.
The Cloaked Freeway is finally in a position to effect real change, and I want so badly to be a part of it. Since I was a little kid, it’s been my dream to free my people from under the human’s rule. And now I have the chance to make that dream a reality.
But helping them means giving up so much. I have a family now—a pride—and I don’t want to put them at risk. Luckily for me, my mate wants to be a part of the revolution, too, but that still leaves everyone else.
The world is turning into chaos around us and our family is being pulled in different directions, but I know one thing for sure. The Ono-Nais are fighters, and we’ll do everything in our power to keep each other safe and help those around us.
A Ruse To Unchain Us is the fourth book in the MM urban fantasy series, The Magi Accounts. It’s recommended to read the series in order because the romance progresses through the series and it has an ongoing storyline, but there is NO cliffhanger.
*Intended for adults only. Please read the trigger warnings at the beginning of this novel.
I’ve been following Annabelle Jacobs wolf shifter packs from the beginning and got really invested in the world the author created and cross series she created.
But now at the end of the Dark Forest Pack, I feel that the stories and multiple characters, as evidenced by the index at the book’s beginning, has gotten so stretched out that the depth of plots and personalities that once grabbed my attention is now less apparent. Or missing altogether.
For me, Loving Jake falls into the latter category. Which is too bad.
The entire concept can be summed up as “my Alpha says so , so even though it’s evil and I hate it , I’m gonna do it”. What’s worse is that the author sets up the drama with the main couple and secondary characters knowing the Alpha is “doing WRONG “ but hey let’s ignore it. Then everything plays out based on the fact they Can’t Do anything because the BAD Alpha says so.
Now the author warns the reader the book, a total lesson in readability/frustration imo, this is the way she’s plotting it, so there’s that. It’s pack rule, do whatever the Alpha says. Even though it doesn’t happen in her other novels.
But there no point, no dimension to this plot. Just a sledgehammer of dramatic narrative up to almost the end. No real details of a love affair between the main characters or verbal declarations of their own either. Just deep feelings to counteract the plotting against them.
Everyone knows who the villain is. The last battle is a mess, and the resolution doesn’t fully answer all the questions the mystery and murder raised.
I want to give this a two star but went ahead with a 3 out of fondness for its origins which are squandered here.
So for me, at the end of the series which had so much potential, Loving Jake gave us one dimensional characters, a forced sledgehammer of a frustrating plot, and a messy ending that doesn’t really resolve anything. Really, it’s like the series lost its energies here.
If that’s a story you want to read, or if you’re a reader who needs to complete a series, Loving Jake awaits you.
Pack is family, family is everything…until it isn’t.
Max
I worried we’d ruin it all by crossing the line from friends to lovers, but kissing Jake feels as natural as breathing.
I thought we’d have forever.
I thought we could take our time.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
In this last instalment of the Dark Forest Pack series, Max and Jake need all the help they can get to break free from their alpha’s command. But there’s just one problem with that—they’re forbidden to talk about it. When breaking that rule could mean tearing their pack apart, is it a risk worth taking?
Loving Jake is an MM paranormal romance featuring best friends turned lovers with the odds stacked against them. Full of pining, suspense, and sizzling UST, with a guaranteed HEA.
For maximum enjoyment, books should be read in order.
A Star So Dark and Peculiar , the first in the Tears from the Sky series by Cyan Crowe, is also a first novel by the author for me. I’m all about storytelling that involves multiple types of shifters, mating bonds, paranormal species , and exploring the mythology that will build on their past in the series arc.
Crowe is giving the reader all that and more here. The series is dark fiction and characters that feel engaging and real are often treated as expendable, meeting their True Death unexpectedly. One at least I wasn’t prepared for. But it’s in keeping with the characterizations and relationship dynamics Crowe is developing.
Cyan Crowe does several things that are notable, most fantastic and one not so great.
First is the fact that our introduction into the world is a confusing one. That window into the past with the Crown Lords and Oracle didn’t work, at least for me. I felt that any information gleaned from those scenes could have been imparted in other ways throughout the storyline. In fact the entire book only really came together one we got into the present day.
That’s where everything starts to gel. The characters are strong, exceedingly well written, and while the reader doesn’t yet have a solid understanding of the world building, it’s parts are added as the characters interact and the narrative becomes more complex to give a larger perspective on the mystery and universe surrounding them.
It’s a brutal world overlaid with an air of civility, animalistic with a skin of humanity. Cell phone technology with fang and claw death in tandem. The author realistically portrays a divided paranormal society, literally separated by fortified walls and gates, each ruled by a different species with a similar structure and name. The immortal Crown Lion, Crown Wolf, and Crown Gryfalcon, each at the head of their respective species, then they have their Blades of the Crown. A unknown person who is close to the Crown, carries out their orders/duties as they see fit, an assassin if need be. The Blades are old and said to have some of the immortal blood in them.
This is just part of the intriguing mystery and information that the reader gathers from the narrative as we meet Gage Declan, Alpha Wolf of the City (wolf territory although other species live there). He’s considered young for the job position he’s holding but powerful in his role to easily manage his team. Gage’s character and history is a complex one, and becomes even stronger and fascinating as the book progresses. He starts off strong but the author builds on layer after layer, giving Gage remarkable depth and high intelligence while not diminishing his raw brutality .
To balance such a compelling being the author had to craft an equally complicated, magnetic personality. Crowe gives us Alpha Ethan Odin Vinci, new Alpha Lion of the Fort (Lion shifter section with other species residing). But Ethan is ancient, mysterious, and perhaps more. So they begin at a combative level to sort out a mystery plaguing both their sections and separate species.
Additionally, same sex relationships or activities are illegal and considered unnatural by law and the cultures. So events that occur are fundamentally shocking to both.
This is a great element and the way it’s handled on both sides makes sense for the two men involved from both personal and political perspectives. This is a core sea change that can, given both Alphas status and power, fundamentally change society.
Given this fact and the type of being each person is, Crowe stays true to the heart of the narrative and world the author is still rolling out in showing the reader the complex, often contradictory, intense, sometimes feral or savage behavior that resides within them, often after seemingly being pleasantly civil.
This is exciting stuff. We have a whole vampire element here that’s probably not what it appears to be. Right now they are the very big bad though.
Plus there’s things like the TEARs, a fatal illness no one knows how or why it occurs but that there’s no cure or antidote. The scenes involving people in the final stages are moving and heartbreaking.
Crowe has also assembled an excellent cast of characters surrounding the main personalities, and that seems to be expanding as well to meet the needs of the revelations of the storylines. The plot lines, many that they are, flow so fluidly through the story, picking up speed as it arrives at the main climatic battle and the jumping off point towards the next book.
Which honestly can’t come soon enough.
Except for that stumbled start, A Star So Dark and Peculiar (Tears from the Sky Book 1) by Cyan Crowe is a fantastic read. It’s exciting, full of new multidimensional characters, and imaginative storytelling. I can’t wait for it to continue.
I’m highly recommending it for all lovers of paranormal fiction and dark romance.
It’s time to embrace the night and show the true might of the stars so bright…
My name is Gage Odysseus Declan.
You could say I’m a complicated man with uncomplicated needs. I’m Alpha Wolf for the City, charged with protecting my kind. I enjoy law and order, sexy times at Circus, and being left alone.
Step too close, and I’ll cut you down.
But I’ve stumbled upon a kitty cat that smells like a raging storm, a dark and peculiar chaos that I want to dominate and cuddle.
His name is Ethan Odin Vinci.
I suspect he’s the Blade to Crown Lion. The cat lives in the Castle, is crazier than anyone I’ve ever met, and is way too devious for that vain head of his.
And he’s just as alpha as me.
That’s…a problem.
The Lady Moons connected two men together, an utter blindsiding Bond. This has never happened before—it’s not our way.
Yet here I am. Here he is.
Here we are under the sky and the stars and the night, circling each other like we’re moonslit prey…
While bloodthirsty vampires take root in the City, and our people continue to die from TEARS.
But I’ve got this under control.
I am that good.
Get ready to twinkle twinkle, bitches.
The night is going to shine.
*This novel is approx. 150,000 words. This world does not contain MPreg.
Spell It Out is less a prequel but more a side story to the wonderful Mages and Matea series by Andy Gallo. This dives into a great couple of teachers at a interspecies high school connected to the university central to the series. Here mage Dylan Jurgenson, cousin to Bart Hollen (Break The Spell), has found out that he’s one of the teacher chaperones on the high school camping trip this year. Each year he’s managed to evade the duty by passing it off to another, like his cousin. But this time, Bart’s busy, so he has no other option. And math teacher , Minotaur shifter Xavier Tollis, is going as well.
Those are the basic facts. With the characters in place, Gallo begins to give us a lovely romantic story, filled with all the details that come with new relationship building, the discovery and discussions, and the joy. That Xavier and Dylan have young teenagers in their charge too adds a wonderful dimension. Gallo allows the kids a youthful energy and enthusiasm that makes the adults feel even more connected.
There are some fantastic teens here with their own issues, some of which coincide with that of Dylan’s poor self esteem. And there are other storylines about family, child neglect, and pack culture. All woven together into a story that has romances, humor, teenage angst , adult drama , mate bonding, and HEA.
Im hoping to see more of this couple together in the series, especially as Bart makes an appearance here. They are both really great characters and have such warmth about them. Actually I’d love to see the students too.
Novellas like Spell It Out ( Mages and Mates Prequel) by Andy Gallo just wet my imagination and enthusiasm for the series and characters I meet. It makes me want to go back to the beginning and start reading again.
This is a definite recommendation. So is the series. It’s listed below.
Dylan Jurgenson hates camping but is stuck chaperoning his practical magic class on their fieldtrip. Worse, he’s bunking with sexy math teacher Xavier Tollis. You know, the hot Minotaur shifter who barely knows Dylan exists. Not that Xavier’s lack of interest comes as any surprise. Who’d be interested in a mediocre mage, anyway?
Xavier can handle crazy teens and camping. Who he’d like to handle is the cute mage giving him morning wood so often he could build a house. Unfortunately, even in human form Xavier scares Dylan. Minotaurs have terrible reputations and even worse track records in love. Who’d be crazy enough to take a chance on a big guy like him, anyway?
Just when Dylan and Xavier are finally moving beyond their insecurities and misunderstandings, two students disappear under mysterious circumstances. Working together, they put their newfound feelings and lives on the line to save their wayward charges.
Failure is not an option but playing hero can sure have unintended consequences.
