A Caryn Review: The Druid Next Door (Fae Out of Water #2) by EJ Russell

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Book one, Cutie and the Beast, in this series was a romantic comedy (which I adored!), and so I admit I was expecting the same here. These characters, however, are more serious, the tone darker, the danger greater, in this enemies-to-lovers novel. And this book is absolutely not stand-alone – all of the world building happened in book one, and this book just expands on the Fae world and it’s denizens.

Mal – Lord Maldwyn Kendrick – was cursed at the end of book one. He saved his brother Alun’s life by cutting off the villain’s hand, and in punishment, he was cast out of Faerie and his own right hand became useless. The Seelie queen, who cast the curse, told him the curse could be lifted if he could “make whole what you cost us this night”, and Mal has no idea what that even means. Give Rodric his hand back? Even if he wanted to after all the evil Rodric committed, how could he possibly do that? His entire existence was being a warrior, protecting the Seelie Court, and in one moment he lost that purpose, and even the ability to be a warrior. He was fairly lighthearted in book one, but he’s now angry, bitter, and completely directionless.

Because Mal was homeless, his brother-in-law David bought him a very nice little house with zero carbon footprint in a wetland conservation area. Mal couldn’t have cared less. Worse, when he found Unseelie creatures in the swamp and drove them off, he came to the attention of his neighbor Bryce MacLeod, professor and deeply devoted environmentalist who was shocked and appalled at Mal’s lack of care for the wetlands. Mal recognized him as a druid – a fact Bryce himself was completely unaware of – and Mal had never trusted druids as far as he could throw them. Things went from bad to worse when the local arch druid bound the two men together in order to foster Bryce’s training, without consent from either of them.

Mal just wants to get his hand and his old life back, while Bryce wants to find out what is causing the poisoning of the wetlands and fix it. But since the men are literally tied together, they have to find a way to work with each other to reach these goals. But there are manipulative supernatural forces in play, pushing them into the middle of a conflict that endangers not only their lives, but (once again) the fate of the world.

The set-up seems awkward and ridiculous when I try to condense it, but I didn’t feel that while I was reading. Every character acted in accordance with their nature and personality (as introduced in book one) and in accordance with the rules of the outer world and world of faerie. The progression from irritation, to grudging respect, to true appreciation of each other from Mal and Bryce was extremely fluid. The supernatural powers of druids and the hereditary interaction between druid and sidhe kept Mal and Bryce continually wondering what parts of their attraction was real, and what was biology, or spell. The inner conflict of trying to untangle that played out in the conflict they had with each other, but I felt both men learned to look past their initial rigid beliefs about the world, themselves, and each other, and they grew into better men as they became more flexible and accepted new truths about themselves. The eventual defeat of evil was typical of a fantasy novel, but the happy ever after was more like the typical contemporary romance. I thought it fit together extremely well!

Gareth, the youngest of the Kendrick brothers, shows up only briefly in this book, but a painful history of betrayal and loss were introduced to set the foundation of the final book. Which I expect will be darker than this one, and I’m eagerly looking forward to it!

Cover art by Lou Harper has a great model for Bryce’s sexy professor look, and the interdimensional doorway fits with the story.

Sales Links: Riptide Publishing | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 328 pages
Published August 21st 2017 by Riptide Publishing (first published August 19th 2017)
Original TitleThe Druid Next Door
ISBN139781626496217
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesFae Out of Water #2

A Caryn Review: Cutie and the Beast (Fae Out of Water #1) by EJ Russell

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I LOVE fairly tale retellings! And of course, Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorites because I am such a sucker for that hurt/comfort trope. I also think that a fairy tale retelling is a good way to showcase an author’s creativity – being original while still following the basic skeleton of curse and redemption and attraction to the inner beauty is hard to do when it’s been done so often!

This retelling brings in a lot of Celtic folklore, combining the Irish, Welsh, Scots, and British fae in the Unified Seelie Court, as well as adding the more modern paranormal elements of vampires and shifters, and then throwing in some Druids just for fun, to create the world of the “Supes”. Dr. Alun Kendrick is the “shrink to the supes” – an exiled Sidhe warrior who is now a psychologist in Portland, catering to the mental maladies of the supernatural, as well as treating humans who have been accidentally exposed to (and traumatized by) supes. His is a very specialized, and private, practice and he intends to keep it that way.

David Evans is an earnest and enthusiastic young man who works at a temp agency. He’s been intermittently going to nursing school which is his passion, but in the meantime is working to support his terminally ill Aunt Cassie. David tries, he really does, but every job he lands ends up in disaster as things just seem to happen around him – that riot in the dentist’s office? Totally not his fault. Besides, he’s done some transcription for Dr. Kendrick, and his voice is so swoon-worthy, he just has to meet the man. So when the office manager position came open, it only took a little prevaricating to get it, and David just knew that he would do a fabulous job. It was fate, it was right, and damn it, he was going to make it work.

The first day, however, didn’t go as planned. Dr. Kendrick’s voice is just as smooth and dulcet as David remembered, but that face?

He looked like the victim of a failed experiment on the island of Dr. Moreau who’d tried to get the results fixed at a cut-rate back-alley plastic surgeon.

But David is nothing if not determined, and even in that initial hostile meeting he noticed something more, something worth putting up with all of Dr. Kendrick’s glares and attempts to get rid of him in order to break through to the man beneath the ugly. David’s irrepressible cheerfulness, his sublime coffee, the color he brought into the sad grey office, and his uncanny insight into client’s problems did catch Alun’s attention, but his dancing clinched it.

Stubborn, impudent, maddening, human David, with his wildly colorful office accessories, constant challenges, and the worst dancing Alun had seen in over two millennia. Goddess strike him blind, but the man was bloody wonderful.

Thus the two men become a unlikely partners drawn into a conspiracy that could destroy the Unified Seelie Court and endanger all supes, in both fae and human worlds. In the process, they finally solve the mystery of a centuries old murder that led to Alun’s curse, and both men find out there is more to them than they believed.

I loved the entire wild ride, from the dull, lifeless office to the magical, glittering world of Faerie. I loved the secondary characters, the clients, the druid aunties, and especially Alun’s brothers Mal and Gareth (who will be getting their own books in the future, yay!). We have an exciting plot, character growth, great dialogue, beautifully described settings, and it was also freakin’ hilarious. What more can you ask from a book?

I didn’t really have a place to put it in this review, but must include this last quote:

“What about that poser guy? Jackson. What’s he? Demon? Troll? Were-jackal?” “Worse.” Alun’s voice dropped to a husky whisper. “Lawyer.” David gulped…

Regarding the cover art by Lou Harper: before I read the book, I have to admit I thought it was a little annoying, and I didn’t like the model’s smirk. Now that I’ve read it, well, that is David!

Sales Links: Riptide Publishing | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 283 pages
Published July 24th 2017 by Riptide Publishing
Original TitleCutie and the Beast
ISBN 1626495998 (ISBN13: 9781626495999)
Edition LanguageEnglish
URLhttp://riptidepublishing.com/titles/cutie-and-the-beast
SeriesFae Out of Water #1

A Caryn Review: Enlightened (Enlightenment Series #3) by Joanna Chambers

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

*Happy sigh*

What a wonderful happy ending! If you’ve read the first two books, you will be so satisfied with this culmination of David and Murdo’s story. I’m a little sad to leave them behind, but there’s always another reread!

I also found that by the time I finished Enlightened, the titles of each book really started to have new meaning to me. Provoked introduced David and Murdo not only to each other, but to a new type of attraction that neither had experienced before. Beguiled showed them discovering new and increasingly fascinating aspects of each other, and letting down some of their internal barriers. Enlightened found them realizing that not only was a relationship possible, but absolutely necessary, and a source of more happiness and contentment than they ever imagined. The words, the titles, are a perfect description of the progression of their friendship and love.

The book opens with David still residing at Murdo’s estate at Laverock. Their time there has been idyllic – a time of quiet companionship, physical exploration, growing mutual respect, and surprisingly an evolving business partnership. Both men were aware of how fragile and fleeting this time was, but knew it had to come to an end eventually. The end, however, came in an unexpected and somewhat tragic way when David’s old mentor and Elizabeth’s father, Patrick Chalmers, made a dying request: for David to find Elizabeth and once again keep her safe from her abusive husband. Doing so required David to travel to London, and quickly, and leave their protected life in a bubble behind. Murdo had been putting off going to London for weeks, but he now had a good excuse to delay their parting, so he accompanied David.

London for David was just the place Elizabeth and Euan lived, a place for the job he had to do. But London to Murdo was so much more – the site of his father’s political machinations and the mistakes that Murdo made trying to live up to his father’s expectations. Also the place he hid a secret from David that he was afraid would tear them apart – the woman he was engaged to.

That is the only spoiler I will give in this review. Once that little nugget of information was dropped, the pace of the book sped up and the resolution to their problems was striking, shocking, complete, and perfect. I loved this description:

The knot of ropes that bound Murdo to his father was Gordian in its complexity and subtlety. Tonight, Murdo had swept a sword through it, disdaining its cleverness. Severing it with determination and without concern for the consequences.

With one swift stroke, all the pieces fell into place, and if there was sacrifice, it was worth it. And they rode off into the Scottish highlands to live in peace and happiness.

I still love the cover art for the series, the models were perfect, but I wish they would have incorporated both models onto this final cover. I thought Murdo deserved at least as much presence as David in this one…

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 226 pages
Published April 23rd 2017 by Joanna Chambers Books (first published May 6th 2014)
ASINB071RK71MR
Series Enlightenment #3

A Caryn Review: Beguiled (Enlightenment Series #2) by Joanna Chambers

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Don’t you just love it when a sequel is even better than the original? Provoked may have been a good book, but Beguiled just blew me away. I can’t wait to read the last installment, so forgive me if this review seems a little rushed!

Those of you who read my reviews know that I am a huge fan of characterization, and falling in love with the characters is what makes me fall in love with a book. I am so deeply invested in David and Murdo now, that I am already grieving leaving them behind when I finish book three. Both men were introduced to the reader and to each other in the first book, and there was a subdued type of adventure going on that introduced the city of Edinburg, as well as all of the secondary characters who reappear in Beguiled. What makes this second book so appealing to me is the deeper delving into the backgrounds and motivations of both men, the beginnings of their awareness of something new and different, and a slow sea change in attitude. So, the rest of this review will barely touch on plot!

In Provoked, Murdo was presented as a typical aristocrat, blissfully ignoring the plight of the common man, devoted to pursuing pleasure without the sticky moral trappings of 19^th century societal expectations. He didn’t exactly toy with David, but he made it clear in the very beginning that what he and David had was purely physical attraction. Although he had been able to dally with men in a bit freer fashion than David because of his wealth and status, emotional attachment was not something he wanted or even considered the first few times they met. Murdo did not feel that same sex activity was immoral, and also found nothing wrong with marrying a woman while continuing to have sex with men. David had a much more conventional set of principles, so he not only felt sinful by “indulging” in sex with men, but felt there was something perverted about him that he wanted it. He viewed marriage as a sacred bond before God, so he would not even consider marrying a woman, much less being unfaithful to her with a man. Although their motives were different, the result they expected was the same: sex without emotional involvement.

Beguiled occurs two years after the events of Provoked. In those two years, both David and Murdo found themselves thinking back on their brief time together in ways that surprised them – with a great deal of yearning, and a sense of something important irretrievably lost. Meeting again was therefore much more emotional on both sides, and the two years apart broke down barriers in both men. In this book, David’s inner conscience was much less vehement about declaring him a pervert for wanting men, and he was able to see that there was more between them than just lust and physical release. Murdo was willing to accept that he wanted more from David, and found himself sharing secrets he never intended to as he opened himself.

Against this impassioned background, the historical events and adventure played out with a great deal more meaning than that of Provoked. I liked how once again ideas such as universal suffrage and rights of women were presented as incredibly radical (it is so good to live in 2017!), and our heroes – who by nature of their homosexuality were already outside the norm – were willing to embrace those notions as well.

The only thing I really didn’t like about the plot was at the end when David did not tell Murdo his plans for the rescue, which didn’t really make sense when in all other ways they had become so trusting of and necessary for each other. Painting that decision as another of David’s self-sacrificing moments just didn’t sit quite right with me. Of course, it created a perfect set up for the next book, but I wish the author could have found a way to achieve those ends without David keeping Murdo in the dark.

On to the final book!

Cover art is again superb. The model’s intense expression and partially shadowed face are perfect for Murdo. Even the font of the title is ideal for the picture and the story.

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 226 pages
Published April 23rd 2017 by Joanna Chambers Books (first published December 24th 2013)
Original TitleBeguiled
ASINB0722GJFD4
SeriesEnlightenment #2

A Caryn Review: Drinker of Blood (SPECTR Series 2, #3) by Jordan L Hawk

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is the 9^th book in this series (technically it’s the 3^rd of SPECTR 2, but since you can’t really read SPECTR 2 without SPECTR 1, I think of it as a continuation), and the best thing about it was knowing there will be more coming! This book concludes with more loose ends than most of the others, but it is by no means a cliffhanger. A new character is introduced (no spoilers, but it’s gonna be good!) that I am pretty sure will be featured strongly in the upcoming installments.

For those who have not been reading this series, this review may not make much sense. I highly recommend the entire series, and the books are all quite short – less than 100 pages – so they are quick reads. What keeps me coming back is the uniqueness of the paranormal aspect of the main love relationship. John is an agent for SPECTR – the government agency responsible for eliminating non-human entities, AKA demons, from our world. His lover Caleb is possessed by a powerful vampire spirit, Grey, but the two share the body equally. It makes for a fascinating 3 way relationship (and sex!) I love how Grey maintains his non-human perspective, even as he learns about human emotions and society, and Drinker of Blood highlights that “otherness” even more.

This book builds upon the tensions introduced in the last two books – their boss at SPECTR, Barillo, is increasingly antagonistic and his fear and hatred of Grey/Caleb (and not a little homophobia) are becoming too much for even John to smooth over. Caleb has joined the Paranormally Abled Support System, but has to hide Grey from them, so John and Zahira are truly the only people who know and support Caleb/Grey. Although the love between John, Caleb, and Grey remains strong, outside influences are becoming intolerable. Defeating the monster du jour is almost a side plot to the building strain, and inevitable crisis. Maybe in the next book?

Finally, I love how this author incorporates some excellent secondary characters. Zahira continues to shine in this book, and I can’t wait to see more of the new character. Who, by the way, is going to put even more stress upon the John/Caleb/Grey relationship in the next book, I can see it coming *wink*

Cover art by the author is consistent with the rest of the series, but I still think Grey would look more menacing in his kevlar-lined elk hide coat instead of a tee shirt 🙂

Sales Links

Amazon | Amazon UK | Kobo | Smashwords

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 84 pages
Expected publication: March 17th 2017 by Widdershins Press LLC
ASINB06X942Q64
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series SPECTR:

A Caryn Review: Wild Rose, Silent Snow by Angel Martinez

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Yay, another retold fairy tale from one of my favorite authors! It was great to review Boots a few weeks ago, so I was looking forward to this one, and I have to say, I liked it even better. I hope Ms. Martinez writes more adapted fairy tales (please!)

This book is a retelling of the Grimm brother’s Snow White and Rose Red. Nothing like the Disney version of Snow White, thank goodness! This time I googled the original story before I read this version, and once again I really enjoyed how she was able to take the best elements of the original, twist them around and flesh them out, and place them into a contemporary setting. One of my favorite parts of this story was how she was able to place the forest – that place of magic and mystery so prevalent in Grimm’s fairy tales – in a place where it just fit. This time, in rural Minnesota in the dead of winter.

Rowan Hadley is the main protagonist of the story. He lives with his twin brother Snowden in their deceased parent’s house on an isolated island in a large lake. Rowan and Snowden are barely scraping by, after their parents died and their inheritance got tied up in probate and lawsuits. Both men are disabled in some way – Snowden has very limited speech but Rowan’s disability is not revealed until a good ways into the book – that makes them unable to pursue regular jobs, so they subsist on hunting, fishing, and working odd jobs during the summer. Winter for them is much like it must have been to the original Snow White and Rose Red – a time of dark, and cold, and danger, and privation. The brothers are very close, dependent upon each other, but they stick together out of love more than need.

When a bear appears on the island, the brothers are only mildly concerned, expecting it to wander away. Then Rowan runs right into the bear, and immediately notices that this is not an average bear, especially when it follows him home. Eventually the bear is in their house, and Rowan finds himself attached to him not just like human and pet, but in a way that feels different, but strangely right. When the bear does not show up as usual one night, Rowan goes out looking for him but instead finds a gorgeous bear of a man naked in the snow. And Rowan brings him home as well. And thus begins their journey – Rowan, Snowden, and the bear – to discover and break the curse and rescue not only this bear, but another man who got caught up in the curse (because after all, Snowden needs to have a man to fall in love with too!)

The way the author brought magic into our world was more subtle, and therefore easier to accept, than the way she did it in Boots. There was even a little bit of Beauty and the Beast here, with Cade being cursed into a bear due to his out of control temper, and although becoming a better man wasn’t the way to break the curse, he wouldn’t have been able to do so without earning and accepting the trust and assistance of Rowan and Snowden. Cade was the character than changed and grew, while Rowan and Snowden remained the staunchly good and decent human beings that inspire those around them to be better people. I was able to fall in love with all of them, and that’s what made me enjoy the book so much. There was just the right amount of danger and conflict to make it exciting, but I just wanted to jump in there hug all three of these men!

Now I just need to read more of these, and Ms. Martinez does them so well! I hope she has more in the works, and if so, I’ll be first in line to read them…

Cover art is by Posh Gosh, and once again is perfect for the story.

Sales Links

Pride Publishing

Book Details:

ebook
Published November 29th 2016 (first published November 18th 2012)
ISBN139781786515001
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Caryn Release Day Review: September (Pride and Joy #1) by Robert Winter

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Exceptionally beautiful and moving. This is Robert Winter’s debut novel, and I will definitely be looking for more from him!

The blurb for this book doesn’t really do it justice, even though it basically lays out the entire plot. There is no mystery, no crimes to solve, no near death experiences, just a story of two men and their journey of falling in love, and learning to make that love work despite circumstance and convention. In short, everything I love – that excellent characterization that makes me want to know these men and their friends, and the authenticity of all the situations that lead them through turmoil to a well deserved happy ever after.

An omniscient observer opens the book by setting a rather lonely but somewhat hopeful scene. A man in bed, alone, restlessly sleeping, and the observer hopes he is ready to move on to something new and better. This man is David James, a 48 year old Washington DC lawyer who is still grieving his lover Kyle’s death two years previously. David has channeled that grief into an almost obsessive devotion to exercise which eventually leads to a mild shoulder injury. His doctor refers him to physical therapy, and David is surprised and a little embarrassed to find that he is attracted to his therapist, Brandon Smith. That not-so-simple touch between therapist and patient makes him start thinking of how lonely he really is, and, as usual, he starts hearing Kyle’s voice in his head. Telling him it’s completely normal to be attracted to another man.

Brandon is 27 years old, an athlete who gave up dreams of playing professionally after an injury, and is now working on building a career, though financially he’s struggling. He is still an athlete, now playing a variety of recreational sports, and enjoying the occasional casual hookup. He isn’t really looking for a relationship, but as he comes to know David better over the weeks of therapy, they become friends, and flirt with their mutual attraction. When they act on that attraction, the sex is mind-blowing (and well written!), and a revelation to Brandon who has never experienced that kind of connection with another man.

From the very beginning, though, their differences – age, wealth, background, experience – cause a lot of angst. David can’t get over the 22 year age gap, and Brandon feels a little overwhelmed by David’s wealth and success. Despite that, everything is wonderful as long as they keep their budding relationship in a bubble. To most of the outside world though, theirs is the stereotypical rich daddy with a kept boy arrangement, and the biggest danger of that view is that both men fear there is some truth to it. Getting over that anxiety means confronting their own doubts and fears, and learning to let go of pride. It takes a tragedy that affects both of their identities to make that happen.

There was plenty of angst, both internal and external, none of it artificial. I loved how Kyle almost became an active character himself through the memories of the men who knew him, and especially through the portrayal of David’s grief. The way David learned how to incorporate his love for Kyle into his love for Brandon was a mark of true healing, notably because it never diminished how much he cared for Kyle even as he found new happiness with Brandon.

On a final note, the title of this book was entirely perfect. The first time I really thought of it was when David was telling a friend his misgivings about getting into a May-December relationship. His friend replied “First off, you’re not even fifty years old, so let’s drop the December comments. At most this is a May-September situation.” I thought that was pretty clever, but towards the end of the book, other events occur that make September even more special to both men, and make the title more memorable to me. It’s rare that the title of a book connects with its theme as well as this one did.

Cover art by Catt Ford really captured the two men!

Sales Links

Book Details:

ebook, 290 pages
Expected publication: December 9th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781635331189
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesPride and Joy #1

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