Tag: attempted suicide

Review: Fool Me Once (Court of Pain Book 1) by Ariana Nash

Rating: 4.5 🌈

Fool Me Once is Ariana Nash’s opening act in her new dark fantasy series. This is a story and series that comes with a author’s note about triggers in the themes. However, it sends the reader to the author’s website to read them so they aren’t readily accessible.

They should be. While everything that happens and is brought up fits in with character development and the universe that’s being created by Nash , it’s disturbing enough to warrant the trigger warnings.

They include off page forced incest, off page rape, attempted suicide, dubious consent, knife play, revenge sex, torture , and enforced confinement/imprisonment by means of a collar. So yes, plenty of triggers.

Now that’s dealt with, Nash is also creating a darkly fascinating world of shattered lands, a missing god, and warring crowns that should be helping each other to safeguard and protect the world the god left for them. Instead they are creating chaos by attacking each other.

Dallin, God of Order divided the Shattered lands into 4 crowns for 4 courts. Love, Justice, Pain, and War.

What a grand concept and Nash starts the arc and journey into the mystery of the missing god with the horrific events and violence that is the world currently.

There’s Lark, one of the darkest, most traumatized, and multi-layered individuals here. He’s the Court of Love’s Jester , a master manipulator of people, a collector and distributor of lies and illusions. He’s both the agony of heartbreak , he’s deceit, and potentially the weak hope for love to revive and survive all the worst this world has to throw at it and him.

This is such a carefully written character that his depths are only gradually revealed through the storytelling. And I expect to see more as the series progresses. I think he’s going to break our hearts. Again and again.

There’s more important characters, each with startling strengths, worse frailties, and appalling histories. One is the mysterious Prince of Love. To reveal anything about this astonishing character is to spoil some of the best narrative elements Nash has in store for the reader.

Psychologically, emotionally, the Prince is impressive because, like Lark, he’s nothing like what he appears on the surface. Everyone here operates on hidden agendas, deep secrets, and years of planning for revenge/ulterior motives. It’s a narrative chess game but done with extreme violence and long range tactical aggression.

Much like her last series, the deck of cards and card tricks are woven into the story and strategy of Lark’s character. I found that a interesting element. And want to see how it’s used going forward.

Also like Nash’s Shadows of London series, this ends in a cliffhanger. So I expect the rest of the books to follow that format too.

I was enthralled by Nash’s dark new world and traumatized characters. I was so connected to Lark, and all the events as they were occurring. It’s a bleak place, Lark and the rest are indeed in a chaotic world. Read the trigger warnings and take them to heart.

Then decide if adult dark fiction with amazing characters and a well written harrowing story to follow is for you.

I’m recommending it under those guidelines.

Court of Pain :

✓ Fool Me Once #1

â—¦ Fool Me Twice #2 – TBD

Description:

The king of the Court of Love wants me dead, the queen wants me in her bed, and the prince… He wants the only piece of me I will never surrender.

They call me jester, dancer, trickster, lover.

I exist to entertain.

But behind my sideways smiles, my quick hands and magician’s tricks, I trade in their lies, their secrets. I know their deepest desires, their wicked schemes. Their sins are my currency.

Their reign is a card castle, and I hold the card that’s about to bring it all down.

And they say I’m the fool…

Amazon buy link:

Buy or borrow here.

Fool Me Once is a dark MM fantasy brimming with courtly spice, morally ambiguous anti-heroes, and a fool who plays them all.

This is a dark world with adult MM content.

Potentially triggering content includes but is not limited to: attempted suicide (main character), incest (non-consensual, off-page, not between main characters), dubious consent (main characters), knife play (main characters), revenge sex (main character, off-page).

Assume triggers are on-page, unless off-page is specified above.



A Chaos Moondrawn Review: A Faerie Story by Barbara Elsborg

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

The first part of the book shows little snippets in the life of three different boys. During a traumatic event, Kaegan discovers Christmas. Over time, Inverkillen, in the Scottish Highlands, becomes his magical place where it is eternal Christmas. As his life becomes more and more unpleasant due to his twin Herne, he plots his escape from Faerieland to his new created home. Aiden’s childhood was horrible, and adulthood isn’t seeming much better, yet despite his disabilities and circumstances, he still has an open heart. The trauma Pascal suffered as a child has left him afraid to care too much about anyone or anything while depression wants to swallow him whole. Aiden is like a willow constantly blown over, while Pascal is like an oak struck by lightning. First Kaegan meets Aiden, but timing is everything. Then Kaegan meets Pascal and changes his life. Kaegan wants them both, thinks they could be happy together and invites them to his magical place. What will they think if they actually show up? But, Kaegan isn’t human and Herne continues to threatens his happiness.

Yes, it has insta-lust, but the love takes time to develop. Be warned it also contains violence, torture, domestic abuse, child abuse, attempted suicide, and addiction. There are parts of this that are all too real, and parts that are fantastical to give the reader a break from it all, to give us hope. I got a fortune cookie once that read, “say yes to something you would normally say no to.” I did, and it ended up being one of the favorite nights of my life. This book reminds me of that moment, when Aiden and Pascal say yes and actually reach for something different, even if it doesn’t seem like a good idea. If fact, it sounds crazy and ends up being quite dangerous.

The references to pop culture are very self aware. I have a friend who talks about how everything goes into his brain like a meat grinder and art comes out the other end. Through the unbelievable circumstances, what keeps this going are the thoughts they each have that the reader is privy to and the communication between them, which is real: funny, touching, sexy, at times bawdy. I laughed out loud several times. Having all three points of view enhances this story immensely. With all the things these men have experienced in their lives, there is a feeling of carpe diem, but also a longing for something good to last, to stay and the reader will want that for them. With Aiden’s scars and disabilities, his own doubts are heartbreaking, but he’s so likable because he usually doesn’t let them get in the way. As his trust is finally honored, he really shines. The sex scenes get hotter and hotter the more emotionally involved the men are, but there is also joy. As the deadline of New Year’s Day approaches, the tension is ratched up until the final confrontation with Herne. In some ways Pascal is more of a mystery than the other two; I think less time is spent in his thoughts, yet that is rectified at the end. While Aiden gets the plot twist, Pascal’s is the story of personal growth and second chances. Kaegan is the one I feel ends up with the least amount of resolution, it’s there, but it’s a whimper rather than a bang. Ultimately, his happiness is enough.

There was one thing that occurred to me: the reader knows Kaegan can’t read Aiden’s mind, but IF all fae can read minds like Kaegan, they would know Pascal wasn’t a creation of Kaegan’s. Happily the faeries seems to have differing degrees of power, so I can’t be sure and it isn’t brought up. There was also the part of the story that got bogged down a bit in the pacing, when Pascal is trapped in the village. While that is absolutely necessary to the story arc of his character, it was not as captivating to read. I can see myself rereading this, but might have to skim that part now that I already know what happens. The plot is enchanting, with an emotional core that gives it much more depth than most holiday stories. It also has the best HEA I can imagine, given the plot. Overall I think this story did everything it set out to do; it was sexy, moving, and fun.

The cover design by is by B4Jay. I love when covers not only have actual significance to the story, but are integral. The darkness of the three figures echoes their lives. I like that the details aren’t there while they are still becoming their best selves with each other, with magic all around them.

Sales Links:  Amazon
Book Details:
ebook, 254 pages
Expected publication: November 1st 2019 by self-published
Edition Language English

Review: Love On The East End by Lily Sawyer

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Love on the East End coverWhen restauranteur Gabriel Meyer needs several cases of wine for an event, William Thomas, owner of Rolling Hills Winery comes to his rescue with the necessary vintage and the offer of a date.  One magical date later leads to others with Gabriel and William find themselves falling hard for the other. One night, on their way home, the two men come across a young man desperate to end his life. Ben Stewart has been bullied over his sexuality until one incident at school pushed him over the edge.  William and Gabriel vow to help Ben and stop the bullying. But as Gabriel and William discover love on the east end of Long Island, a larger threat looms.  Hatred and bigotry personified visits the island and targets Ben.  Can the men rescue Ben and find the love they have always wanted with each other?

Love on The East End is an interesting romance with a lot of heart  but not the same amount of depth.  Lily Sawyer has created some lovely men for her story.  Both Gabriel Meyer and William Thomas have followed their dreams and chosen careers to Long Island where one has established a restaurant and the other a winery.  Both are well educated gay men, content in their lives and missing only love and romance.  They meet in a realistic fashion and fall in love.  It’s all very sweet, containing little drama or suspense.  We know how this is going to end from the moment they meet.  They go on walks and romantic getaways but it’s all sort of bland.  There is nothing about the descriptions or dialog to bring us intimately into their lives or spice up things and unfortunately, this includes the sex scenes.  True, Gabriel has an ex-wife, but she’s lovely and a friend to them both, which I have to admit is refreshing.  I liked her.

The only aspect of this story that brings an element of angst is the story of Ben Stewart, a young gay teenager being bullied to the point of suicide.  This was my favorite section of this book.  Ben is heartbreaking and realistically characterized.  I wish Sawyer would have concentrated more on Ben and the men’s relationship to him as friends and mentors.  It is also where I found my most frustrations.  The bullies hurting Ben are at school but Sawyer brings in an outside threat that takes away focus from the school and Ben’s problems there. Had the focus remained on Ben and the high school situation, so often in the news these days, then this story would have come across as more timely and relevant.  As it is, the attack that did occur struck me as less than realistic, considering the time and venue.  Still, Ben, Gabriel, William and Ben’s mother’s handling of the situation is well done and satisfying to the reader.

Love On the East End is a short story at 96 pages and a sweet one.  It is a quick read and a lovely way to spend the time.  I think you all would enjoy it

The cover for this book is gorgeous.  Absolutely one of my favorites but my copy of the book did not include the name of the cover artist who definitely deserves recognition for this lovely cover.

Book Details:

96 pages

ASIN
B0052UQ20K