Rating: 5 stars out of 5    ★★★★★

Always have an ace up your sleeve.

Broken Mirrors, Book 1

If con games were taught in high school, Spencer Crain would be on the honor roll. As it is, he’ll be riding the edge of failure to graduation next month. Then Spence gets the news that his long-gone father is not only dead, but was a Coyote, one of three clans of tricksters in the City.

With a near-catatonic mother on his hands, Spence couldn’t care less about the Coyotes’ ongoing feud with the Phouka and the Kitsune—until it lands on his doorstep. Suddenly he’s thrown headfirst into a dangerous world he knows next-to-nothing about. His only guide is Rourke, dashing King of the Phouka, plus a growing pack of half-siblings, a god, and Fate herself.

As Spence embarks on a journey to learn the Coyote’s creed, the truth about his heritage, and how to handle his growing attraction to Rourke, he wonders when his life turned from TV sitcom to real-life danger zone. And what price must he pay to survive the next roll of the dice…

Warning: Contains PG-13 rated violence, R-rated language and X-rated hotel scenes. Meta-humor, pop-culture humor, utter disregard for the 4th wall abound.

This is one of those books I picked up a while ago and never got around to read. When I finally did find the time to start it, I’d forgotten what it was about. So I essentially started this without any expectations whatsoever, because I never read a blurb right before starting the book. Now that I’ve read both blurb and book, I can only say: Hell yeah! Coyote’s Creed definitely delivers what the blurb promises.

Spencer’s long-absent father dies and Spencer is apparently the designated Speaker. He couldn’t care less about the death of his father. In fact, he decides to attend the wake just so he can spit on his father’s grave or “accidentally” knock over his ashes. But then he learns that his father was a Coyote, one of three paranormal trickster clans in the City and that his uncle Rourke is a Phouka. He also finds himself very attracted to Rourke (don’t worry, no incest, he’s not his real uncle, Spencer just called Rourke “uncle” when growing up). And that’s only the beginning of what turns into a truly insane adventure, full of secrets and lies and intrigues.

I absolutely loved Spencer. He’s funny, he’s witty and he’s definitely not your typical romance hero. He’s a trickster and a bit of a pick pocket and doesn’t care too much that it’s illegal. His knowledge of TV tropes is truly awe-inspiring and he always knows just what a TV hero would do to avoid getting killed. Naturally, real life isn’t all that simple, but his ideas on the matter are epic. It was easy to fall for his charms and to just get sucked into his world full of crazy.

Spencer is bi and unlike in many other books of the genre, it’s not just an excuse so he can have kids or only mentioned in passing. He flirts openly with men and women and is very obviously attracted to both. There’s some kissing and quite a bit of talk about boobs. Sex only happens between Spencer and Rourke, so no on-screen naked girly bits. 😉 It’s something I liked about this book, though. I always like my MCs to be diverse and Spencer definitely fits the bill.

The author obviously put a lot of thought into this world. There are three different races, each with their own individual traits, there are gods, there’s Fate, and countless “knacks”. Those knacks make for some really interesting characters.

The plot was incredibly fast-paced and you can do nothing but hurtle along at break-neck speed till the very unpredictable ending. I loved it. It was so very addicting.

The sex was plentiful and hot, and yet didn’t take anything away from the plot. But don’t expect a real love story. Spencer and Rourke aren’t really a couple, it’s more of a friends with benefits kind of relationship.

Long story short: I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read part two. This was so much fun.

Cover: The cover by Angela Waters doesn’t really fit the mood of the story. It looks much more serious and almost angsty. Still, Spencer looks good on there and the Ace on his pocket fits.

Sales Links:  Samhain Publishing | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

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