Tag: LGBTGIA urban fantasy romance

Review: Night-blooming Hearts (Carnival of Mysteries story) by Megan Derr

Rating: 2🌈

I’m astonished. I adore this author and her stories rank among the many of my favorites and most rec’d.

But you can’t like everything someone writes. And at the top of my lists of problematic elements in stories these days is a TSTL character, even if he’s a dead one. In this case a Vampire . That’s a character that will have me wondering what an author is thinking because their actions are so inconceivably idiotic that a reader is smacking their head in disbelief as well as putting a DNF to a book that’s coming across as too poorly constructed to continue to.

But before that aspect is addressed, what needs to be talked about is a multitude of characters and a flawed base compiled from a complicated series and related universe that appear here with no solid foundation.

If you’re a new reader, and wondering why the name Dracula is thrown about for more than one character, you’re probably not alone. Even reader’s familiar with Derr’s books can’t conjure up all the necessary detailed information needed to get through the histories, government bureaucracy, relationships, and titles packed in here. Why are there dragons? Who’s married to whom? Why is Dracula not a single person ?English? American? Such a jumble. All the beings and their incomplete series information that’s constantly thrown at a reader. Mind Boggling.

So if you are feeling lost, that’s very legitimate.

So cut loose from a firm foundation with vague mentions of the city and bits of how the past and present sort of operate, the reader then has to dwell on the dubious details and main characters of the story.

This is not a positive thing.

Starting with someone we desperately need to connect with. That’s the traumatized, wounded, thrown away vampire Phoenix.

Now Phoenix came from a German royal household, the wealthy Grimmelshausens, but a magical experiment/explosion gone awry that almost cost him his undead life (don’t think about that too hard) did destroy his beauty. It’s the loss of his gorgeous face and body that gets him tossed out of castle, family, and fiancé as vampires trade on their looks for survival ( although money , power and prestige seems to be more important here). So many conflicting elements.

Phoenix , centuries old Phoenix, who survived on the streets doing what it took to survive. Because the other vampires were mean and ignored him. He couldn’t even get blood. This perplexed me to no end. He was a vampire, correct? But he got fat and had muscles, which is abhorrent? That was never a fully explained element. Just another fact in this character’s history which is full of such “huh “ moments.

But present day, he now has powerful friends on high , dragons, demons, beings we have no idea who they are but live in high rises, Phoenix is a powerful necromancer, world class apparently.

So our expectations are that the characterization that follows meets with those elements of his history and trauma.

But time and time, that’s not what we get. Instead, in almost every case, Phoenix presents himself as someone who has the emotional and physical skill set of a bunny rabbit. Survival abilities too. The “task “ he’s asked to take on in exchange for a family heirloom comes from his brother, a murderous, repulsive sort of man/vampire. One who turned on him, reviled him, all but personally stomped his broken body into the ground.

So what does Phoenix do? Repeatedly? Trust the brother, go out of his way to accommodate him, and poorly investigate said task. Keep in mind, this main character is a centuries old world renowned necromancer who was bitterly betrayed by his family, including this awful brother. Yeah, why not go with it.

That’s the mildest of how poorly this character is written. It gets so much worse that you want to beat your head against whatever reader you’re using.

And the other main character is just a cardboard outline used to hold up the romance. We’ve no firm idea who this magical cowboy is, other than a widowed healer with a son. There’s obviously a huge backstory . It’s just not here in this narrative. But he’s not a whole lot brighter than Phoenix in some respects.

Unfortunately, I kept on reading and ended up in a disaster of a storyline. I just started flipping through to the finale.

It’s all a huge nope.

If you’re a fan of this author, take a pass. If you’re a fan of this trope and series, do the same. Unless you’re someone invested in the connected series and knows who and what all these people are and what they’re talking about. Then maybe you should read it.

Not a recommendation otherwise.

Final note. The author indicated this story as a Dance with the Devil 8.1 , then a Carnival of Mysteries. That made more sense as the Carnival of Mysteries definitely feels like a forced element into an established universe. One that doesn’t really fit.

Other authors can use established elements, characters, and even a foundation in a series with a central theme but it can’t be to the point no one can understand the concept or context. Which is what happens here. Too bad.

Carnival of Mysteries series:

✓ Crow’s Fate by Kim Fielding

✓ Step Right Up by L.A. Witt

✓ Magic Burning by Kaje Harper

✓ Night-blooming Hearts by Megan Derr

✓ Go For The Company by Andre C. Lark

✓ Roustabout by Morgan Brice

✓ Assassin by Accident by E.J. Russell

◦ Dryad on Fire by Nicole Dennis – Sept 13

◦ The Extraordinary Locket of Elijah Gray by Kayleigh Sky – Sept 6

◦ Smoke and Mirrors by Elizabeth Silver – September 20

◦ You Can Do Magic by R.L. Merrill – September 27

◦ Sting in the Tail by TA Moore – October 4

◦ Gods and Monsters by Rachel Langella – October 25

Buy Link:

Night-blooming Hearts: Carnival of Mysteries

Blurb:

Phoenix sacrificed everything to become one of the greatest necromancers in nightwalker history—including his beauty, though that was by accident rather than design. As beauty is everything to vampires, he has been a pariah ever since, disowned, discarded, and largely forgotten by everyone he once called family and friend.

Nowadays, he lends his skills to sorcerer Jackie Black and the notorious Clan Mordred. If he still feels lonely and isolated, and rejected by the man he’d been stupid enough to think returned his interest, that’s his own problem, no one else’s. He’s used to rejection anyway.

Then his brother shows up on his doorstep begging for help with a blackmail problem—and offering the one thing Phoenix cannot refuse as payment. But if there’s one thing he’s learned about nightwalkers, it’s that nothing is ever as it seems, and problems always get worse before they get better…

Night-blooming Hearts is part of the multi-author Carnival of Mysteries Series. Each book stands alone, but each one includes at least one visit to Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries, a magical, multiverse traveling show full of unusual acts, games, and rides. The Carnival changes to suit the world it’s on, so each visit is unique and special. This book contains a lonely vampire convinced he’s unloveable, a pining cowboy who wants to prove him wrong, and a guaranteed HEA.

Review: It Spells Trouble (Mages and Mates #2) by Andy Gallo

Rating: 4.5🌈

The second in Andy Gallo’s Mages and Mates series, It Spells Trouble picks up after the events of the first book. There we met the renowned Hollen family, one of the world’s most powerful group of mages. That book set the series theme of a Great Group of Guardians made up of a certain kind of mage/fated mate pairing, one that’s in need of replacing the current ancient pair with a new one.

Mage Jannick Pederson is half brother to Mage Bartholomew Hollen of book one. We met Jan there and got to know him, along with his troubled background and impetus personality.

Here we see the growth and maturity those events have brought on and get a new understanding of the man we barely knew. Gallo also provides a deeper perspective into the Hollen family dynamics and Jan’s relationship within their inner circle.

The framework of the story is a frightening one. Human children are being kidnapped and the reasons are unknown. Magic is at work here. So mages are needed to track down the missing.

Gallo introduces a new faction of paranormal beings, Gryphons and a conservative pack that has become a nightmare for those who live under it. It’s a relevant aspect of a fantasy world.

Gryphon shifter Conall Arwan is assigned by the Alpha, his father, to help Jan investigate the kidnappings. Conall is another layered, fantastic character as is Jan and each forms a strong bond with this investigation.

Gallo dives into the juxtaposition of families, issues of loyalty and obedience, and heritage and identity here with these two beings. All that laid next to an investigation into missing children and the dangers they may represent.

I was absolutely into this story and their relationship. Several times I was reaching for a couple of tissues.

This series and theme has me hooked. Plus love those covers!

If you’re a fan of fantasy, fated mates, and great world building, Andy Gallo has a series for you.

One I’m definitely recommending.

Mages and Mates:

✓ Break The Spell #1

✓ It Spells Trouble #2

◦ Under A Spell #3 – March 26,2024

Buy Link :

It Spells Trouble: An MM Paranormal Romance (Mages and Mates Book 2)

Blurb:

Mage Jannick Pederson thought it was a simple assignment: help the gryphon leader find some missing human children and then go home. A noble cause, even if he didn’t much like the abrasive jerk. So why didn’t someone tell him he’d be working closely with the leader’s son instead? That hot piece of perfection could make even happily-single Jannick give up his no-strings-attached ways.

Gryphon shifter Conall Arwan has simple goals for his life: get his PhD in pediatric shifter social work and stay off the radar of his disapproving father. When his father orders him to work with a hot but arrogant mage to find missing human kids, all Conall sees is how it pushes back his graduation date. Again. And even if the mage unexpectedly turns out to be not so bad—and maybe even a little sweet—there’s still no future for them. Conall’s dad has plans for him and they don’t include getting involved with a sexy, infuriating mage.

But fate has other ideas.

It Spells Trouble is a 75K word fated mates romance with a hearty dose of steam and a guaranteed happily-ever-after. This book is part of the Mages and Mates series and includes a plot to destroy the world, a desperate decision with far-reaching consequences, and one pissed off gryphon father.

Each book in the series can be read alone, but they are better read in order.

Review: How I Stole The Princess’s White Knight and Turned Him to Villainy: The Coronation: The Complete Works Bonus Short Story by A. J. Sherwood

Rating: 4🌈

The drama is over, the evil princess (and her father) is so so dead. So what’s a handsome knight and his newly wed sorcerer to do? Why be crowned King of course!

Here the party , all the hijinks, the kitties, and the HFN’s because, luckily, A.J. Sherwood isn’t done with Tan and Devan yet!

So enjoy! And wait for the shenanigans to begin again.

Part of: How I Stole the Princess’s White Knight and Turned him to Villainy

Special short bonus story to the following, now a boxed set.

How I Stole the Princess’s White Knight and Turned him to Villainy by AJ Sherwood Miracles 1-6

Review: How I Stole The Princess’s White Knight and Turned Him to Villainy: The Coronation: The Complete Works Bonus Short Story by A. J. Sherwood

Rating: 4🌈

The drama is over, the evil princess (and her father) is so so dead. So what’s a handsome knight and his newly wed sorcerer to do? Why be crowned King of course!

Here the party , all the hijinks, the kitties, and the HFN’s because, luckily, A.J. Sherwood isn’t done with Tan and Devan yet!

So enjoy! And wait for the shenanigans to begin again.

Part of: How I Stole the Princess’s White Knight and Turned him to Villainy

Special short bonus story to the following, now a boxed set.

How I Stole the Princess’s White Knight and Turned him to Villainy by AJ Sherwood Miracles 1-6

Review: Naughty Neil ( A Hidden Species Novella) by Louisa Masters

Rating: 4🌈🌲

Naughty Neil is a short holiday story that takes place in Masters’ Hidden Species universe.

Neil is a young guy working as an exotic dancer, happy with his life until a guy knocks on his door, claiming to be some kind of government agent, only from a agency he’s never heard of.

Mark Mikakos, Hellhound and CBG investigator ( Community of Species Government ) has come to tell Neil Diaz that he’s a incubus, that there’s a whole hidden world of supernatural beings the he’s a part of , and Mark’s life is about to change forever.

No problem.

What follows is a short, cute story that allows us to see the very start of a relationship and new romance. We meet Mark’s team of investigators and see Neil start to fit into his new world.

It’s over way too soon.

I wish we could have a follow up story to see what happens next. They are a genuinely lovely and fun couple.

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showNaughty Neil (A Hidden Species Novella) by Louisa Masters

Description:

I’m just an ordinary guy… who feeds on sexual energy.

I never knew my dad. Mom said he was a nice enough guy, fun for a night, but she never did get his name. I didn’t miss him, and my life is good.

Then a government agent shows up at my door and announces that I’m not really human. Dear old Dad was actually an incubus, a being that needs sexual energy to survive, and apparently that means I am too. Gotta be a scam, right?

Or so I think… until Agent Cutie changes into a canine (not a werewolf) in my living room and then eats half a dozen Christmas cookies while making orgasm sounds. Turns out, other species do exist.

On the plus side, being a stripper means that all my incubus needs are being met without me even trying. And now that I know the situation in my pants is normal for an incubus, I don’t feel self-conscious… so a fling with Agent Mark is definitely on the table.

Between being sexy Santa at work, supplying a team of hellhounds with Christmas cookies, and learning what stamina in the bedroom really is, I’m discovering that my old life was kind of empty. Maybe I’m not such an ordinary guy after all.

This novella was previously available free to newsletter subscribers. Only the cover has changed.

Review: A Shattered Silver Crown (San Amaro Investigations #4) by Kai Butler

Rating: 5🌈

What a moving, funny, and gobsmackingly magnificent book A Shattered Silver Crown is! It’s my favorite of four stories to date in Kai Butler’s fantastic San Amaro Investigations , a series that’s gotten more breathtaking in scope with each novel. Butler seems to be envisioning the future of the universe as well as character growth as something so wildly different, so unexpected that with every new case or turn in the story, the reader never knows what emotionally the impact will bring. On the characters and us.

It could be warm-hearted scenes between the growing found family living with Parker Ferro. It could be wildly humorous ones with brownies determined to have their be dazzling way, or heartbreaking ones as Parker deals with the emotional fallout of his past and his identity. All while investigating cases that could shatter worlds.

Butler’s writing here is just superb. The ramifications from the deep draining family issues that have come from the deaths and devastating events from the previous books are a major factor here. Lauren, Parker’s sister, isn’t right. How this is handled is incredible.

Love, whether it’s family or romantic, and it’s complications , especially when the Fae are involved is a enormous element here. Especially because Parker is Fae. The balancing act he has to make between his two lives is becoming more perilous and harder to do.

Butler’s ability to bring us inside Parker’s often anguished emotional state is heartbreaking and painful. We are so committed to him and want him to succeed even as the odds are increasing against him.

The magical scenes of battle are powerful and believable, imaginative and thrilling. You can feel the heat of the flames around the people you care about!

At the end, the case here has been resolved. But the cost has been high. And there’s hints of a high danger on the horizon. As well as one on the doorstep.

There’s another book, The Heart’s Blood Arrow, coming out Nov 7, 2022. It says it’s the 5 and last story in the series. But honestly, I can’t understand how this unbelievably complicated universe and themes can be wrapped up in one book. It seems unlikely.

I’m highly anticipating that book. But until then, this series is amazing. Read it in the order it’s written. They are not standalone books.

I’m highly recommending each and every one, especially A Shattered Silver Crown (San Amaro Investigations #4) by Kai Butler .

San Amara Investigations Series:

◦ A Haunting at Midnight #0.5

◦ A Debt Unpaid #0.75

✓ Wormwood Summer #1

✓ A Belated Burial #1.5

✓ The Oak Wood Throne #2

✓ A Gilded Iron Blade #3

✓ A Shattered Silver Crown #4

◦ The Heart’s Blood Arrow #5 – November 7, 2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showA Shattered Silver Crown by Kai Butler – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Parker Ferro is fine.

Sure, he’s still recovering from his last case and his sister has started keeping secrets, but that’s just another day in the life of the Windrose of San Amaro.

Then the local werewolf alpha calls in a favor when he’s turned on by his own pack and the last thing Parker wants to do is get mired in the city’s pack politics. Throw in the recent murder of a local cult leader with disturbing connections to the hidden fae in San Amaro, a long lost relative showing up to reconnect, and a group of brownies taking up residence in his car, and Parker cannot catch a break.

Hopefully he can solve this case and figure out some family secrets before everything blows up in his face, taking the city along with it.

A Shattered Silver Crown is a 120k MM urban fantasy with a HFN ending and an ongoing storyline. It cannot be read as a standalone.

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: Inferno (Hammer and Fist : Geminatus #1) by Jennifer Cody

Rating: 4.75🌈

Excellent story! This second concurrently running series to Hammer and Fist: Lexatalion , is helpfully set up by the introduction of the Geminatus species and world in that series first story, Sledge and Claw.

It does help to read that series first to get a better understanding of the agency, IDIA, it’s agents, who are it’s Hammer and Fist. Hence the titles of these series. Each agent is the law enforcement, judge , jury, and the one who enacts swift execution.

We met our first Geminatus, a female, in that story. But she’s a kidnapped member of her species. Direct from the planet.

The person who’s story this is , Hunter and Ranger DuPont, has lived as human twins in a small town all his life, with the exception of having his two avatars go off to different collages, graduating with degrees in other fields, before returning home.

He is both , Ranger DuPont, the high school science teacher, and his “brother “ , Hunter, the town’s best friend and go to when something needs to be done. Usually in a wildlife capacity.

In secret, Hunter’s , with Ranger if necessary, has been hunting monsters, keeping his little town safe and himself with his secrets too.

It’s remarkable that Cody is able to make us believe in this incredibly unique being, who’s one person with two bodies. Yet each body also has and operates with distinct personalities. Hunter has all the creative side, tattoos, long hair, dresses like a hipster. While Ranger, the science teacher, has a more scientific mind, quiet and authoritative personality. And through such excellent writing and genuinely great descriptions, we absolutely believe in all three. The one, and the two.

The weird way they switch back and forth between awareness’s, and remembering the minutiae about each brother to keep their secret intact before whoever they are interacting with. Then letting the awareness drop, as one being to think about the duality and perception.

It’s a narratively tight balancing act and Cody does a beautiful job.

While all that is occurring, there’s also a potential romance happening with another character, who’s aware he’s dealing with a Geminatus. And all the ramifications that comes that situation. But Cedric Clark, a nurse, also has an enormous secret that probably will have a huge impact going forward.

Weaving into this a mystery about all the so called monsters Hunter’s been fighting over the years, why Townsend? With the IDIC as a guide , these monsters soon get very disturbing names .

And mounting questions about Hunter/Ranger’s origins and things they/him can do that the other can’t?

Cody has built a novel of spellbinding questions with little answers.

Some of the characters from Hammer and Fist: Lextalion appear here. It’s fascinating to get another perspective on that group’s dynamics. Unexpected!

I can’t wait to see where Gale, the next novel moves the story. This is such a complicated arc and the characters are amazingly just as convoluted.

I’m highly recommending Inferno (Hammer and Fist : Geminatus #1) by Jennifer Cody and it’s twin series. I’ve listed both below.

Read them in the order I suggested, it will help with character, event, and storylines development

Same universe, events often running concurrently.

🔶Hammer and Fist: Lextalion series:

🔹Sledge and Claw: Lextalion #1

🔹Brick and Brass : Lextalion #2 TBD

🔶Hammer and Fist : Geminatus series:

🔹Inferno #1

🔹Gale #2 – RTBD

https://www.goodreads.com › showInferno (Hammer and Fist: Geminatus # 1) by Jennifer Cody – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Ranger/Hunter:

After an encounter with gremlins that almost kills one of my avatars, I’m forced to get involved with the government agency that enforces the laws that govern non-humans on Earth. The Inter-dimensional Immigration Agency—IDIA, according to the office agent assigned to my case—has a vested interest in me. I’m a species that they’ve only just discovered, and I have a few gifts that I shouldn’t. Plus, I’ve been doing the work of a field agent for more than a decade, and they want to recruit me into the fold. It may be time I start getting paid for my efforts, but I’ll only agree to it if they can respect the family I’ve built and the people I’m protecting. If they want my loyalty, they’re going to have to earn it.

Inferno is an MM Urban Fantasy in the Hammer and Fist series. For a more informed reader experience, read Sledge and Claw (Hammer and Fist Lextalion Book 1) first, or explore the world for the frist time with Ranger/Hunter for a fun adventure into magic and inter-dimensional mayhem.

Review: The Skinny on Djinni by E.J. Russell

Rating : 4.75 🌈

From the fabulously great name on, everything about The Skinny on Djinni by E.J. Russell is absolutely on point. It just makes for a outstanding entertaining read!

Part of Russell’s Mythmatched story universe, it picks up after the events of Death On Denial

(Quest Investigations #4), some of which are referenced here. You don’t have to have read that series, although if you’re a fan of this author, it’s highly likely you’re familiar with the characters, towns, and universe.

We meet Hector Gonzales, IT werewolf hacker in trouble with the Supe Council because he’s been messing around with the magic grid, and it caused huge issues, which was not his fault! So now she’s on probation until his case is heard and he’s technology free until then. Agony!

Hector, a werewolf from Jordan’s group of young were’s, is so perfectly put together that we can see his personality as he’s desperately trying not to use all the devices he has taken for granted and deal with everything going on. He’s young but responsible, intelligent and solid, focused and kind. You can’t help but feel for the position he’s in and still understand how his nature got him there.

Then, through the mechanisms of Shirl, the store owner of the local general store, who sends Hector on a errand for her, he meets Rafi.

That’s Rafi Abbas. Who’s having a very bad life.

Rafi Abbas gets fired from his job at a burger joint when he meets Hector. Then things get even stranger.

Rafi Abbas is that hundred fold object who’s waiting to have their layers peeled back . Only they didn’t know they could do it. Rafi is a sweet, sad, adorable character . His is a history that is not only complicated but expanded on the more Hector gets to know him.

No spoilers but we also find out more about characters we’ve known for many, many books, and get answers for elements that occurred in other stories. Just perfect!

Plus at the end, all the characters and the readers are given a huge thought provoking “what if” question thrown out there that could launch not just another book but maybe a whole new Mythmatched universe series. At least I certainly hope so.

Russell gives us so much here that adds to her unique universe, gives us another couple to love , and another employee for Quest Investigations.

This story makes me soooo happy!

I just need Russell to sort Jordan out now. He’s just getting more complicated and a favorite by the book!

I’m highly recommending The Skinny on Djinni by E.J. Russell . Grab it up and have a outstanding time!

Amazon US

Amazon Universal

Synopsis:

Being in tech time-out totally sucks.

Hector Gonzales knew the danger when he hacked the magic grid to marry it with human technology. He’d never imagined this system crash: A total tech suspension while the tradition-bound supe council reviews his case. He’s reduced to running errands for his friends, and seriously? How had people survived before GPS? Then several wrong turns—thank you so much, stupid paper map—lead him to a remote burger joint. And when he spots the cute guy behind the counter? His wolf wakes up and howls You have arrived at your destination.

Getting fired—again—totally sucks.

Rafi Abbas tries to give customers what they want, he really does. However, when he gets distracted by the lovely man with the gorgeous brown skin, he screws up another customer’s order and his boss fires him on the spot. With no money, no job, and soon nowhere to live, Rafi has no business saying yes when the lovely man asks him out. But something about Hector whispers home.

Obeying the Secrecy Pact totally sucks.

To keep the supe community safe, werewolves cannot partner romantically with humans. That rule has been programmed into Hector since he was a pup. But as the day slides from bad to worse to are-you-freaking-kidding-me, Hector sees the moratorium for what it is: ridiculous and outdated. For Rafi, he’s willing to challenge the status quo.

After all, things can’t very well get worse than worst. Right?

Review: A Kiss To Revive Me (The Magi Accounts 1.5) by Michele Notaro

Rating: 4.25🌈

A Kiss To Revive Me is a account of the events that occur in the first novel, The Scars That Bind Us, but from the perspective of Cosmo Ono-Nai , the alpha of the pride of shifters working with the dyad Mages, Madeo and Jude Driscoll.

This must be read after that first story or it won’t make any sense at all. For it jumps from event to event, and things that we know have already occurred, but this time, it’s viewed from Cosmo’s POV.

Whereas Mads stands in as the voice for not only himself but for Jude too, and all mages that endure all the brutal, inhuman treatment and abuse they’ve barely lived through to their status as government weapons, nothing more.

Cosmo and pride comes into the team thinking of mages much as the Government’s military campaign has made the population think of mages…as entitled beings, living a life of wealthy magicians. Covering up the truth and hiding the horrific tragedy and torture that’s continuing now.

Through Mads recounting to Cosmo of his past horrors, the abuse, the torture they endure if they don’t behave, the gruesome outcome of others that have tried to leave, Cosmo and the reader gain an explicit picture of what life as a magi means.

While the torture, abuse, and other horrors are committed off page, for those for whom this is a trigger, pls note and make the decision for your self if this is a story you are comfortable with.

For me, this was a terrific addendum to the first story, adding another essential layer to what’s going to be a raw, gripping battle and journey for a ever growing found family of shifters and magi in a terrifying world.

I’m eagerly awaiting The Shackles That Hold Us #2, out June 7, 2022.

Until then read them all in the order they’ve been written. I’m highly recommending them all to date.

The Magi Accounts:

🔹Our Hearts That Tie Us #0.5

🔹The Scars That Bind Us #1

🔹A Kiss To Revive Me #1.5

🔹The Shackles That Hold Us #2 – June 7,2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showA Kiss to Revive Me (The Magi Accounts #1.5) by Michele Notaro | Goodreads

Synopsis:

A prickly mage has me under his spell, and I think I kinda like it.

The first time I met him, I knew I was in trouble, but I hadn’t known just how much. I hadn’t been looking for a relationship, hadn’t wanted one, but it seems that a stubborn little mage did it for me because he’s impossible to resist.

When the NHSO goes on a manhunt for an unregistered mage, I can tell it’s upsetting for Mads and Jude. It’s upsetting for me, too, but even more so when I find out exactly why Mads is so worried about this kid. The more I find out about Madeo’s past and his world, the more I realize how special he is. No one who’s gone through what he has should come out the other side sane, let alone as kindhearted as him. I just hope he wants this thing between us to continue as badly as I do. And I want it to. Bad.

A Kiss To Revive Me is a 30K word MM urban fantasy novella and meant to be read AFTER The Scars That Bind Us (The Magi Accounts 1). It’s from Cosmo’s perspective and takes place between books 1 and 2 of the main series. This is a companion novella, NOT a standalone or the start of a new series.

*Intended for adults only. Please read the trigger warnings at the beginning of this novella.

Review: A Velvet Glove (Arcane Hearts #4) by Nazri Noor

Rating: 4.75🌈

Such an outstanding series. Each story sees a increase in danger to the world our heroes live in from the Fae, the originators of the purple poison crystals that started off the series arc with some strange deaths.

But it’s not from the Fae alone that our characters and their deep relationship seem to face new obstacles and trials. Everywhere they turn, there’s daunting challenges to the path forward they are trying to tread.

For Jackson Pryde , it’s the gods and goddesses who have invited/told him to come to a meeting about his identity as a prism. It’s a element that’s still in development as to what it will eventually mean to Jackson’s life and relationship.

It’s a overlaying thread while Jackson deals with trying to rebuild the artificers’ guild, get approval for the plans (a fantastic section that includes Lore and a new character), and get ready to attend a gathering with Xander at Greyhaven, the magical school he was told he was never good enough for.

Nazri Noor has packed a couple of books worth of themes into one here and , while jammed full, it still flows smoothly. It’s incredibly suspenseful, full of so many emotionally laden issues for our main characters that we and them might be unpacking for the next book or three.

Idol/hero worship, adolescent expectations and the pain when reality mades life feel less important, doubts and insecurities. All while fighting a growing enemy bent on complete destruction.

New fascinating characters. Old enemies , the Fae, of Irish lore. Definitely not any friendly to humans, but capable of extraordinary cruelty.

Lore is exhibiting new growth and personality. I love him.

Noor gives us hints of enormous peril, loss, and just the hope of happiness. Have no idea where this is going but I’m on for the whole ride.

Just amazing stories but read them in the order they are written so you can understand the relationships and arc development.

I’m highly recommending them all.

Arcane Hearts series:

✓ A Touch of Fever #1

✓ A Stroke of Brilliance #2

✓ An Iron Fist #3

✓ A Velvet Glove #4

◦ Hand of Glory #5

https://www.goodreads.com › seriesArcane Hearts Series by Nazri Noor – Goodreads

Jackson Pryde is too cool for school.

In the middle of shearing talking sheep, Jackson Pryde and Xander Wright are visited by Hecate and Freyja, queens of magical might within their pantheons. The goddesses have summoned Jackson for a meeting among immortals, a convocation of entities who wish to study the strange nature of his prismatic powers.

Jackson’s busy enough already. Work is underway for the rebuilding of the artificers’ guild. Rumors abound that his childhood hero is searching for a suitable assistant. And a chance assignment sees the boys visiting the heart of where their bitter rivalry truly began: the elite academy of Grayhaven.

Good thing a visit to Xander’s alma mater won’t unearth old grudges and ancient insecurities.

Right?

A Velvet Glove is an 85,000-word M/M urban fantasy romance with a HFN ending. Join a fast-talking artificer and a snarky sorcerer, childhood friends who become bitter enemies, then lovers, as they explore a world filled with strange flora, mythical fauna, and magical murders. If you like your urban fantasy with humor, horror, and a whole lot of heart, you’ve come to the right place. Experience A Velvet Glove today.