Tag: magic

Review: Blood(Scales ‘n’ Spells (#4) by A.J. Sherwood and Jocelynn Drake

Rating: 4 🌈✨

Blood, book 4 in A.J. Sherwood and Jocelynn Drake’s Scales ‘n’ Spells series, feels like the first story that brings both sides of the mage/dragon union into the tale as equal partners.

Here we get Sora’s full background and family history that folds in with mages as a whole. It’s interesting and a perspective the reader is well familiar with.

Along side the mage pov, is Ravi, the blue Wind Dragon that was adopted during the War by the Burkhard Clan. In the previous stories, the dragons have had or told less about themselves in each book versus the amount of space given their mates.

In Blood , both Sora and Ravi have equal time, narratively speaking. Probably because Ravi’s unusual past makes him a more noteworthy subject for a bigger share of the story. And he does well by it.

This is also a bigger book dramatically in terms of widening the scope of the themes and arc storytelling. Let’s just say the cast gets much bigger almost overnight!

I adore the impulsive Ravi and find the more responsible Sora a treat as well as a great compliment to him. The chemistry works.

I enjoy this series and story for its entertainment value. Plus dragons!

However, the new big plot elements also left a few equally noticeable plot holes. Ones at least large enough I thought several small dragons could fly through.

It’s hard to explain without giving the entire plot and storyline revelations away but the use of the impulsive (and young) Ravi to go chase after, boo hisss, the bad guys?

It’s something that strikes me as merely the authors ploy to raise the drama quotient from point A to point W, not because it makes any logical sense when looking at all the characters and story components the authors just laid down.

That’s frustrating because surely another way could have been found around all that. Sigh. Plot caverns make me crazy.

What this story does right? A gorgeous bonding ceremony that again was lacking in previous novels. It was moving and magical. Lovely.

I found Blood and Ravi and Sora to be a winner. Might be my favorite yet of the series.

I’m recommending it to all those who enjoy dragons and fantasy.

Scales ‘n’ Spells series:

✓ Origins

✓ Breath

✓ Wish: a Novella

◦ Blood

◦ Embers

https://www.goodreads.com › showBlood (Scales ‘N’ Spells, #3) by A.J. Sherwood | Goodreads

Synopsis:

Secret identities are hard to keep.

Sora finds this to be doubly true after meeting the struggling Burkhard Clan and the mischievous Ravi. The wind dragon has stolen his breath, and heart, away. Sora suspects he might have found his mate. 

But his inability to be truthful with Ravi eats at Sora. When the Jaeggi attack, Sora can’t keep his secrets any longer. Not when Ravi is in the center of the war raging around them.

He has to reveal who he really is. It’s the only way to be with Ravi and give the Burkhards the help they need.

Sora’s secret could tip the scales to save them all. 

Tags: 

There’s tropes, and then there’s this book, Ravi has impulse issues, in Ravi’s defense he was left unsupervised, you’re only in trouble if you get caught, secret identity, only Ravi could have a meet-cute like this, Ravi attempts romance, it’s bad, no its really really bad, thank god for it, bored mages get into stuff, mothers with an agenda, hurt/comfort, somehow the comfort part involves tacos, Ravi is a corruptive influence, Sora is a willing corruptee, chaos incarnate, protective mate, bad guys ramp it up to the next level, Sora has an ace up his sleeve, and is not afraid to use it, Bat-Ravi

Review: Fluke and the Faithless Father (Fantastic Fluke #2) by Sam Burns

Rating: 5 🌈💫

After reading The Fantastic Fluke I had to immediately go to the next in the series to see what happens next. Imagine how surprised I was to find this (and probably all the other books) flow seamlessly from one to another.

The beginning here is exactly the last paragraphs of the ending of the first book so the narrative continues perfectly, picking up where the events left everyone evaluating how to go forward.

All the characters I have gotten to love, and a few I despise, are back. The interpersonal relationships are deepening. And the character growth and magical revelations just connect me even more closely with mage Sage McKinley, and his incredible found family that includes his cowboy mage (former ghost) boyfriend Gideon, his fabulous mage grandmother Iris McKinley and her staff/family as well as Rufus her familiar, Sage’s BFF and store partner Beez, Freddy, and last but never ever least … the amazing familiar Fluke the fox! Unfortunately there’s still Sage’s dads who are both a huge part of this story.

Both of them had enormous roles in damaging and traumatizing Sage, a element that has continued into the present. His biological father has remained in the bookstore Sage inherited, albeit in ghostly form, to taunt him daily, not content to have been just a miserable, horrible father to Sage while living.

The man Sage had loved and thought of as his real father and family, until he watched him murder his mother, is behind bars, convicted of the same murder that almost took Sage’s life too. And left him traumatized.

Both men and Sage’s past return here with real emotional impact.

I love found family stories and Burns is building a remarkable one while crafting a urban fantasy arc full of magic and mystery and quite a few murders.

Throw in how much damage a parent can inflict on a child’s personality by abuse, neglect, or, stunningly, unforeseen betrayal and murder, as Burns gives us a heartbreaking portrait of damaged adolescence and survival. And not just Sage’s.

Fluke and The Faithless Father is such a great story because of perseverance and strength and even grace shown by those under such awful conditions here. And the way in which they all triumph as they head to the next challenges.

It made me want to go back to the beginning and meet them all again, to see what I may have missed, recapture their wonderful spirits, before we head onto the next step.

I can already tell this is a journey I’ll want to take again with this remarkable family.

I’m highly recommending this book and series.

Again, a glorious cover.

The Fantastic Fluke Series:

✓ The Fantastic Fluke #1

✓ Fluke and the Faithless Father #2

◦ Fluke and the Faultline Fiasco #3

◦ Fluke and the Frontier Farce #4 – coming in 2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showFluke and the Faithless Father by Sam Burns – Goodreads

Synopsis:

After escaping a murderer and resurrecting his boyfriend, Sage figures he deserves a little time to recover.

Unfortunately, life is rarely fair.

So instead of a break, he gets to deal with a magical law enforcement rookie asking uncomfortable questions about his brush with death. The quaesitor is acting downright suspicious. Or is it suspiciously?

Things go from awkward to dangerous when the man who murdered Sage’s mother is released from prison, and soon after there’s a break-in at the bookstore. The situation escalates so fast that Sage is afraid he’s going to end up with whiplash. Or worse, end up dead. He wanted a break, but not a permanent one.

Fluke and the Faithless Father is a direct sequel to The Fantastic Fluke, and should not be read first. It is an ~85k word novel that follows the continuing adventures of Sage, Fluke, Gideon, and their whole family, found and otherwise.

Review: The Fantastic Fluke by Sam Burns

Rating: 5🌈💫

The first in a series, The Fantastic Fluke is another one of those magical tales that author Sam Burns writes so beautifully.

From the opening sentence and our introduction to mage Sage McKinley, we have an immediate understanding of this man’s current situation, his thoughts on his past, his present predicament, even his self image. It’s intimate and concise. And it serves as both a foundation and way to connect the reader emotionally to Sage.

How could it not? Then we get thrown further afterwards as it gets more evidenced that this story is firmly bound to the magical world by ghosts, mages, familiars and murders most supernatural!

Not all the great characters are human, some are delightfully foxy! Or ghostly! Burns has built this story around multiple magical murder mysteries (alliteration is not a key), fantastic layered characters, and a romance.

The story is so well plotted that it moves along smoothly, all the elements coming together at the end for a perfect “aha” revelation or two!

I was just captivated the entire story. Whether it was Sage’s ghastly adolescence, the trauma he endured, or his future path that was happening , whether he wanted it or not. Magic was coming for him.

The Fantastic Fluke is just the first of The Fantastic Fluke series by Sam Burns. I can’t wait to read on and see where this journey takes Sage and his companions.

I’m highly recommending this. And the author, Sam Burns.

And btw? That cover is gorgeous! Love it.

The Fantastic Fluke Series:

✓ The Fantastic Fluke #1

◦ Fluke and the Failthless Father #2

◦ Fluke and the Faultline Fiasco #3

◦ Fluke and the Frontier Farce #4 – coming in 2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showThe Fantastic Fluke #1 – Goodreads

Synopsis:

A lost fox. A gorgeous ghost. And an unlikely partnership to stop a murderer.

Since his mother’s murder, Sage McKinley doesn’t live, he exists. His weak magic has made him an outcast, shadowing his life with self-doubt. All that changes when the spirit of a gunslinger appears in his bookstore with a message that will flip Sage’s world upside down. According to the mesmerizing apparition, a powerful magic lies within Sage… if he can find a way to tap into it.

But dastardly threats accompany this untapped power. Bodies are piling high as a killer hunts for the secrets of the mage that now course through Sage’s veins. Can Sage find the confidence to embrace all he’s capable of? Or will the next life snuffed out be his own?

Review: Breath (Scales ‘n’ Spells (#2) by A.J. Sherwood and Jocelynn Drake

Rating: 4 🌈

Breath is the second book in Sherwood and Drake’s fantasy series and it takes the series off to Finland, Poland..a tiny travelogue of countries really, in search of new mages and Dragon mates for the Burkhard Fire Clan. The path taken through Riga, then Wrocław is so descriptive and charming that you scramble to Google it. Locations are always a plus here.

However with both Origin and now Breath, there was an underlying element that tugged at me when I finished both stories and it took this book to figure out what it was.

I like the fantasy arc the authors have established and the mystery of the enemy mages to overcome. Nor have I mislaid the aspect of the Lost Clans the authors only mentioned in the beginning. All good.

I do like that the story concentrates on the mage for most of the novel. Here it’s Tori Taavi. He’s lived a miserable life in a hidden village that’s pretty much a matriarchal homophobic society where only the females who test out magically are valued, males who do are valued solely as mates to procreate and anyone else is considered worthless. Tori fell in the later as gay and someone who did work magic under their rigid guidelines.

Both Sherwood and Drake do a fantastic job in creating a sympathetic and relatable personality in Tori. He’s so easy to connect with, that making him our window into the story and his personal journey into a new world of hope is amazing. I’m with him and his tale of love and growth all the way.

In fact Tori’s emotional tale overpowers everything here. Baldewin, the sweet giant of a red fire dragon, definitely comes in second as a narrator instead of on equal standing. Same for Baldewin’s story. It’s Tori’s book really, not that I mind. He’s a great character. Much like the first book belonged to Cameron, Cassie, and Ha Na instead of King Alric.

But shouldn’t it be at least more uh… dragon sided too?

Right now it’s all about the mages but we learn very little about dragons here.

That’s part of the issue that’s been troubling me. Dragons, for all the castles and verbiage given to them here, have, little natural history or foundation. So there’s a magical incubator. Great! How does it work?why, other than the war basics, don’t we really know much about dragons here?

The mate ceremony is over before you know it . Which considering that it’s what all the drama and wars were/are fought over, wouldn’t you expect something more uh noteworthy? Here that’s the section that feels the most incomplete. When it should be the most uplifting and important.

And it was that way for both stories. So I see a pattern emerging here.

Great mage characters and their storyline. Lesser dragons characters with a rushed ending.

Thankfully Tori was so great that I really enjoyed his journey and thought Baldewin made a lovely mate for him.

Now onto the novella, Wish.

I’m recommending this because the characters are terrific and fantasy is always my jam.

Read them in the order they are written.

Scales ‘n’ Spells series:

✓ Origins

✓ Breath

◦ Wish: a Novella

◦ Blood

◦ Embers

https://www.goodreads.com › showBreath (Scales ‘N’ Spells #2) by A.J. Sherwood – Goodreads

A Mage’s List for Freedom:

1. Escape his evil, controlling clan.

2. Get a job.

3. Work magic on HIS terms.

4. Avoid all dragons.

Tori was doing great until sexy dragon Baldewin interfered.

Between the little gifts, constant protection, and the steadfast confidence from the overgrown lizard, Tori wonders if maybe that last step needs revising. He has no chance to consider it.

Not before trouble called Jaeggi REALLY hits. Now he’s on the road trip from hell to the one place he’d never thought would be a safe haven. A clan of dragons.

Assuming they make it, that is.

Tags:

Dragon shifters, mages, fated mates, hurt/comfort, enemies to lovers, not mpreg, interracial couple, road trip, No Flying, nope not even with a dragon, dwarf hunting in Poland, Tori needs allll the hugs, Baldewin is happy to supply them, dragons are ninjas, attempted kidnapping, mages being BAMF, insecurity, trust issues, Tori is an arse, Baldewin is adorable, Cassie is over it, virgin character, but not for long fufufufu, dysfunctional family, family of choice, magical realism, cuuuuudles, the authors regret nothing.

Review: Origin (Scales ‘n’ Spells #1) by A.J. Sherwood and Jocelynn Drake

Rating: 4🌈

When I saw that two of my go to authors had co-writtten a series together, I needed to check it out. Especially a fantasy series.

Origin, the first in A.J. Sherwood and Jocelynn Drake’s Scales ‘n’ Spells series is a terrific story. It overflows with dragons, magic, and romance.

The world building is straight forward and, unless the authors intend to throw substantial twists into the upcoming novels, without the multiple complexities and overall murkiness I’ve had in my other sagas. This contributes to a lighter narrative, that moves the plot swiftly along. Germany makes for a rich location in terms of language and culture and both are put to excellent use by the authors.

The Park Twins, both Cameron and his sister Cassie are charming and well conceived. In fact, the entire all the Noh family, including the wonderful grandmother are such a plus! I gravitated to them all. More so then any of the other characters. Hopefully we will see more of them in the upcoming novels.

The arc story threads is set forth almost immediately as are the stakes for all the beings involved. The action scenes are well done but I want more of the dragons. Balancing mage and dragons here isn’t a easy task.

Alric and Cameron make a relatable couple. I think his sister Cassie and her mate make an even more adorable one, and wanted to see more of them too.

Origins was a very good start to a new series and I look forward towards the rest of the series.

As a lover of fantasy, I’m recommending it.

Scales ‘n’ Spells series:

Origins

Breathe

Wish: a Novella

Blood

Embers

https://www.goodreads.com › showOrigin (Scales ‘N’ Spells, #1) by A.J. Sherwood – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Cameron wants to make it clear that he did not go into the festival to find a dragon mate.

Germany is supposed to be an escape. With a new mechanical engineering degree, a new job looming, and a whole life planned out that isn’t his, Germany seems like the best place to find himself.

So, how does he end up discovering his lost magic heritage, running from bad guys with a secret agenda, and being adopted by the not-so-extinct Fire Dragon clan?

Cameron blames tall, dark, and sexy Alric, King of the Fire Dragons. His fated mate. Because of course he is, and mates are meant to take the blame, right?

It may take a hot second, but as Cameron learns more about the scarred Alric and the life he’s landed in, Cameron realizes that perhaps this is where he’s meant to be, magic and mates and kidnapping and all.

Turns out coming to Germany wasn’t an escape but his awakening.

Tags: Not-so-extinct, Shifter dragons, mages, fated mates, secret clans, epic libraries, hurt/comfort, not mpreg, age gap, not that Alric cares, magical heritage, mechanical engineers being BAMF, grumpy dragon kings being protective of their cute mates, really the cuteness is downright criminal, we might need a firehose for these two, or not, sass, so much sass, Ravi and Cameron are no longer allowed to be alone together, for reasons, dragons hoarding, when you live long enough statistics will get you, bats named Cheryl, beheadings, no damsels in distress here, just very unhappy mages, with trigger fingers, anyone have life hacks on how to get rid of kidnappers, Cameron is open to suggestions.

Review: A Ferry of Bones & Gold (Soulbound #1) by Hailey Turner

Rating: 5🌈

I absolutely love it when I stumble across a book by a new author and become a fan of the writer as well as a reader highly invested in a series and characters after only finishing book one.

That’s what occurred after Hailey Turner’s A Ferry of Bones & Gold got it’s narrative hooks into me. Once I found myself absolutely engaged with the lives of Patrick Collins, Jono, and all the rest of the beings fighting against the Dominion Sect , I was full on part of that universe and fight as well.

Turner has a terrific way with dialogue and descriptions that makes these people. beings, crackle with life, energy, vibrancy or in the case of the vampire s, chilling magnetic power, that flies off the pages.

And the sense of urgency, and suspense is incredible when it comes to the battles and chases. Whether it’s mundane or magical. From great fight scenes to the devastation left behind, the author brings a sense of authenticity to her writing that makes us believe!

The plots here are many and varied. Also as convoluted as the famous Labyrinth of Crete, which is perfect because on top of werecreatures, vampires, elves, dragons and such, the story’s man elements include the gods of various mythologies. Albeit vary much alive.

The first book deals primarily with Greek although the Egyptian Ra and Norse gods are mentioned.

Here they are quite the meddling group, and the layers (as well as god pantheon politics) flow through the story.

That’s a lot to pack into a story and this book holds that weight easily. Along side a beginning relationship with Patrick with a were, and a small group of beings as he starts to find himself a unofficial “team” and circle of friends.

However, the author also allows a continual thread of loss, death, isolation, to run faintly through. It’s in Patrick’s history, and the reader is aware is most likely in the fighting still to come.

A sobering awareness that never leaves, giving this story a severity and somber note you hear over the laughter.

I appreciate that and wonder how this extremely complicated relationship and many layered arc storylines will play out.

I can’t wait to read on and find out.

What an amazing start.

Highly recommend this story and author.

Soulbound series:

✓ A Ferry of Bones & Gold #1

◦ All Souls Near & Nigh #2

◦ A Crown of Iron & Silver #3

◦ A Vigil in the Mourning #4

◦ On the Wings of War #5

◦ An Echo in the Sorrow #6

◦ A Veiled & Hallowed Eve #7

Synopsis:

When the gods come calling, you don’t get to say no.

Patrick Collins is three years into a career as a special agent for the Supernatural Operations Agency when the gods come calling to collect a soul debt he owes them. An immortal has gone missing in New York City and bodies are showing up in the wake of demon-led ritual killings that Patrick recognizes all too easily from his nightmares.

Unable to walk away, Patrick finds himself once again facing off against mercenary magic users belonging to the Dominion Sect. Standing his ground alone has never been a winning option in Patrick’s experience, but it’s been years since he’s had a partner he could trust.

Looking for allies in all the wrong places, Patrick discovers the Dominion Sect’s next target is the same werewolf the Fates themselves have thrown into his path. Patrick has been inexplicably attracted to the man from their first meeting, but desire has no place in war. That doesn’t stop Patrick from wanting what he shouldn’t have. Jonothon de Vere is gorgeous, dangerous, and nothing but trouble—to the case, to the fight against every hell, and ultimately, to Patrick’s heart and soul.

In the end, all debts must be paid, and Patrick can only do what he does best—cheat death.

A Ferry of Bones & Gold is a 115k word m/m urban fantasy with a gay romantic subplot and a HFN ending

https://www.goodreads.com › showA Ferry of Bones & Gold (Soulbound, #1) by Hailey Turner – Goodreads

Review: Spellbound (Fallen Messengers #2 by Ava Marie Salinger

Rating: 3.5 🌈

Ah, time for that all important second book in a series review. So many questions and weighted hopes hangs on this follow up novel if the author is continuing an overall series arc.

Is there continuity and character growth? Does it flow somehow out from the events of the first book? Does it empower not only the characters but our imagination in the same manner the original launches us into this journey?

Hmmm, with Spellbound, the answers are a bit mixed.

Let’s tackle them one by one.

Plots.

The storyline that takes up the majority of this novel is wonderful. It contains so much depth and emotional layering that I expected. There’s a serious mother/daughter flawed relationship built on lies, love, and a great tragedy. Eden, the daughter is so relatable in her anger, pain, and apparent maternal abandonment. Her rage is both poignant and deeply frightening. We get it. This aspect of the novel, and everything that surrounds Eden is absolutely terrific. With an exception.

Eden is a high school student. At the end of this story, she’s found herself in a serious permanent as in forever relationship. With a ancient being. Now while we are all smacking our heads over that flag, I will say the author has several characters bring up the illegality of that issue as well as the idea that she’s not emotionally ready. Ok good.

But there’s no real resolution. So perhaps that’s to be addressed in upcoming novels but Eden clearly deserves a more defined finish here. She’s a marvelous character and so is this entire element of the arc.

Which brings me to

Series Arc plots .

As best I can tell, Salinger is slowly adding bits of pieces to her overall arc mosaic much like a 1.000 piece table puzzle . You fit a bit in here, several snap in together there. So hopefully, Eden and her new Dryad Prince are part of the huge battle group that will be needed to fight the Evil whoever who is trying to do whatever. Still not a clue. But Salinger’s strengths are in her ingenious storylines and layerings. She knows how to build a suspenseful scene, and then top it off with high action.

However , this didn’t move the overall arc along hugely. Did confirm new information about our main characters though.

That brings us to the aspect of characterization. What I thought worked and, frankly, what I felt didn’t.

Eden’s group and storyline. Those characters were new , including her BFF Lois and her family. All the beings that gravitated around Eden and her drama? They really worked as far as realistic emotional scenes and reactions to her dilemma. Again great job.

But, unfortunately, in what should be solid, continuing .character growth for Cassius and Morgan, our main couple and the series biggest heart as well as mystery? It felt as though we got a stripping off of layers instead of a depth of dimension.

In the first story, we saw the ages of wisdom, the compassion and pain coming through for Cassius. Now he’s a pouty, insecure lovesick being? What happened to the serious character of the other novel? He seems to have vanished, replaced by a boyfriend of Morgan’s. Who occasionally transforms into something cool. Morgan too is undergoing a bit of a metamorphosis, although into what exactly is anyone’s guess. But the gravity of these downright elemental or idk other worldly transformations seems to be missing.

Idk maybe they should actually stop having sex for a mo’ and figure out if this pertains to their missing memories, and maybe even the bad guy! Good grief.

Definitely not the same beings I liked in book one. They need to regain their gravitas, their focus, and personalities.

Almost missing main character. You all know how I feel about this. Here it’s Loki the magical cat, a main player in book one and the series arc. He lives with Cassius now. When do we see and here about him here? When the book is about 74% complete. Then Loki is mentioned as part of the growing mystery so , yes, he has to be trotted out in one scene so everyone sees he’s still around. That’s it. Done. He disappears again back into the apartment not to be mentioned again. It fed or whatever. So Loki could have starved because he’s not seen or mentioned even when they are back in the apartment. A huge change from book one when he’s a constant presence, weaving catlike around the feet or in their laps. SMH. Continuity and consistency!

All of which finally brings me to my last bit of griping. Since I had time to notice all the above, then the issues I had with the repetition of adjectives and certain author’s fondness of terms definitely continues on here.

Pls, someone either tell her about how to find and replace a word within a document, Thesauruses our old friend , (and edit) or point a great editor her way.

We are back to muscles jumping in every character’s face and often. Adrianne is saying things “leadenly”again. I pity poor Adrianne. No sex and the worst lines. A couple of female characters always “smile softly “.

There’s also a lot of “she___fill in the name___snarled,” “so and so hissed”,

Lots of hissing and no they aren’t snake shifters.

Also “growling “. Cedric growled. But it could have been and usually is another.

Plus a host of clenched whatever… jaw, fist… whatever can be clenched.

You get the idea. Salinger once she uses a word or term in a certain manner, it stays used. To the detriment of the story. And the reader’s, at least this reader’s concentration.

And that’s a shame, because the plots? Both one the book and overall series arc scale are imaginative and layered. They have grabbed my attention and the potential for a really great series shows everywhere….

But there’s some definite tidying up to be done. Both in the major characters personalities and language. I look forward to see what book three brings.

High marks mostly for Eden and her journey.

Fallen Messenger series:

Unbound #0.5

Fractured Souls #1

Spellbound #2

Edge Lines #3

Oathbreaker #4

Synopsis:

Can Cassius and Morgan overcome an elusive enemy and save a young girl’s life?

Eden Monroe has spent her entire existence believing she has no magic. Shunned by her mother Brianna and the magical bureau Hexa, she runs away from home when she is forced to embrace a future she never chose, only to fall into the hands of ghastly monsters from the Nine Hells. After being rescued by a mysterious Dryad with secrets of his own, Eden realizes there is more to her past and future than she could ever have imagined.

When San Francisco PD asks Argonaut to assist them in solving a series of strange bank robberies, Cassius Black and Morgan King uncover a disturbing plot that points to an unknown artifact hidden somewhere in the city. Their investigation soon has them crossing paths with a desperate Brianna, who seeks their help in finding her missing daughter. When the witch reveals the shocking circumstances surrounding her daughter’s birth as well as the deadly magic sealed inside the young girl’s body, the Argonaut agents realize their case is linked to Eden and the weapon of devastating power the bank robbers are after.

Can Cassius and Morgan defeat the malevolent organization behind it all and save Eden from her cursed fate? Or will the young girl suffer a destiny worse than death itself?

Spellbound is the second novel in the gay urban fantasy romance series Fallen Messengers. If you like your paranormal adventures full of action, magic, snark, and a host of steamy angels and demons, then you’re not going to want to miss this jaw-dropping, fun-filled ride!

Spellbound

Love Fantasy? Check Out the New Release Blitz for Lord of Thundertown by O.F. Cieri (excerpt and giveaway)

Title: Lord of Thundertown

Author: O.F. Cieri

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: January 6, 2020

Heat Level: 1 – No Sex

Pairing: No Romance

Length: 64800

Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy, LGBT, fantasy, monsters, magic, New York, contemporary, urban fantasy

Add to Goodreads

Synopsis

In the movies, Thundertown was depicted like a real town, with boundaries, Folk-run businesses, and a government. In real life, Thundertown was a block here or there, three businesses on the same side of the street, an unconnected sewer main, or a single abandoned building.

When an epidemic of missing person cases is on the rise, the police refuse to act. Instead, Alex Delatorre goes to Thundertown for answers and finds clues leading to a new Lord trying to unite the population.

No one has seen the Lord, and the closer Alex gets to him, the farther Alex gets from his path home.

Excerpt

Lord of Thundertown
O.F. Cieri © 2020
All Rights Reserved

Prologue
Sam was tired. All day long, she moved furniture in a small, dirty room in a warehouse in Brooklyn. She got on the train to go home. The conductor announced service delays, and Sam got as comfortable as she could in the glossy plastic seat.

There was no flash of lightning to signal a change. The insidious thing about the Aether was that humans were ill-equipped at handling it. Children had a better chance of being aware of it during a power surge, although they usually experienced it in migraines and blurred visions. The Folk handled the Aether best, and usually very judiciously, because the Aether was a force of nature that couldn’t be reasoned with to respect private property or the sanctity of life. It activated when called and filled the parameters set out for it, and any gap in logic released a flood of unintended consequences. The only sign of something going wrong came from the lights in the subway shutting off abruptly.

Even then, Sam didn’t panic. There were electrical surges all the time, and the lights usually came on in seconds. Instead, she remembered taking the subway with her elementary school class and shrieking with the other girls whenever the lights flickered, thrilled by the shock.

The train hit a hard bump, but rather than rocking back onto the track, the train lurched and tipped erratically. She couldn’t see the other passengers, but she could hear the impact as they thudded against the far wall. Sam managed to hold her grip as a long-empty soda can flew past her head and empty sunflower seed shells rained past. Her heart gripped in her chest as she came face to face with the fact that she’d cast her shot and landed the one-in-a-billion chance to climb aboard a train as it tipped into the river. She was only surprised by how dark the sky was.

The Aether, according to scientific inquiry, does not exist. It can not be touched, seen, smelled, tasted or heard, nor can it be weighed or measured in any other way with tools. The Aether is completely undetectable by any means except the brain; and not clearly.

The train twisted, and so did Sam’s grip. Her wrist popped as gravity wrenched it in an unnatural direction, and she fell, landing feet first on the seat she’d flown out of. Pain shot up her ankles, but the sharp jolt barely distracted her from the rattling of the carriage shaking across a hard surface. The high-pitched scream of sharp edges scraping across metal echoed throughout the train, and then suddenly ceased.

Humans have always shared the earth with Folk. There are records as early as the Kingdom of Ur, which mentions Other Lands that exist parallel to the common one. There are records as early as the written word of Great Beasts and supernaturally gifted nobility.

Sam turned on the flashlight of her phone. The windows were broken, and the foot of the train punctured through the floor near the door to the back. Someone was on the floor, trying to pull themselves up by climbing the train seat but not finding the friction, somehow. Another body sat upright, one shoe off. Slowly it raised its head and looked down at a hand that dangled lifelessly off their wrist. There was a guttural sob of pain.

When ancient kingdoms annexed new territory, they would often discover hostile members of the Folk. The ruler of the invading army would have to choose whether to destroy them, or bribe them. Soldiers throughout history have been immortalized for slaying Great Beasts in the service of their King, and similarly, simple farmers and fishermen were elevated to nobility by accepting the ruler’s authority, and recognized as the Lord of the Forest, or Lady of the Lake.

“Are you ok?” Sam asked. The words slurred in her mouth. She couldn’t be sure she was understood. She tried to stand, but her weight pitched in a direction she didn’t expect and she stumbled. She pocketed her phone and dug out a small keychain light instead. More durable, she thought. Better use of battery power. “Are you ok?”

The Lords were meant to be the arm of the state regarding the Folk, any Aetheric or ‘magical’ phenomenon. However, reports of erratic or unpredictable behavior lead Government officials to tap more amiable outsiders for traditional Lordship roles.

It still sounded like she was drunk. There was a click behind her, and the rattle of the door between the train cars sliding open. The carriage was bathed in a dim orange glow. When Sam looked behind her, she saw the train conductor holding a construction lantern. She was an older black woman, gold braids disheveled.

“Is anybody hurt?”

None of this affects the quality of life for everyday Folk. Many preferred to live in the country where private property and building laws allowed them to maintain their own standards. While cities serve as hubs of commerce, the practical effect leaves many at the mercy of a standard of living, including enforced daytime activity, above-ground dwellings, little access to fresh or saltwater, and little tolerance for symbiotic parasite bonding. As a result, many of the Folk engage in creative means to maintain their health and well-being.

“Yeah–” Sam began.

A voice cut her off, shrill and panicked. “What’s going on? What’s happening? Why aren’t we moving?”

The conductor raised her hand and tried to quiet the shouting passenger. “Calm down, please. I don’t know, but before we find out, I want to get everybody off the train. Is anybody hurt too bad to walk?”

“No,” said the person with the broken wrist. They sounded like they were in tears, muttering through chattering teeth; “No, no, no, no, no–”

“Good,” the conductor spoke slowly and calmly. “Everyone, please follow behind me in an orderly line.”

Thundertown is a well-known example, arising from an illegal settlement dug into an outcropping of Manhattan Gneiss in New York City. According to records, the Thundertown population was predominantly immigrant, with few English speakers in its first few decades.

The conductor walked down the aisle of the train, balancing against the wall for support. She led a trail of dirty and terrified people behind her, inching along as if huddling for warmth from the glow of the lantern. As she passed, Sam saw her holding a twelve-year-old girl to her waist, clutching her hand tightly. The small girl looked calm and supported the older woman’s elbow as if carrying her gently above the crowd.

The City of New York has repeatedly dissolved the Thundertown settlement.

A pair of doors hung open a few carriages in. The conductor dipped her light outside and pressed her toe down, testing to see if it was safe to leave. She clutched the side of the train door as she lowered down, her foot swinging out blindly for something to anchor itself to. Slowly, she touched down on something, and slowly she shifted her weight off the train and onto the ground beneath. The ground was flat, uniform, and unremarkable.

Unfortunately, the area is too well-known to remain closed for long.

There were no train tracks.

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Meet the Author

O F Cieri lives in New York, where she spends most of her time thinking about anything but what she’s doing at the moment. Her favorite parts of history are the fight scenes. Lord of Thundertown is her first published work.

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Check Out the New Release The Empress of Xytae by Effie Calvin *excerpt and giveaway)

Title: The Empress of Xytae

Series: Tales of Inthya, Book Four

Author: Effie Calvin

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: December 30, 2019

Heat Level: 2 – Fade to Black Sex

Pairing: Female/Female

Length: 83500

Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy, LGBT, royalty, new adult, magic, paladins, gods, goddesses

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Synopsis

Crown Princess Ioanna of Xytae has kept her truthsayer blessing a secret for twenty years. In any other nation, her powerful magic would be cause for celebration. But Xytae’s patron is the war goddess Reygmadra, and the future empress is expected to be a brutal warrior.

Reserved and peaceful by nature, Ioanna knows the court sees her as a disappointment. She does her best to assuage their worries every day, working quietly beside her mother to keep the empire running while her father is away at war. But when news of the emperor’s untimely death reaches the capital, Ioanna finds herself ousted by her younger sister Netheia, who has the war magic Ioanna lacks.

Princess Vitaliya of Vesolda has come to Xytae to avoid her father’s upcoming wedding, which she sees as an affront to her mother’s memory. Vitaliya has absolutely no interest in politics or power struggles and intends to spend her time attending parties and embarrassing her family. But when she saves Ioanna’s life during Netheia’s coup, the two are forced to flee the capital together.

Despite their circumstances, Vitaliya enjoys travelling with Ioanna and realizes that the future empress’s shy and secretive nature is the result of her unhappy childhood. Ioanna is equally unaccustomed to being in the company of one as earnest and straightforward as Vitaliya, for she has spent her life surrounded by ambitious and cutthroat nobles.

Ioanna cannot allow her sister to continue their father’s legacy, and plots to rally supporters to her side so she can interrupt Netheia’s coronation. Vitaliya knows she ought to leave Xytae before the nation is ripped apart by civil war but finds she is unwilling to abandon Ioanna. But Ioanna’s enemies are always watching…and they’ve realized that Vitaliya is a weakness to be exploited.

Excerpt

The Empress of Xytae
Effie Calvin © 2019
All Rights Reserved

Reygmadra

The Imperial Palace at Xyuluthe buzzed with anticipation. Empress Enessa had finally gone into labor, and the heir to the Xytan Empire would be born within a few hours. The archpriest of Adranus and the archpriestess of Pemele were both there to aid with the birth along with countless members of the imperial court who would bear witness to the historic event.

Reygmadra, Goddess of Warfare and Eighth of the Ten, waited just outside the empress’s chambers, unseen by all who passed. She would not deny she was beginning to grow impatient. She was only here to bless the child, the future empress. Then she would be on her way.

If the child ever arrived.

Reygmadra had no tolerance for children, nor for the tedious conversations that always surrounded a birth—discussions of size, weight, and bodily functions. She had left the empress’s room because she had grown tired of the pointless hysterical screaming, but this was undoubtably worse.

Unfortunately, she could not grant a blessing to a mortal until after it had taken its first breath. This was one of the rules she and her fellow gods had agreed upon when they’d first set out to create Inthya. Even Reygmadra could see the value in this one, for if babies could use magic in the womb, nobody would ever risk giving birth ever again.

Emperor Ionnes was occupied, as always, by his campaign in Masim. He would not return to meet his new daughter for several months. Some of the members of the court were muttering about this, but Reygmadra did not see the trouble. What help could Ionnes be right now? He would only be in the way if he tried to help. At least in Masim, he was serving his nation by leading the army.

She longed to be there, whispering ideas in his ear as he slept, soaking up the power she received when tens of thousands of warriors prayed to her in unison. Of course, the prayers would find her no matter where she was on the mortal realm of Inthya or in the celestial planes of Asterium. But there was nothing like experiencing it firsthand.

Babies seemed to bring out the stupidest, weakest aspects of mankind. One of the Xytans was now relaying a tale of someone else’s labor, and Reygmadra decided to take a walk before she lost her temper and stabbed someone.

She moved through the palace like a specter, her face unseen and heavy footsteps unheard. She was dressed as she usually did when she manifested on Inthya, as a common soldier with short sword and breastplate. If someone did somehow see her, they would think nothing of her.

One of the rooms led out into a garden, and Reygmadra decided she had been indoors for too long. She stepped out into the sunlight, into the fresh air.

Reygmadra didn’t think much of gardens—they were really just a waste of space—but this one was empty, so she would stay for a while. As she moved, she kept an ear to the palace, hoping she would soon hear distant cheers.

“Still waiting?”

A woman dressed as a Xytan noble stood there among the flowers. She had olive-toned skin and long, wavy ebony hair, and her face was impossibly, supernaturally beautiful. The dress she wore was simple but elegant, all wine-colored silk that perfectly emphasized wide hips and a narrow waist. Despite her disguise as a mortal woman, Reygmadra recognized Dayluue—Goddess of Love and Seventh of the Ten.

“It will be a while yet,” said Reygmadra. “Why are you here?”

“I’m feeling neglected,” Dayluue said. “You haven’t come to see me in ages.”

“I’m busy.”

“You’re always busy.” Crimson lips pressed together in a pout as Dayluue adjusted the neckline of her dress aggressively. “Maybe I should call on someone else. I wonder what Nara is doing.”

Possessive rage seized at Reygmadra, and Dayluue began to laugh. But the sound was cut short when Reygmadra grabbed her by the shoulders. A moment later, she had Dayluue pressed between the garden wall and her own body.

“I love it when you get jealous,” Dayluue said breathlessly. “Kiss me?”

Reygmadra brought her lips to Dayluue’s throat. Dayluue tilted her head back, hands clasping at Reygmadra’s hair, and laughed again. “I have missed you,” she said.

“I don’t believe you,” said Reygmadra because expecting strict monogamy from Dayluue was like expecting a bird to refrain from flight.

“I’ll prove it, then.” Dayluue’s eyes sparkled.

“No. I’m busy.”

“I never took you for the sort to get excited over a birth. Or are you finally realizing what I’ve been saying about the population—”

“No. I’m just giving her a blessing, and then I’m leaving.”

“It might be a while,” warned Dayluue. “Labor can last an entire day.”

Reygmadra shuddered. “Awful.”

“Well, they wouldn’t have to do it so often if you didn’t keep convincing them to kill one another.”

Reygmadra rolled her eyes. “Did you come here just to argue?”

Dayluue pressed her lips to Reygmadra’s. “Only if you really want to,” she murmured into her mouth. The scent of her mortal body, flowers and sweat and pheromones, was intoxicating.

They were antithesis to each other, and yet, there was an undeniable symmetry to their domains. They were two primal forces, mindless impulse given sentience. And sometimes the fiery lust Dayluue elicited from her felt identical to the thrill of battle.

Perhaps that was why Dayluue always returned to her. Perhaps that was why Reygmadra did not object to Dayluue’s wandering.

When they met like this in Asterium, it was a union of selves, of auras and magic, and two becoming one in the way none but their own kind could hope to understand. It was delightful to have Dayluue’s energy surging through her, to feel her own spirit within Dayluue. Reygmadra always came away from these unions feeling softer, lighter. But not weaker. Never weaker.

On Inthya, with warm bodies made of blood and flesh, things were different. On Inthya, Dayluue was in control, and Reygmadra was helpless under her expert fingers.

“Kiss me again,” said Dayluue. “But lower, this time.”

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Meet the Author

Effie is definitely a human being with all her own skin, and not a robot. She writes science fiction and fantasy novels and lives with her cat in the greater Philadelphia area.

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A MelanieM Review: He Dreams Magic by Emme C. Taylor

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Ren has always wanted to leave, to escape his quiet village life. He wakes up from gold-tinged dreams with his heart pounding and a yearning for something he can’t name, can’t hold. He longs to experience something magical just once in his life.

Nico’s monsters don’t lurk under the bed. They walk in daylight. They haunt him every day of his life. He’s possibly the strongest magician of his time, yet he’s trapped. All he wants is an out.

At a magical carnival in the middle of a forest, Ren and Nico collide. They’ve been on this collision course their entire lives, always hurtling toward each other. For both men, escape is now. They have no choice but to flee together. Monsters and betrayal hunt them across strange lands. They find themselves on a journey to save each other—and possibly the world. All they have is one another, Nico’s magic, and a lifetime of half-remembered dreams. But finding each other, finally having someone to rely on, might be the strongest magic of all.

He Dreams Magic by Emme C. Taylor is a magician’s bags of surprises and narrative marvels.  Everytime you think you might have figured where the author is taking the story and character development, Taylor springs a shocker on the reader or does a storythread revelation that takes the tale and people in an entirely different direction.  And does it again and again, each taking on a darker more ominous tone.

And it all starts out so brightly, with a carnival and fires that light up the night sky and our introduction to the characters  of Ren from a nearby village and Nico from the mystical carnival.  Neither of the main characters is given much of a background, that gets slowly filled in over the course of the story.  I wasn’t sure how  I felt about that as It leaves Ren coming across as someone less layered than Nico.  This will be rectified as the power of the story builds.  Nico is all the bright magic and Ren the mundane.  That’s the beginning.

The journey, with all the many twists and turns, doesn’t end until the very last incredible sentence.  There, the author pulls together the entire story, for both boys, all the magic, all their perils.  everything into one drop dead “worth everything” conclusion.  I didn’t expect that.  I read it four times.  I would rec this story on that ending alone.

He Dreams Magic by Emme C. Taylor is extremely well written, excellently plotted with so many twists and turns to keep the reader connected to both the story and characters.  There is amazing character growth and development, along with revelations along those lines that will continue right up until the very last sentence of this amazing story.  I highly recommend it.

Cover Art: Natasha Snow is dark, the figures nebulous.  Exactly what this story is! Perfect.

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Book Details:

ebook
Published October 28th 2019 by Nine Star Press
ISBN13 9781951057671
Edition Language English