Review: The Orc and the Manny (Monsters Hollow, #1) by Chloe Archer

Rating: 4.75🌈

Well, isn’t Monsters Hollow turning out to be the perfect place to be! After 3 stories (one in a charity anthology), I’m finding myself more and more enchanted with this paranormal world that Chloe Archer is creating and filling with fated mates pairings and their adventures in romance.

Already familiar the subject matter and anticipating this story, it’s even better than expected. It was hinted at in The Bogeyman and the Schoolteacher, and we get to see both those terrific characters again here in their respective roles.

Well known interspecies historian, orc Targan Wildethorne has recently become the guardian of his sister’s two young children under tragic circumstances. A confirmed batchelor with no experience with youngsters, he’s now faced with a household in turmoil, deadlines to meet, and everyone, including himself, struggling with grief over the grievous of his sister, their mother.

Archer dumps the reader into a house where chaos rules, emotions are high, and a great tragedy is still being dealt with. It’s vividly depicted and it feels so real, no matter that the kids are orcs, their pet an out of control Hellhound, and that one child is furiously chasing another with a mini ax. It’s the out of control situation that makes it recognizable. And that’s where we meet the second main and extraordinary person, the manny.

In Max MacLeod, Archer has created a truly memorable human being. Honestly, Max is hard to describe in one sentence. He’s so vibrant and that includes his amazing colorful clothes choices. He’s wildly enthusiastic about his profession and deeply knowledgeable. That means he comes across like a fabulous male femme Mary Poppins, complete with a bag full of everything he and each situation needs. But there’s more. It’s in his background as a foster child from Chicago that comes through with a fierceness born out of a tough adolescent that gives him depth that continues to surprise us.

This also includes Princess Peach, an older rescue Chihuahua whose wardrobe often matches Max’s and the kids’ three-headed Hellhound named Waffles.

Between the wonderful chemistry that the author builds between Max, Targan, and the kids as a family and the suspense in the drama element of the story, this is a book I couldn’t put down. Entertaining, highly imaginative, and just sexy as can be, this was a couple and family I loved and wanted more of.

There’s a gargoyle uncle who runs a security agency and a best friend that’s a popular romance novelist. They have important roles here and are next up for a story.

Archer also leaves us with a few questions that I believe are important in the series overall thread. Either way, I know that this won’t be the last we see of the family and I can’t wait for our next adventure together.

I highly recommend The Orc and the Manny (Monsters Hollow, #1) by Chloe Archer. It’s got fabulous characters, a great story, and an ever expanding universe I want to spend more time in. Check out the stories below.

Monsters Hollow:

✓ The Bogeyman and the Schoolteacher # 0.1 (prequel)

✓ The Demon and the Librarian (Fated Mates Charity Anthology)

✓ The Orc and the Manny #1

◦ The Gargoyle and the Romance Writer #2 – Aug 2, 2024

Buy Link:

The Orc and the Manny: A Cozy M/M Monster Romance (Monsters Hollow Book 1)

Blurb:

Welcome to Monsters Hollow, where love knows no bounds—even in a town full of monsters!

Targan Wildethorne

A confirmed bachelor, and a historian by training, I haven’t the faintest clue how to care for twin orclings when I unexpectedly become their guardian. I’d love to retreat into the comforting sanctuary of my study, surrounded by my books and papers, but first I need to hire someone to help me with the children. Someone who can teach me the ropes of this new role.

Thank the Light for the All-Species Specialized Employment Services! In my most dire hour of need, they find the perfect nanny—ahem, manny—to help me look after my young wards. Now I can finally get back to writing my history of orc folklore for a few hours a day.

Or so I thought.

Instead I find the captivating new man in my home far too distracting. Max is so much more than I had expected. I’ve never fallen for a human before, but I can’t get him out of my mind. Could he ever feel the same about an orc? Humans are usually too intimidated by our large size and outer appearance. Can Max look past my green skin and tusks to see a man with a heart that yearns for him? And if he does, when he learns the truth about the children will the danger on the horizon send him running?

Max MacLeod

Working with kids is totally my jam and I’m damn good at what I do. Just call me Maxy Frickin’ Poppins! When a new job prospect comes my way, I’m intrigued. A chance to move to Mystic Hollow (aka Monsters Hollow) to be a well-paid manny for two adorable orclings? Talk about a dream position. Sold! But when I lock eyes with the seriously sexy orc who’s their guardian—and my new de facto boss—for the first time, I’m a goner. Big, muscular, and green all over–he’s giving me full-on Hulk meets stern professor vibes—and I like it.

As I get to know him, over meals with the kids during the day and soft-spoken conversations about history at night, I soon realize there’s so much more to Targan than the gorgeous orc who keeps starring in all my naughtiest dreams. He’s quite possibly the kindest, gentlest man I’ve ever met. And he accepts and appreciates every part of me and my flamboyant, full-figured fabulousness. I just want to feed and take care of him—and find out if he’s so deliciously big everywhere. Before I know it, I’m dreaming of being part of a forever family with him and his adorable twins. But an unexpected threat looms in the shadows that could threaten the safety of us all…

The Orc and the Manny is a (94k words) cozy small town M/M monster romance featuring a Hulkalicious silver fox orc professor who’s better with books than kids, a flamboyant human manny with ALL the skills (think Nathan Lane in The Birdcage meets Mary Poppins), an age gap, a size difference, a three-headed hellhound and a feisty rescue Chihuahua, two adorable orcling twins, and copious amounts of orc…joy!

Review: Find Me Worthy (Safe Harbor #3) by Annabeth Albert

Rating: 3.75🌈

So close. Find Me Worthy was so close to being an absolutely 5-Star story when the author , imo, sabotaged it by adding on an epilogue that negatively changed my view about the book , it felt so unnecessary.

But first let’s look at what Albert does remarkably well, and that’s everything that goes on beforehand.

Safe Harbor has dealt with a central question of a dead file mystery case was solved when it turned out that the local popular mother of the community who went missing years ago had been murdered by a serial killer. Her body was discovered in the nearby body of water by former police officer, brought up by a recovery diver, and the crime along with the discovery was part of an investigation led by a popular crime podcast.

All that information is part of the series themes and an integral part of the men involved in the investigation and as victims of the original crime itself. Some were once close friends and now others have become, through the investigation, partners of these men who live in Safe Harbor.

The reader , through the descriptions and memories of the men, become part of their journey to resolve the mystery and work through their own issues as well. It’s been a moving, and sometimes tearful journey. Albert has done a spectacular job with the town, the professions of each person, in some cases their disabilities, and the traits that make each man a unique individual.

Now we get to the finale. There’s the two strong main characters. Sam Bookman, owner of Blessed Bean coffee shop, son of a pastor and a hearing impaired mother, a social worker who’s the heart of Safe Harbor.

Sam has always had a huge crush on older Worth Stapleton, whose mother was murdered by a serial killer and in whose family house Sam bought and now lives.

Worth always thought his father was guilty of his mother’s death and told him so before he died. He’s been absent from Safe Harbor for decades, until a business scandal cost him everything and his mother’s death was resolved. The Worth we meet is ill, highly depressed, with nothing but an incredibly expensive car to his name and an unexpected desire to return home.

Which he does. But that home is now owned by Sam, and that’s where the story begins. Where a man who’s lost everything ends back at his beginnings only to find that that house is now the beginnings of someone who has always been there for him.

It’s a haunting, emotional, fabulous moment. And , importantly, it includes a young sheltie who’s been abandoned and will become central to Worth’s recovery and journey into a new life. That’s Buttercup. Make note of this dog and his huge role as a support animal and loved companion.

As the men try to find a way to make this tenuous relationship they’ve begun work, sharing their past life experiences and new present struggles, we learn that depression has always been a part of Worth’s life but that he’s never really gotten the treatment and therapy that would have helped him cope with the trauma and stress that his life has offered up.

The raw pain, the guilt and trauma that he’s felt and carried is powerfully portrayed by Albert’s skillful handling of this man’s emotional issues. And having and transferring some of those feelings of being left behind by his family over into the abandonment of a dog by its owners is a realistic element, making Buttercup’s presence even more impactful.

Sam’s personality is no slouch against such a great character. He’s got so many qualities and outstanding personal traits here. Plus he’s got a fabulous Siamese cat to balance Buttercup. He’s got Blessed Bean with all its diversity in its workers, and its issues. The house and its renovations along with its memories. And the community which is constantly circling around him.

So I did have a few questions about things within the main storyline, things that I’m still thinking about:

Spoiler Alert 🚨:

1. When things were going financially wrong at the Bean (even with that expensive coffee machine) and the men were together, why was it never ever brought up for Worth to offer to sell his 6-figure “Ive made it” high priced car to help with the expenses? Nope, that millionaire buggy isn’t mentioned except that they ride in it a couple of times later on.

2. What happens to the severe coffee competition? A big brand buys next door to try and squeeze the local coffee shop out. Stuff ensues. But logically?? What happens? We don’t know. The author doesn’t tell us, and from the drama that’s written, it’s not enough to make any difference.

3. What’s Worth doing? Running the shop ? Financial advisor? What?

I have to admit it’s great seeing Holden and Cal, and Monroe and Knox. Their roles here are perfect and made me want to read their stories all over again.

The way Find Me Worthy ended, with that wedding. It was perfect , and most importantly, that emotional support dog, Buttercup, being a part of the celebration and ceremony? Made it everything I wanted to read .

So why am I so unhappy?

Because the author doesn’t stop there. She should have. But then we get an epilogue. With a different voice, a foster kid. Which, ok, but now issues. Because guess who’s been wiped completely away? No dog or cat. We have two young adults, and it’s two years later. But Albert has totally changed or forgotten that all important Buttercup or cat. Which would have been great in this scenario when all the people were gathering on this occasion. Kids and pets! But nope.

We don’t need animals if we got the kids? Or is this just another example of the missing animal character that the author drops without explanation? Because that’s a number one problem that has always bugged me so completely in a book. Make an animal an important factor in a character’s journey and personal growth, and then without a word, it disappears from the narrative.

Like Buttercup does here. So weird change of POV, missing important elements, and ,imo, unnecessary epilogue.

Either way, a complete fail.

Because now that’s all I’m thinking about. What happened to Buttercup. Not about the story or anything else. That missing dog.

It’s enough for me to want to kick this even further down another notch.

Most people will love this. Others? Skip the epilogue so you don’t fall down this narrative rabbit hole I have.

Just say no.

Safe Harbor:

✓ Bring Me Home #1

✓ Make Me Stay #2

✓ Find Me Worthy #3

Buy Link:

Find Me Worthy (Safe Harbor Book 3)

Blurb.

I thought I’d lost myself…

Until Sam found me. I’m back in Safe Harbor, where I haven’t belonged in over twenty years. I’m unsure how I ended up here, yet I’m certain Sam is the key to finally healing.

But it’s complicated.

Sam’s had a crush on me since we were younger. To me, however, he was always the annoying kid tagging along. Now he’s all grown-up and delightfully bossy—and sexy—as he encourages me to reclaim my health.

I enjoy pushing Sam’s buttons, but one button too many leads to a scorching kiss. Soon, we’re using Sam’s cushy bed for way more than sleeping. But I can’t imagine staying in Safe Harbor forever, and no way is Sam leaving.

Sam’s given me a place to stay, a job at his nonprofit coffee shop, and a sense of purpose when I had none. But can I give him my heart? And more importantly, can I overcome my past to make Safe Harbor my future?

FIND ME WORTHY is a hurt/comfort childhood crush-to-lovers MM romance. This unexpected roommate arrangement stars two mature heroes with a minor age gap, mental health representation, and plenty of first times and sexy discoveries for everyone. Deep feels, dual point-of-view, and big fluffy HEA guaranteed.

FIND ME WORTHY is book three and the thrilling conclusion to the Safe Harbor series from acclaimed author Annabeth Albert. This small historic Oregon town has a tight friend group, memorable secondary characters, quirky businesses, and long-held secrets. Each book stands alone with a fresh couple, but the background mystery of the town’s secrets ties the series together, making reading in order more fun!

Review: A Ruse to Unchain Us (The Magi Accounts #4) by Michele Notaro

Rating: 5🌈

A Ruse To Unchain Us brings The Magi Accounts near the end of this incredible dark saga. Two more stories to follow and we’ll see what happens to all the characters who have suffered and survived through this perilous, harrowing journey.

A Ruse To Unchain Us is emotionally draining and powerful in the wrenching scenes that Notaro delivers, one after the other, as the Ono-Nai tribe fights against government and witches alike to survive the battles against both and the tear in the universe. There are moments of such brutality and violence, common in this series, that hit you hard in the heart. As they should. Tissues should be issued along with the story.

Repeatedly, the author reminds the reader exactly what’s at stake, often graphic detail , what type of treatment the non humans have had to endure for decades. Along with the past traumatic history, there’s the current horrors they continue to endure, suffer under, as they battle to get their rights and freedoms.

As Notaro notes, read the trigger warnings because they definitely apply, as they have for the series. Torture, sexual assault and abuse (some off page) as children and adults , brutality , beatings, and horrific death is a common occurrence too. These beings have been and are continued to be subjected to the entire spectrum of the worst humankind is capable of simply because they aren’t human and are regarded as tools for the humans to use as they see fit.

To counter such agonizing moments and scenes, it’s balanced with those of pride, found family, bonds of deep affection, friendship, and abiding love. All of which have had to endure the pain and horror of the world they live in and survive to come together as the strong forces we see now.

Cosmo Ono-Nai, Mads, Jude, and the rest of the Ono-Nai pack must deal with the toughest challenges yet their pride has faced when The Red Cloth ups it’s attacks against the government and its citizens.

I won’t spoil the high stakes and action that occurs here. It’s intense, fast paced, incredibly emotional, and very suspenseful. And yes, filled with love and pain too , because this is a battlefield and people/beings are hurt and sometimes they die.

Notaro’s vision and realistic writing makes sure we don’t forget about the pain as well as the love, the loss that goes with the wins, such as they are. It’s raw, dark fiction and it rings so true.

Two more novels to go. One’s a companion story, Logan and Haiden get a book of their own. And then onto the finale. I can’t imagine how the author will tie up all the characters and storylines still moving forward but I’m sure it will be amazing. I’ll be so sorry to see this series end.

What a fantastic journey it’s been.

Until then, I highly recommend you read this series in the order it’s written if you haven’t already done so. Then read the intensely powerful A Ruse to Unchain Us (The Magi Accounts #4) by Michele Notaro. Just a great example why this author is an auto read.

The Magi Accounts:

🔹The Scars That Bind Us #1

🔹The Shackles That Hold Us #2

🔹A Date To Impress Him #2.5

🔹A Purpose That Restores Us #3

🔹A Holiday to Sustain Us: A Magi Accounts Holiday

🔹An Embrace To Hearten Me: The Magic Accounts 3.5

🔹A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts # 4

🔹A Heart To Revitalize Me #4.5 – September 20, 2024 (Logan and Haiden companion story)

🔹Only Unity Will Spare Us #5 – Sept 20, 2024

Buy Link:

A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts 4

Blurb:

It’s time to fight back, and by the goddess, I will help free my people.

The Cloaked Freeway is finally in a position to effect real change, and I want so badly to be a part of it. Since I was a little kid, it’s been my dream to free my people from under the human’s rule. And now I have the chance to make that dream a reality.

But helping them means giving up so much. I have a family now—a pride—and I don’t want to put them at risk. Luckily for me, my mate wants to be a part of the revolution, too, but that still leaves everyone else.

The world is turning into chaos around us and our family is being pulled in different directions, but I know one thing for sure. The Ono-Nais are fighters, and we’ll do everything in our power to keep each other safe and help those around us.

A Ruse To Unchain Us is the fourth book in the MM urban fantasy series, The Magi Accounts. It’s recommended to read the series in order because the romance progresses through the series and it has an ongoing storyline, but there is NO cliffhanger.

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

Review: A Ruse to Unchain Us (The Magi Accounts #4) by Michele Notaro

Rating: 5🌈

What a fantastic journey it’s been.

The Magi Accounts:

🔹The Scars That Bind Us #1

🔹The Shackles That Hold Us #2

🔹A Date To Impress Him #2.5

🔹A Purpose That Restores Us #3

🔹A Holiday to Sustain Us: A Magi Accounts Holiday

🔹An Embrace To Hearten Me: The Magic Accounts 3.5

🔹A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts # 4

🔹A Heart To Revitalize Me #4.5 – September 20, 2024 (Logan and Haiden companion story)

🔹Only Unity Will Spare Us #5 – Sept 20, 2024

Buy Link:

A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts 4

Blurb:

It’s time to fight back, and by the goddess, I will help free my people.

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

Review: A Ruse to Unchain Us (The Magi Accounts #4) by Michele Notaro

Rating: 5🌈

What a fantastic journey it’s been.

The Magi Accounts:

🔹The Scars That Bind Us #1

🔹The Shackles That Hold Us #2

🔹A Date To Impress Him #2.5

🔹A Purpose That Restores Us #3

🔹A Holiday to Sustain Us: A Magi Accounts Holiday

🔹An Embrace To Hearten Me: The Magic Accounts 3.5

🔹A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts # 4

🔹A Heart To Revitalize Me #4.5 – September 20, 2024 (Logan and Haiden companion story)

🔹Only Unity Will Spare Us #5 – Sept 20, 2024

Buy Link:

A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts 4

Blurb:

It’s time to fight back, and by the goddess, I will help free my people.

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

Review: Loving Jake (Dark Forest Pack Book 4) by Annabelle Jacobs

Rating: 3🌈

I’ve been following Annabelle Jacobs wolf shifter packs from the beginning and got really invested in the world the author created and cross series she created.

But now at the end of the Dark Forest Pack, I feel that the stories and multiple characters, as evidenced by the index at the book’s beginning, has gotten so stretched out that the depth of plots and personalities that once grabbed my attention is now less apparent. Or missing altogether.

For me, Loving Jake falls into the latter category. Which is too bad.

The entire concept can be summed up as “my Alpha says so , so even though it’s evil and I hate it , I’m gonna do it”. What’s worse is that the author sets up the drama with the main couple and secondary characters knowing the Alpha is “doing WRONG “ but hey let’s ignore it. Then everything plays out based on the fact they Can’t Do anything because the BAD Alpha says so.

Now the author warns the reader the book, a total lesson in readability/frustration imo, this is the way she’s plotting it, so there’s that. It’s pack rule, do whatever the Alpha says. Even though it doesn’t happen in her other novels.

But there no point, no dimension to this plot. Just a sledgehammer of dramatic narrative up to almost the end. No real details of a love affair between the main characters or verbal declarations of their own either. Just deep feelings to counteract the plotting against them.

Everyone knows who the villain is. The last battle is a mess, and the resolution doesn’t fully answer all the questions the mystery and murder raised.

I want to give this a two star but went ahead with a 3 out of fondness for its origins which are squandered here.

So for me, at the end of the series which had so much potential, Loving Jake gave us one dimensional characters, a forced sledgehammer of a frustrating plot, and a messy ending that doesn’t really resolve anything. Really, it’s like the series lost its energies here.

If that’s a story you want to read, or if you’re a reader who needs to complete a series, Loving Jake awaits you.

Dark Forest Pack:

✓ Claiming Rhys #1

✓ Redeeming Nick #2

✓ Guarding Axel #3

✓ Loving Jake #4 – series finale

Buy Link :

Loving Jake (Dark Forest Pack Book 4)

Blurb:

Pack is family, family is everything…until it isn’t.

Max

I worried we’d ruin it all by crossing the line from friends to lovers, but kissing Jake feels as natural as breathing.

I thought we’d have forever.

I thought we could take our time.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

In this last instalment of the Dark Forest Pack series, Max and Jake need all the help they can get to break free from their alpha’s command. But there’s just one problem with that—they’re forbidden to talk about it. When breaking that rule could mean tearing their pack apart, is it a risk worth taking?

Loving Jake is an MM paranormal romance featuring best friends turned lovers with the odds stacked against them. Full of pining, suspense, and sizzling UST, with a guaranteed HEA.

For maximum enjoyment, books should be read in order.

Review: Like I Wanted (Heather Bay, #5) by Charlie Novak

Rating: 5🌈

From the moment I met this intriguing couple I wanted their story. Over the course of this wonderful series, we get just enough of each character as they’ve interacted with the core group of men that have formed the foundation of this series to get a great sense of what they look like and who they are.

There’s the tall, elegant goth owner of Winchester & Sons Funeral Directors, Laurence “Laurie” Winchester. He’s quiet but has a strong presence. Wears black but stylish clothing and with makeup to match. His best friend/closest companion of over 4 years is a someone who lives with him, works with him, doing the makeup on the clients, but also has interesting side businesses.

That’s Theo (he,they), small , beautifully femme, with painful abuse in his past, both from exes and from family rejection. His love of exotic taxidermy is as well known as his streaming gaming Twitch and MyFans porn channels. Both of which have helped him become more the person he is today. Brighter than the sun, loyal, a bit bratty and incredibly brave.

Of all the fascinating individuals Novak has created for the series, Theo and Laurie have to be both my favorites as well as the most compelling.

With Theo, there is a clear picture of past disturbing events in his life but the author is subtle about the details. We know the origins and the effects that they have on Theo, and that’s enough. Laurie, too, has some parental issues, but nothing on the level that Theo has been subjected to. While on the surface, they may have little in common, together they match.

I love the way Novak unsettles their established relationship with one statement by a friend that sets off a real exploration of who and what they really are to each other. This is helped by heartfelt discussions with members of their found family of friends. Each from the prior stories in the series who help bring clarity to their feelings about their relationship.

Japanese bondage rope play or shibari is a big element here and a excellently integrated one. Novak introduces it into the storyline and their dynamic slowly and then builds it as an important part of their relationship, letting us see how impactful it is to both men in their roles. Such a sexy, well written aspect of this romance and novel, one I loved.

Healing and reconnecting has always been a deeply rooted theme of this series. Whether it’s reconnecting with your roots and the land of the vivid world of Heather Bay or the inner world conflicts that the characters are dealing, Novak’s has them rediscovering their own unique identities and finding their own way to a future with a partner. Each through wonderful journeys we’ve been a part of.

So it’s no small surprise that a big chunk of Theo’s discarded past arrives in this finale. Read the book, enjoy every moment of this aspect of the story as I did.

All the characters gather round as well as several others from Theo’s MyFan channel. I really hope Novak has a plan for them down the line as they are such an enjoyable sexy group of men.

Heather Bay is going down as one of my favorite contemporary romance series, one that ended with a 5 star couple. I truly felt as though I knew this remarkable seaside town and its inhabitants. I’ll miss having more stories so it’s going on my to be reread list, long as it is.

That gorgeous cover is definitely delicious.

This series and this book are must reads! Check them out in the order they are written!

Heather Bay series :

✓ Like I Pictured #0.5

✓ Like I Promised #1

✓ Like I Wished #2

✓ Like I Needed #3

✓ Like I Pretended #4

✓ Like I Wanted #5 – series finale

Buy Link:

Like I Wanted (Heather Bay Book 5)

Blurb:

Roommates. Best friends. Boyfriends?

Theo and Laurie have been best friends for six years but despite doing everything together, they’ve never been anything more than best friends and roommates.

Then someone calls them boyfriends and upends their neat little world.

As the pair struggle to put a lid on their feelings, a random email from Theo’s brother throws him even further off balance and all Laurie can do is offer a niche form of stress relief. But Laurie’s support doesn’t stop at rope garters. Once the two of them fall into bed, it’s clear things will never be the same between them.

Now, Theo and Laurie must finally address the feelings they’ve tried to hide from and figure out if they really are just friends, or if there’s always been something more between them. Can they give each other everything they ever wanted?

Like I Wanted is a steamy best friends to lovers contemporary MM romance featuring a femme boy who loves zombie horror and weird taxidermy, a goth with a secret love of shibari, interfering adult entertainers, a vicar who takes no shit, and a quest for guinea pigs.

It is the fifth and final novel in the Heather Bay series and is best enjoyed as part of the series.

Please note that one of the MCs is involved in adult entertainment and chooses to remain working in the industry, with the full consent of his partner, once they’re in a relationship. For more information, please see the internal Author’s Note.

Check out the latest Carnival of Mysteries novel, You Can Do Magic by R. L. Merrill (tour and excerpt)

R.L. Merrill has a new MM rock ‘n roll fantasy/paranormal romance (bi, gay) out in the Carnival of Mysteries shared universe: You Can Do Magic. This is also book three in Merrill’s Summer of Hush series. And there’s a giveaway.

Musical prodigy Kallos Alexandrou has played his calliope for countless visitors at Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries, but his one-year residency has come to an end. Scars from a terrible tragedy in his past are the only explanation he has for his loss of speech and memory, but it’s time to move on, so when a music festival sets up next to the carnival, Mr. Ame sends him off with identification, a bottomless billfold, and a set of new clothes. Outside the carnival’s perimeter, Kal finds himself in an unfamiliar world surrounded by strange instruments and vibrant people like nothing he’s ever seen.

Ryan Wells is the troubled and celebrated lead singer of the metal band Backdrop Silhouette. He’s brought more than his share of baggage on the last cross-country Warped Tour, including harsh restrictions placed on him by his parole officer and the band’s label, but it’s the treatment from his bandmates that have him feeling unsettled. After a tough morning, he spots a strange young man playing carnival music on a keyboard backstage, and the sound takes him back to a particularly vulnerable time in his youth. Intrigued, Ryan asks the young man’s name, but he flees only to appear later as a replacement stagehand for the tour.

You Can Do Magic 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 Depression-era calliaphone, a Ouija board with a purpose, and tour bus hijinks that will warm your heart and make you gigglesnort. Reading Summer of Hush and Brains and Brawn before this book will give you the full Warped Tour experience, but You Can Do Magic can be read as a standalone as well as the other books in the shared universe. Recommended 18+.

Warnings: Mention of prior sexual abuse, off-page, no descriptions

About the Series

Welcome, everyone, to the Carnival of Mysteries! In this shared element multiverse, we invite you to partake of an array of stories by an eclectic group of authors. You’ll find action, intrigue, mystery, danger, sweetness, and sorrow, but, above all, true love! So grab your ticket, indulge in some treats, experience a few thrills, maybe have your fortune read… there is something for everyone at the Carnival!

Get It On Amazon

Giveaway

R.L. is giving away a $30 Spotify gift card with this tour:

a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47298/?

Excerpt

Chapter One
Kal

A new day breaks
Under the blue skies above
A new crowd waits
All they need is a little shove
The Carnival is here
With mysteries galore
To satisfy your cravings
To leave you wanting more
We’re here today, gone the next,
Taking along our magic and song.
Come inside, take a peek
Surprises like these won’t wait long
Here we have the fantastical calliope,
come dance with our talented Kal
His music will delight and seduce you
With the power of the siren’s call
So step right up, and don’t be shy
For his time is coming to a close
Come shimmy and shake with this talented guy
And celebrate the last of his shows…

I’d memorized the ringmaster’s introduction, though it was more sensational than I deserved. And last night’s version had a new ending, one I’d been expecting, but hearing it brought a sliver of anxiety to my bones.

The instrument I played was actually a calliaphone—a more efficient and portable version of the forced-air organ—and I’d built it myself, that much I knew. It was my voice. It spoke all I knew to say, my own words lacking. I possessed the ability to speak, but I’d mostly forgotten how, therefore I preferred to let my music speak for me. I played for the crowds. I smiled for them, but I was transparent to the onlooker.

One year had passed in this way, one year of my life, and I had nothing of my own. No friends to help, no family to love, and no safe place to lay my head away from the carnival. What would I do, where would I go, and would someone see me for me?

The boss, Mr. Ame, told me soon it would be time to move on to the next phase. I’d no clue what that meant other than I would no longer travel with the carnival. There was nothing to pack, nothing to carry, only the clothes—and the scars—I wore on my body. I would miss my calliaphone and the crowds, but I knew it was time. My stay had been healing, educational. My time taught me plenty. The carnival would go on without me and my music, on to the next place to entertain…and seduce the locals. They’d fall under the spell of my fellow travelers. Some might even be chosen to come along.

I remembered little from my time before I, too, had joined the carnival. Humiliation and regret reverberated within the structures of my cells, but I didn’t recall more than that, much less the reason for the debt that forced me into servitude. The boss took me away from the darkness, and promised to set me free one day. But what was free, what would it mean, who would I be? A musician, a man, alone? I’d forgotten my past. I’d learned all I could in this place. Would I survive what lay ahead?

I took my questions to the man in charge, the one they call Errante Ame, and he confirmed that my time with the carnival was at an end.

“My dear, Kallos,” the boss said to me. “The world has done you wrong, not the other way around. You have been a part of something important here, and we shall never forget the joy your music has brought to our clan and our guests. But now it is time for you to move on, as all in the crew must do.

It is your choice where you’ll go once you leave the perimeter, what you will do with the time you have left.

“You have been invisible to our guests for so long, adored for your playing, of course, but who you are remains unseen, unspoken. A blank canvas, a puzzle. Only you can solve the riddle of your life. The time is near when you will set out on your greatest adventure, the journey to find your purpose. Being reborn can be frightening. You will have questions, but the answers you seek can be found within yourself. All you must do is follow your instincts, and your heart’s desire. Do what you feel is right and true. Be good to yourself and your fellow creatures, and walk the path of least harm.

“When the next sun rises, you will step outside the bounds of the carnival. You will have all that you need to begin anew. By the following sunrise, our carnival will have moved on. A traveling music festival will share these grounds with us tomorrow. Perhaps you can start there.”

I knew down deep in my bones that he was correct, that something momentous was about to occur.

Author Bio

Whether she’s writing swoon-worthy contemporary romance featuring quirky, queer, and relatable characters or diving deep into the supernatural to give readers a shiver, R.L. Merrill loves creating compelling stories that will stay with readers long after closing the book. Ro writes inclusive romance for the Happily Ever After collective, contributes paranormal hilarity to Robyn Peterman’s Magic and Mayhem Universe, and pens horror-inspired tales and music reviews for HorrorAddicts.net. A mom, wife, daughter, and former educator, you can find her rocking out in her Bronco with Great Dane pup Velma, being terrorized by feline twins Dracula and Frankenstein, or headbanging at a rock show near her home in the San Francisco Bay Area! Stay Tuned for more…

Author Website: https://www.rlmerrillauthor.com

Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/rochellerlmerrill/

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/rlmerrillauthor

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rlmerrillauthor

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9828914.R_L_Merrill

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/r-l-merrill/

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/R.L.-Merrill/author/B00PI6Q1LI

Review: You Can Do Magic (Carnival of Mysteries) by R. J. Merrill

Rating: 4.5🌈

I wasn’t aware that You Can Do Magic was a part of author Merrill’s Summer of Hush series when I began reading but it’s not required knowledge for enjoying the story. Much of the background information is offered up throughout the book on the characters and relationships between the series couples that I wasn’t even familiar with the fact this was tied to another universe until the end notes.

You Can Do Magic has so much to offer on own as a standalone book. That starts with how fabulously Merrill uses the central theme of the Carnival of Mysteries. With its cast of circus characters and sideshows as a major part of the narrative here, time and again, it’s woven into the narrative pulling all the plot threads together. Starting with the power of the Carnival to protect and provide shelter to those in need, until the mysterious Ames feels it’s time for them to move on.

Kallos Alexandrou, the Carnival’s magical calliope player, is being told he’s healed and his time with the Carnival is over. What a beginning! It’s haunting, shrouded in secrecy and pain, with a young man who can’t remember, being told he’s got a new life ahead of him. How incredibly scary.

Music is the key for Kallos. To his past and his new journey forward as well. Merrill does a fantastic job in creating in Kal a person who feels like an innocent out of time , yet someone we can still emotionally connect with.

Dumped with a wallet and the ability to have within what he needs (read the book), it’s a music festival that starts his journey. And a couple of bands.

One Ryan Wells, lead singer in the metal band Backdrop Silhouette. He’s also released from prison and in recovery from substance abuse, facts that are well documented and a source of contention within the band. Especially since the cause is a serious accident which tragically changed their lives.

Merrill gets us into the head and emotions of Ryan in the tough moments back when it’s obvious he’s not going to be able to retrieve the friendships and relationships he had with the band before the accident and prison time occurred.

We get a mixture of emotional distress, connections, a sense of wonder at new things from Kal and puzzlement from Ryan and deeply moving shared experiences that build their relationship.

All while keeping an otherworldly sense that something or someone is helping to guide these events.

The closure for Kal on his past history was emotional as far as his family but a tad lacking when it came down to that which caused his pain and suffering. I thought that could have been more a more fully resolved or explained element. I was left with more questions than answers.

As for Ryan, the Carnival left him with some very serious thoughts about his future life. As the story ends on a HFN, I wonder if the author intends to do something further with this couple in mind. I’d be interested in reading more about them.

You Can Do Magic (Carnival of Mysteries) by R. J. Merrill is one of the highlights of this series. Merrill does an excellent job in incorporating the series theme into the storyline all the way through to the end. The characters are extremely well executed and the relationships are easy to connect with. Just marvelous!

And one more great cover in a group of beautiful images.

Don’t forget to check out the music link for the author’s playlist for the book. Absolutely amazing.

If you haven’t already guessed, it’s a yes recommendation.

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 Ander C. Lark❤️

✓ Roustabout by Morgan Brice❤️

✓ Assassin by Accident by E.J. Russell❤️

✓ Dryad on Fire by Nicole Dennis ❤️

✓ The Extraordinary Locket of Elijah Gray by Kayleigh Sky

✓ Smoke and Mirrors by Elizabeth Silver

✓ You Can Do Magic by R.L. Merrill♥️

◦ Sting in the Tail by TA Moore – October 4

◦ Gods and Monsters by Rachel Langella – October 25

Buy link:

You Can Do Magic: Carnival of Mysteries

Blurb:

From the author of Foreword Indies Finalist Summer of Hush and BookLife Prize Quarterfinalist Brains and Brawn comes a new installment in the series, a contemporary gay romance with a side of time travel and magic.

Musical prodigy Kallos Alexandrou has played his calliope for countless visitors at Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries, but his one-year residency has come to an end. Scars from a terrible tragedy in his past are the only explanation he has for his loss of speech and memory, but it’s time to move on, so when a music festival sets up next to the carnival, Mr. Ame sends him off with identification, a bottomless billfold, and a set of new clothes. Outside the carnival’s perimeter, Kal finds himself in an unfamiliar world surrounded by strange instruments and vibrant people like nothing he’s ever seen.

An invitation from the band Hush to ride on their bus gives Ryan and Kal a welcome distraction. They find the camaraderie and support they’ve both been craving…as well as a little magic and a fresh new romance. But personal secrets and the music business make relationships difficult to maintain, and when the tour ends, Ryan and Kal will have to make a choice: move forward together on an uncertain path, or let fear keep them from trusting that sometimes you really can have everything you desire.

You Can Do Magic 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 Depression-era calliaphone, a Ouija board with a purpose, and tour bus hijinks that will warm your heart and make you gigglesnort. Reading Summer of Hush and Brains and Brawn before this book will give you the full Warped Tour experience, but You Can Do Magic can be read as a standalone as well as the other books in the shared universe. Recommended 18+

Review: A Star So Dark and Peculiar (Tears from the Sky Book 1) by Cyan Crowe

Rating: 4.5🌈

A Star So Dark and Peculiar , the first in the Tears from the Sky series by Cyan Crowe, is also a first novel by the author for me. I’m all about storytelling that involves multiple types of shifters, mating bonds, paranormal species , and exploring the mythology that will build on their past in the series arc.

Crowe is giving the reader all that and more here. The series is dark fiction and characters that feel engaging and real are often treated as expendable, meeting their True Death unexpectedly. One at least I wasn’t prepared for. But it’s in keeping with the characterizations and relationship dynamics Crowe is developing.

Cyan Crowe does several things that are notable, most fantastic and one not so great.

First is the fact that our introduction into the world is a confusing one. That window into the past with the Crown Lords and Oracle didn’t work, at least for me. I felt that any information gleaned from those scenes could have been imparted in other ways throughout the storyline. In fact the entire book only really came together one we got into the present day.

That’s where everything starts to gel. The characters are strong, exceedingly well written, and while the reader doesn’t yet have a solid understanding of the world building, it’s parts are added as the characters interact and the narrative becomes more complex to give a larger perspective on the mystery and universe surrounding them.

It’s a brutal world overlaid with an air of civility, animalistic with a skin of humanity. Cell phone technology with fang and claw death in tandem. The author realistically portrays a divided paranormal society, literally separated by fortified walls and gates, each ruled by a different species with a similar structure and name. The immortal Crown Lion, Crown Wolf, and Crown Gryfalcon, each at the head of their respective species, then they have their Blades of the Crown. A unknown person who is close to the Crown, carries out their orders/duties as they see fit, an assassin if need be. The Blades are old and said to have some of the immortal blood in them.

This is just part of the intriguing mystery and information that the reader gathers from the narrative as we meet Gage Declan, Alpha Wolf of the City (wolf territory although other species live there). He’s considered young for the job position he’s holding but powerful in his role to easily manage his team. Gage’s character and history is a complex one, and becomes even stronger and fascinating as the book progresses. He starts off strong but the author builds on layer after layer, giving Gage remarkable depth and high intelligence while not diminishing his raw brutality .

To balance such a compelling being the author had to craft an equally complicated, magnetic personality. Crowe gives us Alpha Ethan Odin Vinci, new Alpha Lion of the Fort (Lion shifter section with other species residing). But Ethan is ancient, mysterious, and perhaps more. So they begin at a combative level to sort out a mystery plaguing both their sections and separate species.

Additionally, same sex relationships or activities are illegal and considered unnatural by law and the cultures. So events that occur are fundamentally shocking to both.

This is a great element and the way it’s handled on both sides makes sense for the two men involved from both personal and political perspectives. This is a core sea change that can, given both Alphas status and power, fundamentally change society.

Given this fact and the type of being each person is, Crowe stays true to the heart of the narrative and world the author is still rolling out in showing the reader the complex, often contradictory, intense, sometimes feral or savage behavior that resides within them, often after seemingly being pleasantly civil.

This is exciting stuff. We have a whole vampire element here that’s probably not what it appears to be. Right now they are the very big bad though.

Plus there’s things like the TEARs, a fatal illness no one knows how or why it occurs but that there’s no cure or antidote. The scenes involving people in the final stages are moving and heartbreaking.

Crowe has also assembled an excellent cast of characters surrounding the main personalities, and that seems to be expanding as well to meet the needs of the revelations of the storylines. The plot lines, many that they are, flow so fluidly through the story, picking up speed as it arrives at the main climatic battle and the jumping off point towards the next book.

Which honestly can’t come soon enough.

Except for that stumbled start, A Star So Dark and Peculiar (Tears from the Sky Book 1) by Cyan Crowe is a fantastic read. It’s exciting, full of new multidimensional characters, and imaginative storytelling. I can’t wait for it to continue.

I’m highly recommending it for all lovers of paranormal fiction and dark romance.

Tears from the Sky:

◦ A Star So Dark and Peculiar #1

Buy Link:

A Star So Dark and Peculiar (Tears from the Sky Book 1)by Cyan CroweBook 1 of 1: Tears from the Sky

Blurb:

It’s time to embrace the night and show the true might of the stars so bright…

My name is Gage Odysseus Declan.

You could say I’m a complicated man with uncomplicated needs. I’m Alpha Wolf for the City, charged with protecting my kind. I enjoy law and order, sexy times at Circus, and being left alone.

Step too close, and I’ll cut you down.

But I’ve stumbled upon a kitty cat that smells like a raging storm, a dark and peculiar chaos that I want to dominate and cuddle.

His name is Ethan Odin Vinci.

I suspect he’s the Blade to Crown Lion. The cat lives in the Castle, is crazier than anyone I’ve ever met, and is way too devious for that vain head of his.

And he’s just as alpha as me.

That’s…a problem.

The Lady Moons connected two men together, an utter blindsiding Bond. This has never happened before—it’s not our way.

Yet here I am. Here he is.

Here we are under the sky and the stars and the night, circling each other like we’re moonslit prey…

While bloodthirsty vampires take root in the City, and our people continue to die from TEARS.

But I’ve got this under control.

I am that good.

Get ready to twinkle twinkle, bitches.

The night is going to shine.

*This novel is approx. 150,000 words. This world does not contain MPreg.

*TW: Violence.

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