Secrets Are Out! Adam, Vee, and Victor are all finally on the same page! They’re all together romantically and in battle! Bad beings beware!
This maniacally wonderful world gets even crazier in a sexy, action packed, “let all the secrets fly “ story. It’s jammed full with our fav bunch of fantastic paranormal characters from the SOS hotel, a mission to save a family that ends up becoming so much more!
In the meantime, there’s explosions, debris, lots of cleaning, Adam’s secrets are out and our favorite triad comes together, finally! With a lot of snark and sexy stuff. Love this narrative so much.
No Rest for the Wicked’s absolutely
yeets the prophecy into forward motion with astonishing speed here, also with some of my favorite scenes and conversations.
The ending is so satisfying and sets up the next installment in the series, Luxury To Die For. I’m hooked so I hope this dramatic finale gets dragged out a bit longer.
If you haven’t been reading the notes that come before and after the novel itself, you’re missing out. Check out the messages and ramblings from Adam and Vee where all the credits are listed at the beginning and the texts at the end. Priceless!
Yes, this is a must read and definitely recommended series and story. But do read the trigger warnings!
In Smoke and Mirrors, a novel in the Fortune Favors the Fae fantasy multi-author fantasy series, Kai Butler creates a group of characters and a place called Flower that just begs for a series of its own.
In what starts out as a magical undercover mission that goes sideways, Butler then takes the characters on a journey of healing, homecoming, and revelations. That it’s incredibly action-packed, romantic, and full of layered character growth and development is also what drives this story and its numbers of threads forward. We connect with them and the place. We become so invested in their journey.
Damian Reyes is our narrator. A undercover special agent for SPA, Strange Phenomenon Agency. When a barefooted Cassander,dethroned Shadow Prince of Moonlight and Whispers, runs into him ,it’s his mission that badly comprised.
The effects of which will lead Damian, Cassander in tow, back to the one place he never expected to return to, his home and family. The Reyes family, from mother Rosario, sister Candy, and the children, are realistic, well defined in their emotions, and reactions to Damian’s reappearance. The old history between them all, the perspectives on the past, and the manner in which Butler has Damian slowly start to question his own memories and ideas about his mother and his adolescence feels so raw and deep.
While it’s Damian’s growth and revelations we have the biggest window into, it’s also the reflections of Cassander’s changing as he interacts with the family and Damian that’s so important as well.
Butler’s story gives out so much more than just the insight and depth that goes into the family dynamics. The urban fantasy elements are fabulous. The coin is a major factor here and I love how the author has woven it into the storytelling.
Plus all the other characters that come together, whether they are from the bar, or the family, they have been created with care and given life as they are memorable.
So is the desert when seen through magical eyes.
More please. Much more.
A fantastic book and one universe I hope the author decides to write in again.
Cover art by Natasha Snow. I love the covers. Fabulous.
Fortune Favors the Fae – 15 books:
A Fae Coin Transported Me Into Another World and Now I’m the Gay Holy Maiden by AJ Sherwood #1❤️
The Wolf’s (Un)Lucky Fae by Michele Notaro #2 ❤️
Bound to the Wild Fae by Tavia Lark #3 June 13❤️
The Sorcerer’s Thief by Lee Colgin #4 ❤️🔷
The Fae Menagerie by Edie Montreaux #5
Never Darling by Sam Burns #6
Prince of Poison by Alice Winters #7 ❤️
Grave Misfortune by Nazri Noor #8 ❤️
Fae for Pay by Meaghan Maslow #9 – July 23,2024
Kisses at the Crossroad by Morgan Lysand #10
Smoke and Mirrors by Kai Butler #11 ❤️
Siren in the Rain by Chloe Archer #12 – Aug 15,2024
I Destroyed the Elf Prince’s Harem by Jocelynn Drake #13 – Aug 22,2024
A Fae Called Wylder by Michelle Frost #14 – Aug 29,2024
Lucky or Knot by Eliot Grayson #15 – September 5,2024
Secret Agent Damian Reyes has two problems: he just lost his job and now he’s babysitting a deposed prince.
When Damian ran straight into a firefight to save an attractive civilian, he didn’t realize he was also sacrificing the career he’d spent twelve years building for a man whose flirting is only slightly less lethal than his blades. Now they’re stuck in Damian’s childhood bedroom as he tries to salvage his job, avoid his mother, and keep Cassander from getting murdered.
Oh, and a phenomenally powerful magical coin has decided it wants a ride in Damian’s pocket. At some point, his luck has to change, right?
Smoke and Mirrors is a part of the multi-author series, Fortune Favors the Fae. From spicy to sweet, zany romps to epic adventures, there’s something for everyone in this mystical series. Discover destiny and true love and follow the coin on its fickle journey to the next world and a new magical adventure.
Humility is the finale book to Lark Taylor’s Connections series and it’s definitely worth the tissues needed to read it.
While on the surface, it’s about two commitment phobic best friends finally understanding each is the others HEA, the underlying issues, a heart wrenching event, and the backstories are the reasons that will have you reaching almost nonstop for the tissue box.
Riley, human with a history of a human stalker and dysfunctional parenting, is a series staple as he’s a best friend of Matty (Justice #2). Danny, wolf shifter firefighter, is a wounded soul with a broken history that’s revealed in this book. He too has had many scenes throughout the series as a best friend/ co firefighter with Leo (Patience #1). So we’ve been given glimpses of both characters in the preceding novels as they helped their friends through to resolving their problems and getting their mates.
With Riley and Danny , they meet, immediately click before having intense sex. Best ever. But because of various factors, each has resolved to stay commitment free. So it’s buddy only.
Until it’s not.
Taylor skillfully leads the characters through a heart wrenching and life changing event. The aftermath of which forces revelations of the past, old wounds come to light, and they journey back to Scotland where it all began for Danny , in his pack.
Lark creates a number of new and interesting characters to inhabit this new location in Scotland, and perhaps, one that will travel back to England to meet the rest of the paranormal group that resides there. Logan is an amazing shifter.
This ends one series but launches two more. One about the Seraphim and one about the wolf shifter we met in the book.
There was an absolutely wonderful epilogue that I hope gets a follow up in some way to let us see what happened next. With everyone.
Put this series on your list, including the finale. But read them in the order they are written.
Two commitment-phobes. One ridiculous plan. A decision that changes everything…
Riley
If a no-strings hookup is required, then I’m the perfect guy.
When I meet Danny, I can’t believe my luck. A sexy wolf shifter who’s also a fireman? Who runs from relationships just as fast as I do? Sign me up.
The night that follows is one for the history books, and the best part? Neither of us is looking for a repeat.
That doesn’t mean we don’t see each other again. Without even realising it, we become friends. Friends who do everything together.
Everything with Danny is perfect, but when I start to yearn for more from my hookups, I know something needs to change.
So I come up with a plan. A genius plan. I sign up for an app that arranges anonymous encounters. No names. No faces shown.
No danger of pesky feelings getting involved.
What could possibly go wrong?
Danny
Unlike Riley, my desire to avoid a relationship has nothing to do with commitment issues.
Taking a mate would mean returning to the clan who betrayed me. I’d have to leave behind this life I’ve built, a life I’m very happy with. One where Riley occupies most of my free time.
Everything is going swimmingly until Riley tells me his plan. His genius plan, he calls it. He can’t see it for what it is—an idiotic idea that’ll land him in danger.
I can’t let him go through with it. My wolf won’t allow it. Problem is, Riley’s as stubborn as they come. Once he’s decided on something, there’s no changing his mind.
Not wanting him in danger, I realise there’s only one thing I can do. One thing that’ll keep Riley happy while also keeping him safe.
I can be his anonymous hookup.
It’s idiot-proof. At least, it would be, if I wasn’t an idiot.
Turns out Riley isn’t the only one who should be scared of hooking up and realising you want more.
Humility is the thrilling fourth instalment in the Damned Connections series and can be read as a standalone. Featuring a wolf shifter x human pairing, this spicy MM PNR romance will make you laugh and cry. Each book follows a different couple with a guaranteed HEA.
Through four incredible books, we’ve been with Cleric Chih as they have journeyed through the country, on their mission of collecting stories and memories of those they encounter. Enduring much, Chih has ventured through vast stretches of plains, traveling through haunted woods and eerie misty swamps to meet, or listen of mythical beings, whether it’s a Pig Man, ancient royal ghostly servants, or deadly Tiger sisters. They’ve been the temporary companion of a group of scouts and their young northern mammoths as they navigated the harsh weather and bandits through the high winter mountain passes. Each and every trail and story full of cultural references, ghosts, mythical creatures, and historical legends. Scary, emotional, thought provoking, and moving tales that left Chih moving onto the next road and new destination.
Chih, along with the hoopoe Almost Brilliant, a neixin, a companion sentient species that remembers everything. A race of beings that author Nghi Vo has done an incredible job in creating and now expands on here with Cleverness Himself, Almost Brilliant, and the unforgettable Myriad Virtues.
Now they’re finally returning home. After four years journey, Chih has returned home to the Singing Hills Abbey, a place that the reader has only heard about from Chih’s memories, references, and conversations with others. Including those with Almost Brilliant.
And we are there in what turns from a incredibly joyous anticipatory moment into one of surprise, then unsettled
Once inside the ancient Abbey, Chih faces momentous challenges and change. Outside the gates, the secular world is demanding that the clerics submit to immediate demands. Inside those walls, they face the recent death of their Divine(Abbot)Thien, who since their arrival had been everything to Chih, father, teacher, mentor, and leader.
Mammoths at the Gates becomes a beautiful, quietly powerful story about grief, death, and what loss does to one. About mourning, processing grief, and how that very experience can be transformative.
Its a profoundly poetic story. In encapsulates within a dramatic narrative, many fundamental truths, that the person one has known can often be someone completely different in another part of their life, that everyone holds within them a variation of truths that effect how others perceive them.
For each one ,memory layered within their personal beliefs, lives, as well as what they think they knew about that individual. Memories with the ability to wound, to salve, to create a new perspective and a new beginning.
It’s the deceased Thien, who divides and powers the story. Remnants of his former life are fiercely making demands outside the ancient Abbey gates. Inside the gates and beloved stone walls,are those who were deeply involved in his later clerical years , the clerics and neixin, all who are mourning him and divided over how to handle their grief, loss. Along with all the warriors at the gates.
Chih’s emotions, their friend and acting Divine, Ru, the neixins whose deep connections to their clerics is revealed and fully explored here, as well as those fierce women from the deceased Thien’s former secular life.
Cleric Chih, that gentle nonbinary cleric, is seen in their full present own world for once. In vividly descriptive scenes, the author introduces us to the almost mythical world of the Singing Hills Abbey,from its still war stained stone walls to the old cook handing out the food Chih hopes for and gets to eat upon their return. It’s incredibly believable and richly detailed, from the rooms, kitchen and meals, to the highly imaginative aeries of the neixin.
The ending was so entirely unexpected and yet so memorable. It’s in keeping with the series, and the spirit of this story and unique universe.
There’s another tale coming. So like cleric Chih I’ll be enthusiastically venturing forward into the next journey with them and whatever hoopoe they travel with.
The Singing Hills Cycle and author Nghi Vo have won many awards. They are richly deserved. Memorable characters, remarkably emotional and thoughtful storytelling combined with a multitude of mythological and historical elements.
Finalist for the Nebula Award for Best Novella; shortlisted for the Lambda Literary Award, the Locus Award, the Ignyte Award, the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction; One of Book Riot’s Best Fantasy Debuts of All Time; A Milwaukee Journal Best of 2023 Pick; A Recommended Reading List Pick for Locus; A Powell’s Best of 2023 Pick
“Both tear-jerking and gut-punching. . . . Entirely accessible on its own, it is an excellent place to start if you haven’t read any of Vo’s novellas yet.”—The Washington Post
The wandering Cleric Chih returns home to the Singing Hills Abbey for the first time in almost three years, to be met with both joy and sorrow. Their mentor, Cleric Thien, has died, and rests among the archivists and storytellers of the storied abbey. But not everyone is prepared to leave them to their rest.
Because Cleric Thien was once the patriarch of Coh clan of Northern Bell Pass–and now their granddaughters have arrived on the backs of royal mammoths, demanding their grandfather’s body for burial. Chih must somehow balance honoring their mentor’s chosen life while keeping the sisters from the north from storming the gates and destroying the history the clerics have worked so hard to preserve.
But as Chih and their neixin Almost Brilliant navigate the looming crisis, Myriad Virtues, Cleric Thien’s own beloved hoopoe companion, grieves her loss as only a being with perfect memory can, and her sorrow may be more powerful than anyone could anticipate. . .
“A remarkable accomplishment of storytelling.”—NPR on The Empress of Salt and Fortune
“Nghi Vo is one of the most original writers we have today.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid on Siren Queen
They’d always suspected there might be something special about Willow Lake, and now there isn’t just magic in the air, but love too!
If only all the jerks in the world would leave them alone, everything would be perfect… “
Cats Never Fly is the fourth book in Lori Ames Willow Lake Supernatural series, where fated mates find each other, but not before they’re involved in the series (and town’s) ongoing conflicts, mysteries, and magical criminal investigations.
I never know who Ames is focusing on next at the end of the last book. All threads lead to a certain individual but that doesn’t seem to be the one who “spoke” to her. So it’s Simon, the cat shifter who made minor appearances that’s getting his story and fated mate here.
Honestly it turns out to be a wonderful choice and a great story in terms of character development, new intriguing elements introduced, and a overall expansion of the series thread and arc mystery.
Simon is a particularly interesting being. When Simon showed up in other books, he wasn’t an appealing figure. A timid creature who looked out for himself. Here where we can hear his voice, its different. Simon’s actions are now hard to determine if he’s being overly cautious, truly fearful, or if something undefined is actually determining the course of his activities. He doesn’t seem cowardly, but his personality maybe stem from ingrained patterns of his family’s beliefs, ones that drive him away from the direction he often knows or feels is the right one to take. It’s frustrating at the beginning but deeply satisfying to be invested in as Simon grows and strengthens as a person and part of a relationship.
Simon is the strongest character here and makes the greatest strides in development. Dragon Ogden Walsh, a singing, passionate, albeit ancient , fated mate is a fascinating character but has less of an emotional journey here. I wished we had more of him with regard to his abilities and personal experiences, especially given the trauma he has to go through. Ames does a really great twist in making Simon, a cat shifter, the physically larger of the two people in human form, while Ogden, the ancient powerful dragon, is the smaller, colorfully dressed man. Yet shifted, it’s the opposite that’s true. That dichotomy impacts their dynamic in interesting ways throughout their relationship and their storyline.
The ongoing supernatural trafficking investigation and storyline introduces several new elements and characters in Cats Never Fly while expanding further into the series arc and villainy. It potentially opens up a new dimension and pairing who I hoped would come next.
Unfortunately, per the author’s note, yet another one has spoken out first. Hayden, the would be Alpha looks to be next.
Either way, I’ll be there to grab up the book. I’m absolutely invested in Willow Lake, its inhabitants, the magic and its fated mates storylines.
Protect his nine lives. Check. Find a pretty treasure. Check. Summon a dragon. Ch– Wait, what?
Cat shifter Simon refuses to jeopardize any of his nine lives, thank you very much. That saying “curiosity killed the cat” won’t ever apply to him. No way, no how.
Except…
When he’s out hunting for field mice one night, he finds the most wonderful whistle. It’s magical and intriguing and so very, very pretty. He knows he should return it, but what’s the worst that could happen if he blew on it first? Just once.
Months later, he finally has the courage to do just that, and when he does, the craziest thing happens. He summons a dragon, of all things.
Now what is he supposed to do? Particularly when Simon would rather keep the gorgeous dragon shifter than send him back to where he came from…
Tags: MM Fated Mates Paranormal Romance, a scaredy cat who needs to find his inner lion, a flirtatious dragon, more caged supes, gray sweatpants, shiny magical whistles do amazing things, cats don’t fly, having nine lives is the best, are ‘50s songs better than ‘80s songs?
Note: This book will be best enjoyed if you’ve read the first books in the series.
The Turning of the Tables by KM Avery begins Seth Mays connecting trilogy of the Beyond the Veil series, a journey that’s got a perspective on the Arcanavirus we’ve not seen before.
KM Avery ‘s Beyond the Veil universe is a dark, highly complex world. It’s steeped in harsh human fears against those who are different, a divergence that has resulted from the Arcanavirus that’s wiped out a portion of the world’s population, the remaining population that has been exposed and is affected can change in otherworldly ways. Maybe they can hear the dead or maybe they’re a vampire.
In its wake , the world and society roils with bigotry, specism, racism, an increasingly amount of hatred based acts, as well as inflammatory politics that seem so dangerous and familiar these days. Read the author’s Notes on the universe information and trigger warnings before the book begins.
More so than any other books, except for Ward’s, Seth’s story , his beginning, has really moved me. Avery manages to so realistically, and with devastating exquisite clarity, covey a portrait of this gentle, sweet man coming physically, mentally, and emotionally apart in every aspect of his life. Just when he thought he had reached a good and satisfying point about his career, friends and family.
The pain is so intense as Avery does a deep emotional dive into the internal life of Seth Mays . Its from Seth’s point of view that we see his life , the events, the unthinkable aftermath, alongside a complicated, horrifying investigation, and the introduction of Elliot Crane, badger shifter, best friend of Hart, into Seth’s world.
Elliot arrives to craft a summoning table for Ward and an intense relationship is struck up between Seth and Elliot. One that is notably temporary due to their differences in locations and current circumstances, but that’s not how this works.
We know Elliot from Val’s books but we get a deeper understanding of him here even without reading his POV. Avery gives the reader a perfect window into this character, an insight into how the relationship between them is effectively changing him too. And it’s done, part way, through a series of texts. Some sent casually, others during the worst moments of Seth’s life.
The Turning of the Tables (Beyond the Veil Book 7) by KM Avery brilliantly follows Seth as through a journey so moving and engaging that often times, I found myself having to pause in my reading because I was so wrapped up in Seth’s story that I needed a moment to reflect.
Here a life is changed so profoundly it’s shattering, both for the character and for the reader.
The ending? Exactly what it should be. Hopeful. And now I’m exhausted but ready for the next book and step forward for Seth . That’s The Badger in his Burrow, no release date yet.
If you haven’t read this series yet, start reading it. It’s a must read in its entirety. Read them in order to understand the characters, their stories and relationships, the evolution of this world in terms of politics and magic. It’s complex, highly addictive, ingenious, and often dark as well as beautifully written.
I try to be an easygoing kind of guy, but sometimes things happen that really throw you for a loop. It turns out that meeting a certain badger shifter is one of those things.
I’d agreed to pick him up at the airport to help out a friend, and I had no idea what I’d gotten myself into. I figured I’d pick him up, drop him off at his hotel, and that would be that. Instead, I can’t stop thinking about him—and it doesn’t help that he keeps texting me, asking for my help.
The other problem is… he lives a thousand miles away and is only going to be here for a few weeks. Except that it hasn’t taken long for me to fall hard for those hazel eyes and white-streaked hair. To say nothing of the callouses on those strong hands.
I should be paying attention to work—to the killer using the Arcanavirus as a murder weapon—but I keep getting distracted by thoughts of Elliot Crane. Hopefully that doesn’t come back to bite me in the butt.
Who am I kidding? Everything comes back to bite me in the butt. And not in a fun kind of way, either.
I’ve been desperately waiting for this book since Erasmus Boone , the Necromancer, and Aurelia, the djinn made their first appearances in the fabulous Perfectly Pixie series. Now, tied by past events , and magical connections, Erasmus and Aurelia have their own unique series, along with Erasmus’ human mate/romantic partner, Detective Franklin O’Hare.
Deadly Lineage is a superb introduction to Erasmus and Aurelia if you’re not already familiar with them from the previous series. May beautifully develops the storyline around Boone’s family, Boone’s neighbors and location, the necromancer history, and gives us new well defined characters in terms of the local MS police force where Detective Franklin O’Hare works and the investigations that come into play.
Boone’s complicated family just happens to include Nikodemus Holland , the feared, powerful warlock, father to Erasmus and his mother, Lydia Boone. May’s characterizations are well developed, vividly described and layered with personality. It’s doesn’t matter whether they’re human or paranormal, they’re believable in their love and concern for their son.
The Mississippi location is steeped in Southern sweet tea, wrap around porches with light blue ceilings, fans constantly swirling amidst the summer sweltering heat. The paranormal crimes committed are horrifying. The intense murder investigations are suspense filled and terrifying, and the romance between Erasmus and Franklin slowly burning.
Aurelia is an absolute gem of a character. A djinn who doesn’t act or even speak as anything other than what she is, an immensely powerful being, ones who has lived through the worst of origin stories and centuries of ownership. Each appearance sees more unexpected moments with her. More development, more revelations.
There’s so many great elements in this story. Whether it’s the side cases that Erasmus takes, his incredible neighbor, Mrs. Hart, and her tiny dog, Miss Pattycakes, each are a narrative treasure.
I was ready for book two as soon as this one was over. I love the universe, the characters and crossovers with the Pixies, and everything new May is creating here for Erasmus, Franklin as well as Aurelia.
This is a must read, as it the series before it. Highly recommended!
Shunned by most species and abandoned by their warlock fathers, necromancers are marginalized, feared, and reclusive. Erasmus Boone is different. His warlock father chose love instead of abandonment. Unusually powerful and talented, Boone’s embraced his necromantic abilities and managed to carve out an existence within a world that would rather he not exist at all.
Humans aren’t the most respected species. Hell, they’re just a step above termites in the eyes of most. Detective Franklin O’Hare has never taken derision towards his humanity to heart. Determined to do the best given his human limitations, Detective O’Hare does whatever it takes to right the wrongs of the world—no matter the species concerned—even if that means working with a necromancer. Besides, Erasmus Boone isn’t so bad. In fact, he’s temptingly perfect.
Seeking solace after a difficult case, Boone walks the typically peaceful gravesites of Trinity’s Holy Cross Cemetery. The gentle hum of contented, long-dead souls ease Boone’s mind—until he’s hit with an unearthly cry unlike any he’s heard before. Unfortunately, that first soulful cry isn’t Boone’s last, each wail revealing a disconcerting pattern. There’s a serial killer in the wind, and their murders are resulting in souls with painful, missing pieces, leaving their voices incoherent and
indecipherable.
Boone and O’Hare must work closely together if they’re going to stop the killings. O’Hare learns quickly that keeping Boone safe from disgruntled clients and serial killers is a never-ending and nearly impossible task.
As O’Hare and Boone grow closer, so does the killer. They need to figure out who’s indiscriminately murdering seemingly unrelated species, and why the victims’ souls are devastated beyond repair, before Boone becomes another victim on the ominous list.
Deadly Lineage is the first book in the Necromancer Tales series. This series is a spin-off of the Perfect Pixie series and takes place in the same world but can be read as a stand-alone. Deadly Lineage is a M/M romantic fantasy mystery with an unusually sane necromancer just trying to make a living, a humble human detective attempting to ignore his attraction to the aforementioned necromancer, an arrogant but redeemably overprotective warlock father, a twisted serial killer, a questionably agreeable all-powerful djinn, damaged souls, humans-some redeemable and some not, a steamy Mississippi summer, and far too much sweet tea. Deadly Lineage has a HFN ending.
Mentions of violence, murder, souls bruoght back from the beyond, speciest bigotry, and a few characters of questionable morals and sanity.
Dance on Ice completes R. J. Scott and V. L. Locey’s terrific Chesterford Coyotes trilogy. It’s been a wonderful, warmhearted YA hockey series that’s had its crossovers with some of these authors other LGBTQIA hockey romance series and characters. So it’s fitting that it ends with appearances with some of those characters as well, in impactful roles and memorable scenes.
Shaun Stanton, the hockey player for the Chesterfield Coyotes and Kenji Kelly, who used to play hockey but is now a figure skater, are the last couple who finish out the series. Each has a huge amount of baggage they are carrying into this book as it begins, their storylines have been smaller threads previously written about.
For Shaun, he’s got a bigoted, homophobic, angry bully of a father who’s pushing him on the ice, making him afraid for himself and his mother. And to speak out about his feelings about his own dreams and awakening bisexuality. This includes his long held feelings for Kenji
For Kenji, he’s under the influence of an abusive Russian skating coach who has unrealistic expectations of his skaters, including their ideal weight. And it’s worsening Kenji’s previously diagnosed eating disorder, a situation he’s hiding.
These are serious, sensitive issues and the authors have given them just the right amount of detail and attention here with each character. We see the emotional impact on the characters, their families, and lives. The story and romance beautifully weaves the steps taken to help each character understand what the impact each abuse is having upon them, as well as the journey they take to get the help they require together.
It doesn’t matter if it’s the hardest steps confronting an abusive parent or having others intervene to get them through a bad situation and make sure it doesn’t happen again. It all plays out realistically and with regard to how we think it might work out in real life.
At the end are certain people immediately forgiven or have they found redemption? No, it’s a journey. I appreciate that. Is this a HEA? No, they are kids, so they are looking at dances, and what if’s. And that’s how it should be too.
I think what I really loved about this is the acceptance. Their once rock solid paths at the beginning of the book looked so very different at the end. The boys were different. So much had changed. Shaun and Kenji were still learning about each other and themselves so their dreams for the future were changing too. Kids and adults often forget that paths are meant to change when they do. That a new course can be taken.
What an amazing story and message.
I absolutely recommend this book and series. It’s a gem no matter what age you are.
Adorable cover art. Cover design by Sarah Chreene.
For the figure skater and the hockey player, their sport demands total devotion, but can falling in love come first?
In hockey-obsessed Chesterford Academy, Shaun Stanton stands out as the star player and captain of the Chesterford Coyotes, and his exceptional skills have already attracted the attention of NHL scouts. He lives and breathes hockey, but there’s more to his story. His father wants Shaun to be the star he never was, and their relationship is a complex mix of guidance and intimidation. Worse, while hockey is Shaun’s sanctuary and a key part of who he is, he harbors a secret his dad can never discover: Shaun is gay He’s caught between the future career he’s destined for, and the truth he has to hide. There’s one bright light in his life, the vibrant figure skater who shares the early morning practice ice, a friend he worries about, but has now become something more—Kenji is everything
Shaun wants and can’t have.
Kenji Kelly is a young man who walks two worlds: his family is a beautiful mix of American and Asian cultures. He loves both figure skating and hockey, and he’s an out and proud pansexual teen. While it seems to the world around him he has it all, deep down Kenji has a secret that’s slowly becoming harder to conceal. His life is the ice and his coach does not believe in failure. The one person who knows his hidden secret is Shaun, the captain of the Coyotes and a friend from youth hockey days. Shaun’s gaze towards Kenji, once filled with concern, now seems to hold something deeper, unsettling Kenji but also igniting similar giddy, burgeoning feelings in him. As their feelings for each other become stronger, the secrets both young men carry grow heavier and more distressing with each passing day.
Sam Burns is such an amazing prolific fantasy writer that I’m reading several new series from her while discovering ones from her backlist I’ve not yet started. And yet here’s another fabulous book that welcomes in a new incredible universe full of political intrigue, four magical ruling families, and a crisis that’s falling upon the land.
I’m so in.
And immediately invested as the entire book and multiple storylines plays out during a politically charged, emotional, and often potentially violent meeting between the heads or representatives of each ruling family.
Each story is about a different family. Burns starts with the family or what’s left of the Gloombringer family. That’s aging, cold, often nasty Oberon and his wounded younger sister Titania in their ancient large household. While we are deeply involved with this duo, their history, and their tangled relationships with the rest of the other rulers, it’s Adair Courtwright, and Rain Moonstriker that’s the central pairing here.
Adair Courtwright who’s powerfully talented in his ability to see life connections, bonded to moon tear Rhodri, and through his family legacy, is in service, as was his father, to Oberon Gloombringer. And Rain Moonstriker, who has shown up at the four-ruling family summit as the Moonstriker representative, bringing his own team and plenty of his mother’s agendas and secrets.
The Moonstriker family is large in size, intellectual in temperament, isolated and held in somewhat fearsome regard, mostly due to Rain’s mother and uncle’s power. Burns gives the reader several intriguing glimpses into a couple of Rain’s siblings, which only makes us want more of each of them. Rain is well developed individual assisted by his own bonded stones. His romantic relationship with Adair is one that needs to be understood by reading it as it’s layered with Adair’s personal story. It absolutely works, and they are assisted by those around them.
An occurrence that happens again and again as other different people appear during this meeting, as family members or employees. Each one is so well defined, uniquely themselves with a backstory that cries out for greater exploration, that this novel alone would weigh a ton would that happen.
I honestly forgot about the timeline here, as I was so caught up in the various drama plots, the romance between Adair and Rain, and the fact that this summit is headed for disaster with no stopping it. Just fabulous.
So many creative moments and imaginative elements that Burns has written into her story and universe. It just captures the reader’s attention and own imagination too. One of my favorites?
Burns has also created sentient stone, crystals of various ages, that bond with humans, gifting them with various forms of abilities depending upon the type and nature of each stone. This is a devastating aspect of the world, because it both has the capacity to elevate or subordinate a person’s status, especially as they have no choice over what stone bonds with them. They are simply great characters themselves, and I can’t wait for the author to explore this further.
I can’t wait for Dawnchaser to be released. I need to know what happens next! This is a must read, especially for lovers of fantasy fiction.
For decades, the four families who rule the Summerlands have been locked at an impasse. No one is fighting, but neither has anyone been speaking.
We don’t have time for that anymore.
Mount Slate, the volcano that sits in the middle of the Summerlands, is threatening to erupt, and only the four family heads working together can avert disaster.
As the right-hand man of the Gloombringer, it’s been up to me to convince first my boss, and now the rest to put aside their differences and work together for the good of the world. The problem is that not everyone is all that interested in the good of the world—not unless they get something out of it. Even worse, I now find myself distracted by the Moonstriker’s envoy, Rain. He’s intelligent and handsome and for the first time in my life, I’m struggling to focus on work. But I have to.
It’s up to us to save the world.
If we can.
Gloombringer is the first of four books in The Summertide Chronicles, featuring one right hand man trying to save the world, one future family head trying to seduce him, one woman badly in need of another drink, and a plethora of people trying to keep them from their goals. It ends with Rain and Adair’s HFN, but also contains an overarching storyline that will follow the entire series.
Silver & Gold finishes the wonderful Seth and Raider duology by Katherine Diane and I’m so sorry to see such an exciting, well written adventure come to an end.
This series was my first introduction to Katherine Diane and Silver & Gold just established her as an author I will put on my must read list. The world building here is amazing, rich in various cultures, vibrant in sociological aspects of each country, and deep in the many mythical creatures and beings met here.
That’s just in the layers of foundation that the characters and storylines are threaded into as they go through their epic journey to find the villains, a mystical item, and a truth about Raider’s existence.
Diane does a fantastic job in telegraphing the horrors that have happened to Raider to make him full of quicksilver without being graphic in details. She lets the reader’s imagination become the foundation for the horrors of his past instead of letting a narrative slip it definitively into his scenario. This is more subtle and terrifying in my opinion.
Silver & Gold brings fascinating new insights and characters, particularly Julian, the young arcanist, and the ifrit Adavasti. I really need a new series that uses this pair as a central element.
There’s so many outstanding new details and magical elements that I wanted Diane to halt certain threads to explore the new things she just introduced. Whether it’s the type of carriages or new desert creatures, everything feels deserving of greater exploration. Or any of the related religions she created here that we saw temples for, right down to the riches and guards.
If I had any quibbles, it’s that this series could easily be expanded to include more books just due to the richness of the world and its inhabitants. Everything begs for greater understanding and attention. And more journeys.
The wounded, passionate dynamic between Seth and Raider feels like it’s just beginning as they set out on the next step in their lives. I want more of them too.
I really hope both are in our future. This duology is highly recommending. Just make sure to read them in the order they were written.
The revelations about Raider’s past have turned Seth’s simple manhunt into a complicated mess. He’s stepped into a tangled web of arcane mysteries and political machinations. As an experienced Curator for the Arcanum College, he can handle that. What he can’t quite handle is his feelings for Raider. There’s love—gods, he can’t deny that—but Raider’s lies have made a mess of Seth’s heart, his principles—and everything else. Because Raider himself is at the very center of this tangled web.
Raider has been running from his past for ten years. (And what was wrong with that? A strong cup of raaki, a bit of music, a gorgeously scowling Curator—what more could anyone want?) The past, however, has finally caught up with him. And if Raider wants to keep his gorgeously scowling Curator alive and well, he’s going to have to face those old nightmares—because he and Seth need each other.
Only together can they navigate the treacherous court of Empress Zarina. Only together can they survive a dangerous new mission that will take them deep into the unknown reaches of the Sands, where mythical creatures and ancient mysteries await.
Silver & Gold concludes the high-heat fantasy adventure begun in Silk & Sand. Get ready for more fabulous locations and deeper, darker secrets. And of course, all the action, humor, and sexy intensity that only these two gorgeous, complicated, irresistible men can deliver.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 