Category: magic

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Spellbound (The Warlock Brothers of Havenbridge book 1) by Jacob Z Flores

Dreamspinner Presents
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6425

SpellBoundBlurb
Mason Blackmoor just can’t compete with his brothers, much less his father. They represent the epitome of black magic, strong, dark, and wicked, and though Mason tries to live up to his respected lineage, most of the spells he casts go awry. To make matters worse, his active power has yet to kick in. While his brothers wield lightning and harness the cold, Mason sits on the sidelines, waiting for the moment when he can finally enter the magical game.

When a dead body is discovered on the football field of his high school, Mason meets Drake Carpenter, the new kid in town. Drake’s confident demeanor and quick wit rub Mason the wrong way. Drake is far too self-assured for someone without an ounce of magical blood in his body, and Mason aims to teach him a lesson—like turn him into a roach. And if he’s lucky, maybe this time Mason won’t be the one turned into an insect.

Not surprisingly, the dislike is mutual, and Drake does nothing to dispel Mason’s suspicion that the sexy boy with a southern drawl is somehow connected to the murder.

If only Mason didn’t find himself inexplicably spellbound whenever they are together, they might actually find out what danger hides in the shadows.

Review

Wow – this is an amazing new genre (I think) for Jacob Flores! He did a terrific job with this new series (Yay – a new SERIES!).

Mason and Drake are both high school seniors (over 18) when they meet. Mason is the leading “bad boy”, a warlock of black magic (not bad, just a different energy). Drake is the new guy, Southern drawl sticking out in the North East town in Massachusetts.

They have an instant attraction and as the book suggests, they may in fact be Spell Bound, or soul mates.

There is some dancing around their attraction but they pretty much hit it off right away. What keeps them separate is the fact that humans can’t know about Warlocks and there is something about Drake that strikes Mason as “otherworldly”.

Between making googly eyes at one another, both boys are involved in the mysterious deaths that keep popping up around town.

When push comes to shove and the danger arrives at Drake’s door, secrets get revealed and some really hard decisions have to be made.

One other big wrinkle – Mason doesn’t actually have control over his magic – though being around Drake seems to make it easier – the question is why? What will happen when Drake finds out? Will the two even be allowed to be together? What will happen to his magic if Drake and he can’t be together?

**
Though this at times feels like a YA book, it is filled with adult issues and the smexy times are pretty “adult” though not very numerous.

I think I’d call it New Adult and feel comfortable with that as a category.

The paranormal stuff is outstanding in this book – magic everywhere! I love it when the author actually USES magic in their storylines rather than having the magic only be important as regards a “mate” or significant other.

The dramatic murders and that mystery move the story along quickly but don’t overshadow the romance.

I was very impressed by this book and look forward to reading the next book SOON!

5 of 5 hearts

 

PS LOVE the cover!

5

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LifeFlight by Alexa Silver


Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6557

Daily Dose Short Story

LifeFlightBlurb
When winged paranormal Dante is injured in a demon attack, he faces certain death unless he can reach a healing spring just off the Pacific coast. With his strength waning and the demon poison infesting his system, the spring is his only hope. He never expects to find salvation in the arms of the property’s caretaker, a much younger man. Bren is fascinated by the beautiful winged man who arrives at his family’s sanctuary. He’s determined to save Dante’s life, but he’ll have to find a way to help Dante heal without infecting himself with the demonic poison, and time is running out.
Review

Bren and his brother Owen are caretakers for a paranormal healing spa.  One day a large winged creature (Dante) flies in, injured, to use the spa as he’s been wounded in a battle.

Besides finding the spa the perfect spot to heal, he also finds his mate in Bren.  Together they take their LifeFlight, the first flight between mates.

Dante is a little older than Bren, both are over 30.

I loved this! It was short, but sweet, had fun world building, included a snarky brother(Pix/Owen), used lovely paranormal magicks, all in all simply wonderful.

The author really did a great job including so much with such a small word count!  This is a great example of how a short story can really tell a big tale.

I really hope we see more of this world with dear Pixel as the MC.

5 of 5 hearts

5

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Love’s Blood (Vampire in Waikiki book 4) by AJ Llewellyn

Amber Quill Presents http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/LovesBlood.html

lovesbloodBlurb

Tem and Div, Waikiki’s hottest vampires, are settling into domestic bliss when a tornado hits Honolulu and something sinister blows in. Mysterious forces, hell-bent on abducting Tem and Div’s baby nephew—Akua, a storm demon—whisk Tem away and hold him hostage.

Devastated, Div must fight to rescue the man he loves, which involves a descent into the past, to French Vietnam, a step back in time to undo the deal he made with the devil many, many years ago—a deal to give him a second chance at love. The catch is, Div must choose between the life of the man he loves and the baby…

Review

The blurb explains the gist of it. Jimmy has to fight for the baby against the devil with whom he bartered his soul.

This story is definitely a more action filled story than the previous 2 (which were more sentimental). There is still lots of sex and the “bad guys” and the “good guys” are pretty funny. It’s a bit longer than books 2 and 3 and the complexity of the story is evident as a result.

I like that AJ Llewellyn and the characters don’t take themselves too seriously.

The ending is a nice twist and I enjoyed having all the other characters back in the storyline.

3.5 of 5 hearts

3.5

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Yes Audiobook by Brad Boney Narrated by Dan McGowan

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6509

YESAUDMEDBlurb

What if youth wasn’t wasted on the young?

On the eve of his fortieth birthday, Ian Parker is looking for a reboot. He may be the proud owner of a trendy coffee shop in Austin called La Tazza Magica, but his love life has been MIA for years. During a trip to Denver with his best friend, Mark, Ian buys an enchanted chocolate from a mysterious candy store—then wakes up from a nap two decades younger. After the initial shock, Ian realizes a quirk of the universe has given him a second chance and, with Mark’s help, he devises a plan to start over.

With a new lease on life, Ian sets his sights on handsome architect Bartley James, a regular customer at La Tazza. He pursues Bartley as Ian’s twenty-one-year-old alter ego, Ryan, with decidedly unexpected results. Joining Ryan on his adventures are Matthew, the dreamy new barista, Jeremy, the geeky high-school math teacher, and Sam, the pizza delivery boy. Even as misunderstandings and expectations collide, Ian remains determined to right his past mistakes and find his off-ramp to happiness.

Book Review (Previously posted on this site.)

I would strongly recommend that you read these books in order to fully appreciate the nuances. Brad does an amazing job of creating this “alternate” world with the Walsh brothers and laying out that time is very non-linear and to ignore all that history is silly.

Sure, technically this is a stand alone – but why? Just read the others – they’re great!

In this story we see – again – people making small decisions that have huge implications which can affect their lives (and other’s lives) and lots and lots of trivia.

I think that you are either a fan of the trivia – in this case old porn – or not – and the rapid-fire game-playing will either charm or repel you.

I find Brad Boney’s writing to be fascinating and I love his alternate world view and though I wish he’d had a different game plan – one where our MCs spend some actual time together – I always enjoy the time I spend on his books.

This was not my favorite in the series – but still an excellent book.

Audio Review

Dan McGowan is new to me as a narrator, and has not done any of the other narrations for this “almost”-series. I appreciated that he tried to make the different voices distinct and he had a lot of enthusiasm for the story, but I didn’t really care for his style, especially in comparison to the others by this author.

Overall 3.5 of 5 hearts

3.5

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The Eskimo Slugger Audiobook by Brad Boney Narrated by Michael Ferraluolo

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6453

EskimoSlugger[The]AUDMEDBlurb

It’s the summer of 1983, and Trent Days is Major League Baseball’s rookie sensation. Since he was born in Alaska to an Inupiat mother, the press have dubbed him the Eskimo Slugger, but a midseason collision at home plate temporarily halts his meteoric rise to the top.
Sent back to Austin to recuperate, Trent visits his favorite record store, Inner Sanctum, where he meets amiable law student Brendan Baxter. A skip in the vinyl of New Order’s “Blue Monday” drives Trent back to Brendan, and their romance takes them into uncharted territory. As Trent’s feelings move from casual to serious, he’s faced with an impossible dilemma. Does he abandon any hope of a future with Brendan and return to the shadows and secrets of professional sports? Or does he embrace the possibility of real love and leave baseball behind him forever? As he struggles with his decision, Trent embarks on a journey of self-discovery to figure out who he really is and what matters most.

Book review (Previously posted on this site.)

Trent is a baseball player from Alaska, thus the name Eskimo Slugger. He’s at the top of his game when he gets injured and ends up spending two weeks in Austin, TX. There he meets Brendan, a law student/record store clerk. They start as friends but once Brendan tentatively asks Trent “Is this a date?” the two acknowledge the deeper aspect of their blossoming relationship. The two immediately set sparks off one another, though neither has ever had a gay relationship before.

With some pretty funny forays into gay sex, the two explore each other and a relatively unexplored aspect to their personalities. For Brendan, being gay is something he’s pondered but been afraid of, but with the right incentive he embraces the idea and eventually decides to incorporate into his life fully and without secrecy.

For Trent, being gay means possibly (probably) the end of his career, certainly the end of his life as it stands currently, and though he’s always known he was gay, he has never let himself entertain the idea that he could actually live as a gay man.

Brendan enlists the help of Stanton and Hutch (from The Return) as “gay mentors” and together, with Bill Walsh (from The Nothingness of Ben) the group bonds, smoke a lot of weed and begin to form relationships that even death won’t end.

Ultimately, Trent has to make the biggest decision of his life: Choose baseball or choose Brendan. Perhaps the two can be together, but probably it’s one or the other.

**

By now you should have read the first two books (The Nothingness of Ben and The Return). If you haven’t – go! What are you waiting for? Technically this could be a standalone, I guess, but it won’t make a heck of a lot of sense and will leave you very unsatisfied.

If you have read the other books you know that the end of this book is really the beginning of TNOB. That, Brad Boney, is an amazing feat! Mr. Boney has managed to create this beautiful circular set of books that literally bleeds one into the other so that (as a reader) you want to just keep going round and round the merry-go-round.

I found myself referencing both of the earlier books time and again with the “treasures” that were revealed throughout this book. Without completely giving away all the secrets just know that the MCs of all three books are inter-related in various ways and little bits of their stories, past and present are slipped in throughout the story.

In The Return it was all about music – fast paced facts and quips, with Slugger it’s baseball. For me, the music was more interesting, but if you are a baseball fan this will really hit home. (See what I did there?)

I didn’t like the love story as much in Slugger as in The Return or TNOB, probably because it happens so quickly. I just never felt the emotion – especially from Brendan. Trent was invested, you get that feeling so strongly. Brendan was too standoffish for me and it made me a little sad. But… since I know what I know about how things end… he’s forgiven ☺.

I really, really enjoyed these books and was sad to see it end. I can’t say for sure, but I think that if I were to recommend a reading order I would say start with The Return, then Slugger then finish with TNOB. There may be something “missing” with that order, but I think, ultimately, it will be so much more satisfying. Or… do as the author may have intended and read it : TNOB, Return, Slugger, TNOB… and so on and so on…

Just a fantastic book all around, 5 of 5 hearts and for the series 6 of 5!

Audio
Michael Ferraluolo did an excellent job with this! I adored Charlie David and was disappointed he didn’t narrate this, the third of the series. I think the continuity would have been great. But… Michael didn’t disappoint with his performance. He has a great voice that is easy to listen to, did a nice job differentiating the characters, really got into the emotion of the story and even managed to do a nice job with the female voices.

All in all I am sticking with 6 of 5 hearts for this in either book or audio form!

amazing

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Partnership Reforged (Partnership in Blood Book 6) by Ariel Tachna

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5697

PartnershipReforgedBlurb

A Companion to the Partnership in Blood series

For two years, Thierry has wanted the one thing Sebastien’s past denies him: an Aveu de Sang. With the help of friends new and old, he has finally assembled a ritual that will give him a close approximation of the ultimate bond between vampire and mortal… if it succeeds.

Review

This is more a chapter than a book. It’s the ceremony where Sebastian and Thierry bind themselves to one another. It’s very erotic (almost a bit kinky) and very sensual and sweet at times, too.

5 of 5 hearts

5

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Aiden’s Angel by Aundrea Singer

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6430

AidensAngelBlurb

Aiden Lobo is a graduate student in a world where magic, gods, and demons are part of everyday life. After a terrible betrayal, he is cursed with a Crack in his heart, turning him into a living doorway for an ancient demon of war to come to Earth and kill millions. Aiden is rescued by his guardian angel, who seals the Crack with his own Light. As a servant of the divine, the nameless angel was supposed to kill Aiden to prevent the growing cataclysm inside him. But he loves Aiden too much to end his life, even to save the world.

Aiden falls for his guardian and names him Eskandar, but then learns to his horror that because Eskandar was created for him, when Aiden dies Eskandar will too. Aiden will do anything to keep his beloved angel safe. But with no choice except to sacrifice himself to prevent the apocalypse, he only has one option: a terrible betrayal of his own.

Review

This is a fast paced, low steam, full of maglc novel. The smexy times are more suggestive than actualized, but still very nice. The love is sincere and sweet.  The fantasy is engaging and well done.

The bulk of the story is Aiden fighting against the evil forces that are trying to come out through a gateway opened in his heart. Everywhere he turns, people he trusts are turning against him. Only his guardian angel and sidekick are completely trustworthy but the answers they give – he doesn’t want to hear.

I really enjoyed this, even without tons of hot sex, and think that those of you looking for adventure and sentimentality will like it as well.

4.25 of 5 hearts

4.5

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Immortal by Amy Lane

Dreamspinner Presents
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6353

Immortal-AmyLaneBlurb
When Teyth was but a child, a cruel prince took over his village, building a great granite tower to rule over the folk. Greedy and capricious, the man will be the bane of Teyth’s existence as an adult, but as a boy, Teyth is too busy escaping his stepfather to worry about his ruler.

Sold into apprenticeship to the local blacksmith, Teyth finds that what was meant as a punishment is actually his salvation. Cairsten, the smith, and Diarmuid, his adopted son, are kind, and the smithy is the prosperous heart of a thriving village. As Teyth grows in the craft of metalwork, he also grows in love for Diarmuid, the gentle, clever young man who introduces him to smithing.

Their prince wants Diarmuid too. As the tyrant inflicts loss upon loss on Teyth and Diarmuid, Teyth’s passion for his craft twists into obsession. By the time Teyth resurfaces from his quest to create immortality, he’s nearly lost the love that makes being human worth the pain. Teyth was born to sculpt his emotion into metal, and Diarmuid was born to lead. Together, can they keep their village safe and sustain the love that will make them immortal?

Review

I think the easiest way to review this is to say this:

  • Amy pulled no punches with this book. Though this isn’t a tragedy, it is tragic.  Though it doesn’t end happily the ending is very up-lifting.
  • This is a dark, angsty fairy tale that makes some of Amy’s other books look positively fluffy!
  • Amy, as always, is an amazing writer and delivers again with well-developed characters, amazing creativity and a smooth, gorgeous storyline.
  • If you don’t like stories written in “accents” this may bug you as she uses a “dialect” throughout the book to give it a very authentic “feel”.
  • Amy must own stock in Kleenex. That’s the only explanation I can come up to explain her ability and desire (?) to make us bawl like babies time and again.
  • People looking for a light-hearted, easy read should run far, far away.
  • Don’t read this in public (especially at work – learn from my mistake.)
  • It reminded me of her book Hammer & Air – if you liked that you’ll like this.

This isn’t my favorite of Amy’s genres – I love her contemporary work far more. That being said this is still an amazing book – Amy doesn’t write “bad” books. I recommend this book to fans of fantasy/fairy tales and fans of the “Queen” herself

4 of 5 hearts

4

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Reparation in Blood (Partnership in Blood Book 4) by Ariel Tachna

Dreamspinner Presents: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5562

reaparationBlurb

Partnership in Blood Volume 4

The war is at a fever pitch with both sides stretched to the limit, when the dark wizards score a shocking victory and capture Orlando St. Clair. Haggard with worry and grief at the separation from his lover, Alain fears that even if they find Orlando, the vampire’s heart and mind may be far too broken to save.

Knowing the Alliance teeters on the brink, Christophe Lombard, the oldest, most powerful vampire in Paris leaves his self-imposed seclusion to join the fight. Alain’s lost friend Eric Simonet, who betrayed him to join the dark wizards, is faced with a choice between revenge and redemption. And Jean, enraged by Orlando’s capture, faces the most agonizing decision in his unlife as the final battle looms: Will their actions lead to the shattering of the Alliance or the salvation of the world?

Review

This is the finale (sort of) to the Partnership in Blood series. Really, it’s the end of the war, there is still some relationship stuff to be dealt with in 3 more books that follow.
Essentially, we see the various couples moving through their relationships some more. Some more sex. Some more angst. Some more drama.

Orlando goes missing. This is a huge hurdle in this book. It takes a lot of cooperation to get him back.

After the war dies down, the focus is on the couples and what will happen next.

If I could I would tell you to NOT READ THE EPILOGUE. Personally, it really didn’t need to be there and just made me cry and cry. I got kinda mad in fact… I can’t understand why it was necessary, unless it was just one more bit of proof of the devotion between these two characters…

Anyhow, I was glad to see the war finally end and know that in the upcoming books we get to see more of these wonderful characters that Ariel Tachna has done such an amazing job of creating.

If I had to give an overall summary for the series it would be this: If you enjoy very detailed stories, with an abundance of central characters, if you don’t mind f/f and m/f storylines and you don’t mind a good cry, you’ll find this series highly satisfying.

I had to round this book down to 3.5 of 5 hearts for the Epilogue alone. Personal preference. I guess I just enjoy living in ignorance sometimes…

3.5

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Cookies for Courting by Amber Kell

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6299

CookiesForCourtingBlurb

After his sister’s death, businessman Marshall Hunter gains custody of his niece. Unused to children, Marshall struggles to connect with her. In an effort to make her more comfortable in her new home, he hires professional muralist Pace Barlow to personalize her room.

Pace is intrigued by his tiny client, and even more interested in her handsome uncle, but Pace isn’t certain he’s ready for the commitment of an instant family.

When Marshall decides to move for the sake of his niece, will he be able to keep his relationship with his young artist, or will he have to give up love to become a good father for a lonely little girl?

The love baked into an old-fashioned recipe might bring the two men together, but some things take more than magical cookies to fix.

Review

This is another installment from the magical cook book that helps people in need. In this case Marshall is a lonely, suddenly single father who needs someone in his life and help with his niece whom he is now guardian to.

Pace is the carefree artist he meets to help paint her room but finds he’s ridiculously attracted to.

Together they rapidly move through “getting to know you” to hitting the sheets to moving in together. It’s a short story and we have to just accept that between the magic in the cookies and suspending our disbelief, these men can find a deep and abiding love in a very short time.

Their chemistry is excellent and the story is short and sweet.

Overall I thought it was a nice, “light” story and if you don’t take it too seriously, a lot of fun.

4 of 5 hearts

4

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