Genre: M/M Paranormal Romance, part of The Beacon Hill Sorcerer series
Release Date: February 25, 2016
Publisher: SJ Himes
Length: 225 pages
Description: In a world where magic is real and evil walks amongst humanity, a young sorcerer is beset upon by enemies, both old and new. Angelus Salvatore is the only necromancer in all of Boston, and his name is whispered warily by the undead and fellow sorcerers alike. He and his brother Isaac are the lone survivors of an attack by an army of the undead, in which Angel used a spell so powerful it forever marked his place in history. Now, years later, Angel struggles to balance his career as a teacher of the higher magical arts, his role as big brother, and a tenuous relationship with an Elder vampire from the local clan. When his brother's boyfriend is used as a pawn in a mysterious plot to draw Angel out, Angel is once again drawn back into the old hostilities that fueled the Blood Wars and led to his family's death.
Leaning on others for help is something Angel cannot do, and while he searches for clues into who may be targeting him and his brother, Angel finds his heart steadily growing occupied with Simeon, Elder and vampire. Dealing with death magic and vampires on a daily basis may leave Angel jaded when it comes to life and staying that way, but the more time he spends fending off the ancient vampire's attention and affections, the more he realizes he wants to give in.
Can Angel find out who wants him dead, and keep his heart safe in the process? How can he fall for a vampire, when his whole family was torn apart by an army of the undead?
Death stalks the streets of Boston's historic Beacon Hill....and there is no one more suited to battle against death than a necromancer.
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OUR REVIEW
The Necromancer's Dance is a wonderful mix of romance, suspense, and magic. In some ways, with it's mix of vampires, werewolves, demons, dragons, and humans with magical powers, it reminds me of Kim Harrison's The Hollows series.
Angel is a necromancer. This means he can wield death magic, and as such, can control vampires, because they are "dead." The Boston vampire clan, of which Simeon is an Elder, both fears and reveres him. They call upon him to help him out when one of their own is poisoned by drinking from someone with even a trace of magic in their blood. The vampires would love to kill him, but then they'd die too. A fact he never lets them forget.
Angel's life energy and focused will exploded through their systems and he owned his attackers in seconds.
They stopped in macabre tableaus of arrested motion, the two who bit him and took his blood. They stood, eyes wild with fear, their bodies now under Angel's control. They had their thoughts, but he owned their actions.
And this is where things get interesting, because Simeon has been gently courting Angel from afar, waiting for the right moment to make his suit known. Unfortunately for him, Angel is just as wary of vampires as they are of him. After all, they killed his entire family, except his younger brother.
"I... " Angel lost whatever words he was going to speak, his tongue refusing to cooperate. His body knew what it wanted. His heart did too. It was his mind that left him struggling.
But before long, Angel is drawn into a plot to try to kill him, one that involves some mysterious players who have the ability to call forth a demon and curse it to never be free as long as Angel lives. Amid a series of chases, explosions, attacks, and murders, Angel finds friendship, but can he find love? Can he move beyond the hurts of the past? Can he repair his broken relationship with his brother? And can he keep Boston from descending into another war between vampires and magical people?
All I can say is that now I want a little dragon. You'll understand why by the end of the book. :)
I recommend The Necromancer's Dance to anyone who enjoys a well-written, sexy paranormal romance.
OUR RATING: 4.5 stars!
(04/01/2016)
Genre: M/M Paranormal Romance, part of the Werewolves of Manhattan Series
Release Date: March 5, 2016
Publisher: MLR Press, LLC
Length: unknown
Description: Returning from his territory in Atlanta, Gabriel Martin stumbles across a man in an alleyway who has been gang raped - his mate.
Gabriel Martin has hope. Three of the Alphas on the council have found mates in the past few years. Returning to New York from Atlanta, he comes across a human who has been raped in an alleyway. The human is his mate, Kane Brady.
Kane has been teaching at the local high school and refuses to rubberstamp the education of their star basketball players' almost paying the price with his life. He's unusual as he's a Human Omega but he can't be intimate with Gabriel because of his horrific experience.
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OUR REVIEW
Marking Kane is rather a twist on most romances, especially paranormal ones. Gabriel a powerful alpha werewolf whereas his Alpha Mate is a young Human Omega. But they are even more mismatched because when Gabriel finally finds him, Kane has just been gang raped by five males he suspects are basketball players at the school where he teaches.
Kane shivered in the cold. The walk home seemed more difficult tonight, feet dragging through the snow piles with the wind gusts almost picking him up off the ground. He kept on looking over his shoulder. Kane was sure someone was following him. Every time he glanced backward he saw shadows in doorways.
He looked around again and watched five boys in ski masks come out of an alley. they were walking quickly toward him, with seeming purpose. As they got closer, he realized that they were following him. He began to walk faster. They also picked up speed. Kane started to run.
The odds are clearly not in their favor for a typical romance. What follows is the story of how Gabriel helps Kane to heal from his ordeal, both physically and mentally.
Kane woke up cradled to Gabriel's chest. Gabriel had him pinned down with his arm. He started to have trouble breathing. He tried taking deep breaths. Kane began to gasp and shake. This is my Gabriel, not them. I have to push through this. Soon he was wheezing loudly. Gabriel moved.
"Baby, what's wrong?" Gabriel sat up.
Kane was crying silent tears. "Your arm, it held me down. I couldn't breathe." then he progressed to deep gasping sobs. "Ask the gods to change your Mate. If they are merciful, they will. I love you and I can't even let you hold me." Kane sat up, ready to run out of the room.
It is also the story of how Gabriel draws Kane into his werewolf world, a world where Kane finally finds the one thing he's been missing--a family. Among these wolves and their human mates, he is not only accepted for who he is, but loved for it as well.
"Can we go to Macy's? I know I can afford stuff there. I went before dawn and got space on the sidewalk to watch the Thanksgiving Parade this year. It was wonderful." Kane smiled at the memory.
"Macy's it is. Do you want Sean, Ian, and Colin to come?"
"Oh no, I want to buy them presents and they'd snoop. Can you help me figure out what kind of gifts to get for Armand, Rémy, and Marc?"
"You don't have to get them anything."
"Yes, I do. They encouraged Sean, Ian, and Colin to befriend me. I'm so happy to have friends in New York, friends who are gay like me. I have to thank them."
But how can someone who has recently been gang raped ever hope to have a loving physical relationship with a lusty werewolf, a relationship that is required to complete the mating bond? This is where there is some potential for disagreement by some readers. If you enjoy paranormal stories where the gods play a role in helping their people, then this is the story for you. Other readers, who prefer a more "realistic" approach may not like how Kane's healing is handled in the story.
For my part, I'm more than willing to suspend disbelief if the resolution makes sense within the world of the story. In this case, I believe it does. The Human Omega is an important member of the pack, and based on some foreshadowing about the series arc, it seems that the wolves sense an upcoming battle in which all the Alpha Mates will play an important role. Kane is potentially essential to the North American pack's survival.
OUR RATING: 4 stars
(03/18/2016)
Genre: M/M Paranormal Romance
Release Date: March 10, 2016
Publisher: Ana J. Phoenix
Length: 170 pages
Description: Seth finds himself alone at an abandoned train station, with no idea what happened, or how he got there. He boards a train, only to discover it's a special express transporting the recently deceased to their final destination. The conductor tells him he's having a near-death experience. Seth wonders if it has something to do with his violent boyfriend, but that doesn't matter. All that matters is getting the hell off the train before he actually dies. But when he spots his best friend and secret crush among the traveling dead, the urge to leave fades...
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OUR REVIEW:
For Never and Always is an amazing story of love, forgiveness, and self-sacrifice. The entire novel is eye-opening and beautifully written. The way the author weaves the world of the in-between is rich in detail, original, and, even more importantly, believable. The characters, including the secondary ones, all have poignant pasts that move the story forward. Nothing is gratuitous. I found myself spellbound, flipping (virtual) pages, and wondering how this romance would end.
"Seth?"
Seth stared at the other passenger, a heavy feeling in his stomach, like he'd swallowed a bar of iron. It couldn't be... But it was. He'd never mistake that voice for anyone else's. Sometimes, he spent whole weeks looking forward to hearing it. The other man had grown his chestnut hair out a little, but that was definitely... "Carter?"
Rest assured, For Never and Always does contain a true romance between Seth and his best friend. As their secrets and their true feelings for each other are revealed and the two men take their love to completion, we route for them. At the same time, we feel their struggle and their despair. Where can this love take them? Is it too late?
Carter dug his fingers in a little harder, betraying his frustration. "I can't even begin to tell you how much I want to get off this train with you so I could love you the way you deserve."
Seth closed his eyes and leaned back, focusing on the warmth of Carter's body, the way he smelled. "You could love me right now," he said.
"I want more than now."
And that's where the author's skill comes in. All too often in stories of the "other side," the not-quite-dead character gives up his life for his true love or some supernatural being comes in to save the day. I was hoping for something different, and in For Never and Always, I got it.
I won't tell you how this was resolved so as not to spoil the reading experience for others, but I will say that what was done is what had to be done for both characters to evolve to their full potential, to be the strongest, best people they could be. See, neither had yet learned what he needed to learn in order to fully enjoy his eternal reward.
If you enjoy beautifully written, thought-provoking stories of the "other side," you'll love For Never and Always.
OUR RATING: 5 stars!
(3/10/2016)
