I love those superpowers that are barely superpowers or that are so mediocre it’s like, come on, universe, why even waste time bestowing that gift? Surely there’s more important tasks you could spend time on. What springs to mind for examples are:
Moist from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, who slightly wettens things
The main character from Treasured who can look a few seconds into the future, even though waiting a few seconds achieves the same thing. (You can check out my review for this book here!)
The Invisible Boy who can only turn invisible if people aren’t watching him from Mystery Men. (sorry because this reference is practically ancient by now.)
In general, invisibility seems like one of the worst, least wished for superpowers ever. And when John Hyde stops feeling overlooked and becomes literally overlooked while turning invisible, he’s stumbled onto one of those ‘meh’ superpowers in my Vella novel Invisi-bi-lity.
Mostly, invisibility is good for spying on people. Which is extreme nosiness, bordering on creepy voyeurism. If you wanted to rob banks or commit crimes, your face wouldn’t show up on cameras. But then we’re entering criminal territory and I’d imagine you’d still need skill at criming to get very far.
Questionable superpowers are only the start of John’s problems in the novel. He’s also having trouble coming out as bisexual because some of his friends think being bi doesn’t really exist. He’s talking to his sympathetic friend Sky in this scene.
~
“When people wanna overrule who another person is, I’m a little sensitive to it. Who has the right to dictate someone else’s truth?”
Somewhat comforting words. Except why didn’t she speak up in there?
“Look, I should be a braver person.” She sighs. “But I don’t wanna rock the boat. It’s a lonely thing, isn’t it?”
“What?”
“To be among your own people and still not understood.” From her knowing stare and the sad little smile on her face, I almost wish she couldn’t see me.
Aaron is an eager young homeowner who wants to make his first home perfect in The Werewolf’s Heart. But he’s missing one vital ingredient. Here’s a quote from the novel to celebrate the book’s release on May 9.
This was my first real home ever. Or it would be one day, but there was one thing missing.
Taking stock of my finances when preparing to invest in a home and piling up my possessions put things into perspective and allowed me to evaluate my life. While largely on the right track, the romance department left a gaping hole in my otherwise promising future.
What would really make my new house feel like a home was the right man to share it with.
When a werewolf’s heart belongs to a man in danger, how far will a supernatural detective go to save the one he loves?
Aaron Honeywell has almost everything he needs to turn his new house into a home, except for the right man to share it with. His sexy new neighbor Meritt seems like just the guy until he saves Aaron from a handsy stranger with glowing eyes, revealing that he’s more than man—he’s a werewolf.
Meritt Slate has worked some challenging cases before, but this is a whole other level of difficulty. The detective is stuck undercover in suburbia to lure out whoever is abducting werewolves. And his alluring neighbor is quite the distraction. Fighting his desires and doing his job has never been a problem before, but it’s possible he’s finally found someone worth settling down for.
But the dangers lurking outside their cozy street are getting closer to home. Kidnapping shifters is just the beginning of a sinister magical plot that may require Aaron’s help to succeed… whether he’s willing to provide it or not. Can the werewolf protect his heart or will evil forces shatter it forever?
Best friendships are often tested as people age. This is doubly true when one person is a confused, possibly bisexual athlete and the other is a self-involved diva who hates serious discussions. Even worse, they both liked the same guy.
In this scene, Luke tries to clear the air with his best friend while Zach tries to avoid the conversation as always. This is from One Little Lie,where a clueless athlete learns the world is more than just gay or straight in this coming of age love story about secret relationships, friendship, and bisexuality.
~
Luke
I rarely understood the way his brain worked. There was only one thing I needed to be sure about.
“You and Ryan seem friendly again,” I commented casually.
“Yep.” He kept his eyes on the road. Okay, he should keep doing that as he was driving.
“Cool. Great.” They should definitely get along. As long as it was only friendship. “You’re over Ryan, right?”
“No, Luke,” he replied dryly. “Let us commence a fight to the death to win the hand of our fair spaz.”
“Okay, you were joking for most of that, but you said no, so it’s no, right?”
“If I really wanted him, you wouldn’t stand a chance—”
“Not sure that’s true since—” I already had Ryan. He picked me.
“Which must mean I don’t want him.”
“Awesome.”
-Grab this book as part of the One Crazy Love Story Box set, which features the first four books in the One More Thing Series.
General Summary: Werewolves and a wayward hunter help one witch unlock his birthright. But starting fires and hunting the creatures who go bump in the night brings danger for him and everybody in his life.
Overall Impression: An intriguing first book with a keen sense of location. There’s an engaging love story and lots of potential for expansion.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Rainbow Roy unicorn plush toys
Is that a rusty sword in your pocket or are you happy to see me: Landon thinks he’s a regular guy in a small town, working to keep his family farm alive until a stranger asks Landon to sharpen his blade with witchcraft. Which is not a pickup line, though if it were, it would be a memorable one. Too bad it comes with the side effect of making the recipient wonder if you’re crazy.
Rousseau isn’t crazy. He’s a hunter tracking a werewolf, and this brings them together as they start an adventure bigger than one wolf. One of them is a plucky protagonist who makes wise cracks and flirts, the other is a tough guy hunter with a tragic past. While there are many serious and suspenseful moments, the romance is pretty much always adorable.
Your sex is on fire: there are all kinds of metaphors about steamy romance, being hot as fire, sizzling chemistry, etc. But in this book, the sex is literally on fire. Which is fun and makes for a memorable love scene.
(I’m not a huge fan of this song, but I feel compelled to put it here anyway)
Titles are hard: If I were rating my ability to remember the title of this book, I would say 0 out of 5. There was fire on the cover and the dude wields said fire, so my brain decided the title was Firestarter and would not be dissuaded from this. I eventually realized that wasn’t the title and so somehow I started referring to it as Firebrand instead. It’s actually pretty simple. The main character is a witch. He makes fire. Witchfire. There ya go.
There were a fair number of typos and formatting issues, which bothers some people, so I should mention that. It has been a minute since I read the book, so it’s also possible this has already been corrected.
A small town boy. A dark stranger. And secrets that no one was supposed to uncover.
When cattle begin to turn up dead on the family farm, twenty four year-old Landon Winfield assumes it’s the usual culprits. But along with the string of mysterious deaths that threaten him and his mother’s struggling farm, the arrival of a handsome newcomer with strange tattoos brings Landon face to face — or more like face to frothy mouthed muzzle —with the real predator that stalks the forests of Rock Creek.
A werewolf.
Yeah, those exist. And apparently, so do people that hunt them. Crazy, right?
The shocking revelations continue as the attractive hunter Rousseau reveals that Landon is a witch and has the power to summon fire at his fingertips. But his hands aren’t the only thing that heats up as he and the hunter work closely together to rid the small town of its werewolf problem and Landon finds himself falling for the knife-wielding stranger from Texas.
As they get closer, so does the angry beast that’s stalking them and Landon must embrace his newfound power if he hopes to save the farm, his family, and the hunter that holds his heart.
Hello, I wish to talk about my Kindle Vella novel, Invisi-bi-lity,but I’m not sure what to say. I had one image quote and post to make without having a plan for the content. This is always a dangerous situation, so let’s start with the easy stuff.
Description: John Hyde often feels overlooked. Even his best friend Cody doesn’t truly see him or that his feelings have changed from friendly to romantic. So he’s wondered before if anyone would notice if he disappeared, but he never thought he’d find out until he literally turns invisible. Is this the world’s worst superpower, a hex from a vengeful witch, or has bisexual erasure taken on new meaning? Whatever’s going on, if John can’t make himself seen soon he’ll vanish forever.
Hooray, I have now thought of either a terrible or perfect segue for the scene I’m sharing: in my novel, Cody and John go together like five ‘i’s in ‘invisibility.’ It’s vital! Yes, I admit this metaphor isn’t very catchy. (If you’re wondering what I’m talking about, check out this post about my titling woes for Invisi-bi-lity.)
In this scene, Cody tells John about his vitalness to Cody’s life. John is freaking out because he’s invisible for some reason?
~
I’d give anything to throw open the door and reassure Cody, but what will he find waiting on the other side? I’m afraid to look in the mirror again. There’s no way I’m invisible and yet… Whatever’s happening, I’m starting to believe the impossible. It’s terrifying.
“What’s going on?” Cody asks quietly.
“Do you ever feel like you don’t exist? Do you worry nobody would notice if you were gone?”
“I’d notice,” he answers fiercely and immediately. “I would notice and I’m so glad you’re here. Don’t ever think of going anywhere.”
“I won’t,” I prom—say, because unfortunately, that might not be a promise I can keep right now.
“Besides,” Cody says. “How can I be myself without you in my life?”
Rising up with shaky legs, my head peeks over the bathroom counter—oh thank god. There I am.
After opening the door, I’m not sure who moves into who, but we wrap our arms around each other and don’t move for a long time. Things seem normal again. Normal enough. Feeling his burgundy wool sweater between my fingers makes me hold on tighter. In Cody’s arms, everything will be okay.
Quick summary: An amateur warlock must make an impossible choice: mate or die. The former doesn’t sound so bad when tying himself to a gorgeous tough alpha… who hates his guts. Is die still on the table? Possibly, if their enemies get their way.
Overall Impression: This enemies-to-lovers paranormal romance is right up my alley, so I LOVED IT SO MUCH and highly recommend. Lots of ‘I hate you but you’re hot’ and snarking at each other even during life-threatening situations, their need to bicker is so strong.
Rating: five out five magical socks (or ten if they’re in pairs)
The enemy of my enemy
Nate has lots of potential, but his father siphoned away and controlled his magic when he was alive. The young warlock is a relatively late bloomer, still learning to use gifts. The story starts when a fun night out got him kidnapped and nearly bonded to a member of the Kimball pack. He seeks help from their neighboring rivals, the Armitages.
Except their help requires more than borrowing a cup of sugar or hiding out in their territory. The mating bond process has already been started on his end and he needs to complete it or he’ll die.
Nate already knows his potential new mate, which is part of the problem. He is incredibly sure Ian despises him and has always despised him. Ian used to glare daggers at him when they were kids, and he’s drawn to yet also on guard against the tight-lipped wolf. And if you don’t know where this is going, you will probably be able to tell when you read it. So I don’t wanna spoil, and even if it is a bit predictable, let’s just say that when they clear things up I wasn’t surprised, but I still found it very satisfying and well-done.
At least buy me dinner first
This is an enemies to lovers story on steroids as the enemies are forced not only to have sex but bind their souls together. Undoing it is technically possible but not exactly easy or pleasant. The ‘fuck or die’ trope naturally comes with implied consent issues, though I would say both people don’t want Nate to die and are as on board as they can be given the circumstances.
In fact, the sex part is simple. Or should I say totally scorching hot and delicious because it is very damn good smut, a+ steamy scenes. The other parts give them more issues, as they’re suddenly living with a stranger who maybe hates you and they’re forced to get along and work together while sinister forces conspire against them.
There’s a fair bit of angst with their feelings, which I adored, but even if you don’t enjoy angst the main character Nate is full of humor and snark. Such a witty protagonist, he builds the drama one moment then has me cracking up. This was the first novel I read where sprinting through the woods and evading pursuers turns into a piggyback ride, which is honestly a travesty since this scene is delightful as hell. And Nate is lucky he barely has to search for shoes because he can craft the perfect footwear with his powers. It pays to be a witch with magical powers. How do I make this happen?
Cursed, mated, and in for the fight of their lives…
Warlock Nate Hawthorne just wants a cup of coffee. Is that too much to ask? Apparently. Because instead of precious caffeine, all he gets is cursed by a pack of werewolves who want to use him for his magic. Now the only way to fix the damage is a mate bond to a grumpy and oh-so-sexy alpha in the rival pack, who happens to hate him. This is so not how he wanted to start his day.
Ian Armitage never intended to take Nate as his mate. The Hawthorne family can’t be trusted. Ian knows that better than anyone. The fact that he’s lusted after the way-too-gorgeous man for years? Totally irrelevant. Ian’s just doing what is necessary to protect his pack. This whole mating arrangement has nothing to do with love and never will. That’s his story and he’s sticking to it.
Nate and Ian will have to work together if they have any hope of staving off the pack’s enemies and averting disaster. That’s assuming they can stop arguing (and keep their hands off each other) long enough to save the day…
The Alpha’s Warlock is an explicit M/M paranormal romance featuring a snarky warlock, a brooding alpha werewolf, knotting, enchanted socks (long story), and a guaranteed happily ever after. This series does not contain mpreg.
About: A witch in a small town runs a psychic parlor. He wants to stay under the radar, which means he shouldn’t fall for the sexy investigator who seems intent on getting his help or seducing him. Hint: it’s both. There may also be zombies.
(Fun fact: ‘psychic’ is a world I’m physically incapable of spelling right. Along with ‘physics.’ I think the two words existing in the same language is what trips me up. I always get confused about what order the ‘y’ and ‘s’ go in and all hell breaks loose when adding the ‘h’ in there somewhere.)
Witchin’ Warlockis a fun, fast read with a little heat. The trouble with shorts like this is if it’s halfway decent, people want more. And I thought it was really cute and interesting. So I would have loved spending more time in this world, and it feels very fast paced because it’s over before you know it.
If you like M/M paranormal romance and novellas, there’s no reason you won’t love this one. Otherwise I’d call it worth checking out for anyone who has Kindle Unlimited. Though it is only .99 cents if you want to buy.
Caspian comes from a long line of witches. Brock is third generation F.B.I. They shouldn’t fit but they do.
A year ago, Caspian moved to a small town in Ohio. He hoped the lack of competition in the area would be good for his psychic business, Futures Untold. The last thing he expected was a sexy F.B.I. agent to show up and treat him like a missing person’s bloodhound. Even though Caspian keeps doing favors for Special Agent Brock Wray, his distrust of authority runs deep. After all, they used to drown witches in this area back in the day, and Caspian has no desire to end up on Brock’s missing persons’ list.
Officially, no one knows how Brock keeps solving so many huge cases. Caspian is Brock’s secret weapon. The man knows things no one should. That’s not why Brock keeps showing up and making excuses to see Caspian. Caspian fascinates Brock. Not only does Brock’s inner detective need to know how Caspian knows so much, but Caspian is also smoking hot. He is the single most gorgeous man to step foot in their tiny town in ages. Brock isn’t dumb. He has to take Caspian off the market as quickly as possible and he’ll use any excuse to get close enough to do it.
When Brock takes Caspian along for the ride on a case, things will get weird. Let’s hope Caspian isn’t forced to show why he’s the most witchin warlock around or Brock might run for the hills.
Ryan Miller may be a science genius, but his relationship skills are put to the test when his boyfriend struggles to ditch his beard and come out of the closet in the coming of age love story One Little Lie. In this scene, Ryan uses his questionable expertise to figure out whether he’s about to go on his first double date. He is contractually obligated to freak out for all big moments like this. The contract is his life.
~
Ryan
“Why aren’t you more worked up? This is our first double date.”
The words first and date so close together made my heart speed up in anxiety. Ryan’s didn’t do well under pressure. Hey, wait. I pointed a finger at Luke. “I see what you’re doing.”
Instead of giving me his clueless, earnest gaze, he smirked. My boyfriend was secretly evil! I’d be upset about it, but it was a little hot.
“Is it working?” he asked hopefully.
“Why do you want me to be a nervous wreck like you?” I asked with a pout.
His smirk only intensified. “You’re fun when you’re a nervous wreck.”
“It’s not going to work,” I said haughtily. I did the teasing to Luke. It didn’t work the other way around!
Evil boyfriend continued to smirk. Had we ever been on a double date before? Oh, mother fu-
Wait! “No, we went to dinner with the girls earlier,” I realized triumphantly. I already defeated my first double date. Or a word less combative.
He frowned for a moment, then shook his head. “No, that doesn’t count.”
“You can’t decide that,” I decided. “Who made you the decider of all things?”
Relationships weren’t dictatorships! They were about give and take. God, I was one of those people who acted like an expert anytime I was in a serious relationship. I hated those people. Except when those people were me. Maybe I really was an expert.
Wait, I totally wouldn’t mind if we had a dick-tatorship…
-This is from One Little Lie, the second sweet and snarky M/M romance in the One More Thing series of contemporary YA novels. Grab the book here as part of the One Crazy Love Story box set, which features the first four books in the One More Thing Series.
Quick summary: Do a supposedly extinct dragon and an incubus make the perfect match? The dragon thinks so. The incubus isn’t so sure. Though that could be because a tiny bit of kidnapping is involved. Romance and kidnapping so rarely go together well.
Overall impression: A delightful little story about the unconventional path to love for two supernatural creatures. While the book feels rich and complete, it’s also brief. There’s so much going on with the struggle to connect and understand each other, the emotional scars of each man, and even action and danger in the later chapters. It’s hard not to wish for a longer novel that could dive into everything in greater detail.
Rating: 4/5 shiny treasures
Not exactly a meet cute
Declan is an incubus with a conscience, unlike his father. He’s careful to only feed on humans once before they grow attached. Since he’s also part water nymph, he goes for a midnight swim in the ocean. It ends with him being scooped up by dragon and taken to an impressive lair full of treasure.
The dragon, August, believes Declan is his mate. Declan disagrees, though has no way of leaving.
In reality, kidnapping is never okay. In fiction, well, it still might not be okay but is at least understandable. August has spent a lot of time away from humans and doesn’t understand how his actions are perceived at first. He also has a kind of dragon-y intuition that lets him know Declan is his mate while Declan has no deeper understanding of this. He’s sure incubus aren’t supposed to have mates.
While the situation is dicey what with abduction and Declan needing to feed, I thought it was handled well and these inherent consent issues are examined closer before the couple gets too intimate.
Sexy Unsexiness
Since succubus and incubuses are like, desire incarnate and allure people with their raw magnetism or whatever, I really enjoy looking at the messier side of compulsive lust and attraction. The parts that are less romantic and glamorous.
So I really appreciated how being an incubus isn’t all about desire and sex here. Declan has many hang ups about this side of his heritage. His father is cruel and uses his allure to his advantage, but Declan vows not to hurt anyone. Though his resolve is put to the test, he refuses to feed off August, but how long can he go without eating? His promise not to hurt others becomes particularly important as the story goes on and is such a beautiful element. I don’t wanna give too much away, but it’s a great storyline and I love how they grow closer even while fighting too much intimacy.
Yay, storytelling (I’m bad at titling sometimes)
I really dig the intricacy of the story. Declan is so careful to be respectful of others, so him seemingly not having a choice in his potential mate is especially offensive to him and he doesn’t want to consider anything August has to say. He thinks August views him as another trophy to be hoarded. As dragons do.
What’s the saying, if you love a sex demon, set him free? That doesn’t sound quite right. Though of course August must release Declan over the course of the novel. It’s a narrative rule in stories like this. One of those be careful what you wish for situations on Declan’s part, but it gives him the chance to choose whether to be free or if he wants August.
Confusing and Pointy
So, there’s a talking sword that contains a piece of August’s father’s consciousness, which sounds stranger out of context. It’s wild but fun in context. I’m mentioning William the sword because having weaponry for a father is memorable and deserves a shout out for the interesting supporting character.
Not gonna lie, I have honestly no idea why the title is called Wyrmwood. I just can’t recall how it relates to the book I’ve described. If the reasoning was explained somewhere, I have since forgotten it. As I myself am often title challenged, I’m not judging since there is surely some connection and I have a terrible memory that’s probably to blame.
A dragon searching for a crowning jewel for his fabulous hoard.
A misanthropic incubus who just wants to swim.
Declan might be the world’s only shut-in incubus, but with a father like Elrith, it’s little wonder his faith in people is nonexistent. He skates through life as a computer programmer, closed into his tiny apartment, only feeding by ordering sex workers to his door. But his mother was a water nymph, and occasionally, Declan can’t resist the need to sneak out and swim. This time, he’s in for a surprise.
Augustine is a water dragon who has spent years building the perfect hoard, and now there’s just one thing missing: someone to share it with. When he spots the stunning creature swimming just outside his home, he realizes the jewel he sought has come to him. But after centuries of little human contact, he’s out of touch with the meaning of the word consent. When the tempting nymph chafes his control, August can’t figure out how to win him over.
But word of August’s treasure has reached greedy ears, and all he cares for is under threat. Can a dyed-in-the-wool misanthrope teach August the true value of possession before he loses everything?
A 16-year old boy in a boring city ponders his place in the universe in my coming-of-age novel Invisi-bi-lity.Or at least he wonders about the important things in his universe. Namely, who he is and who he loves. John has some ideas but isn’t totally sure. He could be bi or he might just love one guy, his best friend Cody.
This seemed like a good place to start the novel, right when he’s figuring out the answers to some big questions he’s been wondering about for a while. Of course, the answers won’t slap him on the face but Cody does. He snaps him out of his daydreaming, they do some illicit activities together, and John has an epiphany.
Cody and John talk about birthday wishes in this scene, and John has a realization.
(It’s extremely possible these realizations will be a lot less shocking to you than they are to John.)
~
When we emerge on his grandparent’s front lawn, Cody makes an excited noise. “Hey, don’t I get a wish for birthdays?”
“You get a wish for your birthday, not my—”
“Too bad,” he talks over me. “I already know what I’m asking for.”
A billion dollars or a new car? Ending world hunger? A date with that gay YouTuber he always says is cute?
Cody smiles, lit by his grandparent’s porch light. “I wish that this is the year you finally realize how amazing you are.”
Suddenly I feel completely sober.
Once, my feelings and the labels that best define me seemed confusing. These days, the real issue comes from my readiness to acknowledge these inner truths. Maybe I’m just looking for a sign, a push, for the truth to slap me in the face until I can’t ignore it anymore.
The sincerity in Cody’s voice, how his lopsided smile looked so bright even in the dark… there’s another option to my life-long romantic questions. Why hadn’t I considered it before? I’ve been trying to decide whether I’m bi or in love with my best friend, but the answer seems so clear on the walk home. It’s both. I am bi and I love my best friend.
Gay Paranormal Romance 