JP Jackson: Alternate Universe

Showing posts with label Alternate Universe. Show all posts

Monday, 18 June 2018

Book Review: Dead Wrong (Thorns and Fangs #4) by Gillian St. Kevern

Title: Dead Wrong: Thorns and Fangs, Book Four
Author: Gillian St. Kevern
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: February 26, 2018
Heat Level: 3 - some sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 110100
Genre: Paranormal, LGBT, Vampires, Werewolves, Alternate Universe, Demons, Occult, Suspense

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38235121-dead-wrong

Synopsis:

Nate’s no supernatural expert, but even he knows a murdered man coming back to life to kill him can only mean one thing—the necromancer is back and out for revenge.

Recruited by Department Seven in a desperate attempt to stop Peter before he claims new victims, Nate quickly realizes he’s in way over his head. His powers are failing him, he’s haunted by Peter’s ghost, and he can’t even remember how he stopped Peter the first time—or why he feels that someone very important is missing from his life.

Ben is fighting for his afterlife. Trapped in the supernatural version of solitary confinement, he knows freeing himself will destroy New Camden’s fragile peace—but what choice does he have? The longer he spends in his magical prison, the harder it becomes to resist his inner vampire. But if Ben wants to help Nate prevent Peter taking over the city, he has to prove himself to his sire—Saltaire, a thousand-year-old vampire with no qualms about using his immense power to suppress Ben’s free will.

As the casualties mount and the city descends into chaos, Ben and Nate must overcome their worst fears and impossible odds—or be written out of existence entirely.

My Review:

I believe that this is the last in the Thorns and Fangs series, although I could easily see how the story might continue. I'm sad to see the last of Nate and Ben. Over the last couple of years, they have wormed their way into my heart. Nate is by far, one of my favorite queer characters that I've stumbled across and primarily because of his supernatural abilities, which relates to plants. I won't really go much further than that, otherwise, I'd spoil everything. But I have hundreds of plants, and so there's a secret part of me that wishes I could be Nate.

In this installment, Ben, our conflicted vampire, has been entered into New Camden's Final Register. New Camden is the city where the story takes place, and it has a very high population of supernatural folk. In order to maintain law and order, and to protect both supes and normals alike, there are a series of books that have been spelled that maintain a classification system, as well as carrying out the worst of the worst sort of punishments for supernaturals. If you're entered into the Final Register you only exist to yourself. It's a permanent solitary confinement. At the end of Life After Humanity - book three in the series - Ben is entered into the Final Register. The final installment in the Thorns and Fangs series sees Ben and his struggles while on the Final Register, all while not being remembered by anyone, the effects of that type of confinement, Nate's reaction to all that, all while attempting to figure out why or how the Necromancer has returned from the dead, or has he?

I highly suggest St. Kevern's books. They are clever, well written, imaginative and she knows how to paint an interesting world. St. Kevern has another series called Deep Magic, and I'm anxious to get my paws on that.

Rating:

Available At:

NineStar Press: https://ninestarpress.com/product/dead-wrong/

Amazon: http://hyperurl.co/keiez4

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/789722

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dead-wrong-gillian-st-kevern/1127941397

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dead-wrong-37

Meet The Author:

Gillian St. Kevern is spending Christmas in her native New Zealand, where the seasonal festivities include pavlovas, walks on the beach, and a distinct lack of sweaters, seasonal or otherwise. She will almost certainly get sunburnt at some stage.

Gillian reads and writes a variety of genres. She’s a huge fan of paranormal with an emphasis on vampires. The third and fourth books in her vampire series, Thorns and Fangs, are due for release in January and February 2018. She also explores Welsh Mythology in the on-going Deep Magic series. In 2018, she plans to explore another beloved genre―vintage mysteries. She loves discovering new books and authors, so please get in touch if you have any good book recommendations to share!

Author Links

Website: http://www.gillianstkevern.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gillian.stkevern

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GillianStKevern

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/gillianstkevern/

Monday, 2 April 2018

Book Review: The Moth and Moon by Glenn Quigley

Title: The Moth and Moon

Author: Glenn Quigley

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: March 19, 2018

Heat Level: 2 - Fade to Black Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 63000

Genre: Alternate Universe, Historical, LGBT, historical, gay, friends to lovers, sailor, baker, pirates, family drama

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38750078-the-moth-and-moon

Synopsis

In the summer of 1780, on the tiny island of Merryapple, burly fisherman Robin Shipp lives a simple, quiet life in a bustling harbour town where most of the residents dislike him due to the actions of his father. With a hurricane approaching, he nonetheless convinces the villagers to take shelter in the one place big enough to hold them all—the ancient, labyrinthine tavern named the Moth & Moon.

While trapped with his neighbours during the raging storm, Robin inadvertently confronts more than the weather, and the results could change everything.

My Review:

I think it would be safe to assume that for most readers, we want to be swept away by a story. We want to be fully immersed in the setting, live in the characters heads and completely escape from our own present reality.

Well then, have I got a book for you. Let me introduce you to Glenn Quigley and his debut novel The Moth and Moon.

I don't think I managed to get to the end of the first page before I found myself already swallowed up by the storytelling. Quigley masterfully snatches the reader and plunks them down into a 1700's fishing village where the world might be devoid of all the technology we have today, but is lush and full of details. I swear I could smell the ocean as I read this - and I live in a land-locked Canadian province. There isn't a huge body of water anywhere near me. And yet, I was walking along the shores of Blashy Cove, passing through the various stores and merchants, and having a strong apple cider in the local village hub - The Moth and Moon.

The entire story revolves around Robin Shipp, a big bear of a man, clumsy, yet endearing, whose family's history colours how the townsfolk interact with him. And yet, despite their repugnant treatment of the man, he continually shows grace and kindness. Note to self - a good lesson for all of us to learn.

Of note - in Blashy Cove, the residents are perfectly able to take up and marry or be involved with any individual they'd prefer, and in fact, the matriarchs of the town often conspire to match-make couples of any gender configuration. What a delight - perhaps we'll get there in our own timeline sometime soon.

The author does a stupendous job of creating stress and tension as the impending storm seeks to bring about destruction - and having lived through two hurricanes myself (when I attended University on the East Coast of the US), I can assure you that Quigley adequately captured the intense feelings that come with the weight of doom that Mother Nature is quite apt in dolling out. The attention to detail is staggering, and yet, it never detracts from the story.

As the storm arrives, the interconnectedness of the citizens of Blashy Cove come to a front, as histories and prejudices are aired and confronted. The characters are real, their situations and reactions are believable, and I found myself rooting for Mr. Shipp on every page, despite the horrendous treatment he receives, and the lies that he discovers.

The book is utterly heart-warming. The connections between the townspeople need to be mentioned as well. In a small town, everyone knows or knows of, everyone else. Stories are shared and told, truths are stretched and sometimes broken altogether. The dynamics were perfect, the scandals are relatable as similar situations continue to occur even today. In other words, despite the time frame, this story has something that everyone can nod and say, "Yup, I know someone that happened to."

That right there is what I call "relatableness" (Yes, I know, that's not really a word, but I'm making it one) and that quality is, as far as I'm concerned, what makes a book stand out from all the others.

This is a definite must-read, and I am eagerly awaiting anything else that Mr. Quigley puts to paper.

Rating:

Available At:

NineStar Press: https://ninestarpress.com/product/the-moth-and-moon/

Amazon: http://hyperurl.co/k8ovud

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/800120

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-moth-and-moon-glenn-quigley/1128116541

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-moth-and-moon

Meet The Author:

Glenn Quigley is a graphic designer originally from Dublin and now living in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. He creates bear designs for www.themoodybear.com. He has been interested in writing since he was a child, as essay writing was the one and only thing he was ever any good at in school. When not writing or designing, he enjoys photography and has recently taken up watercolour painting.

Author Links

Website: http://www.glennquigley.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Glennquigley

Thursday, 29 March 2018

Book Review: Life After Humanity (Thorns and Fangs #3) by Gillian St Kevern

Title: Life After Humanity Series: Thorns and Fangs, Book Three
Author: Gillian St. Kevern
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: January 15, 2018
Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 119000
Genre: Paranormal, vampires, supernatural beings, werewolves, alternate universe, cliffhanger ending

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37482280-life-after-humanity

Synopsis

Ben is a recovering vampire determined to pick up the pieces of the life that came to a halt when he was murdered over a year ago—even if that means distancing himself from his few remaining friends. Nate, struggling to navigate his new identity as a Class 3 Unknown paranormal, knows it will take more than mastery of his affinity with plants to convince Ben they belong together.

When Ben’s application for human status is denied, he must fight to leave the paranormal world behind him while Nate’s generous impulses drag him into conflict with a werewolf pack with designs on ruling New Camden. As Ben’s vampire family draws closer to finding him, his vampire instinct awakens—throwing his continued existence into jeopardy. The hunt for the missing werewolf continues, and Nate and Ben become pawns in Councilor Wisner’s plans to take control of the city. Their only hope is each other—if they can see that before all is lost.

My Review:

I believe I have done an injustice to St Kevern with her last two books in this series by not extolling their virtues further than an "I loved this book" type of review. Shame on me! (Check out Thorns and Fangs and Uprooted on Goodreads.)

I shall attempt to remedy that with a more expanded review.

Life After Humanity is the third in the Thorns and Fangs series, and each installment of the series gets better. The saga revolves around Nate, a male escort, and Ben, a retired investigator for the ARX Security Company, and a vampire. Throughout the tale we see the two meet, watch them as they negotiate some rather tricky relationship issues, and are privy to their own journeys of self-discovery.

The setting is the city of New Camden, where the existence of supernatural entities is viewed as a normal occurrence, and the city denizens make allowances for such creatures, albeit with a healthy dose of respect. St Kevern has quite subtly added ripples of prejudice throughout the books - I mean, after all, who wouldn't be a little leery of ancient vampires who like to compel humans and werewolves with power-hungry political aspirations? The city even has a unique law enforcement branch referred to as Department Seven. Through laws and regulations, all supernaturals are given various classifications, including registries, one of which no one wants to be one: The Final Register.

Now Nate's case is unique. We're not exactly sure what he is - but the closest thing would be a dryad, but "Dryads are all girls." Nate has power over, or perhaps with plants, which brings some unusual abilities to the forefront.

Ben, on the other hand, started off as human, was changed to a vampire, and in Life After Humanity seeks to have himself reclassified as Human after his vampire form dies at the end of Uprooted (Thorns and Fangs #2). But can a vampire cease to exist?

St Kevern is a master at not revealing absolute truths. Nate's true form has never been given a name, and many questions were raised throughout Life After Humanity regarding Ben's human existence. The writing is comfortable and easy to slip into. The New Camden nightlife is vibrant and seedy, dark and creepy. Secondary characters are far from two dimensional, and I found myself wanting much more of Grant, the alpha-werewolf struggling to emancipate himself from his pack, and Vazul and Charlotte, two magic users. We can't forget Diya, the Department Seven caseworker with a vampire child, and Aki, Nate's best friend. There are many more characters, the cast of past books, that play minor roles throughout this story, and each remains true to their original introductions.

I've often said that finding really well-written LGBTQA+ Urban Fantasy stories is a tough task. Sure we have lots of them where there might be a gay secondary character or two, but the Thorns and Fangs series has definitely earned its spot on my bookshelves as one series I will go back and reread over and over. Thoroughly enjoyable, totally believable, and with creatures that are familiar and yet still have clever twists to the well-known mythos.Wait...A review of the fourth book, Dead Wrong is forthcoming!

Rating: