Title: Undertow
Series: Port Lewis Witches, #2
Author: Brooklyn Ray
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: September 10, 2018
Heat Level: 4- A good amount of sex
Pairing: M/M
Length: 58000
Genre: Paranormal
Genre: Paranormal
Tags: Witches, Dark, Paranormal, Transgender
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38102484-undertow
Synopsis:
Port Lewis, a coastal town perched on the Washington cliffs, is home to Crescent Cafe, a slew of micro-breweries, a downtown packed with antique boutiques, and violent, ancient sotrms. Thunder shakes roogtops and lightning cuts through dark skies, but Liam Montgomery has never been afraid.
Until now.
One night, Liam hears the scream of a kelpie, a Water horse whose cry foretells the beginning of a prophecy. Kelpies have not set foot on shore for decades, but as Liam digs into his magic and his family's history, he uncovers a mysterious secret that could ripple into the lives of everyone around him.
Liam's tea-leaves spell out murder. The life of someone he loves is on the line. An unwelcome kelpie speaks in riddles. The Queen of Water demands a sacrifice.
The Montgomery name is soaked in blood and secrets. Liam's fate is sealed, but he'll do whatever it takes to change it - even if it risks his circle, his magic, and his life.
Brooklyn Ray is a tea connoisseur and an occult junkie. She writes queer speculative fiction layered with magic, rituals and found families.
Port Lewis, a coastal town perched on the Washington cliffs, is home to Crescent Cafe, a slew of micro-breweries, a downtown packed with antique boutiques, and violent, ancient sotrms. Thunder shakes roogtops and lightning cuts through dark skies, but Liam Montgomery has never been afraid.
Until now.
One night, Liam hears the scream of a kelpie, a Water horse whose cry foretells the beginning of a prophecy. Kelpies have not set foot on shore for decades, but as Liam digs into his magic and his family's history, he uncovers a mysterious secret that could ripple into the lives of everyone around him.
Liam's tea-leaves spell out murder. The life of someone he loves is on the line. An unwelcome kelpie speaks in riddles. The Queen of Water demands a sacrifice.
The Montgomery name is soaked in blood and secrets. Liam's fate is sealed, but he'll do whatever it takes to change it - even if it risks his circle, his magic, and his life.
My Review:
Hold on kids, this is darkness at it's best.
I HAVE to APOLOGIZE - this review was supposed to go out in September - but you know what life is like sometimes. So...yeah, there it is. My deepest apologies to Brooklyn Ray.
Now, no secret - I have a twisted dark side. I suspect Brooklyn Ray has a similar shadowy self that they dwell within while writing the Port Lewis witch series. Unbroken, the third in the series, and Predatory, the fourth, are both set to be released in 2019 - AND I WILL BE BUYING THEM.
Holy Hot Damn on a Cracker Batman.
Fair warning, these short novels are intense, hot, steamy, and dark. If you have any issues with blood-letting or questionable gray magic, these stories are not for you. But, if you desire to experience some intense sex scenes, dive deep into the wetness of water magic, to search your shadow side and siphon energy from others, get this book. Get it now.
In the first novel, Darkling (see my review here), we were introduced to Ryder, who is an elemental fire witch, but also a necromancer - a powerful combination. Ryder is also transgender. In this novel, we get to see Liam, Ryder's boyfriend, as he grapples with looming, and grim prophecies of a catastrophic event that is about to unfurl - like the tentacles of an angry octopus.
One of the biggest draws for me in this story is the take on the Kelpie, a water fae that is a shapeshifter, a trickster, dangerous (like most fae), and usually takes the form of a horse with a fishtail.
I think most of us have read tales about werewolves, vampires, unicorns - you know, the usual urban fantasy fare. But here, Ray takes us into the lesser known realm of the fae, and I loved it.
Ray is able to weave words together in such a way...it envelopes the reader. I feel as if the spells cast in the book are happening besides me, and I can see the wispy trails of magic swirling around my feet, spiraling up, wrapping and gripping a stranglehold on me. Her stories are like that too. Unapologetically, the sentences act just like the magic spell. They grab you, and drag you through the story, experiencing the tale through comparisons and clever wordplay that I've not seen done by any other author.
I ate this book in a couple of sittings, and the entire time I read it, I felt damp, and cold, and could smell the salt breeze, and hear the ocean waves as they roared with ferocity. So far, this is a brilliant series and one I will always suggest to those who enjoy wallowing in the not-so-light-and-fairy-twinkle-lights of most paranormal/urban fantasy books.
This is gloomy and dark. Unsettling and morally gray.
Get it. Read it.
You will not be disappointed.
I HAVE to APOLOGIZE - this review was supposed to go out in September - but you know what life is like sometimes. So...yeah, there it is. My deepest apologies to Brooklyn Ray.
Now, no secret - I have a twisted dark side. I suspect Brooklyn Ray has a similar shadowy self that they dwell within while writing the Port Lewis witch series. Unbroken, the third in the series, and Predatory, the fourth, are both set to be released in 2019 - AND I WILL BE BUYING THEM.
Holy Hot Damn on a Cracker Batman.
Fair warning, these short novels are intense, hot, steamy, and dark. If you have any issues with blood-letting or questionable gray magic, these stories are not for you. But, if you desire to experience some intense sex scenes, dive deep into the wetness of water magic, to search your shadow side and siphon energy from others, get this book. Get it now.
In the first novel, Darkling (see my review here), we were introduced to Ryder, who is an elemental fire witch, but also a necromancer - a powerful combination. Ryder is also transgender. In this novel, we get to see Liam, Ryder's boyfriend, as he grapples with looming, and grim prophecies of a catastrophic event that is about to unfurl - like the tentacles of an angry octopus.
One of the biggest draws for me in this story is the take on the Kelpie, a water fae that is a shapeshifter, a trickster, dangerous (like most fae), and usually takes the form of a horse with a fishtail.
(Kelpie by Krizdole was taken from the website: https://wendyjargonncom.blogspot.com/2013/03/kelpie-celtic-water-horse.html)
Ray is able to weave words together in such a way...it envelopes the reader. I feel as if the spells cast in the book are happening besides me, and I can see the wispy trails of magic swirling around my feet, spiraling up, wrapping and gripping a stranglehold on me. Her stories are like that too. Unapologetically, the sentences act just like the magic spell. They grab you, and drag you through the story, experiencing the tale through comparisons and clever wordplay that I've not seen done by any other author.
I ate this book in a couple of sittings, and the entire time I read it, I felt damp, and cold, and could smell the salt breeze, and hear the ocean waves as they roared with ferocity. So far, this is a brilliant series and one I will always suggest to those who enjoy wallowing in the not-so-light-and-fairy-twinkle-lights of most paranormal/urban fantasy books.
This is gloomy and dark. Unsettling and morally gray.
Get it. Read it.
You will not be disappointed.
Rating:
Available At:
NineStar Press | Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Meet The Author:
Brooklyn Ray is a tea connoisseur and an occult junkie. She writes queer speculative fiction layered with magic, rituals and found families.
