Review: Nevada Highlander by Erin O'Quinn

For some men, love comes hard. But deceit comes even harder.

A Scottish castle laird decides to attend a big game hunt in the mountains of Eastern Nevada. His covert, and reluctant, babysitter is a governor-appointed state trooper.

The exuberant Rory Drummond needs no protector. He is a trained hunter, in addition to having several other entertaining skills. The state trooper Alex Dominguez is reserved, shrouding his past—even from himself—out of a need to seal off old memories.

Inevitably, the men find each other irresistible, and soon certain sparks begin to affect both of them. As the attraction between them grows, so does their sense of commitment to each other. Only one thing stands in the way of a mature relationship … Alex’s fear of telling Rory his secret assignment. The tension between his sense of duty and his newfound passion is a factor which threatens to tear them apart once the truth is known.

And the facts must eventually come out.

What will happen when the hunter finds he's being spied on, thousands of miles from home?

And what will the trooper do when his cover is, ah, blown?


(2.75 hearts rounded up)

So Nevada Highlander.....

I loved the blurb, it was so promising - however at times I did feel disappointed. I've not read any Erin O'Quinn before and generally I liked her style of writing, it was well formulated and easy to read. Characters were well defined and likeable and the setting was gorgeous. Rory our Scottish laird was feisty and manly (yum) and Alex our state trooper was considerate and manly (double yum). They were hot together, they had sex within hours of meeting and continued having sex, lots and lots of sex....The Nevada landscape in which it was mostly set was beautiful, Erin clearly has a love of this area that comes across in her writing, I would love to visit this part of the world on the strength of this alone. So why aren't I falling over myself raving about it?

Well firstly I have to say that I was stopped at 26% and this was my status update;
"Epic fail. They've known each other for a few hours and gone bare-back. No, just no."
Quite honestly in this day and age I really don't expect to read this. I love bare-back if it's made clear that both characters know they are disease free - and this doesn't just go for M/M writing but F/M as well. If the scene is a sex scene and it's a detailed sex scene than I want to know about protection, however hot it is without. If it's virgins, an other world story or so on and so forth I don't care about it, but in this world, in the current day and by two MC's who have a sexual past I want to either know about clean tests or condoms. End of. The fact that these two were strangers and not using condoms actually meant I put the book down and it took me some time to resume reading. Anyway now I've got that off my chest....

Then just 10% later I was at it again with the updates, this time it was;
"We, yeah, I'm pretty sure they know what jeans are in Scotland. I'm pretty sure my mum would have known what they were when she was growing up in Scotland 40+ years ago. I'm also pretty sure not all Scotsmen wear kilts on a daily basis, pretty much as sure as I am that Frenchmen, in the main, don't wear striped tops, berets and ride around on bicycles with onions round their necks. #stereotyping
So yeah, it's be fair to say some of the Scottish things annoyed me. Also the constant use of the word foogin' as opposed to fucking, (I guess). Sometimes writing an accent works...sometimes it doesn't. Many years ago I read Trainspotting and the whole thing is written in 'Scottish' -  that's to say it's written as the Scots speak, it took a few pages to get into but it worked, unfortunately for me it didn't in Nevada Highlander, I just got annoyed with it.

The other thing for me was I just found it a bit boring. I'm so sorry and I hate saying that, as I said the characters and setting were lovely but the plot line was a bit blah. It held the promise of being interesting but it just wasn't.

As always I will say that reading is a truly individual thing and what I might find boring someone else might love. There was nothing wrong with the actual writing itself, it was just for me the storyline.



A copy of this book was given to BMBR for an honest review.

Review: The Talisman Ring of Amenhotep by Zev de Valera


Can one innocent act change your life forever?

When mild-mannered veterinarian Julian Wingate picks up an unusual bauble for a song in Cairo's Khan-al-Kalili, he has no idea that the acquisition of this ancient ring will alter the course of his future. Recently widowed from the famous Egyptologist Theo Barojas, Julian finds himself on the point of tossing aside all reminders of the past; eager to start his new life with an old love .... but the curious ring - boxed away for almost a year - beckons ... Once Julian slips the artifact upon his finger, nothing in his well-ordered life will ever be the same.






Well, this was a lot of fun and the beginning of this series had me hooked in the 60-ish pages that made up this first installment. It’s got adventure, colorful descriptions and memorable characters. The author was able to really pack a lot into a small package without any part of the story feeling overwhelmed or muddled.

Julian Wingate is in Egypt with his partner, noted Egyptologist, Theo Barojas. Julian is shopping through the market at Cairo's Khan-al-Kalili market and he always brings back trinkets from their travels for their friends. He’s just finishing up when he is drawn to one stall that he doesn’t recognize and that piques his curiosity. He has a decidedly strange encounter with the shop keeper that insists he take a ring as a gift. Julian is a little disconcerted with the encounter and heads back to the hotel to meet Theo. Julian is a little embarrassed and is just waiting for Theo to give him some good natured ribbing for coming away from the market with the ring, instead Theo is stunned by the find as it backs up the theory that Theo has been proposing relating to the Anunnaki and Amenhotep. Theo calls the ring a Talisman, while for Julian it becomes the symbol of the end of Theo’s life as Theo is taken from him tragically just a few days later.

The mystery of the ring remains unsolved and it’s packed away. Fast forward a year later to the point when Julian is pulling his life back together and getting ready to move forward again and he finds the ring. He slips the ring on, he really does like how it looks and he asks himself “Why keep it locked away? It can be a symbol of a new beginning as well as an end.” Well, it is a beginning all right, this is when the mystery really gets going. Strange things start happening, strange, but kind of subtle things that keep the story believable.

The story is strong and interesting, but I have to say I really love the characters. Since this is the first installment, there is still some mystery to most of them, but there is plenty of information there to get attached to. I like Julian a lot. He’s a little fussy, but in the most charming of ways. He’s at the beginning of a potential relationship with a man who has been a friend and business partner for years, Dinesh. I have a serious book crush on Dinesh, he’s the epitome of charming. How do you not fall for a man who declares that champagne is “essential for a proper bubble bath”? He’s a great match for Julian and I liked reading about the start of their world as a couple.

Every great adventure story has to have a villain and the Directrix is the perfect, classic, old school villain. She’s beautiful, brilliant, powerful, and she wants Julian’s ring. She knows what the ring means, she knew Theo and she’s not going to stop until she gets what she wants. She’s got a reluctant handsome henchman with a story of his own, Hiroshi Sato and an assistant, Vivan Loving who has an air of mystery about her as well that I really liked.

This story has a little bit of everything. There was a really sweet new romance, an exotic mystery, some seriously sexy sexy-times and they were all wrapped up in a well written package. I highly recommend this one and I’ll definitely be on the lookout for the next installment. I’ve actually already nagged the author :D.

 

EXCLUSIVE BONUS SCENE for "Claimings, Tails and Other Alien Artifacts" from March's AotM Lyn Gala!!

For our March Author of the Month Happy Hour chat about Claimings, Tails and Other Alien Artifacts, we said we wanted more of Ondry.

So what did our amazing Author of the Month Lyn Gala give us?

MORE ONDRY! :D

When we were done squeeing over the awesomeness that showed up in our inbox (totally totally awesome!), we devoured this little snippet from Ondry's POV.

Here's an EXCLUSIVE bonus scene for Claimings, Tails and Other Alien Artifacts by Lyn Gala:


(Warning: This scene may contain spoilers.)

First Sight by Lyn Gala

Ondry paced the plaza.  Only two traders had tables – a potter with a number of pieces that might bring a reasonable profit if Ondry were to travel the nearby farms and an alien trader with a number of strange pieces that appeared artistic in nature.  Ondry tried to avoid art, at least he did now.  He was quite embarrassed to remember how he’d once shown off his paltry wealth by wasting money on jewelry.  He’d been so young he’d had egg stuck to his tail yet.
Now he tried to focus on being more sensible.  Pottery was sensible.
Ondry walked by the tables, and the human jumped, his hip hitting his own table.  He said something, the alien words darting out into the air like small fish, and Ondry exchanged an amused look with the other trader.
The grandmothers said that humans were naturally smaller and that the size of these traders did not suggest youthfulness, but Ondry had to believe this was a young one who had just left his parent’s side.  A number of pieces had fallen to the floor of the plaza, and this small human with his pale skin and his dark fur went to his knees as he retrieved his goods.
Sometimes goodwill was the most valuable commodity a trader possessed.  Ondry fully intended to be a nutu trader one day, and that meant he needed to begin to curb his own instinct toward profit and work toward the mutual profits of all involved.  Helping a child just out of the egg retrieve a few pieces from the dust was a small step toward that.
Ondry crouched down and picked up a copper piece with delicate carvings on the face, putting back on the table.  Now the human stared at him with big eyes.  In a Rownt, that would mean confusion or a shrewd mind searching for information.  Ondry wasn’t sure what it meant with this species.
Honestly it was rather disconcerting looking at this human.  When Ondry traded with Imshee, nothing in their appearance seemed familiar. The lack of similarity allowed him to search an Imshee face without seeing any reflection of his own. But the human looked like a very young, very pale, and very angry Rownt.  The protruding lips were a large part of that.
Still discomforted by the nearness of the human, Ondry turned to the goods.  The smaller containers would make nice vessels for spices or perhaps Hyst could use a few as casings for his electronic devices.  It was a larger risk than the ceramics, but it could potentially be a larger profit.
Ondry fingered the tokens in his bag without pulling them out, watching as the human stood with one foot bouncing up and down.  If the grandmothers said this was a full grown human, Ondry would not argue. However, he did not present himself as an adult.  Finally, Ondry pulled out three tokens for gasha berries, one token for da nuts, and one token for raw ore.
The human picked up each token and compared it to the images on his hand-held recording device.  He quickly pushed the tokens for gasha berries back toward Ondry, and the ceramics trader gave a little trill.  Nice. The trader was distressed for Ondry.  Ondry showed the trader his fang. Meanwhile, the human seemed to miss the entire exchange.  He put the token for da nuts down in the trading spot and fingered the token for ore for a long time. Either he trusted Ondry enough to signal his real intentions or he was a young fool revealing too much of his thought process.  Finally the human put the ore token down in the trade spot and removed two-thirds of the brass containers by pushing them to one side.
The ceramics trader gave another short trill. Ondry flipped his tail that direction. If the man wanted to start something, Ondry would be more than happy to engage.  Perhaps the other realized the depth of Ondry’s annoyance because he retreated to the far side of his table.
Then Ondry focused on the trade in front of him.  He silently swapped out tokens for tuthaha, which the human rejected, and an artisan’s reialet, which the human accepted.  The human pushed brass containers this way and that depending on what Ondry had on the table.  Eventually they settled in the middle, although Ondry was the first to say he had bested the man significantly.
In return for one reialet with sharpened metal edges, two shares of ka nuts, two shares of raw ore, and half dozen tokens for playsa root, Ondry had secured every container except the largest. That was fine.  The largest was a piece so ostentatious it had no place outside a temple.  Ondry quickly finished the formalities, carefully offering the human all the social graces required, even if the human was not aware of them. Instead the human imitated him precisely, so precise that he gave Ondry the same bow – one that implied a superior speaking to one much younger.
The one selling pottery gave another trill. Again, Ondry flashed a tooth.  This time the human looked from one to the other, clearly trying to understand their interaction.
Ondry turned to leave, a number of the brass containers in hand.  He had just stepped off the plaza platform when he realized the human had followed.  Ondry had traded with another human once, but that one had definitely not followed.  He had cringed back, looking more like a prey animal than a trading partner.  This one had more strength to him.  Ondry stopped and looked down, waiting.
“You aren’t able to carry much me purchased,” he said, mangling the pronoun.  Ondry was wondering if the human was insulting his strength, although given his size, that seemed unlikely.
“I shall return later,” Ondry said.
“Could carry me container, help.  I am Liam, trader of the human base.”
Ondry gave a small and incomplete bow.  I am Ye-Ondry of the line of Chal, graduate of the Brarownt Academy and holder of a certificate of excellence from a grandmother,” he introduced himself. For a Rownt of less than two hundred years, it was an accomplished title.  Ondry had even been chosen by three women who had pulled his tail and claimed his seed, although he would not be so crass as to introduce himself with that fact. That was an honor to slip into conversation later, and only with those traders with whom he had good relations. Considering his young age, it could inspire jealousy in those who did not understand how hard Ondry had worked to deserve such an honor.
“I hope next time to force you into a trade that leaves you with no meal to eat,” Liam said, his words so stilted and his dialect so old fashioned that Ondry suspected he had memorized the common insult out of a scroll.
“I suspect that I have already done as much to you already,” Ondry said.  It would be cruel to refuse to insult this young one.  Ondry was young enough that he did not want to imply that this Liam, trader of the human base, needed coddling like a child.
“I fail trade brass twelve days. Me not one tonight on table no meat,” Liam shot right back, his face shifting so that his cheeks were pushed up and his eyes angled slightly.  He appeared amused, although the expression was odd on his alien face.
Ondry felt the familiar warmth of traded insults.  It was the universal language of traders. “Perhaps you do not know where to sell your goods.  You stand in the rain and offer people water.”
Liam made a strange sound with air rushing out his mouth as he made a series of little noises that did not seem to have enough syllables to be words.  “Maybe you right,” he agreed, his eyes angled up in fondness.
Ondry found himself caught off guard.  He had not expected Liam, human trader, to embrace his own youth or foolishness.
“But tomorrow he trades playsa and not sits with brass undesirables,” Liam finished.
For a creature who could not speak Rownt well, Liam communicated quite effectively, Ondry thought.  And it was certainly true that Liam’s position was improved. Humans did not have free access to the planet, so Liam could not show up at Hyst’s home and offer him the goods.  Perhaps this was a mutually beneficial trade.  Certainly if Ondry wished to earn his nutu status, he had to begin to think in terms of long-term trades that profited everyone, and he had to develop a reputation for the same.
“Go get your container, young one.  Help me carry these to the warehouse.”
Liam’s lips pulled tight and thinned out so that they almost looked normal. Almost.  Liam didn’t even complain about being called young.  He simply gave a deep nod and then ran back into the plaza to gather up the other goods. 
The pottery trader came outside, and leaned against one of the trellises.  “He is not like the other humans.”
“No,” Ondry agreed.  “He is not.”
He was something more interesting, and Ondry was curious just what he might be hiding under all that atrocious grammar.


You hear that? That noise right there?

That's the sound of the entire clubhouse going "squeeeee!"

;)

Thank you so much, Lyn, for the amazing bonus scene! 

Review: Fettered by Lyn Gala

Dylan Carter has always played second fiddle to his perfect older brother, but now that brother is implicated in a terrible crime, and Dylan's family is imploding. Dylan can’t hide anymore. Knowing he’s falling apart, he searches for something or someone to hold him together—and lands in a BDSM bar called the Stonewall.

Dylan doesn’t understand Miss Dolphinia, the hard-drinking queen who seems determined to play matchmaker. But more confusing is the way the powerful men in leather make him feel. In her wisdom, Miss Dolphinia sends Dylan off to a back room for his introduction to the world of erotic spankings and bondage.

Dylan’s teacher—for want of a better word—is the very dominant Vin Hauser. Vin likes to play hard, but he’s honest with himself—he knows all those men want is a strong hand, not a long-term relationship. Yet Vin can’t help but hope Dylan might be different.

With controversy over his brother’s sins stirring up danger around him, Dylan needs Vin’s support more than ever. But until he and Vin learn to trust each other, Dylan will have to face his fear and the growing threats alone.





Wow. How I loved this. All for unexpected reasons. Well, mostly unexpected, that is.

Dylan is falling apart. He's got to get away from his crazy home life. His brother has been accused (and is most likely guilty) of some heinous crimes. His family is going cray because of it and he just needs to get gone. This is when he finds himself at Stonewall, a local BDSM club. And he finds someone to hold him together. *licks lips* Oh boy, he does. *grunts*

Vin. Gawd, Vin. Vin. Yes, he requires me saying his name three times. Maybe four. Vin.
"'I prefer not to talk to them afterward, but I love whipping someone, watching the strain and yield, and you strain and fight and lose yourself so completely that I am looking forward to fucking you night after night. I want to find out just how fast I can drop you into that subspace. I want to know every sensitive spot in your body, and I want to watch the muscles of your back stand out as you fight the cuffs.'"
I love his kind of Dom-ish-ness. He's all obsessive and possessive and just. so. alpha. He doesn't just fall in love with Dilly, his emotions are so much more and all-encompassing. Dylan is his. *bites lip*

He didn't have the need for things like safe-words and such. He knew what his boy needed and he was going to give it to him.
"Dilly was alone. Thinking. Dilly hated thinking. He pulled against the chains and realized he didn't have a whole lot of choice, though, because he wasn't going to be doing anything else until Vin allowed it. And worse, Dilly wanted to have sex with Vin more than ever. Well, crap."
Vin wanted Dilly to think, so he made sure Dilly was going to sit and think. Even if chains were involved. Unf.

Dylan is the perfect sub for him. He wants and needs that kind of control over him in this uncontrollable time in his life.

So, yeah, all these things are totally expected reasons as to why I would love this. But, REASONS! There's more.

I had no idea there was going to be such crazy family happenings and that I would become so invested in Dylan and the insanity that his life has become. I get not wanting to believe the absolute worst about your children but I couldn't believe how deep in denial his mother was. And then, the results because of this was just... I don't even know. Unbelievable.

I love the dedication that came from Vin. He was 100% there for Dylan, no questions asked, Dylan needed him so that was that. Vin was taking control of the situation. *rawr* Then Dylan was so willing to accept his help. There wasn't any push and pull between them, no arguments. They fit each other so perfectly.

I loved this for all the reasons that I knew I would. The ropes, chains, whips, floggers and vibrating butt plugs. The perfect Dom/sub way Vin and Dylan belonged together. Then there was just so much more to them and their story.

Fangirl Moment: Series Review: Adrien English Mysteries by Josh Lanyon

As if recovering from heart surgery beneath the gaze of his over-protective family wasn’t exasperating enough, someone keeps trying to break into Adrien English’s bookstore. What is this determined midnight intruder searching for?

When a half-century old skeleton tumbles out of the wall in the midst of the renovation of Cloak and Dagger Bookstore renovation, Adrien turns to hot and handsome ex-lover Jake Riordan -- now out-of-the closet and working as a private detective.

Jake is only too happy to have reason to stay in close contact with Adrien, but there are more surprises in Adrien’s past than either one of them expects -- and one of them may prove hazardous to Jake’s own heart.




Series review

What a ride that was! I have to tell you, I did not expect to love this series as much as I did. I’m not a big mystery fan and I think that was why I put off reading this series (and Josh Lanyon) as long as I did. But let me just say this: I’m so glad I finally gave in and tried it.

Josh Lanyon has an amazing ability to create characters that are so believable; so fleshed out that you feel as if you know them personally. They are so complex and alive. These characters are nowhere near perfect, which makes them that much more real.

Adrien held my heart throughout all five book. He’s quirky and funny and so brave. He’s also stubborn and snarky and annoying. And he can sometimes be a big ole pain in the butt. And I loved him all the more because of it even though some of the stunts he pulled and the decisions he made had me wanting to give him a good, swift kick in the rear end.

Now Jake. Jake is… well… How should I put this? I didn’t really like Jake in the first book but I didn’t really know him all that well either. In the second book I got to know him a lot better and I grew fond of him. Then I read book three and I HATED him with the fire of a thousand suns! I didn’t feel that he was in any way redeemable. Book four wasn’t much better but by the end of it he was starting to grow on me again. But with this last book I really got to know him and you know what? He’s still gruff. He still has issues. He’s not perfect and never will be. But I ADORE him. I adore him for his patience and his honesty and his caring and his love. I read on someone’s review “no one says Baby quite like Jake”. Yeah, so true.

All of the plots in each of these stories flowed well and seamlessly into each other. I discovered no plot holes or inconsistencies. The writing was smart and beautiful. The secondary characters were as well fleshed out as the MC’s. My eyes did gloss over a bit with all the classic movie and music references but hey, they’re just not my cuppa. No big deal. They didn’t hurt the storyline in the least.

And that one scene after Adrien finally pulls his head out of his ass? Guh! It was breathtaking! It was perfect in every way. I was irrevocably smitten by the time I finished reading it.

I had the best time reading this series and I will definitely be checking out all of Mr. Lanyon’s other works very, very soon. I also had a blast with my status updates and I thank each and every one of my Goodreads friends for putting up with them and me while I spewed my thoughts and emotions onto you. ♥


Review: Being Chase (The Chase Series, #1) by J.J. Scotts


Wouldn’t it be nice to be a celebrity?

Liam Collins is desperate for a job. Forced to jump to the big city, he can’t believe his luck when he suddenly gets an offer from a prestigious publishing company. Absolutely ecstatic, Liam doesn’t even bother reading the details. But on his first day of work, he isn’t ushered to a quaint cubicle. Instead, he’s brought to a classy high-rise and told that he’s been hired to be the face of the best-selling author, Chase Preston.

When Liam first meets Chase, he’s so captivated by the mysterious man’s imposing figure and deep-set eyes. Maybe Liam really did get lucky.

All Liam has to do is go to fan meetings and award events as a stand-in for Chase. It actually doesn’t sound bad, but Liam soon realizes that being with Chase is harder than it appears. Despite the challenges of Chase’s arrogant attitude, Liam puts up with it. What he finds difficult to put up with is Chase’s sexy body and brilliant blue eyes.

Even worse, the feeling may be mutual.


Being Chase is the start of a new series by J.J. Scotts with a really interesting premise and this was just enough of a tasty set up that made me want to read more. So far it’s more of an introduction to the players as the only character I feel like I have a handle on is Liam. Although I don’t feel as if I can form an opinion on him just yet either as he’s an ordinary guy in an extraordinary circumstance. All I can really speak to as far as the story goes, is that the set-up has a ton of potential and the characters have me curious. The writing is really good and the backstory flows well.

Here’s what I think of the characters so far:

Liam is a good guy with more of a story than we know just yet. I’m hoping that story will explain why he is putting up with the crappy treatment he’s been handed so far. He seems like a pretty centered person who just really needs a decent job. I don’t seem him as being desperately hopeless though, so there has to be something explaining why he’s afraid to set some boundaries and limits to these guys who are treating him so poorly. It’s a job, not a punishment. He’s attracted to Chase and all the mystery surrounding him. Chase knows and uses this and poor Liam and his blue balls are in for a long night or ten and painful relationship I fear.

Chase is a big mystery and a real asshole. So far all I really know is that he’s handsome, highly intelligent, scarred and a total prick to Liam. I’m hoping he has some redeeming qualities besides his hotness in the future because he can only ride the bad boy thing for so long. My real curiosity is with him, I want to know his story.

Eli and Landon are the good cop/bad cop in the mix. Eli seems like a pretty decent guy, but I would never assume that Liam should trust him while Landon is openly dismissive and insulting to Liam. I guess I just don’t really get the point of all the asshole-ishness. Call me old fashioned, but since when do we not have to use our manners? Really guys, no need to be such pricks. All that negativity was a little off putting for me, but if you love a bad boy, Landon and Chase won’t be a problem for you at all.

Josh is Chase’s younger brother and the only character I really liked. He’s very young, underage young, but he’s a brilliant junior chef already and his family supports his art through home schooling and training, the same way they did for Chase. He was the only one who really showed any kindness towards Liam and I hope he’ll make another appearance. Josh says that h almost never sees Chase, so it’s a mystery to Liam as to how they can be so different.

Overall I liked the beginning of this story. There is just so much mystery yet I can’t really speak to the story as a whole. It feels like it’s barely started. As I said though, it does have me curious though, and that is a good thing. Definitely go into this one knowing you aren’t getting a full story, if you’re aware of that it will help you appreciate the introduction to the series and the characters.


** a copy of this story was provided by the author for an honest review **

Review: The Faery Reel by Arielle Pierce

Faeries don’t exist, right?

That’s what Osian tells himself. So what if the stranger in the pub, the one that glows in the darkened room, has a beauty that is otherworldly. And that the man is watching him with eyes that promise trouble. So what if the music that drifts across the moor sounds like nothing he's ever heard. So what if it’s the night of the summer solstice, the night when the veil between the human world and the faery world is whisper thin.

Osian is not a believer. Not until he is kidnapped by Conall and taken to the world of the fey. In the Otherworld, Osian is offered something he’s never had: the love of another man. But this love comes at the cruelest price. For in order to stay with Conall, Osian must give up his home, his friends, and his family.

But there is a way out—if he chooses. It involves letting himself go, allowing himself to trust Conall, and finding the true meaning of his name.

Can Osian trust Conall enough to risk it all? It’s a dangerous game he plays, but the prize—love—may be worth the risk of losing it all.

Imagine you're a sarcastic, snobbish (when it comes to music), swearing Welshman in Ireland with your American friend on the summer solstice. You play the violin, you don't think you're that attractive (which you're fine with-mostly) and are prepared to have yet another lonely night pub-trawling with your fellow musician friend. And then you make eyes with the most gorgeous man you've ever seen, long blonde hair, super tall, ethereal. and you lose eye contact for just a moment...and BAM, he's gone. Disappeared in thin air.

Like the set up so far? I did too! Osain, the young snarky violinist grabbed my attention from the first words he uttered. He's scrappy, self-deprecating (without being annoying), curses like a sailor and has good taste in music. What's not to like? The story is told in 1st POV which I really like because you can get to be in the character's shoes.  On the night of the summer solstice, Osian is kidnapped by the gorgeous guy who turns out to be a fae, or aes Sidhe, named Conall. Conall is a MC I love reading about and I can eat his type up for days. That smug, yet sexy, controlling without beating you over the head with a club, slick talker. He's sort of described like this:

Legolas is always hot...I know.

But I pictured him more like this elf:

Nuada from Hellboy 2 - Frigging love him! He's creepily delicious.
Conall is a sly trickster and smooth lover that delivers the D. I wish I learned more of his world but the glimpses that was given in the short story were interesting. I loved the banter between Osain and Conall especially right after being kidnapped. Osain reacted how I would have reacted. He's not a big bloke and pretty much could have been squashed like a bug at any moment but he still tried to give as good as he got.

The two main characters can't deny the attraction but Osain does not want to stay in the faery world. He's enchanted by Conall but still wants to keep living his human life. Hint: Surprise shifting. (loved!) A challenge is thrown, some minor angst is delivered, hot sex is had, snark is given. I enjoyed. I am a lover of fae romances especially the sexy kind like The Faery Reel.

The ending? It's HFN/HEA-ish, I guess. Maybe if this was a longer story where we get to learn more about the main characters, I could rate higher. That is not to say the ending wasn't a good one. It was quite the compromise. I just wanted...more. More of this world created, more time to see the ending blossom...more.

Quick fun read, not really a re-read for me. But it is definitely a memorable little bit of fun.

My first Arielle Pierce read...will not be my last.