Today’s review is a bit unusual for me because I almost never read M/F, but, surprisingly, I did enjoy most of the stories in this anthology and I truly recommend it to lovers of the urban fantasy/paranormal genre. I APOLOGIZE BEFOREHAND FOR THE LITTLE SPOILERS. Because I suck at coding, I tried to alert their presence with bold writing. Here it goes:
PSYCHIC STORM: Ten Dangerously Sexy Tales of Psychic Witches, Vampires, Mediums, Empaths and Seers
Ten books. Ten internationally bestselling authors. Ten different tales of sexy psychics, empaths and seers who solve crimes, fall in love, make magic and fight to save the world.
Over 2,000 pages of extrasensory reading await, with three brand new, original novels and over 1,400 5-Star Reviews for the rest!
From Bestselling Author, HEATHER TOPHAM WOOD –– NEW REVELATIONS –– Life should’ve been perfect. Kate Edwards won the heart of police detective Jared Corbett and is coming to terms with her psychic ability. Things are blissful—until the day she meets Declan Brayden. Kate doesn’t trust the damaged and arrogant seer, but knows combining their abilities would allow her to help more people. When visions of a missing fitness instructor turn into a race against time to save her life, Kate might have no choice. HEAT LEVEL: 2
From Bestselling author, APRIL AASHEIM –– ARMAND –– “Never trust a warlock…” Before Maggie Maddock and her sisters returned to Dark Root, Oregon, a generation of witches and warlocks reigned over The Council — 13 men and women devoted to holding back the dark they believed would eventually end the world. This is the origin story of Dark Root’s most notorious warlock: Armand. HEAT LEVEL: 2
From USA TODAY bestselling author, DALE MAYER –– TUESDAY’S CHILD –– What she doesn’t want…is exactly what he needs. Shunned and ridiculed all her life for something she can’t control, Samantha Blair hides her psychic abilities and lives on the fringes of society. Against her will, however, she’s tapped into a killer–or rather, his victims. Sam knows she must go to the authorities, but will the rugged, no-nonsense detective in charge of tracking down the killer believe her? HEAT LEVEL: 3
From bestselling author, JESI LEA RYAN –– JUST A LITTLE NUDGE –– Marley Sexton never aspired to be a stripper. But it’s the only job that puts a dent in her mother’s medical bills. It’s also the only job where she feels justified using a little talent she calls nudging. But JC Moreno figures out Marley may have taken the nudge too far. Marley’s not big on trusting people, especially a man with a gun, a badge, and a story that doesn’t add up, but maybe they can work together to both get what they want…if they don’t end up dead. HEAT LEVEL: 3
From NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author DEANNA CHASE –– HAUNTED ON BOURBON STREET –– Jade loves her new apartment—until a ghost joins her in the shower. When empath Jade Calhoun moves into an apartment above a strip bar on Bourbon Street, she expects life to get interesting. What she doesn’t count on is making friends with an exotic dancer, attracting a powerful spirit, and developing feelings for Kane, her sexy landlord. But when the ghost moves from spooking Jade to terrorizing Pyper, the dancer, it’s up to Jade to use her unique ability as an empath to save her. HEAT LEVEL: 4
From bestselling author, MORGAN HANNAH MACDONALD –– SPIRITS AMONG US –– WHAT HE SEES WOULD SCARE YOU TO DEATH. Cajun bad boy and ex-FBI profiler Jon-Luc Boudreaux is in Paris hunting a serial killer. That’s nothing new, neither is being haunted by the victims, but watching the murders through the killers eyes, now that’s something new entirely. Jon-Luc is on the hunt for the most diabolical killer he’s ever encountered, and Angela Henderson, fashion designer, is next on the killer’s list. HEAT LEVEL: 4
From bestselling author, JC ANDRIJESKI –– LONDON –– If there was ever a race-traitor job, this was definitely it. Revik arrives in London with a new job, a new home…and new people watching him, seemingly more than he has helping him watch the Bridge, a holy warrior hidden among humans to keep her safe from dark Seers called the Rooks. Meanwhile, in San Francisco, Allie has no idea that she’s the Bridge…or even that she’s a Seer. Then she meets Jaden. HEAT LEVEL: 4
From bestselling author, JORDAN CASTILLO PRICE –– AMONG THE LIVING –– Victor Bayne, the psychic half a PsyCop team, is a gay medium more concerned with flying under the radar than making waves. He hooks up with handsome Jacob Marks, a non-psychic from an adjacent precinct at his ex-partner’s retirement party and it seems his luck has taken a turn for the better. But then a serial killer with a gruesome M.O. surfaces–and no one agrees what he looks like. HEAT LEVEL: 5
From NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author, C.J. ELLISSON –– VAMPIRE VACATION –– Meet Vivian. She’s a 580-year-old vampire who exudes sex, has a talent for drama, and is passionate about two things: her human husband, Rafe, and their resort for the undead. Her ability to project physical illusions creates the perfect vacation spot—a dark, isolated Alaskan hideaway where visitors can have their wildest fantasies come true. The powerful vamp is put to the test when she discovers a corpse in a locked guest room minutes before the next arrivals. HEAT LEVEL: 5
From bestselling author, HAZEL HUNTER –– TOUCHED –– In the world of Isabelle de Grey, eyesight isn’t the only way to see. When she touches objects and people, she looks into their past. But her gift is equal parts curse. She has yet to find the lover who can accept the brutal truth of what she sees. Isolated and rejected, she is ready to leave Los Angeles and abandon her career when she meets FBI profiler Gavin “Mac” MacMillan. Thrown together when the daughter of a mutual friend is abducted, Isabelle discovers that Mac could be the man who won’t push her away. HEAT LEVEL: 5
My review:
HEATHER TOPHAM WOOD –– NEW REVELATIONS – 4 stars
At the beginning I was unsure about New Revelations. Firstly, the story was obviously a sequel, the characters had backstory that I hadn’t known firsthand and I usually, out of principle more than anything else, prefer reading stories that come from a series in the order they were meant to be read. That instantly put me in a bad mood because I would have liked to get to know the character from the very beginning, experience their first adventures together with them. Having landed in the middle of a longer story, I felt irritated and a bit cheated. And then the heroine turned out to be this very unsure girl, sexually frustrated, not confident in her lover’s feelings towards her, barely just getting comfortable with her new psychic gift. Her boyfriend, on the other hand, seemed to perfect to be real—too kind, too patient, too understanding, and, honestly, I didn’t feel they were right for each other at all. No matter how in love Kate insisted she was in every chapter, I only felt her insecurities, rather than their chemistry.
That being said, Kate slowly grew on me, just like mold—her words, not mine. I was taken by her candid kindness and her desperate need to help people. I loved how honest she was and how sarcastic she could be. And I loved, that unlike some other heroines, she wasn’t obsessed with fashion and looking good. She’s definitely a great, lovable character. Just like Declan. Unlike Jared, Declan was real—snarky, playboy-ish, unashamed. He was an imperfect character, which made him very interesting and very fascinating.
The plot was interesting too, though a bit lacking in action. All along, there are just visions that Kate follows to save the victims, but, in fact, all the action consists in her letting the families know what happens and then crying her eyes out. There is little external conflict. In fact the real external conflict only happens at the end of the book—the cliffhanger. If you wanna read this book, I strongly suggest buying the whole series, otherwise you won’t be truly satisfied.
All in all, in spite of its imperfection, I did enjoy the story and I will certainly buy the whole series. Thumbs up!
APRIL AASHEIM –– ARMAND – 3.5 stars
Armand was a very unique read for me because it was unlike most books I read and enjoy. I wish I could rate it higher, but, unfortunately, the style really didn’t match my tastes and I had to struggle to read it, even though the execution was impeccable, in terms of plot and characterization. What I truly missed was humor and a lighter vibe. True, there was teasing between the hero and heroine, but there’s not enough to dampen the dark, depressing atmosphere of the book.
The story takes place is a strange universe where electricity, televisions and all modern appliances coexist with misogyny and primitive religious beliefs. From the start, I was particularly repulsed by the view society, in this universe, has on women.
If that wasn’t enough, the hero himself is a phychic that feeds on sexual energies and uses women to satisfy his urges without caring what happens to them after he leaves them.
I usually love imperfect characters, but I found Armand had too many flaws to be completely likable. He only managed to redeem himself at the end by righting his wrongs and his finding his father’s grave was such an emotional scene that it truly made me weep for him and almost made up for all the scenes I didn’t like.
I did like Armand, the character, in the end, especially when he insisted he couldn’t love anyone, because characters who build a wall around their feelings are the most interesting and turn out to be the most profound.
However the story ended just when I was getting into the action and starting to love where it was going.
If I were to summarize what this book is about, I would say Armand is a dark, quite lyrical tale about a lonely man’s journey to finding himself and his purpose. Although psychic gifts play a part of the story, it is more a character driven account rather than an action book and I have the feeling it’s one of those books you love from the start or you won’t ever be completely comfortable reading, depending on your personality. If you enjoy dark tales and highly troubled heroes, this is definitely the book for you.
DALE MAYER –– TUESDAY’S CHILD – 5 stars
I loved everything about this book. The plot was very good, the pacing was perfect and the characters were all amazing. It’s hard for me to find words for praising books, so usually the ones I like most get the shortest review. I will try, however to describe why this book took me from the start.
First of all, it began with visions of death. From the very first chapter I was sympathetic toward the main character, Samantha. Not only does she see the experiences of murder victims, but she feels their physical pain, which manifests on her own body. She bleeds together with them, both metaphorically and physically. Despite all that, and despite how mistreated she’s been all her life because of her unusual gift, Samantha shows incredible braveness and strength. She goes against her fear to do what she believes she’s right and, eventually, she earns people’s respect thanks to that.
But her journey isn’t easy. The police treat her like a suspect and a looney. The only person who believes in her is detective Brandt, who ends up falling in love with her. Brandt sees her hidden strength and falls in love with her vulnerable side as well as her brave side. Together they battle against the system until their voices are heard and they manage to capture a serial killer, bringing justice to his numerous victims.
In the process, Samantha learns how to open up and trust people, how to control her psychic gifts and how to rely on the people who love her. I loved that, on a micro level, her dog Soldier, whom she saved from euthanasia, goes through the same emotional journey of learning to trust. Ultimately, Soldier overcomes his trauma by saving Samantha from his former trainer, who’s none other than the killer.
I can’t wait to read the next books in this series.
JESI LEA RYAN –– JUST A LITTLE NUDGE – 4.5 stars
I had mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I liked the plot and Marley’s powers and well as the idea of a stripper and a CIA agent solving a case together. It was original and written in an upbeat style. However, I felt like the whole plot was a bit rushed, there wasn’t enough time for a real connection to be created between the main characters. The heroine’s feelings for JC were a bit muddled.
It feels like the author concentrated so much on Marley coming off as a strong female character that she completely ignored giving her a real vulnerable side. True, her vulnerability came from her mother’s health state and her financial issues, but I didn’t feel it was enough. I feel at her core, she was all strength—no hang-ups, no bad choices, no complexes and self-doubts. I didn’t see any of that. She was smart, which I liked, but too cold, whereas, in comparison, JC seemed like a puppy drooling over her. That wasn’t a good match, in my opinion.
That being said, the writing wasn’t poorly executed at all, so, despite voicing those objections, I found it a fun and enjoyable read. If romance isn’t the main reason you buy this book…
DEANNA CHASE – HAUNTED ON BOURBON STREET – 5 stars
Wow! This story was intense. Perverted ghosts, witches, strippers, dreamwalkers, nasty exes, lesser angels, ghost hunters and…I’m sure I could come up with more if I think about it. I bet that’s exactly what the author told herself when she brainstormed this book. It had pretty much anything you could imagine. Seen from this point of view, you’d expect a disaster, but I was amazed how well they all fit together. The author managed to create a very entertaining read, lovable character and a captivating plot. That tells me she’s a master at GMC – goal, motivation, conflict. There was simply no chapter without some sort of obstacle the heroine had to overcome. I loved the pacing and the intense chemistry between characters. I’m not only referring to the sexual chemistry between MCs, but the relations between all characters. The bonds of friendship felt real, the supporting characters were strong and had their own distinct voices. I loved this book!
MORGAN HANNAH MACDONALD –– SPIRITS AMONG US – 4 stars
What can I say? This story was perfectly executed, but I didn’t fully enjoy the atmosphere. I loved that it was written from a man’s perspective and I loved Jon-Luc’s character a lot.
However, some things weren’t as enjoyable. For instance, I felt his and Angie’s instant attraction and instant “love” was a bit forced or, rather, the way the author described it all was implausible.
*SPOILER* Moreover, Angie’s experience with ghost is coming out of nowhere, like the perfect solution to Jon-Luc’s doubts. That seemed to be solved too easily and with no preamble whatsoever—another implausible detail. It’s like the author though: “Hmmm, ‘kay, I need Jon-Luc to confess to Angie he’s a psychic, but how do I do this? Oh, I know, I’ll just give her a past ghost experience! I’m a genius!” All of a sudden, when we were already at two thirds of the story with no mention of this whatsoever before this point? Didn’t work for me.*/SPOILER*
I also didn’t enjoy the descriptions of the ghosts. For me it was a complete turn-off *SPOILER* the scene when Jon-Luc has a vision of having sex with one of the victims */SPOILER* . That scene grossed me and I didn’t think it was a necessary scene either. And after that scene, all the ghosts apparitions grossed me out. If the author was aiming for horror, it was a total success.
From the point of view of the plot, however, I have no criticism, aside from Angie’s ghost experience scene I mentioned before. The plot was well-thought. The characters were charismatic, the killer was interesting and I really didn’t expect that turn of events, which is a huge plus! Unlike 90% of the stories where you know who the killer is, this one came as a surprise and it really tied the plot like a perfect bow placed over the gift box. I loved it. The scene at the end seemed a bit rushed, but all in all, the plot was full of adventure and interesting twists and the characters were really likable.
So, despite my reservations, I recommend this book. I think readers of the genre will enjoy it a lot.
JC ANDRIJESKI –– LONDON – 4 stars
In terms of plot and originality, this book was a masterpiece. I was so impressed with the universe the author has created and with the complexity of the intrigues she’s woven. In fact, this series is so big I can’t help feeling it’s all happening in an alternate universe for real.
But, the reason I gave it a tad lower rating is the lack of a satisfying ending. The whole story was full of angst and abuse. I cried 90% of the time and I craved that ending which would have made the pain worthwhile. *SPOILER* The ending however showed Allie falling in love with her abuser while Revik was forced to witness her confession and withstand the pain that came with it. */SPOILER*
From a logical point of view, I get that this was necessary for the story to come and I applaud the author for bearing to do this to her characters. I think this is one of the most skilled writers whose books I’ve ever had the honor of reading. On the other hand though, the story was so depressing and the ending so bitter-sweet that I don’t think I want to read more. Because I have the feeling there will only come more pain in the future volumes. This is not a story for those of us who like humorous, light reads.I don’t want to say it’s a story that has more depth, because that would mean implying humorous stories have no depth and that is absolute BS, but it’s definitely a story that treats very serious subjects. Disguised as a fantasy book. It’s not just a fantasy book, just an adventure book, just a story about unrequited love. It is also a story about the human condition, about abuse, about human behavior under particular circumstances. I couldn’t help feeling, at certain points, that it was a lot like a study in psychology.
London is only a prequel to a long series and the world the author built is so complex and amazing that I’m sure many of you will be fascinated. So, give it a try, see what you think. I think this is one of those that you either like or not, depending on your personal tastes and the events you’re going through in your own personal life. Either way, whether you’ll like this particular prequel/series or not, keep an eye on this author because she’s a true gem! Warning: You will need a lot of tissues and a certain bitter mood to be able to stomach some of the scenes.
JORDAN CASTILLO PRICE –– AMONG THE LIVING – 5+ stars
I may be a bit biased because the whole reason I wanted to read this collection of stories was Jordan Castillo Price’s Among the Living being featured in it. I’ve already read Among the Living twice and, even though it’s not my favorite out of Jordan’s works, it holds a very dear place in my heart because it’s the first story I ever read by this amazing author. This review is more about the whole Pyscop series, because this book is just a small bite ad the entire development of the story is much more complex. I feel the need to explain what exactly psycop is about for those readers who are completely new to M/M and/or Jordan Castillo Price’s works.
Among the Living is the first book of the Psycop series, a series about a medium who helps ghosts cross over and solves mysteries in his own special way.
What I love about this author’s books is the way she builds characters. Her boys are always troubled, rough guys who, deep inside, fear intimacy, fear opening up to others, making friends, falling in love. This series essentially follows Victor in his own personal battle against himself and his innermost fears. We see him falling in love, slowly making friends and maybe even realizing that not everyone wishes him harm.
Among the Living, in particular, introduces readers to a universe where psychics are pretty much government dogs. Victor is one of the first generations psychics, meaning that before him the people who had real psychic powers were catalogued as mentally ill. As such, Victor has been experimented on and virtually held prisoner in what his generation’s psychics called Camp Hell. As a result, Victor doesn’t trust authority figures, he doesn’t trust anyone—this is, in fact, the main internal conflict of the whole series. He was smart enough not to show his true power while he undergone Camp Hell and, even so, he’s considered one of the strongest mediums in the world. No one is actually aware of the true extent of his powers. And that is the main external conflict—him trying to keep his powers hidden.
As all of Jordan’s characters, Victor has a snarky, sarcastic personality that instantly amuses you. At the same time, readers will fall in love with him due to his unawareness to how amazing he is and, especially, thanks to his weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
From a romantic point of view, the whole series isn’t extremely graphic so I doubt any new readers of the M/M genre will be scarred for life reading sex scenes between male characters, however the books have a certain heat level and I, personally, believe the author is quite a master when it comes to passionate scenes.
I could write a whole book about the Psycop series alone so I will try refraining from singing its praises further before this turns into an essay. Bottom line is, I can guarantee this book is worthwhile and, more so, the books to come. You will fall in love with the world-building and the amazing characterization. Hands down one of the best authors ever!
C.J. ELLISSON – VAMPIRE VACATION – 5 stars
Woot! This book was written to match my tastes like a glove. Loved the very original idea of a vampire resort. Loved that it had lots of sex, yet it wasn’t so overwhelming to the point of wanting to browse over it. And, most of all, I loved the main character. She is the strong, lonely type, only truly trusting her husband. However her hidden strength attracts everyone and makes them naturally gravitate around her.
In this story, we’re shown how Vivian/Dria slowly, albeit reluctantly, opens up to others by allowing them to witness her true abilities and by welcoming new people into her family.
Hot guy, snarky humor and a meddling hostess playing matchmaker—this had all the ingredients of a really fun books. I loved the plot so much I will definitely buy the next books in the series.
HAZEL HUNTER – TOUCHED – 3.5 stars
The idea behind Touch is very nice and I liked the execution. My only complaints are the short length and the lack of a satisfying ending. I love the twist about the killer, but it felt like it all ended too abruptly. Still, this being a novella, I think the author did a great job. But, obviously, if you want to get the nice ending you’ll be waiting for, you have to buy the following books, otherwise, there’ll be no point.
I loved the characters and the way Isabelle’s powers manifests. I think it’s worth buying the whole series.
Ah, this has been quite a rollercoaster ride. I loved the whole stories in the anthology, despite not being a huge hetero stories fan. I am, however, a really huge psychic stories fan, mainly thanks to Jordan Castillo Price (OMG! Don’t I sound like a stalker?). But, this whole collection was filled with exceptional stories written by very skilled authors that I would love to check out in the future as well. I want to thank the whole team and especially Jordan for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Shayla Mist 