What do you think?
Rate this book
Ensorcelled #1
Epiphany
1974. When the residents of the backwater town of Epiphany, Nevada, drive off a hurt and hungry young man because he has long hair, timid diner cook Elijah Tupper can't find the courage to stand up to them. Later, both guilt and strong attraction compel Elijah to seek out the drifter who calls himself only Dust. He finds him camped in the Mojave, and Dust and Elijah agree to travel together, though Elijah can't possibly imagine the task that awaits them.
Dust's painful past has left him mistrustful of people and the world. He also possesses mysterious powers, though hunger and injury have left him weak. Elijah vows to aid and protect him, even if Dust can't believe that Elijah has no ulterior motives. A fragile trust slowly forms between them, despite Dust's cynicism and Elijah's insecurity. As they seek to recover the magic that will save Dust from the forces trying to destroy him, they must enlist the aid of the county sheriff who originally banished Dust from Epiphany.
Though Sheriff Sam Woodward doesn't approve of Dust or his blossoming relationship with Elijah, he agrees to help the young men to protect his town from Dust's enchantments. In order for the three men to succeed and survive their dangerous, magical journey, each of them must adapt and grow. They'll need all of their skills to survive the corrupt city of Las Vegas and the twisted, supernatural realms beyond.
Dust's painful past has left him mistrustful of people and the world. He also possesses mysterious powers, though hunger and injury have left him weak. Elijah vows to aid and protect him, even if Dust can't believe that Elijah has no ulterior motives. A fragile trust slowly forms between them, despite Dust's cynicism and Elijah's insecurity. As they seek to recover the magic that will save Dust from the forces trying to destroy him, they must enlist the aid of the county sheriff who originally banished Dust from Epiphany.
Though Sheriff Sam Woodward doesn't approve of Dust or his blossoming relationship with Elijah, he agrees to help the young men to protect his town from Dust's enchantments. In order for the three men to succeed and survive their dangerous, magical journey, each of them must adapt and grow. They'll need all of their skills to survive the corrupt city of Las Vegas and the twisted, supernatural realms beyond.
164 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 10, 2011
3 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Augusta Li
39 books124 followersGus's Books are available at Dreamspinner Press, Silver Publishing, , Yaoi Press, and Storm Moon Press.
Gus has much love for readers and book enthusiasts. Communication and friendship is encouraged!
Website: www.BooksByEonandGus.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 2, 2011
The first half of the book was sex, the love at "first lust" type of thing and it continued on and on, no romance whatsoever. I never felt any real connection between Dust and Elijah. The battle scenes with Scarlet the witch and the Demon were much more interesting it added some excitement to the story. I found Sam to be weak and Jo just an annoying addition to the plot. This could have been so much better.....!
September 9, 2011
4.5. I really enjoyed this story. It was a good, faced-paced, and unpredictable adventure with clever magical elements. As an action/adventure it worked really well, and was very exciting. I was very eager to see how everything would be resolved, and the battle and fights scenes were very engaging.
Does it work as a romance? Yes and no, IMHO. It's in no way a traditional romance, where the characters meet, fall in love, and that leads to sex. Its actually the opposite. Elijah feels compelled to look for Dust, and the very night he finds him they are at it. They keep at it, a lot, but trust and feelings do start to develop in the mean time. The sex scenes are well-done, and I honestly enjoyed them. I didn't find it so unrealistic, they way things developed. These are guys in their twenties, and I'm a guy in my twenties, and well... Plus, Elijah is so insecure and just really wants to sleep with someone, and Dust is so jaded sexually I can see it happening the way it did, and I did feel romance blooming between them, if slowly and secondary to the physical passion. Their commitment to each other is necessary to drive certain plot threads. Be warned there are some girl cooties, there's near-rape and rape, but off page. Some really bad stuff has happened to Dust in the past, but its only aluded to. The bondage scene is very mild, more of a trust exercise between them. I'm easily squicked out, and I actually kind of enjoyed that scene.
I am not a fan of the supporting characters. I got annoyed when they distracted me from the main plot and Dust and Elijah. They were necessary to an extent, plot wise, but I wish there had been less of them. I hope if the series continues they won't be back.
Does it work as a romance? Yes and no, IMHO. It's in no way a traditional romance, where the characters meet, fall in love, and that leads to sex. Its actually the opposite. Elijah feels compelled to look for Dust, and the very night he finds him they are at it. They keep at it, a lot, but trust and feelings do start to develop in the mean time. The sex scenes are well-done, and I honestly enjoyed them. I didn't find it so unrealistic, they way things developed. These are guys in their twenties, and I'm a guy in my twenties, and well... Plus, Elijah is so insecure and just really wants to sleep with someone, and Dust is so jaded sexually I can see it happening the way it did, and I did feel romance blooming between them, if slowly and secondary to the physical passion. Their commitment to each other is necessary to drive certain plot threads. Be warned there are some girl cooties, there's near-rape and rape, but off page. Some really bad stuff has happened to Dust in the past, but its only aluded to. The bondage scene is very mild, more of a trust exercise between them. I'm easily squicked out, and I actually kind of enjoyed that scene.
I am not a fan of the supporting characters. I got annoyed when they distracted me from the main plot and Dust and Elijah. They were necessary to an extent, plot wise, but I wish there had been less of them. I hope if the series continues they won't be back.
October 1, 2011
Just because the secondary couple turned out to be an interracial couple is a big part of the reason I gave this awesome book five stars. I didn't know what to expect, and had this been advertised as a typical paranormal, I might have skipped it--to my regret--because Augusta Li is one highly imaginative and original writer. I'm so hooked now! Dust and Elijah are an awesome couple and equally matched. I was a little apprehensive on that score, considering Li and her writing partner Eon D' Beaumont also write yaoi fiction and I just didn't want a seme/uke partnership (a trope that drives me NUTS!!!), especially when the uke is so weak he can't even fart without needing the seme to tell him when to do it. Needless to say, none of that was apparent, and Dust turned out to be a lot more than meets the eye. What I really loved was how Li captured the small-town mindset to a t, with its bigotry and hypocrisy. Love this and will be eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.
September 1, 2011
Its really hard to review this one. I'm not really up on the whole witches and demons theme, but as an adventure story I liked it. I had a few niggles with the power struggle parts. It was little niggles like that and the lack of romance that makes me give this 3 stars. The sex was way over done and to be honest the very begining felt like a chapter out of Stephen Kings novel "Needful Things", but that aside I was kept interested and wanting to find out how it would all end. The plot itself was good but the romance was lacking. As much as I liked Dust and Elijah I just never felt the emotional conection.
August 22, 2011
A gritty yet tender story of a young man who discovers a connection with a strange drifter who is run out of the small conservative town of Epiphany. Elijah chases after the drifter who turns out to be much more than he seems. Li as usual does a fantastic job of creating beautiful and believable characters who are grounded in reality while throwing them into fantastic and dangerous situations. The sex is hot and the plot is solid while pleasingly unpredictable. I'm glad this is #1 in a series because these characters have immense and continuing potential and I can't wait to see what happens next.
September 4, 2011
I am honestly split between 3 and 4 stars.
At times I saw the brilliance of the plot and the intensity of the story that made me purchased this ebook and other times, I felt myself short changed due to the characters and mishaps of the story flow.
This is the first of the series.
At times I saw the brilliance of the plot and the intensity of the story that made me purchased this ebook and other times, I felt myself short changed due to the characters and mishaps of the story flow.
This is the first of the series.
January 27, 2012
a very good historical filled with magic. the story is a little slow to begin but it's quickly forgiven since half the book is so full.
the MC are well written and the only thing I regret is the girly bits that are way too present for my taste.
the MC are well written and the only thing I regret is the girly bits that are way too present for my taste.
April 13, 2012
I didn't connect with this at all. To me it was odd and disjointed and did I say odd? I just did not like it. I felt no sympathy for Dust. He was mean and spiteful. I also found Sam and Jo's sudden hookup out of the blue. Overall....is say pass this.one.
Read
August 1, 2011Available August 13th from Silver Publishing!
September 3, 2011
See Vio`s review.I agree 100% with her.
August 28, 2011
Somehow, I simply didn't connect to this plotted story, so my enjoyment was minimal.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews