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Fillmore #1
Transcend
When Gael Astley escapes life spent as a sadist's sex slave, his rescuer introduces him to a world he never knew existed. He quickly discovers he has the powers of telepathy and telekinesis, but is confused about what this means for this life. With the help of the one person he knows he can trust, Gael embarks on an intense training regime that ultimately leads to a new career as an agent for Fillmore, a top-secret paranormal group.
Jason Phillips, a member of the Fillmore team, has secrets of his own. Though he tries to keep his distance from Gael, the two men are drawn together like moths to flame. Will Gael overcome his own insecurities and see the possibilities offered or will his past come back to destroy him?
CONTENT This title contains scenes of rape. Readers with a history of rape or sexual abuse may find this story disturbing. This title contains mentions of incest.
Jason Phillips, a member of the Fillmore team, has secrets of his own. Though he tries to keep his distance from Gael, the two men are drawn together like moths to flame. Will Gael overcome his own insecurities and see the possibilities offered or will his past come back to destroy him?
CONTENT This title contains scenes of rape. Readers with a history of rape or sexual abuse may find this story disturbing. This title contains mentions of incest.
392 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 21, 2012
1 person is currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
West Thornhill
15 books25 followersAs an author and a reader I'm trying to break out of my comfort areas. In the past year, I've read a lot of fantasy and, surprisingly, science fiction. As far as writing goes, I've been working on a fantasy. It's been slow and frustrating, but I'm enjoying the process.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 29, 2012
Blech. I'm completely underwhelmed.
Was this originally on livejournal or something, because it certainly doesn't read like it was written to be a book. It reads like a fan-fic that people loved online, so it just kept getting longer and longer and more convoluted.
The characters are cute and the initial premise is interesting but there are too many characters, confusing changes in perspective (that third person/first person thing just about killed me), and an impossible to follow plot that turns into the single biggest red-herring I think I've ever read. Did anyone edit this? If so, they should be ashamed.
The lack of a cohesive plot is my biggest negative when thinking back on this book although the ubiquitous 'raped twink' character is also really getting on my nerves in this genre.
This book is supposed to be about a secret society which polices the paranormal world. There's some lip service to something that some chick named Ari has done - not sure what - there's a stakeout, and then what? What was she supposedly doing? The whole rest of the book is about what exactly?
Oh well, I guess I'll never know, but that's ok because at least Gael got a job belly dancing, which as you know is critical to investigating crime.
Was this originally on livejournal or something, because it certainly doesn't read like it was written to be a book. It reads like a fan-fic that people loved online, so it just kept getting longer and longer and more convoluted.
The characters are cute and the initial premise is interesting but there are too many characters, confusing changes in perspective (that third person/first person thing just about killed me), and an impossible to follow plot that turns into the single biggest red-herring I think I've ever read. Did anyone edit this? If so, they should be ashamed.
The lack of a cohesive plot is my biggest negative when thinking back on this book although the ubiquitous 'raped twink' character is also really getting on my nerves in this genre.
This book is supposed to be about a secret society which polices the paranormal world. There's some lip service to something that some chick named Ari has done - not sure what - there's a stakeout, and then what? What was she supposedly doing? The whole rest of the book is about what exactly?
Oh well, I guess I'll never know, but that's ok because at least Gael got a job belly dancing, which as you know is critical to investigating crime.
January 23, 2012
Liked the part with the past abuse and all the following issues caused by it. Disliked that although it's about a secret organization with paranormal gifted individuals, we don't get to see them making much use of their abilities. It's a story focused on romance, the plot regarding Fillmore agency unfortunately is left behind. The only work we really are presented with is the personal jobs that these characters have. Totally unsatisfying to me. I wanted action, missions where we see their powers, something to happen. The most intriguing character for me was Fox, would love to read a story featuring him.
January 29, 2012
I LOVED this book and can't wait to read more of this series. All the characters are so on point its ridiculous. Not a boring moment at all from start to finish, i loved the pace of the storyline and how everything seemed to just flow so wonderfully. I was so sad when I got to the last page because i just wanted to continue reading more about the characters. LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT! Need I say more? First book I've read by this author and if her work continue to be this fabulous she has gained a fan for life.
July 7, 2014
4 STARS
Reviewed by Roberta
Wow, this book had so much going on and I was really glad that I got the chance to review it.
Gael Astley has had a rough life. He was kidnapped by his mother at 2 yrs old and later abandoned and put in an orphanage. Next he is claimed by this man who claimed to be part of his family, he’s not in the least. From there Gerard drugs Gael and prostitutes him out. Always keeping him drugged so that he won’t fight the abuse that is heaped on him. Holy Hannah, reading about Gael’s past made my heart hurt. I had tears in my eyes reading his story. But then he’s saved by Rick, a therapist who works for the Fillmore Agency. Rick helps Gael find his balance in life again. He’s getting better everyday. Gael starts to show an aptitude for having multiple telepathic gifts and is now working for the Fillmore Agency. Gael is such a wonderful young man. I really liked that after everything that he’d been through, he was stronger than he thought just by staying strong and making a life for himself. Gael still has panic attacks, but he works his way through them and remains so resilient in having a life of his own. Gael is so loving, giving and kind. I just love how watching Gael mature and find out who he is.
Jason Phillips is a lion shifter who works at the Fillmore Agency. Jason’s home life wasn’t the best either. Once Jason came out to his family, his siblings who loved him and supported him. His mother and father on the other hand…not so much. His mother has always wanted him to marry another female shifter and live the life that she dictated him to have. He moved away from his family and made a family of his own with the agents of the Fillmore Agency. Jason is this really loving and loyal guy. He’s so steadfast and wants to protect Gael with everything that is in him. Jason loves the people that make up the family that he now has and he would do anything to keep them safe.
The story was one of hope and love and family and really it was about strength. I loved all the themes that were in this story. The author really wove such a wonderful story and I was hooked from the first word. Poor Gael and all that he had gone through and how he kept finding his strength. I loved the way that Jason helped Gael to become stronger. I really liked seeing Gael and Jason learn to rely on each other and yet, still remain individuals.
There was some suspense-ish stuff going on. I mean, you know who is doing the stuff, but it’s the how it gets resolved was pretty damn good. I really liked the way this part of the story played out. I was really vested in how this issue would be resolved and I was really happy.
I will say that I loved seeing the growth of not just the MC’s but the secondary characters as well. Kyle had some issues that need(ed) to be worked on and he’s working on it. Rick is such a great character. Rick’s empathy and strength kept everyone moving along towards the future. Tink is just one of the greatest female character that I’ve seen lately. She’s totally snarky, witty and you can’t predict what she’s going to do next. It was so much fun watching all of the characters interact with each other and make it work.
The flow of the story was excellent. I have to say that I was never jarred out of the story. I was wrapped up in what was happening and wanted to make sure that Gael and Jason got their HEA!! This is one story that you will truly enjoy reading.
*WARNING*
I will say that this book dealt with abuse of both mental and physical of a child. I will say that reading about happened to Gael hurt my heart and I had tears in my eyes. So please be warned.
Please visit www.lovebytesreviews.com to see this and many more reviews, interviews guest posts and giveaways!
Reviewed by Roberta
Wow, this book had so much going on and I was really glad that I got the chance to review it.
Gael Astley has had a rough life. He was kidnapped by his mother at 2 yrs old and later abandoned and put in an orphanage. Next he is claimed by this man who claimed to be part of his family, he’s not in the least. From there Gerard drugs Gael and prostitutes him out. Always keeping him drugged so that he won’t fight the abuse that is heaped on him. Holy Hannah, reading about Gael’s past made my heart hurt. I had tears in my eyes reading his story. But then he’s saved by Rick, a therapist who works for the Fillmore Agency. Rick helps Gael find his balance in life again. He’s getting better everyday. Gael starts to show an aptitude for having multiple telepathic gifts and is now working for the Fillmore Agency. Gael is such a wonderful young man. I really liked that after everything that he’d been through, he was stronger than he thought just by staying strong and making a life for himself. Gael still has panic attacks, but he works his way through them and remains so resilient in having a life of his own. Gael is so loving, giving and kind. I just love how watching Gael mature and find out who he is.
Jason Phillips is a lion shifter who works at the Fillmore Agency. Jason’s home life wasn’t the best either. Once Jason came out to his family, his siblings who loved him and supported him. His mother and father on the other hand…not so much. His mother has always wanted him to marry another female shifter and live the life that she dictated him to have. He moved away from his family and made a family of his own with the agents of the Fillmore Agency. Jason is this really loving and loyal guy. He’s so steadfast and wants to protect Gael with everything that is in him. Jason loves the people that make up the family that he now has and he would do anything to keep them safe.
The story was one of hope and love and family and really it was about strength. I loved all the themes that were in this story. The author really wove such a wonderful story and I was hooked from the first word. Poor Gael and all that he had gone through and how he kept finding his strength. I loved the way that Jason helped Gael to become stronger. I really liked seeing Gael and Jason learn to rely on each other and yet, still remain individuals.
There was some suspense-ish stuff going on. I mean, you know who is doing the stuff, but it’s the how it gets resolved was pretty damn good. I really liked the way this part of the story played out. I was really vested in how this issue would be resolved and I was really happy.
I will say that I loved seeing the growth of not just the MC’s but the secondary characters as well. Kyle had some issues that need(ed) to be worked on and he’s working on it. Rick is such a great character. Rick’s empathy and strength kept everyone moving along towards the future. Tink is just one of the greatest female character that I’ve seen lately. She’s totally snarky, witty and you can’t predict what she’s going to do next. It was so much fun watching all of the characters interact with each other and make it work.
The flow of the story was excellent. I have to say that I was never jarred out of the story. I was wrapped up in what was happening and wanted to make sure that Gael and Jason got their HEA!! This is one story that you will truly enjoy reading.
*WARNING*
I will say that this book dealt with abuse of both mental and physical of a child. I will say that reading about happened to Gael hurt my heart and I had tears in my eyes. So please be warned.
Please visit www.lovebytesreviews.com to see this and many more reviews, interviews guest posts and giveaways!
May 4, 2012
This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
TRANSCEND is a paranormal novel with some of the usual elements that can be found in m/m romance. The idea is somewhat original and had all predispositions to become my favorite read.
Gael is a young man who had been abused heavily for three years and was rescued by an employee of the Fillmore, Rick. Fillmore is an organization policing those of their kind, with special abilities, ranging from shifting to a variety of mental abilities.
Since Gael's powers are off the charts, he is welcomed into the organization, trained and eventually employed. There he finds his mate and discovers his past.
While in fact seeming very interesting at first glance, this book just didn't do anything for me. I love shifters and often read about them, but in this book, while there were a few interesting bits and pieces, I found all of them to be extremely unsatisfying. History of abuse and I will pick up the book. Incest and rape? Doesn't bother me. But then I read a book like this, where I just couldn't connect Gael with his past and as I read about those situations I really felt nothing for him, not even sympathy, despite how much I tried. Honestly, sometimes news have more impact on me than this book did. But all of that just means that I couldn't connect to the characters at all and things I usually like weren't quite as appealing in this story.
What I actually found annoying were the switching viewpoints, time jumps and flashback. A few times I could have sworn even flashbacks had flashbacks. Time jumps mostly happened at the beginning and pretty much had me cursing, because each time I would get into the story, there was a few years/months/weeks flip that pulled me out of the story and made me relearn everything again. Very frustrating.
In my opinion, point of view changes happened too often and a big part of the story could have just been cut out to make it all more compact and purposeful. There were too many characters in the story while not even the main ones were properly developed. It just ended up being a large compilation of names and facts without actual action or purpose. That brings me to another issue that really annoyed me – all of them have these super cool powers but they barely use them and while they are agents, most of their decisions are just weak and senseless.
I did want to rate this higher, but despite appreciating the effort invested in this book, I just didn't like it. If this author decided to write something else I will probably read it, but anything in this series just isn't for me.
TRANSCEND is a paranormal novel with some of the usual elements that can be found in m/m romance. The idea is somewhat original and had all predispositions to become my favorite read.
Gael is a young man who had been abused heavily for three years and was rescued by an employee of the Fillmore, Rick. Fillmore is an organization policing those of their kind, with special abilities, ranging from shifting to a variety of mental abilities.
Since Gael's powers are off the charts, he is welcomed into the organization, trained and eventually employed. There he finds his mate and discovers his past.
While in fact seeming very interesting at first glance, this book just didn't do anything for me. I love shifters and often read about them, but in this book, while there were a few interesting bits and pieces, I found all of them to be extremely unsatisfying. History of abuse and I will pick up the book. Incest and rape? Doesn't bother me. But then I read a book like this, where I just couldn't connect Gael with his past and as I read about those situations I really felt nothing for him, not even sympathy, despite how much I tried. Honestly, sometimes news have more impact on me than this book did. But all of that just means that I couldn't connect to the characters at all and things I usually like weren't quite as appealing in this story.
What I actually found annoying were the switching viewpoints, time jumps and flashback. A few times I could have sworn even flashbacks had flashbacks. Time jumps mostly happened at the beginning and pretty much had me cursing, because each time I would get into the story, there was a few years/months/weeks flip that pulled me out of the story and made me relearn everything again. Very frustrating.
In my opinion, point of view changes happened too often and a big part of the story could have just been cut out to make it all more compact and purposeful. There were too many characters in the story while not even the main ones were properly developed. It just ended up being a large compilation of names and facts without actual action or purpose. That brings me to another issue that really annoyed me – all of them have these super cool powers but they barely use them and while they are agents, most of their decisions are just weak and senseless.
I did want to rate this higher, but despite appreciating the effort invested in this book, I just didn't like it. If this author decided to write something else I will probably read it, but anything in this series just isn't for me.
not-yet-finished
February 20, 2012I'm switching this one to the Not Yet Finished shelf because I've put it down and it's been a week and I still can't seem to make myself start it back up. It isn't DNF because I'm not saying that I don't want to finish it, but I'm also not really attached to it or interested in it in any way. It feels like its still dragging on and I'm waiting for something to happen. Unfortunately, I get a bit ADHD in my reading sometimes and that means books like this, where I still feel like I just started the book and hardly know anything by the 40% mark are often going to fall victim...
Maybe one day I'll finish... until then, I'm on to reading something else.
Maybe one day I'll finish... until then, I'm on to reading something else.
February 10, 2012
4.5 Stars. Great first book. Loved this story and the characters, although I hated all the bad stuff that happened. Can't wait for kyle's story and Dion's story.
September 6, 2015
I wanted to rate this higher because I really enjoyed the characters and the concepts in this book. The actual execution was a little off. The changing viewpoints was a little too "rough". Just introducing the characters would have been enough without the viewpoint changing to them. I did think the actual relationship of the MC's was pretty smooth considering all that Gael was SO badly abused. There was too little emotional involvement when the crisis hit. I just wasn't as emotionally involved as I should have been for that moment. Even with all of this, the story is good and I would read a sequel. I believe the author will improve upon the writing:)
January 24, 2015
These boys are a serious handful and will definitely keep you interested. What I find is that there is almost too much going on, especially with their friends, family, and multitude of psychic talents. It gets hard to keep track of who can do what, and exactly how it all ties in to the Fillmore Agency. I would like to see more of a focus on one couple, and their actual role within the agency.
Lototy
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More
Official Review @ Coffee Time Romance & More
Lototy
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More
Official Review @ Coffee Time Romance & More
July 25, 2014
I had POV issues with this book. At times the POV shifts were downright annoying and other times they seemed very necessary due to the complexity of each character. But although it started out a little rough for me, after a few chapters the story settled down and flowed really well. And darned if I didn't just love this book by the time I got to the end. It was a good solid story with great characters and I can't wait to read the next one.
February 16, 2012
I loved Jason and Gael's story and greatly enjoyed this introduction to a secret paranormal organisation. Although there was some resolution in the MCs story, this book left me with a lot of unanswered questions and I look forward to the second book in the series.
February 10, 2012
I don't know how to rate this one. I liked it but there were some things that bugged me about it too. Since it's the first in a series I'm going to rate it higher than I first thought. I figure as the series continues some unanswered questions will be answered.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews