Ascension

Southern Spirits #7

by Bailey Bradford

There's nothing quite like a Southern drawl or Southern charm - and nothing so loyal as a Southern spirit.

On the surface, McKinton, Texas seems like the stereotypical small town, USA. Smiling faces greet you everywhere you go, and people are quick to lend a helping hand. Most people, that is. Then there's the ones who let hate rule their lives, who are controlled by their own twisted passions, who are determined to hurt and destroy.

Only love can withstand and triumph over such hatred, but sometimes, even love needs a helping hand. There's something in McKinton that stands ready; Southern Spirits that intervene at the worst and best of times. With their humor, charm, and death-defying love, these spirits.




Book seven in the Southern Spirits Series

Conner Sutherland never thought he’d meet the love of his life in the Afterlife…

Conner Sutherland has been alone for a long time. He can’t remember the last time he even felt the desire to be touched by another man. Sometime before his death, when he’d still been Laine’s lover. But Laine had found Severo years ago, and if any two people were meant for each other it was Laine and Sev. Where that leaves Conner, he doesn’t know, other than feeling lost and out of sorts.

He doesn’t want to think about the way he feels when he sees Ro—Rogelio, Sev’s nephew. Conner’s seen Ro grow from pretty boy into a handsome man, but wanting him is foolish and useless. Ro’s got a life to live, and even if he does things that hurt Conner, that’s not Ro’s fault. He doesn’t know he entranced Conner long ago.

Ro has only ever wanted one man for keeps. It’s a pointless want, though, because Conner Sutherland is dead and too busy pranking Laine and Sev to notice Ro anyway.

But life, and death, have a way of surprising you, as Ro and Conner find out.


Bailey Bradford


A native Texan, Bailey spends her days spinning stories around in her head, which has contributed to more than one incident of tripping over her own feet. Evenings are reserved for pounding away at the keyboard, as are early morning hours. Sleep? Doesn’t happen much. Writing is too much fun, and there are too many characters bouncing about, tapping on Bailey’s brain demanding to be let out.

Caffeine and chocolate are permanent fixtures in Bailey’s office and are never far from hand at any given time. Removing either of those necessities from Bailey’s presence can result in what is know as A Very, Very Scary Bailey and is not advised under any circumstances.

Genres: Paranormal, M M Romance, Romance, Ghosts, Paranormal Romance, Contemporary, Gay

82 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 21, 2013

About the author

A few things about me...

I am a married mom of four who spends most of the day writing, either on stories or at the blog. I love to write as much as I love to read. I am generally quiet and laid back, choosing to let things slide off me rather than stick and irritate me.

And it's really hard trying to think of descriptives for myself, so I'll just let y'all e-mail me or comment at the blog if there's something specific you'd like to know, and spare you from reading a boring bio:D

Reviews

[Lena Grey · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 'Ascension' by Bailey Bradford, the phrase love will find a way takes on a whole new meaning, when two lovers, Connor and Ro, are reunited. Even though Connor is dead, he's wanted Ro for a long time; in fact he stays away from him because it hurts too much. He doesn't realize that Ro would like nothing more than to be with him. The fact that it seems impossible doesn't faze him at all. They are a match made in heaven, but how to bring them together will cause a lot of sorrow and grief. There are some big changes that need to be made and a huge price to pay before they can be reunited, if it is even possible at all.

Connor has been a disembodied spirit for a long time now. For years, he's been watching over his family, having lots of fun playing tricks on his former lover, Laine, and his partner, Sev. Connor takes great pleasure in manifesting chaos just for fun. Sev is psychic and can hear Connor, but everyone can see his poltergeist activities. Connor has also been watching over Sev's nephew Ro, and has become extremely emotionally attached to him. He feels guilty for wanting him when Ro has his own life to live. Connor tries his best to stay away from him for that reason and he never lets Ro know when he's there. When he realizes that Ro feels the same way, it really ramps up his feelings and he's almost desperate to be with him, but even all the ethereal skills he's learned during his years on the other side don't give him a clue about how to do that.

Ro is lonely in the small town he grew up in, with no opportunities or advancement. He stays with his mom and dad because they need him. He's not all that confident to begin with; the idea of leaving scares him so it is a convenient excuse not to move on. When his mother dies, his father shuts him out, overwhelmed with his own pain. This leaves Ro to suffer through his grief alone. Hanging around his uncle and his lover doesn't help at all. It only intensifies the pain because Sev and Laine are so ridiculously happy together. Ro wants what they have, but the only man he's ever loved is Connor who is dead. One night when Connor is checking on him, Ro accidentally reveals his feelings for him when he leaves Connor's picture on his bed. This is a game changer for Connor who wants Ro more than ever.

This is a short, sad story of two lovers destined to be together. Fate intervenes with a unique solution to their problem which causes Ro's family even more grief before there is anything to be happy about. Ro and Connor are elated to be together, but their happiness is tainted with knowing the price it evokes. If you like supernatural love stories between a man and a ghost, with lots of hot sex and an education about how things work in the afterlife, you may enjoy this story. Thanks, Bailey, for giving Connor and Ro their happily ever after.

NOTE: This book was provided by Pride Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[Pixie Mmgoodbookreviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Hearts

Review written for MM Good Book Reviews

http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/

Conner has been hanging around McKinton ever since Laine and Sev fell in love, but he is feeling lonely wishing he could somehow find love again, but for a ghost that is impossible, isn’t it? When he starts to notice Ro, Sev’s nephew, he keeps his distance so not to tempt himself because Ro has his whole life to live and he doesn’t need a ghost hanging around. Ro has been fascinated with Conner for years, he has fantasied about the ghost for as long as he can remember, but he knows that Conner would never even notice him even if it was possible to be together, but life has a way of making the impossible possible as Ro and Conner are about to find out.

I have followed this series from the beginning and I had always hoped for Conner to get a story of his own, but I was left feeling sadly disappointed because there was so much sadness throughout the book. How could I be happy for Conner and Ro when my heart bled for Laine and Sev? Conner might have his living friends and his fellow spirits but he still feels alone, having the chance at love that he never thought he would have, he first has to put his own past to rest. Ro makes mistakes when his mother dies and he wallows in grief, but he can’t be too sorry when it brings him the man he has wanted for years.

This story is well written and you feel the grief of Laine and Sev as they deal with one blow after the other. Ro and Conner both deserve the happiness that they find and they make a great couple, their sex is hot and they have a different kind of storyline, but for me I suppose I am just used to a different resolution when it comes to ghost and human love stories and I was unhappy with the amount of grief and devastation it took to give Conner and Ro their happily ever after.

I will recommend this to those who want a different kind of ghost/human love story, of finding a love that neither man thought they would have and a very happy for them ending.

[Eva Millien]

Conner Sutherland has been alone for a long time and Rogelio has only ever wanted one man for keeps. Both are about to find out that life and death has a way of surprising you in this captivating paranormal romance. I have now officially caught up in this series and while I enjoyed each and every one and I don’t necessarily want to say that this is my favorite, I definitely was excited that Conner got his very own story because he has kept me thoroughly entertained in each and every book, so this was one well deserved romance. Note: While this series can be read out of order as I read them, I have to lean toward recommending that they be read in sequence to avoid spoilers and because some events that take place are better if read in the order the author intended.

See my full review at:
http://glbt.theromancereviews.com/vie...

[Da'ad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Cute and adorable in places, sweet and romantic in others. I'm very happy they both got their happily ever after even this way. Very happy! Otherwise there didn't seem to be any point to this book. But if the point was then finding each other and learning a few new things about spirits, then this was fine. I did enjoy it.

[Niquie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

I'm glad Connor got his happy ending, but I wasn't sure where the story was going (just that something was going to happen) and when something did happen I just didn't feel as strongly about it as I wanted to. All in all this was an okay read, and worth it if you've read the previous books in the series. I guess I just wanted more of a plot.

[Love Bytes Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Heart Review by Tammy

Conner Sutherland has been dead for a long time. He can’t remember when he died but boy can he remember how he died. Conner was raped, tortured and eventually murdered by his lover Laine Stenley’s stalker. Conner has been in McKinton as a spirit since Laine became the Sheriff years ago. Conner spends his time teasing and tormenting Laine and Severo as well as helping new spirits adjust to being spirit, but now Conner is so incredibly lonely. He just wants to find someone to love, the one person he has feelings for is alive and so young that he’s forced himself to stay away from him.

Ro – Rogelio Martinez, is Severo’s nephew. Severo is Sheriff Laine Stenley’s partner and McKinton’s resident psychic who can talk to spirits. Ro is now in his early twenties, he moved to McKinton with his family when he was a teenager just coming to grips with the fact that he was gay. Lucky for Ro his parents didn’t turn their backs on him, they moved to McKinton so they could all be near Sev and his support. Ro has been in love with Conner since he saw Conner’s photo in Laine’s office when he first arrived in town. He feels like such a loser, I mean how embarrassing, a young man in love with a ghost? As the oldest child Ro has felt the expectation fall on him to be the leader but he doesn’t want to go to college, he doesn’t want to leave McKinton because as strange as it might sound he doesn’t want to leave Conner.

Ro’s life is incredibly boring and totally unsatisfying, he works at the diner and not much else and then his mother dies and just about destroys him and his father. Ro goes off the rails for months after her funeral. Ro hasn’t had sex before, he doesn’t really know why, he won’t acknowledge that it’s because he is saving himself for Conner a ghost! And so begins the downward spiral of Ro. Everything comes to a head when Ro is hurt so bad he has to go to a clinic in Dallas because he’s so ashamed of himself. It’s during the trip to Dallas that Ro loses his life and becomes the next McKinton spirit. Conner of course feels the pull to go to Ro when he dies but he doesn’t realise Ro’s dead until he sees Ro’s body still in his truck.

Neither Ro nor Conner can believe they can actually be together now. The hardest part of being dead for Ro is watching his father and siblings fall apart knowing there is absolutely nothing he can do to help them. It’s not until the person who hurt Ro so bad has the gall to turn up on his family’s doorstep and then proceeded to tell his father in detail exactly what Ro and him had been doing. His father has a heart-attack when he learns the truth about what Ro had been doing. When his father’s soul leaves his body both Ro and Conner chase it and even though it’s a struggle they manage to push it back into his body. Sev, Ro and Conner all band together to help Ro’s father, brother and sister recover and move on from his death. It’s especially hard as Ro really isn’t all that unhappy about being dead as now he can spend eternity with the man/spirit he has loved since he was a teenager.

Make sure you have a box of tissues on standby because I guarantee you’ll need them.

This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.

[Angela Goodrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I enjoyed Ascension, it required more of a suspension of reality than the previous installments in the series. After all, we’re looking at a relationship between Conner, who we’ve only known as a spirit, and Sev’s nephew Rogelio. Without spoiling the book for potential readers, this means you are either going to have a relationship between a spirit and a living being OR two spirits if Ro were to pass away during the book. As the blurb intimates of Conner feeling desire for the first time in many, many years, it’s pretty much a given that we’ll be treated to some hot sex regardless of the nature of the pairing. So either way, you should be prepared for even more of a paranormal angle to the story than we’ve seen in previous installments because living or dead, Bradford brings the heat to McKinton.

Ascension takes place quite a few years after What Remains and we’re meeting a 28 year-old Rogelio, who still resides in McKinton with his parents as his mother’s health has been failing over the years and his father can use the help in caring for her. When Alma passes sooner than expected, we are given the first glimpse within the series of what happens to those spirits not bound to the world and it scared the bejeezus out of Conner because he didn’t want to leave Laine, Sev, or even Rogelio behind. Having been close to his mother, Ro took her passing hard and spiraled downward into a depression that had him engaging in some risky behaviors. Ro’s apathy made it easy for him to fall victim to a man whose treatment of him was abusive and even though the author is kind enough not to make the reader watch the man we last knew as a boy be mistreated, there is enough information provided that you have no doubt of what happened to Ro. When one thing leads to another, Conner finds himself claiming the young man he has fallen in love with over the years, surprised to learn that the feelings of affection are returned. And the two men embark upon a relationship that knows no bounds.

Whereas the previous books in the series have had more of a contemporary romance feel with just a little paranormal twist to them, Ascension is a full-fledged paranormal romance. As much as I hated what Ro endured when his mother passed, I liked that he was able to find comfort in Conner and that the two men were finally able to express their feelings for each other. The time frame within the book is hard to pin down, but that seems intentional because Conner’s concept of time is more fluid as a spirit. That combined with the shared history between Conner and Ro kept it from feeling like an insta-love situation when Ro’s psychic ability finally manifested. True to form, Bradford insures that the men are able to consummate their relationship and it is heavenly (pun intended). I was surprised that more didn’t come of the JD angle, especially considering the man approached Ro’s father and Laine found out about it. Ascension was an enjoyable addition to the Southern Spirts series and I’m looking forward to reading Stefan’s story in Whirlwind as the little bit I saw of Stefan at the end of Ascension hints at a rather interesting dynamic.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

[Caroline Brand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Connor has played a pivotal role in this series and when he finally gets his own story it’s not without his fair share of heartache.

Connor has been a ghost for many years popping in and out of people’s lives with his tricks and funny sense of humour. Over the years he has developed an odd relationship with Laine who was once his lover and Sev. He has helped them out, teased them mercilessly and brought humour to their lives. In this book we see a far more reflective Connor and also a ghost that is not always as happy as he appears.

He has gotten past his grisly death for the most part but the memories are still there and still hurt. He is lonely a lot of the time, he aches for someone to call his own and it upsets him to watch Laine and Sev grow older. He steers clears of Sev’s nephew Ro after he figures he may have developed a crush on the young man. I was surprised after looking forward to this story that it made me more than a little sad.

Ro moved to McKinton with his family over a decade earlier. His mother is ill and with his siblings gone he has stayed home to help out his father. Ro was another sad character. He never really spread his wings and experienced life and there were many reasons for that. His mother’s illness played a big part but so did his borderline obsession with Laine’s murdered lover. He was never going to find the love of his life when he had put Connor on such a high pedestal – no one could compete.

Obviously something has to change for these two men to ever stand a chance. Things do change which brings yet more grief to the small town and they do get their chance. It felt almost a little too easy with the way things worked out but it was worth it in the end for Connor to find love. It’s not often in a book that the characters age very much and it left me off kilter to see Laine and Sev getting old – I wasn’t ready for that.

[Merissa (Archaeolibrarian) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Connor has been the mischievous spirit from Book 1, even when it wasn't the right time or place. So much so, that Sev is very surprised when Connor makes a comment and he is 100% correct about it. It was wonderful to read this part, and I hope that Connor gets the recognition for it, and realises that he doesn't have to be the pesky spirit all the time. Going by the end of the book, he still has that cheeky side but has rounded out other aspects of his personality.

Another aspect of this book that I enjoyed is that Laine, Sev and all the others, are AGING!! Yes, what happens to most people has now caught up to the town of McKinton. Although this is an unexpected twist that usually doesn't appear in books, I really enjoyed this and even enjoyed Connor's stealing of Sev's hair dye and facial creams.

With a supernatural sweet and hot love story, this is perfect for Connor and Ro's happy ending, whilst still leaving it open for more fun and frolics. Don't get me wrong though, this isn't always nice. There is a section about how Ro deals with his mum's death that is hard reading. JD is not a nice person and whilst I wanted him to get his comeuppance, I also understand that it wouldn't have been possible without raking Ro's name through the mud.

A wonderful addition to the series and definitely recommended.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nov 16, 2015

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so happy we got Connors character being a MC in this book! I have been wanting to know more about him and you definitely see a lot more of Connor in this Novella.

Connor is just going along while time is flying in the world of the living. Then you meet Ro Sev's nephew, who is lonely and going through the motions upset and depressed with the loss he just went through. So he makes mistakes that makes it so he can be close with Connor. What to say about these two... It was sweet how they had each other but also a little goofy at the same time. There is not much angst with this one.. You get more of them together which honestly at first was a little weird this being the first time I have read a book about ghosts being together. Let me say I really did like it!




So without giving away anymore spoilers... I really liked this book!


I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Inked Rainbow Reads.

[Sherry Bohrmueller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ascension by Bailey Bradford
M/M
4 1/2 stars

I was given this book by Inked Rainbow Reads for an honest review.

This was a little bit of an unusual story, but it does fit right in with the rest of the series. I have never read a story where spirits fell in love, but I have to say surprisingly it was a good story.

You start out with so much sadness, but you still get the sweet romantic story of Connor and Ro. Their destiny was to be together. It was awful the bad things done to Ro before he passes on. But everyone deserves to fall in love with their soul mate.

It was perfect for this series the whole spirit angle was very entertaining. I loved how it was wrapped up in this book.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

i feel like i would have enjoyed the story more if I'd read previous books. still yay ghost sex! but do ghosts really need lube? getting metaphysical over here! i mean, why WOULD an incorporeal form need it? i mean...if you can just blink your clothes away why can't you just kind of do the opposite for lube? THE GREAT QUESTIONS OF AFTERLIFE

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Ericka Walden · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5**

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Give you new ideas about what happens in the "life after death." What ghosts/spirits do in their "down time."

[Tara Mcmillan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's about time Conner got some happiness, but I can't help but feel that there could've been more to this story.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have loved this series from the start but for me this book was just kind of off. I know there was a love story in here but there was just to much sadness to it.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eh. Sounded interesting. Wasn't really that good. Thank god it was only 90 pages.

[Readsall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book #7 in the Southern Spirits series.

[Ter · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like a 2.5