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The Keeper
One day after a storm, lonely lighthouse keeper Cole stumbles upon a half-drowned man. The man is a magician, who's forgotten everything, even his name. As the two wait for the supply boat to come and take him away from the island, Cole finds himself falling in love.
He doesn't think the beautiful blond man could ever return his feelings. But everything is not as it appears—including the man's past. And someone might just want him dead.
He doesn't think the beautiful blond man could ever return his feelings. But everything is not as it appears—including the man's past. And someone might just want him dead.
52 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 23, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
October 29, 2013
Well this novel was surprisingly good. Not to mean I'm surprised by the author but actually surprised I found a good romance story after spending the last two days being disappointed by other books. The romance was very sweet, slow and intense and just plain hopeful. The writing was good and managed to describe perfectly the two main characters and their relationship. Very enjoyable despite being relatively short. It was also somewhat incomplete for me because I can't help wondering if they'll eventually catch the smugglers who tried to kill Artemas. Nevertheless, it was a great read.
April 11, 2014
Another really enjoyable little book by Hollis Shiloh. I need to check out more by this author, her writing is beautiful and sends me to a really calm place!
November 2, 2015
This book was listed under: fiction, romance, gay and several reviews described it as sweet so I thought I'd give it a try and yes it's a short, sweet gay romance but I was confused.....
Cole lives in seclusion, he's a lighthouse keeper on a remote island, the only company he gets is the supply boat every few months. He lives like this by choice, his heart has been damaged too many times so he figures he's better off alone but then after a particularly bad storm a man washes up onshore. The man in question has amnesia.
Cole says
"You're a magician, aren't you?"
The stranger replies:
"I suppose I am." He frowned. "I survived that storm somehow."
I'm wondering how on earth Cole knew this, is he dressed like one or does he have something on him that gives it away?
I'm really confused because when Cole guessed at him being a magician I assumed he meant on a cruise ship, which he did partly but also in the time and place the story is set 'real' magic exists.
Why weren't we told, it drove me nuts trying to work out what was going on, there was no hint at all that this was a fantasy in fact there was nothing to suggest it wasn't just an ordinary romance.
It may seem picky but this book is only 52 pages long and I spent a good percentage of them confused.
Despite this it is a lovely sweet romance with two likeable characters a touch of fantasy thrown in for good measure, I would have liked a little more.
May 22, 2014
This was another lovely story by Hollis Shiloh with just a teeny weeny touch of magic and a lot of emotion. I'm so glad I read it :)
***
One day after a storm Cole finds a half dead man on the sea shore and helps him recover. The man, a magician, has lost his memories and despite Cole's wish to be alone the two of them become friends. Living the life as a lighthouse keeper is somewhat lonely, but it's not easy for Cole to be around someone he finds utterly attractive...
By the time the supply boat comes along both are reluctant to move along, but the magician needs to find out who he is and why he fell into the sea that one night.
Little do they know that danger is just around the corner….
***
I've always had a little thing for the sea and lighthouses, I don't know why, and after being absolutely in love with A Wizard's Shelter I was pretty excited to have found yet another lighthouse themed story by her!
I don't know what it is that I seem to love about Hollis's writing in exact those two books, they're just really great and made me feel all warm and happy.
Just a wonderful little thing for a cozy afternoon/night, don't miss out on it :)
***
One day after a storm Cole finds a half dead man on the sea shore and helps him recover. The man, a magician, has lost his memories and despite Cole's wish to be alone the two of them become friends. Living the life as a lighthouse keeper is somewhat lonely, but it's not easy for Cole to be around someone he finds utterly attractive...
By the time the supply boat comes along both are reluctant to move along, but the magician needs to find out who he is and why he fell into the sea that one night.
Little do they know that danger is just around the corner….
***
I've always had a little thing for the sea and lighthouses, I don't know why, and after being absolutely in love with A Wizard's Shelter I was pretty excited to have found yet another lighthouse themed story by her!
I don't know what it is that I seem to love about Hollis's writing in exact those two books, they're just really great and made me feel all warm and happy.
Just a wonderful little thing for a cozy afternoon/night, don't miss out on it :)
October 23, 2022
Kindle-Sort-ReRead
Short almost sweet story. Somehow it just missed on true feels for me.
The setting was lovely. Isolation meant the world wasn't developed or explained. Magic just is, apparently.
Cole mentions missing memories before his rescue talks him he doesn't remember.
I feel it wouldn't take much to make this a heartwarming story, but it's perhaps too simple. It's ok, nothing really resonated.
Short almost sweet story. Somehow it just missed on true feels for me.
The setting was lovely. Isolation meant the world wasn't developed or explained. Magic just is, apparently.
Cole mentions missing memories before his rescue talks him he doesn't remember.
I feel it wouldn't take much to make this a heartwarming story, but it's perhaps too simple. It's ok, nothing really resonated.
April 29, 2018
Review Coming
August 5, 2016
Romance, adventure, intrigue and true love. A story about two men who find the kind of love that makes life complete, and at the most unexpected of times. Proving that it isn't what you know about yourself that truly matters, it's what your heart sees in the person you love that makes all the difference in the world. This story is about having the faith and courage to follow your heart. Another amazing M/M romance from one of this genres best authors!
Read
July 17, 20253.5 rounded up. This was much better than the other short I tried by this author. A pinch of magic, a dash of hurt/comfort, some quasi-believable amnesia, with a lonely MC finding a person who makes them feel happy and accepted . . . a lot in a short novella. (I think this might be permafree on AMZ? It's also on hoopla.)
May 15, 2016
Very sweet story of Cole, a lighthouse keeper who chose a solitary life to stop himself getting his heart broken all the time, and the amnesiac magician who washes up on the shore after a storm.
May 31, 2017
A Very Sweet Story
This was a sweet story in two ways:
2) Two very sweet fellows fall in love
3) No on page sex
I really liked the two MCs and the build up to consummation. The Build up consisted of the two of them spending time alone together out of necessity.
However, they begin to have feelings for each other.
I like that though this was a short story, there was no instance-love. In the space of so few pages, it was believable that these two started to have feelings for each other.
The ending was a little abrupt, but Hollis Shiloh is a good writer.
I will definitely read more from this author
This was a sweet story in two ways:
2) Two very sweet fellows fall in love
3) No on page sex
I really liked the two MCs and the build up to consummation. The Build up consisted of the two of them spending time alone together out of necessity.
However, they begin to have feelings for each other.
I like that though this was a short story, there was no instance-love. In the space of so few pages, it was believable that these two started to have feelings for each other.
The ending was a little abrupt, but Hollis Shiloh is a good writer.
I will definitely read more from this author
December 22, 2014
The Keeper is the sweet and sad story of Cole. Cole lives on his own in a deserted island, his only job to look after the lighthouse. He chose living there to keep his heart safe from heartbreak. His routine is an easy one, checking the beaches after the storms, looking for live animals to return to the sea, and sea glass which he collects. On one of those mornings after a storm, he stumbles upon an unconscious man on the beach. The stranger is a magician who has lost his memory. He stays with Cole until the next provision ship can take him to the main land. During their time together, the two men forge a friendship which turns into something deeper. But Cole’s magician won’t be happy until he discovers who he is, and after revealing their mutual feelings, he leaves in search for his identity… which may be more treacherous than he ever imagined, endangering even his own life.
Another really beautiful story by Hollis Shiloh, the Keeper is about finding love even in the most unexpected circumstances. Cole thought the lighthouse would keep his heart safe in its isolation, but love came to him, not once but twice. Cole and Artie are made for each other, and their friendship morphs easily into love. Cole thought he was happy on his own, but he did not know how lonely he was until he found Artie. Having to let him go and realising he may have sent him to his own death breaks his heart. But the lighthouse is the beacon which keeps Cole sane and Artie alive.
Albeit short, this story is beautiful enough to have potential for a full novel. But even short as it is, it is a tiny jewel really worth reading.
Another really beautiful story by Hollis Shiloh, the Keeper is about finding love even in the most unexpected circumstances. Cole thought the lighthouse would keep his heart safe in its isolation, but love came to him, not once but twice. Cole and Artie are made for each other, and their friendship morphs easily into love. Cole thought he was happy on his own, but he did not know how lonely he was until he found Artie. Having to let him go and realising he may have sent him to his own death breaks his heart. But the lighthouse is the beacon which keeps Cole sane and Artie alive.
Albeit short, this story is beautiful enough to have potential for a full novel. But even short as it is, it is a tiny jewel really worth reading.
April 21, 2015
This book was free on Amazon, plus I'd wanted to try something else by this author... she has a thing for over-emotional, clingy/needy guys who are so lonely and desperate that they latch onto the first man who comes along and shows them any attention. This was a similar theme in another m/m-romance-by-a-female-author that I read, and it's starting to feel like a pattern in the genre? Ehhh. I mean, it's alright, but you really have to turn off the part of your brain screaming "wow this is so unhealthy and wrong and unrealistic why would you two ever get together??" to enjoy it. Which is fine, lol, but also I'd really like to read some GENUINELY GOOD m/m romance.
Need to do more research, as I'm super new to the entire romance genre. Surely this isn't true of every book in this category.
I feel like this was better than Marco & Memories, the other book of hers that I read, because at least the loneliness/desperation made since (he's a reclusive lighthouse keeper with no human contact). It's still not particularly GREAT, but it was a fun, short, sweet read.
Need to do more research, as I'm super new to the entire romance genre. Surely this isn't true of every book in this category.
I feel like this was better than Marco & Memories, the other book of hers that I read, because at least the loneliness/desperation made since (he's a reclusive lighthouse keeper with no human contact). It's still not particularly GREAT, but it was a fun, short, sweet read.
April 21, 2019
Thoroughly enjoyed it.
You can still be very manly while being cute. The sexual nature is toned down but suits the timing and storyline. Enough magic during story to let us know it is there. Also magic comes with love as it comes apparent. Love the characters and see a very happy, happy future for them and their children. Hint, hint.
You can still be very manly while being cute. The sexual nature is toned down but suits the timing and storyline. Enough magic during story to let us know it is there. Also magic comes with love as it comes apparent. Love the characters and see a very happy, happy future for them and their children. Hint, hint.
July 11, 2021
In the world where there's magic and magicians, shy, solitary Cole the lighthouse keeper never expected companionship to come his way, let alone love. A half drowned man appears on the beach of his island, a man that cannot remember anything, just yet anyway. A little mystery, a little romance, a little intrigue, a nice story.
July 24, 2021
a perfect read to clear your head.
i’m so happy, how sweet.
i’m so happy, how sweet.
March 4, 2022
sweet tale of love between two men
I was hoping for a more sexually explicit story but that is not the forte of the author. But it was a good story regardless.
I was hoping for a more sexually explicit story but that is not the forte of the author. But it was a good story regardless.
January 4, 2015
Hollis Shiloh books are heartwarming and sweet. The Keeper is an adorable short of renewed faith in love, amnesia, magic, and a dash of suspense rounds out this story. The descriptions of the beach, the house, and even the sea that’s illustrated are vivid enough to transplant you in the scene itself. I love that about the author’s writing- it’s picturesque.
MCs, Cole and Artie are executed well and likeable. I felt the connection between the two and the even the hesitation when either MC was not fully sure of the other’s feelings towards him. Although Artie had feelings for Cole, due to his amnesia, I appreciated he was tentative on starting up a relationship with Cole until he knew what lied in his past.
The Keeper was a nicely written short story. If you’re into magic and memory loss or just a good sweet romance, this is for you.
MCs, Cole and Artie are executed well and likeable. I felt the connection between the two and the even the hesitation when either MC was not fully sure of the other’s feelings towards him. Although Artie had feelings for Cole, due to his amnesia, I appreciated he was tentative on starting up a relationship with Cole until he knew what lied in his past.
The Keeper was a nicely written short story. If you’re into magic and memory loss or just a good sweet romance, this is for you.
January 8, 2014
Probably not a good idea to read this in between the books from Darwin's Theory series. Oh well. There wasn't anything truly exciting happening. Which is why I had a hard time investing any interest. That and the fact Cole read like a 12 year old boy, not a lonely man tending a lighthouse.
A fact that was confirmed when Cole referred to his lover's private parts as "He was long in another way, too, if you get my meaning." It's ok to say penis. Cock. Dick. Love rod. Meat stick. And so on. Another thing slightly annoying was the speed with which Cole would get aroused. I suppose it's due to his long term forced isolation that anything, really, was a trigger.
So yes. A cute story overall but average and quickly forgettable for me.
A fact that was confirmed when Cole referred to his lover's private parts as "He was long in another way, too, if you get my meaning." It's ok to say penis. Cock. Dick. Love rod. Meat stick. And so on. Another thing slightly annoying was the speed with which Cole would get aroused. I suppose it's due to his long term forced isolation that anything, really, was a trigger.
So yes. A cute story overall but average and quickly forgettable for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2016
No one does sweet M/M romance like Hollis Shiloh. Cole is a sweetheart and his tender feelings toward his magician are just so endearing. This is the perfect setup for two people having time away from the world to get to know each other without expectations. The mystery of the magician's identity is intriguing and there is a bit of a suspense element to the story as well. It was funny that, for once, I didn't feel the need for an epilogue in a story like this; the ending was just so warm and right. Well done!
September 27, 2015
This is a nice, little, heart-warming story.
There is a lot of real life -despite its being a fantasy- and barely any hint of drama which is a rather pleasant idea. Sex is mentioned but hardly shown, a key feature in all of Ms Shiloh's works and one doesn't miss it at all.
The reason I didn't give a full rating is that writing, which is generally good, lacks that special "something" that makes a simple story unforgettable.
There is a lot of real life -despite its being a fantasy- and barely any hint of drama which is a rather pleasant idea. Sex is mentioned but hardly shown, a key feature in all of Ms Shiloh's works and one doesn't miss it at all.
The reason I didn't give a full rating is that writing, which is generally good, lacks that special "something" that makes a simple story unforgettable.
December 17, 2014
Sweet love
This book is a sweet love story. The characters fall in love with each other while one of them is afraid he is a bad person because he doesn't have his memory. I love that they have the peace and solitude to find each other.
This book is a sweet love story. The characters fall in love with each other while one of them is afraid he is a bad person because he doesn't have his memory. I love that they have the peace and solitude to find each other.
July 2, 2015
Gentle, proper, formal, almost innocent...felt like a turn of the century historical. The off page sex was disappointing, but fit the style of the story.
Simple, sweet...a nice in between read.
I liked it :)
Simple, sweet...a nice in between read.
I liked it :)
July 16, 2015
I liked this one. Though I did notice a few editing problems, they didn't detract from the story much. I did really want an epilogue, though.
October 4, 2015
it wasn't bad, i liked the style and the story was quite interesting (but weird and slightly predictable) . Both MCs were ok, i really like collecting little pieces of glass at the seaside so i felt connected to Cole somehow, even though i don't really liked all his inner thoughts and insecurities.
December 20, 2015
I have read few of Hollis Shiloh's books. And though they have all been short, I love them. Absolutely beautiful. They have a way with words I adore. I have no idea whether the sex scenes would be as beautifully written too
August 6, 2016
At first, I thought I was reading Susan's "Worth Keeping", but then the violet eyes and the rest of the story happened and I relaxed a bit. Because reading... imitations?... isn't fun.
Anyway, it wasn't bad. That's all I can say about this.
Anyway, it wasn't bad. That's all I can say about this.
October 8, 2013
Aranyos, nagyon rövid kis történet, némi paranormális beütéssel (mármint az egyik szereplő mágus). Semmi rendkívüli, unaloműzőnek egyszer jó.
March 9, 2014
The Keeper is a quiet, haunting SHORT romance story about a lighthouse, it's keeper & a magician. Only shiloh can make me read something short and not complain. Luckily his moved on to longer works.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews