Fetch: In the Pines Book One

by Meredith Spies

Silas Crane believes in the magic of black coffee on a muggy morning, the prophecies of crows, and the monster under their bed.
Red flannel and graveyard dirt, the lock of a dead boy’s hair and an unspent silver bullet.
Uncle Micah’s glasses.
A flask of war water and a vial of Ma’s perfume.
The footprints of an enemy, sprinkled with Hotfoot and whispered over at dawn.
Simple magics are always the best, and Silas knows it.

The Not Deer on the edge of town at night,
The headless switchman who stops traffic,
The rattle of bones when you sleep wrong way ‘round,
The shadow man under Silas’ bed, whispering to them in the dark about Danny, missing and dead near ten years now…
Those take a harder sort of work than they’re used to.
Especially when Silas finds themself drawn into Fetch’s world, following his whispering voice in the dark into the strange magics that create creatures like the shadow man under Silas’ bed.

Fetch is the first book in the In the Pines series. It is MX between a human and a shadow man from under their bed.

Genres: LGBT, M M Romance

217 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 14, 2024

Reviews

[Traci S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the cover and the blurb was attention grabbing, Fetch also has so much more to offer. Ten years ago, Silas’s brother Danny followed a shadow man into the woods and never returned. Silas is determined to find the shadow man they believe took Danny, which leads them to Eli. Eli is a fetch, a shadow man, neither dead nor alive and says he knows the witch who took Danny - Jack, the old man in the cave who feeds off children. Eli says he can help Silas find Danny and prevent more children from being taken. I was intrigued about what a romance where one of the MCs is a shadow man would be like, how would the author make that work. The author does a good job showing Eli’s loneliness from being stuck for over a century in the Between place. Silas has also been stuck from really moving forward, not knowing what happened to Danny. Eli and Silas begin a tenuous kind of partnership to find Danny and stop Jack, they have a growing attraction but the book is focused more on the plot than the relationship. It will be so interesting to see how their connection progresses over the series. The story is rich with history and intricate world building, the atmosphere overall is wonderfully creepy, and the writing has depth and a sense of melancholy fitting the story. A really unique and original read.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

[Susan Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fetch: In the Pines Book One by Meredith Spies is a more serious book compared to some of their other series. While I enjoy less angst in most of my reading, this series starts strong and I will want to read the rest of the books, if only to see the ultimate bad guy gets their just desserts. I am glad I have some familiarity with Appalachian magic from other reading, as it helps inform my reading of this book. That being said, the book requires no previous knowledge for an exciting read. The MC, Silas, is gender-neutral which is a pleasant change from an alpha male. They are accepted by all they meet in this book, even those who are not human. The budding romance between Silas and the shadow under their bed is unique in my reading of urban fantasy. Silas’s adventures help to answer some questions in their life, but others are still open for resolution. There is so much going on in the book that it is surprising to realize it all happens in a relatively small geographic area in the Appalachian Mountains. The author has several series going simultaneously so though they publish a lot, there may be a wait in some series for the next book (e.g., the Marked series). I received a free copy of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Debbie Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I knew it would be spooky by the title but it was more than expected. It catches your interest and keeps it. The first foray of Silas and Eli to stop the evil may not have been successful but they learned valuable information. I look forward to the next book.

[Han · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing opening novel

Loved this book so so so much. Grew up in Virginia and the inherent magic of the land and trees was always so apparent to me. This book was a homecoming in that sense.
Can't wait to read more. I hope the mundane magic of humanity helps Silas and Eli win.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book one of a new series called In the Pines, it is about Silas a human and Eli the fetch who is a shadow man and the story is spooky and a good start to the series and the plot kept me interested from the start to the end and I’m looking forward to reading what comes next in this series.

[Kristy Maitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird story plot.