Cupid's Time

The Keepers #1

by Jess Buffett

For Mature Adult Audiences. Contains language and actions some may deem offensive. Sexually explicit content. MM
In book one of the Cupid’s job is to help find true love for others, but it's a hard job to do when he’s in love with a man who barely acknowledges his existence. Fighting his own desires, he is ready to give up all emotions just to avoid the pain of not having the respect of the one that holds his heart, let alone craving his love.
The Keepers can find their soul mates among each other, but Cupid is young compared to the one who is meant for him. However, when violence strikes close to home for the Keepers, Cupid is needed to help in the healing process, but only if the soul mates acknowledge their love will the healing begin.
Is Cupid in time or will time finally run out? Leaving the one who brings couples together, alone and emotionless for all of eternity.

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Gay, Mythology, Gods

59 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2014

About the author

Jess Buffett was born and raised in New South Wales, Australia. Jess is a mum of two, married to her high school sweetheart. She is a hopeless romantic who is a huge fan of M/M and M/F romance with a happy ending—anything with hunky men in all their glory, whether they be Shifters, Vampires, Cowboys, or the boy next door. A caffeine addict who shamefully can’t make a decent cup of coffee to save her life, Jess believes in soul mates, happily ever afters, and in love at first sight, but that sometimes people need a second or a third for the brain to catch up.

Reviews

[Len Evans Jr · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the blurb on this one I thought the concept was brilliant. Yet IMO the execution while more than adequate didn't live up to my expectations. I enjoyed the read, however at times the telling seemed hectic and not quite as polished as it could have been. The characters were fleshed out well, though I did not find them very likable as in order to create drama most of them could be asses a lot of the time. This is free on Amazon.

[Jesslan Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cupid's Time
By Jess Buffett

Cupid is considered young compared to the other keepers and is to young to know who his own mate is yet. The one keeper that heats his blood insults his age and teases him relentlessly. When Thyme (Father Time) finally sleeps with him, but then disappears the next morning it's the last straw and Cupid tells him he never wants to see him again.

When Thyme is seriously wounded and has no will to survive after Cupid's words destroyed him Cupid will have to hear some hard truths and help Thyme find his way back.

I absolutely loved this book. The concept of the storyline was unique. It was well written and I loved all of the characters. I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the series and other books by this author.

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an avid fan of Mythology, mainly Roman, and of course, Greek. I loved the humurous, refreshing, and decadenly sexy spin the author has taken when writing this story. It has definitely become one of my favorites. I lived it so much that, I have purchased the others in the series and wish listed everything else written by this author. A must read for sure.

[Drako · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short one, but I loved it. Had a few laugh worthy moments and it works as a short because the characters are so ancient, literally. They're keepers, representing all of the mythical beings we no longer believe in as adults. Cupid is apparently the youngest, and that's just amusing since he's 5,000 years old. His mate is none other than Father Time, or Thyme. Love and time together, it's great. I actually can't wait to read the next part of this series. If the humor mixed in with the emotion in this one is any indication, it's bound to be great

[Furio · Rating 1 out of 5]

The basic idea might have been interesting and the firs few pages of this short story run smoothly.
Unfortunately the rest of this adventure in this sort of mythical fantasy world is hurried and no characterization or narrative tension can manage to grow from such hasty, shabby paragraphs.
A second, revised and longer edition might be in order.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Short and sweet, just the perfect thing for a v-day book. The author has said that this will be a small series of short stories so I can't wait to see the others. Do wish it was longer, but I think that about most books I like.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It reminded me of a adult version of raise of the guardians. I liked the passion. However I felt the side story should have been drawn out more. Decent characters and plot. something that was new and refreshing. Overall I would recommend it to anyone who likes mythological beings and love stories.

[Debby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fun read

This was a fun interpretation of the guardians. Cupid is adorable and Thyme is just plain hot. The plot has a little drama a little angst. All in all a fun quick read

[Dutchgirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoyble start for a new serie.

[Smurphette_Jelly_Bean Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars :( I wanted to love this. I was so excited for it. I just felt it wasn't what it could have been.

[Zeoanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet story about clueless angels. It was a pretty good short read.

[Samuel Alexander · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the full review but for others and video reviews go here Reading Is My Drug

I wanted to love this book so much. For a lot of reasons. It just seemed so fun cupid lusting for someone who didn’t know he existed. That excitement sank fast. Firstly, cupid can sense things, instead of nicely and without attitude getting rid of an underage boy in a club he’s so snippy and mean to him. The boy is young, learning and out of his element and Cupid is over 1000 years old, one of the immortals really. He should know better especially being who he is. I already don’t like him.

Then, father time all out flirts with him. I was so confused. The book clearly says the man of his dreams has no interest in cupid, yet here Time is overtly flirting with him. I honestly convinced myself there was another Time. Then Time or Thyme (it’s a writing thing so them sounding the same is kind of an odd joke when the characters aren’t seeing it like readers are) comes right out with why don’t you tell me what you really want and asks cupid to deal with his own emotions. I’m like whoa this is not what I came for, but I switch my expectations to be down with them hooking up in the first chapter. Who knows how this might play out? Then cupid is suddenly angry, and I’m all confused like WTF, honestly none of this makes sense.

Then Time shows up to apologise and Cupid is still moody and I’m still confused and he’s all you guys don’t respect me and I’m wondering where this is coming from because based on the entire club scene I haven’t gotten an inkling of this being true. Like he made jokes about the cherub and how humans call Mother nature mother when he’s a guy. It was all fun and games and an introduction into the world of supernaturals then out of nowhere the crush who is supposed to not even notice him, so the blurb says, not only notices him but is overtly flirting with him, cupid gets mad, then doesn’t accept his apology, and… Just ugh. I couldn’t get into this especially when, based on the first chapter, I can surmise that all this animosity is in his head. Even Time was shocked by the revelation that cupid feels this way. So not only are readers seeing it for the first time, the characters in the book are too. This was hard to believe.

There’s no way after so many years of life this hasn’t come up once. More importantly, The blurb specifically stated the love interest takes no notice of him yet within the first few pages he’s feeling enough emotional turmoil to show up and apologise when he didn’t do anything wrong. This was not the story I came in for and when choosing between the expectation, and now the possibility of having to go through an entire book based on something that’s literally a figment of the main character’s imagination I had to bow out. Whether I’m wrong on not the prospect of being strung along for an entire novel being forced to believe the love interest takes no notice of cupid when it’s more than obvious he does is not the type of reading I enjoy. This book lost me that fast.

Also, there was something decidedly juvenile in the way some YA fiction can get, that was going on here. Like how he was so dismissive of the teen at the bar, and I could see where this type of writing style was going.

After reading reviews I noticed I wasn’t far off base in my assumptions. Everything from the forced drama during the only fight I did read to how all the characters are thousands of years old yet behave the way teens do, the very vibe I got from that first teen reaction. It seems that’s exactly how the book played out. Also, I dodged the ‘only men exist in this world’ fantasy trope. I’ve definitely mentioned being weirded out in some were-fiction by all the men being gay before. Like how are y’all making new werewolves? This may seem like a minor thing but I genuinely always hope for there to be women and men across all spectrums of identity when I read a book and it definitely weirds me when all the characters are not only men but they are all gay as well. But that’s a conversation for another review.

This book didn’t do it for me which is unfortunate because everything about this book from cupid having trouble with his love life to pining for another immortal is all things I enjoy. This book just didn’t deliver from the start by making it clear Time did want Cupid and also making cupid a bit too juvenile moody and unlikeable for me.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. This is a M/M book so if you don't like this kind of book don't read it.

I enjoyed the first book in this series. It brings on a whole new meaning to Cupid. He is always helping other people fall in love and I think it's time that he had the same chance as everyone else. It seems that his mate is a Keeper and he is too young to know who is his.

Father Time knows that Cupid is his mate but he thinks he's too young to mate with him. It seems that he should not worry about that and see how it would look to cupid.

This was a short read and I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

[Ro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for Hearts On Fire Reviews

This is the first in a new series and it was a fun, light read. The Keepers were “created for the sole purpose of giving humanity hope.” Cupid is one of the youngest at 5,000 years old but he’s in great company, standing alongside those such as St. Nick, the Sandman and the Easter bunny. He has the distinction of being one of the few Keepers that focus more on adults than children, although when he does his job right it tends to lead to more children.

Cupid is good at his job and he is sick to death of not only being attracted to someone who treats him like a joke but also being taunted by other Keepers who look at him as being young. That’s how he’s feeling when the object of his lust, Thyme, shows up, cocky and arrogant, and plays games with him yet again. That Thyme seems surprised when Cupid stands up for himself (good for you!) shows how clueless you can be, regardless of age. When Cupid confronts Thyme with the fact that “You. Do. Not. Respect. Me.” I wanted to hug him. Go, Cupid! Thyme has some making up to do.

Keepers mate with other Keepers and can sense their mates but it only comes with age. You guessed it, Cupid feels the draw but isn’t old enough yet to know who his mate is. Thyme, however, has no excuse. Well, he does to himself but it’s lame. His best friend, Nate, agrees. (And who Nate is and how he got his nickname is precious - loved it!) Nate also offers an ear, making Thyme consider “how you’re going to convince your mate that you aren’t a total douche bag.” How indeed, Thyme.

This is just a short, fluffy, clever story and I had a good time reading it. I know that Harry (the Easter Bunny, come on, that’s cute!) will feature in the next story and I’m looking forward to it. I hope Jack gets one as well, he sounds like he needs someone.

Just a thought, the Cupid on the cover actually looks like I pictured Cupid in the book.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the premise of Jess Buffett’s Cupid’s Time. Who would expect Cupid, the Easter Bunny, or Mother Nature to be sexy hot men? But Ms. Buffett’s new series The Keepers imagines just that. And Cupid has the hots for Father Time, Thyme as he is known to other keepers. But Thyme has little respect or regard for him, or does he? I enjoyed Cupid. He enjoyed his job. And Ms. Buffett did a great job of mixing what we know about Cupid with her imagination. I really enjoyed Thyme in this tale. He is one of the oldest keepers and I could understand why he felt he was cradle robbing even though Cupid was a grown man of 5000. He knew Cupid was his mate, but couldn’t figure out how to converse with Cupid in a way that wasn’t a bit condescending. When he learned that Cupid felt disrespected, he tried to fix it but circumstances beyond his control contributed to their continued miscommunication. I loved how Ms. Buffett resolved the issues between Thyme and Cupid. Even though this was a quick read, it felt complete. Both Thyme and Cupid were well developed characters. The story was well written and I am looking forward to seeing more of Ms. Buffett’s Keepers find their happily every after.

Four Twinkling Stars

[Jaimee Ghost · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I somewhat feel like this was a waste of my time....this story had such a high potential to be really good even with the awkward dialogue and unlikeable characters...I feel like if it had been longer that I would have been able to connect more with the characters and possibly like them more, but where it stands now? I haven't had an affinity to anyone. Cupid could have possibly been my favorite, but he was way too whiny and miserable. Thyme could have been a guilty pleasure for me, but he was nearly suicidal completely out of the blue.....

Another bothersome thing for me is the names of he characters and the world in general. So I get that these are "Keepers" and supposed to be based off of folktales and such but why is Father Time's alternate name Thyme which has nothing to do with actual time? Mother Nature is Nate (okay I get it....but what is Mother Nature really supposed to be called if Cupid is the one that gave Nate that name?) There's not enough background.

Maybe if it was longer it would have what I needed....but as it is this story did not do it for me. Very interesting concept though. Would love to see it more hashed out.

[Candice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I normally like Jess Buffett books. They are kind of my guilty pleasure ;) But, this just didn't do much for me, I am sorry to say. It started off good, but then it was rushed. So much so I almost put it down.

This had the potential to be so good, but it fell flat. I kept wanting to know more. I wanted to know more about Cupid. I wanted to know more about what he did and how he did it. I wanted to know about the Keeper's life--all of them. How did they begin-were they born or made?

These people are thousands of years old, yet they both act like teenagers. I can actually see where Cupid is coming from, but I wanted to know more about their relationship before it got to the point where we saw it start.

Overall, I will be continuing on with this series. I just hope they get fleshed out a little more and not so rushed. I want some meat in there ;)

Oh and it said the gold one was for the seasons and the silver was for fate, but yet, it kept talking about the silver one being the seasons :(

[Kathleen Sweitzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Cupid's Time' is a short read. I enjoyed the idea of the book, but I thought it was much to based on Sex and wasn't a well developed plot, but it had potential.

Cupid is a young Guardian and he has a deep need to be acknowledged and respected by Thyme, 'Father Time', who happens to be the oldest Guardian of them all. Little does he know that Thyme is actually his Mate and knows that they belong together.

After a night of 'They are mates and Cupid really wants it' type sex in which Thyme mates Cupid and doesn't tell him they are mates, but plans to in the morning.

Thyme is called away before Cupid wakes up to deal with Jack Frost stealing something from him that's throwing the world into Chaos and Cupid flies off the handle when he wakes up alone and throws a massive temper tantrum.

Short story and loose plot shorter, Cupid and Thyme in up together and despite my words, it's not a terrible read.

It leads into a longer series and I am going to give the second book a shot, I hope the plot that's hinted at in the first book is expanded upon.

[Coral Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cupid’s job is to help find true love for others, but it's a hard job to do when he’s in love with a man who barely acknowledges his existence. Fighting his own desires, he is ready to give up all emotions just to avoid the pain of not having the respect of the one that holds his heart, let alone craving his love. The Keepers can find their soul mates among each other, but Cupid is young compared to the one who is meant for him. However, when violence strikes close to home for the Keepers, Cupid is needed to help in the healing process, but only if the soul mates acknowledge their love will the healing begin.

A quick story with little character or plot development. They way things were said, makes the reader rely on known characteristics of the Keepers. Cupid is hurt by perceived prejudice against his young age. This colors all his interactions with all the Keepers, especially Thyme.

[Tracie R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cupid's Time (Keepers Book 1)

Cupid is one of the Keeper’s, his role is one everyone knows, he shoots his arrow and helps humans find their true love. So why if he can find love for humans is he is unable to have the Keeper that that makes him crave his touch acknowledge him as more than just a boy.

Thyme is the keeper of time and balance in the universe. He is as the saying goes ‘Older than Time’ but not always with age comes wisdom to foresee. When it comes to his mate, Thyme just keeps getting it wrong.

When Cupid and Thyme need each other the most will they be able to see past their blindness before one of them is lost forever.

[Christy Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did take star off cause of lack communication and constant repeat of not knowing how much time had past.

Cupid aka Cooper is in love with Father Time aka Thyme and boy do these two need better senses when came to telling the other how really felt. They definitely went about it the wrong way at first but after tragedy almost takes one from the other for good they get it together.

It might been short but wow there was lots going on. There was drama with hour glass of time going missing, hell hounds, and Jack Frost. I loved the fact mother nature is really a guy got kick out that. And the ending which was intro to next book oh so sweet. Some spanking and hot sex which what I needed.

[Firenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 3.5

I love the Titel and how it reflects our MC's.

a Fun light read. an Interesting world created by our author in which we get to see favourite myths in a new way. A bit short for my liking, but can't wait for the next novels.

I liked the characters interaction and how humans perception of them was skewed by mocking jokes.

One question though what happened to the letter?

A Solid read, not going to win any prices but enjoyable non-the-less. Can't understand the low ratings though. Can't wait for Nate and Harry’s story a.k.a. Mother Nature and the Easter Bunny.

[Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3.5
Very clever concept and full of sly humor. Cupid is the victim of thwarted attraction and misunderstandings worthy of mere humans! It was a typical romantic comedy/drama affair with the twist of the supernatural beings. The supernatural/Keeper names and elements were great fun. While I wasn't into a bit of the sexy practices, I still found the medium heat level to be a nice balance between the light plot and steam. I would definitely like to read more of this series.

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot of this book is fine although I wish there was some character development. My big issue is that one of the key points of the book is the stolen hourglass that controls the seasons and yet they can't get the colour correct. The 3 hourglasses are explained near the beginning and it is made clear that GOLD hourglass controls the seasons and yet throughout the rest of the book it is the SILVER hourglass. For such a short book to have such a big mistake is ridiculous

[Leah Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cupid's Time

Not what I would normally read but I enjoyed the story. A new take on "child hood" fable characters!! The short story was sweet and I can only assume that the other books in this series will continue with a build up of an on going story line. I would like to read the next one and see how it goes.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a light, fun twist on the Guardians myth - this being about Cupid (Cooper) and Father Time (Thyme). The page count didn't allow too much, the plot was a tad flimsy and could've been so much more - seriously, hell hounds, hell yes!! There was much potential and it was a shame that the MC's were not given the space to evolve, a lot was left assumed.

Overall, an entertaining read.

[Shelley Chastagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short story. It needs a tiny bit more editing but didn't detract from the book. I enjoyed the concept of the Keepers. Thyme being 'Father Time' etc. put a humorous spin on things. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
Adult read

[Dale Hankins · Rating 4 out of 5]

an interesting take on " The Guardians" though in this book they are called "The Keepers". I will not be able to watch Rise of the Guardians--one of my favorite animated movies again without thinking of this story. I need to check on other books in the series.

[Bitchie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story, but needs a better editor.

[Janka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute short story, I just wish it was a bit longer. I felt it was rushed a bit. But enjoyed it nonetheless.