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Beyond the Veil #7
The Turning of the Tables
I try to be an easygoing kind of guy, but sometimes things happen that really throw you for a loop. It turns out that meeting a certain badger shifter is one of those things.
I’d agreed to pick him up at the airport to help out a friend, and I had no idea what I’d gotten myself into. I figured I’d pick him up, drop him off at his hotel, and that would be that. Instead, I can’t stop thinking about him—and it doesn’t help that he keeps texting me, asking for my help.
The other problem is… he lives a thousand miles away and is only going to be here for a few weeks. Except that it hasn’t taken long for me to fall hard for those hazel eyes and white-streaked hair. To say nothing of the callouses on those strong hands.
I should be paying attention to work—to the killer using the Arcanavirus as a murder weapon—but I keep getting distracted by thoughts of Elliot Crane. Hopefully that doesn’t come back to bite me in the butt.
Who am I kidding? Everything comes back to bite me in the butt. And not in a fun kind of way, either.
A MM Shifter Romance.
Part one in Seth's story.
I’d agreed to pick him up at the airport to help out a friend, and I had no idea what I’d gotten myself into. I figured I’d pick him up, drop him off at his hotel, and that would be that. Instead, I can’t stop thinking about him—and it doesn’t help that he keeps texting me, asking for my help.
The other problem is… he lives a thousand miles away and is only going to be here for a few weeks. Except that it hasn’t taken long for me to fall hard for those hazel eyes and white-streaked hair. To say nothing of the callouses on those strong hands.
I should be paying attention to work—to the killer using the Arcanavirus as a murder weapon—but I keep getting distracted by thoughts of Elliot Crane. Hopefully that doesn’t come back to bite me in the butt.
Who am I kidding? Everything comes back to bite me in the butt. And not in a fun kind of way, either.
A MM Shifter Romance.
Part one in Seth's story.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 31, 2024
25 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 2, 2024
I really like the series in spite of the fact the books generally need more editing then they get. (I'm assuiming this is because the author is an independent probably self pub)
But i do like the characters (especially Mays, He has such bad luck and I kinda identify with the "Bad at life" idea. I too often feel like I am bad at life)
And like many of the other books in this series I do appreciate having another book where the main character has a chronic condition. I feel like I learned a bunch of things I didn't know about the Alpha -gal (Which I'd once known as Lone-star tick meat allergy) thing. for one thing I'd thought it only applied to steak (ie. cow meat) rather than that it applies to a specific mammal protein that's in lots of things including dairy. (which to be fair, is cow based most of the time. And obviously goats just arn't going be suffiently different given that we make cheese out of their milk in pretty much the same process as used for cow milk)
So, yeah, this book hit a lot of good boxes for me and I'm happy that there will be more books, both to finish this trilogy and then to see who's next. back of the book says next mini series is Rayn (who unless I'm misrembering horribly is the guy rescused by Ward et al in the second book of Ward's series. so I'm guessing this series is one of those that will keep going until either the idea or the characters run out. which is fine by me as long it keeps being this fun/emotionally rewarding to read.
But i do like the characters (especially Mays, He has such bad luck and I kinda identify with the "Bad at life" idea. I too often feel like I am bad at life)
And like many of the other books in this series I do appreciate having another book where the main character has a chronic condition. I feel like I learned a bunch of things I didn't know about the Alpha -gal (Which I'd once known as Lone-star tick meat allergy) thing. for one thing I'd thought it only applied to steak (ie. cow meat) rather than that it applies to a specific mammal protein that's in lots of things including dairy. (which to be fair, is cow based most of the time. And obviously goats just arn't going be suffiently different given that we make cheese out of their milk in pretty much the same process as used for cow milk)
So, yeah, this book hit a lot of good boxes for me and I'm happy that there will be more books, both to finish this trilogy and then to see who's next. back of the book says next mini series is Rayn (who unless I'm misrembering horribly is the guy rescused by Ward et al in the second book of Ward's series. so I'm guessing this series is one of those that will keep going until either the idea or the characters run out. which is fine by me as long it keeps being this fun/emotionally rewarding to read.
August 3, 2024
intense, complex, moving, a must read
Rating: 5🌈
The Turning of the Tables by KM Avery begins Seth Mays connecting trilogy of the Beyond the Veil series, a journey that’s got a perspective on the Arcanavirus we’ve not seen before.
KM Avery ‘s Beyond the Veil universe is a dark, highly complex world. It’s steeped in harsh human fears against those who are different, a divergence that has resulted from the Arcanavirus that’s wiped out a portion of the world’s population, the remaining population that has been exposed and is affected can change in otherworldly ways. Maybe they can hear the dead or maybe they’re a vampire.
In its wake , the world and society roils with bigotry, specism, racism, an increasingly amount of hatred based acts, as well as inflammatory politics that seem so dangerous and familiar these days. Read the author’s Notes on the universe information and trigger warnings before the book begins.
More so than any other books, except for Ward’s, Seth’s story , his beginning, has really moved me. Avery manages to so realistically, and with devastating exquisite clarity, covey a portrait of this gentle, sweet man coming physically, mentally, and emotionally apart in every aspect of his life. Just when he thought he had reached a good and satisfying point about his career, friends and family.
The pain is so intense as Avery does a deep emotional dive into the internal life of Seth Mays . Its from Seth’s point of view that we see his life , the events, the unthinkable aftermath, alongside a complicated, horrifying investigation, and the introduction of Elliot Crane, badger shifter, best friend of Hart, into Seth’s world.
Elliot arrives to craft a summoning table for Ward and an intense relationship is struck up between Seth and Elliot. One that is notably temporary due to their differences in locations and current circumstances, but that’s not how this works.
We know Elliot from Val’s books but we get a deeper understanding of him here even without reading his POV. Avery gives the reader a perfect window into this character, an insight into how the relationship between them is effectively changing him too. And it’s done, part way, through a series of texts. Some sent casually, others during the worst moments of Seth’s life.
The Turning of the Tables (Beyond the Veil Book 7) by KM Avery brilliantly follows Seth as through a journey so moving and engaging that often times, I found myself having to pause in my reading because I was so wrapped up in Seth’s story that I needed a moment to reflect.
Here a life is changed so profoundly it’s shattering, both for the character and for the reader.
The ending? Exactly what it should be. Hopeful. And now I’m exhausted but ready for the next book and step forward for Seth . That’s The Badger in his Burrow, no release date yet.
If you haven’t read this series yet, start reading it. It’s a must read in its entirety. Read them in order to understand the characters, their stories and relationships, the evolution of this world in terms of politics and magic. It’s complex, highly addictive, ingenious, and often dark as well as beautifully written.
And one I highly recommend. Always.
Series couples to date (not standalone):
Ward’s story (1-3):
The Ghost in the Hall
The Boy in the Locked Room
The Skeleton Under the Stairs.
Hart’s story (4-6):
The Dog in the Alley
The Bones in the Yard
The Elf Beside Himself
Seth’s story (7-9):
The Turning of the Tables
The Badger in his Burrow (coming 2024/ 5)
The Past in the Present (coming 2025)
Rayn’s Story (10 +) (coming 2025-2026)
Rating: 5🌈
The Turning of the Tables by KM Avery begins Seth Mays connecting trilogy of the Beyond the Veil series, a journey that’s got a perspective on the Arcanavirus we’ve not seen before.
KM Avery ‘s Beyond the Veil universe is a dark, highly complex world. It’s steeped in harsh human fears against those who are different, a divergence that has resulted from the Arcanavirus that’s wiped out a portion of the world’s population, the remaining population that has been exposed and is affected can change in otherworldly ways. Maybe they can hear the dead or maybe they’re a vampire.
In its wake , the world and society roils with bigotry, specism, racism, an increasingly amount of hatred based acts, as well as inflammatory politics that seem so dangerous and familiar these days. Read the author’s Notes on the universe information and trigger warnings before the book begins.
More so than any other books, except for Ward’s, Seth’s story , his beginning, has really moved me. Avery manages to so realistically, and with devastating exquisite clarity, covey a portrait of this gentle, sweet man coming physically, mentally, and emotionally apart in every aspect of his life. Just when he thought he had reached a good and satisfying point about his career, friends and family.
The pain is so intense as Avery does a deep emotional dive into the internal life of Seth Mays . Its from Seth’s point of view that we see his life , the events, the unthinkable aftermath, alongside a complicated, horrifying investigation, and the introduction of Elliot Crane, badger shifter, best friend of Hart, into Seth’s world.
Elliot arrives to craft a summoning table for Ward and an intense relationship is struck up between Seth and Elliot. One that is notably temporary due to their differences in locations and current circumstances, but that’s not how this works.
We know Elliot from Val’s books but we get a deeper understanding of him here even without reading his POV. Avery gives the reader a perfect window into this character, an insight into how the relationship between them is effectively changing him too. And it’s done, part way, through a series of texts. Some sent casually, others during the worst moments of Seth’s life.
The Turning of the Tables (Beyond the Veil Book 7) by KM Avery brilliantly follows Seth as through a journey so moving and engaging that often times, I found myself having to pause in my reading because I was so wrapped up in Seth’s story that I needed a moment to reflect.
Here a life is changed so profoundly it’s shattering, both for the character and for the reader.
The ending? Exactly what it should be. Hopeful. And now I’m exhausted but ready for the next book and step forward for Seth . That’s The Badger in his Burrow, no release date yet.
If you haven’t read this series yet, start reading it. It’s a must read in its entirety. Read them in order to understand the characters, their stories and relationships, the evolution of this world in terms of politics and magic. It’s complex, highly addictive, ingenious, and often dark as well as beautifully written.
And one I highly recommend. Always.
Series couples to date (not standalone):
Ward’s story (1-3):
The Ghost in the Hall
The Boy in the Locked Room
The Skeleton Under the Stairs.
Hart’s story (4-6):
The Dog in the Alley
The Bones in the Yard
The Elf Beside Himself
Seth’s story (7-9):
The Turning of the Tables
The Badger in his Burrow (coming 2024/ 5)
The Past in the Present (coming 2025)
Rayn’s Story (10 +) (coming 2025-2026)
April 27, 2025
I enjoyed Seth's story more than I anticipated, and I lived how Ling it was. I really felt like I got to know Seth and even Elliot a bit, though he doesn't share a lot. I'm admittedly nervous a bit about the next book after reading the blurb- I don't love the idea of Seth hiding his being a shifter...and isn't there a registry now? I skimmed the sex at the beginning of the book, so I don't recall if it was strict or vers.
single pov
1st P
slow burn
chronic illness
chronic pain
single pov
1st P
slow burn
chronic illness
chronic pain
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2024
I always love it so much when an author tricks me into reading a book with promises of romance and then sneakily makes me care more about the bigger story and world they end up telling me about. I kind of should have done what I did with the last section of this story and waited until all parts of this one were out because the waiting is torture but I just got too excited when I realized there was another book that I had to have it now. Thankfully I am a bit late already so the next one may not be too far off.
I just vibe with this series so much. I like the pacing even though usually people would say this type of writing has too much repetition and filler. I personally love it. I love that these books take their time (and a LOT always happens!). I love that there's always so much about disability and difficult life circumstances and we really spend time on those subjects.
I would have thought I would never want to read anything based on Covid, I'd just rather never think about it in my escapist fiction normally, but this series just uses it so interestingly. It's fully become its own thing, it doesn't feel dated because the real world has largely moved on and (disturbingly) forgotten the Big Pandemic times. Coming back to this series from time to time is actually a really good reminder that we shouldn't forget about it all just because things seem 'back to normal' now. There's a lot to learn from in this series, which is always a great side effect when you end up in something with substance in your quest for romance books.
Honestly I don't even care who we focus on, I will read anything in this world. But this third story within the series started really strongly and I'm so looking forward to the rest.
I just vibe with this series so much. I like the pacing even though usually people would say this type of writing has too much repetition and filler. I personally love it. I love that these books take their time (and a LOT always happens!). I love that there's always so much about disability and difficult life circumstances and we really spend time on those subjects.
I would have thought I would never want to read anything based on Covid, I'd just rather never think about it in my escapist fiction normally, but this series just uses it so interestingly. It's fully become its own thing, it doesn't feel dated because the real world has largely moved on and (disturbingly) forgotten the Big Pandemic times. Coming back to this series from time to time is actually a really good reminder that we shouldn't forget about it all just because things seem 'back to normal' now. There's a lot to learn from in this series, which is always a great side effect when you end up in something with substance in your quest for romance books.
Honestly I don't even care who we focus on, I will read anything in this world. But this third story within the series started really strongly and I'm so looking forward to the rest.
July 31, 2024
Ohhh man, I just love these books. The world is amazing and we’ve had such an incredible time exploring it so far with such different and unique couples! This time, we’re in for a very slow burn with the actual relationship, but the heat is there from the beginning (so don’t worry if you’re here for the spicy times!).
I don’t want to give too much away in here because even though you might THINK you know where the story is heading, there are quite a few turns! With the other books, we get more of the investigative work because of how the main characters are involved (Ward with his ghosts and Hart with his detective work), but as just a CSI, Seth isn’t directly involved in the investigation part of the mystery so the focus isn’t on those puzzle pieces this time. We get to know Seth and Elliot as they learn about each other and see how they fit as “friends.” We also get a little more of Hart and Taavi, which is fantastic, as well as some of the other characters from previous books (you can’t hide anything from the ghosts!).
All in all, it was a great start to this next portion of the series, and after all the growth Seth goes through in this book I can’t wait to see what happens next and hope that it’ll be Elliot’s turn to move forward after his father’s death and open up more to new possibilities.
I don’t want to give too much away in here because even though you might THINK you know where the story is heading, there are quite a few turns! With the other books, we get more of the investigative work because of how the main characters are involved (Ward with his ghosts and Hart with his detective work), but as just a CSI, Seth isn’t directly involved in the investigation part of the mystery so the focus isn’t on those puzzle pieces this time. We get to know Seth and Elliot as they learn about each other and see how they fit as “friends.” We also get a little more of Hart and Taavi, which is fantastic, as well as some of the other characters from previous books (you can’t hide anything from the ghosts!).
All in all, it was a great start to this next portion of the series, and after all the growth Seth goes through in this book I can’t wait to see what happens next and hope that it’ll be Elliot’s turn to move forward after his father’s death and open up more to new possibilities.
December 21, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. It started off slow - lots of explanations and repetition. I don't mind slow, but the explanations and repetition were a bit frustrating. Then after Elliot went home, it really pulled me in. Still slow and repetitive, but that was pretty appropriate, because that's what Seth was experiencing.
I loved how .
I haven't read any previous books in the series - this seemed like a pretty good entry point.
I loved how .
I haven't read any previous books in the series - this seemed like a pretty good entry point.
August 19, 2025
This… was not my favorite part of this series. I’m so happy we get to see more Mays and Elliot; I love them both. But this was disappointing, honestly. Elliot didn’t feel like a real character through 90% of this book; he was a caricature and then text messages. It didn’t feel like Elliot. And while the relationship grew a little bit, it still didn’t feel like there was any connection between the characters. Finally, I was so excited to read about Seth, but o-m-g he is a whiny little shit. I get he has a lot going on- I don’t begrudge his anger or his depression- but he was whining even before that! It had nothing to do with his Lyme or Alpha-gal either (loved all the representation in this one), because he didn’t really complain about those. It was everything else.
February 6, 2025
Yup, dropping the series....these books are just wash and repeat. Pitiful characters with no personality constantly complaining of "poor me" and blah blah. The first stories were at least interesting but the rest totally let down. Tons of unnecessary information, neverending internal monologues and totally downer character. I mean this guy "fell in love" with someone in the blink of an eye...I do believe in attraction at first sight but not love at first sight. Onto my next adventure, Happy Reading!!!
August 2, 2024
another love at first read
I cannot put into words how much I love this series and here we go again with another dive into characters you can’t help but fall in love with in a world that tackles complex social issues, mystery, suspense. A variety of relationships and love! I already can’t wait for the next book!
I cannot put into words how much I love this series and here we go again with another dive into characters you can’t help but fall in love with in a world that tackles complex social issues, mystery, suspense. A variety of relationships and love! I already can’t wait for the next book!
August 13, 2024
First off: You can start the Beyond the Veil series here, or on book 4 or 1. It will make sense. BTV books 1-3 - Ward's story; 4-6 - Hart's story; 7-? -Seth's story.
Did I like this book? Yes. Were there some issues? Also yes.
This book focuses on Seth, who made appearances in other BTV books. While the character is great, the book is a bit repetitive in parts and unnecessarily detailed in others like the author needed to stretch this into a full length book.
That said, will I read the next one? Heck, yeah!
Did I like this book? Yes. Were there some issues? Also yes.
This book focuses on Seth, who made appearances in other BTV books. While the character is great, the book is a bit repetitive in parts and unnecessarily detailed in others like the author needed to stretch this into a full length book.
That said, will I read the next one? Heck, yeah!
February 11, 2025
Appreciated the representation
This is a story that isn’t as high stakes as prior ones in the series. It’s more personal, and goes through the personal and relationship impact of having Arcanavirus and changing. Representation is good throughout the series, but this book adds more. It reminded me of my found family and friends.
This is a story that isn’t as high stakes as prior ones in the series. It’s more personal, and goes through the personal and relationship impact of having Arcanavirus and changing. Representation is good throughout the series, but this book adds more. It reminded me of my found family and friends.
August 10, 2024
This book was surprisingly very good. We got a story from Seth Mays POV and how he deals with work, friendship and family. His emotional and sexualy involvement with Elliot was also extremely detailed and enjoyable. I wish the eight book was already released. This coupled pair is something special.
January 6, 2025
Seth’s turn
This series has an interesting rhythm as it is set up in stories that are triads with some interlocking pieces. This one was the first of a new triad that has Seth as a MC who has a rough go of it in this book. Can’t wait for the next one.
This series has an interesting rhythm as it is set up in stories that are triads with some interlocking pieces. This one was the first of a new triad that has Seth as a MC who has a rough go of it in this book. Can’t wait for the next one.
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August 1, 2024Honestly I didn't like it 🤷♀️
August 5, 2024
another great book
August 7, 2024
It's way better than I expected. Interesting new couple.
January 8, 2025
I enjoyed BTV 1-6, but from 7 on, there is no story. Just drama and whining. I just started #8, hoping it would get better. But so far, still the same endless self-pity.
March 3, 2025
Listened to the first six instead of reading and I would recommend as audio
April 1, 2025
Done with this series I like them but they are just so cruel to the main characters at all times. Bit much for me at the moment
August 17, 2025
Poor Seth!!!!
December 16, 2024
By the time I got around to reading this one, I'd entirely forgotten its premise. Was pleasantly surprised and found the whole arcanovirus thing to be an interesting take. I like that I could jump into the series with this book and not feel entirely lost. Might even go back and read the previous books. Definitely want to know how Seth's arc ends, which I'm assuming is wrapped up in the next book.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews