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Buzz Kill: Smoke & Mirrors Tavern - Book 7
DECLAN
Look, I didn't roll into Eastbend just to cause problems and play the bad guy - but I do it so well, why stop now?
See, I crashed this town's little friendship circle for one selfish reason. Problem is, the payout isn't quite what I expected. How was I supposed to know my escape plan would get me sucked into the town's troubles and roped into a mission that would bring me right back within reach of my dear old dad?
Eastbend's woes aren't my problem and I'm not some sentimental do-gooder who has the capacity to help other people. Save that crap for Alwin, the proper elf and upstanding citizen, always stepping in to help save the day. Stoic and unyielding, noble and strong, not to mention transcendently beautiful. If the man knew how to smile, he'd bring the world to its knees. It's not that I'm unaffected by the piercing looks in those crystal blue eyes, but alas, the man is immune to my charms - rudely going right for the truth behind my distractions instead of just taking the bait. Such a shame.
The clock is ticking and my time in Eastbend is quickly coming to an end. No matter how much the beautiful elf tries to butt in, some things are just too big, even for him. I'm already cornered and it's too late to change the decisions I made that led me to this point. But, like a knight in a fairytale, that's Alwin's cue to come to my rescue.
It can't last. It'll never be over. So why do I keep taking his hand and letting him pull me out of the dark just for a glimpse of his light, especially when I know it'll only make everything harder in the end?
It's more than obvious Eastbend only wants to use me, but I can't bring myself to let Alwin face my family alone. My fate is already sealed, but people like him are meant for great things and I can't let him throw it all away. Might as well go out with a bang, right? Or maybe I'll just make things worse for all of us. Apparently that's a little more my style.
ALWIN
My first two centuries in Faerie forged me into an exemplary elf. An upright soldier with a noble bearing, earning much respect among my people. Then my brother came into my life. A half-human baby my mother commanded me to get rid of, and in defying her, everything changed.
More than fifty years later, Aiden has found his own way and will soon have a child of his own. My brother pulled me into his life in the human world and influenced my life in Faerie in ways I would never have considered if not for him. I would do anything to protect the life he's built in Eastbend. So when a Prescott sorcerer arrived in town with a lot of excuses that didn't add up, I considered it my duty to ensure he wasn't a threat.
Declan isn't the first Prescott I've met and they certainly left an impression. Yet this strange man who's rejected both his magic and his powerful family has grabbed my attention in ways I never expected.
Elves are not an expressive people by nature. We are not easily moved by the whims of others, but the closer I get to Declan, the more I find myself on uneven footing. Never have I been so frustrated and unnerved by another. And yet, despite the way he makes me feel, I find myself drawn to him again and again. He tests my control at every opportunity, and I can't help but want more.
One by one, I've unraveled all of this man's secrets. So why does it feel like I don't understand anything at all?
Buzz Kill is an opposites attract MM paranormal romance around 100k words about a slacker screw-up of a sorcerer and a noble, uptight elf. It is recommended that this book be read after books 1-6 in the Smoke & Mirrors Tavern series.
Look, I didn't roll into Eastbend just to cause problems and play the bad guy - but I do it so well, why stop now?
See, I crashed this town's little friendship circle for one selfish reason. Problem is, the payout isn't quite what I expected. How was I supposed to know my escape plan would get me sucked into the town's troubles and roped into a mission that would bring me right back within reach of my dear old dad?
Eastbend's woes aren't my problem and I'm not some sentimental do-gooder who has the capacity to help other people. Save that crap for Alwin, the proper elf and upstanding citizen, always stepping in to help save the day. Stoic and unyielding, noble and strong, not to mention transcendently beautiful. If the man knew how to smile, he'd bring the world to its knees. It's not that I'm unaffected by the piercing looks in those crystal blue eyes, but alas, the man is immune to my charms - rudely going right for the truth behind my distractions instead of just taking the bait. Such a shame.
The clock is ticking and my time in Eastbend is quickly coming to an end. No matter how much the beautiful elf tries to butt in, some things are just too big, even for him. I'm already cornered and it's too late to change the decisions I made that led me to this point. But, like a knight in a fairytale, that's Alwin's cue to come to my rescue.
It can't last. It'll never be over. So why do I keep taking his hand and letting him pull me out of the dark just for a glimpse of his light, especially when I know it'll only make everything harder in the end?
It's more than obvious Eastbend only wants to use me, but I can't bring myself to let Alwin face my family alone. My fate is already sealed, but people like him are meant for great things and I can't let him throw it all away. Might as well go out with a bang, right? Or maybe I'll just make things worse for all of us. Apparently that's a little more my style.
ALWIN
My first two centuries in Faerie forged me into an exemplary elf. An upright soldier with a noble bearing, earning much respect among my people. Then my brother came into my life. A half-human baby my mother commanded me to get rid of, and in defying her, everything changed.
More than fifty years later, Aiden has found his own way and will soon have a child of his own. My brother pulled me into his life in the human world and influenced my life in Faerie in ways I would never have considered if not for him. I would do anything to protect the life he's built in Eastbend. So when a Prescott sorcerer arrived in town with a lot of excuses that didn't add up, I considered it my duty to ensure he wasn't a threat.
Declan isn't the first Prescott I've met and they certainly left an impression. Yet this strange man who's rejected both his magic and his powerful family has grabbed my attention in ways I never expected.
Elves are not an expressive people by nature. We are not easily moved by the whims of others, but the closer I get to Declan, the more I find myself on uneven footing. Never have I been so frustrated and unnerved by another. And yet, despite the way he makes me feel, I find myself drawn to him again and again. He tests my control at every opportunity, and I can't help but want more.
One by one, I've unraveled all of this man's secrets. So why does it feel like I don't understand anything at all?
Buzz Kill is an opposites attract MM paranormal romance around 100k words about a slacker screw-up of a sorcerer and a noble, uptight elf. It is recommended that this book be read after books 1-6 in the Smoke & Mirrors Tavern series.
371 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 31, 2025
5 people are currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
Ember Morgan
14 books10 followersEmber is a writer of LGBTQ steamy romance with quirky characters, a little humor, and all the found family vibes.
After getting her start writing urban fantasy, Ember couldn’t resist the pull of romance and the happily ever after. Fantasy writing will always have a special place in Ember’s heart and most of her stories still include at least a little magic and mayhem. She’s a firm believer that demons, dragons, and vampires make the best book boyfriends/partners, but she’s been known to dabble with humans from time to time as well.
After getting her start writing urban fantasy, Ember couldn’t resist the pull of romance and the happily ever after. Fantasy writing will always have a special place in Ember’s heart and most of her stories still include at least a little magic and mayhem. She’s a firm believer that demons, dragons, and vampires make the best book boyfriends/partners, but she’s been known to dabble with humans from time to time as well.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 4, 2025
Part 7 of a really enjoyable ongoing series with a wonderful range of characters. Declan was looked at with understandable suspicion and distrust by the town inhabitants, a facade he maintained himself. However, no one knew the heartbreaking reasons behind this until Alwin saw more. At some point, the MCs wound up in a demon realm and picked up a really adorable Rith. Regarding the ongoing plot, the town found family knows a lot more now, but the solution will still take more time.
April 3, 2025
Alwin and Declan . . .
Alwin is an elf that is surprisingly kind. He had saved his little brother, a half-human baby his mother had told him to dispose of! But he did not obey and took care of his little brother and raised him by himself as if he were his own.
Declan is the only heir of a powerful family of Prescott sorcerers. He does not like his family members, hates magic because of them and won’t use it. When Alwin finds Declan's dreams are being repeatedly taken over by a demon, making him re-live the horrible abuse the cruel Prescott family thrives on inflicting, Alwin intervenes by using his own magic to enter the dream and tells Declan his mind will pull him back into those dreams again but this time Alwin will be there to protect him. Alwin will keep returning night after night to slay Declan's demons and give him peace. And eventually, caring for each other, will they end up falling in love? They are already drawn to each other. Will their growing relationship lead them to find a life together?
Alwin is an elf that is surprisingly kind. He had saved his little brother, a half-human baby his mother had told him to dispose of! But he did not obey and took care of his little brother and raised him by himself as if he were his own.
Declan is the only heir of a powerful family of Prescott sorcerers. He does not like his family members, hates magic because of them and won’t use it. When Alwin finds Declan's dreams are being repeatedly taken over by a demon, making him re-live the horrible abuse the cruel Prescott family thrives on inflicting, Alwin intervenes by using his own magic to enter the dream and tells Declan his mind will pull him back into those dreams again but this time Alwin will be there to protect him. Alwin will keep returning night after night to slay Declan's demons and give him peace. And eventually, caring for each other, will they end up falling in love? They are already drawn to each other. Will their growing relationship lead them to find a life together?
April 4, 2025
My rating: 4/5
The Smoke & Mirrors Tavern is an interconnected series, with each book following a different couple in a large network of paranormal found family. It is a spin-off of the The Contractor's Curse Series by the same author. The Contractor's Curse Series follows human/imp Ollie and her little polycule harem of paranormal hotties, while the Smoke & Mirrors Tavern series is, from my cursory glance, fully MM paranormal romance.
Continuing Adventures …
Since this is book SEVEN in the series and follows a full, FULL cast of characters, this book would be best enjoyed if one has read all the other books in the series. There are always characters popping up that are clearly from previous stories. So, I recommend that this series be read in order. Unfortunately, I haven't read it all. But I still was able to pick up on context and learn the important players during the course of the book, which speaks to the author's ability to write a cohesive, well-paced story. Even a story like this, that's very multifaceted and complicated.
Declan
— passionate
— cursed
— reckless? but not really
— dark past with a family out to get him
— honestly, he should be more traumatized than he is.
A complicated character, I felt drawn to Declan. I sought to understand his nuance because his actions are often in direct conflict with the way he outwardly portrays himself. Chapters from his POV were windows into his inner thoughts that were vastly different than the carefree and reckless persona he was putting on for the group of friends he is making in Eastbend. His conflicted and bruised psyche screams out for comfort and a helping hand while he actively pushes people away. He's the type say he doesn't care about someone while doing everything in his power to protect that person. Declan is passionate and conflicted.
He's fled his family, a toxic and evil villainous group of people and sought out his cousin Elliot, a character from a previous book. His family are sorcerors but Declan refuses to use the innate magic he possesses due to his family's abuse. He's cursed in ways the reader doesn't understand until they get into the meat of the story, and his curse drives a lot of the seemingly reckless behavior. I think once the reader learns about the root of Declan's motivations, they will feel like I do and like Alwin does: they'll want to protect Declan at all costs!
With his family out to get him and such a horrible life under their thumb, I think Declan should be even more traumatized than he is. But because he's actually a total badass, he's just really strong and resilient.
Alwin
— austere and hard to get a read on
— noble in his own realm, but not in the human world
— total badass
— passionate under the surface
— a bit mystified about human interaction
Alwin reads like elves are on the neurospicy spectrum somewhere, and if you know anything about me you'll know I am all for. I thrive when there are neurodivergent-esque characters in a story. If that's just how elves comport themselves as a species in this universe, whatever, I still like it. Alwin is Aiden's brother, yet another character from a previous book. Aiden was shunned for being half-human and Alwin has always protected Aiden because of that. He moved them to the human realm to get away from the prejudice. But Alwin, a centuries-old elf, doesn't quite fit in. He's not as emotive as humans, and he doesn't get human interaction. He's drawn to Declan, though, even if much of their early interaction consists of Alwin rolling his eyes at Declan's over-the-top flirting.
Reluctant Partners to Lovers
I wouldn't say this is enemies to lovers because, from the very start, Alwin keeps hovering around the periphery of Declan's life. Alwin and Declan work together to further their group's mission, details of which I, as a first-time reader, am honestly still murky on. But there is a villainous organization of paranormal hunters who are after the group of found family in Eastbend, and Declan and Alwin go on a mission together.
Forced Proximity in the Demon Underworld
Things go tits up though on their mission and they end up forced into an extended period of living in close quarters, having been transported into the demon underworld. Because they're unexpectedly stranded in a completely foreign land, they have to work closer than ever before and rely on each other to survive. Declan's over-the-top flirting becomes less about provocation to get a rise out of Alwin and more actual flirtation, and feelings emerge and are acted upon.
I enjoyed reading this part of the book. I wish it had been further fleshed out. I especially like how Declan and Alwin so quickly establish themselves as rulers of their own little demon kingdom. They successfully fight off wave after wave of demon combatants. Eventually, they make it out of the demon realm, but I do wish they'd stayed a bit longer. The best part? They gain a sidekick who I absolutely adore. Rith is the best side character.
The transition from back to the human world shifts the tone quite jarringly back to a lot of details about the overarching struggle with various organizations out for paranormal beings' demise. The underworld section of the book is a nice interlude but a lot of that takes the back burner since they are quite literally in a different plane of existence.
Complicated Plot
The plot of this series is pretty complicated. Multiple bad guys, some colluding with one another. Evil families, shadowy organizations, paramilitary hunter groups that verge on cults, you name it, this series has it. Even with a lot of details coming at me I grasped the main ideas just fine, and when the action picks up I was fully invested in the group of found family fighting for the safety and protection of their paranormal family.
Overall
This series is fun, and there are six books to read. I liked it and want to read the previous books! This one is a recommend for me.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The Smoke & Mirrors Tavern is an interconnected series, with each book following a different couple in a large network of paranormal found family. It is a spin-off of the The Contractor's Curse Series by the same author. The Contractor's Curse Series follows human/imp Ollie and her little polycule harem of paranormal hotties, while the Smoke & Mirrors Tavern series is, from my cursory glance, fully MM paranormal romance.
Continuing Adventures …
Since this is book SEVEN in the series and follows a full, FULL cast of characters, this book would be best enjoyed if one has read all the other books in the series. There are always characters popping up that are clearly from previous stories. So, I recommend that this series be read in order. Unfortunately, I haven't read it all. But I still was able to pick up on context and learn the important players during the course of the book, which speaks to the author's ability to write a cohesive, well-paced story. Even a story like this, that's very multifaceted and complicated.
Declan
— passionate
— cursed
— reckless? but not really
— dark past with a family out to get him
— honestly, he should be more traumatized than he is.
A complicated character, I felt drawn to Declan. I sought to understand his nuance because his actions are often in direct conflict with the way he outwardly portrays himself. Chapters from his POV were windows into his inner thoughts that were vastly different than the carefree and reckless persona he was putting on for the group of friends he is making in Eastbend. His conflicted and bruised psyche screams out for comfort and a helping hand while he actively pushes people away. He's the type say he doesn't care about someone while doing everything in his power to protect that person. Declan is passionate and conflicted.
He's fled his family, a toxic and evil villainous group of people and sought out his cousin Elliot, a character from a previous book. His family are sorcerors but Declan refuses to use the innate magic he possesses due to his family's abuse. He's cursed in ways the reader doesn't understand until they get into the meat of the story, and his curse drives a lot of the seemingly reckless behavior. I think once the reader learns about the root of Declan's motivations, they will feel like I do and like Alwin does: they'll want to protect Declan at all costs!
With his family out to get him and such a horrible life under their thumb, I think Declan should be even more traumatized than he is. But because he's actually a total badass, he's just really strong and resilient.
Alwin
— austere and hard to get a read on
— noble in his own realm, but not in the human world
— total badass
— passionate under the surface
— a bit mystified about human interaction
Alwin reads like elves are on the neurospicy spectrum somewhere, and if you know anything about me you'll know I am all for. I thrive when there are neurodivergent-esque characters in a story. If that's just how elves comport themselves as a species in this universe, whatever, I still like it. Alwin is Aiden's brother, yet another character from a previous book. Aiden was shunned for being half-human and Alwin has always protected Aiden because of that. He moved them to the human realm to get away from the prejudice. But Alwin, a centuries-old elf, doesn't quite fit in. He's not as emotive as humans, and he doesn't get human interaction. He's drawn to Declan, though, even if much of their early interaction consists of Alwin rolling his eyes at Declan's over-the-top flirting.
Reluctant Partners to Lovers
I wouldn't say this is enemies to lovers because, from the very start, Alwin keeps hovering around the periphery of Declan's life. Alwin and Declan work together to further their group's mission, details of which I, as a first-time reader, am honestly still murky on. But there is a villainous organization of paranormal hunters who are after the group of found family in Eastbend, and Declan and Alwin go on a mission together.
Forced Proximity in the Demon Underworld
Things go tits up though on their mission and they end up forced into an extended period of living in close quarters, having been transported into the demon underworld. Because they're unexpectedly stranded in a completely foreign land, they have to work closer than ever before and rely on each other to survive. Declan's over-the-top flirting becomes less about provocation to get a rise out of Alwin and more actual flirtation, and feelings emerge and are acted upon.
I enjoyed reading this part of the book. I wish it had been further fleshed out. I especially like how Declan and Alwin so quickly establish themselves as rulers of their own little demon kingdom. They successfully fight off wave after wave of demon combatants. Eventually, they make it out of the demon realm, but I do wish they'd stayed a bit longer. The best part? They gain a sidekick who I absolutely adore. Rith is the best side character.
The transition from back to the human world shifts the tone quite jarringly back to a lot of details about the overarching struggle with various organizations out for paranormal beings' demise. The underworld section of the book is a nice interlude but a lot of that takes the back burner since they are quite literally in a different plane of existence.
Complicated Plot
The plot of this series is pretty complicated. Multiple bad guys, some colluding with one another. Evil families, shadowy organizations, paramilitary hunter groups that verge on cults, you name it, this series has it. Even with a lot of details coming at me I grasped the main ideas just fine, and when the action picks up I was fully invested in the group of found family fighting for the safety and protection of their paranormal family.
Overall
This series is fun, and there are six books to read. I liked it and want to read the previous books! This one is a recommend for me.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 4, 2025
Whew, that was an adventure! We get to spend time with new and old friends in a great adventure. Eastbend, is still and amazong place. The Council, is still doing it's thing and we get to spend time with Alwin and Declan. Declan, has many secrets that affect his life and his relationships. Everything is not always what it seems. Alwin, learns, intuits a few secrets and both men discover feelings for each other. They embark on an impossible mission that can have dire circumstances. This is a story of secrets, friendships, misunderstandings, loyalty, acceptance, protection, deceipt, betrayal and love. Excellent characters. Alwin adn Declan are amazing men and will delight, enchant and make us laugh. Nicely done.
April 15, 2025
Alwin leaves Fairie to raise his half-human brother after his mother told him to kill his half-human brother. Now he lives in Eastland in the human world with his brother. Declan ran from his family because he doesn't want anything to do with them or magic. He comes to Eastland to hide from his family but his family finds him anyway. Alwin wants to help him but he thinks it's to late. Declan ends up helping Alwin fight his family because he thinks he has nothing to lose. I really enjoyed this book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews