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Dale Bruyer #1
The Man in the Long Black Coat
An alternative cover edition exists here.
Dale Bruyer and James Sandover were huntsmen: monster hunting heirs to a secret legacy, self-appointed defenders of mankind, students of magic, warriors and—in James’s case—occasional chess opponent of the Devil himself. Until James died and left Dale all alone on a self-destructive path through alcoholism to an early grave.
Then one stormy night, the giant tree that had marked James’s grave uproots and Dale finds footprints walking away from the hole beneath it. A killer begins ritualistically murdering young women in the small town of Solagrove, Louisiana where he lives, and though the man in the long black coat sounds a lot like James, it can’t be James. James is dead; there is absolutely no question about it.
Dale is reluctantly dragged into the investigation by his neighbor, the mother of the first victim. He’s not so sure the killings are really his sort of thing, but there’s something very familiar about it all anyway and someone has to stop it. Though why does it have to be him?
In the midst of all this chaos, he suddenly finds himself with a house full: a werewolf in the kitchen, a god crashing on his sofa and a punk rock fallen angel riding shotgun.
Dale Bruyer and James Sandover were huntsmen: monster hunting heirs to a secret legacy, self-appointed defenders of mankind, students of magic, warriors and—in James’s case—occasional chess opponent of the Devil himself. Until James died and left Dale all alone on a self-destructive path through alcoholism to an early grave.
Then one stormy night, the giant tree that had marked James’s grave uproots and Dale finds footprints walking away from the hole beneath it. A killer begins ritualistically murdering young women in the small town of Solagrove, Louisiana where he lives, and though the man in the long black coat sounds a lot like James, it can’t be James. James is dead; there is absolutely no question about it.
Dale is reluctantly dragged into the investigation by his neighbor, the mother of the first victim. He’s not so sure the killings are really his sort of thing, but there’s something very familiar about it all anyway and someone has to stop it. Though why does it have to be him?
In the midst of all this chaos, he suddenly finds himself with a house full: a werewolf in the kitchen, a god crashing on his sofa and a punk rock fallen angel riding shotgun.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 7, 2014
23 people are currently reading
431 people want to read
About the author
J.L. Aarne
16 books114 followersJ.L. Aarne currently lives in the Northwest United States. She was born in Washington, but she has moved around a lot and lived in many other places. She has two cats, Jack and Wally, and she is a compulsive collector of notebooks and coffee mugs, which she drinks tea out of. Aarne studied English and literature at the University of New Orleans. Her favorite fictional characters always seem to be the villains.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
January 2, 2019
Whoweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, that was FUN!!
For fans of 'Supernatural' I can only say: "Read this book!", and if you're not a fan of that universe, but love a supernatural (the word), MM mystery; read it for the story!
So Dale is a monster hunter, or I should say, WAS a monster hunter, until he lost his stepbrother and lover of 20 years... (it's not a spoiler, but I was confused when it wasn't clear from the beginning whether they were brothers or lovers, so just wanted to clear that up for future readers.)
James did not get killed by a vampire or a werewolf or a ghoul or anything like that, no James died from cancer. And Dale is grieving BIG time!
He has found the bottom of a bottle, and he is staying there, hating everything, hoping that he will die as well.
It was a very gripping start, and boy did I feel for Dale. It was so well written, and you could not help, but hope that he got his wish (even though that would mean the end of the story).
Then a storm rips up the tree, where he buried James, and when Dale wakes up the next day, somebody or something got up from the grave and walked away, leaving the grave empty.
Not only that, but his neighbour decides that now is the time for neighbourly things, and when her daughter is murdered and left in a church, Dale is dragged into the investigation, since supernatural things are left at the murder scene.
This book... Holy shizzle, it was fun. Great supporting characters, HOT smex scene (unfortunately only one, but still), great mystery and an all-around fun story.
There was suspense, and some descriptions of murder scenes, but nothing over-the-top, and I didn't figure out who the 'bad guy' was until late in the story, this just... Worked.
I couldn't decide if it was a 4 or a 5 star read, but ended up giving it 5 stars, because it was well-written, the story was solid and the characters were great. Also we had an explicit sex scene, which is ALWAYS a plus in my book!
And yes, I get that it could have been Supernatural (the show), but that was not a problem for me.
I also think this is why this book has such great ratings, for fans of the show this book checks all the boxes and for people who haven't watched the show, this book was a GREAT supernatural, MM book.
For fans of 'Supernatural' I can only say: "Read this book!", and if you're not a fan of that universe, but love a supernatural (the word), MM mystery; read it for the story!
So Dale is a monster hunter, or I should say, WAS a monster hunter, until he lost his stepbrother and lover of 20 years... (it's not a spoiler, but I was confused when it wasn't clear from the beginning whether they were brothers or lovers, so just wanted to clear that up for future readers.)
James did not get killed by a vampire or a werewolf or a ghoul or anything like that, no James died from cancer. And Dale is grieving BIG time!
He has found the bottom of a bottle, and he is staying there, hating everything, hoping that he will die as well.
It was a very gripping start, and boy did I feel for Dale. It was so well written, and you could not help, but hope that he got his wish (even though that would mean the end of the story).
Then a storm rips up the tree, where he buried James, and when Dale wakes up the next day, somebody or something got up from the grave and walked away, leaving the grave empty.
Not only that, but his neighbour decides that now is the time for neighbourly things, and when her daughter is murdered and left in a church, Dale is dragged into the investigation, since supernatural things are left at the murder scene.
This book... Holy shizzle, it was fun. Great supporting characters, HOT smex scene (unfortunately only one, but still), great mystery and an all-around fun story.
There was suspense, and some descriptions of murder scenes, but nothing over-the-top, and I didn't figure out who the 'bad guy' was until late in the story, this just... Worked.
I couldn't decide if it was a 4 or a 5 star read, but ended up giving it 5 stars, because it was well-written, the story was solid and the characters were great. Also we had an explicit sex scene, which is ALWAYS a plus in my book!
And yes, I get that it could have been Supernatural (the show), but that was not a problem for me.
I also think this is why this book has such great ratings, for fans of the show this book checks all the boxes and for people who haven't watched the show, this book was a GREAT supernatural, MM book.
October 19, 2015
This was super good. Don't let the cover with the guy who looks like Elvis keep you from reading this. Very good UF type series w/a beautiful love story on the side. Dale and James are monster hunters (think Sam & Dean Winchester type of guys). At the beginning of the story we find Dale (alone after James has died from cancer) drowning in alcohol and grief. One morning after a very realistic dream that James is alive, Dale finds the a giant hole in the ground where he had buried him. Shortly after girls from the area start showing up ritualistically murdered. Dale gets pulled into the investigation when his neighbor comes asking for help.
The investigation was fast paced and interesting and Dale has a group of friends who make a great group of side characters. There's an angel, a shifter, Coyote and a reaper. This was well written and entertaining. The paranormal part was good and the love story was really beautiful. I enjoyed this a lot and am going to immediately start the next in the series.
The investigation was fast paced and interesting and Dale has a group of friends who make a great group of side characters. There's an angel, a shifter, Coyote and a reaper. This was well written and entertaining. The paranormal part was good and the love story was really beautiful. I enjoyed this a lot and am going to immediately start the next in the series.
November 18, 2016
3.5 Stars
Full Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book from the author. This has in no way influenced my review.*
This was a fun, entertaining urban fantasy mixed in with some mystery, some character growth, some romance, some friendship, and a whole lotta supernatural creatures.
The blurb is a little misleading though. Dale has spent the past year drinking himself into a stupor and avoiding people, unable to move on from James's death. And then, kind of all at once, Dale gets dragged into some murder cases by his neighbor and James appears to have crawled right out of his grave---but the two are only mildly connected, and the James thing ends up being a background/side thing. Dale never suspects, nor has any reason to suspect, that James is the one committing the murders (which was what I was expecting from the blurb). The rest is accurate though; Dale sobers up and gets involved in the murder cases, his house ends up full of supernaturals, and interesting situations ensue.
As I mentioned above, this was a fun read. Most of the emotion was pertaining to things in the past (James's death and how much it affected Dale), so for that reason the book was mostly light and a little quirky, but there were some violent/darkish things that happened since the characters were supernatural huntsmen. And though it wasn't as emotional as I was expecting, I could still tell how much James and Dale loved each other.
Speaking of James though, I'm not sure how I feel about him. He was fine as a character, no complaints there, but, as a person, he seemed kind of distant sometimes, and Dale wasn't kidding when he said James could be cold. In one flashback, *SPOILER ALERT* *END SPOILER ALERT*
Another thing I liked was the author's superb use of detail. He really painted a picture of that Louisiana town and all the people in it (and I don't mean physical descriptions, more like a feeling), and other times the detail gave great insight into characters themselves, especially Dale.
Also worth noting, there was some pretty good character growth on Dale's part, and it was sweet how much Dale's friends (well, mostly Lloyd) cared about him.
The only thing I actually disliked was the POV. It was mostly third person from Dale's perspective, which was good, but there were scenes from other perspectives, and sometimes there was a bit of head-hopping or maybe omniscience (I'm still not sure how to tell the difference). That's a particular reading pet peeve of mine, but thankfully it wasn't that frequent.
So overall, it wasn't emotional the way I was expecting it to be, but it was a fun and entertaining read!
Recommended For:
M/M urban fantasy readers who like humor, mystery, and supernatural hunting.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
Full Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book from the author. This has in no way influenced my review.*
This was a fun, entertaining urban fantasy mixed in with some mystery, some character growth, some romance, some friendship, and a whole lotta supernatural creatures.
The blurb is a little misleading though. Dale has spent the past year drinking himself into a stupor and avoiding people, unable to move on from James's death. And then, kind of all at once, Dale gets dragged into some murder cases by his neighbor and James appears to have crawled right out of his grave---but the two are only mildly connected, and the James thing ends up being a background/side thing. Dale never suspects, nor has any reason to suspect, that James is the one committing the murders (which was what I was expecting from the blurb). The rest is accurate though; Dale sobers up and gets involved in the murder cases, his house ends up full of supernaturals, and interesting situations ensue.
As I mentioned above, this was a fun read. Most of the emotion was pertaining to things in the past (James's death and how much it affected Dale), so for that reason the book was mostly light and a little quirky, but there were some violent/darkish things that happened since the characters were supernatural huntsmen. And though it wasn't as emotional as I was expecting, I could still tell how much James and Dale loved each other.
Speaking of James though, I'm not sure how I feel about him. He was fine as a character, no complaints there, but, as a person, he seemed kind of distant sometimes, and Dale wasn't kidding when he said James could be cold. In one flashback, *SPOILER ALERT* *END SPOILER ALERT*
Another thing I liked was the author's superb use of detail. He really painted a picture of that Louisiana town and all the people in it (and I don't mean physical descriptions, more like a feeling), and other times the detail gave great insight into characters themselves, especially Dale.
Also worth noting, there was some pretty good character growth on Dale's part, and it was sweet how much Dale's friends (well, mostly Lloyd) cared about him.
The only thing I actually disliked was the POV. It was mostly third person from Dale's perspective, which was good, but there were scenes from other perspectives, and sometimes there was a bit of head-hopping or maybe omniscience (I'm still not sure how to tell the difference). That's a particular reading pet peeve of mine, but thankfully it wasn't that frequent.
So overall, it wasn't emotional the way I was expecting it to be, but it was a fun and entertaining read!
Recommended For:
M/M urban fantasy readers who like humor, mystery, and supernatural hunting.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
January 28, 2016
Here's the thing about this book, for me: I truly enjoyed it, but I didn't get a sense of consequence from it. A lot of fairly important details never really get spelled out, and then when they come up, I'm left wondering, "Why didn't I know any of that earlier?" Admittedly, the author didn't start from the beginning of this saga, exactly. This is more like coming into the middle of a character's life after they're well along their path, which--fine, that's practically a staple in UF. But I'd still like to know what my MC is capable of. When I discover he can do things like Dale does at the end of the book, it makes me wonder, "What the hell. This wouldn't have been useful earlier?" And that's not even getting into the angel issues.
It's a good UF/paranormal story with interesting characters and a decent mystery going, and I really liked the worldbuilding overall. On the other hand, much of the worldbuilding and character development just felt too familiar. Perhaps I've seen too many episodes of Supernatural, but even a lot of the little personal details thrown in there were too similar to Dean and Sam (and Castiel) for me to give this story major props for originality.
I'm going to read the next one in the series, and I bet I'll enjoy it in a familiar, monster-of-the-week type way. Which is fine! I like coffee too, and not because it's an awe-inspiring, novel taste sensation every time. This book was a cup of coffee for me. Nice, enjoyable, but it didn't make me stretch.
It's a good UF/paranormal story with interesting characters and a decent mystery going, and I really liked the worldbuilding overall. On the other hand, much of the worldbuilding and character development just felt too familiar. Perhaps I've seen too many episodes of Supernatural, but even a lot of the little personal details thrown in there were too similar to Dean and Sam (and Castiel) for me to give this story major props for originality.
I'm going to read the next one in the series, and I bet I'll enjoy it in a familiar, monster-of-the-week type way. Which is fine! I like coffee too, and not because it's an awe-inspiring, novel taste sensation every time. This book was a cup of coffee for me. Nice, enjoyable, but it didn't make me stretch.
August 2, 2016
I have to say that I’ve been hesitant about leaving a review on this book for years. Not because I don’t enjoy J.L. Aarne’s writing—I do—but because I was (and tbh, still am) loath to be counted among the ranks of histrionic, idiotic helmet ‘tards who usually leave unbelievably misleading reviews.
However, I re-read the book again a few days ago and thought I would give it a shot despite the sheer number of geniuses who have come along before me. And maybe because of them because I’ve gained a lot of respect for Aarne’s writing as I’ve followed it along and this kind of crap is insanely ridiculous and just plain incorrect. I don’t think I’ve ever been so annoyed and o_O by reviews on a book and I kind of regret reading ALL of them. It’s like a train wreck made out of bullshit and poor reading comprehension.
A lot of the reviews on this book draw parallels between MitLBC and Supernatural (including one dude who hasn’t seen the show. ever. huh?). Frankly, I don’t get it. Do. Not. And I find the repeated comparisons exhausting and wrong. You would think Kripke was the first, the last, the only to ever come up with a paranormal storyline about demon hunters. Um. No. Not at all. I could pick apart SPN for its LACK of originality until I collapsed from exhaustion. And you want to talk about PLOT HOLES, holy fucking shit.
The Dale books are about demon hunters and one character is an angel. That is where ANY comparison to SPN ends for me. I watched the show for seven years and in the name of fairness I can say I see it a little, tiny bit (see above), but nothing to the extent a lot of other reviewers have hysterically pointed out. I will also point out that you can draw comparisons to SPN or any other kind of paranormal show (The X-Files, anyone?) or book with the monster of the week premise. Yet, I’ve only seen people doing it on THIS one and fuck that. Which, by to the way, SPN casually ripped off The X-Files a LOT in earlier seasons. But I guess that was okay because they made snide jokes about it?
There are things I don’t like about this book, but it was also J.L. Aarne’s first novel and I’m willing to overlook a lot of the minor flaws, especially because most of them are based on my own personal tastes. (Ex: I wanted a lot more Lloyd because I love werewolves, but I can live without it). Frankly, I don’t really like Uriah (the angel) in this, but he doesn’t offend me the way he seems to some reviewers. I mean, it is CRAZY how these people (over)react.
The rest of the cast is interesting and fleshed out, likeable and yes, necessary to the plot. They are also invaluable to the series as it continues (see also: Love Song for a Vampire, which is a better book than MitLBC, actually). The idea here seems to be “author should know better!1!” and she does. It’s just that most of her readers are too dumb to realize that a lot of this is set up for future novels in the series and foreshadowing about things to come. PAY ATTENTION. I think that’s the biggest issue with a lot of the readers of this book: they seriously don’t get it… but they think they do.
Finally, I am going to address James because he is my favorite character: I wish there was more of him. A whole lot more. He’s a fucking amazing character (though he seems to upset the snowflakes a lot) and I do, at times, think the series should have focused on him as the MC. He just has a lot more to offer, I think, in some ways. But. BUT. James not crying all over Dale or having himself some kind of grand ol’ emo hissy fit would be WAY out of character for him. James is not a crier, James is not emotional (at least not that way). At times he seems to be thisclose to being a psychopath—and even though he is NOT one, he’s got some of the tendencies. I love James. LOVE HIM. And even though he’s a scary fucker, I’d love to hang out with that guy.
Bottom line: Man in the Long Black Coat IS a good book. It has its flaws, as all first novels do, but they’re minor. It’s not a romance novel either. Nor is it really anything at all like fucking Supernatural (stfu already). It’s worth taking the time to really READ (not skim) and absorb all that’s going on in it. And remember those details because they’re important later.
However, I re-read the book again a few days ago and thought I would give it a shot despite the sheer number of geniuses who have come along before me. And maybe because of them because I’ve gained a lot of respect for Aarne’s writing as I’ve followed it along and this kind of crap is insanely ridiculous and just plain incorrect. I don’t think I’ve ever been so annoyed and o_O by reviews on a book and I kind of regret reading ALL of them. It’s like a train wreck made out of bullshit and poor reading comprehension.
A lot of the reviews on this book draw parallels between MitLBC and Supernatural (including one dude who hasn’t seen the show. ever. huh?). Frankly, I don’t get it. Do. Not. And I find the repeated comparisons exhausting and wrong. You would think Kripke was the first, the last, the only to ever come up with a paranormal storyline about demon hunters. Um. No. Not at all. I could pick apart SPN for its LACK of originality until I collapsed from exhaustion. And you want to talk about PLOT HOLES, holy fucking shit.
The Dale books are about demon hunters and one character is an angel. That is where ANY comparison to SPN ends for me. I watched the show for seven years and in the name of fairness I can say I see it a little, tiny bit (see above), but nothing to the extent a lot of other reviewers have hysterically pointed out. I will also point out that you can draw comparisons to SPN or any other kind of paranormal show (The X-Files, anyone?) or book with the monster of the week premise. Yet, I’ve only seen people doing it on THIS one and fuck that. Which, by to the way, SPN casually ripped off The X-Files a LOT in earlier seasons. But I guess that was okay because they made snide jokes about it?
There are things I don’t like about this book, but it was also J.L. Aarne’s first novel and I’m willing to overlook a lot of the minor flaws, especially because most of them are based on my own personal tastes. (Ex: I wanted a lot more Lloyd because I love werewolves, but I can live without it). Frankly, I don’t really like Uriah (the angel) in this, but he doesn’t offend me the way he seems to some reviewers. I mean, it is CRAZY how these people (over)react.
The rest of the cast is interesting and fleshed out, likeable and yes, necessary to the plot. They are also invaluable to the series as it continues (see also: Love Song for a Vampire, which is a better book than MitLBC, actually). The idea here seems to be “author should know better!1!” and she does. It’s just that most of her readers are too dumb to realize that a lot of this is set up for future novels in the series and foreshadowing about things to come. PAY ATTENTION. I think that’s the biggest issue with a lot of the readers of this book: they seriously don’t get it… but they think they do.
Finally, I am going to address James because he is my favorite character: I wish there was more of him. A whole lot more. He’s a fucking amazing character (though he seems to upset the snowflakes a lot) and I do, at times, think the series should have focused on him as the MC. He just has a lot more to offer, I think, in some ways. But. BUT. James not crying all over Dale or having himself some kind of grand ol’ emo hissy fit would be WAY out of character for him. James is not a crier, James is not emotional (at least not that way). At times he seems to be thisclose to being a psychopath—and even though he is NOT one, he’s got some of the tendencies. I love James. LOVE HIM. And even though he’s a scary fucker, I’d love to hang out with that guy.
Bottom line: Man in the Long Black Coat IS a good book. It has its flaws, as all first novels do, but they’re minor. It’s not a romance novel either. Nor is it really anything at all like fucking Supernatural (stfu already). It’s worth taking the time to really READ (not skim) and absorb all that’s going on in it. And remember those details because they’re important later.
December 21, 2014
This novel has its flaws: the author has chosen a difficult topic and has developed it into an even more difficult plot and he does not manage to keep his writing everywhere as sharp as it should; plotting sometimes unduly releases tension and not all transitions are managed as they should so that the following paragraph might be unexpected and not for the right reason.
Besides, in 2014 one cannot expect the reader to accept chain-smoking to be a bad-*** behaviour worth mentioning. To me it looked like another way for the lead to self-destruct only not as censored by his friends as his drinking habit. Another big no-no there.
That said, this work has a lot to recommend itself.
It is gay-themed in that its lead is gay and in love but it is love more than gay-love that is the motor of the action. His love interest could have been a woman and little would have changed. I am not completely happy about that: on the one hand it makes homosexuality everyday, on the other I still think that if a author chooses a gay lead he needs to make this choice meaningful for the plot.
There is just one full-fledged sex scene that is well done but could have been cut; readers only interested in the story need not fear.
The story itself is a strange, interesting mix of horror and dark urban fantasy. The author seems not particularly interested in creating a gloomy, oppressive atmosphere; what he does is taking judeo-christian religious imagery and reshaping it in a original, interesting new form. Other reviewers say this world may be derivative, but I have not seen "Supernatural" or any other recent fantasy TV series therefore I am not in a position to judge on the issue. The first-book syndrome is there in that the author needs some "asides" to describe his lore and those asides do indeed contribute to some of the unwanted tension releases.
Religious readers may -or not- be offended by this lore; not that I care.
Personally I appreciated the lack of sermons about good and evil, an absence that allowed a non-believer like me to appreciate the setting all the same.
Characterization is interesting even if the side characters are not as involved in the plot as they might have, had the plot been more complex.
All in all I think this author has much room to grow but this output of his is already well worth a read.
P.S. As the author only uses initials and I could not find more details elsewhere, I have written this review using a general "he".
Besides, in 2014 one cannot expect the reader to accept chain-smoking to be a bad-*** behaviour worth mentioning. To me it looked like another way for the lead to self-destruct only not as censored by his friends as his drinking habit. Another big no-no there.
That said, this work has a lot to recommend itself.
It is gay-themed in that its lead is gay and in love but it is love more than gay-love that is the motor of the action. His love interest could have been a woman and little would have changed. I am not completely happy about that: on the one hand it makes homosexuality everyday, on the other I still think that if a author chooses a gay lead he needs to make this choice meaningful for the plot.
There is just one full-fledged sex scene that is well done but could have been cut; readers only interested in the story need not fear.
The story itself is a strange, interesting mix of horror and dark urban fantasy. The author seems not particularly interested in creating a gloomy, oppressive atmosphere; what he does is taking judeo-christian religious imagery and reshaping it in a original, interesting new form. Other reviewers say this world may be derivative, but I have not seen "Supernatural" or any other recent fantasy TV series therefore I am not in a position to judge on the issue. The first-book syndrome is there in that the author needs some "asides" to describe his lore and those asides do indeed contribute to some of the unwanted tension releases.
Religious readers may -or not- be offended by this lore; not that I care.
Personally I appreciated the lack of sermons about good and evil, an absence that allowed a non-believer like me to appreciate the setting all the same.
Characterization is interesting even if the side characters are not as involved in the plot as they might have, had the plot been more complex.
All in all I think this author has much room to grow but this output of his is already well worth a read.
P.S. As the author only uses initials and I could not find more details elsewhere, I have written this review using a general "he".
July 9, 2021
To be honest, I loved this-- until I didn't. After a certain point I found the characters to be patronising and hypocritical. Such as:
It's fine murdering innocent people when it's for yourself and your loved ones... But when OTHER people do it it's reprehensible.
Or:
It's terrible when people judge you for how you grieve... But if someone has a meltdown on TV it's "undignified" and "fake".
Cuz you know. Going on a self destructive drunken binge for over a year is so much more dignified and valid.
I also felt I got dropped smack in the middle of a story and wish I had read it all from the beginning. I also gave 0 fucks about the relationship since the man was literally gone for all of it except sex scenes.
This had a lot of potential, but failed ultimately for me.
It's fine murdering innocent people when it's for yourself and your loved ones... But when OTHER people do it it's reprehensible.
Or:
It's terrible when people judge you for how you grieve... But if someone has a meltdown on TV it's "undignified" and "fake".
Cuz you know. Going on a self destructive drunken binge for over a year is so much more dignified and valid.
I also felt I got dropped smack in the middle of a story and wish I had read it all from the beginning. I also gave 0 fucks about the relationship since the man was literally gone for all of it except sex scenes.
This had a lot of potential, but failed ultimately for me.
December 4, 2015
I did like this book even if it came across like a Supernatural, Sam and Dean slash-fanfic. I think that was one of the major things that threw me off in the story. I haven't watched Supernatural *ducks and hides from all the boos* so I didn't have a very good comparison which most likely made that comparison that much worse.
I did enjoy all the snark that was involved with the characters and story. It was a bit gritty but very enjoyable. I look forward to more.
I did enjoy all the snark that was involved with the characters and story. It was a bit gritty but very enjoyable. I look forward to more.
April 10, 2017
I think this was SPN fanfic turned into original fic, and it's the Wincest one, although they're stepbrother here. Anyway, I was entertained by the supernatural mystery and the characters, and I even liked the neighbor woman who acted reasonably upon her finding of supernatural matters. I was also in favor of the mild romance and the fade to black sex.
April 28, 2017
not a bad urban fantasy
October 25, 2021
Definitely reads as a Supernatural fanfic & if IS that would actually help fill in a lot of the blanks left here. If it isn't, well, there are a lot of blanks here. There isn't a lot of backstory, or about the characters themselves, except that they almost all come through as being very self-centered and THEIR problems and THEIR grief, (even their love) is greater than everyone else's.
There are three, four? black people in this book that I remember and one Native American and their inclusion or depiction kind of grossed me out. Not because they are black or Native American. I feel I need to state that straight out for those that lack reading comprehension. No, we have a young black man standing on a sidewalk that the characters are all "ooh gross" because he is a druggie and has bad skin and teeth. We have the young black girl that is a victim of the killer. We have the young man that was supposed to drive her home and didn't, and I am only assuming he was black. Then we have the young woman's mother, only seen on the news after the girl's death, and the main character and the old white lady next door are both really disgusting in judging her grief. Because apparently if you are so upset that you are crying loudly then your grief is fake and not as deep as the old white lady who just carries on and never really shows much at all about her...daughter? granddaughter? who died. That was so majorly gross that it basically killed most of the liking I had for this book.
Then, the Native American. More precisely, the author co-opted Coyote, who apparently has nothing better to do than run around with a bunch of white guys, moon over the old white woman next door, and watch weird porn. That was all pretty nasty. I'm not saying that Coyote can ONLY be with Native Americans but honestly, why would he run around with a bunch of white supernatural hunter types? And frat-boy does not equal trickster god.
We, and Dale, spend a lot of time traveling around not having any idea of what is going on. We catch rare glimpses of James but he is mostly a nonentity in this book, except as the reason that Dale can't function, or the reason Dale freaks out, or for the one sex scene. We never really get to know the characters or what they can or can't do. It was frustrating.
I really wanted to like this. I love urban fantasy. I would love to see more urban fantasy with gay relationships in the background, this just didn't quite do it for me.
There are three, four? black people in this book that I remember and one Native American and their inclusion or depiction kind of grossed me out. Not because they are black or Native American. I feel I need to state that straight out for those that lack reading comprehension. No, we have a young black man standing on a sidewalk that the characters are all "ooh gross" because he is a druggie and has bad skin and teeth. We have the young black girl that is a victim of the killer. We have the young man that was supposed to drive her home and didn't, and I am only assuming he was black. Then we have the young woman's mother, only seen on the news after the girl's death, and the main character and the old white lady next door are both really disgusting in judging her grief. Because apparently if you are so upset that you are crying loudly then your grief is fake and not as deep as the old white lady who just carries on and never really shows much at all about her...daughter? granddaughter? who died. That was so majorly gross that it basically killed most of the liking I had for this book.
Then, the Native American. More precisely, the author co-opted Coyote, who apparently has nothing better to do than run around with a bunch of white guys, moon over the old white woman next door, and watch weird porn. That was all pretty nasty. I'm not saying that Coyote can ONLY be with Native Americans but honestly, why would he run around with a bunch of white supernatural hunter types? And frat-boy does not equal trickster god.
We, and Dale, spend a lot of time traveling around not having any idea of what is going on. We catch rare glimpses of James but he is mostly a nonentity in this book, except as the reason that Dale can't function, or the reason Dale freaks out, or for the one sex scene. We never really get to know the characters or what they can or can't do. It was frustrating.
I really wanted to like this. I love urban fantasy. I would love to see more urban fantasy with gay relationships in the background, this just didn't quite do it for me.
August 1, 2016
Несмотря на мою любовь к сериалу "Сверхъестественное", я никогда не читала по нему фаники. Во-первых, потому что неканон, а, во-вторых, они же братья! Охотники на демонов Дэйл и Джеймс из "The Man in the Long Black Coat" тоже братья, но к счастью, сводные, поэтому романтические отношения между ними меня нисколько не смущали. Правда, насладиться вышеупомянутыми отношениями автор не дал, с первых страниц страниц становится известно, что Джеймс мертв, причем умер он не в схватке с каким-нибудь монстром, как подобает охотнику, а от рака. Однако в мире, где магия реальна, а в гости могут нагрянуть падший ангел или вервольф, смерть не всегда последняя станция.
Давно мне не встречалось хорошее городское фэнтези, очень понравилось.
Давно мне не встречалось хорошее городское фэнтези, очень понравилось.
August 5, 2016
This was a little slow to get going for me, but it gets better as you go. I think there were too many side characters. It seemed like a few were just there for "quirk" factor. The mystery was interesting, easy to solve, but there was an added factor I didn't guess. I liked Dale. I like James. I think my big issue is that it felt like I was reading fanfic that wasn't supposed to be fanfic. Way similar to Supernatural, it was hard to separate it in my mind. (It doesn't help that I'm not Team Wincest.)
December 2, 2014
Initially interested because it's set in Louisiana, and concerns demon hunters. The story is humorous and at times off-putting. Love persevering after death; even if the dead one has to beat the Devil at chess.
November 21, 2016
JL Aarne is one master storyteller. This tale is a wonderfully original take on a paranormal story, with an intelligently mapped out plot which is as engaging as it is entertaining. Still a touch of romance to keep the darkness at bay, and a great start to this series.
July 9, 2021
3.75 stars
August 27, 2014
That book really has bizarre story plot.
April 10, 2015
Best book I've read this week.
October 26, 2022
Sometimes I see an interesting book that I add to my tbr and then promptly forget about it. So that happened. The only reason I picked it up was because of a challenge.
One of the reviews I read said that if you like Supernatural, you'll love it. I agree.
Dale reminded me of Dean and James thankfully didn't remind me of Sam. That was great because I couldn't stand Sam. Although there were similarities between the show and the book, they weren't the same. I loved the world-building and the characters. I liked this small-town vibe it got going. Loved that Dale has magical abilities. That Dale had found a place where he wanted to live. That this is going to be his place. I did think that he was very open about the supernatural world, especially when talking to Daphne. It was fun to read a book where there are angels, demons, werewolves, witches, and so on.
I loved that
I will read the next one. And probably binge-watch Supernatural a bit soon :D
One of the reviews I read said that if you like Supernatural, you'll love it. I agree.
Dale reminded me of Dean and James thankfully didn't remind me of Sam. That was great because I couldn't stand Sam. Although there were similarities between the show and the book, they weren't the same. I loved the world-building and the characters. I liked this small-town vibe it got going. Loved that Dale has magical abilities. That Dale had found a place where he wanted to live. That this is going to be his place. I did think that he was very open about the supernatural world, especially when talking to Daphne. It was fun to read a book where there are angels, demons, werewolves, witches, and so on.
I loved that
I will read the next one. And probably binge-watch Supernatural a bit soon :D
December 31, 2018
Very entertaining story, that reminded me of Supernatural, the TV series. Dale is grieving the death of his partner, James, and after almost a year, the grief is as raw as it was the day James died. Dale is slowly drinking himself to death as well, but one night he saw something that made him be sober for the first time in a long time. Then there is ritualistic killing of young women, and Dale, as a witch and retired Huntsman, starts to investigate.
I loved this story. The world building, the mystery, the . I like Dale, and would love to read more of him.
I loved this story. The world building, the mystery, the . I like Dale, and would love to read more of him.
April 1, 2020
I had read another one of JLA's books and enjoyed it immensely. Since this book had many similarities, I thought I'd be in for a stellar read. It was, not so much. I found I had to fight my way through the story. There were too many arbitrary characters and the plot was fairly simple. Seriously, Lloyd spends most the story cooking, Coyote flirting with the old lady next door, and even Dale, the MC, is absent from the story as he is drunk most of the time. The story ends at 80% and I'm not even upset by that, just thankful that I made it through. It appears to be one of the first books she's written and it shows. Not a bad read, just that she has since written better.
May 27, 2020
I think reading this book during the pandemic was not the thing to do. I didn't enjoy it as I thought I would. This is Supernatural meets Constantine and I really think it should've worked but I felt it took me forever to finish this and a couple of flashbacks were almost making me DNF it. There are reapers, werewolves, a werecoyote that might be a werewoman too, demons, angels and Lucifer makes a cameo. I should've been ecstatic but I wasn't.
Definitely I'm going to wait before reading the rest of the series IF I ever come to it. This should've been a 2 star review but I really feel the pandemic was messing with me and I'm upping it to 3.
Definitely I'm going to wait before reading the rest of the series IF I ever come to it. This should've been a 2 star review but I really feel the pandemic was messing with me and I'm upping it to 3.
February 3, 2017
Unexpected
I enjoyed this book very much. Although the thread running through it is about love, it is not a formulaic romance.
The characters are interesting, I did not know what to expect it was humours in places which supported the occult & fantastic topic well without mocking it. I also like that it was very inclusive, all are welcome ☺.
I enjoyed this book very much. Although the thread running through it is about love, it is not a formulaic romance.
The characters are interesting, I did not know what to expect it was humours in places which supported the occult & fantastic topic well without mocking it. I also like that it was very inclusive, all are welcome ☺.
February 9, 2019
Enjoyable
This book was very well written. it was full of original characters and exciting situations and wicked evil. However i found it a bit slow and not exactly gripping. I was reading to finish the book not because I needed to know what happened or "who done it. " overall it was good but not super compelling.
This book was very well written. it was full of original characters and exciting situations and wicked evil. However i found it a bit slow and not exactly gripping. I was reading to finish the book not because I needed to know what happened or "who done it. " overall it was good but not super compelling.
May 22, 2019
This was just... so very meh. It started of promising but then it sort of fizzled. A lot of people mentioned it reads like a Supernatural fanfiction, and I have to agree. Except the brothers are having sex together. Ew. I mean, I know they're stepbrothers but I still found it icky (because they're siblings, not because they're two guys).
September 5, 2018
If this didn't start its life as Supernatural fanfiction, I'll eat my own shorts.
That said, this was really good. The characters felt compelling and fleshed out, and the story kept me interested. I might look into the sequels.
That said, this was really good. The characters felt compelling and fleshed out, and the story kept me interested. I might look into the sequels.
January 15, 2019
This was a fun quick read. I liked the interaction between the characters. It was basically like a long Supernatural episode. Not great but still very entertaining. Not sure I'll read the next book though.
May 23, 2019
Fantastic writing and great story. Wonderful amount of snark and attitude of characters. Wonderful mix of characters and just the right amount of irreverence. A fresh look. I guess you could say story about- I’ll do anything for love, but I want do that. A love story with monsters and death.
May 7, 2017
3.9 stars rounded up. A creative and very well written action driven plot. The couple was already established, so I was not too bothered by the lightly explored romance.
August 16, 2017
I put this book down and forgot I was reading it. That's not a good thing. DNF
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