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Gothika #2
Bones
Vodou. Obeah. Santeria. These religions seem mysterious and dark to the uninitiated, but the truth is often very different. Still, while they hold the potential for great power, they can be dangerous to those who don’t take appropriate precautions. Interfering with the spirits is best left to those who know what they’re doing, for when the proper respect isn’t shown, trouble can follow. In these four novellas, steamy nights of possession and exotic ritual will trigger forbidden passion and love. You cannot hide your desires from the loa, or from the maddening spell of the drums. Four acclaimed m/m authors imagine homoerotic love under the spell of Voodoo.
“The Bird” by Eli Easton
Colin Hastings is sent to Jamaica in 1870 to save his father’s sugar cane plantation. If he succeeds, he can marry his fiancée back in London and take his place in proper English society. But Colin finds more than he bargained for on the island. His curiosity about Obeah, the native folk magic, leads him to agree to a dangerous ritual where he is offered his heart’s most secret desire—one he’s kept deeply buried all his life. What happens when a proper English gentleman has his true sensual nature revealed and freed by the Obeah spirits?
"The Book of St. Cyprian" by Jamie Fessenden
"When Alejandro Valera finds a book of black magic in New Orleans, he ships it to his friend Matthew in New Hampshire so he can read it when he gets home. Unfortunately, Matthew’s dog, Spartacus, gets to the package first, and Alejandro returns to find Matthew locked out of his apartment by the suddenly vicious pit bull. The boys call on all the magic they know to free Spartacus from the evil spirit, but they might need to accept that they’re in over their heads."
Uninvited by B.G. Thomas
When a hot tip leads Kansas City reporter Taylor Dunton to a series of grisly murders, his investigation points to Myles Parry and his vodou shop. Myles wants nothing more than to practice his religion in peace, and he hopes Taylor can help him show the community they have nothing to fear. The problem is all the clues point to Myles as the suspect and only Taylor can help him prove his innocence. However, this case has also caught the attention of the vodou spirits of the Lwa... and they've taken an interest in Taylor as well.
The Dance by Kim Fielding
After being surrounded by deaths and near-deaths, introverted chemist Bram Tillman wishes he could undo the past year. Then beautiful Daniel Royer shows up with a warning about more danger ahead—and a promise to use vodou to help Bram discover what’s trying to kill him. But while Bram’s attraction to Daniel grows, vodou spirits change Bram in unexpected ways.
Cover by Eli Easton
“The Bird” by Eli Easton
Colin Hastings is sent to Jamaica in 1870 to save his father’s sugar cane plantation. If he succeeds, he can marry his fiancée back in London and take his place in proper English society. But Colin finds more than he bargained for on the island. His curiosity about Obeah, the native folk magic, leads him to agree to a dangerous ritual where he is offered his heart’s most secret desire—one he’s kept deeply buried all his life. What happens when a proper English gentleman has his true sensual nature revealed and freed by the Obeah spirits?
"The Book of St. Cyprian" by Jamie Fessenden
"When Alejandro Valera finds a book of black magic in New Orleans, he ships it to his friend Matthew in New Hampshire so he can read it when he gets home. Unfortunately, Matthew’s dog, Spartacus, gets to the package first, and Alejandro returns to find Matthew locked out of his apartment by the suddenly vicious pit bull. The boys call on all the magic they know to free Spartacus from the evil spirit, but they might need to accept that they’re in over their heads."
Uninvited by B.G. Thomas
When a hot tip leads Kansas City reporter Taylor Dunton to a series of grisly murders, his investigation points to Myles Parry and his vodou shop. Myles wants nothing more than to practice his religion in peace, and he hopes Taylor can help him show the community they have nothing to fear. The problem is all the clues point to Myles as the suspect and only Taylor can help him prove his innocence. However, this case has also caught the attention of the vodou spirits of the Lwa... and they've taken an interest in Taylor as well.
The Dance by Kim Fielding
After being surrounded by deaths and near-deaths, introverted chemist Bram Tillman wishes he could undo the past year. Then beautiful Daniel Royer shows up with a warning about more danger ahead—and a promise to use vodou to help Bram discover what’s trying to kill him. But while Bram’s attraction to Daniel grows, vodou spirits change Bram in unexpected ways.
Cover by Eli Easton
260 pages, Paperback
First published October 27, 2014
11 people are currently reading
299 people want to read
About the author
Eli Easton
83 books2,806 followersHaving been, at various times and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, the author of paranormal mysteries, a game designer, an organic farmer, an avid hiker, and a profound sleeper, Eli is happily embarking on yet another incarnation as a m/m romance author.
As an addicted reader of such, she is tinkled pink when an author manages to combine literary merit, vast stores of humor, melting hotness and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, three bulldogs, three cows and six chickens. All of them (except for the husband) are female, hence explaining the naked men that have taken up residence in her latest fiction writing.
Her website in www.elieaston.com
You can email her at eli@elieaston.com
COMING SOON:
See what's in the pipeline here: http://elieaston.com/work-in-progress/
As an addicted reader of such, she is tinkled pink when an author manages to combine literary merit, vast stores of humor, melting hotness and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, three bulldogs, three cows and six chickens. All of them (except for the husband) are female, hence explaining the naked men that have taken up residence in her latest fiction writing.
Her website in www.elieaston.com
You can email her at eli@elieaston.com
COMING SOON:
See what's in the pipeline here: http://elieaston.com/work-in-progress/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
January 15, 2020
This review is only for The Bird by Eli Easton.
The story is set in Jamaica, in 1870. Colin Hastings, an English nobleman is sent to his father’s sugarcane plantation to fix some managerial problems. Colin is get immediately fascinated by the native atmosphere, people, and especially by the forbidden Obeah religion practiced there. When Tiyah, a native Obeah priestess offers him a life of passion, his heart’s most secret desire, he agrees to participate in an Obeah ritual.
Eli Easton’s diversity in writing always amazes me. Whatever genre she touches, she makes something spectacular of it. This story is no different: the writing, the structure, the atmosphere, the characters – all brilliantly done.
Highly recommended!
The story is set in Jamaica, in 1870. Colin Hastings, an English nobleman is sent to his father’s sugarcane plantation to fix some managerial problems. Colin is get immediately fascinated by the native atmosphere, people, and especially by the forbidden Obeah religion practiced there. When Tiyah, a native Obeah priestess offers him a life of passion, his heart’s most secret desire, he agrees to participate in an Obeah ritual.
What if Tiyah could really do what she said? What fool, when offered one chance to rub the genie’s lamp, refused? I was not that man.
Eli Easton’s diversity in writing always amazes me. Whatever genre she touches, she makes something spectacular of it. This story is no different: the writing, the structure, the atmosphere, the characters – all brilliantly done.
He grasped my upper arms, pulling me even closer. At that welcome, I felt a hot rush of lust and a heavy ache of affection in my chest. The feelings were so sharp and so sweet that the moment felt worth anything—any price, any punishment, even my immortal soul.
Highly recommended!
January 30, 2015
This is a sinful, sensual treat for Halloween; like dark, bitter chocolate, it will melt on your tongue, making you crave more.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because two of the stories were truly outstanding; see the much more accurate individual story ratings/reviews below.
The Dance
Kim Fielding
~4.25~
#contemporary; grief/comfort; possession; sensual, nongraphic sex; spirits; mystery; tentative HEA
Kim Fielding never fails me. The Dance is a tightly woven tale of grief, lost souls, and the gray on this side of life.
Since his partner’s death, Bram has been going through the motions. It would be so much easier to disappear if someone would just stop trying to kill him. When the mysterious, hauntingly beautiful Daniel offers to help, Bram slams the door. But he doesn’t lose the key.
It turns out ritual and possession make for amazingly steamy play. Bram and Daniel create a tapestry of authentic emotions: desire, love, fear, HOPE. Bram comes to understand what he lost and what he wants.
Vudou practices are spun into the story; there is no telling, only showing, every detail measured and nuanced. The magic becomes a breathing thing.
Fileding's prose is perfection. I think I would have liked a longer resolution, but the promise of the lwa (spirits) was enough.
The Bird
Eli Easton
~5~
#historical; friends to lovers; ceremony/ritual; spirits; sweet, lovely sex; brilliant imagery; HEA
Set in the middle of the Victorian period, The Bird crafts a tale of forbidden desires. I was so looking forward to Easton’s story, and it didn’t disappoint.
When Colin visits his father’s Jamaican plantation, he’s determined to make it profitable and return to England a favored son. After he earns an unexpected favor from a lwa, which culminates in writhing, naked bodies and a wild dance in the woods, Colin lets go of something buried deeply within him.
This story could have fallen the way of cheap metaphor, but it was too finely crafted, with a Jamaican setting rich in culture and complex secondary characters woven into the plot. The atmosphere was charged, the plot deceptively loose.
Colin’s inner turmoil was a live thing, beating, waiting. His repressed love for his best friend Richard was eating him alive.
When Colin gives in to the lwa, he finally sees:
Lyrical, unsettling, provocative, passionate, with a brilliant, slightly ambiguous epilogue, The Bird is about the guilt and shame we bury within us, and about the letting go.
This was my favorite story of the four.
The Book of St. Cyprian
Jame Fessenden
~2.5~
#contemporary; new/young adult; no sex/steam on page; friends-to-lovers; scary pets; black magic; HFN
When Alejandro finds The Great Book of St. Cyprian, a tome of black magic spells, he understands its power. When his best friend Matthew’s dog accidentally releases the magic and becomes possessed by an evil spirit, Alejandro and Matthew have to work together to stop the “dark thing.”
The writing was fine, and there was nothing particularly wrong with the story, but but it lacked tension and atmosphere and didn’t hold my interest.
The chemistry between Alejandro and Matthew was missing, and the complete lack of steam (there was one kiss, interrupted) made for wilted reading.
Uninvited
B.G. Thomas
~2.5~
#contemporary; serial killer; mystery; no sex/steam on page; possession; weak HFN
When a gruesome serial killer strikes Kansas City, reporter Tyler, the first-person narrator of this story, thinks it’s his chance to get the coveted scoop and finally move beyond covering feel-good fluff. Tyler’s research leads him to a vodou shop owned by gorgeous Myles, who teaches Tyler about his religion.
The beginning held promise, but the story sagged a bit as it progressed. There was much talk of how beautiful Myles was. Granted, Tyler is beautiful too; he just doesn’t know it. There is no real murder investigation, just an “asshole” cop jumping to conclusions about Myles.
Myles is rather preachy, and Tyler seems incapable of saying anything intelligent. He repeats words as questions, in his head and aloud: Your house? Really? Good? My what?
While the murder details were properly grisly, nothing much was done with the mystery, and the who-done-it came out of nowhere. I found some of the information about vodou fascinating, and the writing was quite engaging.
But I wanted more steam, damn it. Surely, there are better ways of doing off-page sex than: And the loving was good. This was SO flimsy. I would have loved to see some spark between Tyler and Myles.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because two of the stories were truly outstanding; see the much more accurate individual story ratings/reviews below.
The Dance
Kim Fielding
~4.25~
#contemporary; grief/comfort; possession; sensual, nongraphic sex; spirits; mystery; tentative HEA
Kim Fielding never fails me. The Dance is a tightly woven tale of grief, lost souls, and the gray on this side of life.
Since his partner’s death, Bram has been going through the motions. It would be so much easier to disappear if someone would just stop trying to kill him. When the mysterious, hauntingly beautiful Daniel offers to help, Bram slams the door. But he doesn’t lose the key.
It turns out ritual and possession make for amazingly steamy play. Bram and Daniel create a tapestry of authentic emotions: desire, love, fear, HOPE. Bram comes to understand what he lost and what he wants.
Vudou practices are spun into the story; there is no telling, only showing, every detail measured and nuanced. The magic becomes a breathing thing.
Fileding's prose is perfection. I think I would have liked a longer resolution, but the promise of the lwa (spirits) was enough.
Life. Death. It’s all one thing, mon cher, all part of the dance.
The Bird
Eli Easton
~5~
#historical; friends to lovers; ceremony/ritual; spirits; sweet, lovely sex; brilliant imagery; HEA
Set in the middle of the Victorian period, The Bird crafts a tale of forbidden desires. I was so looking forward to Easton’s story, and it didn’t disappoint.
When Colin visits his father’s Jamaican plantation, he’s determined to make it profitable and return to England a favored son. After he earns an unexpected favor from a lwa, which culminates in writhing, naked bodies and a wild dance in the woods, Colin lets go of something buried deeply within him.
This story could have fallen the way of cheap metaphor, but it was too finely crafted, with a Jamaican setting rich in culture and complex secondary characters woven into the plot. The atmosphere was charged, the plot deceptively loose.
Colin’s inner turmoil was a live thing, beating, waiting. His repressed love for his best friend Richard was eating him alive.
When Colin gives in to the lwa, he finally sees:
I wanted love, and lust, and passion, tangled bodies and sweaty sheets, at least once in my lifetime. Sometimes my very clothes seemed to choke me, as if the binding threads of civilization strangled the man in me, the flesh-and-blood man…I wanted to let myself feel it all, to touch and be touched. I wanted to breathe.
Lyrical, unsettling, provocative, passionate, with a brilliant, slightly ambiguous epilogue, The Bird is about the guilt and shame we bury within us, and about the letting go.
This was my favorite story of the four.
The Book of St. Cyprian
Jame Fessenden
~2.5~
#contemporary; new/young adult; no sex/steam on page; friends-to-lovers; scary pets; black magic; HFN
When Alejandro finds The Great Book of St. Cyprian, a tome of black magic spells, he understands its power. When his best friend Matthew’s dog accidentally releases the magic and becomes possessed by an evil spirit, Alejandro and Matthew have to work together to stop the “dark thing.”
The writing was fine, and there was nothing particularly wrong with the story, but but it lacked tension and atmosphere and didn’t hold my interest.
The chemistry between Alejandro and Matthew was missing, and the complete lack of steam (there was one kiss, interrupted) made for wilted reading.
Uninvited
B.G. Thomas
~2.5~
#contemporary; serial killer; mystery; no sex/steam on page; possession; weak HFN
When a gruesome serial killer strikes Kansas City, reporter Tyler, the first-person narrator of this story, thinks it’s his chance to get the coveted scoop and finally move beyond covering feel-good fluff. Tyler’s research leads him to a vodou shop owned by gorgeous Myles, who teaches Tyler about his religion.
The beginning held promise, but the story sagged a bit as it progressed. There was much talk of how beautiful Myles was. Granted, Tyler is beautiful too; he just doesn’t know it. There is no real murder investigation, just an “asshole” cop jumping to conclusions about Myles.
Myles is rather preachy, and Tyler seems incapable of saying anything intelligent. He repeats words as questions, in his head and aloud: Your house? Really? Good? My what?
While the murder details were properly grisly, nothing much was done with the mystery, and the who-done-it came out of nowhere. I found some of the information about vodou fascinating, and the writing was quite engaging.
But I wanted more steam, damn it. Surely, there are better ways of doing off-page sex than: And the loving was good. This was SO flimsy. I would have loved to see some spark between Tyler and Myles.
Read
October 31, 2014Yay! It's gothika #2 -- just in time for Halloween! Release date is Oct 27th. If you liked "stitch", I think you'll like "bones" too. And isn't that a lovely man on the cover? :-)
ETA: Bones is out today! Here is my desktop post showing my visual inspirations for this story:
http://elieaston.com/desktop-the-bird...
Currently 25% off at DSP til Oct 31st!
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/stor...
Eli
ETA: Bones is out today! Here is my desktop post showing my visual inspirations for this story:
http://elieaston.com/desktop-the-bird...
Currently 25% off at DSP til Oct 31st!
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/stor...
Eli
November 5, 2014
The Bird by Eli Easton - 5 stars Really good. Very engaging and I was a bit emotional towards the end.
The Dance by Kim Fielding - 4 stars
The Book of St. Cyprian by Jamie Fessenden - 3 stars - basically the whole story is about 2 boys versus a rabid possessed dog
Uninvited by B.G. Thomas DNF. - I know the author was trying to be funny but it did not translate well for me
The Dance by Kim Fielding - 4 stars
The Book of St. Cyprian by Jamie Fessenden - 3 stars - basically the whole story is about 2 boys versus a rabid possessed dog
Uninvited by B.G. Thomas DNF. - I know the author was trying to be funny but it did not translate well for me
August 18, 2015
BR with anthology-reading-buddy/secret-ninja/all-around-badass Mishyjo. All of those descriptors are true.
My calculator says 3.75 stars. We'll round that up to 4 and call it a day.
I liked gothika #2 a lot, though the first book, Stitch, had somewhat of a star-crossed lovers theme which I enjoyed more. If a gothika #3 is in the works, I'd definitely read it.
'Bird' by Eli Easton
Rating: 4 stars
Date read: Nov 9, 2014
Colton Hastings is an aristocratic Englishman, sent to Jamaica to take care of the family plantation. In England, Colton has a respected position in society, an intended fiancee, and the promise of a comfortable income. In Jamaica, he's surrounded by strange people, and stranger customs. Specifically, he encounters Obeah, a form of Caribbean vodou derived from West African traditions before the slave trade.
Through a series of events, he's given a gift, by an Obeah spirit, of fulfillment of his deepest desire, which in his case is to love a man. Specifically, he wants to love his childhood friend, Richard Wesley, a love that's suppressed since they were fifteen-years-old. I really enjoyed this story, but I was hoping that Colton's love interest would be a black Jamaican, and it seemed for a while that this might actually happen. But that didn't end up happening, and I don't feel like I got to know much about Richard. An extra chapter before the epilogue with the two would have been nice. So overall, 4 stars and a great end to this anthology.
'Uninvited' by B.G. Thomas
Rating: 3 stars
Date read: Oct 30, 2014
'Uninvited' focused on vodou, the same as Kim Fielding's story. But where Kim Fielding's 'The Dance' was only slightly creepy, 'Uninvited' was explicitly gory and gruesome. Which, surprisingly, I actually enjoyed. In this story, struggling newspaper reporter Taylor Dunton gets his big break by covering a vodou serial killer. Taylor's hunt for research leads him to Myles Parry, the owner of a popular vodou shop. However, Myles also happens to be the police's primary suspect in the murders. Over a couple of dates, Taylor begins to learn that vodou isn't as glamorous as Hollywood portrays it, and that perhaps Myles could be more than just a source of information.
Overall, I enjoyed 'Uninvited'. The murders investigations and vodou were morbidly entertaining. The romance was nice, though it was borderline PG-13. Some steam would have been appreciated. I also would have liked the resolution of the murders to be something more fleshed out, because it was very anticlimactic when compared to the investigations.
'The Dance' by Kim Fielding
Date read: Oct 27-28, 2014
Rating: 4.25 stars
Bram Tillman isn't doing so well. He's faced the death of loved one, and a series of accidents, that has left him alone and more than a little bit broken. Daniel Royer is a vodou initiate, who comes to warn Bram that his life is in danger due to a malevolent spirit, and that his accidents were actually deliberately caused. Daniel also happens to be the hottest thing Bram has ever seen. While Bram first rejects Daniel as a lunatic, he's forced to contact Daniel when he again has a very questionable near-miss.
I really liked the first story in this anthology. The vodou aspects were an enjoyably creepy setting. The 'lwa' spirits were a funny addition to the story. And the romance was satisfyingly sweet. It's Kim Fielding. No surprise that it's awesome.
'The Book of St. Cyprian' by Jamie Fessenden
No rating. Didn't read Jamie Fessenden's story.
My calculator says 3.75 stars. We'll round that up to 4 and call it a day.
I liked gothika #2 a lot, though the first book, Stitch, had somewhat of a star-crossed lovers theme which I enjoyed more. If a gothika #3 is in the works, I'd definitely read it.
'Bird' by Eli Easton
Rating: 4 stars
Date read: Nov 9, 2014
Colton Hastings is an aristocratic Englishman, sent to Jamaica to take care of the family plantation. In England, Colton has a respected position in society, an intended fiancee, and the promise of a comfortable income. In Jamaica, he's surrounded by strange people, and stranger customs. Specifically, he encounters Obeah, a form of Caribbean vodou derived from West African traditions before the slave trade.
Through a series of events, he's given a gift, by an Obeah spirit, of fulfillment of his deepest desire, which in his case is to love a man. Specifically, he wants to love his childhood friend, Richard Wesley, a love that's suppressed since they were fifteen-years-old. I really enjoyed this story, but I was hoping that Colton's love interest would be a black Jamaican, and it seemed for a while that this might actually happen. But that didn't end up happening, and I don't feel like I got to know much about Richard. An extra chapter before the epilogue with the two would have been nice. So overall, 4 stars and a great end to this anthology.
'Uninvited' by B.G. Thomas
Rating: 3 stars
Date read: Oct 30, 2014
'Uninvited' focused on vodou, the same as Kim Fielding's story. But where Kim Fielding's 'The Dance' was only slightly creepy, 'Uninvited' was explicitly gory and gruesome. Which, surprisingly, I actually enjoyed. In this story, struggling newspaper reporter Taylor Dunton gets his big break by covering a vodou serial killer. Taylor's hunt for research leads him to Myles Parry, the owner of a popular vodou shop. However, Myles also happens to be the police's primary suspect in the murders. Over a couple of dates, Taylor begins to learn that vodou isn't as glamorous as Hollywood portrays it, and that perhaps Myles could be more than just a source of information.
Overall, I enjoyed 'Uninvited'. The murders investigations and vodou were morbidly entertaining. The romance was nice, though it was borderline PG-13. Some steam would have been appreciated. I also would have liked the resolution of the murders to be something more fleshed out, because it was very anticlimactic when compared to the investigations.
'The Dance' by Kim Fielding
Date read: Oct 27-28, 2014
Rating: 4.25 stars
Bram Tillman isn't doing so well. He's faced the death of loved one, and a series of accidents, that has left him alone and more than a little bit broken. Daniel Royer is a vodou initiate, who comes to warn Bram that his life is in danger due to a malevolent spirit, and that his accidents were actually deliberately caused. Daniel also happens to be the hottest thing Bram has ever seen. While Bram first rejects Daniel as a lunatic, he's forced to contact Daniel when he again has a very questionable near-miss.
I really liked the first story in this anthology. The vodou aspects were an enjoyably creepy setting. The 'lwa' spirits were a funny addition to the story. And the romance was satisfyingly sweet. It's Kim Fielding. No surprise that it's awesome.
'The Book of St. Cyprian' by Jamie Fessenden
No rating. Didn't read Jamie Fessenden's story.
October 29, 2014
3.75 general rating
This anthology has to do with different types of ritualistic "religions"
Kim Fielding's "The Dance" 4.00 rating
Where we can see what happens when a lover doesn't know how to let go...even in death unless said partner follows him to the grave. But thanks to a hunky voodoo practitioner and his horny "Iwas" this doesn't happen as long as they lend their bodies as vehicles. Let's go dancing! This story was scarily, charmingly good.
Eli Easton's "The Bird" 3.5 rating
In which our hero becomes curious about the coming and goings of the natives where he now resides. They have passion, and Colin wants a part of that, but before he can do that he has to expel the repression that has been part of his life. With the help of Tiyah who knows her "Obeah", a bird and the return of Phillip, his best friend, he gets his heart's desire.
Jamie Fessenden's "The Book of St. Cyprian" 3.5 rating
Fessenden's story is like always a well written, well researched story that I felt quite close to it since I grew up with people who participated in Santeria. The bodegas, the saints, the candles and ritualistic prayers, the placing of clear crystal glasses of water in the 4 corners or a room, the washing of floors, the "espiritistas, etc. er, sorry.
Nevertheless, in particular this story was fascinating to me and I loved the abuela, our young lovers, Alejandro and Matthew, combined with a spine tingling story of possession through a forbidden book. Don't fret. The Abuela saved the day, and our heroes were able to finally fulfill the unrequited attraction that they'd had for long while. I would have liked one full sex scene, especially since I liked Alejandro and Matthew so much.
BG Thomas "Uninvited" was a DNF for me. It had one of my pet peeves (where the author proceeds to talk with the reader with his inner thoughts), and life is too short for aggravation.
This anthology has to do with different types of ritualistic "religions"
Kim Fielding's "The Dance" 4.00 rating
Where we can see what happens when a lover doesn't know how to let go...even in death unless said partner follows him to the grave. But thanks to a hunky voodoo practitioner and his horny "Iwas" this doesn't happen as long as they lend their bodies as vehicles. Let's go dancing! This story was scarily, charmingly good.
Eli Easton's "The Bird" 3.5 rating
In which our hero becomes curious about the coming and goings of the natives where he now resides. They have passion, and Colin wants a part of that, but before he can do that he has to expel the repression that has been part of his life. With the help of Tiyah who knows her "Obeah", a bird and the return of Phillip, his best friend, he gets his heart's desire.
Jamie Fessenden's "The Book of St. Cyprian" 3.5 rating
Fessenden's story is like always a well written, well researched story that I felt quite close to it since I grew up with people who participated in Santeria. The bodegas, the saints, the candles and ritualistic prayers, the placing of clear crystal glasses of water in the 4 corners or a room, the washing of floors, the "espiritistas, etc. er, sorry.
Nevertheless, in particular this story was fascinating to me and I loved the abuela, our young lovers, Alejandro and Matthew, combined with a spine tingling story of possession through a forbidden book. Don't fret. The Abuela saved the day, and our heroes were able to finally fulfill the unrequited attraction that they'd had for long while. I would have liked one full sex scene, especially since I liked Alejandro and Matthew so much.
BG Thomas "Uninvited" was a DNF for me. It had one of my pet peeves (where the author proceeds to talk with the reader with his inner thoughts), and life is too short for aggravation.
November 23, 2014
I loved
much more than this second instalment, which is focused on Voodoo.
The Bird by Eli Easton - 4 stars
Really good. Almost lyrical and extremely sensual.
The Dance by Kim Fielding - 2 stars
The premise and the writing are good but the plot execution was risible. It didn't work out for me.
The Book of St. Cyprian by J. Fessenden - 3.5 stars
I liked the creepy and scary aspect of this story, unfortunately the romance was too undeveloped.
Uninvited by B.G. Thomas - 3 stars
Gory and macabre, it's the one which gives more details on Voodoo practice. The author did a good job researching the subject.
August 22, 2023
So... zombies scare me.
Plus, I hate anthologies.
So... not my best choice.
Plus, I hate anthologies.
So... not my best choice.
November 14, 2014
Wow. What a great collection of stories. I’ve maybe learned more about Vodou than I wanted to or is safe to if I go by B.G.’s story! This is a diverse collection that gives both history and great breakdowns of the religion. For me there are definitely some standout stories. The Easton
and Fielding stories were opposite ends of the spectrum where one is historical and the other modern but both just fabulous little gems. I found the Thomas story gave the most detail about Vodou and was the most fantastical of them all followed by the Fessenden one. There are also some great romances here. With two established friends to lovers yarns and the other two deal with new lovers.
“The Dance” by Kim Fielding 4.5 Stars
“After being surrounded by deaths and near-deaths, introverted chemist Bram Tillman wishes he could undo the past year. Then beautiful Daniel Royer shows up with a warning about more danger ahead—and a promise to use vodou to help Bram discover what’s trying to kill him. But while Bram’s attraction to Daniel grows, vodou spirits change Bram in unexpected ways.”
The Dance was a close second as my favourite in the anthology. Bram and Daniel were such a perfect couple and seeing them discover that was pretty special. I did find it upsetting when I realized who the spirit who had been trying to kill Bram was but it made a lot of sense. Sad though.
“The Bird” by Eli Easton 4.75 Stars
Colin Hastings is sent to Jamaica in 1870 to save his father’s sugar cane plantation. If he succeeds, he can marry his fiancée back in London and take his place in proper English society. But Colin finds more than he bargained for on the island. His curiosity about Obeah, the native folk magic, leads him to agree to a dangerous ritual where he is offered his heart’s most secret desire—one he’s kept deeply buried all his life. What happens when a proper English gentleman has his true sensual nature revealed and freed by the Obeah spirits?
I really felt the anguish and unrequited love in the Easton story as the best friends were separated by both distance and circumstance, the flashbacks were both telling and sad as Colin battled his attraction to Richard. I’m not sure why letters in novels affect me so much but they revealed both a real pining and the intense love the men had for each other. This story was definitely my favourite of the collection. I never wished so hard to see a chicken live in my life!
“The Book of St. Cyprian” by Jamie Fessenden 3 Stars
“When Alejandro Valera finds a book of black magic in New Orleans, he ships it to his friend Matthew in New Hampshire so he can read it when he gets home. Unfortunately, Matthew’s dog, Spartacus, gets to the package first, and Alejandro returns to find Matthew locked out of his apartment by the suddenly vicious pit bull. The boys call on all the magic they know to free Spartacus from the evil spirit, but they might need to accept that they’re in over their heads.”
The Fessenden story is a YA one. Not my favourite type of story to read but I really liked the resolution to the issue, Abuela to the rescue! The romance worked well as the best friends try to save Matthew’s dog without getting themselves into more trouble.
“Uninvited” by B.G. Thomas 3.5 Stars
“When a hot tip leads Kansas City reporter Taylor Dunton to a series of grisly murders, his investigation points to Myles Parry and his vodou shop. Myles wants nothing more than to practice his religion in peace, and he hopes Taylor can help him show the community they have nothing to fear. The problem is all the clues point to Myles as the suspect and only Taylor can help him prove his innocence. However, this case has also caught the attention of the vodou spirits of the Lwa… and they’ve taken an interest in Taylor as well.”
I always enjoy B.G.’s books. I love how he expands on his Kansas City series here as well. You don’t need to have read any of his other books as this is a standalone but I appreciate the little nods to previous characters and locations.
My knowledge of vodou stems only what I’ve gleaned from popular culture so the information that was provided in the anthology definitely had me looking past all that and seeing Vodou from another perspective. Nothing ever felt info dropped though but all very organic to the nature of each of the stories.
**Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
and Fielding stories were opposite ends of the spectrum where one is historical and the other modern but both just fabulous little gems. I found the Thomas story gave the most detail about Vodou and was the most fantastical of them all followed by the Fessenden one. There are also some great romances here. With two established friends to lovers yarns and the other two deal with new lovers.
“The Dance” by Kim Fielding 4.5 Stars
“After being surrounded by deaths and near-deaths, introverted chemist Bram Tillman wishes he could undo the past year. Then beautiful Daniel Royer shows up with a warning about more danger ahead—and a promise to use vodou to help Bram discover what’s trying to kill him. But while Bram’s attraction to Daniel grows, vodou spirits change Bram in unexpected ways.”
The Dance was a close second as my favourite in the anthology. Bram and Daniel were such a perfect couple and seeing them discover that was pretty special. I did find it upsetting when I realized who the spirit who had been trying to kill Bram was but it made a lot of sense. Sad though.
“The Bird” by Eli Easton 4.75 Stars
Colin Hastings is sent to Jamaica in 1870 to save his father’s sugar cane plantation. If he succeeds, he can marry his fiancée back in London and take his place in proper English society. But Colin finds more than he bargained for on the island. His curiosity about Obeah, the native folk magic, leads him to agree to a dangerous ritual where he is offered his heart’s most secret desire—one he’s kept deeply buried all his life. What happens when a proper English gentleman has his true sensual nature revealed and freed by the Obeah spirits?
I really felt the anguish and unrequited love in the Easton story as the best friends were separated by both distance and circumstance, the flashbacks were both telling and sad as Colin battled his attraction to Richard. I’m not sure why letters in novels affect me so much but they revealed both a real pining and the intense love the men had for each other. This story was definitely my favourite of the collection. I never wished so hard to see a chicken live in my life!
“The Book of St. Cyprian” by Jamie Fessenden 3 Stars
“When Alejandro Valera finds a book of black magic in New Orleans, he ships it to his friend Matthew in New Hampshire so he can read it when he gets home. Unfortunately, Matthew’s dog, Spartacus, gets to the package first, and Alejandro returns to find Matthew locked out of his apartment by the suddenly vicious pit bull. The boys call on all the magic they know to free Spartacus from the evil spirit, but they might need to accept that they’re in over their heads.”
The Fessenden story is a YA one. Not my favourite type of story to read but I really liked the resolution to the issue, Abuela to the rescue! The romance worked well as the best friends try to save Matthew’s dog without getting themselves into more trouble.
“Uninvited” by B.G. Thomas 3.5 Stars
“When a hot tip leads Kansas City reporter Taylor Dunton to a series of grisly murders, his investigation points to Myles Parry and his vodou shop. Myles wants nothing more than to practice his religion in peace, and he hopes Taylor can help him show the community they have nothing to fear. The problem is all the clues point to Myles as the suspect and only Taylor can help him prove his innocence. However, this case has also caught the attention of the vodou spirits of the Lwa… and they’ve taken an interest in Taylor as well.”
I always enjoy B.G.’s books. I love how he expands on his Kansas City series here as well. You don’t need to have read any of his other books as this is a standalone but I appreciate the little nods to previous characters and locations.
My knowledge of vodou stems only what I’ve gleaned from popular culture so the information that was provided in the anthology definitely had me looking past all that and seeing Vodou from another perspective. Nothing ever felt info dropped though but all very organic to the nature of each of the stories.
**Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
March 11, 2020
4.5 Stars ~ I am the reader who was salivating at getting this second book in the 'Gothika' series. I read, and loved, the first installment, and when I discovered that the four stories in 'Bones' revolved around magic, specifically vodou, I was super excited to read it.
The Dance by Kim Fielding
Bram has had a lousy year. His long-term partner died, he was in a bad accident, and three months ago a man tried to kill him in the grocery store. Bram defended himself, and in a weird accident ended up killing the guy. So when the man's brother, Daniel, shows up at Bram's door claiming an evil spirit is trying to kill him, well, you can imagine the response that logical, scientific Bram gives him. But when one more driver tries to run him over, and Bram has a very disturbing dream, he calls Daniel for help.
This was a fascinating introduction into vodou. Daniel explained about the Iwas, (Lo-ah) or spirit intermediaries between humans and Bondye, the Creator. Daniel's lwa, Ezili Freda, is the one who tells Daniel that a spirit is trying to kill Bram. The dream Bram has introduces him to a very powerful death and sex lwa named Ghede Nibo. Now Ghede Nibo has taken a strong interest in Bram, which is unusual as Bram is not an initiate into vodou. Nevertheless, Daniel, Freda, and Nibo are all on Bram's side to help him get rid of this angry spirit, and stay alive.
Kim Fielding is a favored author of mine, and I adored her contribution to this anthology. Daniel and Bram were very easy to care for, and I was intrigued by the Iwas, and the changes Nibo brought to Bram's consciousness. My only complaint? I could've read an entire book with these characters.
The Bird by Eli Easton
Obeah. A type of folk magic that traces itself back to the African slave trade. Colin, a graduate of Eton and Cambridge, is fascinated by this from a scientific standpoint. When Colin provides the means to save one of his plantation workers’ daughters, Tiyah tells him that in exchange, Erzulie, an Obeah loa, a powerful spirit, will grant him a life of his secret passion. This is a huge honor, and not something normally given to a non-follower, but Tiyah's daughter is also Erzulie's, as the loa was riding, or possessing, Tiyah at the time of conception.
What is Colin to do? He is here in Jamaica in 1870 to restore his family's plantation in exchange for the right to marry his fiancée when he returns to England. However, the way he thinks of, and writes to very often, his close and dear friend Richard, made it obvious what his heart's desire is. I just wonder if Colin is aware of it? And, if he isn't, what will happen to this proper Englishman when his desires explode in the Jamaican heat? The ceremony was exciting, to the point where I almost felt as if I was there, listening to the drums and the chanting.
Another wonderful addition to this anthology. Colin and Richard find what they both need from their lives, and Jamaica becomes their home. I liked this story, and the mysticism really grabbed, and held, my attention. Once again I felt I could have read a much longer story with these characters.
The Book of St. Cyprian by Jamie Fessenden
For obvious reasons, my heart went out to poor Spartacus, the dog, invaded by an evil spirit. Alejandro has grown up surrounded by Santeria, as his grandmother, his abuela, is a practitioner, and owns a botanica. So it's no wonder that when he finds a copy of 'The Great Book of St. Cyprian', a very old black magic tome, he doesn't ship it to his abuela's home. Oh, no. He sends it to his best friend Matthew, to hold on to until the following day when Alejandro will be home.
He and Matthew have been best friends for six years, and there's nothing either of them won't do for the other. Well, except Matthew doesn't think Alejandro looks at him as more than a friend, and Alejandro is afraid to look at him that way because they're as close as brothers. None of that matters, though, as they try to figure out how to banish this spirit and save their beloved and gentle Spartacus. Luckily for the boys, and the dog, once Abuela finds out, she comes to help - with a lot of cursing for her idiot grandsons.
A good addition that I liked, although a little more history on Santeria, especially more information on their practices, would've made it even better for me. I did like these two young boys, and Abuela was exactly how I pictured her.
Uninvited by B.G. Thomas
Taylor is a reporter who mostly covers bake sales, Pride events, and the smaller attractions for the Kansas City Chronicle. But when his detective friend gives him the scoop on a ritualistic murder, Taylor is determined to get the story. His research leads him to vodou, and, lo and behold, there's a store in Kansas City. Taylor is shocked. How could he not have known this? They are far from New Orleans, after all. Although, I must admit, a vodou store named Lucky Charms was a little incongruous.
Taylor meets Myles, owner of Lucky Charms, and a first level priest of vodou. When Taylor makes it plain that he just wants answers to his questions, and that he just wants to learn, then Myles is happy to explain his religion to him, and to stress how they do not perform human sacrifice. But, someone is doing it, and Taylor seems to be right at the crossroads between life and death.
A very mysterious addition to this anthology that I enjoyed greatly. The ending was wonderful, although I definitely have a few questions for the author. *grins*
Overall, this is a wonderful book, with just enough magic and mystique to keep me highly entertained. Thank you to Kim, Eli, Jamie, and Ben for their stories!
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
The Dance by Kim Fielding
Bram has had a lousy year. His long-term partner died, he was in a bad accident, and three months ago a man tried to kill him in the grocery store. Bram defended himself, and in a weird accident ended up killing the guy. So when the man's brother, Daniel, shows up at Bram's door claiming an evil spirit is trying to kill him, well, you can imagine the response that logical, scientific Bram gives him. But when one more driver tries to run him over, and Bram has a very disturbing dream, he calls Daniel for help.
This was a fascinating introduction into vodou. Daniel explained about the Iwas, (Lo-ah) or spirit intermediaries between humans and Bondye, the Creator. Daniel's lwa, Ezili Freda, is the one who tells Daniel that a spirit is trying to kill Bram. The dream Bram has introduces him to a very powerful death and sex lwa named Ghede Nibo. Now Ghede Nibo has taken a strong interest in Bram, which is unusual as Bram is not an initiate into vodou. Nevertheless, Daniel, Freda, and Nibo are all on Bram's side to help him get rid of this angry spirit, and stay alive.
Kim Fielding is a favored author of mine, and I adored her contribution to this anthology. Daniel and Bram were very easy to care for, and I was intrigued by the Iwas, and the changes Nibo brought to Bram's consciousness. My only complaint? I could've read an entire book with these characters.
The Bird by Eli Easton
Obeah. A type of folk magic that traces itself back to the African slave trade. Colin, a graduate of Eton and Cambridge, is fascinated by this from a scientific standpoint. When Colin provides the means to save one of his plantation workers’ daughters, Tiyah tells him that in exchange, Erzulie, an Obeah loa, a powerful spirit, will grant him a life of his secret passion. This is a huge honor, and not something normally given to a non-follower, but Tiyah's daughter is also Erzulie's, as the loa was riding, or possessing, Tiyah at the time of conception.
What is Colin to do? He is here in Jamaica in 1870 to restore his family's plantation in exchange for the right to marry his fiancée when he returns to England. However, the way he thinks of, and writes to very often, his close and dear friend Richard, made it obvious what his heart's desire is. I just wonder if Colin is aware of it? And, if he isn't, what will happen to this proper Englishman when his desires explode in the Jamaican heat? The ceremony was exciting, to the point where I almost felt as if I was there, listening to the drums and the chanting.
Another wonderful addition to this anthology. Colin and Richard find what they both need from their lives, and Jamaica becomes their home. I liked this story, and the mysticism really grabbed, and held, my attention. Once again I felt I could have read a much longer story with these characters.
The Book of St. Cyprian by Jamie Fessenden
For obvious reasons, my heart went out to poor Spartacus, the dog, invaded by an evil spirit. Alejandro has grown up surrounded by Santeria, as his grandmother, his abuela, is a practitioner, and owns a botanica. So it's no wonder that when he finds a copy of 'The Great Book of St. Cyprian', a very old black magic tome, he doesn't ship it to his abuela's home. Oh, no. He sends it to his best friend Matthew, to hold on to until the following day when Alejandro will be home.
He and Matthew have been best friends for six years, and there's nothing either of them won't do for the other. Well, except Matthew doesn't think Alejandro looks at him as more than a friend, and Alejandro is afraid to look at him that way because they're as close as brothers. None of that matters, though, as they try to figure out how to banish this spirit and save their beloved and gentle Spartacus. Luckily for the boys, and the dog, once Abuela finds out, she comes to help - with a lot of cursing for her idiot grandsons.
A good addition that I liked, although a little more history on Santeria, especially more information on their practices, would've made it even better for me. I did like these two young boys, and Abuela was exactly how I pictured her.
Uninvited by B.G. Thomas
Taylor is a reporter who mostly covers bake sales, Pride events, and the smaller attractions for the Kansas City Chronicle. But when his detective friend gives him the scoop on a ritualistic murder, Taylor is determined to get the story. His research leads him to vodou, and, lo and behold, there's a store in Kansas City. Taylor is shocked. How could he not have known this? They are far from New Orleans, after all. Although, I must admit, a vodou store named Lucky Charms was a little incongruous.
Taylor meets Myles, owner of Lucky Charms, and a first level priest of vodou. When Taylor makes it plain that he just wants answers to his questions, and that he just wants to learn, then Myles is happy to explain his religion to him, and to stress how they do not perform human sacrifice. But, someone is doing it, and Taylor seems to be right at the crossroads between life and death.
A very mysterious addition to this anthology that I enjoyed greatly. The ending was wonderful, although I definitely have a few questions for the author. *grins*
Overall, this is a wonderful book, with just enough magic and mystique to keep me highly entertained. Thank you to Kim, Eli, Jamie, and Ben for their stories!
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
October 24, 2016
This was a solid anthology focusing on voodoo as the thematic tie in for all the stories. I enjoyed the atmosphere of these stories and each gave a unique look at vodou, in all its different spellings and incarnations. :)
The Dance by Kim Fielding ★★★★
Bram Tillman has been struggling to get by after the loss of his husband. All around him he's been surrounded by death or things almost leading to his own death. Everything is discombobulated until Daniel Royer shows up letting him know that he has a spirit trying to kill him. Daniel's own brother was one of the guys the spirit had ridden in his attempts to get to Bram. As a vodou practitioner Daniel, with the help of his lwa thinks he can help, that is if Bram can bring himself to buy into what Daniel's saying.
I liked the story here, the vodou elements were interesting and well placed in the story. The idea of a spirit holding on to life and in their lost imbalance trying to force the world to their own ideal worked well. I enjoyed the way that the lwa's were handled here, the "riding" of their hosts was interesting and was cleverly used to further the relationship between Daniel and Bram. Still the biggest deterrent to this story was that the relationship felt rushed between the two men. The details in all of the vodou elements sacrificed a little of the development between Daniel and Bram. All in all though I enjoyed the story and was very happy with were things went.
The Bird by Eli Easton ★★★★
Oh Jamaica. This was lovely in its darker eerier look at voodoo in the historical plantations of the Jamaica colony. Colin Hastings is the third son of the Earl of Huntington and though he's engaged in England he's off to his families plantation in Jamaica to turn things around. While the plantation used to be productive the most recent overseer had let things slide and things have fallen into disarray. Colin is aware of the local beliefs, but while he is intrigued doesn't place much faith in the beliefs. But when he helps in the healing of one of the local women's child he finds himself right in the middle of their faith.
I enjoyed this story a lot. It was twisty and ominous in the kind of spooky way you want the unknown to be. The practitioners of voodoo here embrace it in all its glory. This feels completely outside the realm of anything that Colin could ever comprehend. Everything that happens overwhelms Colin's innate Britishness, but by forcing him outside his comfort zone he can actually find true happiness. Over simplification of the plot maybe, but it works for me. :)
The Book of St. Cyprian by Jamie Fessenden ★★★½
While this was my least favorite of the stories in this anthology it was still entertaining. This story feels very New Adult in content. I wasn't entirely sure how old these two boys were, but my guess is late teens early twenties as they aren't in school. But they're still very much living at home and wrapped up in the world of family.
Alejandro Valera discovers a complete copy of an old book of black magic at essentially an estate sale of a practitioners shop. Shipping it back home to his best friends place has unintended consequences. Both boys have an awareness of voodoo with differing levels of belief, but this encounter sends them both into a tailspin struggling to get ahead of a being possessed dog. It may only be Alejandro's abuela that can save both Alejandro and Matthew.
This was a little funny and a little silly, but it was a bit dark at the same time. I felt bad for the poor pitbull puppy stuck with some sort of evil spirit inside him. The boys were definitely in over their head, but the whole thing made them face the feelings they'd been hiding from each other in order to protect their friendship. Enjoyable story overall.
Uninvited by B.G. Thomas ★★★★★
This was my favorite of the stories contained in this anthology. Taylor Dunton is a reporter and his career path so far has kept him in the nice and tame sides of journalism. But Myles dreams of being a true crime investigative reporter. He has big dreams, and his friendship with a police detective may have just given him his big break. There's a murder running around town slicing people open and stealing their hearts. There are plenty of strange elements with this case and all of them add up to a little bit of vodou. Which inevitably leads Taylor to Myles Parry's doorstep and his vodou shop. All Myles wants is to be able to practice his religion in peace, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards at the moment.
I really enjoyed this story. I liked the mystery elements, the crazy crime scenes, and the introduction of Taylor to a world he knew nothing about. Myles is such a wonderful character and I really enjoyed his passion and commitment to his craft. The attraction between these two is immediate and intense, but it worked because it didn't feel like insta-love so much as insta-attraction with the potential to build to love. Clearly these guys had a spark between them, but the feelings didn't overwhelm the disastrous gory murders going on around them. Really enjoyed the writing style here and everything came together in wonderful climatic conflagration. :)
All in all this was a great anthology and a wonderful fit for the Halloween season. Had the right feel for the timing of my reading. It's gothic and dark. All the stories took the idea of voodoo or vodou and added their own personal twists onto the theme. Very enjoyable!
The Dance by Kim Fielding ★★★★
Bram Tillman has been struggling to get by after the loss of his husband. All around him he's been surrounded by death or things almost leading to his own death. Everything is discombobulated until Daniel Royer shows up letting him know that he has a spirit trying to kill him. Daniel's own brother was one of the guys the spirit had ridden in his attempts to get to Bram. As a vodou practitioner Daniel, with the help of his lwa thinks he can help, that is if Bram can bring himself to buy into what Daniel's saying.
I liked the story here, the vodou elements were interesting and well placed in the story. The idea of a spirit holding on to life and in their lost imbalance trying to force the world to their own ideal worked well. I enjoyed the way that the lwa's were handled here, the "riding" of their hosts was interesting and was cleverly used to further the relationship between Daniel and Bram. Still the biggest deterrent to this story was that the relationship felt rushed between the two men. The details in all of the vodou elements sacrificed a little of the development between Daniel and Bram. All in all though I enjoyed the story and was very happy with were things went.
The Bird by Eli Easton ★★★★
Oh Jamaica. This was lovely in its darker eerier look at voodoo in the historical plantations of the Jamaica colony. Colin Hastings is the third son of the Earl of Huntington and though he's engaged in England he's off to his families plantation in Jamaica to turn things around. While the plantation used to be productive the most recent overseer had let things slide and things have fallen into disarray. Colin is aware of the local beliefs, but while he is intrigued doesn't place much faith in the beliefs. But when he helps in the healing of one of the local women's child he finds himself right in the middle of their faith.
I enjoyed this story a lot. It was twisty and ominous in the kind of spooky way you want the unknown to be. The practitioners of voodoo here embrace it in all its glory. This feels completely outside the realm of anything that Colin could ever comprehend. Everything that happens overwhelms Colin's innate Britishness, but by forcing him outside his comfort zone he can actually find true happiness. Over simplification of the plot maybe, but it works for me. :)
The Book of St. Cyprian by Jamie Fessenden ★★★½
While this was my least favorite of the stories in this anthology it was still entertaining. This story feels very New Adult in content. I wasn't entirely sure how old these two boys were, but my guess is late teens early twenties as they aren't in school. But they're still very much living at home and wrapped up in the world of family.
Alejandro Valera discovers a complete copy of an old book of black magic at essentially an estate sale of a practitioners shop. Shipping it back home to his best friends place has unintended consequences. Both boys have an awareness of voodoo with differing levels of belief, but this encounter sends them both into a tailspin struggling to get ahead of a being possessed dog. It may only be Alejandro's abuela that can save both Alejandro and Matthew.
This was a little funny and a little silly, but it was a bit dark at the same time. I felt bad for the poor pitbull puppy stuck with some sort of evil spirit inside him. The boys were definitely in over their head, but the whole thing made them face the feelings they'd been hiding from each other in order to protect their friendship. Enjoyable story overall.
Uninvited by B.G. Thomas ★★★★★
This was my favorite of the stories contained in this anthology. Taylor Dunton is a reporter and his career path so far has kept him in the nice and tame sides of journalism. But Myles dreams of being a true crime investigative reporter. He has big dreams, and his friendship with a police detective may have just given him his big break. There's a murder running around town slicing people open and stealing their hearts. There are plenty of strange elements with this case and all of them add up to a little bit of vodou. Which inevitably leads Taylor to Myles Parry's doorstep and his vodou shop. All Myles wants is to be able to practice his religion in peace, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards at the moment.
I really enjoyed this story. I liked the mystery elements, the crazy crime scenes, and the introduction of Taylor to a world he knew nothing about. Myles is such a wonderful character and I really enjoyed his passion and commitment to his craft. The attraction between these two is immediate and intense, but it worked because it didn't feel like insta-love so much as insta-attraction with the potential to build to love. Clearly these guys had a spark between them, but the feelings didn't overwhelm the disastrous gory murders going on around them. Really enjoyed the writing style here and everything came together in wonderful climatic conflagration. :)
All in all this was a great anthology and a wonderful fit for the Halloween season. Had the right feel for the timing of my reading. It's gothic and dark. All the stories took the idea of voodoo or vodou and added their own personal twists onto the theme. Very enjoyable!
November 16, 2014
Bram has lost his lover in the last year and with him, much of his joy in life. In addition to that, he’s the victim of a random attack that puts him in the hospital. Next come a series of near death experiences no one can explain… except for Daniel, the brother of the man that put Bram in the hospital.
Daniel’s answer: voodoo. Bram, a man of science is not swayed by this argument but he is entranced by Daniel.
When things continue to get strange he turns to Daniel for help, and together they put an end to the strangeness and find love.
**
This is the best of the bunch. Very sensual, you can almost hear the French, smell the rum, and taste the sweat. It’s a great short story in that it absolutely fulfills it’s obligations of the five elements of a story: great characters, an interesting setting, a fully developed plot with tense conflict and a very satisfying resolution.
5 / 5 hearts
“The Bird” by Eli Easton
Colin Hastings is sent to Jamaica in 1870 to save his father’s sugar cane plantation. If he succeeds, he can marry his fiancée back in London and take his place in proper English society. But Colin finds more than he bargained for on the island. His curiosity about Obeah, the native folk magic, leads him to agree to a dangerous ritual where he is offered his heart’s most secret desire—one he’s kept deeply buried all his life. What happens when a proper English gentleman has his true sensual nature revealed and freed by the Obeah spirits?
Review
Colin doesn’t know it, but he’s in love with his best friend. In 1870, you don’t admit that to just anyone, even yourself. It takes a voodoo ceremony for him to make this realization and then he has to convince his friend to take a risk, if that weren’t enough.
Following a close second as best of the bunch, this was another great short story that fulfilled its obligations in a few pages. Very well crafted. It’s historical and educational without being pedantic. The writing is very dark and evocative and quite unlike the previous books/stories I’ve read by Eli Easton.
She always produces an amazing story and this is no different.
4.5/5 hearts
Uninvited by B.G. Thomas
When a hot tip leads Kansas City reporter Taylor Dunton to a series of grisly murders, his investigation points to Myles Parry and his vodou shop. Myles wants nothing more than to practice his religion in peace, and he hopes Taylor can help him show the community they have nothing to fear. The problem is all the clues point to Myles as the suspect and only Taylor can help him prove his innocence. However, this case has also caught the attention of the vodou spirits of the Lwa... and they've taken an interest in Taylor as well.
Review
Taylor wants to move up in the journalism world. He gets a hot tip from a friend on the force that leads him to a voodoo shop for answers. There he meets a practitioner (of voodoo) who teaches him the truth behind the myth and together they solve the mystery and fall in love.
This was an interesting story, not unlike The Dance, filled with information and a unique look at what religion is. Though I didn’t feel the love as much as I did in the first two stories (it was insta love without a lot to back it up) I enjoyed the writing and ending was excellent.
4/5 hearts
"The Book of St. Cyprian" by Jamie Fessenden
When Alejandro Valera finds a book of black magic in New Orleans, he ships it to his friend Matthew in New Hampshire so he can read it when he gets home. Unfortunately, Matthew’s dog, Spartacus, gets to the package first, and Alejandro returns to find Matthew locked out of his apartment by the suddenly vicious pit bull. The boys call on all the magic they know to free Spartacus from the evil spirit, but they might need to accept that they’re in over their heads.
Review
Alejandro finds an old book on magic and sends it home to his childhood best friend, Matthew, for safekeeping. Something escapes from the book and possesses Matthew’s dog.
Together Alejandro and Matthew must use the magic they learned from Alejandro’s Abuela to rid the dog of the spirit. Oh, and along the way they admit that they have always loved one another in a more-than-friends way.
This was the weakest of the lot. The love story took a decided back seat to the voodoo and felt a little out of place. Perhaps if this had been longer the romance could have been developed and given a proper resolution, but the ending was a big disappointment and left me unsatisfied.
2.5/5 hearts
Daniel’s answer: voodoo. Bram, a man of science is not swayed by this argument but he is entranced by Daniel.
When things continue to get strange he turns to Daniel for help, and together they put an end to the strangeness and find love.
**
This is the best of the bunch. Very sensual, you can almost hear the French, smell the rum, and taste the sweat. It’s a great short story in that it absolutely fulfills it’s obligations of the five elements of a story: great characters, an interesting setting, a fully developed plot with tense conflict and a very satisfying resolution.
5 / 5 hearts
“The Bird” by Eli Easton
Colin Hastings is sent to Jamaica in 1870 to save his father’s sugar cane plantation. If he succeeds, he can marry his fiancée back in London and take his place in proper English society. But Colin finds more than he bargained for on the island. His curiosity about Obeah, the native folk magic, leads him to agree to a dangerous ritual where he is offered his heart’s most secret desire—one he’s kept deeply buried all his life. What happens when a proper English gentleman has his true sensual nature revealed and freed by the Obeah spirits?
Review
Colin doesn’t know it, but he’s in love with his best friend. In 1870, you don’t admit that to just anyone, even yourself. It takes a voodoo ceremony for him to make this realization and then he has to convince his friend to take a risk, if that weren’t enough.
Following a close second as best of the bunch, this was another great short story that fulfilled its obligations in a few pages. Very well crafted. It’s historical and educational without being pedantic. The writing is very dark and evocative and quite unlike the previous books/stories I’ve read by Eli Easton.
She always produces an amazing story and this is no different.
4.5/5 hearts
Uninvited by B.G. Thomas
When a hot tip leads Kansas City reporter Taylor Dunton to a series of grisly murders, his investigation points to Myles Parry and his vodou shop. Myles wants nothing more than to practice his religion in peace, and he hopes Taylor can help him show the community they have nothing to fear. The problem is all the clues point to Myles as the suspect and only Taylor can help him prove his innocence. However, this case has also caught the attention of the vodou spirits of the Lwa... and they've taken an interest in Taylor as well.
Review
Taylor wants to move up in the journalism world. He gets a hot tip from a friend on the force that leads him to a voodoo shop for answers. There he meets a practitioner (of voodoo) who teaches him the truth behind the myth and together they solve the mystery and fall in love.
This was an interesting story, not unlike The Dance, filled with information and a unique look at what religion is. Though I didn’t feel the love as much as I did in the first two stories (it was insta love without a lot to back it up) I enjoyed the writing and ending was excellent.
4/5 hearts
"The Book of St. Cyprian" by Jamie Fessenden
When Alejandro Valera finds a book of black magic in New Orleans, he ships it to his friend Matthew in New Hampshire so he can read it when he gets home. Unfortunately, Matthew’s dog, Spartacus, gets to the package first, and Alejandro returns to find Matthew locked out of his apartment by the suddenly vicious pit bull. The boys call on all the magic they know to free Spartacus from the evil spirit, but they might need to accept that they’re in over their heads.
Review
Alejandro finds an old book on magic and sends it home to his childhood best friend, Matthew, for safekeeping. Something escapes from the book and possesses Matthew’s dog.
Together Alejandro and Matthew must use the magic they learned from Alejandro’s Abuela to rid the dog of the spirit. Oh, and along the way they admit that they have always loved one another in a more-than-friends way.
This was the weakest of the lot. The love story took a decided back seat to the voodoo and felt a little out of place. Perhaps if this had been longer the romance could have been developed and given a proper resolution, but the ending was a big disappointment and left me unsatisfied.
2.5/5 hearts
April 27, 2015
The Dance by Kim Fielding - 3.5 stars
Мне не понравилось только поведение духов, когда они "наездники" своих людей.
The Bird by Eli Easton - 4.5 stars
Лучшая история сборника. Пронзительно трогательная.
The Book of St. Cyprian by Jame Fessenden - 2.5 stars
Одержимая собака? Необоснованная боязнь одного из героев перевести дружбу в любовные отношения? Да ну...
Uninvited by B.G. Thomas - 3.5 stars
Явно горячей сцены не хватает. Как будто она была написана, но автор (или кто-то еще) решил ее вырезать. И зря. И хотелось бы более расширенный эпилог.
Итого: 3.5 stars rounded up
Мне не понравилось только поведение духов, когда они "наездники" своих людей.
The Bird by Eli Easton - 4.5 stars
Лучшая история сборника. Пронзительно трогательная.
The Book of St. Cyprian by Jame Fessenden - 2.5 stars
Одержимая собака? Необоснованная боязнь одного из героев перевести дружбу в любовные отношения? Да ну...
Uninvited by B.G. Thomas - 3.5 stars
Явно горячей сцены не хватает. Как будто она была написана, но автор (или кто-то еще) решил ее вырезать. И зря. И хотелось бы более расширенный эпилог.
Итого: 3.5 stars rounded up
November 2, 2014
4.5 star review by Vicki
I have read books from three of these authors, Kim Fielding, Eli Easton and Jamie Fessenden. I really like their writing! I am familiar with B.G. Thomas but haven’t had the chance to read anything by him. This is what I like about anthologies, the opportunity to see short stories from known authors and new ones! These stories all sound quite interesting, so I’m looking forward to this book! Here we go…
The Dance by Kim Fielding
Yes! Off to a great start with this story! Very creative…
Bram Tillman is having a bad year. He’s lost his boyfriend, he has been in a car accident, attacked, and nearly run over. He’s been surrounded by death. He’s a bit of a mess at this point. He’s barely hanging on, barely maintaining his job, and home, not eating, losing weight, just surviving. Something has got to change for him, even his patient boss has had enough. She suggests a counselor or a vacation in Hawaii. Instead he gets a visit from a man who should rightly hate him.
Daniel Royer is a practitioner of vodou, and has a message for Bram. Someone is out to get him, someone not necessarily alive. He shows up on Bram’s door, telling him a bizarre story, offering help, and leaving his phone number for when Bram has had enough. Which he has, not too long after.
What follows is a fantastic, creative story about a religion I know very little about. Both of these men are great characters, Bram is darker, shy, and introverted, Daniel is light and sweet, very much comfortable in his own skin and life. Unlike poor Bram, who just seems uncomfortable all of the time. Daniel figures out what is happening with Bram, with the help of some different characters, and sorts him all out. It was so cool!
This was a very different story for me, I’ve never given much thought to vodou (voodoo?), I’ve not read much about it. Not for any reason, it just hadn’t come up much before. But this was great! I loved the other-world feel to this story, yet it’s grounded in reality with Bram. The two men are a very nice balance to each other. Well connected, not exactly insta-love, but it was pretty quick. I loved the other two characters, I won’t tell you about them, but they are cool! I’ve loved the other books I’ve read by Kim Fielding, she is a very strong writer. If I had the time I’d just download all of her books and go through them one after the other.
RATING: 4.5 stars
“The Bird” by Eli Easton
This one is what I had in mind for stories about voodoo…. Historical set in Jamaica! Wonderful!
Colin is the third son of a wealthy family, engaged to a nice girl, and sent off to Jamaica to resuscitate his father’s failing sugarcane plantation. He’s young and on his own, leaving behind his best friend Richard, but writing him nearly every day. We partly follow this story through his letters to Richard. Great way to show us what was going on…
Colin is very intelligent and curious about the local people, especially when he discovers one of them performing some sort of Obeah ritual. He learns that she is trying to save her sick daughters life, and he steps up to help, earning the gratitude of the child’s mother, and her Obeah loa. He is rewarded with “his heart’s desire”.
This story is fantastic. Much more traditional voodoo feeling to me, I liked the contrast between the first two stories. Kim Fielding’s was contemporary, this one is historical. Both were wonderful in their own way. This one is set in the late 1800 in Jamaica, and felt very authentic to me. Just a little creepy with the rituals in the woods, combined with the “Englishness” of Colin, it was just perfect. I loved the history between Colin and Richard, and the ending was just what I wanted. I loved the characters, both Colin and eventually Richard, but the others as well.
I’m fairly new to Eli Easton, I’ve only read her Seattle series and loved those. Her writing is excellent, her plot was interesting and felt well researched, her characters had good depth and history, all set in a short but not too short story. Very well done!
RATING: 4.5 stars
“The Book of St. Cyprian” by Jamie Fessenden
Awww…. Young love! So sweet!
Matthew and Alejandro have known each other since they were barely teenage boys, and have been in love with each other pretty much since then. But neither knows the other is in love! Silly boys. Alejandro is Hispanic, Matthew is not. Alejandro has an Abuela, who soon adopts blond Matthew, and has him helping out at her botanica shop, helping sell potions and lotions to the local Santeria community. Alejandro goes on a short trip to New Orleans to bring home some goodies from the botanica of a family friend who has died and brings home more than he expected.
Alejandro finds an old hand bound book, with a padlock around it. He suspects it is a copy of The Great Book of St. Cyprian, an old book of magic. He knows it’s not necessarily a good thing, and his Abuela won’t want it in their home. So he stupidly sends it to Matthew! Assuming he’ll leave it alone, which he does, but his dog does not! Poor Sparticus gets himself in to some trouble and the boys have to rescue him.
This is a great story, the two boys are young, dealing with a spiritual situation that is beyond them, and fighting a serious case of the horny nature. They work through their odd situation, and finally get a clue about their own feelings. We never get the naughty payoff in this story, but it wasn’t needed. The ending was so sweet, I didn’t realize there wasn’t any sex until it was over!
I’ve not read much by Jamie Fessenden, maybe a short story or two, so I wasn’t familiar with his writing. It was great! This story is a brief look at the beginning of the life for these two boys, I can see them being together, and I’d love to read more about them later. Enough background to make them interesting, but not loads of details and drama. It was just right as a short story. I like the writing, the characters, the plot, the dog, the Abuela, and the ending!
RATING: 4 stars
Uninvited by B.G. Thomas
This is the creepiest of the stories, I was a little icked out!
Taylor is a reporter for the local newspaper in Kansas City, usually doing the fluffy pieces. He gets a call from a detective friend that there has been a murder, if he wants to get a good story now is his chance. He does, and ends up with way more than he bargained for. He becomes part of the story. But also gets himself a hot boyfriend out of the mess!
Taylor investigates a local voodoo shop he’s been told about and discovers there is deep belief and history involved in what he thought was a fake religion. He flirts with, then has a relationship with the owner of the shop, Myles, a practitioner of Voodoo. Myles teaches Taylor about voodoo, as they try to figure out what is going on in Kansas City. We get a creepy murder investigation, an education about voodoo, and a nice romance between the two! What we don’t get is sex… This one I do wish had been a little sexier, it was a great plot but I missed the naughty times.
This is the first I have read from BG Thomas and it was very good. I enjoyed the plot, even though it was a bit “horror” for my taste, it was very well written. I loved Taylor and Myles, and their flirting and banter. I loved the secondary characters as well, particularly Taylor’s best friend. The only thing I missed was the sex. But overall it was a great addition to the anthology!
RATING: 4 stars
Overall thoughts:
I thoroughly enjoyed this anthology. I wasn’t sure going in to it, I requested it because I have read and loved books from Kim and Eli and I wanted to see what was in here, but I was concerned that it would be scary. Three of the four stories weren’t, and the fourth didn’t freak me out! As I said at the beginning of this review, voodoo isn’t something I know much about, but I do now. All four stories taught me something. I liked that they were all different, but had a similar theme too them. They were longer than I expected, which gave the authors more time to develop their characters. I appreciated that. Sometimes short stories are too short and rushed, trying to get too much plot in, or are just sex and no plot. Neither was the case with these. They were all just right. All were well written, creative, and enjoyable. Makes me want to go read the first book!
I gave two 4.5 stars and two 4 stars, so the average would be 4.25, but we don’t do that. So I’ll round up to 4.5! Although I did like two better than the others, it doesn’t mean I didn’t like the two lower rated ones, I did, I just really liked two of them! But it was such a great mix of stories we’ll round up!
A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review. Please visit www.lovebytesreviews.com to see this and many more reviews, author interviews, guestposts and giveaways!
I have read books from three of these authors, Kim Fielding, Eli Easton and Jamie Fessenden. I really like their writing! I am familiar with B.G. Thomas but haven’t had the chance to read anything by him. This is what I like about anthologies, the opportunity to see short stories from known authors and new ones! These stories all sound quite interesting, so I’m looking forward to this book! Here we go…
The Dance by Kim Fielding
Yes! Off to a great start with this story! Very creative…
Bram Tillman is having a bad year. He’s lost his boyfriend, he has been in a car accident, attacked, and nearly run over. He’s been surrounded by death. He’s a bit of a mess at this point. He’s barely hanging on, barely maintaining his job, and home, not eating, losing weight, just surviving. Something has got to change for him, even his patient boss has had enough. She suggests a counselor or a vacation in Hawaii. Instead he gets a visit from a man who should rightly hate him.
Daniel Royer is a practitioner of vodou, and has a message for Bram. Someone is out to get him, someone not necessarily alive. He shows up on Bram’s door, telling him a bizarre story, offering help, and leaving his phone number for when Bram has had enough. Which he has, not too long after.
What follows is a fantastic, creative story about a religion I know very little about. Both of these men are great characters, Bram is darker, shy, and introverted, Daniel is light and sweet, very much comfortable in his own skin and life. Unlike poor Bram, who just seems uncomfortable all of the time. Daniel figures out what is happening with Bram, with the help of some different characters, and sorts him all out. It was so cool!
This was a very different story for me, I’ve never given much thought to vodou (voodoo?), I’ve not read much about it. Not for any reason, it just hadn’t come up much before. But this was great! I loved the other-world feel to this story, yet it’s grounded in reality with Bram. The two men are a very nice balance to each other. Well connected, not exactly insta-love, but it was pretty quick. I loved the other two characters, I won’t tell you about them, but they are cool! I’ve loved the other books I’ve read by Kim Fielding, she is a very strong writer. If I had the time I’d just download all of her books and go through them one after the other.
RATING: 4.5 stars
“The Bird” by Eli Easton
This one is what I had in mind for stories about voodoo…. Historical set in Jamaica! Wonderful!
Colin is the third son of a wealthy family, engaged to a nice girl, and sent off to Jamaica to resuscitate his father’s failing sugarcane plantation. He’s young and on his own, leaving behind his best friend Richard, but writing him nearly every day. We partly follow this story through his letters to Richard. Great way to show us what was going on…
Colin is very intelligent and curious about the local people, especially when he discovers one of them performing some sort of Obeah ritual. He learns that she is trying to save her sick daughters life, and he steps up to help, earning the gratitude of the child’s mother, and her Obeah loa. He is rewarded with “his heart’s desire”.
This story is fantastic. Much more traditional voodoo feeling to me, I liked the contrast between the first two stories. Kim Fielding’s was contemporary, this one is historical. Both were wonderful in their own way. This one is set in the late 1800 in Jamaica, and felt very authentic to me. Just a little creepy with the rituals in the woods, combined with the “Englishness” of Colin, it was just perfect. I loved the history between Colin and Richard, and the ending was just what I wanted. I loved the characters, both Colin and eventually Richard, but the others as well.
I’m fairly new to Eli Easton, I’ve only read her Seattle series and loved those. Her writing is excellent, her plot was interesting and felt well researched, her characters had good depth and history, all set in a short but not too short story. Very well done!
RATING: 4.5 stars
“The Book of St. Cyprian” by Jamie Fessenden
Awww…. Young love! So sweet!
Matthew and Alejandro have known each other since they were barely teenage boys, and have been in love with each other pretty much since then. But neither knows the other is in love! Silly boys. Alejandro is Hispanic, Matthew is not. Alejandro has an Abuela, who soon adopts blond Matthew, and has him helping out at her botanica shop, helping sell potions and lotions to the local Santeria community. Alejandro goes on a short trip to New Orleans to bring home some goodies from the botanica of a family friend who has died and brings home more than he expected.
Alejandro finds an old hand bound book, with a padlock around it. He suspects it is a copy of The Great Book of St. Cyprian, an old book of magic. He knows it’s not necessarily a good thing, and his Abuela won’t want it in their home. So he stupidly sends it to Matthew! Assuming he’ll leave it alone, which he does, but his dog does not! Poor Sparticus gets himself in to some trouble and the boys have to rescue him.
This is a great story, the two boys are young, dealing with a spiritual situation that is beyond them, and fighting a serious case of the horny nature. They work through their odd situation, and finally get a clue about their own feelings. We never get the naughty payoff in this story, but it wasn’t needed. The ending was so sweet, I didn’t realize there wasn’t any sex until it was over!
I’ve not read much by Jamie Fessenden, maybe a short story or two, so I wasn’t familiar with his writing. It was great! This story is a brief look at the beginning of the life for these two boys, I can see them being together, and I’d love to read more about them later. Enough background to make them interesting, but not loads of details and drama. It was just right as a short story. I like the writing, the characters, the plot, the dog, the Abuela, and the ending!
RATING: 4 stars
Uninvited by B.G. Thomas
This is the creepiest of the stories, I was a little icked out!
Taylor is a reporter for the local newspaper in Kansas City, usually doing the fluffy pieces. He gets a call from a detective friend that there has been a murder, if he wants to get a good story now is his chance. He does, and ends up with way more than he bargained for. He becomes part of the story. But also gets himself a hot boyfriend out of the mess!
Taylor investigates a local voodoo shop he’s been told about and discovers there is deep belief and history involved in what he thought was a fake religion. He flirts with, then has a relationship with the owner of the shop, Myles, a practitioner of Voodoo. Myles teaches Taylor about voodoo, as they try to figure out what is going on in Kansas City. We get a creepy murder investigation, an education about voodoo, and a nice romance between the two! What we don’t get is sex… This one I do wish had been a little sexier, it was a great plot but I missed the naughty times.
This is the first I have read from BG Thomas and it was very good. I enjoyed the plot, even though it was a bit “horror” for my taste, it was very well written. I loved Taylor and Myles, and their flirting and banter. I loved the secondary characters as well, particularly Taylor’s best friend. The only thing I missed was the sex. But overall it was a great addition to the anthology!
RATING: 4 stars
Overall thoughts:
I thoroughly enjoyed this anthology. I wasn’t sure going in to it, I requested it because I have read and loved books from Kim and Eli and I wanted to see what was in here, but I was concerned that it would be scary. Three of the four stories weren’t, and the fourth didn’t freak me out! As I said at the beginning of this review, voodoo isn’t something I know much about, but I do now. All four stories taught me something. I liked that they were all different, but had a similar theme too them. They were longer than I expected, which gave the authors more time to develop their characters. I appreciated that. Sometimes short stories are too short and rushed, trying to get too much plot in, or are just sex and no plot. Neither was the case with these. They were all just right. All were well written, creative, and enjoyable. Makes me want to go read the first book!
I gave two 4.5 stars and two 4 stars, so the average would be 4.25, but we don’t do that. So I’ll round up to 4.5! Although I did like two better than the others, it doesn’t mean I didn’t like the two lower rated ones, I did, I just really liked two of them! But it was such a great mix of stories we’ll round up!
A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review. Please visit www.lovebytesreviews.com to see this and many more reviews, author interviews, guestposts and giveaways!
November 1, 2014
So this is the second book in the Gothika anthology series. The first book was Stitch and although I only finished Bones yesterday (at Halloween, how fitting),I am already curious whether there'll be a third book - I so hope there will be, soon.
Anthologies are tricky for the most part. Most of the times the content will at best be a so-so experience, or worse you will start with all good intentions and after a few disappointments you'll put it aside still with the intention to pick it up again, soon ... but we both know that is not likely to happen. Despite this knowledge I keep buying them as soon as I see a subject I find interesting.
With Bones - and Stitch - it isn't just the subject, vodou (or in the first Frankenstein's monster) that appeals to me, but the front covers too. I want these covers in print to put on my walls - they are so beautiful. Then there's the authors. The real reason I picked up the first book was Fielding and Fessenden, and then I learned I also very much enjoyed Easton and Brown too. This time around I knew all four authors are on my favorites list, and rested assure I wouldn't be disappointed.
And I was correct. Bones is another enjoyable anthology with a paranormal/horror theme with strong romantic plots.
Kim Fielding's "The Dance" is a contemporary set story about a man who has lost his long-term partner a little more than a half a year earlier. One day a stranger shows up at his door, and from thereon the story unfolds. The reader learns about the threats to Bram's life as well as the truth about his old relationship. I especially liked that I had to keep reading in order to get to know Bram properly adn figure how things related to one another and I loved the vodou scenes at Daniel's place.
Eli Easton's "The Bird" has a historical setting that made me think of Mr. Rochester (Jane Eyre) and his first wife and their backstory in Jamaica. As I love historical set romances, and m/m in particular because they are scarce to come by this was a special treat for me. I loved the setting, the call of the drums in the night and Colin's fascination yet alienation from the natives on the island; it all contributed to the sense of mystique surrounding the plot. That is has a wonderful, very romantic end is another plus in my mind. I can only hope Easton will return to a historical setting in another story later on (a long novel?).
Jamie Fessenden's "The Book of St. Cyprian" also start in medias res, much like Fielding's story. It took me a couple of pages before I was properly situated in the where:s and how:s, but when I was it was a delightful read. Fessenden's characters, white boy Matthew and Hispanic Alejandro are only teenagers and the youngest characters in this anthology. After the start of the story this is the one story that has the narrowest focus: the two boys, an possessed dog and a short span of time, most resembling a short story in this anthology. I loved the boys and my heart ached as much as theirs for the dog.
B.G. Thomas' "Uninvited" is the only of the four that is told from a first person point of view voice, which is usually not a favorite POV of mine, but it worked well here. The story has more of a mystery feel to it as it starts off with a murder scene and the continuation of the story unfolds like a short-story mystery, where the reader is following both the start of the romantic relationship with "that" guy and the main character all the while also trying to figure out who the murderer is. Of course there's also vodou, or the story would not have been in this anthology. One of many perks with Thomas' stories are his recurring characters. Apparently the police officers here were also starring in All alone in a sea of romance (unfortunately it's been a while since I read it so I didn't catch that while reading). I did enjoy the revisit to the coffee place and the references to The Male Box (and in case Mr. Thomas reads this I'd just want to say I am still waiting/hoping to read Blue's own story).
To sum it up - this is the perfect read this time of year, or any other time of year if you're looking for shorter than novels-stories but with all the benefits that comes with longer stories (proper plots, developed characters, great setting and atmosphere). If you think reading four vodou related stories are a bit too much in one go I would recommend taking one at a time, instead of reading non-stop the way I did (but the weather has been awful and I've had some time off of work).
If these four authors weren't already on my auto-buy list, they'd be by now.
Highly recommended!
Anthologies are tricky for the most part. Most of the times the content will at best be a so-so experience, or worse you will start with all good intentions and after a few disappointments you'll put it aside still with the intention to pick it up again, soon ... but we both know that is not likely to happen. Despite this knowledge I keep buying them as soon as I see a subject I find interesting.
With Bones - and Stitch - it isn't just the subject, vodou (or in the first Frankenstein's monster) that appeals to me, but the front covers too. I want these covers in print to put on my walls - they are so beautiful. Then there's the authors. The real reason I picked up the first book was Fielding and Fessenden, and then I learned I also very much enjoyed Easton and Brown too. This time around I knew all four authors are on my favorites list, and rested assure I wouldn't be disappointed.
And I was correct. Bones is another enjoyable anthology with a paranormal/horror theme with strong romantic plots.
Kim Fielding's "The Dance" is a contemporary set story about a man who has lost his long-term partner a little more than a half a year earlier. One day a stranger shows up at his door, and from thereon the story unfolds. The reader learns about the threats to Bram's life as well as the truth about his old relationship. I especially liked that I had to keep reading in order to get to know Bram properly adn figure how things related to one another and I loved the vodou scenes at Daniel's place.
Eli Easton's "The Bird" has a historical setting that made me think of Mr. Rochester (Jane Eyre) and his first wife and their backstory in Jamaica. As I love historical set romances, and m/m in particular because they are scarce to come by this was a special treat for me. I loved the setting, the call of the drums in the night and Colin's fascination yet alienation from the natives on the island; it all contributed to the sense of mystique surrounding the plot. That is has a wonderful, very romantic end is another plus in my mind. I can only hope Easton will return to a historical setting in another story later on (a long novel?).
Jamie Fessenden's "The Book of St. Cyprian" also start in medias res, much like Fielding's story. It took me a couple of pages before I was properly situated in the where:s and how:s, but when I was it was a delightful read. Fessenden's characters, white boy Matthew and Hispanic Alejandro are only teenagers and the youngest characters in this anthology. After the start of the story this is the one story that has the narrowest focus: the two boys, an possessed dog and a short span of time, most resembling a short story in this anthology. I loved the boys and my heart ached as much as theirs for the dog.
B.G. Thomas' "Uninvited" is the only of the four that is told from a first person point of view voice, which is usually not a favorite POV of mine, but it worked well here. The story has more of a mystery feel to it as it starts off with a murder scene and the continuation of the story unfolds like a short-story mystery, where the reader is following both the start of the romantic relationship with "that" guy and the main character all the while also trying to figure out who the murderer is. Of course there's also vodou, or the story would not have been in this anthology. One of many perks with Thomas' stories are his recurring characters. Apparently the police officers here were also starring in All alone in a sea of romance (unfortunately it's been a while since I read it so I didn't catch that while reading). I did enjoy the revisit to the coffee place and the references to The Male Box (and in case Mr. Thomas reads this I'd just want to say I am still waiting/hoping to read Blue's own story).
To sum it up - this is the perfect read this time of year, or any other time of year if you're looking for shorter than novels-stories but with all the benefits that comes with longer stories (proper plots, developed characters, great setting and atmosphere). If you think reading four vodou related stories are a bit too much in one go I would recommend taking one at a time, instead of reading non-stop the way I did (but the weather has been awful and I've had some time off of work).
If these four authors weren't already on my auto-buy list, they'd be by now.
Highly recommended!
April 19, 2015
Very Enjoyable!!!
( 4 Stars) ~The Dance by Kim Fielding
(4.5 Stars)~The Bird by Eli Easton
( 4 Stars)~The Book of St. Cyprian by Jamie Fessenden
(3.5 Stars)~Uninvited by B.G. Thomas
November 8, 2014
Kim Fielding - The Dance - 4 stars - Very good story, fascinating details, good characters.
Eli Easton - The Bird - 3 stars - Not sure what to say about this one. It was interesting, good even, but didn't really wow me.
Jamie Fessenden - The Book of St. Cyprian - 4 stars - My favorite thing about this story are the moments of hesitancy between the two mc's, if that makes any sense at all, and the small touches, especially when Alejandro hugs Matthew from behind to comfort him. Very sweet and innocent in a way. More than any of the other stories I could see and feel this one and it made my heart ache a little. (cuz I'm silly like that)
B.G. Thomas - Uninvited - DNF (will finish it someday, maybe) - I've seen in other reviews that a lot of people really liked this story, unfortunately I couldn't force myself to get past much more than the first five or so pages. The writing was fine, I just wasn't liking the characters or something, and I know that is because of my own quirks and NOT the author's writing. I guess I just want to make it clear that a DNF here in no way reflects on the story or the author, just on my own idiosyncrasies and my mood (and also probably on the flu meds I was taking while reading it). I may go back and try it again when I am in a different mood, but for now it remains unfinished. Or for those of you who know me well, I've got the grumblies and everything is bugging me right now. ;)
Eli Easton - The Bird - 3 stars - Not sure what to say about this one. It was interesting, good even, but didn't really wow me.
Jamie Fessenden - The Book of St. Cyprian - 4 stars - My favorite thing about this story are the moments of hesitancy between the two mc's, if that makes any sense at all, and the small touches, especially when Alejandro hugs Matthew from behind to comfort him. Very sweet and innocent in a way. More than any of the other stories I could see and feel this one and it made my heart ache a little. (cuz I'm silly like that)
B.G. Thomas - Uninvited - DNF (will finish it someday, maybe) - I've seen in other reviews that a lot of people really liked this story, unfortunately I couldn't force myself to get past much more than the first five or so pages. The writing was fine, I just wasn't liking the characters or something, and I know that is because of my own quirks and NOT the author's writing. I guess I just want to make it clear that a DNF here in no way reflects on the story or the author, just on my own idiosyncrasies and my mood (and also probably on the flu meds I was taking while reading it). I may go back and try it again when I am in a different mood, but for now it remains unfinished. Or for those of you who know me well, I've got the grumblies and everything is bugging me right now. ;)
December 27, 2015
The Dance by Kim Fielding (3 stars) - To me this story just drug by. I would start it and stop it and never really got into the story. It went deep into the voodoo stuff and I never really felt connected to the couple like I should have.
The Bird by Eli Easton (4 stars) - I like like the feel and background of this story. It was interesting to see how Colin's view on the natives and the voodoo change throughout the book. Since the story focused entirely on Colin I felt I got to know his character really well. The only downside was the relationship between him and Richard was undeveloped and lacking.
The Book of St. Cyprian by Jamie Fessenden (3 stars) -This one injected a little bit of humor into the anthology with two guys that don't quite believe in the voodoo stuff getting stuck with a possessed pissed off dog. Watching them trying to fix the problem then breaking down and calling in grandma was fairly humorous for me.
Uninvited by B.G. Thomas (5 stars) - This one had the best couple and romance building of the anthology. I liked watching Myles teach Tyler about voodoo and the attraction between them. The opening is fairly grisly but I liked how the spirit was incorporated into the story at the end.
The Bird by Eli Easton (4 stars) - I like like the feel and background of this story. It was interesting to see how Colin's view on the natives and the voodoo change throughout the book. Since the story focused entirely on Colin I felt I got to know his character really well. The only downside was the relationship between him and Richard was undeveloped and lacking.
The Book of St. Cyprian by Jamie Fessenden (3 stars) -This one injected a little bit of humor into the anthology with two guys that don't quite believe in the voodoo stuff getting stuck with a possessed pissed off dog. Watching them trying to fix the problem then breaking down and calling in grandma was fairly humorous for me.
Uninvited by B.G. Thomas (5 stars) - This one had the best couple and romance building of the anthology. I liked watching Myles teach Tyler about voodoo and the attraction between them. The opening is fairly grisly but I liked how the spirit was incorporated into the story at the end.
November 19, 2014
I enjoyed each of these stories individually and as a whole work. All stories involved the development of young romance and, most importantly, brought to light the details of voodoo. I’m sure like so many other people, my knowledge of voodoo was very limited and most likely influenced by misconceptions and misinformation. I was glad to learn more about voodoo and be entertained by each of the authors’ stories. Each story is very unique, involving very different characters and scenarios but all cleverly tie in voodoo to the stories of romance. I hadn’t read the first book but I certainly will now!
April 24, 2015
3.5 stars.
The Dance by Kim Fielding - 3 stars.
This one felt too dragged out.
The Bird by Eli Easton - 4 stars.
My favorite of the bunch.
The Book of St. Cyprian by Jamie Fessenden - 2.5 stars.
I love Jamie Fessenden's workd, but this one disappointed me. No chemistry between the MC. :/
Overall, Stitch was better.
The Dance by Kim Fielding - 3 stars.
This one felt too dragged out.
The Bird by Eli Easton - 4 stars.
My favorite of the bunch.
The Book of St. Cyprian by Jamie Fessenden - 2.5 stars.
I love Jamie Fessenden's workd, but this one disappointed me. No chemistry between the MC. :/
Overall, Stitch was better.
September 17, 2015
I loved Kim Fielding story "The Dance". Kim always tells an engaging story that has you stuck until the last words are read. For the other stories they were okay. The 4 stars are for "The Dance" alone.
November 11, 2014
All these stories were very, very good. I loved them all.
December 13, 2015
The Dance by Kim Fielding: 2.5 - 3 stars
The Bird by Eli Easton: 4 stars
The Book of St. Cyprian by Jamie Fessenden: 4 stars
Uninvited by B.G. Thomas: 4 - 4.5 stars
The Bird by Eli Easton: 4 stars
The Book of St. Cyprian by Jamie Fessenden: 4 stars
Uninvited by B.G. Thomas: 4 - 4.5 stars
August 28, 2016
This is an excellent collection! I enjoyed each story.
October 13, 2019
The Dance - Kim Fielding - 3/5 - Bram has had several brushes with death lately and it’s just after his latest that Daniel shows up on his door insisting that his voodoo spirit guide says someone on the other side wants Bram dead. At first, Bram doesn’t believe him, but after one more brush with death, Bram seeks out Daniel so they can work together, using voodoo to get to the bottom of this mystery and stop this murderous spirit. This of course brings them closer together sexually and emotionally. This was average for me. The concept was neat and I liked that they work together to solve a mystery. I didn’t care much for the voodoo spirits taking over their bodies and basically “riding” while Daniel and Bram are having sex (or sort of forcing them too in the first instance). In the end, I did enjoy this, but it was a bit weird (too much for me anyway) at points.
The Bird - Eli Easton - 3/5 - Colin is living in Jamaica (in 1870), away from his parents and his best friend Richard, but they do correspond. Colin is curious about the Obeah religion on the island and after saving a young girl’s life (the daughter of a loa), he is invited to a ceremony to receive a gift. He ends up receiving his heart’s desire, endless passion. It isn’t until a young man arrives and Colin gives into his desire for him that Colin realizes what this passion is about...his desire for men and most especially Richard. Meanwhile Richard has been worried and he shows up...he’d showed interest in Colin in the past and Colin hopes he still does. This felt kind of dark and a lot more like horror than the previous story. There’s even a pretty gruesome gory scene that ramped up the mood here. I’m still not 100% sure what the “thing” of Colin’s that the bird ate was, but it certainly was interesting. I have theories, but I’m not sure if I’m glad the author left it open to interpretation or not. Anyway, this was good except for the graphic sex scene of Colin with someone other than his love interest...I get why he had to experience it (so he’d know about his own desire), but I didn’t want to see it.
The Book of St. Cyprian - Jamie Fessenden - 2/5 - Alejandro and Matthew are teenagers, best friends living in a poor neighborhood where both work for Alejandor’s abuela in a Santeria shop. Alejandro finds a book that is clearly evil and, not wanting to send it to Abuela, mails it to Matthew’s house. His dog, Spartacus, chews on the package and releases and evil spirit who finds its way into Spartacus. Alejandro and Matthew work together to free the dog from evil and realize they’ve been in love with each other all along. Probably the shortest story in the book so far. I didn’t much love that I was reading about teenagers, but I did like that this went with Santeria instead of Voodoo and that it was the young men fighting an outside threat rather than anything inherently dangerous or creepy about Santeria itself. Still, this was short and sweet and decidedly lacking in heat between the teens (probably good since they where teens). I know I’ve read much better from this author in the past.
Uninvited - B.G. Thomas - 3/5 - Taylor is a journalist looking for meatier stories, so he’s thrilled (and disgusted) when his cop friend invites him to a murder scene where Voodoo is suspected. His investigation leads him to Myles Parry, a Vodou houngan who agrees to teach him about his religion. He’s also undeniably sexy and interested in Taylor. But the cops suspect Myles is involved and Taylor is determined to prove he isn’t, but can he really have a relationship with someone who believes in this Vodou stuff? This was rather enjoyable, but I was largely uncomfortable with the fact that Myles spent a majority of his time with Taylor trying to convert him to Vodou. He does later realize what he was doing and apologizes, but for me it got in the way of their developing a relationship...it felt less like a friendship/romance developing because it was obvious what he was doing (the fade to black love scenes didn’t help...and it was actually more of a blackout since there wasn’t really any lead up). Taylor is quite skeptical, so I figured he’d have to be converted if an HEA was likely. And I called it. Unfortunately, the whole ending thing was way too abrupt. This one needed a whole lot more resolution.
The Bird - Eli Easton - 3/5 - Colin is living in Jamaica (in 1870), away from his parents and his best friend Richard, but they do correspond. Colin is curious about the Obeah religion on the island and after saving a young girl’s life (the daughter of a loa), he is invited to a ceremony to receive a gift. He ends up receiving his heart’s desire, endless passion. It isn’t until a young man arrives and Colin gives into his desire for him that Colin realizes what this passion is about...his desire for men and most especially Richard. Meanwhile Richard has been worried and he shows up...he’d showed interest in Colin in the past and Colin hopes he still does. This felt kind of dark and a lot more like horror than the previous story. There’s even a pretty gruesome gory scene that ramped up the mood here. I’m still not 100% sure what the “thing” of Colin’s that the bird ate was, but it certainly was interesting. I have theories, but I’m not sure if I’m glad the author left it open to interpretation or not. Anyway, this was good except for the graphic sex scene of Colin with someone other than his love interest...I get why he had to experience it (so he’d know about his own desire), but I didn’t want to see it.
The Book of St. Cyprian - Jamie Fessenden - 2/5 - Alejandro and Matthew are teenagers, best friends living in a poor neighborhood where both work for Alejandor’s abuela in a Santeria shop. Alejandro finds a book that is clearly evil and, not wanting to send it to Abuela, mails it to Matthew’s house. His dog, Spartacus, chews on the package and releases and evil spirit who finds its way into Spartacus. Alejandro and Matthew work together to free the dog from evil and realize they’ve been in love with each other all along. Probably the shortest story in the book so far. I didn’t much love that I was reading about teenagers, but I did like that this went with Santeria instead of Voodoo and that it was the young men fighting an outside threat rather than anything inherently dangerous or creepy about Santeria itself. Still, this was short and sweet and decidedly lacking in heat between the teens (probably good since they where teens). I know I’ve read much better from this author in the past.
Uninvited - B.G. Thomas - 3/5 - Taylor is a journalist looking for meatier stories, so he’s thrilled (and disgusted) when his cop friend invites him to a murder scene where Voodoo is suspected. His investigation leads him to Myles Parry, a Vodou houngan who agrees to teach him about his religion. He’s also undeniably sexy and interested in Taylor. But the cops suspect Myles is involved and Taylor is determined to prove he isn’t, but can he really have a relationship with someone who believes in this Vodou stuff? This was rather enjoyable, but I was largely uncomfortable with the fact that Myles spent a majority of his time with Taylor trying to convert him to Vodou. He does later realize what he was doing and apologizes, but for me it got in the way of their developing a relationship...it felt less like a friendship/romance developing because it was obvious what he was doing (the fade to black love scenes didn’t help...and it was actually more of a blackout since there wasn’t really any lead up). Taylor is quite skeptical, so I figured he’d have to be converted if an HEA was likely. And I called it. Unfortunately, the whole ending thing was way too abrupt. This one needed a whole lot more resolution.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2019
Decent compilation, no real flops, but no really outstanding ones either.
The Dance 4/5: This was fun, but it could have done with a bit more tension. Once the potential romance was established any kind of creepy, threatening atmosphere immediately bleed out of the story. But I thought the characters where really well developed ( the loa and the humans).
The Bird 3/5: I really liked the setting, the atmosphere, but the MC stays flat and generic and the romance is delegated to the last two chapters with barely anything there to flesh it out.
The Book of St. Cyprian 3.5/5 Not bad as a story, but a bit more vague on the lore and practices. Would have worked better if the story was more creepy, I guess, but it mostly was just weird.
Bigger focus on the romance and the characters, even though that was also entirely predictable.
UNINVITED 3: I enjoyed the story, for the most part, even though it is more bloody and grizzly than the other ones. Well developed characters, though.
The vodou information comes out a bit monologued, at times and the end is bad. Entirely too sudden, mystery cleared up in a throwaway sentence basically and the clean up is very confused. I guess it's to show Taylor's confusion, but it also confused and annoyed me.
The Dance 4/5: This was fun, but it could have done with a bit more tension. Once the potential romance was established any kind of creepy, threatening atmosphere immediately bleed out of the story. But I thought the characters where really well developed ( the loa and the humans).
The Bird 3/5: I really liked the setting, the atmosphere, but the MC stays flat and generic and the romance is delegated to the last two chapters with barely anything there to flesh it out.
The Book of St. Cyprian 3.5/5 Not bad as a story, but a bit more vague on the lore and practices. Would have worked better if the story was more creepy, I guess, but it mostly was just weird.
Bigger focus on the romance and the characters, even though that was also entirely predictable.
UNINVITED 3: I enjoyed the story, for the most part, even though it is more bloody and grizzly than the other ones. Well developed characters, though.
The vodou information comes out a bit monologued, at times and the end is bad. Entirely too sudden, mystery cleared up in a throwaway sentence basically and the clean up is very confused. I guess it's to show Taylor's confusion, but it also confused and annoyed me.
January 25, 2019
Read 3 out of 4 stories...
The Dance by Kim Fielding: 2.5 stars
Read January 22nd, 2019
While the vodou part is interesting, I don't feel comfortable for one particular scene -- and it sort of ruined the whole reading experience. Also, I didn't feel the ending as a good closure for the spirit haunting Bram.
The Bird by Eli Easton: 3.5 stars
Read January 22nd, 2019
The whole ceremony felt magical and sensual. BUT, I didn't really like the fact that the love interest -- a.k.a. the best friend -- only appeared (in person) near the end. Even if his 'spirit' was always with Colin in the form of their exchanged letters and flashbacks. The epilogue was really sweet though.
The Book of St. Cyprian by Jamie Fessenden: 3 stars
Read January 23rd, 2019
While the story itself was fine, I found Fessenden's writing to be dry -- it didn't evoke any emotion in my part. His writing and I just didn't have chemistry, I guess. I knew it from several of his stories that I've read. I tried this one because it was short. But I guess should've n known better *shrugs*
Uninvited by B.G. Thomas -- SKIP, because similar case with Fessenden; I just didn't click with Thomas' writing
The Dance by Kim Fielding: 2.5 stars
Read January 22nd, 2019
While the vodou part is interesting, I don't feel comfortable for one particular scene -- and it sort of ruined the whole reading experience. Also, I didn't feel the ending as a good closure for the spirit haunting Bram.
The Bird by Eli Easton: 3.5 stars
Read January 22nd, 2019
The whole ceremony felt magical and sensual. BUT, I didn't really like the fact that the love interest -- a.k.a. the best friend -- only appeared (in person) near the end. Even if his 'spirit' was always with Colin in the form of their exchanged letters and flashbacks. The epilogue was really sweet though.
The Book of St. Cyprian by Jamie Fessenden: 3 stars
Read January 23rd, 2019
While the story itself was fine, I found Fessenden's writing to be dry -- it didn't evoke any emotion in my part. His writing and I just didn't have chemistry, I guess. I knew it from several of his stories that I've read. I tried this one because it was short. But I guess should've n known better *shrugs*
Uninvited by B.G. Thomas -- SKIP, because similar case with Fessenden; I just didn't click with Thomas' writing
September 30, 2023
Spooky! I wasn't totally comfortable with these stories, especially the haunted book, but I felt like I learnt more about these traditionally taboo rituals and beliefs. It was a great mix of voodoo-type practitioners and locations. I read the first book in this quite a few years ago, so this challenge was a good excuse to push myself to read the next one (once I located it in my digital library!!)
October 9, 2018
I love anthologies, I really do!
This was fascinating! I really don't know a lot about voodoo (vodou?) so this was an eye-opener. It definitely kept my interest!
Each story captured my attention because it had its own explanation! I wanted to learn more!!!! Great job authors!
This was fascinating! I really don't know a lot about voodoo (vodou?) so this was an eye-opener. It definitely kept my interest!
Each story captured my attention because it had its own explanation! I wanted to learn more!!!! Great job authors!
June 11, 2018
Loved these short stories of vudou, romance, and wonder.
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