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Secrets of Salem #1
Equinox
After staring death in the face, Victor Blair takes the advice of his nurses and takes a vacation. It’s not only to help him heal, but to keep his mind off the trauma he’s endured. He travels to Salem, MA. A place he's sure will calm his nerves.
Once he arrives in the seaside town Victor finds himself attracted to Rayne, a magical stranger with an opinionated pet barn owl, named Elvira. Though they hunger to see more of each other, it leads to conflict. Rayne’s parents aren’t too keen on interspecies mingling between mortals and witches.
Their rapidly building attraction raises the spectre of what will happen once Victor’s vacation is over. His time in Salem was never meant to be permanent. Does he go home and risk losing a great man, or does he throw caution to the wind and uproot himself, moving to a new town to be with someone that he’s only known for a few weeks?
Once he arrives in the seaside town Victor finds himself attracted to Rayne, a magical stranger with an opinionated pet barn owl, named Elvira. Though they hunger to see more of each other, it leads to conflict. Rayne’s parents aren’t too keen on interspecies mingling between mortals and witches.
Their rapidly building attraction raises the spectre of what will happen once Victor’s vacation is over. His time in Salem was never meant to be permanent. Does he go home and risk losing a great man, or does he throw caution to the wind and uproot himself, moving to a new town to be with someone that he’s only known for a few weeks?
76 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 21, 2015
26 people want to read
About the author
Jace Payne
3 books30 followersJace Payne is a proud Boston boy living in the heart of the south, a change that took some time to adjustments. He started retreating to books at a young age, when other kids were busying themselves with sports and other things. It was until he entered college that he discovered his love for writing. It started with short stories for class, then escalated to a blog, featuring short erotic fiction. Dark South: Shifter marks his entry into the world of erotic romance. His passions lie within the world of the supernatural—werewolves, feisty witches, and unpredictable ghosts. If they lurk in the shadows, you can safely assume they will appear in his writing. No creature is safe.
He lives with his partner of four years, David, and their cats and dogs, and both of them have a deep love for all things spooky. Halloween is their absolute favorite time of the year. Jace is fortunate to be surrounded by people who support his love for writing, and do everything within their power to help him succeed. Living in the south, erotic romance isn’t always seen as a good thing, but that hasn’t stopped him from pursuing his passion wholeheartedly. And he has no intention of stopping, no matter what challenges he may encounter. Keep your eyes open, as he has many more novels to come—if his loving dogs decide to stop barking long enough for him to write.
He lives with his partner of four years, David, and their cats and dogs, and both of them have a deep love for all things spooky. Halloween is their absolute favorite time of the year. Jace is fortunate to be surrounded by people who support his love for writing, and do everything within their power to help him succeed. Living in the south, erotic romance isn’t always seen as a good thing, but that hasn’t stopped him from pursuing his passion wholeheartedly. And he has no intention of stopping, no matter what challenges he may encounter. Keep your eyes open, as he has many more novels to come—if his loving dogs decide to stop barking long enough for him to write.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 26, 2015
This book falls in the OK category...I enjoyed,I can't say I didn't,but it definitely has some flaws.
I liked the setting of the story - Salem. I love everything paranormal,and this one has witches,ghosts,vampire,empath...combined with where the story is set,it makes a good paranormal read. And I liked being inside Victor's head. We only get his POV,but you don't miss anything by not getting Rayne's POV too. There was maybe little insta-love involved,but strangely here I didn't mind it. Sometimes when chance presents itself,you just gotta take it without over-thinking it. And I liked seeing Victor&Rayne together...
What I didn't like was the fact that every single conflict in this story was resolved in the course of one page. The blurb indicates possible obstacles,like Rayne's parents,the fact that Victor lives and works in the other town (can't remember where),and there were few other things...you have to to decide - either you build the conflict,and resolve it properly,or not mention it at all,and keep the steady pace. Here it seemed that author got stuck somewhere in between,and what you get are forced plot devices quickly resolved,and I'm not very fond of those...
I could also live without the fuck-fest with Rayne's friends (NO CHEATING,just a few couples having sex),but I didn't enjoy this novella any less because of it...
All in all,I'll be definitely reading the next one in this series...
I liked the setting of the story - Salem. I love everything paranormal,and this one has witches,ghosts,vampire,empath...combined with where the story is set,it makes a good paranormal read. And I liked being inside Victor's head. We only get his POV,but you don't miss anything by not getting Rayne's POV too. There was maybe little insta-love involved,but strangely here I didn't mind it. Sometimes when chance presents itself,you just gotta take it without over-thinking it. And I liked seeing Victor&Rayne together...
What I didn't like was the fact that every single conflict in this story was resolved in the course of one page. The blurb indicates possible obstacles,like Rayne's parents,the fact that Victor lives and works in the other town (can't remember where),and there were few other things...you have to to decide - either you build the conflict,and resolve it properly,or not mention it at all,and keep the steady pace. Here it seemed that author got stuck somewhere in between,and what you get are forced plot devices quickly resolved,and I'm not very fond of those...
I could also live without the fuck-fest with Rayne's friends (NO CHEATING,just a few couples having sex),but I didn't enjoy this novella any less because of it...
All in all,I'll be definitely reading the next one in this series...
April 26, 2015
3.5 stars. This needed fewer sex scenes, but otherwise I liked it.
June 30, 2015
3.5 Heart Review by Dan
Do you want the good news first, or the bad news?
OK, I’m just guessing you said the good news. The good news, I enjoyed this fast read. It only took me an hour or so to fly through. The story moves along quite well, and the sex is pretty darned hot. There was one scene at 33% that was particularly good involving a jock strap and some rimming if I remember correctly. Well written Mr. Payne, well written.
So now the bad news. In my humble opinion, the sex outweighed the story. I picked this novella off our available to review list specifically because it was about Salem and witches. I would have liked a whole lot more storyline. There were teases of a bunch of different things, ranging from ghosts to vampires, which we didn’t really get much of in this book.
Victor Blair has been through a massive trauma and the nurses at the hospital where he was treated talked him into going on a vacation to rest and recuperate. He picks Salem, MA because it isn’t far from home. Since he got on the train at South Station, I’m guessing home is Boston, so not far from home at all. The first day in Salem, Victor meets an intriguing man named Rayne. Let’s just say sparks fly!
I liked this novella, but I didn’t love it because it just felt like there wasn’t enough to it. I would hope in the next installment that we get more of a story, and a little less sex. The sex is hot, as I said, but it needs to be tempered with more story details. I’ll be looking forward to the next one!
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
Do you want the good news first, or the bad news?
OK, I’m just guessing you said the good news. The good news, I enjoyed this fast read. It only took me an hour or so to fly through. The story moves along quite well, and the sex is pretty darned hot. There was one scene at 33% that was particularly good involving a jock strap and some rimming if I remember correctly. Well written Mr. Payne, well written.
So now the bad news. In my humble opinion, the sex outweighed the story. I picked this novella off our available to review list specifically because it was about Salem and witches. I would have liked a whole lot more storyline. There were teases of a bunch of different things, ranging from ghosts to vampires, which we didn’t really get much of in this book.
Victor Blair has been through a massive trauma and the nurses at the hospital where he was treated talked him into going on a vacation to rest and recuperate. He picks Salem, MA because it isn’t far from home. Since he got on the train at South Station, I’m guessing home is Boston, so not far from home at all. The first day in Salem, Victor meets an intriguing man named Rayne. Let’s just say sparks fly!
I liked this novella, but I didn’t love it because it just felt like there wasn’t enough to it. I would hope in the next installment that we get more of a story, and a little less sex. The sex is hot, as I said, but it needs to be tempered with more story details. I’ll be looking forward to the next one!
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
May 12, 2015
Jace Payne has done it again. In this novella, set in Salem, MA, he created a cast of characters of great depth and breadth. His story arc is subtle, yet has enough twists and turns to lead the reader on, page after page. The scenes are hot and sensual, not for the faint of heart. I read the book in one sitting and would recommend it to any reader of gay fiction.
April 27, 2015
Great 2nd book from this author, it really drew me in and I enjoyed it from start to finish!
April 28, 2015
This was a great book! I enjoyed it so much that it only took me three hours to read the whole thing.
The characters were nicely developed. The atmosphere that Jayce Payne created was a nice combination of darkness and light. The romance was deep and true, even though Rayne and Victor fell hard and fast. The sex scenes were incredibly hot...and plentiful.
I don't want to give away any spoilers because I want you all to actually read this story. I will tell you the basics. Victor is in Salem, Mass on a vacation after a very stressful event in his life. Rayne runs a little shop with a little of this and a little of that...candles, Tarot cards, jewelry, and such. The attraction is immediate, and actually quite sweet. In short order, Victor gets to meet Rayne's (awesomely quirky and caring, by the way) family, and the fun begins.
This isn't a long book, but obviously, a lot of thought went into it. It's obvious that the author researched the subject matter carefully. It all sucked me in and didn't let go until the last page. The title says "Secrets of Salem Book 1), am I am excited to see where Mr. Payne will take the next one. I also intend to go back and purchase his first book. He just gained a fan :-)
Merged review:
This was a great book! I enjoyed it so much that it only took me three hours to read the whole thing.
The characters were nicely developed. The atmosphere that Jayce Payne created was a nice combination of darkness and light. The romance was deep and true, even though Rayne and Victor fell hard and fast. The sex scenes were incredibly hot...and plentiful.
I don't want to give away any spoilers because I want you all to actually read this story. I will tell you the basics. Victor is in Salem, Mass on a vacation after a very stressful event in his life. Rayne runs a little shop with a little of this and a little of that...candles, Tarot cards, jewelry, and such. The attraction is immediate, and actually quite sweet. In short order, Victor gets to meet Rayne's (awesomely quirky and caring, by the way) family, and the fun begins.
This isn't a long book, but obviously, a lot of thought went into it. It's obvious that the author researched the subject matter carefully. It all sucked me in and didn't let go until the last page. The title says "Secrets of Salem Book 1), am I am excited to see where Mr. Payne will take the next one. I also intend to go back and purchase his first book. He just gained a fan :-)
The characters were nicely developed. The atmosphere that Jayce Payne created was a nice combination of darkness and light. The romance was deep and true, even though Rayne and Victor fell hard and fast. The sex scenes were incredibly hot...and plentiful.
I don't want to give away any spoilers because I want you all to actually read this story. I will tell you the basics. Victor is in Salem, Mass on a vacation after a very stressful event in his life. Rayne runs a little shop with a little of this and a little of that...candles, Tarot cards, jewelry, and such. The attraction is immediate, and actually quite sweet. In short order, Victor gets to meet Rayne's (awesomely quirky and caring, by the way) family, and the fun begins.
This isn't a long book, but obviously, a lot of thought went into it. It's obvious that the author researched the subject matter carefully. It all sucked me in and didn't let go until the last page. The title says "Secrets of Salem Book 1), am I am excited to see where Mr. Payne will take the next one. I also intend to go back and purchase his first book. He just gained a fan :-)
Merged review:
This was a great book! I enjoyed it so much that it only took me three hours to read the whole thing.
The characters were nicely developed. The atmosphere that Jayce Payne created was a nice combination of darkness and light. The romance was deep and true, even though Rayne and Victor fell hard and fast. The sex scenes were incredibly hot...and plentiful.
I don't want to give away any spoilers because I want you all to actually read this story. I will tell you the basics. Victor is in Salem, Mass on a vacation after a very stressful event in his life. Rayne runs a little shop with a little of this and a little of that...candles, Tarot cards, jewelry, and such. The attraction is immediate, and actually quite sweet. In short order, Victor gets to meet Rayne's (awesomely quirky and caring, by the way) family, and the fun begins.
This isn't a long book, but obviously, a lot of thought went into it. It's obvious that the author researched the subject matter carefully. It all sucked me in and didn't let go until the last page. The title says "Secrets of Salem Book 1), am I am excited to see where Mr. Payne will take the next one. I also intend to go back and purchase his first book. He just gained a fan :-)
September 30, 2015
Secrets of Salem series starts off with Equinox by author Jace Payne. I really loved this book. Such original ideas, and lots of love inside this book. I like the spin on Salem being a New Englander myself I liked reading about a story so close to home.
Victor has panic disorder. He recently has gotten out of the hospital and is now relaxing in Salem on vacation. He literally runs into Rayne and finds more than he bargained for. I liked Victor he is very realistically done. Having panic disorder myself I felt for him a lot in this book. I liked too that I felt that the author really did their homework and knew what they were talking about. Victor is kind, sweet, and a tad insecure. He is also braver than he thinks he is.
Rayne little bit of wild child in him. Just enough to get him into trouble now and again. He has a secret that will get Victor into lots of trouble later. Meeting a man by bumping into him, and inviting him back to his house, and how he takes care of Elvira made me really like him. He is kind, sweet, little untamed, and mostly very interesting.
Now Victor goes through some heavy changes in this book. Some are not voluntary. I liked how he adapts it shows his bravery. I also like how kind and sweet he is. Those are very important to this story. Over all this is a creatively done piece. I am so glad I got the chance to read it. I hope for many more in this series in the future. I highly recommend this to any MM lover who likes a book that will surprise you.
Five Shooting Stars and Reviewer's Choice
Victor has panic disorder. He recently has gotten out of the hospital and is now relaxing in Salem on vacation. He literally runs into Rayne and finds more than he bargained for. I liked Victor he is very realistically done. Having panic disorder myself I felt for him a lot in this book. I liked too that I felt that the author really did their homework and knew what they were talking about. Victor is kind, sweet, and a tad insecure. He is also braver than he thinks he is.
Rayne little bit of wild child in him. Just enough to get him into trouble now and again. He has a secret that will get Victor into lots of trouble later. Meeting a man by bumping into him, and inviting him back to his house, and how he takes care of Elvira made me really like him. He is kind, sweet, little untamed, and mostly very interesting.
Now Victor goes through some heavy changes in this book. Some are not voluntary. I liked how he adapts it shows his bravery. I also like how kind and sweet he is. Those are very important to this story. Over all this is a creatively done piece. I am so glad I got the chance to read it. I hope for many more in this series in the future. I highly recommend this to any MM lover who likes a book that will surprise you.
Five Shooting Stars and Reviewer's Choice
May 4, 2015
This novella is only seventy-five pages long. It's short but a nice read for a rainy afternoon. The story flows very well and is filled with interesting characters. The sex scenes are some of the best that Jace Payne has written so far. Filled with supernatural wonder and gay erotic passion, it is definitely worth the read.
May 16, 2015
I love this book. From the first page on you cannot stop reading. It gets a hold of you and the pages fly. The story takes you on an awesome journey of witches and humans and the realness of a beautiful love. With just enough depth and magic that will have you wanting so much more. Cannot wait for more books from Jace Payne. He is truly a very gifted and talented man :)
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews