What do you think?
Beyond the Veil #11
The Rut in the Road
I was finally getting my life together—I had a job, a boyfriend, was working on my college degree, and was learning to control both my magic and my psychic abilities. I’d reconnected with my sister and I was starting to think that I might actually be able to have something approaching a healthy adult life, even if it wasn’t going to be an even remotely normal one.
And then I hit a rut in the road.
Or, rather, people started hitting other people. What started as a single hit-and-run had become several of them, all targeting Arcanids, and I was being asked to get into the mind of the killer… although I’m starting to think that maybe there’s more than one. Tracking one killer is hard enough, but when you think there might be several, things get a lot messier.
Especially when your boyfriend is a federal agent who just got called in to take over the case. It’s the first time we’ve worked together since we started dating, and it’s definitely taking a toll. I don’t want to have to choose between keeping him and solving the murders.
M/M Paranormal Mystery Romance
And then I hit a rut in the road.
Or, rather, people started hitting other people. What started as a single hit-and-run had become several of them, all targeting Arcanids, and I was being asked to get into the mind of the killer… although I’m starting to think that maybe there’s more than one. Tracking one killer is hard enough, but when you think there might be several, things get a lot messier.
Especially when your boyfriend is a federal agent who just got called in to take over the case. It’s the first time we’ve worked together since we started dating, and it’s definitely taking a toll. I don’t want to have to choose between keeping him and solving the murders.
M/M Paranormal Mystery Romance
454 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 30, 2026
About the author
K.M. Avery
14 books189 followersQueer. Disabled. Author. Academic. Cat parent.
Author of the Beyond the Veil series (M/M Paranormal Romance) and Threadbound (M/M contemporary fantasy romance)
Author of the Beyond the Veil series (M/M Paranormal Romance) and Threadbound (M/M contemporary fantasy romance)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 1, 2026
incredible story, Rayn is an fantastic character
Rating: 4.5🌈
Rayn’s journey has been one of the most haunting, and tormented of all of the characters to date in this immersive paranormal world where an Arcana virus swept across the world altering the human landscape forever. A large portion of the world’s population perished, others were left altered by the virus, becoming orcs, witches, weres of various species, zombies, vampires and other otherworldly beings. Quickly consigned to hospitals, or institutions or worse when society and families couldn’t accept them or the virus transitions were physically agonizing and long to take hold.
By book 11, Humans only rights groups, not just the extremists, are fighting to remove the rights the Nids have gained. It sounds very familiar. And the fear and ugly hate groups, the crimes against the Nids going unpunished, is so well written that it feels lifted from events today.
Rayn,older and working as a touch psychic in alongside Ward and Mason in BTV is still very much the under socialized, on the spectrum person he’s been even as he’s developed physically. His childhood, and its accompanying deep trauma and abuse along with his lack of knowledge of his own powers, still makes Rayn an introverted, emotionally awkward person. He’s trying to get people to accept him as adult and not as a fragile little traumatized boy most who know his history see him as.
Avery’s crafting of Rayn is immaculate, he is real in his skin, his efforts to navigate through the communication blocks and issues between Raj and himself are emotionally tough and difficult and feel absolutely credibly raw. Hart plays a great supporting role here, once again revealing himself to be a fine, intelligent caring man.
Raj has been a strong presence in the series and his involvement with Rayn starts in the previous book. But the issues between him and Rayn have been building and his extraordinary overprotective nature is a huge problem.
It’s addressed and seems to be an aspect that he needs to work through. Do I believe that it’s resolved? Not sure. I never know with Avery, maybe it is or maybe it isn’t. There’s one more book in Rayn’s trilogy and the human only faction element has just gotten more complicated and suspenseful by the end of this very amazing story.
I highly recommend reading it but it’s not something that you can read by itself. Each one should be read in the order that it was written for characters and overall plot development.
Amazing series and fantastic characters. One of the best paranormal group of storylines I’ve read. Certainly one that has the most impact on current events.
Series couples to date (not standalone and have to be read in the order they are written):
Highly recommended.
Beyond the Veil Series :
💀Ward’s story (1-3):
The Ghost in the Hall
The Boy in the Locked Room
The Skeleton Under the Stairs.
💀Hart’s story (4-6):
The Dog in the Alley
The Bones in the Yard
The Elf Beside Himself
💀Seth’s story (7-9):
The Turning of the Tables
The Badger in his Burrow
The Past in the Present
💀Rayn’s Story (10-12)
The Diamond in the Rough
The Rut in the Road
The Rock and the Hard Case (coming 2026)
💀Dan’s Story (13-15) Coming 2026-2027
Rating: 4.5🌈
Rayn’s journey has been one of the most haunting, and tormented of all of the characters to date in this immersive paranormal world where an Arcana virus swept across the world altering the human landscape forever. A large portion of the world’s population perished, others were left altered by the virus, becoming orcs, witches, weres of various species, zombies, vampires and other otherworldly beings. Quickly consigned to hospitals, or institutions or worse when society and families couldn’t accept them or the virus transitions were physically agonizing and long to take hold.
By book 11, Humans only rights groups, not just the extremists, are fighting to remove the rights the Nids have gained. It sounds very familiar. And the fear and ugly hate groups, the crimes against the Nids going unpunished, is so well written that it feels lifted from events today.
Rayn,older and working as a touch psychic in alongside Ward and Mason in BTV is still very much the under socialized, on the spectrum person he’s been even as he’s developed physically. His childhood, and its accompanying deep trauma and abuse along with his lack of knowledge of his own powers, still makes Rayn an introverted, emotionally awkward person. He’s trying to get people to accept him as adult and not as a fragile little traumatized boy most who know his history see him as.
Avery’s crafting of Rayn is immaculate, he is real in his skin, his efforts to navigate through the communication blocks and issues between Raj and himself are emotionally tough and difficult and feel absolutely credibly raw. Hart plays a great supporting role here, once again revealing himself to be a fine, intelligent caring man.
Raj has been a strong presence in the series and his involvement with Rayn starts in the previous book. But the issues between him and Rayn have been building and his extraordinary overprotective nature is a huge problem.
It’s addressed and seems to be an aspect that he needs to work through. Do I believe that it’s resolved? Not sure. I never know with Avery, maybe it is or maybe it isn’t. There’s one more book in Rayn’s trilogy and the human only faction element has just gotten more complicated and suspenseful by the end of this very amazing story.
I highly recommend reading it but it’s not something that you can read by itself. Each one should be read in the order that it was written for characters and overall plot development.
Amazing series and fantastic characters. One of the best paranormal group of storylines I’ve read. Certainly one that has the most impact on current events.
Series couples to date (not standalone and have to be read in the order they are written):
Highly recommended.
Beyond the Veil Series :
💀Ward’s story (1-3):
The Ghost in the Hall
The Boy in the Locked Room
The Skeleton Under the Stairs.
💀Hart’s story (4-6):
The Dog in the Alley
The Bones in the Yard
The Elf Beside Himself
💀Seth’s story (7-9):
The Turning of the Tables
The Badger in his Burrow
The Past in the Present
💀Rayn’s Story (10-12)
The Diamond in the Rough
The Rut in the Road
The Rock and the Hard Case (coming 2026)
💀Dan’s Story (13-15) Coming 2026-2027
August 14, 2026
They really knew how to make me emotional with the emotions being annoyance, rage, and also love because no matter how much I wanted to slap both of them, I understood where they were coming from, and I loved them both for the decisions they made in the end. Yes, the end, because some decisions were questionable at best and they got me side eyeing them hard.
This makes me even more afraid of the last book in Rayn's story; wtf was that blurb? I refuse to suffer again yet I know that's something the author loves to make us do.
This makes me even more afraid of the last book in Rayn's story; wtf was that blurb? I refuse to suffer again yet I know that's something the author loves to make us do.
August 12, 2026
Fabulous!
This whole series/ world is fantastic and much a great page turner, just gets better and better!!
Cant wait for the next installment!
This whole series/ world is fantastic and much a great page turner, just gets better and better!!
Cant wait for the next installment!
August 9, 2026
Nothing new in store plot.
August 3, 2026
I am obsessed
I adore Rayn and Raj, I'm loving their story. I really feel for Rayn and his struggles there is so much truth in every feeling and confusion he has. But I love how tenacious he is becoming and how he's really trusting himself and coming into his magic. These books are just incredibly well written and the stories are heartfelt and action packed. I can't wait to read the final piece in Rayn's story and I'm so excited for what comes next.
I adore Rayn and Raj, I'm loving their story. I really feel for Rayn and his struggles there is so much truth in every feeling and confusion he has. But I love how tenacious he is becoming and how he's really trusting himself and coming into his magic. These books are just incredibly well written and the stories are heartfelt and action packed. I can't wait to read the final piece in Rayn's story and I'm so excited for what comes next.
July 31, 2026
Excellent storytelling as always
I don't know how Avery keeps finding more but somehow they do.....the threads binding together with previous storylines but with added depth and emotional growth for Rayn (who is, after all the main focus). Avery has exceeded my expectations with a story that is balanced between thriller and romance (with the added bonus of an urban fantasy setting) and is also a realitic story of someone learning and growing and finding their voice after so many years of not having one. Cannot possibly give enough stars to explain how much I love this story as well as the rest of this series.
I don't know how Avery keeps finding more but somehow they do.....the threads binding together with previous storylines but with added depth and emotional growth for Rayn (who is, after all the main focus). Avery has exceeded my expectations with a story that is balanced between thriller and romance (with the added bonus of an urban fantasy setting) and is also a realitic story of someone learning and growing and finding their voice after so many years of not having one. Cannot possibly give enough stars to explain how much I love this story as well as the rest of this series.
August 1, 2026
i still like this series and read this one in like two days, but this one did at times feel like a middle book with filler and no real resolution for the central issue. Still looking forward to book three.
August 3, 2026
3.5-4 stars. This book was hard for me. I felt like there was a lot of miscommunication and just lack of communication, and even by the end their relationship didn’t feel totally settled.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I'm going to openly admit something: I don't think there is a single series where I've been willing to read this many 400+ page books. (And, to be clear, I've read all of them multiple times.) But this series is (and continues to be) something special, with thoughtful characters, great romance, and incredible world building. It will absolutely never bore me. I am as excited for book 13 as I was for book 7. If you haven't read the first ten, I know that starting from that far back is perhaps a little daunting, but I promise, it is worth it. That having been said, if you want to pick the series up in the middle, you can - but you'll definitely need to have read "The Diamond in the Rough" for this book to make any sense at all.
Rayn's books are sort of an interesting deviation from the others - he's a touch psychic who is assisting with criminal investigations but really isn't a part of them in quite the same way as other main characters have been (Ward is actively working crime scenes, Hart is a detective, Seth does forensics, etc.). A lot of his books are in flashbacks of other people's memories. This book is largely about him learning to use his powers to help law enforcement solve a series of murders, as well as his growing relationship with Raj, a tiger shifter FBI agent.
There was barely any romance in the first book, and I'd classify this one as a bit of a... "slow burn while they're in it" style romance? It's definitely dating-then-love, which is a bit of a rarity in the M/M genre, and I enjoyed the novelty. I'll note that I usually spend at least a third to half of each book in this series wanting to hit at least one MMC over the head with a shovel, and this one was no exception - Raj! So hot yet so misguided! - but the relationship between the characters is honestly sweet. I also appreciate that the spice in these always feels pertinent to the story as opposed to gratuitous. Semi-cozy romance buried in a murder mystery!
The first book in this trilogy was great, but I enjoyed this one more simply because Rayn is finally starting to come into his own in terms of his magical powers. The climax of this one is WILD (and so, so good). Also, there's a zombie rat. He's now my favorite character across 11 books. Highly recommended.
- Thank you to the author for an ARC - this review is my own!
Rayn's books are sort of an interesting deviation from the others - he's a touch psychic who is assisting with criminal investigations but really isn't a part of them in quite the same way as other main characters have been (Ward is actively working crime scenes, Hart is a detective, Seth does forensics, etc.). A lot of his books are in flashbacks of other people's memories. This book is largely about him learning to use his powers to help law enforcement solve a series of murders, as well as his growing relationship with Raj, a tiger shifter FBI agent.
There was barely any romance in the first book, and I'd classify this one as a bit of a... "slow burn while they're in it" style romance? It's definitely dating-then-love, which is a bit of a rarity in the M/M genre, and I enjoyed the novelty. I'll note that I usually spend at least a third to half of each book in this series wanting to hit at least one MMC over the head with a shovel, and this one was no exception - Raj! So hot yet so misguided! - but the relationship between the characters is honestly sweet. I also appreciate that the spice in these always feels pertinent to the story as opposed to gratuitous. Semi-cozy romance buried in a murder mystery!
The first book in this trilogy was great, but I enjoyed this one more simply because Rayn is finally starting to come into his own in terms of his magical powers. The climax of this one is WILD (and so, so good). Also, there's a zombie rat. He's now my favorite character across 11 books. Highly recommended.
- Thank you to the author for an ARC - this review is my own!
August 3, 2026
I need the next book IMMEDIATELY!
The Rut in the Road by K.M. Avery steps up the stakes, the magic, and the emotional tension in the best way possible. We follow Raj and Rayn as they find themselves paired up on a high-stakes FBI investigation. As their romantic relationship deepens, so does Raj’s overprotectiveness—leaving Rayn feeling like he's being treated like a delicate glass rather than an equal partner. The relational dynamics here feel so real and raw as Rayn fights to maintain his independence. At the same time, Rayn’s magical power development in this book is insane. He is coming into his own as a formidable witch and psychic as his abilities continues to grow.
Why you should read it:
🔍 Paranormal/FBI Investigation
🔮 Massive magical power level-ups
💔 Deep emotional stakes & relational angst
⚡ Unputdownable pacing
This installment keeps you completely hooked from page one and leaves you thirsty for more. If you love romantic contemporary fantasy with heavy magic and intense character growth, do not sleep on this book!
The Rut in the Road by K.M. Avery steps up the stakes, the magic, and the emotional tension in the best way possible. We follow Raj and Rayn as they find themselves paired up on a high-stakes FBI investigation. As their romantic relationship deepens, so does Raj’s overprotectiveness—leaving Rayn feeling like he's being treated like a delicate glass rather than an equal partner. The relational dynamics here feel so real and raw as Rayn fights to maintain his independence. At the same time, Rayn’s magical power development in this book is insane. He is coming into his own as a formidable witch and psychic as his abilities continues to grow.
Why you should read it:
🔍 Paranormal/FBI Investigation
🔮 Massive magical power level-ups
💔 Deep emotional stakes & relational angst
⚡ Unputdownable pacing
This installment keeps you completely hooked from page one and leaves you thirsty for more. If you love romantic contemporary fantasy with heavy magic and intense character growth, do not sleep on this book!
September 13, 2026
better and better each book
I just adore Rayn. I could not pick a favorite character in this series (I do adore Hart…) but Rayn is definitely one of my favorites. This is his second book. You do not have to read all the books to read his trilogy but I would strongly encourage you to. They build upon each other and if you start with Ward’s books, you will better understand the entire world and honestly you will just love it even more.
This is one of my favorite series even though it’s super spooky and it sometimes gives me the creeps. (I am a big baby about scary things.)
What I absolutely love is that the Richmond setting is accurately done. Some of the places they eat are real places. (Sugar Shack donuts are just as amazing as the characters say.) The suburbs they go to are real locations in the area. It adds a bit of fun to the series if you live in this area.
I also love how it ties real history into a paranormal world. It has sometimes painful similarities to what we see in the world today - discrimination and hate against groups labeled as “other” - but it’s just so well done. So it is definitely a series that will get you in the feels but it’s worth every single minute of tension and nervousness that it creates. I have actual little adrenaline spikes but it’s so fun!
I just adore Rayn. I could not pick a favorite character in this series (I do adore Hart…) but Rayn is definitely one of my favorites. This is his second book. You do not have to read all the books to read his trilogy but I would strongly encourage you to. They build upon each other and if you start with Ward’s books, you will better understand the entire world and honestly you will just love it even more.
This is one of my favorite series even though it’s super spooky and it sometimes gives me the creeps. (I am a big baby about scary things.)
What I absolutely love is that the Richmond setting is accurately done. Some of the places they eat are real places. (Sugar Shack donuts are just as amazing as the characters say.) The suburbs they go to are real locations in the area. It adds a bit of fun to the series if you live in this area.
I also love how it ties real history into a paranormal world. It has sometimes painful similarities to what we see in the world today - discrimination and hate against groups labeled as “other” - but it’s just so well done. So it is definitely a series that will get you in the feels but it’s worth every single minute of tension and nervousness that it creates. I have actual little adrenaline spikes but it’s so fun!
July 31, 2026
Thoroughly enjoyable (though the waffling about different types of magic was tedious). I just love Rayn so much.
August 10, 2026
I enjoyed every chapter.
August 11, 2026
A good book for everyone
August 5, 2026
An enjoyable read but a bit disappointing. I'm having the same issues with Rayn and His partner that I had with Hart and Taavi...I feel no connection to them as a couple. It's been a few days since I finished this book and right now I can't even come up with the tiger shifter's name.
I loved the parts of the book that dealt with Rayn's magic, I love Victor the rat, and seeing the rest of the crew is always a joy. I like the overreaching plot of the anti-magic groups and how it relates to today's bigotry and prejudice. You could honestly remove the Romantic relationship from the book for me and I probably would have enjoyed it more and done less skimming.
Single pov
3rd P
Strict
Bigotry
Homophobia/racephobis/magic phobia
Flashbacks
Light violence
3rd act breakup lasts 2 weeks ish
I loved the parts of the book that dealt with Rayn's magic, I love Victor the rat, and seeing the rest of the crew is always a joy. I like the overreaching plot of the anti-magic groups and how it relates to today's bigotry and prejudice. You could honestly remove the Romantic relationship from the book for me and I probably would have enjoyed it more and done less skimming.
Single pov
3rd P
Strict
Bigotry
Homophobia/racephobis/magic phobia
Flashbacks
Light violence
3rd act breakup lasts 2 weeks ish
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2026
A reliably good entry in the series, offering more complex world-building and character moments.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews