Leave It All

Saint Lakes #1

by April Kelley

Lucas just wanted to be a normal human being, but normal is highly over-rated. Lucas Speck had been just some guy who worked at an office supply store and house-sat for his snowbird parents. He was nobody special. Or that's what he thought before the headaches start and weird things start to happen to him. When people start chasing him his whole life gets turned upside down.

Bennett Somerset is a dragon shifter, who likes his quiet life in his quiet town. He isn't looking for complications. He already has a family that defines the words, weird and crazy, to perfection. Good thing they live in a small town where nothing ever happens. That is until he smells the most delicious thing in the world and realizes it's his mate. His little witch of a mate just made things way more complicated.

Genres: Paranormal, M M Romance, Fantasy, Shapeshifters, Magic, Romance, Dragons

196 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 2015

About the author

Living in Southwest Michigan, April resides with her husband and two kids. She has been an avid reader for several years. Writing her first story at the age of ten, the characters in her head still won't stop telling their stories. If April isn't reading or writing she can be found outside playing with the animals or taking a long walk in the woods.

If you wish to contact her email authoraprilkelley@gmail.com.

Please visit her website at authoraprilkelley.com

Reviews

[Jan VL · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave this book 2 stars because even though the storyline was pretty good, the writing was very weak. While I was reading I felt like I was watching a low budget movie where the script was kind of bad, but the plot was actually good. There were times when I didn't really understand why some characters were acting the way they did. Sometimes they did things really randomly. So I finished the book because I was curious as to how it would end, but I don't think I'll be reading the next book though.

[Kevin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sigh. Another book written by computer dictation without the slightest attempt at checking it. I have noted at least one blatantly obvious error per page, and I’m only at 9%. I’m giving up and moving on to a less lazy author.

[Robert Fontenot · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a hot mess. The prose is working so hard and yet accomplishes nothing. It’s the literary equivalent of watching a drunk try to pole dance. In a way, it is still mesmerizing. You feel kind of bad for reading it, and quite a bit dumber for enjoying any of it, but I would not pay to read any more of it.

[Antonella · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5
I'm glad I've got it on instafreebie. This was a disaster, the fic someone in high school with bad marks in English would write: very short sentences with mixed mistakes and no idea of punctuation, simplistic dialogues, stilted interactions. The 67 occurrences of ''baby'' didn't help. Nor the 148 for ''mate''. The idea could have been good, but then the plot had holes and the characters had reactions you couldn't explain, for ex. Lucas finds out that vampires exist and accept it, just like this...

[Audi♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is perfect for in-between stressy books. I've decided they're my soap operas....so bad they're good 🤭
I NEED to know what happens with poor Sage (TW) and lil dude that's too young to mate the vampy.

[Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

Woof, this book was a dog.

Disjointed story telling, banal/annoying characters, way too much sex (all of it mindless) and way too much gibberish regarding fated mates. (I am not averse to fated mates; I AM averse to gibberish about fated mates.) If I had paid for this, I would have wanted my money back.

Would not recommend.

[Boundless Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was offered this eBook in exchange for an honest review; well, this is not what I would normally read. I do love anything about the paranormal and shapeshifters, and with witchcraft added, it’s a must read for me! I absolutely loved the story. The plot was new, but the whole mating thing and how shapeshifters feel about their mates definitely is not a new concept. It does help with the story, and explain the shifters actions though, so I can understand why it’s in every book. This IS the first time I’ve read a book with dragon shifters mixed in with every other kind of shifters, so that part was awesome.

It was a quick read and the action and suspense was great! With that said, I must inform readers that this is a gay novel. I don’t usually get into the details of male on male intimacy, and I learned way more than I ever planned to know from reading this book. I don’t have a problem with it, to each his own, I am all about gay rights and equality; I just don’t need the details. If that’s your thing, you’ll love this book! I just want to let potential readers know so they wouldn’t be surprised; as the synopsis doesn’t include anything about intimacy aspect of the story.

Overall, the story was great, the characters were awesome and the imagery was spot on; however, because of the “over sharing” in the story, this is a 4 Boundless Star book for me....Beth

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[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK... yes, this story has some grammatical issues. I will not deny that... but, dang it, it is just so darn cute! *sigh* A big, lovable dragon... a witch that doesn't know he is a witch? What's not to love? Let me add that the secondary characters are just as interesting as the MCs and leave you chomping at the bit for their stories as well... which I hope will be just as entertaining as this one was!

[... · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huh. This was... OK? I'll go with 3.5 stars rounded up, because the story and world were definitely fun, but omg the writing was... choppy. Enough that I paused to check the publication date and was happy (??) to see that I'm reading it 9 years after it was first published 😂 which gives me hope, since the series is so long, that the author's storytelling skill and writing craft gets better as we go. I'm moving on to the next one to find out!

[Shonee · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 28%

With the voice actor making Lucas sound 12 and the awkward, downright BAD dialog, I just couldn't do it.

"Hes looking at me like I'm a cheeseburger."
"Please don't eat me. Please don't eat me."

Lucas meant these lines, not as snark, but with his whole chest, and I just CAN'T.

Also, Lucas is so naive, it's gone into stupid territory, and y'all know how I feel about stupid characters.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (5/2/2021)! 🎁

[Janeylou · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Lori S.]

Not finishing this at 32%. Is it possible to find a mate book that doesn't use the mate smell good - mate lust activated trope? You know where the MCs have an actual conversation BEFORE mating and get to know each other first? This is getting BOring. sigh.

[Readbookswithcats · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun story, kept me hooked! I enjoyed the world and the characters. A witch who didn’t know he was one, chased by vampires who want to use his powers, finds his mate in a dragon shifter! Had found family, hurt/comfort, protective dragon mate, powerful witch, world building, and spice!

[Hijinx Abound]

This was like a fever dream. Just messy and hazy.

[Chancey "Does not give out 5's like candy" Knowles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review covers all 13 books in the series. The only one that I felt might need a separate review was the last. I read them back to back through the purchase of 4 bundles. I would not have completed this series if they did not come bundled; mostly because there wasn't much that separated them from each other than different m/c's and progression through the story arc.

There are people who should not consider reading these books. Anyone even mildly sensitive to proofing and/or editing issues should avoid. There is not improvement as the books progress. Also, anyone that struggles to "go with the flow" when timelines are muddy to nonsensical should probably avoid. But for the laid back reader, who is looking for easy "brain candy" to pass the time - It's worth a look.

My comments while reading:
Transitions very choppy. Chapters or symbols not used consistently to denote a jump in time, POV, etc... This was very disruptuve to the reading flow and common throughout all the books.

Multiple editing and proofing issues often and throughout, from mild to severe:

Examples -
Minor ="because he kept tried to adopt" (100s like this.)

Moderate = "Tim saw the human before anyone else. He was in the pig barn... but it worked in their favor because Fane was in the rafters , watching. (The full context makes it even more obvious that if the human was already in the barn (as stated) Fane would see too if not 1st. At best, it's unclear. Plus, Tim's mission was to go find 2 others to get to his injured mate, not look for the human like it implied above. )

Just BAD = "...scrambled to find a way out of the shitstorm Jeff had just brought to his doorstep but he didn't know enough to see one about what was really happening to see one. " (No, I did not forget punctuation or mistype. I tripled check)
Just stupid = "And capturing Harold needs to be planned out. We can't make a mistake and have him reporting back to Harold." (No, there are not 2 characters named Harold.)

REALLY? THERE WAS AN EDITOR?

Timelines are the worst (amount of time elapsed was unclear or the implied lapse was not consistent from scene to scene.) At times, it is nonsensical, but often it's unclear to flat out Muddy.

With that said, I was able to go with it and just infer the author's intent. I enjoyed the stories and characters though none of it is fully developed (world, characters, etc...) . Just a few books in, and I was already forgetting who is paired with whom, but the author did a good job of keying my memory.

Fane and the kitten are about the only 2 things that were memorable immediately after finishing, so that doesn't bode well for anything sticking with me in a week much less a month.
A laid back reader, that enjoys this genre, and just wants to kill time is who should consider these books but in bundle form.
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[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

An opener with promise

This story was felt a bit choppy in the plot and had some annoying grammar and spelling mistakes, but the more it developed the better it became. By the end I found myself quite interested in this world and its characters, it it could use a bit of polishing moving forward.

Lucas has lived an entirely normal life, other than hiding some small off things that have happened to him. Lately though things have really ratcheted up the weird, leading up to him shooting out magical balls of light, and almost getting kidnapped by vampires because his best friend is a blood whore. Having never known the paranormal, life becomes a whirlwind with Lucas on the run, hoping to find a safe haven. Landing in the small town of Saint Lakes, which turns out to be a paranormal town, Lucas finds that safety with his mate, a dragon shifter named Bennett. With the immediate heat between them the two just have to figure how they fit into each others lives.

The relationship between Bennett and Lucas felt a bit choppy. Because of The mating pull between them the two did things that didn't really seem like them, and put major tensions in the relationship. From weird jealousy posturing, to refusals about orders, nothing seemed to go smoothly at first. At the same time however, they had a habit of making up without ever truly resolving things which felt a bit irksome. Near the end of the book as things really got moving the two became much better, truly talking about problems, explaining concerns on both sides, and making It clear that they were in this relationship together and would work to keep it alive.

As the town becomes more involved and we learn more about the coven hunting Lucas, a whole world really opens up. With a variety of supernatural beings as well as some interesting histories and interactions, it promises to being more intriguing stories while still involving all of the players in the town. It will be an intriguing series to look in on, especially if the stories progress with a bit more finesse.

[Mari Cardenas · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie in exchange for a fair and honest review.***

Lucas has been having awful, incapacitating headaches for a while that force him to remain secluded at his parents' home while they are away. Never mind that very strange things seem to happen before the headaches end. It isn't until his friend Shawn invites him to go out and they're pursued by vampires that want to kidnap Lucas that he starts getting a clue of why those things have been happening to him.

After a very narrow escape, he ends up at Saint Lakes where he meets Bennett, who turns out to be a dragon shifter and his mate. Lucas doesn't really know anything about shifters or vampires or being a witch, as it turns out he's the only male witch that exists and that's the reason they are trying to kidnap him. And while Bennett and his family are willing to protect him, will they be enough to stop a very determined vampire?

The story itself was entertaining, it involves vampires, witches and different kinds of shifters all interacting together, which was a fairly original idea. I liked Bennett and Lucas and they had good chemistry. Having multiple POVs was a bit off-putting at times, but it gave me a different perspective to what was happening with the villain as well as with the main characters. Another thing that I didn't particularly cared about, and that might be because I'm very nitpicky, is the editing, there were lots of misplaced commas, and frankly that was very distracting as I tried to discern the meaning of some sentences and it broke the flow of the reading. I'm aware this is an ARC, and this might be a before final edits copy, so I hope the problem was resolved before publishing. Other than that, this was a good, interesting read.

Rating: 3.75 Stars (Rounded up to 4).

[the1mmbookspot_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honest review: So I’m in a PNR romance era and after reading some really great books so far, my expectations and standards are really high.
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While the story line for this book was good and I enjoy fated mates trope, something was lacking. I didn’t feel the excitement of Lucas and Bennett meeting. I didn’t have any screaming moments when cute or possessive things were said or happened.
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The antagonists POV was confusing at first and then I don’t know what he became, but it didn’t feel anything like an antagonist should when you get more into the book. Also there were too many side characters with no explanation of who they were or where they came from nor any kind of backstory. I’m sure it happens in future books but this one kind of deters me from wanting to read them.
•
The story was good but it kind of felt like the writing just wasn’t all there. Like holes in the plot? The characters stayed stagnant and Lucas lacked foundation for me. For example, he said he wanted to date slowly because he’s used to the human ways and BAM, temporarily mates like a second later. Just didn’t make any sense to me.
•
I still enjoyed reading it! Just not as much as I thought I would enjoy it.
•
Rate: 3/5

[Kristen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Idk man, this was just bad all around. I don’t even know why I actually finished it. The world building is non existent, the character development is bad, the ending was a total cluster fuck. Things made no sense and it felt like I was reading something that only made sense to the author. It’s missing so much information and is so rushed, it feels unfinished. That paired with poor writing and prose made for an awful read.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

The bones of this book are great but this author needs to stop depending on a spell checker. The grammar is faulty, wrong words are used on a regular basis and sentence structure is faulty. I'm comfortable with a few mistakes but this goes way beyond. I'll keep reading this series because I like the stories but I can't give a good rating when I'm continually distracted.

[Mai · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would have given this book 2 stars because, despite being very badly written and not being particularly interesting at all, it was somewhat entertaining. But then towards the end there’s a scene of s*xual abuse and rape and THERE ARENT TWs!!! Add trigger warnings!!! Gosh

[Lark Drapper · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm really glad I picked this up for free because if I had paid for it I would have been so mad. Grammatical mistakes, spelling mistakes, and some of the worst dialog I've read in a long time this book feels like it was AI generated.

[Ericka Walden · Rating 4 out of 5]

ohhhhh. ..I really enjoyed that! !! I'm just a tad bit upset that I don't have the next book in the series yet! !!

[Didi · Rating 2 out of 5]

More like 1.55-ish really. But what the heck, it's holiday - am feeling generous! ^^

[Wilson53 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Editing

The story and characters are okay but the grammar is atrocious. Shuttering instead of shuddering for example! Many more examples throughout the story.

[Leaundra · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars...This was a great start to a series. I really enjoyed it.

[Sarinha M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Authors STOP confusing rude & brattish behaviour as sassy. Sassy is witty, lively, banter, etc... being rude is just that... RUDE & Lucas is unnecessarily rude throughout, especially towards his mate, but also to people who have not only taken him in but are taking on his problems as well!

A little respect & appreciation would be better than this idiot who only learned about magic yesterday acting like he knows better than those who've lived with magic all their lives... 😡🤬😡😡

I'm really starting to dislike his character...

I do like it when authors don't make books overly long so that they can get paid by page read on Amazon, however.... the problem is when authors are starting a new fantasy series .

That for me is the only time when a book SHOULD be a lot longer or if it's a quest type book.

I'm about halfway through & I'm still none the wiser about the lore, except there being fated mates... kW, I may well be mistaken, but isn't a coven a group of witches? In this a coven is a group of vampires & a group of witches is a circle?!? Why not make them both covens as the word coven immediately brings to mind witches not vampires.

So, I really needed the author to expand on the world building IMO.

Now we get into what for me is the real negative aspect of the story.

As I've been on an MM romance spree, I've come to notice the sheer amount of internalised misogyny in female authors who write MM.

We already live in a patriarchal society where men are considered better simply because they're men... I genuinely neither need nor want that BS in my romances.

I already despise the Mary Sue trope, but a author straight up writing an MC who is male in traditionally female role, but that the fact that he IS male means he's more powerful than all the females in that role combined?!?! GTFOH!

I would honestly not have a single problem with the MC being a male witch nor even him being a powerful male witch, but when you then make him the most powerful of all witches simply BECAUSE he's male 😡🤬😡🤬😡... it does & IS really getting on my tits!

Topping that off with the apparent personality transplant that he undergoes in the space of a blink of an eye & you're asking for too much as an author.

The MC was both naive & kinda sweet up until this point, but suddenly he finds out he has a mate & has become an obnoxious prick. He's both rude to Sage & ridiculously immature towards Bennett, but then he throws a strop because Bennett treated him like a child when he WAS acting exactly like a child 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

He's already been told by Forest that he can't just ho around reading people without permission. He does exactly that after he's known Bennetts for less than a day & thinks that it's perfectly reasonable behaviour... when it's completely moronic & asinine.

He's new to those parts, neither he nor Bennett are teens... so there's a good chance that Bennett HAS has past lovers & is he expecting people to become psychic & read that they're fated mates?!? Lordy 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

I know authors try to milk a series for all they're worth... but for the love of all that is merciful... FFS, balance things out... seriously, what are the chances that SEVEN FOSTERED siblings are ALL gay?!?

Split it in half or something... you've already introduced enough characters to form a series, by all means don't write a story about hetero couples, but don't also erase straight people either... balanced things out!

I need to start reading standalones & quit series as it's all starting to be OTT...

Hmmm... they literally leave 2 siblings to deal with an entire house full of vampires, whilst they all chill back home 😵😵😉

I get that they felt they needed to leave, but they should've gone back as soon as the rude one recovered enough or even leave him as soon as he was put of danger & then the DRAGON shifter, who I'm guessing would be really handy fighting vampires should've gone back to help his brothers seeing as they were in that mess because they'd tried to save his mate...

But no... they're all chilling & having fun when one of the brothers return bloodied, exhausted & carrying a near dead shifter in his arms & no idea where the other brother is!

They honest to goodness abandon their siblings to their fate & don't concern themselves with them for DAYS 😵😵😵 Holy F***

[Taylin Clavelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for Love Bytes – 4 hearts
Lucas was a natural introvert. All he wanted was to be a normal human being. However, weird events, a betrayal and a lucky encounter with a passerby sent Lucas on the run. His eyes were opened, making him realize that there was much to learn. Yet, while alone, there was no one to teach him. Then Lucas encountered Bennett, which threw up a new load of questions and emotions. But it had the possibility of giving Lucas everything he ever wanted.
Leave It All is a tale that turned out to be different than I expected. Nevertheless, I kept turning pages, eagerly anticipating what was to follow.
The story is told in the third person from three viewpoints – The witch Lucas, Bennett, the dragon shifter/fated mate to Lucas, and Nicolono, the vampire coven leader. Worldbuilding is restricted to the areas of action, the emotions associated with discovering the paranormal world and everything that it entails.
Lucas believed he was a regular guy who loved playing his guitar. Lucas thought everyone could read people somehow but had no idea he was a rare male witch. So, when weird things began happening to him, Lucas kept quiet. Not long after, he had what most would call a rude awakening.
Nicolono is the new leader of a vampire coven. He knows there’s a new male witch who is unaware of his powers, and he wants him at any cost. Nicolono has problems within the ranks, though, that exacerbate his goals.
Bennet is a dragon shifter. One of a large family of non-blood brothers and sisters, all of whom are shifters of one animal or another. Their bond is strong, born out by the easy banter between them, and they are all well-versed in the dos and don’ts of the paranormal world. So, when Lucas comes into Bennet’s life, their relationship must navigate questions and emotions that Bennet are second nature to Bennet but completely new to Lucas.
There are pockets of high-octane drama where I was eager to read faster. Also, a large portion of the story is spent traversing the transition between the human way and the paranormal world, discovering, and controlling powers, fated mates, and all the insecurities associated with coming to terms with everything being different. Let's not forget the fear that a vampire coven is after Lucas. This, too, was page-turning reading of a different nature. Some parts were a touch cookie-cutter, but the vampire action balanced the narrative.
I’d have liked the story to be a little longer so that a few extra things could be added. E.g., Lucas leaves his parents’ home in a rush. And, while his life is topsy-turvy, he quite rightly can’t contact them due to safety issues. But they aren’t even a passing thought until the end. However, as this is the first book of a series, I hope details like these are taken care of in the next book.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for
Love Bytes.

[Jason Duby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short piece by April Kelley is an interesting take on the supernatural romance genre, having some familiar elements and some fairly unique (at least to me) elements. The tale centers on a young male witch as he discovers not only who and what he is, but also who his destined partner is. As readers, we join him on his introduction to an unusual small town and an unusual world that lies under what we consider reality. I personally found the story worth reading, with only two reservations.
The first is one that I find myself saying more and more as I read what’s out in this new internet market: I want more within the story. This statement isn’t really a criticism as I found the piece worth my time and attention…and if I want more details I know I’ve found something that intrigues me. I guess I’m used to reading longer works, and I like lots of backstory and history as well as lots of description at this stage of my life. Parts of this story seemed a little rushed, but I did get a complete story with beginning, middle, and end…and while that seems like an obvious progression for any story, I like the fact that I wasn’t left dangling at the end.
The second thing was the presence of dragon shifters, who are a very important element to the story. I just haven’t read many stories with this idea in them, and while I have no issues accepting vampires, werewolves, witches, and other lycanthropes the dragon element just made me pause and go “Okay….” Don’t mistake me, there’s nothing -wrong- with this idea…it just seemed a little out of place without some explanation about where they came from, how rare they are, and so forth.
These two things said, I found plenty of very good things in the story as well. I found the characters to be likable and interesting, the ideas behind magic in this world intriguing, and the male/male action involved in the story quite enjoyable. I do still want more, and I hope that there are or will be more stories set in this world. I definitely recommend this story for someone looking for a short diversion involving gay romance in the field of supernatural fiction.
(Independent reviewer for Romance Authors That Rock)