Keep Evolving: A Paradise Lot Novel

Paradise Lot #2

by R.E. Vance

The gods are gone. All of them.
Since they left, mythical creatures of all shapes and sizes have been forced to Earth as refugees dependent on the goodwill of humans. Trouble is most humans don't have much goodwill ...
Then there's Jean-Luc, a struggling hotelier who promised to help these wayward 'Others' live in this new GoneGod world. It's a promise that just might get him killed. In the past year alone, his hotel was blown up, his best friend - a drunk fallen angel - picked a fight with an Other hating gang and, oh yeah, the world almost ended (again).
But things are finally starting to look-up for Jean-Luc. He's dating Medusa, most Others respect him and his new hotel has just been booked for the biggest event of the century. Sadly his good fortune takes a turn for the worse when his guests accidentally set off the apocalypse.
It seems that when the gods departed, they left behind their WMDs: Weapons of Mass Destruction-or rather, ATDs: Apocalypses of Total Destruction.
Now Jean-Luc is forced to face-off against Ragnarok, Revelations and a creature he's pretty sure is the Kraken.
All in a day's work in Paradise Lot.
Meet the Cast: - The human Jean-Luc; - The fallen angel Penemue; - The gorgon Medusa; - The fairy TinkerBelle; - The archangel Michael; - The succubus Astarte; - The poltergeist Judith; - The shade Bella...
and many, many more legendary characters from mythology, folklore and fairy tales.
Paradise Lot is a new urban fantasy series by R.E. Vance. This edition contains episodes 1 through 4 in the series.
Readers are saying that Paradise Lot is as original as American Gods & as exciting as The Dresden Files.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal

382 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2016

About the author

Ramy Vance lives in Edinburgh with his wife, recently born child and imaginary dog where he enjoys a beautiful city, whisky (Scottish spelling, not mine) and long walks. All he really wants is to quit his job and write stories based in Paradise Lot. All he really hopes for is that his child is healthy (ten fingers, ten toes and at least two eyes is a good start) and that eventually he can can get a real dog so that he can have an excuse to go on even more long walks.

Reviews

[Rosalind M · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars. I did not expect the ending at all, or to be as affected by it as I was. Much stronger than the first book, building on what we now understand about the Others in emotional terms as well as showing us how they struggle to accept their new fates, with varying levels of success.

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kindle Unlimited but was and seems to still be 99 for the trilogy plus the Interludes story, can't really beat that, with Interludes being 2.99 by itself, the rest 2.99 - 4.99 each, though are still 2 not included but will list them below. #1.1 seems to be permafree if you want to check that one out fully, that and the other 2 were written as episodes so may or may not contain the full Gone God World #1 which is not free but is ku}. The review for the 3 plus 1 set is elsewhere.

When the gods departed, they left behind their WMDs: Weapons of Mass Destruction—or rather, ATDs: Apocalypses of Total Destruction. Since the gods left, mythical creatures of all shapes and sizes have been forced to Earth as refugees dependent on the goodwill of humans. Trouble is most humans don't have much goodwill ... That’s where I come in. My name is Jean-Luc Matthias and I’m a struggling hotel owner who promised to help these wayward 'Others' live in this new GoneGod world. It's a promise that just might get me killed. In the past year alone, my hotel was blown up, my best friend - a drunk fallen angel - picked a fight with an Other hating gang and, oh yeah, the world almost ended (again). But things are finally starting to look-up for me. I got me a date with Medusa (and despite what history says about her, she’s gorgoeous), most Others respect me and my hotel has just been booked for the biggest event of the century. If only I’d known my guests would accidentally set off the apocalypse – I might have doubled my deposit. Now I’m getting ready to face-off against Ragnarok, Revelations and a creature I’m pretty sure is the Kraken. All in a day’s work in Paradise Lot.


Gone God World: A Paradise Lot Urban Fantasy (Paradise Lot Novel Book 1)
Keep Evolving: A Paradise Lot Urban Fantasy (Paradise Lot Novel Book 2
Crystal Dreams: A Paradise Lot Urban Fantasy Novel (Paradise Lot Novel Book 3)
Gone God World Urban Fantasy Series: Box Set : (Books 1-3 plus a Bonus Novella)
Interludes: Paradise Lot (Urban Fantasy Series)
The Curious Case of the Bone Flute Troll: Paradise Lot (Urban Fantasy Series)
Muses Musing: Paradise Lot (Urban Fantasy Series)
Gone God World - Episode Four: Paradise Lot (Urban Fantasy Series #4) {not ku}
Paradise Lot Novel (3 Book Series)
Paradise Lot (4 Book Series)

Gone God World - Episode One: Paradise Lot (Urban Fantasy Series #1) GR 1.1
Gone God World - Episode Two: Paradise Lot (Urban Fantasy Series #2) GR 1.2
Gone God World - Episode Three: Paradise Lot (Urban Fantasy Series #3) GR 1.3
Gone God World - Episode Four: Paradise Lot (Urban Fantasy Series #4) GR 1.4

[David Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb, fun sequel to the first book.
This is the only series where in a world threatened by destruction, you can hear a conversation regarding a method of attack being reminiscent of the attack on the Three Little Pigs, ultimately then saying - 'That can't be right, The Three Little Pigs live on the other side of Paradise Lot' !
So many different characters, great, twisted humour and also an element of tragic romance. This is just so unique I am almost lost for words.
Looking forward to book 3.

[Joe Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The s story picks up beautifully where book one left off. The world is continuing to deal with the chaos that the others bring. Fans of supernatural creatures or mythology will love these books.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Ramy Vance drew me in to his World of Gods giving up, & moving on to pastures new, while leaving behind ALL of their creations, for Humanity to deal with!

As is usual for Humanity, the guns came out first but, after a couple of decades, it was obvious they couldn't win, & so a reluctant peace is drawn up, provided that the Others stay on the spur of land, called Paradise Lot.

Jean-Luc Michael, the ex-soldier turned Landlord - for a group of Others, while still mourning the loss of his Wife, Bella who, after the events of Book One, is now trapped in a permanently closed Heaven, after she sacrificed herself, again, although this time for Jean, alone, has learned that something, or some Other, has triggered the end of all things and, just like before, he starts to try and stop it from happening!

What does happen, next, is a crazy free-for-all, with the signs of the End Of All Things coming thick and fast, while Jean tries to get behind whoever had triggered it all!

As usual, the cast of thousands are there, making things ever more difficult for Jean - but he does have some friends, and even frenemies, willing to help him stop the countdown to Armageddon!

Just like the first book in this series, this had me laughing, and even crying at certain points, and it kept my attention as I followed on Jean's journey - whether to oblivion, or salvation, I guess I'll find out, as I continue reading this series!

I'm absolutely loving Ramy Vance's iteration of life on Earth, with all of our Pantheons of so-called mythical Gods and Goddesses - well, the next step down from them, anyway - and all the characters that I've read about since childhood, come alive in Ramy's inimitable way!

So I'm going on to Book Three of the Series, which is: 'Crystal Dreams', to see what's going to happen next, to our reluctant Champion! Lol

So, I'll catch you on the flip side, to let you know what I think of this third book of one of the set of series, in Ramy's crazy, but so interesting, GoneGod Universe!

[Ramona Plant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Keep Evolving is a rather unique book written by R. E. Vance. This book is definitely like no other, for one its writing style is very unique and a tad odd I found. The pace of the book does drag out quite a bit in my opinion and leaves me a few times wondering why that particular part was being so dragged out since some really could have shortened out and didn't really add that much to the story. The plot is interesting but a tad confusing at parts. The author seems to strive to make it maybe a little bit more complex than it needs to be and in the process did loose me a few times. I did pick it up again at a later point but it was a bit more confusing than it needed to be in my opinion.

Jean is a very likable character, just like in book one, but he sure has a tough deal handed to him. His best character trait is that he tries so hard to do what is right, and in this case, that is so confusing, it sure is not easy to do what is right since he doesn't have all the information needed.

The book ends on a huge cliff hanger and even though this book is more complicated than it needs to be, I am still going to read the next one, thanks kindle unlimited and because I really want to know where this is headed.

[Gustavo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The worldbuilding in the book is awesome and several of the characters are also great, the story is really good, but the main character is sort of a letdown.

He's not totally bad, but there are too many obsessions, a lot of baggage and past stories that made me realize that there was something wrong.

The problem was me, as I tried to read the continuation of the Mortality bites book, I stumbled upon the wrong book 2 in a different series in the same universe.

The book was still enjoyable but I guess I dodn't buy into the character becaue I was expecting something else.

That being said, your mileage might vary.

[Veronica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story full of intense emotions, including a terrible sadness: yes, I had tears. But the is also great joy, loyalty, goodness, and plain of snarky humour to balance it out. This is a fantasy world that has been filled with a compressed version of life: of all the extremes we feel throughout a lifetime. A wondrous balance, and it shows a sharp insight into human nature.

[Seraphia Bunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

***I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my unbiased review of it. The opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.***
Keep Evolving by R.E. Vance a book in the Paradise Lot series. Also, this is the first book I have read in this series or by this author so please bear with me in my review of it.
In this book they are all real. The gods, the demigods, angels, demons and every other creature imaginable is real. But the thing is the gods have left. Without warning, with no notice or anything to the ones who served, believed and were beneath them the gods decide to leave and close off the way to follow them. But in the aftermath of their leaving they leave a power vacuum behind that in the coming days will need to be filled. Now the “Others” have to find a way to adjust to the mortal world that they are now stuck in because they have no other choice, plus…they have lost their immortality and if they use their “gifts” and magics then they are “burning time” meaning that they are cutting their lives short.
But in the chaos of the gods leaving everything has changed. Heaven and Hell are now closed up and Heaven has only one occupant…Jean-Luc’s dead wife Bella, who’s memory he still clings to despite her last words to him being “Live well.” Jean-Luc runs a hotel in Paradise Lot where he also lives with a variety of characters who really help bring this story together and give it a unique life.
When this story started we are introduced to a myriad who is working at a rig out at sea. As she goes deep into the water to check on the rig because the sensor shows an error she notices something that is on the ocean floor that shouldn’t be there and when she realizes what it is, warns the humans above her to get to safety and sacrifices her life. Then we move to Paradise Lot where we join Jean-Luc, Astarte, Eightball, Medusa and a fallen angel who has lived in both Heaven and Hell.
We quickly learn that Medusa has grown feelings for Jean-Luc but his feelings are locked away in his heart for his dead wife despite the fact that she has been gone for over 7 years now and there is no way for him to ever see her again with the gods now gone. But still he clings. Astarte is a succubus who lives in the hotel in Paradise Lot and who is always trying to tempt and seduce Jean-Luc but at the end of the day she considers him a friend.
When a character known as the BisMark comes to Paradise Lot and wants to throw a gala things begin to get interesting. Trouble is a foot but it is unknown to almost all of those who are the unwitting pawns in this drama that is going to be played out. Astarte’s sister is coming and she will be tricked into doing something that she would have never done otherwise and in doing this thing…unleashes a terrible danger upon them all.
When I first started reading this book the name and the cover intrigued me. But as I started reading this book I found Jean-Luc a bit of a bore and not a character that really drew me in. I wanted to go back and learn more about the myriad who gave her life to save the humans at the rig out at sea but it was obvious that her part was played out. I ended up putting this book down for a few days before coming back to it but once I was able to see it with fresher eyes I was able to become more engaged in it and enjoyed it more. Jean-Luc is what we all are, a flawed human and the author does a pretty good job at showing us this. Jean-Luc refuses to move forward and let go of his dead wife and to see the person…or Other who is standing before him who wishes to enter into his heart and give him hers. It makes me sad and a little annoyed but Medusa never pushes but even though it is not always apparent you can sense her sadness nonetheless.
The variety of the characters in this story really help bring it all together and make it the story that it is…unique, engaging and even it has it’s humorous moments that will make you laugh. I absolutely loved Medusa’s snakes and the one named Marty especially because he is so expressive. This book has some twists and suspenseful moments of where it really helps to keep you engaged and wanting to know more about what is going on and going to happen next. There are characters that will intrigue you and there are characters that will irritate you (Spoiler Alert: they will be the gargoyles!! LOL)
Now be warned this book does jump backwards in time and then back to the present but it will help bring things that are happening in the present into perspective and help them make more sense so that it all makes sense in the end. But of course this book ends with a cliffhanger that will leave you wanting to know more about Jean-Luc. There is loss in this story, and there is some humor, you will get a touch of love and romance but not a lot, which is what I would have wanted just a bit more but overall I really did enjoy this book. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. This is a book that I would recommend to anyone who is a fantasy fan and wonders what a world would be like if the gods were real and what things would be like if they just decided to leave one day and leave everything else behind…and begging the question…was it because of someone?

[Alicia Gee · Rating 4 out of 5]

An emotionally beautiful read

The Vances have done it again. The ending hit me between the eyes, even as I was still crying from the scene before. Well worth the time and tears needed to finish.

[Audrey Cienki · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a surprising story line! Mythical creatures, ancient legends, and humans all tossed together and left to fend for themselves as the gods just up and took off. All that and an all too human protagonist. This is a great and new twist on some traditional, and some not so traditional, stories.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series

A world where the ones we’ve thought as myths adapt to living on Earth with no powers, this series gives a different perspective on what we think would happen. It’s funny, and sad, and riveting.

[Mark Cohran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book. Interesting magic system.

[Lisa Cripe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series

Amazing urban fantasy. The gone gods world is excellent. Definitely a must read. I adore Jean Luc he's such a reluctant hero.

[Curt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Ok story line starts different..ok way diffeffernt but boy does it suck you in.. thur olly enjoyed this book .

[David Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second story arc in the series. It is written as a serial but this includes all of the parts to make up a full story.

When the major gods left, a lot of immortals that didn't make the cut where left behind. The once immortals and always mortal (humans) didn't accept each other with open arms. But as time has passed, they have started to get used to the others somewhat. Most of the once immortals settled into Paradise Lots. Now, they are just trying to find their way in their new lives. A few humans are trying to help them.One of those humans is Jean-Luc. A man who lost the love of his life and is just trying to get by as well.

This series just continues to get better and better. It has the action and format of a comic book mixed with mystery, humor, and even a little romance. The once immortals range from the Archangel Michael to mythological beings like Medusa to fairy tale creatures like the Billy Goats Gruff.Characters are well developed and while we may not know all of their backstories, we learn more with each installment. The plots are complex and move quickly. While the stories are mainly action-adventure they still explore some pretty big themes like sacrifice and acceptance. There is plenty of humor to offset the seriousness without ever becoming silly, The pop culture references will appeal to the geek in all of us.

I highly recommend this series especially if you enjoy comics, paranormal adventure, or action adventure stories.

[Scott Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

R.E. Vance has done it again with the ongoing saga of his biblical mythical superhero fallen angels and creatures of all variety as they try to live together on earth. Unfortunately it doesn't go so well as the hero Jean-Luc, who is now getting his life back and is in full swing with a new hotel [and a new lady who just happens to be Medusa] after previous "bad luck" almost killed him many times over. As Jean-Luc tries to help the mythical creatures adjust to life on earth, not everything is as it seems: the Gods forget their Apocalypses of self-destruction and now it is Jean-Luc who has to clean up the mess! But it won't be easy. There is a major badass "Ragnarok" that is going to tear Jean a new one.

I won't give away any spoilers here [as much as I would like to] but this is by far the best book in the series so far. The action is tense and the characters are so well-developed you'd think they were right there with you. As with all his books, R.E. keeps you both entertained and focused on the story as it moves towards a great climax, only then to leave us wanting more just as it ends with a...

In a series of books that are getting ready to drive towards the bestsellers list, I can say I'll be recommending this to everyone I know. A definite read that doesn't disappoint!

[Lisa P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Jean-Luc could have been named Murphy- as in "Murphy's Law". It seems that just as things start to look up, something GoneGods incredible seems to happen and changes everything. If you haven't read the first book in the series, stop now and do that. If I had to describe this book in 3 words they would be: addictive, entertaining, and complex. The characters continue to evolve, as suggested by the title, and you get to know them more intimately. The story pulls you in right away and never lets go. You will want to read this in one sitting. It's worth losing sleep over and taking a mental health day from work. This story has everything you could possibly want- humor, action, irresistible characters- the good, the bad, the ugly, awkward moments, heartbreak, destruction and disaster, and gargoyles. Bottom line: R.E. Vance has created a sequel that's just as good as, if not better than, the first book.

[Jennifer Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book so far

This is the best book in the series so far and I cannot wait to see what happens next. You get to learn more about the others and the history of some of our favorite characters in these episodes. If you love this series you need to read this.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreakingly thrilling!

What a ride! I cannot put it down! it has all the elements, grandure, epic fighting scenes, love of family and friends, it ended at a very intriguing point. I can't wait for the next chapter!

[Darryl Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome!! Buy it you'll love it! :-D