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Men of Magic #1
Forgotten Things
Magic takes a toll. It shortens lives, damages people, and lets magicians be used as weapons in a war.
Jocelyn is one magician who survived that bad time and still works for the magical ministry — or rather, overworks for them. To all appearances, he's pulled together, competent, and functional. Although he has bad memories and nightmares, he manages. But he would like more from life: to find a man he can love.
A forgotten file tells of several magicians who were put in a mental hospital after the war. Finding no other records on the subject, Jocelyn must take a trip to the sanatorium to sort things out.
One damaged magician is still there after all these years: a handsome, sweet man with missing memories, a shy, gentle nature, and a great love of drawing.
And the moment he meets Ellis, Jocelyn knows: This is him. He's the one. Can two damaged men help each other heal, survive all dangers, and find true love?
40,000 words
Very low heat
Jocelyn is one magician who survived that bad time and still works for the magical ministry — or rather, overworks for them. To all appearances, he's pulled together, competent, and functional. Although he has bad memories and nightmares, he manages. But he would like more from life: to find a man he can love.
A forgotten file tells of several magicians who were put in a mental hospital after the war. Finding no other records on the subject, Jocelyn must take a trip to the sanatorium to sort things out.
One damaged magician is still there after all these years: a handsome, sweet man with missing memories, a shy, gentle nature, and a great love of drawing.
And the moment he meets Ellis, Jocelyn knows: This is him. He's the one. Can two damaged men help each other heal, survive all dangers, and find true love?
40,000 words
Very low heat
144 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 17, 2016
2 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 6, 2018
2.75
FORGOT EVERYTHING
I’m trying to figure out how to write a review for this book. On one hand there’s enough of a good story to be interesting, but on the other hand I found it quite boring. I’m a fan of anything with magic, and it had the interracial love too which is a plus but the execution wasn’t very gripping.
Jocelynn is a magician who works for the the ministry of magic (magical ministry-same difference). He’s survived a hell of a war and on the surface he looks like he’s got it all together, but he’s plagued by bad memories and he’s overworked. What he wants above all else is to find a man he can love and maybe that will make living a little better.
When a case file of misplaced magicians lands in his lap it becomes his job to locate the magicians placed in mental health facilities . He doesn’t know what he’ll find, some minds might be broken and maybe some are long gone but Joce knows what it’s like to be a magician plagued with demons and on the edge and he’ll do all he can to bring them home. What he longed finally seems in reach when he meets Ellis. A man to-love and cherish and whom fate had deemed his.
Ellis has been in the mental institution for quite awhile. He can’t really say for how long but he knows it been awhile. He has dreams/memories but he can’t quite say if it’s all been real or is it the reason why he’s locked up. He does know he has some form of ability based on the fact that he wears a glamour. A glamour in that of a white man to mask that he is a black man, and he knows that glamour has kept him alive and to be treated better as much as any mental patient would. Hope and freedom comes in the form of a magician called Jocelyn and soon Ellis free from his confinement and from all his glamours.
This story is very light on action and basically revolves around Ellis assimilating to life on the outside and regaining pieces of his lost memories. The relationship is that of a budding friendship, and while the story was light it wasn’t very fleshed out. I have too many questions and I just didn’t feel very connected to the story.
I’m also not sure about how I feel about the glamour Ellis wears to hide the fact that he’s black 🤔 while I can understand it due to the time and place and treatment of people of colour I feel like there’s a bit of erasure but that’s just my opinion on it all. It wasn’t written in bad taste, it’s just how I feel about hiding the very thing that makes you that person.
Overall, this was an alright read, a forgettable read but alright. I feel like I have no sense of Jocelyn’s character while knowing a lot more about Ellis. The ending was confusing and I’m trying to understand the point but I guess I’ll figure it out in book 2 when I do get to it. Forgotten Things is easily forgettable but a little memorable all the same.
December 19, 2017
It's a world with magicians as bureaucrats and public servants. One magician wonders if he can form a bond with another man in the same way mixed-gender couples do. He comes across another magician, sitting forgotten in a hospital after the war, and forms such a bond.
There's an episode with a fairy that sets up the next book.
Its a bit slow-paced and somewhat too verbose for me.
There's an episode with a fairy that sets up the next book.
Its a bit slow-paced and somewhat too verbose for me.
November 27, 2016
Romance blossoms between two very sweet magicians as they try to unravel a dark mystery deep within the ministry. Great fun as is always the case with these books.
October 30, 2016
Jocelyn's story at last
This is a lovely story telling of Jocelyn finding his other half in a mental institute where suicidal and sick magicians were sent.
Ellis is sweet and good natured a perfect compliment to Jocelyn and his passionate stance. Their slow build relationship was wonderful sex doesn't make a book the relationship does.
I'm looking forward to book 2 and Ellis's growing comfort in his power and himself.
This is a lovely story telling of Jocelyn finding his other half in a mental institute where suicidal and sick magicians were sent.
Ellis is sweet and good natured a perfect compliment to Jocelyn and his passionate stance. Their slow build relationship was wonderful sex doesn't make a book the relationship does.
I'm looking forward to book 2 and Ellis's growing comfort in his power and himself.
August 10, 2017
Review written for Love Bytes Reviews.
The Men of Magic series is a nice little spinoff from, and set in the same world as, the Steampunk Mystery series. While it isn’t absolutely necessary to have read the books in the Steampunk Mystery series first, there are people mentioned and events that take place during it that are both mentioned and that have some effect on things that are happening in this first book. I myself haven’t completed the previous series just yet so I have missed some things referenced here but it in no way effected my understanding or enjoyment of the this new book.
Jocelyn works for the Ministry and is currently overworked and bordering on exhaustion nearly every day. While trying to deal with an overflow of paperwork, both his and that of others in the office, he comes across a memo detailing a group of mages that had been sent to a mental health institution following the end of the war. This is a serious problem because no one has any information or knowledge of any mages having been sent there in the first place. While trying to figure out what’s really going on, Jocelyn finds and meets Ellis Porter, a mage that has been in the institute for years. Jocelyn feels an instant connection to the other man but both are carrying around scars from the war and Jocelyn isn’t even sure if Ellis feels the same way.
This was a fairly laid back piece of literature; the vast majority of the book revolves around Ellis trying to acclimate himself back into a life outside of a small room with whitewashed walls. A big part of that adjustment has to deal with Ellis regaining parts of himself that were lost, namely memories, that there’s no reasonable explanation for why they’re missing in the first place. With this focus on Ellis, his character was more flushed out than Jocelyn because you were learning all about him and his past as he was rediscovering it for himself. Jocelyn was, however, in the previous series so some of his back story may be found there instead. I enjoyed watching the two men kind of orbit around each other, both wanting to get closer but not sure how exactly to bridge the gap between them.
Aside from the issue of Ellis’ memories, you get to see some of what Jocelyn does on a daily basis for the ministry and you’re also introduced to various issues of racism that Ellis and others deal with just doing something as simple as walking down the street. While Jocelyn himself isn’t racist, it was something of an eye opener for him to see what things are like from Ellis’ point of view just because of the color of his skin.
This was a nice read that dealt with a lot of character development and world set up with a little bit of outside plot. I liked it overall though it was a little bit too easygoing for my tastes at times. If you’ve read and enjoyed the Steampunk Mystery series or if you enjoy easier stories with a bit of slow burn romance, this would be worth checking out.
The Men of Magic series is a nice little spinoff from, and set in the same world as, the Steampunk Mystery series. While it isn’t absolutely necessary to have read the books in the Steampunk Mystery series first, there are people mentioned and events that take place during it that are both mentioned and that have some effect on things that are happening in this first book. I myself haven’t completed the previous series just yet so I have missed some things referenced here but it in no way effected my understanding or enjoyment of the this new book.
Jocelyn works for the Ministry and is currently overworked and bordering on exhaustion nearly every day. While trying to deal with an overflow of paperwork, both his and that of others in the office, he comes across a memo detailing a group of mages that had been sent to a mental health institution following the end of the war. This is a serious problem because no one has any information or knowledge of any mages having been sent there in the first place. While trying to figure out what’s really going on, Jocelyn finds and meets Ellis Porter, a mage that has been in the institute for years. Jocelyn feels an instant connection to the other man but both are carrying around scars from the war and Jocelyn isn’t even sure if Ellis feels the same way.
This was a fairly laid back piece of literature; the vast majority of the book revolves around Ellis trying to acclimate himself back into a life outside of a small room with whitewashed walls. A big part of that adjustment has to deal with Ellis regaining parts of himself that were lost, namely memories, that there’s no reasonable explanation for why they’re missing in the first place. With this focus on Ellis, his character was more flushed out than Jocelyn because you were learning all about him and his past as he was rediscovering it for himself. Jocelyn was, however, in the previous series so some of his back story may be found there instead. I enjoyed watching the two men kind of orbit around each other, both wanting to get closer but not sure how exactly to bridge the gap between them.
Aside from the issue of Ellis’ memories, you get to see some of what Jocelyn does on a daily basis for the ministry and you’re also introduced to various issues of racism that Ellis and others deal with just doing something as simple as walking down the street. While Jocelyn himself isn’t racist, it was something of an eye opener for him to see what things are like from Ellis’ point of view just because of the color of his skin.
This was a nice read that dealt with a lot of character development and world set up with a little bit of outside plot. I liked it overall though it was a little bit too easygoing for my tastes at times. If you’ve read and enjoyed the Steampunk Mystery series or if you enjoy easier stories with a bit of slow burn romance, this would be worth checking out.
September 20, 2016
A success
A five star rating as usual. Hollis Shiloh has done her usual masterful job. This story ends on a slight cliffhanger, but is otherwise a wonderful piece of literature.
A five star rating as usual. Hollis Shiloh has done her usual masterful job. This story ends on a slight cliffhanger, but is otherwise a wonderful piece of literature.
December 20, 2016
We're in the steampunk and magic world again, a spinoff of sorts from the mysteries. I thought it was good that the book dealt with the racism in that world. I liked the protagonists. Big cliffhanger at the end, though!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews