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The Horned Mage #1
Broken Curse
Caleb Marshal is horny. No seriously, he's under a curse and has grown up with a set of antlers growing from his head. Now he's in his second semester of college and hoping to find a way to break his curse because not only does he have antlers, but the curse is preventing him from using his magic. Fortunately his beautiful best friend is a very skilled mage.
Unfortunately, Caleb's professor would rather study his curse than help him break it. It's up to Caleb to break it on his own. Only he might have been better off before breaking it, because now he's got a whole host of complicated problems new problems, most of them stemming from his new magical connection to his best friends stepsister. She's in trouble with some meth dealers and now so is Caleb. Will his new powers be enough to keep them safe? Or has he only created even bigger problems for himself and those he cares about?
Unfortunately, Caleb's professor would rather study his curse than help him break it. It's up to Caleb to break it on his own. Only he might have been better off before breaking it, because now he's got a whole host of complicated problems new problems, most of them stemming from his new magical connection to his best friends stepsister. She's in trouble with some meth dealers and now so is Caleb. Will his new powers be enough to keep them safe? Or has he only created even bigger problems for himself and those he cares about?
84 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 25, 2017
82 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
About the author
Hayden Harper
14 books29 followersHayden Harper is an indie author and lover of steamy romance and action driven science fiction and fantasy.
You can see what I'm working on at www.haydenharperwrites.com
OR vote on the next issue of Modern Adventures with Monster Girls at www.patreon.com/haydenharper
You can see what I'm working on at www.haydenharperwrites.com
OR vote on the next issue of Modern Adventures with Monster Girls at www.patreon.com/haydenharper
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 28, 2019
Rating 2.5 stars
This was a pretty short book. This series is in 5 parts and together it would probably be a normal length book. The author made some really weird choices in this story and they really didn't work for me.
The story follows Caleb who is in school studying magic. He has antlers on his head due to a curse which also has blocked his magic for most of his life. He finds a way to break the curse. He texts his best friend Jadeite (a beautiful black woman who he loves but is afraid to make a move on) to see if she wants to come over and help. She texts back yes, but Caleb can't wait.
This was a pretty short book. This series is in 5 parts and together it would probably be a normal length book. The author made some really weird choices in this story and they really didn't work for me.
The story follows Caleb who is in school studying magic. He has antlers on his head due to a curse which also has blocked his magic for most of his life. He finds a way to break the curse. He texts his best friend Jadeite (a beautiful black woman who he loves but is afraid to make a move on) to see if she wants to come over and help. She texts back yes, but Caleb can't wait.
June 20, 2018
Good book enjoyed it
August 12, 2018
Not what I expected. But this book and its sequels were a lot of fun to read!
February 25, 2018
This is the opening story in a series of short books about a young man named Arch who is suffering under a curse that makes him grow horns somewhat like a deer. Magic and magical creatures are an important part of the world so this is not quite as unusual as it would first appear. Arch is attending college studying magic in the hopes that he can find a way to have his curse lifted. He is being taken advantage of by a professor who is interested in studying his curse for academic purposes but not in lifting it, but one of his classmates who is an assistant to the professor steals the counter spell and sends it to Arch who immediately casts it upon himself without waiting for assistance—and things develop unexpectedly.
First, removing the curse doesn’t apparently get rid of his horns. Second, it turns out that the curse was suppressing part of his magical nature. This is a little unclear but it leads Arch to magically dominate the younger stepsister, Lexus, of his best friend and love interest. So Arch has sex with Lexus and binds her to him without really knowing what he’s doing. And he doesn’t feel bad about it either. Apparently Arch’s magic concentrates in his semen and his penis leading him to think a lot with his balls (as if a freshman in college needs an excuse to think that way) and he’s pretty happy with that justification to do whatever he wants sexually.
Lexus is a troubled young woman who was hanging out with two losers who pimped her (and apparently others) out. When they steal a necklace from Lexus , Arch tries to get it back freeing a pixie and accidentally burning the bad guys’ house down in the process. The burning of the house leads to the coolest part of the story. The two loser pimps work for a woman who turns into a giant snake and eats them for causing her this trouble. This scene was a definite cut above the rest of the story making me feel genuinely creeped out and for the first time I empathized with Arch as he ran like hell to escape the snake-woman.
To sum up, this is not a well-written book and its purpose appears to be to give Arch an excuse to have graphic sex multiple times. (And yes, our hero even manages to have sex with the pixie who is not as tall as he is long, if you get my meaning.) It also isn’t particularly well thought out. The “black mana” in Arch’s semen is so powerfully concentrated that his former foster parents raped him repeatedly to obtain his semen for sale—yet Arch can’t figure out how to solve his current money problems. Without the snake-woman I probably wouldn’t have even reviewed this book but she made a quick free read slightly more worthwhile.
First, removing the curse doesn’t apparently get rid of his horns. Second, it turns out that the curse was suppressing part of his magical nature. This is a little unclear but it leads Arch to magically dominate the younger stepsister, Lexus, of his best friend and love interest. So Arch has sex with Lexus and binds her to him without really knowing what he’s doing. And he doesn’t feel bad about it either. Apparently Arch’s magic concentrates in his semen and his penis leading him to think a lot with his balls (as if a freshman in college needs an excuse to think that way) and he’s pretty happy with that justification to do whatever he wants sexually.
Lexus is a troubled young woman who was hanging out with two losers who pimped her (and apparently others) out. When they steal a necklace from Lexus , Arch tries to get it back freeing a pixie and accidentally burning the bad guys’ house down in the process. The burning of the house leads to the coolest part of the story. The two loser pimps work for a woman who turns into a giant snake and eats them for causing her this trouble. This scene was a definite cut above the rest of the story making me feel genuinely creeped out and for the first time I empathized with Arch as he ran like hell to escape the snake-woman.
To sum up, this is not a well-written book and its purpose appears to be to give Arch an excuse to have graphic sex multiple times. (And yes, our hero even manages to have sex with the pixie who is not as tall as he is long, if you get my meaning.) It also isn’t particularly well thought out. The “black mana” in Arch’s semen is so powerfully concentrated that his former foster parents raped him repeatedly to obtain his semen for sale—yet Arch can’t figure out how to solve his current money problems. Without the snake-woman I probably wouldn’t have even reviewed this book but she made a quick free read slightly more worthwhile.
May 8, 2020
This review is actually to review a new issue of the series under the author's real name instead of his pen name. The new issue is authored by Liam Lawson.
Interesting start
This novella is written from a much younger, and seemingly more human perspective, as far as magic is concerned, than Mr. Lawson's other series of books, "An Orc At College." This is not a bad thing at all, having been written earlier in his career, and offers a look at how his writing has changed over time.
I was struck mostly by how well he has captured the essence of interaction between today's young people. Their resilience, their openness about their bodies and what can be done with them, and the oftentimes nearly crystalline innocence that they carry around with them beneath their hardened exteriors. The plot twists are heart-breaking, the reader as well as the main character (MC) are quite ready to find a ready-made villain in one of the supporting characters met early on. Only to find that they are actually the most victimized and vulnerable person in the story - and well worth the MC's change of heart. The other thing is a surprise reveal, another twist I really didn't see coming. Well played, sir.
I am definitely looking forward to the rest of the series.
Interesting start
This novella is written from a much younger, and seemingly more human perspective, as far as magic is concerned, than Mr. Lawson's other series of books, "An Orc At College." This is not a bad thing at all, having been written earlier in his career, and offers a look at how his writing has changed over time.
I was struck mostly by how well he has captured the essence of interaction between today's young people. Their resilience, their openness about their bodies and what can be done with them, and the oftentimes nearly crystalline innocence that they carry around with them beneath their hardened exteriors. The plot twists are heart-breaking, the reader as well as the main character (MC) are quite ready to find a ready-made villain in one of the supporting characters met early on. Only to find that they are actually the most victimized and vulnerable person in the story - and well worth the MC's change of heart. The other thing is a surprise reveal, another twist I really didn't see coming. Well played, sir.
I am definitely looking forward to the rest of the series.
February 2, 2019
Cool magic story
Caleb is cursed. He also has a pair of horns growing out of his head. All he wants is to be free from the curse and be able to use magic. He also has the hots for his girl best friend. Luckily he gains access to a possible cure. He tries to break the curse himself but something else might have happened.
Caleb is cursed. He also has a pair of horns growing out of his head. All he wants is to be free from the curse and be able to use magic. He also has the hots for his girl best friend. Luckily he gains access to a possible cure. He tries to break the curse himself but something else might have happened.
August 26, 2017
A short and sweet urban fantasy about a college freshman named Caleb who, under a curse, has grown up with antlers. Now the curse is keeping him from using magic, so he enlists his best friend, a mage, to help him.
May 5, 2020
I’ve read the revised version under the mans original name being these were originally written under a pen name. Liam Lawson is now the name this author is under.
He made some changes and it was still quite enjoyable can’t wait to read the other parts
He made some changes and it was still quite enjoyable can’t wait to read the other parts
September 10, 2017
I read it. That's about all I can say.
March 9, 2018
Super short. In the beginning it made me think of a fall out boy video. As curious as I am to know what Caleb is, I think the whole series is just going to be sex.
March 9, 2020
Didn't think I was going to like this book but I was wrong I enjoyed it
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews