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Bad Valentine #1
Love Magic
"The day I met Derrick while playing my violin in the park was magical. Unfortunately, magic and love together don’t always mix."
Oliver met Derrick while busking in the park, and they hit it off from the start. At first, Derrick’s “mysterious magician” vibe was intriguing, but after two botched dates, Oliver was ready to call it quits.
Fearing he lost his chance with Oliver, Derrick makes a last-ditch effort to win Oliver’s heart with a romantic Valentine’s date. But when love and magic collide, things tend to go awry. Will these two guys make it through the date unscathed?
Oliver met Derrick while busking in the park, and they hit it off from the start. At first, Derrick’s “mysterious magician” vibe was intriguing, but after two botched dates, Oliver was ready to call it quits.
Fearing he lost his chance with Oliver, Derrick makes a last-ditch effort to win Oliver’s heart with a romantic Valentine’s date. But when love and magic collide, things tend to go awry. Will these two guys make it through the date unscathed?
40 pages, ebook
First published February 1, 2019
17 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Jesi Lea Ryan
12 books159 followersUSA Today Bestselling Author Jesi Lea Ryan grew up in the Mississippi River town of Dubuque, IA. She holds bachelor degrees in creative writing and literature and a masters degree in business. She considers herself a well-rounded nerd who can spend hours on the internet researching things like British history, anthropology of ancient people, geography of random parts of the world, bad tattoos and the paranormal. She currently lives in Madison, WI with her husband and sassy kitty.
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January 29, 2019I love magic that doesn’t take itself too seriously. In this adorable story, we get to tag along with a sassy protagonist who’s been convinced to let the shy love interest have one more shot at winning him over. The characters are endearing, vivid and deftly drawn, and I was invested in seeing them get together right off the bat.
February 3, 2019
A magician/telekinetic courting a nerdy violin player! Of course it ends in LOVE! Wonderfully fun and sweet story!
February 2, 2019
Very meh. No chemistry or connection between the two MC's.
February 1, 2019
3.75 stars rounded up
Oliver tries to be patient with his lover Derrick, who keeps acting mysterious about himself and his job ... but when Derrick misses an important play of Oliver's life, Oliver decides he has enough. But then Derrick orchestrates a series of attempts to win Oliver back; even with, well, not very much success ... can Oliver forgives Derrick when he finds out what Derrick's 'secret' is.
This is the second story from Jesi Lea Ryan that I read, after enjoying Surreal Estate last year, and I found it absolutely adorable! It was pretty entertaining to read about the disastrous results, and then found out what Derrick could actually do. The only thing that I didn't fully agreed upon, probably, was Derrick's job. I can't spoil it here, but I just don't like it *pout*.
I hope that Ryan will release new MM novel this year because, well, I liked both stories I've read.
The ARC is provided by the author for an exchange of fair and honest review. No high rating is required for any ARC received.
Oliver tries to be patient with his lover Derrick, who keeps acting mysterious about himself and his job ... but when Derrick misses an important play of Oliver's life, Oliver decides he has enough. But then Derrick orchestrates a series of attempts to win Oliver back; even with, well, not very much success ... can Oliver forgives Derrick when he finds out what Derrick's 'secret' is.
This is the second story from Jesi Lea Ryan that I read, after enjoying Surreal Estate last year, and I found it absolutely adorable! It was pretty entertaining to read about the disastrous results, and then found out what Derrick could actually do. The only thing that I didn't fully agreed upon, probably, was Derrick's job. I can't spoil it here, but I just don't like it *pout*.
I hope that Ryan will release new MM novel this year because, well, I liked both stories I've read.
The ARC is provided by the author for an exchange of fair and honest review. No high rating is required for any ARC received.
May 2, 2021
Book Reaction: https://neverhollowed.com/2019/02/14/...
Rating: 4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits
Rating: 4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits
February 11, 2019
Really cute and well written.
April 14, 2019
The month of Valentine’s Day is upon us, and this story provided me with a great start to reading all kinds of sweet and romantic love stories about this special holiday. Though I have to say, due to its somewhat unconventional name of ‘Bad Valentine’, this is not your “typical” Valentine’s story by any means. I am happy to report that the first of four books in this series met my expectation of being an unusual take on this lovers’ holiday.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
February 10, 2022
2.5*
This was kind of cute, but was just a bit too short to really get invested in the characters. I don't mind short stories, but this one, I would have liked a little more-it could have used a quick epilogue. It's like we just got to know these guys and then it was over. But eh, it was a good lunch break read.
This was kind of cute, but was just a bit too short to really get invested in the characters. I don't mind short stories, but this one, I would have liked a little more-it could have used a quick epilogue. It's like we just got to know these guys and then it was over. But eh, it was a good lunch break read.
February 23, 2022
Needs to be longer
2.5 stars
At 37 pages, there's just not enough time for the characters to develop or be interesting enough to keep my attention. It's cute, but too short for them to be jumping into bed at the end.
2.5 stars
At 37 pages, there's just not enough time for the characters to develop or be interesting enough to keep my attention. It's cute, but too short for them to be jumping into bed at the end.
January 17, 2019
Super cute and flirty Oliver has the worst luck when it comes to Derrick. One disastrous moment after another. I loved that Derrick kept trying. He worked so hard to make things right but boy, what catastrophes their dates end up being. It takes some convincing but Derrick manages to get Oliver to listen to his explanation. When Oliver saves his new violin bow I laughed out loud.
February 6, 2021
It is Valentine's themed which is what I wanted....but calling this romantic or sweet would be a stretch. The MC spent about 80% of time being pissed at romantic interest. Justly so too. If a guy bailed and lied to me that much I would assume I was his side piece and break things off. HEA but I don't know if all the yelling and stress beforehand was worth it.
January 25, 2019
This story is short and cute.
Oliver is a violinist in the symphony who also likes to try out material in the park for the public. That's how he meets Derrick.
Big, sweet Derrick. Only Derrick has a secret. His magic isn't just silly tricks and everytime he's around Ollie his magic goes haywire and something comical happens. It embarrasses him though and he ends up bailing on Ollie.
Come Valentine's Day and he's begging Ollie for another chance the only way he knows how. With cute magic tricks, cards and flowers. He agrees to another date and of course the same things happen, so Derrick has to fess up or lose Ollie for good.
This story is short, but it also felt really rushed to me, like the sentences we're rapid fire. Because of the length of the story though, it's easy to look past.
I give Derrick and Ollie 3.5*
Oliver is a violinist in the symphony who also likes to try out material in the park for the public. That's how he meets Derrick.
Big, sweet Derrick. Only Derrick has a secret. His magic isn't just silly tricks and everytime he's around Ollie his magic goes haywire and something comical happens. It embarrasses him though and he ends up bailing on Ollie.
Come Valentine's Day and he's begging Ollie for another chance the only way he knows how. With cute magic tricks, cards and flowers. He agrees to another date and of course the same things happen, so Derrick has to fess up or lose Ollie for good.
This story is short, but it also felt really rushed to me, like the sentences we're rapid fire. Because of the length of the story though, it's easy to look past.
I give Derrick and Ollie 3.5*
February 2, 2019
*arc given freely with the request for a posted review*
2.5 stars
Oliver was an unrelenting asshole and Derrick deserves much better. He finally stopped being as bad by the end, but at that point it was too late for me. He wasn't a brat, he was a jerk. Derrick was the sweetest ever and if he'd been paired with someone who was worth his time I could have really liked this book. He wasn't and I didn't.
2.5 stars
Oliver was an unrelenting asshole and Derrick deserves much better. He finally stopped being as bad by the end, but at that point it was too late for me. He wasn't a brat, he was a jerk. Derrick was the sweetest ever and if he'd been paired with someone who was worth his time I could have really liked this book. He wasn't and I didn't.
February 28, 2019
A sweet, quick read of a disastrous Valentine date. Told completely from Oliver's POV, but it's Derrick that stole my heart.
If you want something to read in your lunch break, this cute read of love and magic would be perfect. (Took me about half an hour.)
If you want something to read in your lunch break, this cute read of love and magic would be perfect. (Took me about half an hour.)
February 2, 2019
Super cute and it made me laugh but it was way too short.
January 26, 2019
Short and Charming
Oliver wanted answers to why Derrick kept bailing on dates. Derrick wanted Oliver to just give him one more chance. Only when Oliver finally does the date doesn’t go as planned and before you know it the two are soaking wet (not in a good way) and the date is ruined. Forcing both men to open-up and accept one another. I loved the little magic twist.
I really enjoyed this short story. Jesi Lea Ryan is a new to me author and I’m excited to read more.
Oliver wanted answers to why Derrick kept bailing on dates. Derrick wanted Oliver to just give him one more chance. Only when Oliver finally does the date doesn’t go as planned and before you know it the two are soaking wet (not in a good way) and the date is ruined. Forcing both men to open-up and accept one another. I loved the little magic twist.
I really enjoyed this short story. Jesi Lea Ryan is a new to me author and I’m excited to read more.
February 8, 2019
I get what the author was trying to do, but this just didn't work for me. The characters are appealing, and the premise is cute, but it feels like we're missing most of the story.
February 2, 2019
I received an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I just didn't connect with this one at all. The characters felt flat and one-dimensional, and I didn't care about either of them or about their relationship.
I just didn't connect with this one at all. The characters felt flat and one-dimensional, and I didn't care about either of them or about their relationship.
February 4, 2019
I was gifted my copy of all four part of the Bad Valentine collection, that I write a review was not required.
Derrick has one last chance to persuade Oliver they should be together. But will Oliver believe him??
Oh! Just, OH!!
This was so bloody cute, it really was! I wished it was a full length, was my first thought, but now, I think maybe it might not have worked so well, or been so bloody cute had it been longer.
Oliver is pissed off that Derrick did not come to his concert, and Derrick is trying to show Oliver he is sorry. But the date Derrick planned keeps going awry, and poor Oliver ends up soaked through! Derrick knows he has to tell Oliver he isn't a magician, he's telekinetic, but how? And he needs to tell Oliver just why things keep going wrong, and just what, or WHO, keeps making Derrick lose control.
Like I said, too stinking cute! It sort of grabs you and doesn't let go!
BUT!
Only Oliver has his say. And even for a really short short, some 40 pages, I would love to have heard from Derrick. Because that would have been the icing on the cake, and possibly even a 5 star read.
A lovely was to pass a lunch break, or as in my case, a quiet evening at work!
I've enjoyed these little shorts, so thank you to all four authors for my copies.
4 really cute stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Derrick has one last chance to persuade Oliver they should be together. But will Oliver believe him??
Oh! Just, OH!!
This was so bloody cute, it really was! I wished it was a full length, was my first thought, but now, I think maybe it might not have worked so well, or been so bloody cute had it been longer.
Oliver is pissed off that Derrick did not come to his concert, and Derrick is trying to show Oliver he is sorry. But the date Derrick planned keeps going awry, and poor Oliver ends up soaked through! Derrick knows he has to tell Oliver he isn't a magician, he's telekinetic, but how? And he needs to tell Oliver just why things keep going wrong, and just what, or WHO, keeps making Derrick lose control.
Like I said, too stinking cute! It sort of grabs you and doesn't let go!
BUT!
Only Oliver has his say. And even for a really short short, some 40 pages, I would love to have heard from Derrick. Because that would have been the icing on the cake, and possibly even a 5 star read.
A lovely was to pass a lunch break, or as in my case, a quiet evening at work!
I've enjoyed these little shorts, so thank you to all four authors for my copies.
4 really cute stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
February 1, 2019
2.5 stars
I liked Ryan’s recent novel, Surreal Estate, so when I saw she had a short coming out for Valentine’s Day, I wanted to give it a try.
Love Magic is a cute story. Violinist Oliver finds magician Derrick very attractive, but after a couple of bad dates, Oliver is ready to call it quits. Derrick convinces Oliver to go on one more Valentine’s Day date, which turns out to be even more disastrous than the others. Once Derrick finally comes clean about the reason for their dating mishaps, though, Oliver is quite happy to work on a mutually satisfying solution to the problem.
I do wish this was a little longer, because I think it suffers a bit from a lack of development. The story is told solely from Oliver’s perspective. Because it’s so short, I don’t really feel like Derrick got enough page time for me to care about him or understand why Oliver is even willing to go on that third date. I think the length also highlights just how unusual Derrick's "magic" is, which made Oliver seem unbelievably oblivious to me.
Still, some of the scenes were funny enough that it's worth reading if you in the mood for a Valentine's-themed paranormal rom com.
A copy of this book was provided by the author for review; all opinions expressed are my own.
I liked Ryan’s recent novel, Surreal Estate, so when I saw she had a short coming out for Valentine’s Day, I wanted to give it a try.
Love Magic is a cute story. Violinist Oliver finds magician Derrick very attractive, but after a couple of bad dates, Oliver is ready to call it quits. Derrick convinces Oliver to go on one more Valentine’s Day date, which turns out to be even more disastrous than the others. Once Derrick finally comes clean about the reason for their dating mishaps, though, Oliver is quite happy to work on a mutually satisfying solution to the problem.
I do wish this was a little longer, because I think it suffers a bit from a lack of development. The story is told solely from Oliver’s perspective. Because it’s so short, I don’t really feel like Derrick got enough page time for me to care about him or understand why Oliver is even willing to go on that third date. I think the length also highlights just how unusual Derrick's "magic" is, which made Oliver seem unbelievably oblivious to me.
Still, some of the scenes were funny enough that it's worth reading if you in the mood for a Valentine's-themed paranormal rom com.
A copy of this book was provided by the author for review; all opinions expressed are my own.
February 4, 2019
I love stories where one of the characters is a musician, and even more so when there is a touch of magic involved. As an aside, I loved the explanation for the magic in the story, and although it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, it didn’t disappoint. As an added bonus, the explanation was something I love in fiction, so it made me very happy, especially when Derrick shows Oliver his ‘magic’.
Telling the story from Oliver’s POV means that the readers are guessing as to what is going on with Derrick, and find out the same time as he does. I think telling it another way would have taken something away from that, as I was trying to figure out what was going on with Derrick the whole way through. He’s obviously a nice guy so why is he taking off during most if not all of their dates?
Both men are very likeable, I loved them together, and I became invested in wanting them to get their HEA very quickly.
Love Magic is a lovely light low angst read. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy a short romantic story that pulls you in, and leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling at the end. The ‘magic’ was a lovely added bonus for me.
Telling the story from Oliver’s POV means that the readers are guessing as to what is going on with Derrick, and find out the same time as he does. I think telling it another way would have taken something away from that, as I was trying to figure out what was going on with Derrick the whole way through. He’s obviously a nice guy so why is he taking off during most if not all of their dates?
Both men are very likeable, I loved them together, and I became invested in wanting them to get their HEA very quickly.
Love Magic is a lovely light low angst read. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy a short romantic story that pulls you in, and leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling at the end. The ‘magic’ was a lovely added bonus for me.
February 2, 2019
Derrick and Oliver (Ollie) met in the park where Oliver was performing/practicing. Derrick joins him by adding some magic tricks. After, they go for coffee but on an official date the two just can't seem have a good one. Oliver's more then ready to call it quits on establishing a relationship but Derrick isn't so he wears Oliver down for one final date to show they can work.
Three times is the charm for Derrick and Oliver. The two are very likable characters and the shenanigans that readers get to witness that happen between the two is light, humorous and cute. It had a Bewitched (TV) feel to it so I'll definitely recommend this for fans of the show or likes nice meet cute. This was a sweet fun read with a nice intimacy bed scene.
An ARC was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
Three times is the charm for Derrick and Oliver. The two are very likable characters and the shenanigans that readers get to witness that happen between the two is light, humorous and cute. It had a Bewitched (TV) feel to it so I'll definitely recommend this for fans of the show or likes nice meet cute. This was a sweet fun read with a nice intimacy bed scene.
An ARC was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
January 21, 2019
I was given an Advanced Reader Copy of this book for an honest review
Starting with the opening line of this series, “nothing good ever came of a valentine’, Jesi Lea Ryan takes the reader along as Oliver and Derrick face those stressful and wonderful first dates. Things are complicated by the fact that Derrick keeps either bowing out early or being a complete no-show. When he does show up, some weird catastrophe seems to happen to poor Oliver. As Oliver decides whether or not to forgive the man he is falling for, he must figure out if he truly believes in magic. This is a great Valentine itself from the author. Get a cup of your favorite warm beverage and snuggle in with this great little story.
Starting with the opening line of this series, “nothing good ever came of a valentine’, Jesi Lea Ryan takes the reader along as Oliver and Derrick face those stressful and wonderful first dates. Things are complicated by the fact that Derrick keeps either bowing out early or being a complete no-show. When he does show up, some weird catastrophe seems to happen to poor Oliver. As Oliver decides whether or not to forgive the man he is falling for, he must figure out if he truly believes in magic. This is a great Valentine itself from the author. Get a cup of your favorite warm beverage and snuggle in with this great little story.
February 4, 2019
i read this book as part of an arc program. This is the story of Oliver and Derrick. Oliver met Derrick one day while he was playing his violin in the park and Derrick started a magic act to go along with his music. They had an instant connection and went on a couple of dates, but the dates were cut short when Derrick had to suddenly leave without an explanation. Oliver was ready to give up, but Derrick wanted to talk to him and explain himself. Derrick wanted another chance and was willing to beg to get it. Derrick must reveal his secrets and hope Oliver can forgive him. I enjoyed this short story. I understood why Oliver was worried and scared it was over with Derrick. It took a lot for Oliver to hear Derrick's reasoning and to trust him. Good one.
February 14, 2019
Love is rarely easy and when dates repeatedly fall through, seemingly all because of one partner there comes a point when you have to say "enough is enough" and "its just not meant to be" which is where we find Oliver and Derrick. As readers we know there is more to Derrick's cancellations and disappearances but watching Oliver discover them finally is a true treat. Magic is definitely a huge part of this novella, which you probably figured out from the title, Love's Magic, but its probably not quite what you are expecting either. This is a perfect introduction for me to the author's work and I look forward to checking out Jesi Lea Ryan's backlist and future endeavors. Love's Magic is an absolute gem of a Valentine's story but you'll love it any time of year.
May 15, 2019
I received an ARC copy, This a really sweet book about Oliver and Derrick who like each other straight away when they meet while Oliver is practicing is new composition in the park. They go on a couple of dates which are cut short each time so Oliver decides he’s had enough but Derrick appeals to him to go out with him on Valentine’s Day which Oliver begrudgingly agrees to. They go to a couple of different places before dinner but things do not go smoothly due to the fact that Derrick likes Oliver a lot and gets nervous and things happen to make the date a bit of a calamity. Once Oliver finds out why the things have been happening all night and on the previous dates he forgives Derrick and they take it to the bedroom.
February 2, 2019
This was a new-to-me author, and I really liked this cute and sweet story. As so often happens with short stories, I do wish this was longer so it could have had more development and maybe had more insight into Oliver and Derrick’s first meeting instead of hearing it second-hand. But given the short length, I thought the author still did a good job.
If I had been Oliver, I would have reacted to Derrick’s previous disappearing acts the same way, so I could totally understand his side of things. Poor Derrick, I did get some good laughs at the things going wacky when he and Oliver would get intimate (even the slightest bit), I just felt bad for him that Oliver didn’t know the why of it.
Lighthearted and fun, Love Magic was a 4-star read for me. Recommended for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.
If I had been Oliver, I would have reacted to Derrick’s previous disappearing acts the same way, so I could totally understand his side of things. Poor Derrick, I did get some good laughs at the things going wacky when he and Oliver would get intimate (even the slightest bit), I just felt bad for him that Oliver didn’t know the why of it.
Lighthearted and fun, Love Magic was a 4-star read for me. Recommended for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.
February 1, 2019
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book.
This was a sweet and very unique love story about Oliver a musician and a Derrick a magician. Freak accidents begin happening from the moment they meet which puts a hold on any kind of relationship developing between these two. Oliver has all sorts of questions to ask Derrick like why did Derrick leave Oliver high and dry in the middle of a date and then why did he completely stand him up another one. Derrick has a good answer on all the whys but isn’t sure if Oliver will believe him or if he can even trust him with his secret. It had me rooting for this adorable couple at the get go.
This was a sweet and very unique love story about Oliver a musician and a Derrick a magician. Freak accidents begin happening from the moment they meet which puts a hold on any kind of relationship developing between these two. Oliver has all sorts of questions to ask Derrick like why did Derrick leave Oliver high and dry in the middle of a date and then why did he completely stand him up another one. Derrick has a good answer on all the whys but isn’t sure if Oliver will believe him or if he can even trust him with his secret. It had me rooting for this adorable couple at the get go.
February 3, 2019
An ARC was given by the author. All opinions are entirely my own.
Love Magic
Jesi Lea Ryan
A very cute story about a magician whose job appears to be following him on dates with Oliver, a violinist. Things just keep going wrong on their dates—Derrick tries to explain to Oliver that it’s really magic making things happen. Oliver keeps getting more frustrated with the explanation as extremely unfeasible events continue to occur on each of their dates.
It was a fun story—Derrick stays calm and patient, even when Oliver behaves pretty hot-heatedly to the repeated strange events.
I don’t want to give away too much. I’ll just say it has a happy ending.
Love Magic
Jesi Lea Ryan
A very cute story about a magician whose job appears to be following him on dates with Oliver, a violinist. Things just keep going wrong on their dates—Derrick tries to explain to Oliver that it’s really magic making things happen. Oliver keeps getting more frustrated with the explanation as extremely unfeasible events continue to occur on each of their dates.
It was a fun story—Derrick stays calm and patient, even when Oliver behaves pretty hot-heatedly to the repeated strange events.
I don’t want to give away too much. I’ll just say it has a happy ending.
February 4, 2019
This story was intriguing from the start. I wasn’t sure where it was going, or even if we had a ghost love story, but soon everything became clear and I was swept into the magic of Jesi Lea Ryan’s world. It was subtle but I was glad to catch onto it before Oliver did. Told from his point of view, I would probably have been in the same boat as him wondering what was going on, especially when Derrick was such a hottie!
The story takes you on the wows of dating, and magic aside, this was a sweet tale of two guys who come together, recognising something in one another that allows them to open up and start something together.
The story takes you on the wows of dating, and magic aside, this was a sweet tale of two guys who come together, recognising something in one another that allows them to open up and start something together.
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