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Aberrant Magic #1
Deductions
Darren is proud of his work on the FBI's magical Talent unit. However, his own lack of magic means he can never be with Supervisory Special Agent and Shaman Kavon Boucher. The shamanic magic poses a real danger to any mundane who gets too close, so Darren tries to hide his attraction and keep a professional relationship at work. That resolve begins to crumble when a new man sets his sights on Kavon and Darren can't control his resentment.
Now they have a brutal new case of a suspect targeting magical adepts. Darren tries to keep focused on that crime, but when he starts to show signs of his own magic, he hopes that maybe he can not only be a more effective part of the team but also a real partner to Kavon. He might have a second chance at love if only Kavon can learn to trust his new and unpredictable magic that has changed the rules of the magical game.
Now they have a brutal new case of a suspect targeting magical adepts. Darren tries to keep focused on that crime, but when he starts to show signs of his own magic, he hopes that maybe he can not only be a more effective part of the team but also a real partner to Kavon. He might have a second chance at love if only Kavon can learn to trust his new and unpredictable magic that has changed the rules of the magical game.
238 pages, Paperback
First published June 21, 2016
72 people are currently reading
870 people want to read
About the author
Lyn Gala
47 books1,166 followersLynsey "Lyn" Gala started writing in the back of her science notebook in third grade and hasn’t stopped since. Westerns starring men with shady pasts gave way to science fiction with questionable protagonists which eventually gave in to any story with a morally ambiguous character. Even the purest heroes have pain and loss and darkness in their hearts, and that’s where she likes to find her stories. Her characters seek to better themselves and find the happy ending (or happier anyway), but it’s writing the struggle that inspires her muse. When she isn’t writing, Lyn Gala teaches in New Mexico.
She first cut her teeth on fanfic: gen, slash, het, and femslash. She prefers to focus on plot: mysteries and monsters and disasters, oh my, but sex can and does happen. Some of her stories focus on power exchange, bondage or bdsm. In her worlds, tops and bottoms are all mature, consenting adults. In fact, stories where they aren't squick her badly, so don't expect to find abuse stories in her journal.
She first cut her teeth on fanfic: gen, slash, het, and femslash. She prefers to focus on plot: mysteries and monsters and disasters, oh my, but sex can and does happen. Some of her stories focus on power exchange, bondage or bdsm. In her worlds, tops and bottoms are all mature, consenting adults. In fact, stories where they aren't squick her badly, so don't expect to find abuse stories in her journal.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 165 reviews
July 2, 2018
⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*Too much information, too little depth*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱
The book centers around mundane Darren Oberton (early thirties) and his Supervisory Special Agent and Shaman Kavon Boucher (40). Because Shamans are dangerous to get close to mundane, Kavon has pulled back from Darren by being cold. As Darren was the only mundane on a team of all-Talent federal agents he struggles a bit to fit in, yet all this changes when Darren suddenly has magic. However, he can't focus on that, there's a killer on the loose. Overall, the book was interesting, the plot alright, the characters seems cool enough; though far from great, however there was too much information. It might be because I'm really tired or it can be that it simply had too much information going that kinda came between the supposed connection between the two men. I struggled to see how they felt for each other, specially Kavon. Darren we already knew about, yet all we knew about Kavon is that he cares for his team members. I hope we get to know them on a deeper level next book. The lack of depth just won't work for me.
“These aren’t street-level thugs looking to deal their way out of a conviction.”
Darren and Les looked at each other. They’d both seen Kavon go into obsessive mode before, but Traci hadn’t.
“They’ll flip,” Les said.
“And if they demand a mundane interrogator?” Traci asked. “You’re putting too much pressure on the boss to be a superman. He isn’t.”
“Yeah, he is,” Les said.
Darren went over and got his computer off the floor where he’d put it while they moved the desk. “Yep, SuperBoucher to the rescue. He won’t stop. It’s not in his nature.”
Other characters:
↦ Agent Les Gillette (over 30), Darren’s primary partner.
↦ Agent Traci Frane (over 50 and near mandatory retirement), the oldest member of their team, and ironically the latest to join them.
↦ Agent Coretta Nixon, on the team and was the official second in command, even though Darren was the first to join Boucher's team.
↦ Ben Anderson, a adept magic, Boucher’s adept partner. Newbie.
↦ Agent Rima Dolen, on the team.
↦ Henry Halverson, one of the three heads of the DC Shamanic Council. They mediate magical problems and lobby the political world for the rights of magic users.
“I’m not leaving until I have some way to help, so if you go all silent, I am fully capable of sitting here until I die just to spite you.”
Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Paranormal Romance (M/M).
Series: - Series, Book One.
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - Darren Oberton, I guess.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Sure, I guess.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Unsure.
Will I read this again in the future? - No.
Rating - 3 stars.
June 30, 2016
Paranormal books are outside of my usual contemporary comfort zone, but I love Lyn Gala's work and I'm always looking to expand my reading horizons.
First off, this is not a romance. It is listed as LGBTTQ, Multicultural, Fantasy & Paranormal, Urban Fantasy so know that this isn't a romance going in. The book does focus on two men who eventually have a sexual relationship, but any romance doesn't happen until the last chapter. And the best way to describe their relationship is that they are "mates" but not quite. I'm not going to spoil it, so you'll have to read the book yourself to know what I mean, ;)
This book is about magic users. There are spell casters, shamans, spirit guides and many other types of magic users in varying degrees of power. To be quite honest, I was confused by all the different Talent and who did what, but that is probably because I'm not used to reading paranormal and my old-lady brain got a bit overwhelmed. But I fully understood Supervisory Special Agent and Shaman Kavon Boucher's Talent and Darren's new Talent. Since they are the main characters, I was good to go.
There is a serial killer on the loose killing people with Talent and the FBI's magical Talent until needs to work together to find him/her. Darren goes through a change in the book after living his entire life as a mundane, or "normal" human. Suddenly he has extremely powerful Talent. He took it in stride and broke a bunch of rules while keeping his sense of humor and was honestly my favorite part of the book.
Since this is a series, a few of us on GoodReads were debating the next book in the series, thinking that since Darren and Kavon ended with a relationship HEA and the serial killer was still at large, the next book in the series would feature another set of characters, but Lyn personally cleared that up by posting this on GoodReads:
So, there is no cliffhanger in the traditional sense, but the story is not over.
Fans of creative world building and paranormal will absolutely love this, I have no doubt, and since I am more into the romance than the story, book two sounds like it will open Kavon and Darren to new romantic and sexual avenues. I anxiously await Aberrant Magic #2!
First off, this is not a romance. It is listed as LGBTTQ, Multicultural, Fantasy & Paranormal, Urban Fantasy so know that this isn't a romance going in. The book does focus on two men who eventually have a sexual relationship, but any romance doesn't happen until the last chapter. And the best way to describe their relationship is that they are "mates" but not quite. I'm not going to spoil it, so you'll have to read the book yourself to know what I mean, ;)
This book is about magic users. There are spell casters, shamans, spirit guides and many other types of magic users in varying degrees of power. To be quite honest, I was confused by all the different Talent and who did what, but that is probably because I'm not used to reading paranormal and my old-lady brain got a bit overwhelmed. But I fully understood Supervisory Special Agent and Shaman Kavon Boucher's Talent and Darren's new Talent. Since they are the main characters, I was good to go.
There is a serial killer on the loose killing people with Talent and the FBI's magical Talent until needs to work together to find him/her. Darren goes through a change in the book after living his entire life as a mundane, or "normal" human. Suddenly he has extremely powerful Talent. He took it in stride and broke a bunch of rules while keeping his sense of humor and was honestly my favorite part of the book.
Since this is a series, a few of us on GoodReads were debating the next book in the series, thinking that since Darren and Kavon ended with a relationship HEA and the serial killer was still at large, the next book in the series would feature another set of characters, but Lyn personally cleared that up by posting this on GoodReads:
The next book does still focus on Kavon and Darren. They love each other and have committed, but that doesn't mean that all the wrinkles have been ironed out of their relationship. They need to deal with the plot stuff (magic and case), but they also need to figure out how to be a real partnership.
So, there is no cliffhanger in the traditional sense, but the story is not over.
Fans of creative world building and paranormal will absolutely love this, I have no doubt, and since I am more into the romance than the story, book two sounds like it will open Kavon and Darren to new romantic and sexual avenues. I anxiously await Aberrant Magic #2!
June 27, 2016
What a great new adventure!
As always, Lyn Gala has created a fascinating world filled with action and adventure mixed with humor and engaging dialogue. I look forward to seeing where she takes us next on this wild ride.
Read
June 21, 2016How would you like to be in one of my books? I’m doing a different sort of contest for Aberrant Magic. Comment here or on my Facebook post announcing this contest (https://www.facebook.com/lyn.gala/pos...), and you can have a character in Aberrant Magic 3: Divergence named after you. To enter, tell me something about Aberrant Magic 1. You can tell me anything. Who is your favorite character? What are you hoping for in book two, which comes out next month? What shocked you? You can even tell me what you didn’t like. I’ll cry a little, but that’s still a valid entry. Make any comment about book one under this comment, and in two weeks, I will pull a name at random. The winner can choose a character to appear in book three. You get to pick…
1. The character’s first name
2. One or two physical traits
3. Whether the character is mundane or magical
4. Whether the character likes Kavon or doesn’t like Kavon (that may mean they’re a bad guy or a good guy/FBI agent who just doesn’t like his attitude)
1. The character’s first name
2. One or two physical traits
3. Whether the character is mundane or magical
4. Whether the character likes Kavon or doesn’t like Kavon (that may mean they’re a bad guy or a good guy/FBI agent who just doesn’t like his attitude)
July 1, 2016
Engaging read that is a mix of paranormal, adventure, buddy-action of FBI team, and good romance. I enjoyed the world-built of shamans, adepts, spirit planes, and spirit guides. Took a while to understand everything but I decided to go with the flow and enjoyed the explanation of how things work.
I thought the reveal of the villain and the motive was coming a little bit out of nowhere, though. So, the mystery lover in me wasn't as satisfied.
But in overall, it was a great start of a new series and I'm looking forward to the sequel.
I thought the reveal of the villain and the motive was coming a little bit out of nowhere, though. So, the mystery lover in me wasn't as satisfied.
But in overall, it was a great start of a new series and I'm looking forward to the sequel.
July 10, 2016
This book begins a bit slowly, with a lot of world-building amid the action. The AU in which this is set has an established presence of Talented magic users, once persecuted but now a protected group, amid a mostly mundane population. Some are shamans, who either focus their magic via crystals and spells, or who, through a near-death experience, reach the spirit realm and find a spirit guide to help them and channel their abilities. Others are adepts, who balance out, add power and keep safe the shaman they work with. The magic system becomes clearer after a few chapters, at which point the story really begins to build strength.
Darren is a mundane, working on a team of Talents in the FBI. He's proud of the role he plays on the team, even though their team leader and strongest shaman, Kavon Boucher, has inexplicably been distancing himself from Darren for a while now. Darren has a crush on the guy, but he thinks he's handling it well and doing his job, until he starts suspecting that the new adept working with Boucher has it in for Darren in a petty, magic-prank way. He doesn't have time for this crap, in the middle of a case of missing, perhaps murdered adepts. But Boucher isn't listening because anything Darren says comes out sounding like petty jealousy... and then as the case heats up, Darren's mundane status becomes... much less mundane.
This is the first in a series. The ending is a temporary resolution, but not the end of either the full case, or the relationship that is just beginning. I enjoyed the world-building once I got the hang of it, and really liked the characters, the spirit animals, and the secondary characters. I look forward to the next book.
Darren is a mundane, working on a team of Talents in the FBI. He's proud of the role he plays on the team, even though their team leader and strongest shaman, Kavon Boucher, has inexplicably been distancing himself from Darren for a while now. Darren has a crush on the guy, but he thinks he's handling it well and doing his job, until he starts suspecting that the new adept working with Boucher has it in for Darren in a petty, magic-prank way. He doesn't have time for this crap, in the middle of a case of missing, perhaps murdered adepts. But Boucher isn't listening because anything Darren says comes out sounding like petty jealousy... and then as the case heats up, Darren's mundane status becomes... much less mundane.
This is the first in a series. The ending is a temporary resolution, but not the end of either the full case, or the relationship that is just beginning. I enjoyed the world-building once I got the hang of it, and really liked the characters, the spirit animals, and the secondary characters. I look forward to the next book.
April 22, 2017
I struggled with this. Read the blurb and snatched it up already know how well Lynn Gala can handle world-building, so I thought. Unfortunately this was a great idea handled badly. All tell. Repetitive info-dumps.
Shamans this, shamans that, shamans- shamans-SHAMANS, oh wait plot bit, more shaman-shaman, new powers, shaman-SHAMAN-shaman, remember that plot thing? nah me neither shaman-SHAMAN-shaman, something with someone plus shaman-shaman, sex - with shamans, plot um solved - maybe?
The world could have been adequately explained in a page leaving us to discover the rest through the characters, instead the characters are poorly developed so the whole book could focus on teaching us about Shamans. On how powerful and great the mighty Boucher is.
We're told how Darren is a sarcy asset to the team, instead he's a lovesick teenager blindly following Boucher. He gets new powers but no curiosity, no what can I do? Just 'now Boucher and I can have sex' grrr at one point he starts a serious investigation sad he can't be having sex. The dynamic is set though uneven and illogical considering everything. Didn't think much of how quick everyone on the 'team' was to judge, and didn't understand how Darren could be completely ignorant to magic and it's politics despite his working environment.
Soul bonding - psychic rape - it's okay he says no, because they're in love. Apparently.
Also the 'skip the condoms' talk *shakes head*
The plot is lost in the Shaman info dumping. As are the characters themselves. The ending isn't complete. They solve the case but it's not all tied up. If I was at all invested in the story it would have annoyed me.
The shamanic plains were an interesting premise, the investigation if brought to life instead of mainly off-page could have been interesting. Lots of potential here but there's no way I'll be bothering with the sequels.
Shamans this, shamans that, shamans- shamans-SHAMANS, oh wait plot bit, more shaman-shaman, new powers, shaman-SHAMAN-shaman, remember that plot thing? nah me neither shaman-SHAMAN-shaman, something with someone plus shaman-shaman, sex - with shamans, plot um solved - maybe?
The world could have been adequately explained in a page leaving us to discover the rest through the characters, instead the characters are poorly developed so the whole book could focus on teaching us about Shamans. On how powerful and great the mighty Boucher is.
We're told how Darren is a sarcy asset to the team, instead he's a lovesick teenager blindly following Boucher. He gets new powers but no curiosity, no what can I do? Just 'now Boucher and I can have sex' grrr at one point he starts a serious investigation sad he can't be having sex. The dynamic is set though uneven and illogical considering everything. Didn't think much of how quick everyone on the 'team' was to judge, and didn't understand how Darren could be completely ignorant to magic and it's politics despite his working environment.
Soul bonding - psychic rape - it's okay he says no, because they're in love. Apparently.
Also the 'skip the condoms' talk *shakes head*
The plot is lost in the Shaman info dumping. As are the characters themselves. The ending isn't complete. They solve the case but it's not all tied up. If I was at all invested in the story it would have annoyed me.
The shamanic plains were an interesting premise, the investigation if brought to life instead of mainly off-page could have been interesting. Lots of potential here but there's no way I'll be bothering with the sequels.
February 5, 2023
I started reading this author about a year ago and I always found that the characters and the world's that she creates are both beautiful and complex. Darren Oberton is the only mundane member of the team. He doesn't have a single ounce of magic in his entire body, so he is the go-between his teammates and the outside world. I liked him right off. He was real, humorous and intelligent. He was accepted by and an important part of the team, performing the tasks that only a non-magical could. He might be considered "the glue" that held the team together. Kavon Boucher is the team leader... and one of the strongest shamans known. He is direct, volatile...but rude and abrasive. He does a good job of keeping everything under control. He is a someone that can be relied on...professionally that is. I didn't grow to like Kavon very much. He didn't have to be such a bully. His attitude towards Darren was simply unfair and uncalled for. Otherwise, the book is excellent. The magical world is, well...magical and Darren and Kavon together are also "magical". Kavon just needs a lesson in good manners but appears to actually be a decent person and he is very much in love with Darren and is proud his team. The murder and hunt for the killer is well-thought out and well written. Overall, the story has a thrilling chase that that has council politics, magical storms, spells and team dynamics that makes this a very good read if you can suspend your disbelief and go with the story.
August 13, 2018
I enjoyed reading this book very much. The world Lyn Gala created in her book is amazing and wonderfully complex. It got my imagination going and gave food for thoughts. The whole idea of magic users and the prejudice against them is and can be very close to reality. Unfortunately, people get defensive and angry at something that is different, something they don't understand. In this case magic users aka shamans and their possible sidekicks adepts come under fire and extreme hostility for being able to use magic. They are feared and despised. This book follows the Talent investigative unit in FBI that consists of magic users and ONE regular man.
Darren Oberton is the only mundane member of the team. He does not have an ounce of magic and therefore he is the go-between his teammates and the rest of the world. I liked him because he was real, no pretense kind of guy. He uses his sense of humor and intelligence to keep up with the team and to do the tasks that only a non-magical person can perform. He is the glue that holds the team together.
Kavon Boucher is the team leader and one of the strongest shamans known. He is direct, volatile and abrasive. But he keeps everything under control and leads with strength and fortitude. He is a person you can rely on - professionally. I had a big issue with Kavon. Apart from the fact that he must have attended the A$$hole School with Ksar from That Irresistible Poison his attitude towards Darren when his magic was discovered was downright unfair and rude. He who has had years of training with a mentor and learned how to communicate with his spirit guide just demands that Darren be in the know and even dares to question his moral ethics while being basically in shock that he has magic! When did he have the time to learn! That was so uncalled for and seriously pissed me off!
I had another problem with Darren's whole team. So Darren has been with his Talent team for 6 years and during that time he earned their trust and respect. So when a new member Ben Anderson who was luck adept joined their team to help Kavon and suddenly Darren had a string of bad luck and every possible thing going wrong happening to him everybody should have listened and believed what Darren was saying! Right?! Noooo, they all take Ben's side! Some little punk who has been here for all of 3 minutes! People, where is your loyalty! I think that this happened because no matter how you put it everybody in the team is prejudiced against mundane and have slight superiority complex and Darren is a mundane so nobody really thinks that highly of him. The way they do not take his instincts seriously and don't support him is not right and does not make them a good team. And even when he is proven right that Ben did use his magic against him and he is dismissed some of them are resentful towards Darren! As if it was his fault that Ben happened to be an unscrupulous and jealous brat! Nghr! *still fuming*
Otherwise the book is all kinds of smashing! I loved the magical world, how Darren and Kavon are when they are together. Even with all his gruffness and attitude Kavon appears to be a decent man who is in love with Darren and is proud of his team. The murder and subsequent hunt for the killer is well-thought out. It's a thrilling chase interspersed with council politics, magical storms and spells and team dynamics that made this book a very good and absorbing read! I highly recommend it despite my issues! You will love it!
Darren Oberton is the only mundane member of the team. He does not have an ounce of magic and therefore he is the go-between his teammates and the rest of the world. I liked him because he was real, no pretense kind of guy. He uses his sense of humor and intelligence to keep up with the team and to do the tasks that only a non-magical person can perform. He is the glue that holds the team together.
Kavon Boucher is the team leader and one of the strongest shamans known. He is direct, volatile and abrasive. But he keeps everything under control and leads with strength and fortitude. He is a person you can rely on - professionally. I had a big issue with Kavon. Apart from the fact that he must have attended the A$$hole School with Ksar from That Irresistible Poison his attitude towards Darren when his magic was discovered was downright unfair and rude. He who has had years of training with a mentor and learned how to communicate with his spirit guide just demands that Darren be in the know and even dares to question his moral ethics while being basically in shock that he has magic! When did he have the time to learn! That was so uncalled for and seriously pissed me off!
I had another problem with Darren's whole team. So Darren has been with his Talent team for 6 years and during that time he earned their trust and respect. So when a new member Ben Anderson who was luck adept joined their team to help Kavon and suddenly Darren had a string of bad luck and every possible thing going wrong happening to him everybody should have listened and believed what Darren was saying! Right?! Noooo, they all take Ben's side! Some little punk who has been here for all of 3 minutes! People, where is your loyalty! I think that this happened because no matter how you put it everybody in the team is prejudiced against mundane and have slight superiority complex and Darren is a mundane so nobody really thinks that highly of him. The way they do not take his instincts seriously and don't support him is not right and does not make them a good team. And even when he is proven right that Ben did use his magic against him and he is dismissed some of them are resentful towards Darren! As if it was his fault that Ben happened to be an unscrupulous and jealous brat! Nghr! *still fuming*
Otherwise the book is all kinds of smashing! I loved the magical world, how Darren and Kavon are when they are together. Even with all his gruffness and attitude Kavon appears to be a decent man who is in love with Darren and is proud of his team. The murder and subsequent hunt for the killer is well-thought out. It's a thrilling chase interspersed with council politics, magical storms and spells and team dynamics that made this book a very good and absorbing read! I highly recommend it despite my issues! You will love it!
June 25, 2016
I'm a huge fan of anime so any hint of a spirit animal is going to send me head first into a book that is teeming with them.The humans that populate the book are not too bad either although there are a couple evil ones swimming about that need drowning.
This book got my immediate high five halfway through & that good feeling did not diminish as I devoured the final word.Sex scenes in a book of this nature are more profound & intense when limited & the author certainly knows how to weave them seamlessly into the very story with perfect stitching.There is equal emphasis placed on both the plot as well as on character development so neither suffer from any abundance over the other.I'm really looking forward to reading the next in the series.
This book got my immediate high five halfway through & that good feeling did not diminish as I devoured the final word.Sex scenes in a book of this nature are more profound & intense when limited & the author certainly knows how to weave them seamlessly into the very story with perfect stitching.There is equal emphasis placed on both the plot as well as on character development so neither suffer from any abundance over the other.I'm really looking forward to reading the next in the series.
May 9, 2018
me: hmmm idk if i'm getting into this
book: here is a bird
me: BEAUTIFUL. MAGNIFICENT. MAGNUM OPUS. 5 STARS
okay in all seriousness though, here's my verdict.
i wasn't quite connecting with the story or the characters at the beginning, which is why i knocked off a star. but once it got going - boy did it get going! the slow burn and angst of the romance was also perfectly proportioned.
i often say i like slow burns but too often they are too slow (throwback to that one book i read that had their first kiss at 97%. i mean, fucking really?) but this one was baby bear's porridge, man. just right.
the magic system was very interesting and pretty original, and that's getting harder and harder to do in urban fantasy because loads of things have been done already, so kudos to gala for bringing something fresh and interesting! i am always such a fuckin SUCKER for spirit animals/familiars/etc and it was done really well here.
i'm definitely going to be reading the next one!
p.s. and YES okay i will admit i got into this 9138315% more when The Bird turned up. i just really fuckin love birds, okay?
p.p.s. loose ID shut down like two days ago but the rest of the series is currently available but idk how long for?? but i can't afford to panic buy them so i guess i'll just remain on tenterhooks for a while
book: here is a bird
me: BEAUTIFUL. MAGNIFICENT. MAGNUM OPUS. 5 STARS
okay in all seriousness though, here's my verdict.
i wasn't quite connecting with the story or the characters at the beginning, which is why i knocked off a star. but once it got going - boy did it get going! the slow burn and angst of the romance was also perfectly proportioned.
i often say i like slow burns but too often they are too slow (throwback to that one book i read that had their first kiss at 97%. i mean, fucking really?) but this one was baby bear's porridge, man. just right.
the magic system was very interesting and pretty original, and that's getting harder and harder to do in urban fantasy because loads of things have been done already, so kudos to gala for bringing something fresh and interesting! i am always such a fuckin SUCKER for spirit animals/familiars/etc and it was done really well here.
i'm definitely going to be reading the next one!
p.s. and YES okay i will admit i got into this 9138315% more when The Bird turned up. i just really fuckin love birds, okay?
p.p.s. loose ID shut down like two days ago but the rest of the series is currently available but idk how long for?? but i can't afford to panic buy them so i guess i'll just remain on tenterhooks for a while
June 22, 2016
Oooh, yes! That's the good stuff :D
Magic - Check
Agents - Check
Witty banter - Check
Mystery/Detective work - Check
Great cast - Check
Best MC's ever - double check!
Sexual Tension - that's my middle name - check
And so much more!
I was hooked from the very beginning and I can't praise this book enough.
I also can't wait for book 2&3, so there's that :P
There are only two sex scenes, but to be honest - that felt great. I'm not a fan of "oh-we-just-met-and-let's-not-talk-about-stuff-but-have-sex-right-now-and-yes-sex-equals-love" (if you read as much MM as I do, sex scenes are way too... prominent? I skip them most of the times...)
However! To all the smut lovers - the sex is hoooot ;)
Another bonus: The MC's fucking talk! They have faults! They KNOW they have faults! :O
It makes their interactions, the feelings... so real.
I can't say more because it would spoil the experience, but give it a go!
Definitly my fav book by Lyn Gala so far ♥
Magic - Check
Agents - Check
Witty banter - Check
Mystery/Detective work - Check
Great cast - Check
Best MC's ever - double check!
Sexual Tension - that's my middle name - check
And so much more!
I was hooked from the very beginning and I can't praise this book enough.
I also can't wait for book 2&3, so there's that :P
There are only two sex scenes, but to be honest - that felt great. I'm not a fan of "oh-we-just-met-and-let's-not-talk-about-stuff-but-have-sex-right-now-and-yes-sex-equals-love" (if you read as much MM as I do, sex scenes are way too... prominent? I skip them most of the times...)
However! To all the smut lovers - the sex is hoooot ;)
Another bonus: The MC's fucking talk! They have faults! They KNOW they have faults! :O
It makes their interactions, the feelings... so real.
I can't say more because it would spoil the experience, but give it a go!
Definitly my fav book by Lyn Gala so far ♥
August 25, 2016
None of this made sense on a character or organizational aspect. When Darren suddenly gets powers, he just seems to take it in stride. Not even in an adult stride, but in a preteen stride. He works with all these magic users and seemed fairly clueless. And when Kavon and others were getting mad at him for not following the rules for the powers he got, literally, hours ago, threatening to sanction him and such for not having control over them, I was done with the book.
Of course Darren was super powerful and special and had everything needed to perfectly match Kavon. It was too trite, too silly. When a man who has been working in the FBI, in the magical department, I expect him to know who the top people are, not have it explained to him that the person he just met and casually insulted like a moody teenager is the leader of the Shamans, who of course can't top Kavon in power. In fact, it was Darren's immaturity that irked me the most. The author told a lot about how dedicated, focused, and smart he was, but what was showed was an immature and witless agent.
I had to ditch this book.
Of course Darren was super powerful and special and had everything needed to perfectly match Kavon. It was too trite, too silly. When a man who has been working in the FBI, in the magical department, I expect him to know who the top people are, not have it explained to him that the person he just met and casually insulted like a moody teenager is the leader of the Shamans, who of course can't top Kavon in power. In fact, it was Darren's immaturity that irked me the most. The author told a lot about how dedicated, focused, and smart he was, but what was showed was an immature and witless agent.
I had to ditch this book.
March 7, 2017
The beginning of this was a little rough--it took me three tries to get into it--but by the time we finally get Kavon's first POV chapter, it had bloomed into a compelling, wonderfully written page-turner. The world-building is really first class here--I was absolutely fascinated by everything to do with Shamans and spirit animals, as well as the other types of magic use, which create a remarkably rich, filled out world. And then of course was Gala's amazing ability to evoke a supercharged dynamic between her leads, which tantalize the reader with a few perfect erotic scenes that somehow invite you to imagine the volumes that she never got around to writing. I read this through in a sitting and immediately went on to the second book.
Bottom line: loved it.
Bottom line: loved it.
March 11, 2021
oh my GOD, that was ah-MAZE-ing! I already knew I loved this author, but DAMN! Thrown into the middle of the story, relationships that have been developing over years of working together, and with all the FBI investigation going on at the same time? Yes, more please. I really wish I could abandon all the challenges I'm doing, including my team challenge, but I won't because I'm not a crappy person, but I still wish...gah! As soon as this team is done next week, I'm doing a deep dive into this world and not coming out until I'm done, I swear! (Yeah, I kinda liked it, in case you couldn't tell. Go figure!)
August 21, 2016
Okay so I had to keep my brain turned on for this book.
Lyn Gala has created a really cool universe with magic, but the way it is explained and used in the book was -for me- quite confusing at times.
So Darren is the only full human (mundane) working for the FBIs top Talent (magic) team.
As I understand it magic comes from the spirit plane, where shaman's connect with a spirit guide (Kavon's is a bull) to focus their magic. The spirit guide will represent the personality of the magic user, and the spirit guides are sentient beings! Kavon uses argument, discussion and sometimes 'force' to get his bull to do something.
When shamans are travelling in the spirit plane, they need an adept to help them find the exit back to 'earth', since spirit guides are not worried with things like death in the normal world, and will have no issues 'letting' the shaman be split from their human body and then die.
And adept is identified by their glowing markings on their skin. For example freckles or lines in their faces or on their arms.
A shaman NOT willing to almost die to connect to the spirit plane for the first time, can use their magic with crystals or incantations, but they have a limited amount of magic, since they do not have a spirit guide, and thus need to use 'left-over' magic.
Darren has been in love with Kavon since he joined the team, but because Kavon is a shaman, they cannot be together, since there is a risk that Kavon will drain Darren during (for example) smexy times, of what little energy/magic everybody has.
In the beginning they were friends and spent time together, but when Kavon discovered their mutual feelings he behaved like a douche and started keeping his distance.
Les an adept on the team is Darren's best friend and was supposed to be the link for Kavon to the spirit world, but it did not work out. Now Ben, another adept, is on the team and he's doing everything in his power to separate Darren and Kavon. Using his 'lucky' magic.
Nobody believes Darren, when he tells them that Ben are using his powers against Darren, and the team is acting quite 'nasty' towards Darren.
The case the Talent team is working on now is; missing adepts, from churches preaching the evils of magic. The adepts have chosen not to use their magic in accordance with their churches, but are still seen as freaks among their friends and family.
When Darren and Ben are interviewing a witness, Ben attacks Darren and Darren taps into the spirit plane, and lets loose a mother of a magic storm on Ben.
Finally the team recognises Ben's attacks, but still none of them apologise for not believing Darren, which I found quite annoying!
Ben is sent packing, and Darren now needs to find out how the hell he ended up with magic, and A LOT of it.
Also now that Darren is no longer a full mundane, Kavon and Darren can get their freak on...
The 'mystery' in this book was cool, but this book ends without a full resolution of the case. Also not everything is answered in regards to Darren's powers and Bennu.
I liked the world building, I liked Darren as a MC (he was QUITE funny at times), I liked Les and I liked Bennu.
I had some issues with the Talent team being kind of douchy, and not everything was answered which made me kind of cranky. This was not a bad book though and I will definitely read the second one.
Lyn Gala has created a really cool universe with magic, but the way it is explained and used in the book was -for me- quite confusing at times.
So Darren is the only full human (mundane) working for the FBIs top Talent (magic) team.
As I understand it magic comes from the spirit plane, where shaman's connect with a spirit guide (Kavon's is a bull) to focus their magic. The spirit guide will represent the personality of the magic user, and the spirit guides are sentient beings! Kavon uses argument, discussion and sometimes 'force' to get his bull to do something.
When shamans are travelling in the spirit plane, they need an adept to help them find the exit back to 'earth', since spirit guides are not worried with things like death in the normal world, and will have no issues 'letting' the shaman be split from their human body and then die.
And adept is identified by their glowing markings on their skin. For example freckles or lines in their faces or on their arms.
A shaman NOT willing to almost die to connect to the spirit plane for the first time, can use their magic with crystals or incantations, but they have a limited amount of magic, since they do not have a spirit guide, and thus need to use 'left-over' magic.
Darren has been in love with Kavon since he joined the team, but because Kavon is a shaman, they cannot be together, since there is a risk that Kavon will drain Darren during (for example) smexy times, of what little energy/magic everybody has.
In the beginning they were friends and spent time together, but when Kavon discovered their mutual feelings he behaved like a douche and started keeping his distance.
Les an adept on the team is Darren's best friend and was supposed to be the link for Kavon to the spirit world, but it did not work out. Now Ben, another adept, is on the team and he's doing everything in his power to separate Darren and Kavon. Using his 'lucky' magic.
Nobody believes Darren, when he tells them that Ben are using his powers against Darren, and the team is acting quite 'nasty' towards Darren.
The case the Talent team is working on now is; missing adepts, from churches preaching the evils of magic. The adepts have chosen not to use their magic in accordance with their churches, but are still seen as freaks among their friends and family.
When Darren and Ben are interviewing a witness, Ben attacks Darren and Darren taps into the spirit plane, and lets loose a mother of a magic storm on Ben.
Finally the team recognises Ben's attacks, but still none of them apologise for not believing Darren, which I found quite annoying!
Ben is sent packing, and Darren now needs to find out how the hell he ended up with magic, and A LOT of it.
Also now that Darren is no longer a full mundane, Kavon and Darren can get their freak on...
The 'mystery' in this book was cool, but this book ends without a full resolution of the case. Also not everything is answered in regards to Darren's powers and Bennu.
I liked the world building, I liked Darren as a MC (he was QUITE funny at times), I liked Les and I liked Bennu.
I had some issues with the Talent team being kind of douchy, and not everything was answered which made me kind of cranky. This was not a bad book though and I will definitely read the second one.
September 8, 2018
UPDATE: Re-read 9/8/18 in order to better orient myself before reading book #3. My rating still stands. This was a fun read!
ORIGINAL REVIEW: I read this book on my plane ride today. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It took me a few pages (10? 25?) to wrap my head around the world being created in this story, but once it made sense, this turned into a fun, interesting, and engaging read.
I'm too braindead to write a decent review here tonight, so I'll simply direct you to read Kaje Harper's review which is spot-on. I read somewhere that the author planned to release book 2 this month, but I don't see it yet. I hope she will soon, though! I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
ORIGINAL REVIEW: I read this book on my plane ride today. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It took me a few pages (10? 25?) to wrap my head around the world being created in this story, but once it made sense, this turned into a fun, interesting, and engaging read.
I'm too braindead to write a decent review here tonight, so I'll simply direct you to read Kaje Harper's review which is spot-on. I read somewhere that the author planned to release book 2 this month, but I don't see it yet. I hope she will soon, though! I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
June 7, 2020
3.5 stars (round up? round down?). Rounded down.
I was having an extraordinarily difficult time pinning down what exactly I had an issue with in this book. And then I read the lead-in to Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘'s review. "Too much information, too little depth." Nailed it.
The book had some very good bones but the execution was lacking. And downright confusing at times. I went back several times to reread a few passages, sure I'd missed something. But no. Where are the backstories on Darren and Kavon? Why did the supporting cast feel like caricatures? It's certainly not a terrible book, I was at time mesmerized by the magic, but it was far as from "organic" as possible. If I was to contrast this book with the Claimings first book, I would say its flow felt rough and uneven. I kept feeling like I was missing something. (Not my greatest review, sorry.)
I'm not sure I will continue. I'll read the reviews before I devote anymore time in this world.
I was having an extraordinarily difficult time pinning down what exactly I had an issue with in this book. And then I read the lead-in to Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘'s review. "Too much information, too little depth." Nailed it.
The book had some very good bones but the execution was lacking. And downright confusing at times. I went back several times to reread a few passages, sure I'd missed something. But no. Where are the backstories on Darren and Kavon? Why did the supporting cast feel like caricatures? It's certainly not a terrible book, I was at time mesmerized by the magic, but it was far as from "organic" as possible. If I was to contrast this book with the Claimings first book, I would say its flow felt rough and uneven. I kept feeling like I was missing something. (Not my greatest review, sorry.)
I'm not sure I will continue. I'll read the reviews before I devote anymore time in this world.
September 25, 2016
How have I just read this book now? Always a fan of Ms. Gala's stories, this new to me series is one I love.
In this urban fantasy with a bit of m/m romance, the story pulls me in hard and fast. Darren is a "mundane" who works in a special unit within the FBI. This unit contains all people with magic, except for him. He's the only human and tends to be a liaison because humans don't trust "others". Darren excels at his job but there is just one problem. He has a crush on his boss, Kavon Boucher. Because of the way shamans can drain the life of a human through their magic, Kavon has cut him down and ended a relationship that was just starting.
This would all be fine if a newbie didn't join the team and completely disrupt the team dynamics. The conflicts in this story are more than just relationship based. Whilst there is a bit of jealousy and catty bitch fighting between two guys over another guy, the main plot is about magic and how it is not as everything thinks it should be. Darren's sudden explosion into the magical life breaks all the previously determined rules and understanding. He's an anomaly that hints back to a darker secret about when magic was more plentiful.
Ms. Gala creates a magical world where I want to learn more. This first book frames the world very well and gives it room to grow. The characters are intriguing and well developed. What I liked most is how the magical world integrates with the cop world. The romance part of this story is just so-so for me. I get the chemistry between Darren and Kavon. I just don't feel it. What I feel more are their spirit guides/animals interacting. I love Kavon's bull. His bull is more interesting to me with its antics. I love how magic is explained and used in this story. The spirit plane is also intriguing.
This series starts off with a bang and hooks a reader in for the next book. Recommended for m/m readers who enjoy mystery, magic and mayhem.
July 15, 2016
I had only meant to start this book and read a bit here and there. Well, that didn't happen. I ended up throwing all my other plans out the window after work and finished it. It was captivating, as all of Ms Gala's books are (that I have read). This one was no exception. I felt a connection with the characters, and the world building was easy for me to imagine.
We have Darren, who just an ordinary human, a mundane. He gave up hope of having magic now that he is older(he's in his thirties) but he loves his job and more particularly his boss, Kavon. Kavon is his wet dream come to life, everything he could dream of, and because of his status he knows he'll never have him. It's hard and it becomes worse when Kavon got a new anchor, a little shit named Ben. The green horns of jealously becomes well known and causes tension amongst the team. He is contemplating on leaving.
Then the unexpected happens. Darren's magically dam bursts and when it does he does it like no other. As he is dealing with this new knowledge and grasping at it, his relationship with Kavon changes quickly. But they have little time as they are working a serial killer case.
I loved Kavon and Darren together and the other members of the team help bring life to the world. Each one has a different personality and I really like Les' Darren best friend. Hopefully we'll learn more about the 'spirit' world in the next book and their .
Also, I'm super curious about Darren. A sniff a mystery waiting to be opened... maybe...
I'm believe that he doesn't remember anything. Also, I feel that the council is bad and it's going to get more intense.
We have Darren, who just an ordinary human, a mundane. He gave up hope of having magic now that he is older(he's in his thirties) but he loves his job and more particularly his boss, Kavon. Kavon is his wet dream come to life, everything he could dream of, and because of his status he knows he'll never have him. It's hard and it becomes worse when Kavon got a new anchor, a little shit named Ben. The green horns of jealously becomes well known and causes tension amongst the team. He is contemplating on leaving.
Then the unexpected happens. Darren's magically dam bursts and when it does he does it like no other. As he is dealing with this new knowledge and grasping at it, his relationship with Kavon changes quickly. But they have little time as they are working a serial killer case.
I loved Kavon and Darren together and the other members of the team help bring life to the world. Each one has a different personality and I really like Les' Darren best friend. Hopefully we'll learn more about the 'spirit' world in the next book and their .
Also, I'm super curious about Darren. A sniff a mystery waiting to be opened... maybe...
I'm believe that he doesn't remember anything. Also, I feel that the council is bad and it's going to get more intense.
June 29, 2016
I'm struggling with how to review and rate this one. Lyn Gala's world building is always top notch and this book is no different. Because there was so much information to impart at the beginning of this series, it was hard to follow and retain it all. I'm pretty sure I got the big concepts - shamans, spirit guides, other forms of magic users, specialized FBI team tracking baddies using same, but the various team members blended a bit.
Our MCs, Darren and Kavon, were essentially colleagues for the vast majority of this book. The boss/subordinate dynamic was a little off putting in the romantic sense because one person truly did have (and use) all of the power and allusions to future exploration of such dynamics left me a little cold. There was a similar professional dynamic in Turbulence, but it didn't bother me - I think because of the personalities at work. Here, Kavon is an autocratic boss and Darren just had to deal with that. It was hard to see exactly what D liked so much about K. He thawed a bit very late in the book but even getting there was forced. I hope that future books delve more deeply into these characters, maybe show what Kavon is about and why everyone thinks he hung the moon.
Bottom line - good new book with interesting world. Not a romance per se.
Our MCs, Darren and Kavon, were essentially colleagues for the vast majority of this book. The boss/subordinate dynamic was a little off putting in the romantic sense because one person truly did have (and use) all of the power and allusions to future exploration of such dynamics left me a little cold. There was a similar professional dynamic in Turbulence, but it didn't bother me - I think because of the personalities at work. Here, Kavon is an autocratic boss and Darren just had to deal with that. It was hard to see exactly what D liked so much about K. He thawed a bit very late in the book but even getting there was forced. I hope that future books delve more deeply into these characters, maybe show what Kavon is about and why everyone thinks he hung the moon.
Bottom line - good new book with interesting world. Not a romance per se.
July 28, 2016
I rather enjoyed Urban Shaman and was looking forward to this book, hoping for a similar experience. I worked out fairly early that the world of this story is NOT the same as Urban Shaman and, sadly, not as well done.
A lot of clunky exposition, needless repetition (to the point I nearly stopped reading after about the sixth or seventh time I was told about the connections between a shaman and adept) and two dimensional characters (we're only ever told about them, not really shown any personality, the two POVs had little to differentiate them and there was zilch chemistry between them) made this a hard read for me. Combined with a generous amount of typos and I can't really endorse this book.
A lot of clunky exposition, needless repetition (to the point I nearly stopped reading after about the sixth or seventh time I was told about the connections between a shaman and adept) and two dimensional characters (we're only ever told about them, not really shown any personality, the two POVs had little to differentiate them and there was zilch chemistry between them) made this a hard read for me. Combined with a generous amount of typos and I can't really endorse this book.
October 5, 2024
I found this very tedious, a repetitious muddle with clunky worldbuilding. There’s a lot of explaining and very little action or romance. DNF@51%
November 24, 2017
**grm**
I had this series on my "to read" list for many months(probably years), bcs usually I want to have all the books, pratically the full series, before reading it, since the cliffhangers are a pain in the... well u know.
I must say that this series was a surprise and I really liked this first book. The world building is great and sure maybe there isn't a lot of romance, or to better say u must read btw the lines to see it, but I still fell in love with the MCs. Darren my poor baby! sometimes I wanted to hug him, his pining was cute and sweet, but how the others reacted to it wasn't. Idk why they had so many problems with Darren liking the boss, the guy never did anything inappropriate,and was awesome in his job, sure maybe his eyes sent daggers to Ben, the new adept working with Kavon,but that guy was an asshole and in the end Darren was right about him doing something to separate the team and mostly Darren from Kavon.
Kavon, what can I say about him? he was damn sexy, powerful and loyal, maybe I have a little crush on him too xD .. too bad that he also was pining and for Darren... (nah not bad, their sexy scenes were hot as hell *_*)
Darren and Kavon started working together 6 years before and they were pratically the founders of their team. The attraction btw them was always there, since the beginnning, but the shaman never acted on his feelings, bcs a relationship with a mundane would be dangerous for both of them and mostly for the human, Darren in this case. Kavon tried to ignore his feelings for the human in the team, searching for an adept and someone to bond with, but in the end he never did that and also with Ben, that at start seemed the perfect match for his shaman side, he never really took that step, and not even Kavon's guide, the Bull, liked Ben, smart bull(maybe the fact that we find out that Darren's guide, Bennu, had always been with the Bull, since our guys met, was one of the reason...the Bull really liked his "little" bird and he was smarter than Kavon in understanding first the link btw Darren and his "master").Darren, for 3 years after they met, never went out with someone else, but then at the end of the 3rd year, he started to think that maybe Kavon had changed his feelings and seeing how the other man tried to avoid him and ignore him, had hurt so much that in the end he had gone out and gone to bed with the first guy who had wanted to top him(not that he had been a virgin..). After that he had understood that it had all been useless and that Kavon would always be in his mind, so he had gone back on being celibate and pining. Now, after 3 more years since then, he finally wakes his Talent while trying to protect Kavon,and I was so happy I couldn't stop smiling. Bennu, Darren's spirit guide is one of my favourite chars, and I think there are way more secrets behind Darren's powers than we think.
After the awakening of Darren's powers, Kavon didn't have any more problems in starting a relationship with him(maybe just a little, but in the end he couldn't say no to a sexy Darren), and thanks the gods for that bcs they belong together and I was so happy to see that Ben go away, bcs for all the time I wanted to kick his ass, that flirty little shi*.....
Next!
I had this series on my "to read" list for many months(probably years), bcs usually I want to have all the books, pratically the full series, before reading it, since the cliffhangers are a pain in the... well u know.
I must say that this series was a surprise and I really liked this first book. The world building is great and sure maybe there isn't a lot of romance, or to better say u must read btw the lines to see it, but I still fell in love with the MCs. Darren my poor baby! sometimes I wanted to hug him, his pining was cute and sweet, but how the others reacted to it wasn't. Idk why they had so many problems with Darren liking the boss, the guy never did anything inappropriate,and was awesome in his job, sure maybe his eyes sent daggers to Ben, the new adept working with Kavon,but that guy was an asshole and in the end Darren was right about him doing something to separate the team and mostly Darren from Kavon.
Kavon, what can I say about him? he was damn sexy, powerful and loyal, maybe I have a little crush on him too xD .. too bad that he also was pining and for Darren... (nah not bad, their sexy scenes were hot as hell *_*)
Darren and Kavon started working together 6 years before and they were pratically the founders of their team. The attraction btw them was always there, since the beginnning, but the shaman never acted on his feelings, bcs a relationship with a mundane would be dangerous for both of them and mostly for the human, Darren in this case. Kavon tried to ignore his feelings for the human in the team, searching for an adept and someone to bond with, but in the end he never did that and also with Ben, that at start seemed the perfect match for his shaman side, he never really took that step, and not even Kavon's guide, the Bull, liked Ben, smart bull(maybe the fact that we find out that Darren's guide, Bennu, had always been with the Bull, since our guys met, was one of the reason...the Bull really liked his "little" bird and he was smarter than Kavon in understanding first the link btw Darren and his "master").Darren, for 3 years after they met, never went out with someone else, but then at the end of the 3rd year, he started to think that maybe Kavon had changed his feelings and seeing how the other man tried to avoid him and ignore him, had hurt so much that in the end he had gone out and gone to bed with the first guy who had wanted to top him(not that he had been a virgin..). After that he had understood that it had all been useless and that Kavon would always be in his mind, so he had gone back on being celibate and pining. Now, after 3 more years since then, he finally wakes his Talent while trying to protect Kavon,and I was so happy I couldn't stop smiling. Bennu, Darren's spirit guide is one of my favourite chars, and I think there are way more secrets behind Darren's powers than we think.
After the awakening of Darren's powers, Kavon didn't have any more problems in starting a relationship with him(maybe just a little, but in the end he couldn't say no to a sexy Darren), and thanks the gods for that bcs they belong together and I was so happy to see that Ben go away, bcs for all the time I wanted to kick his ass, that flirty little shi*.....
Next!
July 3, 2016
Awesome Fantasy Sci-Fi
“I’m not leaving until I have some way to help, so if you go all silent, I am fully capable of sitting here until I die just to spite you.” <----- awe...love...lol
This story is the prime example of an mm romance wrapped up in a fantastic plot full of action, deceit, magic, trust, unrequited love, friendship, and bonded mm love.
If you've read any of my previous reviews you'll know I not a big fan of erotica but for those who are you do get a couple of those scenes but this story is truly more of a sci-fi fantasy literature and a fantastic one at that!
Fantastic story. I wonder if book 2 and 3 is out yet, I couldn't find them on Amazon.
“I’m not leaving until I have some way to help, so if you go all silent, I am fully capable of sitting here until I die just to spite you.” <----- awe...love...lol
This story is the prime example of an mm romance wrapped up in a fantastic plot full of action, deceit, magic, trust, unrequited love, friendship, and bonded mm love.
If you've read any of my previous reviews you'll know I not a big fan of erotica but for those who are you do get a couple of those scenes but this story is truly more of a sci-fi fantasy literature and a fantastic one at that!
Fantastic story. I wonder if book 2 and 3 is out yet, I couldn't find them on Amazon.
June 23, 2016
Loved it! Lyn Gala has a great talent to create worlds/alternate universes that just drags you in and you become hooked! Loved the way the two main characters interacted in both their relationship and on the job. It's one of those stories where you wish you could read 'just a bit more, please!', because you know once you reach the end of the book you have to put it down until the next instalment is written.
I am delighted to say that this book is a great beginning to her new series "Aberrant Magic" and have no hesitation in recommended it to all who love the MM genre.
I am delighted to say that this book is a great beginning to her new series "Aberrant Magic" and have no hesitation in recommended it to all who love the MM genre.
June 24, 2016
I couldn't put it down. As I expect of Ms Gala, the world was complex, the characters real yet lovable, and the story riveting. I can't recommend this one enough.
July 9, 2016
4.5 STARS
This is going to be a fantastic UF trilogy if book #1 is anything to go by.
It's also currently on sale at loose i.d for $2.99 8th July 2016. Aussie time.
This is going to be a fantastic UF trilogy if book #1 is anything to go by.
It's also currently on sale at loose i.d for $2.99 8th July 2016. Aussie time.
June 22, 2020
3.5 Stars. I enjoyed this and although the romance doesn't really happen until the end - the relationship was interesting and different from other things I've read. The world building was at times a bit confusing but I think that worked a bit because Darren is learning about magic as the book goes so we as the reader are also learning about it. Darren is at times confused so again as a reader I didn't mind being a little confused since it put me more in Darren's POV.
What I really liked was the dynamic between Darren and Kavon. They weren't together for a lot of the book and they had a push/pull relationship but there was a good reason for it that both characters understood. Although at times Darren is upset with Kavon pulling away from him he knows that they can't be together and why. He also knows that they have both chosen to stay in their professional relationship. Either one of them could walk away from that but they don't want to lose that relationship so they settle for it and wish for more although neither one of them is overly angsty about it - it is just the way it is. This allowed a great deal of UST that really worked for me. I really liked both Darren and Kavon although I had a few issues with some of the other secondary characters (agents) in the book.
The main plot is dealt with here so no big cliffhanger but there is obviously a lot more to come with Darren and Kavon and their new relationship. I look forward to reading book 2.
What I really liked was the dynamic between Darren and Kavon. They weren't together for a lot of the book and they had a push/pull relationship but there was a good reason for it that both characters understood. Although at times Darren is upset with Kavon pulling away from him he knows that they can't be together and why. He also knows that they have both chosen to stay in their professional relationship. Either one of them could walk away from that but they don't want to lose that relationship so they settle for it and wish for more although neither one of them is overly angsty about it - it is just the way it is. This allowed a great deal of UST that really worked for me. I really liked both Darren and Kavon although I had a few issues with some of the other secondary characters (agents) in the book.
The main plot is dealt with here so no big cliffhanger but there is obviously a lot more to come with Darren and Kavon and their new relationship. I look forward to reading book 2.
July 11, 2020
3.5 stars
I have to say that I have become much more tolererant of books that have a huge info dump in the first book if it's in a series. I do like to have more knowledge and understanding of books that have a complex world such as this one where there's a lot of different aspects of magics and magic users and all that entails. So, even though this book wasn't terribly long and the romance aspect was kind of abrupt, I thought it worked well with the narrative.
My hope now is that the plot can progress with more story than info. It's an interesting world and I am definitely intrigued.
I have to say that I have become much more tolererant of books that have a huge info dump in the first book if it's in a series. I do like to have more knowledge and understanding of books that have a complex world such as this one where there's a lot of different aspects of magics and magic users and all that entails. So, even though this book wasn't terribly long and the romance aspect was kind of abrupt, I thought it worked well with the narrative.
My hope now is that the plot can progress with more story than info. It's an interesting world and I am definitely intrigued.
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