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Magus Malefica #1
Summoned
Devid Khandelwal desperately wants to experience the supernatural. After years of studying everything from crystals to tarot to spellcasting, nothing has happened that would tell him the Shadow Realm is real. And that kills Dev. As a last-ditch resort, he purchases a summoning board, an occult tool that will grant him his ultimate desires.
Cameron Habersham is Dev’s best friend. Cam loves Dev like a brother and will do anything for him, as long as he looks good doing it. So when Dev asks him to perform the summoning board’s ritual, he reluctantly agrees, but he knows nothing will come of it. Nothing ever does.
However, within a day, Dev and Cam’s lives are turned upside down as wishes begin to come true. They discover the existence of a supernatural world beyond their imagination, but peace between the species is tenuous at best.
Dev finally gets to see the Shadow Realm, meets the man of his dreams, and is inducted into the local male coven. But for all the desires that were summoned into existence, Dev soon realizes the magical community dances the line between good and evil, and Cam ends up on the wrong side of everything.
The old adage is true: Be careful what you wish for.
Cameron Habersham is Dev’s best friend. Cam loves Dev like a brother and will do anything for him, as long as he looks good doing it. So when Dev asks him to perform the summoning board’s ritual, he reluctantly agrees, but he knows nothing will come of it. Nothing ever does.
However, within a day, Dev and Cam’s lives are turned upside down as wishes begin to come true. They discover the existence of a supernatural world beyond their imagination, but peace between the species is tenuous at best.
Dev finally gets to see the Shadow Realm, meets the man of his dreams, and is inducted into the local male coven. But for all the desires that were summoned into existence, Dev soon realizes the magical community dances the line between good and evil, and Cam ends up on the wrong side of everything.
The old adage is true: Be careful what you wish for.
ebook
First published April 19, 2021
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191 people want to read
About the author
J.P. Jackson
20 books194 followersJ.P. Jackson is an award winning author of dark urban fantasy, paranormal, and even paranormal romance stories, but regardless of the genre they always feature LGBTQ+ main characters.
J.P. works as an IT analyst in health care during the day, where if cornered he’d confess to casting spells to ensure clinicians actually use the electronic medical charting system he configures and implements.
At night, the writing happens, where demons, witches and shape shifters congregate around the kitchen table and general chaos ensues. His husband of 22 years has very firmly put his foot down on any further wraith summonings and regularly lines the doorway with iron shavings and salt crystals. Imps are most definitely not house-trainable. Ghosts appear at the most inopportune times, and the Fae are known for regular visits where a glass of wine is exchanged for a good ole story or two. Although the husband doesn’t know it, Canela and Jalisco, the two Chihuahuas, are in cahoots with the spell casting.
J.P.’s other hobbies include hybridizing African Violets (thanks to grandma), extensive travelling and believe it or not, knitting.
J.P. works as an IT analyst in health care during the day, where if cornered he’d confess to casting spells to ensure clinicians actually use the electronic medical charting system he configures and implements.
At night, the writing happens, where demons, witches and shape shifters congregate around the kitchen table and general chaos ensues. His husband of 22 years has very firmly put his foot down on any further wraith summonings and regularly lines the doorway with iron shavings and salt crystals. Imps are most definitely not house-trainable. Ghosts appear at the most inopportune times, and the Fae are known for regular visits where a glass of wine is exchanged for a good ole story or two. Although the husband doesn’t know it, Canela and Jalisco, the two Chihuahuas, are in cahoots with the spell casting.
J.P.’s other hobbies include hybridizing African Violets (thanks to grandma), extensive travelling and believe it or not, knitting.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
September 6, 2021
3.5 stars Dev is twenty-three, almost graduated with a sociology degree, he loves everything that involves occultism, mysticism, spirit realms, supernatural. He just knows it’s there.
Dev’s best friend Cam is big and burly, when he opens his mouth “Unicorns and rainbows just fly out” (his words :). He doesn’t understand Dev’s fascination with magic, mysticism, and the paranormal.
Soooo, finally, Dev made skeptical Cam join him to attend the Summoning board. After many discussions about supernatural things, Cam finally gives in and sits with him.
They have to write three wishes and put them in a bowl.
Cam wasn’t surprised, duh! nothing happened!
So far so good. But man, know what you wish for!
Little does Dev knows about what’s going on around him. There’s a secret high priest of the Coven of the Night Grove, who wants Dev to join them.
One night he meets Tully, a witch. Dev can’t believe what is happening. Tully will guide Dev through his new world. Dev is special, he has special gifts.
Before Dev realizes it, he’s deep into a ceremony and will enter the Shadow Realm.
While Dev’s dreams come true, having the best time, exploring new realities, Cam’s world is collapsing.
It’s a kind of story where it’s difficult to write a review without giving away too much, without spoiling. Let’s conclude there are a few storylines, one of them is about how Dev gets into the supernatural world. The other is about Cam who desperately wants to get out of it.
We’ll meet many different creatures, like witches, vampires, witch/wolves, faeries, gods, undead, elements, too many to name.
After some heavy dark events, with blood, hopelessness, and despair, where creatures are suffering and sacrificed, there’s justification and finally, the wronged get right.
Pffff what a journey. It was mostly about Dev, I must confess I felt more for Cam than Dev. While the story was entertaining, for me, it was also a bit chaotic, no clear line between the main and secondary matters. The core of the story, why everything happened, was a bit disappointing, and way too human. I expected something for a higher purpose.
There are some warnings, beware of them: death of secondary characters, gore, abuse, graphic violence, kidnapping, imprisonment, torture.
Read and reviewed for LoveBytes - LGBTQ bookreviews
Dev’s best friend Cam is big and burly, when he opens his mouth “Unicorns and rainbows just fly out” (his words :). He doesn’t understand Dev’s fascination with magic, mysticism, and the paranormal.
Soooo, finally, Dev made skeptical Cam join him to attend the Summoning board. After many discussions about supernatural things, Cam finally gives in and sits with him.
They have to write three wishes and put them in a bowl.
Cam wasn’t surprised, duh! nothing happened!
So far so good. But man, know what you wish for!
Little does Dev knows about what’s going on around him. There’s a secret high priest of the Coven of the Night Grove, who wants Dev to join them.
One night he meets Tully, a witch. Dev can’t believe what is happening. Tully will guide Dev through his new world. Dev is special, he has special gifts.
Before Dev realizes it, he’s deep into a ceremony and will enter the Shadow Realm.
While Dev’s dreams come true, having the best time, exploring new realities, Cam’s world is collapsing.
It’s a kind of story where it’s difficult to write a review without giving away too much, without spoiling. Let’s conclude there are a few storylines, one of them is about how Dev gets into the supernatural world. The other is about Cam who desperately wants to get out of it.
We’ll meet many different creatures, like witches, vampires, witch/wolves, faeries, gods, undead, elements, too many to name.
After some heavy dark events, with blood, hopelessness, and despair, where creatures are suffering and sacrificed, there’s justification and finally, the wronged get right.
Pffff what a journey. It was mostly about Dev, I must confess I felt more for Cam than Dev. While the story was entertaining, for me, it was also a bit chaotic, no clear line between the main and secondary matters. The core of the story, why everything happened, was a bit disappointing, and way too human. I expected something for a higher purpose.
There are some warnings, beware of them: death of secondary characters, gore, abuse, graphic violence, kidnapping, imprisonment, torture.
Read and reviewed for LoveBytes - LGBTQ bookreviews
April 28, 2022
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.5 stars
Summoned is the first book in JP Jackson’s Magus Malefica series. The contemporary story meshes together strong occult/magic imagery, urban fantasy, and sex romp elements. There is clearly a whole magical underworld hidden from non-magical human eyes. The official blurb touches on the idea of peace between species and good and evil. I think these themes come across clearly in the prose, though I wasn’t quite sure how to interpret them. It’s clear the witches hate werewolves and fae. It’s also clear that there are good and evil organizations within the Shadow Realm. Less clear is whether or not the interspecies relations are universal in the whole Shadow Realm or if it’s just Tully’s coven that harbors this hate. The sense of good and evil also felt a bit confused to me. There were times when it seemed like Tully’s coven got conflated with the whole Shadow Realm and that seemed to skew things for our MCs.
Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.
3.5 stars
Summoned is the first book in JP Jackson’s Magus Malefica series. The contemporary story meshes together strong occult/magic imagery, urban fantasy, and sex romp elements. There is clearly a whole magical underworld hidden from non-magical human eyes. The official blurb touches on the idea of peace between species and good and evil. I think these themes come across clearly in the prose, though I wasn’t quite sure how to interpret them. It’s clear the witches hate werewolves and fae. It’s also clear that there are good and evil organizations within the Shadow Realm. Less clear is whether or not the interspecies relations are universal in the whole Shadow Realm or if it’s just Tully’s coven that harbors this hate. The sense of good and evil also felt a bit confused to me. There were times when it seemed like Tully’s coven got conflated with the whole Shadow Realm and that seemed to skew things for our MCs.
Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.
Read
March 15, 20222020-21 Rainbow Awards Runner-Up for Best Gay Paranormal Romance with one Honorable Mention
May 20, 2022
3.5/5
I've been a fan of J.P. Jackson ever since reading his novel Magic or Die.
I enjoyed reading this book, but some elements were a mixed bag for me.
This novel centers on a university student named Devid. He's spent years studying the occult, desperately hoping for some way to prove that magic is real and that he can wield it. All of his efforts have been in vain, until one fateful day when he purchases a summoning board and convinces his best friend Cam to participate. Devid and Cam embark on a journey of magic and peril as they struggle to make sense of the new world around them.
Going in, I was expecting something like a gay version of Charmed, but that's not quite what this book is. This novel was more character focused on Devid and his being brought into the world of magic via a local all-male coven. From there, he meets Tully and sparks fly, causing him to delve even deeper into the world of the occult. I liked Devid and Tully's interactions, and their connection made sense.
I liked the assortment of other characters, especially Amna, and all the dialogue felt very real to me.
There are plenty of sex scenes, so be prepared for that. It didn't bug me at all personally, but I did feel that there was a bit too much focus on the sex and relationship part of things and not enough focus on the plot. I'm not a huge romance person, so I think someone more used to reading romance would appreciate it a bit more than I did.
The first half of the book tended to drag a little bit for me, though I did enjoy the journey. I just wanted there to be more action, stuff like magic battles between covens or the coven defending themselves against supernatural creatures left and right.
Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of magic, it just wasn't as fast-paced as I was hoping for. There were some really fun scenes throughout and enough magic present for me to try out the next book. If you're looking for a fantasy read with lots of LGBT heat, I think you'll really enjoy this one. Give it a go!
I've been a fan of J.P. Jackson ever since reading his novel Magic or Die.
I enjoyed reading this book, but some elements were a mixed bag for me.
This novel centers on a university student named Devid. He's spent years studying the occult, desperately hoping for some way to prove that magic is real and that he can wield it. All of his efforts have been in vain, until one fateful day when he purchases a summoning board and convinces his best friend Cam to participate. Devid and Cam embark on a journey of magic and peril as they struggle to make sense of the new world around them.
Going in, I was expecting something like a gay version of Charmed, but that's not quite what this book is. This novel was more character focused on Devid and his being brought into the world of magic via a local all-male coven. From there, he meets Tully and sparks fly, causing him to delve even deeper into the world of the occult. I liked Devid and Tully's interactions, and their connection made sense.
I liked the assortment of other characters, especially Amna, and all the dialogue felt very real to me.
There are plenty of sex scenes, so be prepared for that. It didn't bug me at all personally, but I did feel that there was a bit too much focus on the sex and relationship part of things and not enough focus on the plot. I'm not a huge romance person, so I think someone more used to reading romance would appreciate it a bit more than I did.
The first half of the book tended to drag a little bit for me, though I did enjoy the journey. I just wanted there to be more action, stuff like magic battles between covens or the coven defending themselves against supernatural creatures left and right.
Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of magic, it just wasn't as fast-paced as I was hoping for. There were some really fun scenes throughout and enough magic present for me to try out the next book. If you're looking for a fantasy read with lots of LGBT heat, I think you'll really enjoy this one. Give it a go!
September 7, 2021
Oh, y’all, we need to talk about Summoned (Ninestar Press), this naughty as hell foray into the queer-centric witchy world J.P. Jackson has created because it’s steamy and very enjoyable.
Ever since The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe convinced my ass I’m a long-lost prince of a fantastical world somewhere (my therapist is dealing with that), one of my favorite tropes is characters learning they’re a pivotal part of a larger, mysterious world. I’m a sucker for it. What I instantly liked about Summoned was the main character, Dev. A handsome soon-to-be college graduate navigating family, school, and a fabulous bestie. He also has an unquenchable desire to be a part of the Shadow Realm and as most of us are apt to do at one point or another, he dabbles with a Witchboard in hopes of making his wish come true (ah, youth).
They come true of course, and while none of Dev’s wishes included instantly finding the queer witchy world full of hot, burly, hairy men (we’re talkin’ bears baby!), it’s what he sure gets. His introduction to the Shadow Realm comes complete with Ginger bears, Professor bears, hot werewolf bears! As Dev falls further into this new world; complete with magical abilities and room-shattering sex, his newfound skills will be tested when his best friend goes missing.
The queer and witchy world Jackson’s created is fun and refreshing. All the male witches are gay (and I’m here for it), the visuals and the way he depicts the magic were beautifully done, and all the characters were detailed and well defined, and let’s not kid, they all hot as hell. His descriptions of them are so well written you may find yourself drooling over these men enough to seek out your own summoning board to wish one into existence (I call dibs on Dev).
Listen, a lot of thick and hairy thighs, furry bodies, beards, growly voices, and hard erections are the way to this reader’s heart and Jackson melds them all together within a fun and fast-paced story (no book has given me the unsatisfied housewife sex novel vibe in its sex scenes as much as Summoned did in a while. I felt dirty. And I liked it.) Y’all I’m not kidding when I tell you this sucka is scorching hot. You might come for the witchy vibes, and the cute boys, and the magical mystery which there’s plenty of, but you’ll be rereading these sex scenes thrice.
So why isn’t this five stars? Well, one, that’s rude of you to ask, I don’t come to your review and question you about things. Two, without giving spoilers, for there are lots of surprises in Summoned, I was not thrilled with the conclusion of Book One’s story. It left me wanting, but not in a good way. But no tea, no shade; I’m cleaned up, lubed up, and ready for the sequel. So, the above is really about my personal taste, and trust me there’s more than enough to get you excited, in multiple ways, within the pages of Summoned. This one is worth checking out.
Ever since The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe convinced my ass I’m a long-lost prince of a fantastical world somewhere (my therapist is dealing with that), one of my favorite tropes is characters learning they’re a pivotal part of a larger, mysterious world. I’m a sucker for it. What I instantly liked about Summoned was the main character, Dev. A handsome soon-to-be college graduate navigating family, school, and a fabulous bestie. He also has an unquenchable desire to be a part of the Shadow Realm and as most of us are apt to do at one point or another, he dabbles with a Witchboard in hopes of making his wish come true (ah, youth).
They come true of course, and while none of Dev’s wishes included instantly finding the queer witchy world full of hot, burly, hairy men (we’re talkin’ bears baby!), it’s what he sure gets. His introduction to the Shadow Realm comes complete with Ginger bears, Professor bears, hot werewolf bears! As Dev falls further into this new world; complete with magical abilities and room-shattering sex, his newfound skills will be tested when his best friend goes missing.
The queer and witchy world Jackson’s created is fun and refreshing. All the male witches are gay (and I’m here for it), the visuals and the way he depicts the magic were beautifully done, and all the characters were detailed and well defined, and let’s not kid, they all hot as hell. His descriptions of them are so well written you may find yourself drooling over these men enough to seek out your own summoning board to wish one into existence (I call dibs on Dev).
Listen, a lot of thick and hairy thighs, furry bodies, beards, growly voices, and hard erections are the way to this reader’s heart and Jackson melds them all together within a fun and fast-paced story (no book has given me the unsatisfied housewife sex novel vibe in its sex scenes as much as Summoned did in a while. I felt dirty. And I liked it.) Y’all I’m not kidding when I tell you this sucka is scorching hot. You might come for the witchy vibes, and the cute boys, and the magical mystery which there’s plenty of, but you’ll be rereading these sex scenes thrice.
So why isn’t this five stars? Well, one, that’s rude of you to ask, I don’t come to your review and question you about things. Two, without giving spoilers, for there are lots of surprises in Summoned, I was not thrilled with the conclusion of Book One’s story. It left me wanting, but not in a good way. But no tea, no shade; I’m cleaned up, lubed up, and ready for the sequel. So, the above is really about my personal taste, and trust me there’s more than enough to get you excited, in multiple ways, within the pages of Summoned. This one is worth checking out.
April 19, 2021
J.P. Jackson has done it again with “Summoned.” The story grabs you right from the start....and it only gets better. Mr. Jackson has a way with character dialog that seems natural and flowing and truly believable to be a conversation among friends. His impressive abilities to tell a story will keep you eagerly turning pages to the very end and leave you counting the days for the sequel.
April 14, 2021
Big thanks to J.P. Jackson and Nine Star Press for my first ever ARC! I'm excited to share this book with anyone who likes M/M fantasy with lots of romance in it but also wanted to give as honest a review as possible.
3.5 stars (70%) rated up for ingenuity and creativity
Because this is an ARC, I want to try to be a little more thorough than in my other reviews, especially because a lot of different variables inform my rating.
Overview:
Story: 4/5
Lore/Species: 5/5
Characters: 3/5
Ease of Reading: 5/5
Style: 3/5
STORY
I don't read a lot of romance-genre type fiction so it was an overall lighter story than I'm used to--the stakes weren't quite as high, the drama not quite as dramatic. But that isn't at all a reflection on the quality of the book, just my personal taste. I did like the story overall. A lot of elements (expanded on below) combined into a story I wasn't expecting and included takes on things both familiar and unfamiliar, making them fresh in unconventional ways. I couldn't quite give a 5/5 though because it left me wanting more. I wanted deeper into this story, as at times it felt a little summarized and breezed through during moments that could have been fleshed out and drawn the reader further in to the lives of the characters and the magic they live with.
While there were multiple plotlines within the story (Dev's journey, Dev's relationship journey, the bad guy's journey, Cam's journey, plus some others), I felt like none of them got enough space on the page to do them justice. It's a little hard to describe without spoilers, but it felt at times almost like the bad guy's story was separate from Dev's, and it definitely could have gotten an entire book to itself. Everything just felt so rushed and short, whisking me along as the pages turned when I wanted to slow down and dig into everything.
LORE/SPECIES
Vampires, werewolves, witches, all have been done to death... or so I thought. My absolute favorite part of this book were the creatures present and the history of magic sourcing and usage. I can't say with any certainty if any of these details have been "done" before, but they were new for me and I really enjoyed them. I definitely detected a little bit of a horror vibe from some species, especially the werewolves. Even the fae are nothing like Tinkerbell, and the more predatory, rough and raw, inhuman aspect of all the species was like a breath of fresh air.
Yes, there was romances between these various species, but it wasn't without pitfalls. How do you deal with a werewolf for a partner when they change on the full moon, or when their inner wolf says to hate witches and you are one? I had so many questions about why species were presented this way and how they came to be and where they came from, kind of to the point that I cared about the history more than the story on the actual page.
CHARACTERS
This was one of the less interesting aspects of the story for me. I am absolutely a character stickler, and by that I mean I want to know everything about the protagonist (and often their love interest), from what they like and dislike to what they think moment to moment to what motivates them to get up in the morning--characters are the #1 reason I read a book, trumping even the story itself. There were hints of character through the book (more detail under "Style" below), but as with the story, I wanted more. I kept getting little tidbits of interesting factoids and backstory here and there but then it got cut short by plot. History and current story absolutely have to be balanced, but to me the depth of the characters was sacrificed by how bare bones they came across. The non-witch and non-human characters in particular I would have loved to have a little more information from.
I was actually more intrigued by the villain(s) (though that's not new, I notoriously favor most bad guys over the heroes they face). They seemed to have a little more depth if only because their motives needed to be explained in more detail, whether to add sympathy or moral grey area. I still wanted to know LOTS more about them, but felt overall that I also learned the most about them.
I also feel obligated to mention that almost the entire cast of male characters are gay, and most of them are also bears (large, masculine, hairy men). Both of these things are rather rare in most of the books I read, so I think that was also a little bit distracting, in the sense of wondering how it's possible for such a high proportion of the characters to be gay and/or bears (though the gay part does have an explanation). I love LGBT fiction and M/M in particular, but for once I actually found myself wishing for a more diverse cast of characters, whether gender, appearance, or sexuality.
(I do find, however, that romance books and M/M in particular tend to cater to specific sub-audiences when it comes to "kinks". So those who like masculine bear romances, this book would be perfect for you. As a reader outside of this "sub-genre", I can't deny that it did put me off a little.)
EASE OF READING
I got through this book in a couple days (despite what my reading period shows). When I actually sat down and dedicated time to it, it was very easy to knock out a couple chapters in an hour or so. The language is accessible, not overly complicated or using big fancy words, and because Dev is new (relatively) to the world of magic, pretty much anything I as a reader wasn't sure of got explained to Dev by a more experienced character. In terms of why things happened, why characters did what they did, etc, I was never lost. Compared to the convoluted murder mysteries I've been reading lately it was actually a nice break to have only a few questions throughout the book instead of a constantly changing roster of them. I think sometimes you just need a story capable of entertaining without requiring a map or a family tree to keep track of everything.
STYLE
A bit related to pretty much every category previous, the style for me left a fair bit to be desired. I liked that this wasn't a book filled with large, complicated words, and it didn't take me 10 minutes to read a page because it was so dense with text. Instead, I wanted more text. I wanted more context, more character, more story, more everything. So on the one side, I feel like that means the author has technically done their job properly, because it had me wanting more. But I feel like wanting more in the "when is the next book coming out" sense is different from the "I want to know more about this book I'm reading right now" sense.
There was a lot of white space, a lot of placeholder dialogue (especially damn and what?) and shallow dialogue (stuff that didn't directly advance the plot), but what bothered me the most was the lack of description. I'm still not going to say this has anything to do with the quality of the book because this too is probably influenced by my personal preference. I have been told by a lot of other writers not to use "-ly" verbs or state emotions, and both of these occur in startling abundance in this book.
While on the one hand that means you don't have to guess what a character's mood or intention is because it's rather directly told on the page and thus you're unlikely to miss much, as you work through a book and get to know a character you get to know what certain things they do mean and over time those actions come to speak for themselves to save both author and reader from the paragraph detailing "he did X because Y, and Y always made him feel Z" etc.
I think this may be related to how many characters are cycled between throughout the book. It's not that long in terms of page count, and yet we jumped between 4 (I think even more at certain points) characters. Possibly part of it was the times when there were back to back page breaks as the perspective jumped between characters within a single scene (though I am VERY thankful there were at least the breaks as some writers just cover all the characters in the same scene and it gets clunky and confusing. So another point to 'ease of reading', for sure).
I think this also contributed to my feeling of needing more, because I never truly got comfortably situated in any one character's head; I was never with any one character long enough. Dev, as the protagonist, did have the most page time, but I think if you balanced Dev vs all other characters, he'd only have maybe 50% lead time. Considering that it felt like it was supposed to be his story, I felt like I didn't actually "see" him all that much.
FINAL VERDICT
In sum I am a super nitpicky person and it is no fault of this book for not scoring an 11/10 from me. I know what I like in my books and very rarely find all of those things together in one place. I would consider this book a tiny ways outside my usual "comfort zone", more heavy on the romance and lighter on the drama and violence than I usually go for, but I would not in any way call this a bad book. Not a perfect match for me but I'm just one reader, and no book is going to work for every person who reads it.
If you're like me and like deep characters and a complicated plotline, you might find this title lacking. But if you go more for a unique setup, steamy romance, and only a splash of horror with your drama, this book might be for you.
3.5 stars (70%) rated up for ingenuity and creativity
Because this is an ARC, I want to try to be a little more thorough than in my other reviews, especially because a lot of different variables inform my rating.
Overview:
Story: 4/5
Lore/Species: 5/5
Characters: 3/5
Ease of Reading: 5/5
Style: 3/5
STORY
I don't read a lot of romance-genre type fiction so it was an overall lighter story than I'm used to--the stakes weren't quite as high, the drama not quite as dramatic. But that isn't at all a reflection on the quality of the book, just my personal taste. I did like the story overall. A lot of elements (expanded on below) combined into a story I wasn't expecting and included takes on things both familiar and unfamiliar, making them fresh in unconventional ways. I couldn't quite give a 5/5 though because it left me wanting more. I wanted deeper into this story, as at times it felt a little summarized and breezed through during moments that could have been fleshed out and drawn the reader further in to the lives of the characters and the magic they live with.
While there were multiple plotlines within the story (Dev's journey, Dev's relationship journey, the bad guy's journey, Cam's journey, plus some others), I felt like none of them got enough space on the page to do them justice. It's a little hard to describe without spoilers, but it felt at times almost like the bad guy's story was separate from Dev's, and it definitely could have gotten an entire book to itself. Everything just felt so rushed and short, whisking me along as the pages turned when I wanted to slow down and dig into everything.
LORE/SPECIES
Vampires, werewolves, witches, all have been done to death... or so I thought. My absolute favorite part of this book were the creatures present and the history of magic sourcing and usage. I can't say with any certainty if any of these details have been "done" before, but they were new for me and I really enjoyed them. I definitely detected a little bit of a horror vibe from some species, especially the werewolves. Even the fae are nothing like Tinkerbell, and the more predatory, rough and raw, inhuman aspect of all the species was like a breath of fresh air.
Yes, there was romances between these various species, but it wasn't without pitfalls. How do you deal with a werewolf for a partner when they change on the full moon, or when their inner wolf says to hate witches and you are one? I had so many questions about why species were presented this way and how they came to be and where they came from, kind of to the point that I cared about the history more than the story on the actual page.
CHARACTERS
This was one of the less interesting aspects of the story for me. I am absolutely a character stickler, and by that I mean I want to know everything about the protagonist (and often their love interest), from what they like and dislike to what they think moment to moment to what motivates them to get up in the morning--characters are the #1 reason I read a book, trumping even the story itself. There were hints of character through the book (more detail under "Style" below), but as with the story, I wanted more. I kept getting little tidbits of interesting factoids and backstory here and there but then it got cut short by plot. History and current story absolutely have to be balanced, but to me the depth of the characters was sacrificed by how bare bones they came across. The non-witch and non-human characters in particular I would have loved to have a little more information from.
I was actually more intrigued by the villain(s) (though that's not new, I notoriously favor most bad guys over the heroes they face). They seemed to have a little more depth if only because their motives needed to be explained in more detail, whether to add sympathy or moral grey area. I still wanted to know LOTS more about them, but felt overall that I also learned the most about them.
I also feel obligated to mention that almost the entire cast of male characters are gay, and most of them are also bears (large, masculine, hairy men). Both of these things are rather rare in most of the books I read, so I think that was also a little bit distracting, in the sense of wondering how it's possible for such a high proportion of the characters to be gay and/or bears (though the gay part does have an explanation). I love LGBT fiction and M/M in particular, but for once I actually found myself wishing for a more diverse cast of characters, whether gender, appearance, or sexuality.
(I do find, however, that romance books and M/M in particular tend to cater to specific sub-audiences when it comes to "kinks". So those who like masculine bear romances, this book would be perfect for you. As a reader outside of this "sub-genre", I can't deny that it did put me off a little.)
EASE OF READING
I got through this book in a couple days (despite what my reading period shows). When I actually sat down and dedicated time to it, it was very easy to knock out a couple chapters in an hour or so. The language is accessible, not overly complicated or using big fancy words, and because Dev is new (relatively) to the world of magic, pretty much anything I as a reader wasn't sure of got explained to Dev by a more experienced character. In terms of why things happened, why characters did what they did, etc, I was never lost. Compared to the convoluted murder mysteries I've been reading lately it was actually a nice break to have only a few questions throughout the book instead of a constantly changing roster of them. I think sometimes you just need a story capable of entertaining without requiring a map or a family tree to keep track of everything.
STYLE
A bit related to pretty much every category previous, the style for me left a fair bit to be desired. I liked that this wasn't a book filled with large, complicated words, and it didn't take me 10 minutes to read a page because it was so dense with text. Instead, I wanted more text. I wanted more context, more character, more story, more everything. So on the one side, I feel like that means the author has technically done their job properly, because it had me wanting more. But I feel like wanting more in the "when is the next book coming out" sense is different from the "I want to know more about this book I'm reading right now" sense.
There was a lot of white space, a lot of placeholder dialogue (especially damn and what?) and shallow dialogue (stuff that didn't directly advance the plot), but what bothered me the most was the lack of description. I'm still not going to say this has anything to do with the quality of the book because this too is probably influenced by my personal preference. I have been told by a lot of other writers not to use "-ly" verbs or state emotions, and both of these occur in startling abundance in this book.
While on the one hand that means you don't have to guess what a character's mood or intention is because it's rather directly told on the page and thus you're unlikely to miss much, as you work through a book and get to know a character you get to know what certain things they do mean and over time those actions come to speak for themselves to save both author and reader from the paragraph detailing "he did X because Y, and Y always made him feel Z" etc.
I think this may be related to how many characters are cycled between throughout the book. It's not that long in terms of page count, and yet we jumped between 4 (I think even more at certain points) characters. Possibly part of it was the times when there were back to back page breaks as the perspective jumped between characters within a single scene (though I am VERY thankful there were at least the breaks as some writers just cover all the characters in the same scene and it gets clunky and confusing. So another point to 'ease of reading', for sure).
I think this also contributed to my feeling of needing more, because I never truly got comfortably situated in any one character's head; I was never with any one character long enough. Dev, as the protagonist, did have the most page time, but I think if you balanced Dev vs all other characters, he'd only have maybe 50% lead time. Considering that it felt like it was supposed to be his story, I felt like I didn't actually "see" him all that much.
FINAL VERDICT
In sum I am a super nitpicky person and it is no fault of this book for not scoring an 11/10 from me. I know what I like in my books and very rarely find all of those things together in one place. I would consider this book a tiny ways outside my usual "comfort zone", more heavy on the romance and lighter on the drama and violence than I usually go for, but I would not in any way call this a bad book. Not a perfect match for me but I'm just one reader, and no book is going to work for every person who reads it.
If you're like me and like deep characters and a complicated plotline, you might find this title lacking. But if you go more for a unique setup, steamy romance, and only a splash of horror with your drama, this book might be for you.
May 13, 2022
JP Jackson is a new author to me and this was my frist read by him. And i really enjoyed it, His world building is on point. I found Cam hilarious, this is a guy you would want as a best friend definitely😂
August 3, 2021
Mysterious witches, dangerous magical creatures, and hot furry men: what more could you possibly want in a book? Those were the things I knew I could expect from J.P. Jackson’s Summoned, the first book in his Magus Malefica series. What I didn’t expect was a dark storyline that spanned two different protagonists with some unexpected villains.
Dev, our first hero, is someone I easily connected to, and I suspect others will as well. He’s a young gay twenty-something, stuck living at home with his family and yearning for a life filled with so much more. One of his greatest desires is to be a witch, to have access to the magic and powers of one connected to the shadow realm. His best friend, Cam, is our other protagonist. Ever the skeptic, he begrudgingly goes along with Dev’s attempts at playing a witch, though of course not without making fun of his friend for it first. Unfortunately for Cam, he ends up getting dragged into the shadow realm alongside Dev, though under much darker circumstances.
I love these boys, who seem very devoted to each other despite their differences, at least when they’re not preoccupied with their own crap. But who isn’t at that age? My only complaint would be that we do not get to see too much of their friendship before the plot kicks in and the two are split up, having very different experiences with their new magical acquaintances.
I liked the way the magical world is presented through their different points of view, both vastly different from the other. The more we learn, the more the lines between who is on the right side begin to blur, and you’re left wondering just who our characters can really trust. As their storylines converge, our boys will have to see if their friendship can survive after they’re forced to confront each other with the differing knowledge they possess about this new world they both now live in.
I had a lot of fun with this book. J.P. blends fun descriptions of spell casting and magical creatures with cheeky sex and romance, and good dose of drama and adventure. I especially appreciated the gratuitous nudity the all-male coven requires when casting their spells. You definitely won’t be left wondering about the author’s fondness for hairy bearded men. So, if you like witches, beards, and a whole lot of magic, give this book a shot!
Dev, our first hero, is someone I easily connected to, and I suspect others will as well. He’s a young gay twenty-something, stuck living at home with his family and yearning for a life filled with so much more. One of his greatest desires is to be a witch, to have access to the magic and powers of one connected to the shadow realm. His best friend, Cam, is our other protagonist. Ever the skeptic, he begrudgingly goes along with Dev’s attempts at playing a witch, though of course not without making fun of his friend for it first. Unfortunately for Cam, he ends up getting dragged into the shadow realm alongside Dev, though under much darker circumstances.
I love these boys, who seem very devoted to each other despite their differences, at least when they’re not preoccupied with their own crap. But who isn’t at that age? My only complaint would be that we do not get to see too much of their friendship before the plot kicks in and the two are split up, having very different experiences with their new magical acquaintances.
I liked the way the magical world is presented through their different points of view, both vastly different from the other. The more we learn, the more the lines between who is on the right side begin to blur, and you’re left wondering just who our characters can really trust. As their storylines converge, our boys will have to see if their friendship can survive after they’re forced to confront each other with the differing knowledge they possess about this new world they both now live in.
I had a lot of fun with this book. J.P. blends fun descriptions of spell casting and magical creatures with cheeky sex and romance, and good dose of drama and adventure. I especially appreciated the gratuitous nudity the all-male coven requires when casting their spells. You definitely won’t be left wondering about the author’s fondness for hairy bearded men. So, if you like witches, beards, and a whole lot of magic, give this book a shot!
April 27, 2021
Summoned (Magus Malefica 1)
By J.P. Jackson
NineStar Press, 2021
Four stars
Be careful what you wish for.
Dev Khandelwal is a study in contrasts; a first generation Indian-Canadian, a wannabe mage from a good Hindu family, who doesn’t like lamb rogan josh. That last detail really disturbed me. Who doesn’t like lamb rogan josh?!
Dev is sort of a reverse failure to launch: desperate to leave home but trapped by his loving, critical, overbearing parents. Even at twenty-three, on the verge of graduation from university, Dev spends much of his free time faffing about with his best friend, Cameron Habersham. Cam is also a sort of contrast, being tall and blond and butch in looks, but proudly fey in manner. Cam indulges Dev’s yearning to acquire magical powers, but really doesn’t take him (or much of anything) seriously, other than his clothes.
Having used a new student credit card (‘let’s get them in debt before they graduate!’) to buy a summoning board he can’t afford from the local occult shop, Dev unknowingly unleashes a chain of events that will change, well, everything.
J.B. Jackson is a good, contemporary writer, capturing the unsettled mood of twenty-somethings trying to find themselves. Aside from textual anomalies that can be attributed to NineStar’s editorial crew, Jackson’s narrative pulls you along, surprising in its darkness as Cam and Dev’s storylines diverge. Dev is just feckless enough, caught up in his own imagined Magic Kingdom, that he loses sight of his closest friend and ally. The intertwined story lines lead to a finale that is both unsurprising and shocking, a far cry from the sparkly-eyed enthusiasm with which Dev’s journey begins.
I really don’t want to spoil the fun, so will say nothing further beyond the two facts that the author clearly likes hairy men, and I definitely have to read the next book in the Magus Malefica series.
By J.P. Jackson
NineStar Press, 2021
Four stars
Be careful what you wish for.
Dev Khandelwal is a study in contrasts; a first generation Indian-Canadian, a wannabe mage from a good Hindu family, who doesn’t like lamb rogan josh. That last detail really disturbed me. Who doesn’t like lamb rogan josh?!
Dev is sort of a reverse failure to launch: desperate to leave home but trapped by his loving, critical, overbearing parents. Even at twenty-three, on the verge of graduation from university, Dev spends much of his free time faffing about with his best friend, Cameron Habersham. Cam is also a sort of contrast, being tall and blond and butch in looks, but proudly fey in manner. Cam indulges Dev’s yearning to acquire magical powers, but really doesn’t take him (or much of anything) seriously, other than his clothes.
Having used a new student credit card (‘let’s get them in debt before they graduate!’) to buy a summoning board he can’t afford from the local occult shop, Dev unknowingly unleashes a chain of events that will change, well, everything.
J.B. Jackson is a good, contemporary writer, capturing the unsettled mood of twenty-somethings trying to find themselves. Aside from textual anomalies that can be attributed to NineStar’s editorial crew, Jackson’s narrative pulls you along, surprising in its darkness as Cam and Dev’s storylines diverge. Dev is just feckless enough, caught up in his own imagined Magic Kingdom, that he loses sight of his closest friend and ally. The intertwined story lines lead to a finale that is both unsurprising and shocking, a far cry from the sparkly-eyed enthusiasm with which Dev’s journey begins.
I really don’t want to spoil the fun, so will say nothing further beyond the two facts that the author clearly likes hairy men, and I definitely have to read the next book in the Magus Malefica series.
October 31, 2021
ARC received from GRR for an honest review.
Dev has been obsessed with the supernatural world for years. He's about to graduate with a Sociology degree and he's taking his future by the horns. He goes to an occult store and buys a summoning board. When he gets home with his best friend Cam, they work a spell to get Dev his desire. To be accepted by the Shadow Realm and to become a witch. Dev wants Cam to participate in the spell but Dev is unaware that Cam, not taking this seriously, has put in ridiculous wishes. The next day Dev is about to explode because he doesn't think the spell worked and everyone is pushing his last button. He's getting frequent, crazy texts from Cam, his family are taking him for granted and his professor has announced that he missed an important assignment, that he needs to graduate. Dev finally explodes on his family and promptly leaves to his favorite coffee shop, where he meets Tully. Tully points out something to Dev that lets him know the spell worked and Dev is on his way to being the witch he's always wanted to be. As some of the things Dev wants start becoming real, other odd things start to happen and he's second guessing his desire to be a witch and wondering if his new friends are really friends.
This is a well written book that kept me glued from page one. All of the characters are fully fleshed out and have a place in the book. The ending is slowly brought about with a twist that is not a complete surprise but definitely interesting. The magic and paranormal parts are well explained and made me feel like I was there and learning something new. This is my first book by this author but it will definitely not be my last. Highly recommend this book for anyone who likes MM fantasy, paranormal, magic, romance and a little mystery too.
Dev has been obsessed with the supernatural world for years. He's about to graduate with a Sociology degree and he's taking his future by the horns. He goes to an occult store and buys a summoning board. When he gets home with his best friend Cam, they work a spell to get Dev his desire. To be accepted by the Shadow Realm and to become a witch. Dev wants Cam to participate in the spell but Dev is unaware that Cam, not taking this seriously, has put in ridiculous wishes. The next day Dev is about to explode because he doesn't think the spell worked and everyone is pushing his last button. He's getting frequent, crazy texts from Cam, his family are taking him for granted and his professor has announced that he missed an important assignment, that he needs to graduate. Dev finally explodes on his family and promptly leaves to his favorite coffee shop, where he meets Tully. Tully points out something to Dev that lets him know the spell worked and Dev is on his way to being the witch he's always wanted to be. As some of the things Dev wants start becoming real, other odd things start to happen and he's second guessing his desire to be a witch and wondering if his new friends are really friends.
This is a well written book that kept me glued from page one. All of the characters are fully fleshed out and have a place in the book. The ending is slowly brought about with a twist that is not a complete surprise but definitely interesting. The magic and paranormal parts are well explained and made me feel like I was there and learning something new. This is my first book by this author but it will definitely not be my last. Highly recommend this book for anyone who likes MM fantasy, paranormal, magic, romance and a little mystery too.
November 13, 2021
First, this isn't the first novel from J.P. Jackson I've read. I previously reviewed his novel Magic or Die (Inner Demons #1). Personally, I preferred Magic or Die to this latest book Summoned (Magus Malefica #1).
Second, don't make wish on ouija board if you don't know who's powering it, which is exactly what Dev Habersham and his best friend Cam did. Dev wished for access to the supernatural world and Cam flippantly said he wanted to be "fairy he always knew he was." Well, what evil maniacal Jin could pass up a wish like the latter one? So, while Cam starts to morph into a blood-thirsty member of the fae court, Dev falls head over heels for the witchy guy who's been sent to follow him.
Overall, I definitely think this was a good urban fantasy with interesting world building. It's definitely a quick, easy read and you do enjoy the characters.
At times, I found myself rolling my eyes. Apparently, Dev lives in a world where every hot guy is a muscle bear (warning, no hairless twinks in this book). I don't know why the author chose that descriptor for all of his characters, but it just stood out strange to me. I would say the same thing if every character was a waif-thin hairless twink, too. I just wish there had been more explorations of diversity within the book since the main character is not your stereotypical white male protagonist, I just wish the world envisioned here had been more holistically diverse as well.
I read this book in November 2021 as a review copy. I thank the author/publisher for this opportunity to read the book.
Second, don't make wish on ouija board if you don't know who's powering it, which is exactly what Dev Habersham and his best friend Cam did. Dev wished for access to the supernatural world and Cam flippantly said he wanted to be "fairy he always knew he was." Well, what evil maniacal Jin could pass up a wish like the latter one? So, while Cam starts to morph into a blood-thirsty member of the fae court, Dev falls head over heels for the witchy guy who's been sent to follow him.
Overall, I definitely think this was a good urban fantasy with interesting world building. It's definitely a quick, easy read and you do enjoy the characters.
At times, I found myself rolling my eyes. Apparently, Dev lives in a world where every hot guy is a muscle bear (warning, no hairless twinks in this book). I don't know why the author chose that descriptor for all of his characters, but it just stood out strange to me. I would say the same thing if every character was a waif-thin hairless twink, too. I just wish there had been more explorations of diversity within the book since the main character is not your stereotypical white male protagonist, I just wish the world envisioned here had been more holistically diverse as well.
I read this book in November 2021 as a review copy. I thank the author/publisher for this opportunity to read the book.
April 10, 2021
Witches, Fae and Werewolves…oh my!
What can I say about this amazing book? Well, first, let’s start with the characters. These characters feel like actual people you may know and see on the street, yes, they come across as a bit to handsome to be real, but we all know people like that. What the author does to counter their good looks is give them real problems and make them more than just eye candy. So, reading about all the handsome characters didn’t take me out of the story which was very much appreciated. The plot and the writing are what will keep you involved in this book. The author doesn’t use tired tropes or give you next to no plot. Everything feels fleshed out, which is a big plus. What is new for this author are the romantic elements, which are woven into the story and the scenes were the characters are engaged are honest and work within the story. Sometimes authors will only focus on the sex in these sorts of novels, but here you get story, character development, and sex. It all works out well. The violence also works in this story, it’s a dark story, and you need the darkness to make the rest of the story pop.
You need to read this story. It’s fantastic. Well done J.P. Jackson.
What can I say about this amazing book? Well, first, let’s start with the characters. These characters feel like actual people you may know and see on the street, yes, they come across as a bit to handsome to be real, but we all know people like that. What the author does to counter their good looks is give them real problems and make them more than just eye candy. So, reading about all the handsome characters didn’t take me out of the story which was very much appreciated. The plot and the writing are what will keep you involved in this book. The author doesn’t use tired tropes or give you next to no plot. Everything feels fleshed out, which is a big plus. What is new for this author are the romantic elements, which are woven into the story and the scenes were the characters are engaged are honest and work within the story. Sometimes authors will only focus on the sex in these sorts of novels, but here you get story, character development, and sex. It all works out well. The violence also works in this story, it’s a dark story, and you need the darkness to make the rest of the story pop.
You need to read this story. It’s fantastic. Well done J.P. Jackson.
November 16, 2021
I wasn't sure exactly what to expect from this story. It was enjoyable and compelling, but a little darker than I expected. Devid is sure the supernatural world exists and he desperately wants to be part of it. He finally buys a summoning board and insists his friend Cameron join him in the ritual. Devid is very serious, but Cam is just along for the ride. He is doing it for Devid, he doesn't really believe anything will happen. Soon, Devid's wishes start coming true, but what about Cam? Let's just say he should have taken the whole thing more seriously, especially those wishes. Fascinating paranormal tale, with witches, vampires, wolves, and other supernatural creatures. It kept me frantically swiping pages to see what was going to happen.
I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.
I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.
April 6, 2021
I had been waiting for this book since J.P. Jackson announced it. So, I was thrilled to be able to get an ARC. Once I started reading, I became thoroughly involved with the storyline and characters, and I got through the beginning third of the book during my first night of reading. The dialogue flows naturally and the plot, despite involving the supernatural, always feels realistic. Overall, Summoned brings to life drama, a plethora of interpersonal relationships-from scholastic to sexual, and a whole new world of magic. Now I just have to attempt to be patient while awaiting the next installment.
May 4, 2021
J.P. Jackson’s latest romp took a sexy paranormal romance turn I wasn’t prepared for after reading his dark horror for the last several years. I had so much fun reading Summoned! Dev’s initiation into the Shadow Realm is full of dark secrets, magic, and a new lover—but can Dev trust Tully when a powerful spell cast by their coven leader goes sideways, and everything Dev thought he knew about their magic is a lie?
Full of steamy sex, magic, and mysticism, Summoned is a blast to read and doesn’t hold back on Jackson’s signature dark humor. Who doesn’t love flirty witch-bears? Definitely pick it up!
Full of steamy sex, magic, and mysticism, Summoned is a blast to read and doesn’t hold back on Jackson’s signature dark humor. Who doesn’t love flirty witch-bears? Definitely pick it up!
April 8, 2021
I was hooked on J.P.'s Books since Magic or Die. Summoned is just as good if not better. The great thing about J.P's books is the characters are so relatable. Complete with a sprinkle of family disfunction :) This was one book that I couldn't put down...I want more.
April 12, 2021
very good story.. interesting and well written. lots of magic and action. i liked it
November 16, 2021
There was some amazing world building in this book, the characters and their individual personality traits came through and combined made for a good read.
November 28, 2021
I absolutely loved this fantasy romance.
Such a great book with a solid storyline and great characters.
I eagerly look forward to reading more from this author.
A definite recommend!
April 30, 2021
I loved the premise of this novel-- Dev wants so badly to be part of the supernatural world that he’s willing to try anything, and when it works, he gets much, much more than he bargained for. The world he’s joined (and dragged his best friend into) is full of magic and wonder, but also darkness, pain, and exploitation, and it’s complex enough to be really engrossing.
I had a hard time, however, getting past how self-absorbed and naive Dev is. Cam is described as the narcissistic one, but Dev drags his friend into his magical quest, then ignores his calls for help, and even when magical things start to happen to him it barely occurs to him that he should check on his best friend in case they were happening to him too. Waiting for the other shoe to drop, and for him to actually think to care about something other than himself, was actually painful, and while more forgiving readers might be able to come back from that, I wasn’t entirely able to. On the other hand, I can definitely see how being drawn into what you perceive as literally your dream come true would be distracting, especially since everyone from a potential boyfriend to a literal god spends a lot of time telling Dev how awesome he is, or at least, will be. While Dev was the protagonist here, for me the real hero is definitely Cam, and I only liked him more as the novel went on. Magic, wit, compassion and bravery...Cam is great.
As a final note, while I loved the complexity of world building and couldn’t look away from the plot, the writing style sometimes clunked a bit: there’s more telling than showing in places, and while I appreciate a strong aesthetic sense, I really didn’t want to know that much about chest hair, or beards, or any of the other types of body hair that all of the characters in this novel seem to be obsessed with. Overall, however, the book offers an engrossing world with fascinating supernatural dynamics, and it’s worth checking out.
*I received an ARC of this book and voluntarily composed an honest review.
I had a hard time, however, getting past how self-absorbed and naive Dev is. Cam is described as the narcissistic one, but Dev drags his friend into his magical quest, then ignores his calls for help, and even when magical things start to happen to him it barely occurs to him that he should check on his best friend in case they were happening to him too. Waiting for the other shoe to drop, and for him to actually think to care about something other than himself, was actually painful, and while more forgiving readers might be able to come back from that, I wasn’t entirely able to. On the other hand, I can definitely see how being drawn into what you perceive as literally your dream come true would be distracting, especially since everyone from a potential boyfriend to a literal god spends a lot of time telling Dev how awesome he is, or at least, will be. While Dev was the protagonist here, for me the real hero is definitely Cam, and I only liked him more as the novel went on. Magic, wit, compassion and bravery...Cam is great.
As a final note, while I loved the complexity of world building and couldn’t look away from the plot, the writing style sometimes clunked a bit: there’s more telling than showing in places, and while I appreciate a strong aesthetic sense, I really didn’t want to know that much about chest hair, or beards, or any of the other types of body hair that all of the characters in this novel seem to be obsessed with. Overall, however, the book offers an engrossing world with fascinating supernatural dynamics, and it’s worth checking out.
*I received an ARC of this book and voluntarily composed an honest review.
April 13, 2022
The world building in this was fantastic! This is a new to me author, I’ll definitely go looking for more by them! I was hooked as soon as I picked it up, couldn’t put it down! Dev loved everything magic, he brings his best friend Cam with him to attend the Summoning board. They get three wishes, but believe nothing happened. This was sooo good! There’s magic, vampires, wolves, witches and so many other paranormal elements to the story. Overall, a fantastic read! The story was really well written and kept me engaged, the pacing flowed smoothly, highly recommend. I’m voluntarily reviewing from an advanced copy that I received. My reviews are solely based on my thoughts and opinions.
June 3, 2022
Dev had no idea what he was getting into when he wished that the world of magic... something he'd always believed was real... was real.
This book was a fun read. The characters were well developed and the story had a few quirky twists and turns. I question some character motivation, but not enough to not want to read the next book.
This book was a fun read. The characters were well developed and the story had a few quirky twists and turns. I question some character motivation, but not enough to not want to read the next book.
April 9, 2022
I loved the world building in Summoned. The characters were well-developed and just amazing. There some repetitiveness but it didn't take away from the intriguing story.
May 8, 2022
This book just wasn't for me. I don't have many triggers, but reading a book where the main character is a bit of a stupid dork and his sidekick is helpless for almost the entire book just made me feel angry. I almost gave up, but luckily it all came together in the end. I still got a lot of questions left which weren't answered, so I might even give the second book a go and see if it gets any better.
June 30, 2021
J. P. Jackson will be interviewed by WROTE in the very near future. In the meantime, I received an ARC of his new novel, Summoned, in return for an honest and fair review.
Is it wrong to say my favourite character was a twig? Bear with me...
This was a fun story which grips from the first page. Full of sexy times, gory bits and terrific world building, I'd go so far to say this is his best book yet. Daimonion and Magic or Die were fun, deliciously dark reads, but this is on another level.
The main character, Dev, has had a lifelong wish to join the Shadow Realm and become a witch, but he gets more than he bargains for when he buys a summoning board and persuades his best friend, Cam, to have a go with him. The moral to take from this story is a) be careful what you wish for and b) never meet your heroes. I could also add c) don't fall head over heels in love with a friendly, sexy redhead who seems perfect. He won't be. And d) don't rely on your best friend not to say something stupid. They will.
I made the mistake of picking this up ahead of every other book I'm supposed to review, just to have a peek and see what I was letting myself in for. Of course, I ended up reading the whole damned thing.
There are some great spell-casting scenes, a lovely burgeoning relationship between Cam and a grumpy werewolf after they find themselves trapped in the same dungeon, and some sexy, hairy scenes between husky Dev and the ginger bear-ish man of his dreams. Or is he? On a side note - these aren't ripped, model-gorgeous, no-hair, twinky guys but normal men with hair and bellies and morning breath. They felt real.
I also loved Byron and Addas, his partner, who he is trying to save from being infected with werewolf venom. The methods an increasingly desperate Byron resorts to in order to save him are disturbing to say the least, made more so by their early domestic scenes, which are lovely.
Top marks for world-building and great side characters, including Cam's mum, who is hilarious even though she only has a small part to play. And the twig. If you don't have a lump in your throat after discovering the fate of the Spriggan, you're a psychopath. End of.
All the dialogue runs smoothly and feels natural, and the characters are convincing to the max, with all their human frailties and foibles, as well as their strengths. The story didn't end on too much of a cliffhanger, although there is another book to come. It could be read as a standalone, I guess, but my bet is no one will be happy with just one helping of these great characters.
It was a great read and I can't wait for the next one!
Is it wrong to say my favourite character was a twig? Bear with me...
This was a fun story which grips from the first page. Full of sexy times, gory bits and terrific world building, I'd go so far to say this is his best book yet. Daimonion and Magic or Die were fun, deliciously dark reads, but this is on another level.
The main character, Dev, has had a lifelong wish to join the Shadow Realm and become a witch, but he gets more than he bargains for when he buys a summoning board and persuades his best friend, Cam, to have a go with him. The moral to take from this story is a) be careful what you wish for and b) never meet your heroes. I could also add c) don't fall head over heels in love with a friendly, sexy redhead who seems perfect. He won't be. And d) don't rely on your best friend not to say something stupid. They will.
I made the mistake of picking this up ahead of every other book I'm supposed to review, just to have a peek and see what I was letting myself in for. Of course, I ended up reading the whole damned thing.
There are some great spell-casting scenes, a lovely burgeoning relationship between Cam and a grumpy werewolf after they find themselves trapped in the same dungeon, and some sexy, hairy scenes between husky Dev and the ginger bear-ish man of his dreams. Or is he? On a side note - these aren't ripped, model-gorgeous, no-hair, twinky guys but normal men with hair and bellies and morning breath. They felt real.
I also loved Byron and Addas, his partner, who he is trying to save from being infected with werewolf venom. The methods an increasingly desperate Byron resorts to in order to save him are disturbing to say the least, made more so by their early domestic scenes, which are lovely.
Top marks for world-building and great side characters, including Cam's mum, who is hilarious even though she only has a small part to play. And the twig. If you don't have a lump in your throat after discovering the fate of the Spriggan, you're a psychopath. End of.
All the dialogue runs smoothly and feels natural, and the characters are convincing to the max, with all their human frailties and foibles, as well as their strengths. The story didn't end on too much of a cliffhanger, although there is another book to come. It could be read as a standalone, I guess, but my bet is no one will be happy with just one helping of these great characters.
It was a great read and I can't wait for the next one!
April 19, 2021
**I received this as an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.**
"Summoned" is a fast-paced action romance chock-full of supernatural creatures and magic! I really enjoyed the world-building of the magic system and how each witch draws their power from different places.
I can't say too much about the story because SPOILERS, but if you're looking for a fun and extra-steamy (and I mean Scoville levels of hot) LGBTQ Paranormal Romance then this book has you covered.
"Summoned" is a fast-paced action romance chock-full of supernatural creatures and magic! I really enjoyed the world-building of the magic system and how each witch draws their power from different places.
I can't say too much about the story because SPOILERS, but if you're looking for a fun and extra-steamy (and I mean Scoville levels of hot) LGBTQ Paranormal Romance then this book has you covered.
October 28, 2021
Long-time readers on Matt Doyle Media will be aware that I have enjoyed J.P. Jackson’s work so far, with both Daimonion and Magic or Die scoring highly. Much like with those titles, what we have here is a dark urban fantasy title with LGBTQ protagonists. That all being said, this one actually starts off with a fairly light feel.
Dev is desperate to find proof that magic exists; it’s a world he truly wants to be a part of, and we join him as he prepares for one last attempt at finding just that. As you’d expect, things change for our hero from there. Though I didn’t find him quite as endearing as James Martin in Magic or Die, Devi is an easy protagonist to get behind. We all want to find some magic in our lives, I’m sure, it’s just very literal for him. Equally, his journey to embrace his own sexuality is also a good one. He isn’t struggling to understand his orientation, he understands that well, but rather. It’s a story about him trying to find the happiness he wants with it.
As secondary protagonists, we have Dev’s best friend Cameron, and his eventual partner in the Shadow Realm, Tully. Both are likable foils for Dev, offering different views and world experiences that serve to contrast Dev’s and help him grow. Both are intrinsically linked to the magical worldbuilding too, and that is where this book really shines. JP Jackson has always been really good at this aspect of storytelling, and his love of the supernatural is in full force here. There’s clearly been a lot of time and effort put into ensuring that the magical realm feels balanced, and the different species therein have an interlinked social system. Those species are interesting too, bringing in witches, werewolves, and the fae.
Now, I’m a big werewolf fan. What struck me as interesting here is that said monster wasn’t used in the normal way they are in Urban Fantasy. If anything, I’d say that werewolves lean more into the realm of traditional horror – it’s very much a curse – while still retaining some of the more human characteristics you find in UF werewolves. In particular, there’s a scene towards the end that is rather brutal, and that impressed me a lot.
The story itself is a quick read, though it’s worth noting that things play out slowly for the most part. It works well here, and makes it fell very natural. There are a fair few sex scenes in this release too, so that’s something to be aware of if MM erotica makes or breaks a story for you. For me, I’m not a big erotica reader, so can’t really judge the quality. I will say though that they felt like they popped up naturally, ands weren’t just shoehorned in.
Overall, I’d say this was a great release by JP Jackson. Better than Daimonion but not quite on par with Magic or Die for me, it features a likable cast and a fun tale with a dark edge. This gets a solid 4 out of 5 from me.
Dev is desperate to find proof that magic exists; it’s a world he truly wants to be a part of, and we join him as he prepares for one last attempt at finding just that. As you’d expect, things change for our hero from there. Though I didn’t find him quite as endearing as James Martin in Magic or Die, Devi is an easy protagonist to get behind. We all want to find some magic in our lives, I’m sure, it’s just very literal for him. Equally, his journey to embrace his own sexuality is also a good one. He isn’t struggling to understand his orientation, he understands that well, but rather. It’s a story about him trying to find the happiness he wants with it.
As secondary protagonists, we have Dev’s best friend Cameron, and his eventual partner in the Shadow Realm, Tully. Both are likable foils for Dev, offering different views and world experiences that serve to contrast Dev’s and help him grow. Both are intrinsically linked to the magical worldbuilding too, and that is where this book really shines. JP Jackson has always been really good at this aspect of storytelling, and his love of the supernatural is in full force here. There’s clearly been a lot of time and effort put into ensuring that the magical realm feels balanced, and the different species therein have an interlinked social system. Those species are interesting too, bringing in witches, werewolves, and the fae.
Now, I’m a big werewolf fan. What struck me as interesting here is that said monster wasn’t used in the normal way they are in Urban Fantasy. If anything, I’d say that werewolves lean more into the realm of traditional horror – it’s very much a curse – while still retaining some of the more human characteristics you find in UF werewolves. In particular, there’s a scene towards the end that is rather brutal, and that impressed me a lot.
The story itself is a quick read, though it’s worth noting that things play out slowly for the most part. It works well here, and makes it fell very natural. There are a fair few sex scenes in this release too, so that’s something to be aware of if MM erotica makes or breaks a story for you. For me, I’m not a big erotica reader, so can’t really judge the quality. I will say though that they felt like they popped up naturally, ands weren’t just shoehorned in.
Overall, I’d say this was a great release by JP Jackson. Better than Daimonion but not quite on par with Magic or Die for me, it features a likable cast and a fun tale with a dark edge. This gets a solid 4 out of 5 from me.
August 14, 2024
3-⭐
I have mixed feelings. I found the premise interesting: occult-obsessed nice Indian boy and his flamboyant bestie heading towards a magical adventure. Covens of gay witches, huge werewolves, all kinds of fae... I liked this world.
But the middle of this book is a complete slog, probably half of the whole book. It's just bulging muscles, body hair and sex, and Dev being a complete idiot. He makes such weird choices and is honestly a crappy friend, basically forgetting Cam's existence. It's like watching a super slow train wreck, and not even in a some kind of guilty pleasure way, just frustrating. All the bears and the sex are fine, just not great enough to save the slog.
I also did not need or want the villain's POV, at all. There are way too many POVs in this book in general (at least 5 recurring ones). While reading and actually liking parts of the book, I kept hoping we would have just followed Dev alone along his journey to finally discover the supernatural. Really live with him in his elation, and slowly start to feel the dread that something is not right, it's all too good to be true. I wish. On an ouija board if I could. Instead the reader got told everything and had to just hang on watching Dev bumble around completely clueless until the last quarter, when things finally started to happen. And then kind of end really fast too.
I like Cam, and I will give the second book a chance to see what will happen to him, really hoping it doesn't turn out to be as frustrating as this one.
I have mixed feelings. I found the premise interesting: occult-obsessed nice Indian boy and his flamboyant bestie heading towards a magical adventure. Covens of gay witches, huge werewolves, all kinds of fae... I liked this world.
But the middle of this book is a complete slog, probably half of the whole book. It's just bulging muscles, body hair and sex, and Dev being a complete idiot. He makes such weird choices and is honestly a crappy friend, basically forgetting Cam's existence. It's like watching a super slow train wreck, and not even in a some kind of guilty pleasure way, just frustrating. All the bears and the sex are fine, just not great enough to save the slog.
I also did not need or want the villain's POV, at all. There are way too many POVs in this book in general (at least 5 recurring ones). While reading and actually liking parts of the book, I kept hoping we would have just followed Dev alone along his journey to finally discover the supernatural. Really live with him in his elation, and slowly start to feel the dread that something is not right, it's all too good to be true. I wish. On an ouija board if I could. Instead the reader got told everything and had to just hang on watching Dev bumble around completely clueless until the last quarter, when things finally started to happen. And then kind of end really fast too.
I like Cam, and I will give the second book a chance to see what will happen to him, really hoping it doesn't turn out to be as frustrating as this one.
September 25, 2022
“You’ve got to come over. You have to see this. You’re not gonna believe this. Dude, where are you?”
Magus Malefica - The Coven, begins the newest J.P. Jackson series with Summoned. You will not be disappointed if you thrive in the magical world that Dev has been obsessed with for his 23 years. Unfortunately for Dev, he has not, after seeking out the paranormal, occult, and mystical, been privy to one speck of magic. Not one ghost. Not one tiny paranormal event. And he is ready to give up his search.
And the… well, I can’t possibly share ALL of the happenings that take place with Dev and his BFF Cam. You deserve the entire and unexpected experience for yourself!
Suffice it to say that Dev gets more than he ever bargained for, and yes, there is bargaining. There is also insta-lust, that may actually be love. There may be hidden activities that could disturb both the human and supernatural world. There may even be big pink wings and faery dust, along with werewolves and gay witches.
Jackson weaves a spell over his words and entices his readers to look for the unexplained, seek out the spiritual, and follow your heart to find the Shadow Realm.
Magus Malefica - The Coven, begins the newest J.P. Jackson series with Summoned. You will not be disappointed if you thrive in the magical world that Dev has been obsessed with for his 23 years. Unfortunately for Dev, he has not, after seeking out the paranormal, occult, and mystical, been privy to one speck of magic. Not one ghost. Not one tiny paranormal event. And he is ready to give up his search.
And the… well, I can’t possibly share ALL of the happenings that take place with Dev and his BFF Cam. You deserve the entire and unexpected experience for yourself!
Suffice it to say that Dev gets more than he ever bargained for, and yes, there is bargaining. There is also insta-lust, that may actually be love. There may be hidden activities that could disturb both the human and supernatural world. There may even be big pink wings and faery dust, along with werewolves and gay witches.
Jackson weaves a spell over his words and entices his readers to look for the unexplained, seek out the spiritual, and follow your heart to find the Shadow Realm.
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