Spanish Fly Guy

Petit Morts #5

by Jordan Castillo Price

JP McMahon cruises into the small, oceanside town of Brightside hoping to score a bed for the night and a few dollars to fill the Miata's gas tank. He discovers that cell phones and Internet are non-existent, and that without access to matchmaker sites and Craigslist, the local newspaper's personal ads are booming. He cooks up an unlikely scam, a foul novelty concoction called Spanish Fly. He also finds an unlikely accomplice in Ryan, the quiet local kid at the copy shop with a flair for designing irresistible labels. Spanish Fly proves popular--almost too popular--and JP suspects his luck is about to turn. But that "little voice" inside tells him to stick around Brightside just a tiny bit longer.... Novella, approximately 60-70 pages or 18,000 words Petit Morts Indulge your sweet tooth with five deliciously weird tales by Josh Lanyon and Jordan Castillo Price! A storefront. You've never noticed it before. It's small, unassuming, and yet there's something about it that draws your eye. And the aroma drifting out, rich and dark, so enticing. How could you have overlooked it? It must be new. So why does it look like it's been there for ages? And the chocolatier behind the counter...certainly you'd remember him. #1: Hue, Tint and Shade by Jordan Castillo Price Yellow is as yellow does. #2: Slings and Arrows by Josh Lanyon It's a fine line between "secret admirer" and "stalker". #3: Moolah and Moonshine by Jordan Castillo Price If you ever go to France, watch out for those ticklers. #4: Other People's Weddings by Josh Lanyon Pulling off the perfect wedding can be murder. #5: Spanish Fly Guy by Jordan Castillo Price A new twist on liquid courage.

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Contemporary, Short Stories, Novella, Supernatural

59 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Author and artist Jordan Castillo Price writes paranormal sci-fi thrillers colored by her time in the Midwest, from inner city Chicago, to various cities across southern Wisconsin. She’s settled in a 1910 Cape Cod near Lake Michigan with tons of character and a plethora of bizarre spiders. Any disembodied noises, she’s decided, will be blamed on the ice maker.

Jordan is best known as the author of the PsyCop series, an unfolding tale of paranormal mystery and suspense starring Victor Bayne, a gay medium who's plagued by ghostly visitations.

Reviews

[Fey · Rating 4 out of 5]

JP is a pretty much a small-time con man, although a young and attractive one. He arrives in the small sea-side town of Brightside, with nothing but his shiny sports car and his intelligence. He figures out that the locals are all starved for romance, and decides that a love potion would be just the thing. He gets a little help from Chance from Sweets to the Sweet, and then he seduces Ryan into helping him too, and Ryan is just a nice young guy who works in a print shop.

I know I complain every time that these Petit Morts are too short, I guess I don't read many shorts, my idea of a short book is 200 pages.. But I am getting the hang of them now. Trying to get out of the habit of finishing the book and yelling "Hey Wait what happens now?" Because I'm realising these books are all about the beginnings, we get to see how they get it together, and it's up to us to imagine how it goes from there (or not). Probably something thats obvious to all.. but I'm slow on the uptake and this story happened to make it a lot easier for me to grasp. I doubt I'll ever be a huge fan of the short story, but I'm learing to appreciate it :)

See my other reviews of the Petit Morts series:
← #4 Other People's Weddings | #6 Pretty Ugly →

[The Bursting Bookshelf of a Wallflower · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars!

I really enjoy reading an installment of the Petit Morts series from time to time considering that they are usually short and very entertaining in their own way. Set in the small town of Brightside, where cell phones and the internet are non-existent, con man JP wants to make a few dollars before moving on. He quickly figures out that many town inhabitants are looking for a partner via the local newspaper’s personal ads and he decides that brewing a love potion might be the perfect way to make quick money.

With the help of Chance from Sweets to the Sweet and Ryan, an irresistibly cute guy working in the town’s copy shop, JP manages to make his love brew Spanish Fly a success. He becomes popular and when he realizes that his luck might be about to turn, he decides to move on. But what about Ryan? Will he be able to leave his lover behind? Has he just been a hot affair or is there something more?

Spanish Fly Guy was an entertaining short read and I enjoyed finding out more about Chance! I’m looking forward to his appearances in the next installments.

[Elisa Rolle]

This is basically the story of Ryan and JP, but I think that Chance had an interesting development in it. Chance is the thread of all five stories, his candy shop Sweets to the Sweet is the place where everything starts and ends; it’s a magical place that appears when people need it and disappears when the mission is accomplished and Chance is needed somewhere else. Moreover Chance is teasing with a lot of guys, but he is not for them, he is the matchmaker and for all of them he will find the right partner; he is kind and sweet, always caring for the destiny of the men eating his candies. Only that this time Chance is not at all kind, he is almost rude and he seems to not like at all JP: I’m not sure if he helped him with Ryan since he wanted to help Ryan himself, or since he wanted for JP to go away from Brightside, the little town where Chance landed with Sweets to the Sweet.

JP is like one of those fake healers populating the border towns at the end of the XIX century; they arrived with glitters and fanfare and most of the time they went away with more coins and some broken hearts behind. But while JP is fake, Chance is all true, and I think he doesn’t like for another seller of dreams to pouching on his territory. I had the feeling that Chance helped JP to not have his townsfolf being disappointed by JP’s promises.

In the spat between Chance and JP, Ryan has nothing to do; he is only a young man with little dreams, but even if they are little, there is no space in Brightside for them. When JP arrives in town, Ryan is not expecting big changes, but at least he is hoping for a little distraction: the summer is almost at the end, and why not having a last days of summer fling? JP is handsome and sexy, and once he will be gone, no one will question Ryan. But as I said, Chance has other ideas, and while he is protecting Brighside’s people from JP, maybe Ryan is the only one who doesn’t need to be protected by JP, maybe JP is the right care for him. After all, JP is a seller of dreams, and Ryan needs to buy a little more of them, what he has is not enough to fulfil his young life.

In a way, even if Spanish Fly Guy has an happily ever after, as the other in the series, I think this one was the darkest and also maybe the more disturbing: Chance showed a side that was almost scaring.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00387G19G/?...

[Cole Riann · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I can't believe it took me forever to read this. You know, I think that if I had read this story (that character, JP) written by anyone but JCP, it just wouldn't work, but somehow, some way, she won me over to him in the end after I'd just spent the whole story making nasty faces as his sickly sweet fake charm. It is such a strange plot, a modern-day snake oil salesman looking for a quick buck before he can high-tail it out of town and dicking over the naive residents of whatever small town at the same time. Add in a totally charming, yet still naive boy (Ryan) to this surprisingly anachronistic town and the secret ingredient (secretive Chance, who we get to see much more of) and this turned into such a surprising and great story. JCP always seems to write these stories that take me by surprise for whatever reason, and they become unforgettable. This is another one!

[Megan]

Written with good humor and attentiveness to emotions and to characters, and the town itself had a distinctive personality of its own that made me smile, but goodness that romance isn't one I could believe in; while I cheered on Ryan, I'm not unconvinced that a relationship with J.P. would ordinarily (as in, cases where they were not set up by the magic of Chase) end horribly and Ryan would be looking back at it as a mistake -- a mistake worth making, perhaps, but still.

[Caliban thegnomedruid · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd give this a 2.5, if half stars were available.

I liked this story for the (small snippets of) information it gave us on Chance. However, like Chance, I had a little trouble believing that the two protagonists were right for each other.

Good little story, definitely worth a read, but not one I plan on personally revisiting.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was the one I liked less of the ones I have read. I never warmed to JP; his and Archie's story felt... rushed, somehow. More like they running from something, not toward something. I liked that we get to see more of Chance, though :P

[BakaRena · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF@30%
Couldn't get into it, not even exactly sure why.

[Bookbee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book 5 in the Petit Mort series and once again is penned by Jordan Castillo Price.

JP McMahon is a slick huckster that rolls in to the quiet beachside town in his fancy car looking for the next sucker so he can make a buck and get out of town before the crap hits the fan. Ryan is a quiet guy that works at the copy shop in the summers to help pay for school and help his father with the bills. JP cooks up his scheme and happens in to Sweets to the Sweet and mysterious Chance immediately knocks him down a peg or 10. But not completely deterred, he finds himself in the copy shop to continue putting together his plan. When what starts out as a scam seems to turn into something more, JP has many decisions to make.

I like this story. I loved Ryan. What can I say, I'm a sucker for the quiet characters with all the stuff going on inside and personally, but who still manage to put forward that happy face and attempt to be optimist even when others are down. I love those characters because I often feel like that. Anyway, I like that we got another glimpse at Chance and what he's all about. Although I'm not certain that I feel like I'm any closer to figuring him out. I may have actually taken a step back in my Chance knowledge. Oh well, I can live with that for the moment. As long as we continue to get little peeks at him and eventually get his story I'm happy to keep going a long as we are.

[⚣Michaelle⚣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.2 Stars

See I knew I was right: When it comes to this series, JCPs editions are much less sinister. It had an odd edge, but nothing inherently evil or mean. And I kind of liked the idea of the con-man becoming something of a victim to his own scam. Nothing terribly bad about falling under a love potion spell, though; not when it's exactly what you (and the other guy) needs to find happiness.

[Merith · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this new series combining two of my favorite authors (Josh Lanyon and Jordan Castillo Price), I can see so many wonderfully delicious bites of decadence coming from both of them.

Jordan's last contribution to this first volume of the series is "Spanish Fly Guy." And yes, the title is exactly what it means. If you're not humming `Love Potion #9', you'll be bopping to `Funky Cold Medina.' Our unlikely hero is a slime-ball, a grifter in search of his next con and with a little help from Chance, he has it in spades. JP finds himself in the beachfront town Brightside, which has a better name than the apathetic town might deserve. No internet access and spotty cell phone reception contribute to JP's prospects.

Copy clerk and T-Shirt maker, Ryan finds moments of pleasure in JP's company, never hoping for more. And for some reason, JP cannot get Ryan out of his mind.

This tale isn't sugar and spice, but has a melancholy air of sweetness. Chance is lead by what drives him, and even though he doesn't like it, he helps push the connection. JP is not a sympathetic protagonist, but there's something about him. Ryan deserves more, but has little hope of getting it. Somehow, through it all, what is supposed to happen, happens.

Sweets to the Sweet is that chocolate shop I doubt you'll ever find in the mall and its owner is one you'll never forget, even if you never see him again.

[Josephine Myles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spanish Fly Guy makes a perfect finish to the first batch of Petit Morts, leaving a lingering sweet aftertaste long after I gobbled it down.

It’s one of those peculiar stories that just shouldn’t work but somehow does, and I can only put that down to Jordan’s talent with words. It’s only a novelette but there are three different viewpoint characters and a huge cast of bit characters, yet all of them come across as vivid and convincing, despite having limited page space.

Couple that with a hero who’s little better than a conman and his love interest who is young and naive – even Chance isn’t keen on hooking the two of them up – and you’d think Jordan would never be able to make it work. But it does – and brilliantly. JP and Ryan bring out each other’s better qualities, with a little help from Chance’s magic, and despite the impulsiveness of the ending I was convinced that it was what both of them wanted and needed.

I particularly enjoyed the humour in this story – JP’s flirtation with Ryan’s cougar boss is hysterical – and it was nice to get a Petit Morts story with more than one sex scene. But most important of all, I really felt for Ryan and desperately wanted things to work out for him.

[Susana · Rating 3 out of 5]

JP McMahon is used to making a living as a petty swindler, and the strangely isolated town of Brightside seems the proper place to make some easy dollars. He concocts a love filter, Spanish Fly, with the unexpected and generous collaboration of sweet Ryan, the guy from the copy shop. Surprisingly, the love filter seems to work better than expected… for everybody.
Although I’ve loved all the Petit Morts stories I’ve read so far, Spanish Fly Guy is the one I’ve liked less. Don’t get me wrong, it is a great story, flawlessly written and with a surprising twist to it… My problem is that I do not like JP: I think he is shallow, selfish and unable to fall in love with anybody but himself. I don’t see JP and sweet Ryan in a long lasting relationship. I do not see them in any relationship whatsoever. But that’s only my point of view. Do not let my biased opinion prevent you from reading an otherwise enjoyable short story.

[L-D · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise behind this series is pretty cute. Chance is some sort of magical man/being and he has a chocolate confectionery called Sweets for the Sweet and seems to be some sort of mystical matchmaker.

JP McMahon is a grifter that stops in at the oceanside town of Brightside to peddle his most recent scam, a love potion called Spanish Fly. Luckily for him, he meets up with our indomitable hero and local magic man, Chance, who gives his bottles of Spanish Fly a little helping hand.

JP meets Ryan, a clerk at the local copy shop who helps him with his labels. Usually the grifter will be in and out, but there's something about the shy Ryan that keeps him coming back.

This was a decent story. There wasn't quite enough character development for me, and the end of the story was a little quick. But it was a pretty fun read.

[Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~ · Rating 1 out of 5]

TW: Implications of dubcon/noncon
 
Ugh. I really am not liking JCP's contributions to this series at all. JP came off as a skeevy predator type and he's a conman. It made no sense why Ryan would want to be with him when he was pretty uncomfortable whenever they were together. I know we'll never know who or what Chance is, how or why he chooses the towns he visits or the couples he helps, but if this is implicating that he's putting some sort of love whammy in his treats, then holy consent issues, Batman. N-O-P-E. I had to skim a lot of this one, especially the icky instasex (see above re: JP being skeevy) and the later possible dubcon sex - just because they're both possibly drugged doesn't take away the consent issues. And once again, they know each other barely a day and they're off to their HEA. Who does that?
 
If I don't love the next one, I'm moving on.

[Emanuela ~plastic duck~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this story has a twist. At the beginning I thought that JP, the Spanish Fly guy, would be the protagonist, but I think that Ryan, the average, sweet clerk of the copy store, stole his spotlight. Ryan is not a meek, doormat guy. Of all the people around him, he is the most honest and the most aware of what's going home around him. He has a firm grasp on reality, even if what happens is a bit weird. He doesn't let himself be swayed by sentiment and desperate hope, he continues to check on the events, keeping his dignity even when faces with small or big adversities.

I must say that Chance really scared me this time. What is he hiding? What is he looking for? The next batch of Petits Morts will hopefully shed some light on him.

[Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryan works at a t-shirt printing store at some seaside town that has no internet. Huh? Such places exist in the US? Anyway, JP whips into town and he’s a con-man. He makes batches of “Spanish Fly” and sells them as love potion. He gets Ryan to print him some labels for free and they get freaky in the back. Ryan’s Dad tells him that due to a bad business investment he won’t be able to pay for his college tuition and after and impulsive night with JP (including sex in a parking lot – really?) he agrees to leave town with him. I found this one a bit more vague as you never really got a handle on JP or what his story was. But JP and Ryan has some awesome chemistry.

[Plainbrownwrapper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always impressed with JCP's talent at compact, efficient, and effective writing. She is able to say a whoooole lot with just a few words, laying down lots of world details, atmosphere, plot and character while many authors would still be plodding through a simple intro. IMNSHO any author who wants to write shorter fiction could learn a lot from her.

Aside from the prose itself, this is a sweet story that doesn't go quite where you expect it to at the beginning. It's a nice little short about giving people an excuse to grab their chances at being not only happy, but a better person as well.

[Blaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of the box, was my first thought. And I loved it!
The Spanish Fly Guy is caught by his own concoction in a way.
I loved Ryan and really felt for him when his father told him he didn't have the money for his tuition.
Hated the Ryan's boss, but then again ... I think everyone did.
Chance seemed much more present in this one, and I love the glimpses we get of him. Halfway through this series I'm wondering if he gets his own story at some point.

So, JP and Ryan take a chance and drive off into the sunset ... well ... yeah, they do :)

[Charming · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Chance I was a little worried about handing Ryan over to JP. JP is not a horrible person - he is selling fake love potions, not fake antibiotics - but he is sleazy and flighty. But I came away thinking Chance and I were both underestimating Ryan. He is sweet and does get taken advantage of, but never because he is fooled or tricked - he sees very clearly and decides to allow it to happen. I would have loved even another paragraph about their future together, but I do trust that Ryan will be setting the direction of their life together.

[Emmie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending felt like I had missed a day or two in the two characters relationship. I was just thinking they were at a point of liking each other and then there's mention of marriage eventually. Also- the premise of Ryan, a hardworking honest person who wants to go to school, running off with the snake oil salesman, just doesn't seem legit to me. The tone of the book felt subdued, like the characters struggled so much for joy that you couldn't help but feel melancholy.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute and I liked Ryan a lot, although I would have liked a little more from JP. We got more info from Chance about what it is he does, and I though it was funny that he didn't really like JP. There were some lose ends what about Ryan's school? Where are they going now and what are they going to do since JP just basically goes from con to con?, but overall I enjoyed it.

[Anne Barwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one as I have the other in the series. JP and Ryan balanced each other well, and I liked the idea of 'spanish fly'. I'm still very intrigued by the reocurring character of Chance in these stories; he and the sweet store were a good way to tie all the stories together.

I need to read the 2nd collection now.

[Melora · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★½ - Good, worth a reread.

[kasjo_peja · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Lady*M · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Great characters (both JP and Ryan), crazy little town and the first Chance's really hands-on involvement with people, not only the couple of guys. Sweet and surprising.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. Though when it ended, I felt like I had missed somthing.

[Meggie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay this shorty wasn't for me. I couldn't connect with both MC's. JP was an ass, and his behaviour was horrible too. I didn't like him. Ryan was to good for him and to naive.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fabulous fun, quick read.