Dire Straits

by Megan Derr

Less than a century ago, the world was a dangerous place. Monsters ran wild, and the only thing more dangerous was the humans attempting to control them. The chaotic lands were eventually tamed by a group of people who came to be known as the Crown, and they formed a government that helped to maintain peace in the untamed lands.

Bannick Poore is one such maintainer of peace, an infamous Priest with guns at his hips and a blood red collar around his throat. He is equal parts mage and gunslinger, and it is his sworn duty to uphold the law and drive back the monsters that still crop up in a land that is still learning to be civilized...

Genres: Fantasy, M M Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Steampunk, Magic, Short Stories

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 20, 2010

About the author

Megan is a long time resident of queer romance and keeps herself busy reading and writing it. She is often accused of fluff and nonsense. When she’s not involved in writing, she likes to cook, harass her wife and cats, or watch movies. She loves to hear from readers and can be found all over the internet.

meganderr.com
patreon.com/meganderr
meganderr.blogspot.com
facebook.com/meganaprilderr
meganaderr@gmail.com
@meganaderr

Reviews

[Achim · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
Should have saved my remarks and how I felt about this book after I read it but this version wasn't on GR at that time, so all I remember is that I enjoyed this strange mix of western and fantasy and that I would like Megan Derr to add a sequel. Also it would have been nice if she allowed Bannick an active part in the victory.

[Natalie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

August 2023
Kindle edition

It was alright. Short and I liked Bannick and Ez they were cute together. But the cowboy favourite for me belongs to Jacky and Ned, so I was unintentionally comparing them. Ez and his demon were seamless without quarrel, that was the best bit.

[Lady*M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Megan Derr's story that I wished was a full-length novel. All elements are there: great world-building (alternate reality Wild West ruled by the collective Crown together with magic and paranormal beings regulated by the Priests, where homosexuality is accepted), great protagonists Bannick and Ezell who share the history and great attraction, uncertain future... I hope author would revisit this world - I would like to see how Bannick and Ezell worked together, whether Ezell fused completely with his demon, what new troubles they encountered as well as more about the Crown and the government. Excellent, short read. Highly recommended.

[M'rella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unfortunately, the book is full of editorial errors.
Fortunately, they are not enough to distract me from the wonderful world of blood priests and necromancers :D

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading Dire Straits because I read the extract and found myself, more than anything else, drawn in by the world that Megan Derr had created. The amount of detail is extraordinary - especially considering that this is a short story, rather than a novel - and I would adore to read more of anything set in this world, just to explore the little details that were revealed. Bannick is a great main character; he's interesting and no-nonsense and I found his relationship with Ezell kind of adorable (though it had its steamy moments! ;D).

All in all, a good book - it's entertaining and not too long and left me wanting more. Definitely worth a read.

[Tj · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a short story it was an excellent read. The world created was rich. I just wish there had been more. The two MC's were great together. Very fun and entertaining read:)

[Bluebelle-the-Inquisitive (Catherine) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You go to the end of the line, all the way to Crown. Make something of yourself there. You go, and whatever happens, you don’t look back." — Bannick

Warnings: Death

This was... unexpected. I did not anticipate enjoying it as much as I did. The blurb gives no real indication of where this is going. I like the choice. It suits the mystery of the world involves. And who does like some surprise in their stories from time to time. I really hope Megan writes more with these characters. Or at least in this verse. It is listed as Book 1, so I can hope.

Bannick Poore, known as Nick, is the small town boy made good. He left after his mother sent him away in the wake of a disaster. He eft and just never looked back. I want to add the full quote about his job. Megan explains well the way the role in society is viewed

Now he is a red collared priest. Wound up having a knack for magic and shooting things, had been taken in by the priesthood and trained up all the way to the rare, coveted red collar. Exorcist. Gun priest. Blood priest, though that one came up less and less, even if the reason for that name was as present as it had always been. Those with a low opinion of the priesthood liked to call them with red collars the Devil's Choice. Most people, though, just called him a gunslinger.

Sent to a town very near his childhood to deal with a problem. Through the early parts of the story with his history is revealed in snatches. He is more caring than the big bad priest facade would have you believe. Never is that more obvious than with the necromancer Ezell.

Ezell Underwood is the necromancer of the blurb. I adore his character to bits. He is complex with a heartbreaking backstory. I'm electing not to write about him in this review because I think it would be best for a reader to just discover him, to have no idea as I didn't what his story is.

This is a story I can see myself rereading for Ezell alone. His dynamic with Nick is fantastic. But his reveal is probebly one of the better ones I've read in years.

The plot overall isn't predictable to me. Dire Straits blends plot and character well. Without going into Ezell, I can't goong into that either. But suffice to say, I really like the lore it's effective and amenable to the plot. I'm so disappointed in myself for waiting this long to read it. I really recommend this to all readers. The relationship isn't in your face of explicit.

"You live in Crown?"
"Theoretically. We keep a room at our parents' house, but almost never see it. You, Father?"
"Don't call me that, you brat."
"Would you prefer 'Daddy'?" Bannick's face burned. "No, I would not! Stop that!" — Bannick and Ezell

A representative gif:

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one, not as much as I might've, but definitely above average. I read a few reviews protesting the sparse worldbuilding, but I like this kind of revelations during action reveals. There was slight inconsistencies, which to me are more serious, and some repetition, and it sure did need a more thorough line-edit. But I will read the next in the series, so it did its job.

[Ayanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Some of it was rather info-dump-y, but overall, the characters are great, the world is fascinating and pretty thoroughly thought out.

4/6/13 Reread ETA:
I really, really like the demon aspect. Quite a lot. In fact, it's grown in my regards. It's got that bit of edgy in it, but it's still sweet.
I like it ^^

[Zoey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but…

The main character doesn’t get to do much once his Necromancer love interest shows up. As ever, though, fascinating world-building!

[LWM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner by Megan Derr!

I absolutely love almost everything Megan has written, though I prefer the stories with male pairings or MFM relationships. Before I got past Brannick's reminiscing about "the one that got away," I flashed on the probability of Brannick getting his chance to see his first and only love again, after so many years later. I love the way this author weaves imminent disaster, chaos, or problematic magic-gone-wrong situations with a sweet, lusty romance, all tied together by the MC's wicked humor. Brannick's reconciliation and immediate reconnection with Ezell is satisfyingly lovely. Five stars - great storyline, characters, and a pretty good editing job!!!

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I believe this was inspired by Stephen King’s series, The Gunslinger. It was an interesting world set up. It’s not my favorite genre but I enjoyed the book nonetheless.

The accents and language were well done I think. I like that the world didn’t care about homosexuality the opposite of which is one of the things I hate about historicals. This isn’t really one but it’s got its foundations in the American Old West.

The climax was a little weak but there was peril which I love. The romance was sweet and perfect. I recommend this short little read.

I actually wish there was a sequel. There was one problem that was never figured out. I can guess what might be done but there are a few different possibilities. I guess that's what my imagination is for.

[Teeny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Demons, necromancers, zombies, exorcists!!! Imma need a lot more of this world which Megan Derr, in 80pgs, developed quite nicely and I'm loving the romance between Bannick and Ezell that shares his body with a demon after a possession gone wrong.

I'm also loving that weren't the end all and be all badies but entities that were called upon and enslaved and used for bad things!!

Whenever Megan decides to add to this, I'm ready!

[Shelba · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot of information stuffed in this short story....I could have gone for less information or more length. About 2/3 of the way through, there is 1-2 pages explaining the different types of magic, which seemed a) kind of irrelevant at that stage in the game and b) a bit too much detail for a 32 page book, where only 2 of the 5 kinds of magic are encountered.

[Flick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet in that perfect aching way that makes you love the characters like you know them in real life. I’ve always admired how Megan can make me fall in love so quickly; despite this being a novella I felt like I knew Bannick and Ezell and I was so happy they found each other again. Plus, we got a fun bit of action as well that kept things exciting!

[Amy K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This might have earned the fifth star, but there were some fairly egregious typos and one plot inconsistency. It felt like maybe the wrong draft was uploaded? It wasn’t as polished as Derr’s usual work. The world is interesting, and the characters are sympathetic. I’d be interested to see where the author takes this series.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

MM paranormal western romance and action. A priest is dispatched to deal with an undead entity, and he needs help. Lo and behold, the necromancer who shows up happens to be his long-lost lover.
Typos: the usual sloppiness. It's for its, who's for whose, apostrophe S plural, extra letters on words (hate for hat, e.g.).

[elstaffe]

Pull quote/note
"He let his mind drift: to the house he'd rather be in, the coffeehouse at the end of the street where he splurged on coffee and a pastry every Lenday, the books he wouldn't be able to pick up at the library and which would likely go on to whoever else had requested them…" (8/91) I feel called out

[Nix Buttons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this short story. Two men who once spend two weeks together when they were younger meet again and both are at the same time still the same and drastically different. I would love to read more about this world.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought it was a great start to a new series, though short it started the series off and I can not wait to read more. Ezell and Nick are strong characters that are well able to carry a series with their adventures together. Recommend reading.

[Damian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't prepared for this story.

I began reading this book and I found that I was lost for the most part. I've read other paranormal books but this one, I felt as though I was in a void. Perhaps a better intro to explain things would be in order.

[Indira Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this alot, the worldbuilding, for such as short story, as always is amazing. The relationships are good too.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars--An exceptional well developed, clearly written and easily understood short story about demons and magic. Nicely done. Well enjoyed.

[Ilona Fenton · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Review

[Dawn Lacroix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ezell and Bannick

Really good story. Have the original version there are some changes. Would be nice to see more of the two characters and their adventures working together

[May · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always the world building is what I read her books for. The romance is always secondary.

[Olga · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Kaseka · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent short story! I adore the main characters, and how readers are given a dual view of them (without flashbacks!) as the men they were when they first met, and the men they are when they meet again, after life has forced both down unexpected, darker paths. I found myself loving both for who they are in the story, and feeling sympathy for who they might have been had life not handed them "lemons" (ie. demons).

The worldbuilding in this story is also amazingly done. The complexity of the magic system and the supernatural; the cultures influenced by magic and geography, from jobs to names to clothes to buildings; the way magic is bound up in the history of land, people, and government; and the clear threat that misuse of magic might cause history to repeat itself... Derr is a brilliant worldbuilder who fuses information seamlessly with character and narration. Reading, I was given the world and character information necessary in active ways that didn't take me out of the story. Given what I learned, I really hope Derr writes more in this universe. While the story of Bannick and Ezell has been satisfyingly wrapped up, the world of Dire Straits has depths I'd love to see explored further.

There are still things I'd like to know that were mentioned in this story: what's the town alchemist's story, for one; details of the sheriff's colorful family history for another.

While I want to know more, however, I don't feel cheated. This story hit a bunch of my genre "kinks" (gunslingers and magic and supernatural creatures in an American Old West-esque setting), and is well written and compelling, so the desire to continue the adventure isn't surprising. This story was great fun to read. I highly recommend it.

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one. I don't see nearly enough Weird West stuff, especially in the queer romance realm, and Derr incorporates the magical and frontier elements really well. Her "wilder" magic is a great fit for the wildness of the landscape and the people (and interestingly juxtaposed with the rigid hierarchy and order of The Crown and its agents).

Also, can I just say how much I appreciated that Bannick and Ezell are together within mere seconds of Ezell getting off the train? I love a good slow burn as much as the next gal, but sometimes I love watching the romance gel quickly, which gives us the rest of the story to explore how they deal with problems together, without the will-they-won't-they-of-course-they-will-but-when tension constantly pulling at them.

I would've liked to see more women in general in this story; other than a wife and a housekeeper, this is a very male world, which I didn't particularly see a reason for. The resolution seemed very conveniently deus ex machina: look! We're going to start doing a thing we've never done before but which would allow you to do exactly what you want to do together, and we're going to start trying it with you!. And I spent several pages deeply concerned about how long it'd been since Bannick ate. Otherwise, a really good read.

[JC · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exorcist and a necromancer walked into a bar...

Yes, that is not something you're ever likely to hear, but is somethiing you'd get in this alternate universe Western mixed with some other 19th century elements.

This is a relatively short story, but it contained some really creative elements which I wouldn't mind seeing again in a full length novel. The main character Bannick, a high ranking 'warrior' priest specializing in exorcism, is paired with a Necromancer, Ezell, to rid a town of the Dire Demon that's settled there.

This story has some dark elements, especially with regard to the character Ezell and his inner Demon (and I mean that literally), and for such a short story, this had a satisfying m/m romance thrown in if that's something you're interested in. I thought the main characters had good chemistry and wouldn't mind seeing more of them.

I was initially going to give this 4 stars because it felt like the start of a bigger story, but what the hell. Looking back on it, I enjoyed it a great deal and deserves a 5 star rating from me.