Shayne Carmichael

Love and forgiveness are what should drive angels' existence, but both can be hard-earned. This story describes the consequences of Elian, a watcher angel, going against the rules (as inhumane as they are), the lessons Elian learns, and what he does next. It is that action which really endeared him to me – no matter the consequences, he goes back to the human lover he was separated from ten years ago. For some beings, love really is eternal. As for the human… Ryan has learned a few hard truths about greed and the uselessness of material possessions as well, and is ready to die. Seems a little too harsh, right? Thank goodness this is a Christmas story with a message of hope!

Elian has made quite a few mistakes in his existence, and getting involved in Ryan's life was one of them. He has atoned for his sins, and I loved that the next thing he does is go right back to Ryan! The threat of yet another punishment doesn’t seem to deter him, but I keenly feared the possibility of him getting caught and reeled in again throughout the story. That would just have been too cruel!

Ryan is at the end of his wits. We don’t get a lot of details but he must have been rich, then lost it all through greed and stupidity – including Elian. And that is his only real regret. When Elian turns up to take him home, he is grateful enough to accept, but hesitant to believe he could get another chance. He was so unassuming, I believed that he'd learned his lesson easily.

The resolution of their issues, when it comes, is truly freeing. Only loosely connected to the Romanorum series (which I have yet to read), this short story about an almost-fallen angel and the human he loves stands well on its own. It also gave me a good taste for what the series is like, and since I love angels and demons, I will certainly go on to read the three books about Cian (who has a short guest appearance here) and Mael, his vampire lover.

If you like angels and the trouble they can get themselves into, if you enjoy reading about men who have suffered and now reap their rewards, and if you're looking for a short, hot read with a message of hope, then you will probably like this short story.
… (altro)

I have never read Harry Potter’s books, but I had the feeling that the author was playing a bit with that world, even if the fantasy world is more medieval than Victorian.

The novella starts with a six years old Hawk who is in the car of his wizard grandfather to learn the secret of the profession. The old man knows that he will be not able to see his nephew grow and so he entrusts the kid to Brael, his apprentice. It’s not said how old Brael is, but probably he is 15 or 20 years older than Hawk. Anyway the agreement with the old man is that Brael will take care of the kid only when he will be “of age”.

Shift in time, a now young adult Hawk meets again Brael, and it’s soon clear that Brael will not only teach Hawk the secret of magic, but also something else. Truth be told, in a scene, Brael explains that his “personal” interest in Hawk begun when Hawk was older, while he was looking for the boy from afar, waiting to stake his claim. It is only good that Hawk is infatuated of Brael, and he was also as a kid: for Hawk nothing is changed, Brael is still the fascinating wizard who told him stories when he was a kid, only that now he will tell him a different type of story. The author plays the innocent card for Hawk, with an hint or two, but not as much as he could have done.

If not for the sex, the story would be quite “innocent” and light: shadows who speak, wands and medallions who express their opinion and treat their owner. But the lightness and innocence is soon forgotten when Brael and Hawk are alone together.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00313Q1KQ/?tag=elimyrevandra-20… (altro)

This has to be the best vampire m/m book I read to date!
Awesome and very very captivating beginning. Both characters were really interesting to see together, explosive couple dynamics, plus, I'm a sucker for stories in a medieval sort of/fantasy setting. Everything just really appealed to me a lot~
It felt like forever since a vampire x human story captivated me this much, if ever. I can't stress enough the huge bonus it was that it doesn't fall into the we have to turn the human cliché that is much too overused in such stories that always dampen my enjoyment in the end.… (altro)