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BOOK BLAST: Caged Time by Erik S. Meyer (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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REVIEW: Hex and the City by Nazri Noor
Stolen Hearts: Hex and the City by Nazri Noor
Leon Alcantara is a real son of a witch. The last in a proud line of witches, he’s come to test his small magic in the big city. Stealing enchanted artifacts pays the rent, but the competition is fierce. And handsome. And great at magic, too. But Maximilian Drake and his dark, brooding glances are the least of Leon’s problems. A chain of anomalies surges through the city, strange distortions in reality that threaten both Dos Lunas and its people. Suspected by the arcane authorities, Leon is forced to work with his nemesis to clear his name. But Max is so secretive over his shrouded past. Can he even be trusted? Leon must decide before the anomalies destroy the city — and his entire life.
Nazri Noor quickly became a go-to author since A Touch of Fever back in 2021. Many of his books are urban fantasies set in an alt-universe centered around a magical Black Market that moves all over the globe and beyond.
His latest series, Stolen Hearts, is another urban fantasy. I haven’t heard mention of the infamous Black Market, but I’m pretty sure it’s set in the same universe.
Book 1, Hex in the City, stars the feisty Leonardo Alcantara, green carded into the US from the Philippines by his mother. Leon comes from a long line of bruha or witches, the magic passed on from women to women. He is the first witch boy and, so far, the last Alcantara.
A winning combination of spells, street smarts and naivety, Leon currently ekes out a living as a finder, moving from city to city where there is work. In one heist, he butt heads with another finder, the tall, dark, and broody Maximillian Drake, who is also after the magical object he’s tasked to find.
Dos Lunas is a city with a magical underground and many magical law-enforcement agencies, one of which are the Masks. As you can guess, their agents wear certain types of masks depending on their rank, and I immediately wanted to be one when I grow up. Another group that fascinated me are the Spiders, information mongers who dole out jobs to finders like Leon and Max.
One very intriguing aspect are the old magical families like the Brilliantes, powerful and influential enough to be given a lot of leeway by the Masks. The characters have different types of magic as well. Leon’s traditional magic can amplify what is already there. Later, he got a power boost courtesy of certain ancient entities. Max’s magic has something to do with crystals. His friend Tina is very handy with her machete, while the Jade Spider lives and breathes secrets.
I find many of the author’s works fun but wordy. Here, his writing hit the sweet spot between the sass, the info-dump, and the rest of the elements. This is a fast-paced plot with fast-talking characters that skillfully balanced the romantic development, Leon’s Filipino background, the snarky dialogues, world-building, the mystery, and the high-octane, anime-style fight scenes that I am crazy about!
The only reason I didn’t give this a 5-star rating is that the romance on the generic side. I’ve already seen this style of rivals to lovers done in the author’s other books. Apart from that, Stolen Hearts offers a rich magical world I’d loved to get lost in, characters I’d love to hang out with, and more quests and adventures to conquer.
So yeah, Hex and the City would make a great onscreen series. And we all know fictional gay couples have the best and most devoted fandom. We already have angels and demons, princes and first sons, and of course, pirates. About time we have mages and witch boys, so please, if Netflix or anyone could turn this or any of the author’s books into an anime or live-action drama, it would be simply brilliant!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Diamond
Artist: Angelina Jordan
Album: Old Enough
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HEX AND THE CITY: Kindle | Audiobook
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REVIEW: Buried Passions by Andrew Grey
Buried Passions – Andrew Grey
When Broadway actor Jonah receives word that his uncle has passed away and named him the heir to a property in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Jonah’s plan is to settle the estate as quickly as possible and return to his life in New York City. Much to Jonah’s surprise, the inheritance includes the Ashford Cemetery—and its hunky groundskeeper, recent Bosnian immigrant Luka Pavelka.
Jonah soon discovers Luka is more than easy on the eyes. He sees into Jonah’s heart like no man ever before, and his job at the cemetery is all he has. If Jonah sells, Luka is left with nothing. Luka is there for Jonah when Jonah needs someone most, and there’s no denying the chemistry and connection between them. But Jonah has a successful career back in New York. Now he must decide if it’s still the life he wants….
Andrew Grey is an author I’ve seen around for some time and only read recently. I regretted not doing so earlier because I practically inhaled his series, Carlisle Cops and Bad To Be Good.
His stories are about down-on-their-luck fellows and do-gooding average joes who changed their world. His storylines are rooted in the everyday with kindness at their core. They have a certain simplicity that could be boring in the wrong hands, but he had a way of imbuing them with pathos and heart, as well as uplifting moments that I almost always end up glued to his books until the very end. They make me believe that humanity is innately good.
Buried Passions is another brilliant example of that. Jonah Hughes is a Broadway actor in between jobs who recently inherited an old house with a cemetery, along with the hunky groundskeeper, Luka Pavelka. Little did he expect how they would change his life.
Luka is a hardworking Bosnian immigrant who still can’t speak English fluently. Frequently overlooked and underestimated, he’s also burdened with bringing shame to his family for being gay. His broken English hides a sharp sense of humor and a keen eye for detail. He is a man who likes taking care of someone, and he found that in the kind-hearted New Yorker who is a bit overwhelmed by his inheritance. Luka’s a total sweetheart!
The theme is seeing another person as they are. The story portrayed it at its most heartwarming in every way Luka and Jonah interacts. There is mutual respect and admiration from the beginning, and affection that grew into a soul-deep connection in the few weeks they were together.
When Jonah’s friend said Luka looks at Jonah like he hung the moon, the rightness of it hit me hard in the kokoro! Because that is exactly how you look at someone who treats you the way Jonah changed the world for Luka.
Their romance vaguely reminded me of one of my all-time favorite movies, God’s Own Country. It’s how Luka taught Jonah about making love instead of just fucking. It mirrors how the Romanian worker taught the Yorkshire sheep farmer intimacy during sex.
The plot follows Jonah as he navigates the changes in his life and his blossoming relationship with Luka. It also tackles the age-old dilemma of career vs. love. Jonah had to choose whether to grab the coveted starring role he was offered in New York or stay in Carlisle, the cozy little Pennsylvanian town that already felt like home the short time he was there. I loved that this is set in the same town as Carlisle Cops.
Like the author’s other stories, Buried Passions is deeply moving and downright engrossing. My heart bled for Luka and soared at his reconnection with his family. I was charmed by the small town coziness and swept away by the swoony romance. Although, the ending might be tied too neatly, all in all, it’s a sweet little tale about following a dream or following the heart.
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Noticed
Artist: Mutemath
Album: Mutemath
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Buried Passions. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal. Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Why Can’t Dating Be Like Pizza by Andy V. Roamer (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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SERIES TOUR AND NEW RELEASE: The Pizza Chronicles by Andy V. Roamer (Q&A with Author)
