Series: Witchbane
Volume: 1.5/?Publisher: Darkwind Press
Genre/s: Urban Fantasy, MM paranormal romance
Length: -
Read in: English
Review copy format: pdf
Rate:✮✮✮✮✮✮
Several weeks passed since Seth and Evan managed to get out alive from the fight with one of the witch-disciples, who wanted to extend his immortality by killing Evan. The man lost all his possessions at the time, but he found love, which he did not expect to find in such unfavorable circumstances. The feeling that bonded him with Seth is still quite fresh and it can fall apart like a house of cards at any moment. Although lovers travel and live together in Seth's trailer, they are still not one hundred percent sure of the feelings and plans for the future of their other half. What also does not help is Seth's dangerous profession and the fact that he is afraid Evan will give up on him and their love when he understands the burden of the hunter's life is too great to take on his shoulders. Will they manage to overcome their first love problems? Will they be able to trust each other completely and at the same time survive the first fights with paranormal beings who would tear their throats with real pleasure?
"Burn" is a homosexual urban fantasy romance novella, which action is set between the first and the second volume of the "Witchbane" series. At this point, I must admit that it perfectly complements the first volume, as I found here everything that I missed while reading the previous part and so much more. One of such "lacks" the author was the characters' lack of opportunity to get to know each other better and build their relationship. In "Witchbane" our boys struggled with the time not only to find and get rid of the witch-disciple threatening Evan, but above all to stay alive, which did not leave them too much room for deepening their mutual feelings in a conventional way. However, now they can afford it and, best of all, they are perfectly aware of all these circumstances. In "Burn", the author focused, among other things, on the relationship between the main characters and its strengthening, which is one of the things I really love in this novella. Seth and Evan know that if they want to build something solid and really strong, they have to work hard on it and get to know each other better step by step. And although it is not easy for them, as in addition to facing mundane problems they also have to struggle with the paranormal ones, they want to try and give their best because they really care about each other. In this way, through their involvement, Morgan Brice shows us that the feelings between these two are not just lust and adrenaline flowing through their veins, but a deeper affection that we will undoubtedly explore with them as the series unfolds.
The need to work on building and strengthening a relationship is not everything that Morgan Brice paid attention to in the context of love. Our protagonists are partners not only in bed, as they are also going to be partners in "work" as a paranormal hunters. Since it is a dangerous job, the threat to life or health is something normal. And so the author didn't omit this problem, but she developed it and let her characters think it over carefully. In "Burn", we can find the topic of insecurity connected with the willingness of the other person to get involved in the dangerous work, as well as the problem of being good enough, useful and trustworthy when the life is at risk. What's more, the novella also deals with the subjects of great concern for the one's precious person and fear – on the one hand, for the beloved one who exposes himself to danger for one reason or another, and on the other, for oneself as there is a person for whom one wants to live and survive. Just as it happens in real life, the characters must find their own way among these dangers lurking at every turn, but they can count on their friends who would be happy to give them some advice. This way the author gave them the opportunity to find themselves in this difficult situation.
However, the plot of "Burn" is not based only on love dramas. Morgan Brice in a really good manner combines them with fast-paced action, thanks to which the reader doesn't get bored even for a moment and engulfs this novella like a thirsty person drinks water. And so we can find here many dangerous and life threatening hunts for supernatural beings. And believe me, as we can see on the example of our two beloved characters, clashes with the paranormal world are not the easiest ones. To make our adventure alongside Evan and Seth even more exciting, the author made use of the myths and legends more and less known to the readers, which is an undeniable and huge advantage of "Burn", as it is an urban fantasy novella, so the bigger its bestiary, the better for the series and the reader. However, this is not all because the author even more tightly tied the story she created to the real world by embedding a part of the plot in a very specific place – in an almost deserted and thus incredibly characteristic Centralia. In addition, she enriched our adventure in this city with a bit of its history and interesting facts, which in no way affected the fast pace of the action. All of it was used in a perfect manner for a purpose of joining together fantasy and real life elements of this novella genre. Personally, I really love it.
I admit that for me in "Burn" a real and completely unexpected sensation was the opportunity to learn more about the secondary characters, whom we only know from some phone calls and Seth's stories. Although we already had a chance to gather some information about them, this time Morgan Brice not only offers us some more info, but also presents the whole story of Toby and Milo's first meeting. I'd like to mention that this encounter is not only strongly associated with the urban fantasy genre, but to some extent it is also funny and even romantic and has so much charm in it that I am simply delighted with it. I think it was really well presented because I had vivid images of those events in front of my eyes. And that's exactly why from now on Milo and Toby will never be just some voices on the phone Seth received, but characters with a very interesting story, which once I'd like to know better. What's more, just by increasing the interaction of the main characters with the secondary ones, the author made them even more important for the whole series.
In conclusion, I think "Burn" is a pure perfection. In this novel there is absolutely nothing missing. We can find here a really interesting story, various supernatural beings, perfectly constructed characters and insight into their psyche, well-balanced proportions of action, love, problems and deep thoughts. I don't know how it is possible, but I feel that I just got addicted to Morgan Brice's novels even more than before. It is worth living for such books!
Headcanon: After each sparring, Seth gives Evan a massage, which often becomes quite erotic.
Fanfiction idea: Milo and Toby are asking Seth and Evan for help to get rid of a very twisted witch. When boys arrive, it turns out that the witch casted a spell on older hunters, and now they can't stop kissing each other.
AU idea: Evan is a graphic designer at a promotional campaigns company. One day, it turns out that they have an invasion of rats. They hire a pests control company. Seth Tanner is a person responsible for getting rid of the rats from their building.
Here's some more about:
Morgan Brice is the romance pen name of bestselling author Gail Z. Martin. Morgan writes urban fantasy male/male paranormal romance, with plenty of action, adventure and supernatural thrills to go with the happily ever after. Gail writes epic fantasy and urban fantasy, and together with co-author hubby Larry N. Martin, steampunk and comedic horror, all of which have less romance, more explosions. Look for her other books—Witchbane and Badlands. Coming soon—Dark Rivers (Witchbane novel #2) and Lucky Town (a Christmas Badlands novella).
Book Title: Burn (Witchbane #1.5)
Author: Morgan Brice
Cover Artist: Lou Harper
Blurb
One hundred years ago, a sheriff’s posse killed dark warlock Rhyfel Gremory, but his witch-disciples escaped, and their magic made them nearly immortal. To keep their power, each year one of the witch-disciples kills a descendant of one of the men in the posse, a twelve-year cycle that has cost dozens of lives, including that of Seth Tanner’s brother, Jesse.
Seth uncovers the cycle of ritual murders that feed the witch-disciples’ power, and he saves Evan Malone, one of the warlock’s potential victims. Neither Seth nor Evan expected to fall in love, but when the dust settles, they find themselves on the run and on the road together, heading toward Pittsburgh, on the trail of the next killer.
Seth wonders whether Evan will come to regret his choice to stay together, now that he’s living the reality of Seth’s nomadic life and the risks that come with it. He wants Evan to stay, but he’s afraid that Evan would be better off without him, living a normal life. Evan’s whole world has been upended, but there’s one thing he’s sure of, his love for Seth. Evan worries that he’s a liability, not yet able to hold his own in Seth’s rough-and-tumble world, but determined to do whatever necessary to have Seth’s back. On the way to face the next warlock, supernatural threats abound, forcing them to learn to fight as a team.
Fate and danger threw them together. But once the adrenaline fades, will love last?
Seth uncovers the cycle of ritual murders that feed the witch-disciples’ power, and he saves Evan Malone, one of the warlock’s potential victims. Neither Seth nor Evan expected to fall in love, but when the dust settles, they find themselves on the run and on the road together, heading toward Pittsburgh, on the trail of the next killer.
Seth wonders whether Evan will come to regret his choice to stay together, now that he’s living the reality of Seth’s nomadic life and the risks that come with it. He wants Evan to stay, but he’s afraid that Evan would be better off without him, living a normal life. Evan’s whole world has been upended, but there’s one thing he’s sure of, his love for Seth. Evan worries that he’s a liability, not yet able to hold his own in Seth’s rough-and-tumble world, but determined to do whatever necessary to have Seth’s back. On the way to face the next warlock, supernatural threats abound, forcing them to learn to fight as a team.
Fate and danger threw them together. But once the adrenaline fades, will love last?
Excerpt
Chapter One
Evan
“What do you mean, you’ve got a surprise for me?” Evan Malone’s tone was wary. “The last big surprise involved armed men shooting up my apartment before they burned it down.”
His boyfriend, Seth Tanner, winced a bit at that, and Evan wished he could take back the words. “I didn’t mean—”
Seth managed a smile. “It’s okay. And…it’s true. But this is a good surprise. Even if it’s kind of connected to that other time.”
Now Evan was really confused, but he let Seth lead him from the bedroom of the fifth-wheeler RV they shared out to the living room. With an electric fireplace, flat screen TV, and cushy leather furniture, it was easy to forget that their home was on wheels. On the table in the dining area was a large box and two smaller ones.
“It’s not Christmas—or my birthday,” Evan said, glancing at Seth again, who shooed him on with an expression Evan didn’t quite understand, something between pleased and sad.
“Open them.”
Evan saw that the boxes weren’t taped shut, so he went for the big one first, indulging his inner ten-year-old. The new laptop inside made him catch his breath. “Seth—”
“You still have two more.”
Biting back a comment, Evan opened the next biggest box to find a good quality, SLR digital camera, definitely capable of taking professional photographs. Knowing Seth would object if he didn’t finish his task, he opened the smallest box to find a cell phone.
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