Series: South Texas Lore
Volume: 1/?Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Genre/s: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy M/M Romance
Length: 41 000 words
Read in: English
Review copy format: epub
Rate:✮✮✮✮✰✰
After many years spent away from his family, who pushed him away when Carlos confessed he's gay, the young man returns home to help his brother after their mother's death. Being back home evokes memories of both good and bad times, and consequently, fuels bitterness and grief after his loved ones. Carlos never ceased to love his family, so now he wants to do his best to help his brother keep their parents' ranch. However, this is not the easiest thing to do, because the brothers can't find any documents left by their mother, while the wealthy rancher, with whom they have had some problems for years, does what he can to take over their ranch. To make matters worse, Carlos begins to see his dead mother's silhouette in the mirrors.
"Espejos" is the first volume of the new series by Michael War entitled "South Texas Lore". As the name of the series indicates, it is related to the paranormal side of human beliefs. For starters, let's focus on this topic. The supernatural world occupies in the novel a very important and, in a sense, vast place. And yet, in fact, when reading "Espejos", we don't feel it particularly strongly. That is why it is very difficult for me to decide whether it was well or not so well presented. We don't find here a typical clash of two worlds – the real and the paranormal one – which affects emotions, action, characters. To tell the truth, I have the impression that the way our protagonists' approach this subject is mostly quite calm, or maybe I should say, it's too calm. That's why it's a bit hard for us to really feel this paranormal side of the novel. Imagine that you are walking through the city center with a friend and suddenly something amazing happens in front of you. You are thrilled, while your friend just looks at it, then shrugs and walks away. Sometimes this is how I felt while reading "Espejos".
The story the author presents in the novel is quite interesting because it combines romance, some really suspenseful events and deeper, more serious content. Well, yeah, sometimes we can predict some things that happen here, but there are cases when "Espejos" really surprises us. I consider this combination a great advantage because thanks to all this we can easily imagine the presented story and really appreciate the way in which Michael War builds it. I think it is also a good thing that the novel reminds me of all those Latin American series that my dad had been watching with great enthusiasm a few years ago. Thanks to this, it was easier for me to "feel" the story shown in "Espejos", as South Texas presented here differs from the Polish reality in which I grew up, and sometimes in my opinion it seems closer to a fantastic world than reality. I admit that thanks to this reading this book was even more fascinating.
The great advantage of "Espejos" is undoubtedly the fact that the novel raises, among others, the problem of acceptance, which has a big impact on the events presented here, as well as on the characters themselves. I think that Michael War really approached this topic in a fantastic way, because he showed it from many angles in a way that affects the readers' emotions. In a nutshell, the book presents the impact of the lack of acceptance on some individuals and on the whole family, the subsequent difficulties in building a bridge between two sides of the conflict, the lost time which can't be restored. This is undoubtedly the strongest and most emotional side of the novel. What is equally important, this subject was in some way connected with all the threads we see in "Espejos", including the paranormal one, which also makes the problem of acceptance the most important.
Another topic I would like to write about are the characters. To be honest, after reading "Espejos", I feel that I don't really know them very well, and that's because they seem to be surrounded by a high wall, which is really difficult to overcome. There's no doubt that they are really strong, but maybe they are a bit too strong, because sometimes we wonder where are all those emotions that they undoubtedly feel, and that certainly don't let them sleep at night. The consequence of these hidden from the readers feelings is the fact that in the end we don't know the protagonists well enough to open ourselves to them. We don't have a full insight into their psyche and feelings, as if they were showing us only what they wanted us to see. Thus, they don't cross this magical line when a literary character seems to be a real, living man.
To sum up, "Espejos" is a good novel, with its advantages and disadvantages, which is worth reading even if only to see this complex and fantastic way in which the subject of acceptance has been shown in this book. This is just the beginning of the series, and after reading this volume we want to explore it further, so I think it is a good start and now it will only get better. Personally, I'm waiting for the next installment of "South Texas Lore".
Headcanon: Carlos and Eugenio decide to organize holiday stays for people from the city so that they can see what it's like to live and work at the ranch.
Fanfiction idea: Carlos and Eugenio watch a horror movie, after which they are so afraid that they turn all the lights on, cover all the mirrors, and they still can't fall asleep.
AU idea: Muñeca brava!AU with Eugenio as Milagros, Carlos as Ivo, and Beto as Pablo.
Here's some more about:
Book Title: Espejos (South Texas Lore 1)
Author: Michael War
Cover Artist: Jennifer Gavins
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Release Date: July 3, 2019
Blurb
After his mom passes away from a terrible accident, Carlos heads home to Tres Reynas for the funeral—and to reunite with his brother. Given he left after his parents abandoned him for coming out, it's not a homecoming he's looking forward to.
Once home, he learns a neighbor wants to steal his family's ranch, and his brother is considering selling it. Determined not to let the ranch be lost, Carlos works to save it—with unexpected help from the handsome, rugged Eugenio.
But Carlos can't seem to focus, especially with his mother's image seeming to haunt the ranch mirrors, like she's trying to tell him something—or maybe like he's just losing his mind.
Once home, he learns a neighbor wants to steal his family's ranch, and his brother is considering selling it. Determined not to let the ranch be lost, Carlos works to save it—with unexpected help from the handsome, rugged Eugenio.
But Carlos can't seem to focus, especially with his mother's image seeming to haunt the ranch mirrors, like she's trying to tell him something—or maybe like he's just losing his mind.
Excerpt
Domingo Menchaca. Just hearing name brought chills to Carlos' spine. One stare from the patriarch of the Menchaca family was enough to make most people freeze in their tracks. Except for Carlos' parents. Domingo used his stern demeanor and formidable presence to bully almost everyone that got in his way. But not Hector and Elena Rocha. They never let Domingo get the best of them, even when he came at them with everything he had. Carlos knew that if they were going to fight, they needed to find a way to dig into their DNA and pull out whatever they could.
"But we can't just sit around and let this happen though. There has to be something we can do." Carlos was pacing at this point. He always did when he got excited or anxious. The way he was feeling he was going to walk straight through the floor.
Beto stayed behind the desk. "There's not much we can do now. I've been calling lawyers all over, and they all say same thing: just sell. And to tell you the truth, I think I just might."
Carlos stopped pacing. "You can't be serious. How can you think of selling all this? This is our family's legacy. We have a responsibility to keep this going."
Beto came around from behind the desk and confronted Carlos. "Do not lecture me on our family's legacy or responsibilities. In fact, you are the last person who can tell me anything about that. Besides, what is it to you? I'm gonna ask you again: Why do you care so much now?"
Carlos didn't say a word. Part of the reason was because he was filled with so much rage. The other was because he didn't really know the answer himself. Beto was right, he never thought of going back, and he certainly never pictured himself taking over the ranch. But there was something pulling him in, making him say those things. He couldn't explain it. One thing was for sure, he was not about to let Beto know that he lost his job. That would give Beto too much ammunition to form his own conclusions.
"Oh, so now you have nothing to say," Beto exclaimed.
"Would you believe anything I told you? Fine, yes, some of this is guilt. I do want to make some things right, especially after hearing that Mom called out for me. But I still hold so much anger, and it's hard to let go. Maybe I just feel that this would help me move past all this. If you sell, then I'll really never get a chance."
For a moment it looked as if Beto might have sympathized. His eyes had a hint of concern. But as soon as it came, it went just as fast, and once again Beto's eyes displayed nothing but anger towards his brother.
"Poor you. You know other people are gonna feel this too? I'll have to let go of everyone. Well, the ones who haven't left. Eugenio was able to convince some people to stay, and luckily, I have an account that Menchaca hasn't found, so I can keep them paid for a bit. But that won't last long, which is why I think it is best that I just sell the place before it is too late. There will be enough time for everyone to find a new job, and the money will help me get settled somewhere before I figure out my next move. So, whatever guilt trip you are on, you need to stop. Your life isn't the only one that matters."
It was now Carlos's turn to return the anger. "I never said it was all about me. That's why I want to fix things, so that no one has to lose their jobs. And we can run this together, like I'm sure Mom wanted."
Beto walked towards the door and stood by it. "What Mom wante– I would love to keep arguing with you about this, but I've got calls to make, and then prepare for the rosary tonight. Though it would be fun to see you try and do some of this type of work. Maybe I should let you do some of the chores around here. Then you might not want to stay and I can sell."
The lamp on Beto's desk flickered a bit, then the small mirror on the opposite wall fell off, shattering into several pieces.
"Great, more bad luck," Beto moaned as he walked over to pick up the pieces. Carlos walked over and helped him.
"Careful, don't cut your hands on that," Carlos cautioned.
Beto laughed. "You sound just like Mami when you say it like that." Beto's look went from laughter to sadness. "I miss her so much. It hurts to sell, but I don't see a choice. Not with how dirty the Menchacas are fighting."
"I feel like there is still more to all this that you aren't telling me."
Beto kept on picking up the pieces.
"Beto, please, what is it?"
"I didn't get a chance to see if there was a will on file. Someone broke into the house the other day and left a mess in here. Papers were scattered and torn everywhere, and the computer and files were damaged beyond repair. I called the police, but they were no help. They said that since I didn't know if the papers existed, then I couldn't be sure someone took them. They said it was probably a kid looking for drugs or quick money."
"But you don't think so."
"No, but I can't prove it was Menchaca. He's not going to stop, and I just don't have the energy."Carlos stopped collecting pieces and placed his hand on his brother's shoulder. "You'll see. We can fix all this. Just give it a chance." Both went back to collecting the broken glass. Carlos wasn't sure, but while he was examining one of the pieces, he thought he saw something moving in the corner of the room. Yet when he turned, nothing was there. He chalked it up to simply being a figment of his imagination and continued to help Beto clean up.
About the Author
Michael War is a writer whose real life tends to be on the boring side, which is why his imagination seems to float towards gay romance. Aside from writing about beautiful gay men of all types (bears, jocks, twinks) getting it on, he also enjoys writing poetry and screenplays. War holds an MFA in Creative Writing and plans to write more romance themed books in the near future. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook for updates on upcoming stories or with any questions or comments. Or, you can read his blog for some mindless ramblings.
Author Links
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