Crucify my Love: Gay Book Reviews: [196-ENG] Review: Haven

Series: The Magic Emporium

Volume: -
Publisher: -

Genre/s: MM paranormal romance/mystery

Length: 60 000 words

Pages: 200

Read in: English
Review copy format: epub

Rate:✮✮✮✮✮✮

Trying to find out what happened to his grandmother's brother, who went missing when he was just a teenager, Austin Williams comes to a small town where years ago, Thomas was locked up in a mental health unit. Digging up the past, Austin meets Jamie Miller, a handsome guy who is eager to help him for a just cause. Two men start asking uncomfortable questions that trigger an avalanche of events. Knowing the truth can cost them their lives and it is much too late to withdraw and forget about all the secrets.

"Haven" by Morgan Brice is part of the "Magic Emporium" series, which consists of single-volume novels by different authors, all of which have a common element that makes them the series. To be honest, in "Haven" I really liked the somehow obvious facts like, i.e. the appearance of completely new characters, whom we get to know as the story unfolds and, what was most important for me in this case, who are just getting to know each other. When reading the novel, we witness their first meeting and the development of their relationship. And that's exactly what I needed. What I think is equally important, we have the opportunity to admire the talent of the author, who can adjust the creation of her characters to the type of novel she writes. In other words, the way Austin and Jamie were created for this single-volume book differs from the way we get to know the characters in the multi-volume series. It's really admirable. However, I hope that the two main characters of "Haven" will come back to us one day. I really liked them.

As for Austin and Jamie, I really liked the fact that they both have some paranormal secrets that they don't share with others as their secrets make them believe in things that people would never understand and accept. You probably want to know, what's so special about it? Well, the friendship and love born between the characters is not exposed to a test of faith in the confessions of the other person, and thus our boys do not experience another disappointment related to disbelief or even mockery from a loved one. Thus, their relationship somehow smoothly reaches a higher level, thanks to which it can develop faster and differently than the relationships of other characters we know from Morgan Brice's novels. Moreover, I think the way Austin and Jamie try not to tell each other the full truth about their extraordinary abilities, even though they both have them, and so both believe to a great extent the inexplicable, the magic, is really sweet. Imagine two children who try to hide their favorite toy behind their backs for fear of being laughed at, while the toys they hide are the same. This is how I would describe this element of the plot.

Another advantage of "Haven" is undeniably the story the author tells us. This is a paranormal novel in which we can find some ghosts and the action revolves around the hospital. Sounds fantastic, doesn't it? However, I want to mention one important thing. In "Haven" the author carries out her plan, doesn't go beyond the boundaries of the genre and did not make a horror story out of her novel, which I really appreciate. For when we think of ghosts and the hospital, the darkest and bloodiest scenarios immediately come to mind. The more so because the line between urban fantasy and horror is very thin and it would be easy to cross it. However, Morgan Brice did not deviate from the chosen path and from beginning to end she created her novel in a way that we love so much in her writing. "Haven" is therefore a 100% urban fantasy novel and this fact is emphasized even by the plot itself, as well as its development. But don't worry, I will not reveal you any important details. You have to check them out for yourself.

Finally, a few more words about this one thing I love so much in Morgan Brice's works and what we also see in "Haven", therefore about connections with other series by the same author. I believe that it is worth our attention that this time the thread connecting the new novel with the rest of the author's books set in the same universe is created not only by the characters, but also the story itself. Well, as I have already mentioned, the action does not focus on the ghosts in the asylum, but revolves around a specific secret that the characters are trying to solve. So we have this actual problem, and hence, an actual solution that is closely related to another novel by our amazing Morgan Brice. I will only add that in this respect "Haven" surprised me. The author had a great idea for the mystery of the past and for solving it, thanks to which it stimulated my imagination and made me feel a bit unsatisfied in a good way. I would love to read the story of Thomas, a man whose fate after so many years brought Austin and Jamie together.

Overall, "Haven" is a must-have for all Morgan Brice fans, as well as a pretty good start of an amazing adventure with her work for those who haven't read her books yet. In this novel we can find some interesting secrets, great conspiracies, unexpected feelings and the magic of the paranormal world. In short, it has everything that every urban fantasy fan loves.

Headcanon: working on it

Fanfiction idea: working on it

AU idea: Jamie is a lecturer at the university where the murder was committed and Austin is a detective trying to find out who is guilty of the crime.

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Here's some more about:

Book Title: Haven

Author: Morgan Brice

Cover Artist: Alexandria Corza

Release Date: April 8, 2021

Genre/s: MM paranormal romance/mystery

Trope/s: Action, mystery, hurt/comfort, geeks in love, supernatural secrets, a brave historian and a lovelorn private detective, plus a guaranteed HEA. Old secrets, hidden psychics, secret shifters, ghosts, scandals—and true love.

Themes: Age gap, starting over, friends to lovers,

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 60 000 words/200 pages

It is a standalone book, but there are soft ties to Morgan’s Fox Hollow series. Other than the shared elements of the magic emporium, it does not connect to any of the other books in the Magic Emporium series.

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Old secrets, hidden psychics, secret shifters, ghosts, scandals—and true love.

Blurb

A series of long-ago disappearances leads cold case private detective Austin Williams to investigate a troubled sanitarium. Jamie Miller is new in town, temporarily running the local historical association, and he willingly signs on to help solve Austin’s mystery. Sparks fly between them as they dig into the hospital’s troubled past. But someone wants the past to stay buried—and is willing to bury Austin and Jamie to keep it that way.

Haven is part of the Magic Emporium series. Each book stands alone, but each one features an appearance by Marden’s Magic Emporium, a shop that can appear anywhere, but only once and only when someone’s in dire need. This book contains explicit scenes, action, mystery, hurt/comfort, geeks in love, supernatural secrets, a brave historian and a lovelorn private detective, plus a guaranteed HEA. It is loosely connected to my Fox Hollow series.

Excerpt

The alarm on Jamie’s phone went off, telling him it was time to lock up. “I have to close on time,” Jamie said, sorry to bring the conversation to an end. “Our insurance company won’t let me stay open beyond the posted times or have anyone inside after we’re closed.”

Austin rose. “I understand. Thanks for listening. I’ll be glad for any help.” He paused. “One more question—where’s a good place to get a bite to eat?” he asked with a slightly shy smile that sent a surge of heat to Jamie’s groin.

“Do you like pizza? Moosehead Inn is a locals’ joint that serves great food. I was going to head over once I lock up—you’re welcome to join me if you don’t have other plans,” Jamie offered, trying to sound nonchalant.

Did I just ask him out? Holy shit. I haven’t done that in…forever.

Austin brightened, and his smile grew broader. “I’d like that. I’ll wait outside. Can we walk there? I didn’t bring my car.”

Jamie nodded, still a little surprised at his own boldness. “Sure. See you in a few minutes.”

He ushered Austin out the door and locked it behind him. Fortunately, Jamie had gotten a head start on the lock-up checklist before the sexy stranger arrived. He powered down the computer and started flipping off light switches as he made his way toward the back door.

This was the part he really disliked. Once he turned on the alarm system, the security lights would come on. But on the way to the back door, the old house got darker, and the shadows stretched longer with every switch he flicked.

I thought I knew what I was getting into when I took the job. But it’s just temporary, and I’m still sending out applications for something better, he reminded himself.

An old house like this was likely to have ghosts, even without being turned into a museum of sorts. Bring together the personal belongings of hundreds of people, bits of local history, journals, and letters, and it didn’t surprise Jamie that the place was haunted. Even if no one else seemed to believe it.

Click, click, click. He turned off the lights in the foyer and the former sitting room and dining room. Jamie had closed up the upstairs rooms early since it was a slow day. It held a storage area, a library of books written by local authors and books about the Saranac Lake area, as well as a conference room and a small classroom for lectures. The attic and basement were storage areas that weren’t open to the public, which made Jamie very happy since both gave him the creeps.

Click. The lights in the old parlor went dark, and Jamie braced himself. On the nights the ghosts felt frisky, this was when the shenanigans started.

A cool breeze out of nowhere made the hair on the back of Jamie’s neck rise. He heard the glissando of crystal pendants gently bumping together, the decorative dangles on a vintage oil lamp in the parlor that shouldn’t have any reason to move.

Jamie resolutely ignored the shadow gliding just at the edge of his peripheral vision as he hurried down the hallway. The kitchen doubled as the staff room and was the least haunted place in the building. Jamie heard footsteps on the stairs and forced himself to breathe. He knew there was no one else in the old house—at least, no one living.

In the room to his left by the back door, the former sewing room for the ladies of the house, he glimpsed a familiar gray figure and heard the swish of crinoline and linen. To his right, in the small office that was once the cook’s room, a rocking chair creaked.

Jamie’s hand shook as he set the alarm. The ghosts didn’t act up every night, and some evenings they were more riled than others. So far, none of them had tried to hurt him. As unsettling as the ghostly manifestations were, Jamie couldn’t object to spirits wanting to stay in a place that meant something to them. He didn’t mess with them, and he really hoped that meant they would return the favor.

The alarm beeped, and the security lights came on, dim but enough to send the shadows scurrying. The sounds stopped, and the house grew quiet. Jamie slipped out the back door and checked the lock, then let out a long breath. The halogen light above the door made the area around the steps almost as bright as day. He shook off the weirdness and smiled, excited about dinner with Austin.

It’s not a date. But I wish it was. Maybe…

This could be a pleasant diversion, Jamie told himself. Austin was just in town to look up some family history, and Jamie’s role with the archive was temporary. Nothing said they couldn’t have a little fun while their paths crossed.

About the Author

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. Characters from her Gail books make frequent appearances in secondary roles in her Morgan books, and vice versa.

On the rare occasions Morgan isn’t writing, she’s either reading, cooking, or spoiling two very pampered dogs.

Series include Witchbane, Badlands, Treasure Trail, Kings of the Mountain and Fox Hollow. Watch for more in these series, plus new series coming soon!

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