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A most entertaining original read!

I'll start with the beginning, which would be the cover. Now covers are, for the most part, a source of turn-off on most gay novels for me, but certainly not this one~
It's amazing and scary at the same time, a perfect match for this story. Not to mention the children we see on it probably have me scarred. That image followed me all the way through the book, really spooky.

The story itself is rather unconventional, but I think this is where it gets it's appeal. Romance, Paranormal and Horror each have a part in it. That's not to forget Wira, who's a little more than a transexual. He's a very complex character. Everytime I thought I knew how he would react to certain situations, he always surprised me. It was very interesting.
There were a few amusing moments, most notably when dear Wira tries and fails to pronounce "fucking" properly.

My favorite character was definitely Galen, possessiveness and all. You have to give it to the guy who has no problem whatsoever killing people and even made it his living. Furthermore, I think the love he has for Wira is very evident. You can feel how much they really need each other and that they are lost without the other. It's really sweet that Galen is also the one who liberated Wira when they were younger from the abusing hand of a psychopath child molester, and that much later, they are together still.

Running away didn't end everything though and revenge brings with it something much darker. Unfinished business as one would say, and it haunts them, quite literally. Until they make it right.

I'd give a warning for blood and gore as I'd say this is not for the faint of heart. Still, it was refreshing reading something out of the ordinary for a change. ( )

Publisher's summary: In the notorious Five Points slum of 1870’s Manhattan, Galen ‘the Mongoose’ Driscol steps out of jail and back into the arms of his transgendered lover, Wira Boruta. When Galen tells Wira that he’s tracked down the man who tried to kill them as children, Wira is unwilling to listen, and pleads with Galen to forget the past, and live only for the future ... their future.

Only Galen doesn’t forget, nor does he forgive. He doesn’t give a second thought about exacting justice, but justice has a price, and it’s come to collect from the one person Galen loves most ...

Gadarene by Tina Anderson and C.B. Potts met and exceeded my expectations. The story effortlessly merges the genres of horror, paranormal and historical. And at the heart of it, Gadarene is also a romance.

The setting of the story is established early on when Galen is released from jail, and he takes a leisurely walk back to his mother's house. Slum life is painted vividly and it's clear that Galen, and everyone else he knows, does not live a life of luxury. Galen's mother is a prostitute, and so is Wira, Galen's lover. Galen himself is a hitman hired by various members of two rival gangs called Long Coats and Top Hats.

The prose has a smooth style that fits with the story. Galen and his friends are poor hitmen and prostitutes and they talk like poor hitmen and prostitutes. Wira has a Polish accent, though he was born in America, and his W's sound like V's. I appreciate the attention to details like that. But Wira slips up too often, and that makes me wonder whether the authors were careless or whether Wira can control how thick his accent is.

Galen can be ruthless, and he doesn't hesitate to kill, even when he's not officially "working." It's that part of him that wants to take revenge on Him, the man who tried to kill Galen and Wira when they were younger. Wira is more practical and tells him to let go of the past. Galen doesn't want to worry Wira so he tells Wira that it's all forgotten. Despite Galen's tough exterior, all things Wira turn him into a softie. He even pulls Wira out of his unpleasant profession of giving blowjobs.

The love between Galen and Wira is obvious and touching, however that's not all there is to the story. Gadarene is bloody and gory, and unsettling enough to give you nightmares. But I hope that doesn't stop anyone from reading, because you would be missing a terrific story.

The cover art and layout alone make this book worth a second glance. Font choices were beautiful and appropriate, and the cover and back complimented perfectly what was inside. There is little to criticize about Gadarene; it comes as close to perfection as possible.

I'm grateful to the authors for producing a top-notch work, and I'll look forward to their future projects. If you're looking for something unconventional, Gadarene is highly recommended. ( )

What did I like about Gadarene? There's a lot to like here: rich historical detail and smooth, energetic writing. Galen and Wira are complex and appealing characters. Wira is not just transgendered but intersex as well (having sexual characteristics of both males and females) which makes him a fascinating subject. Gadarene will please many readers, especially those ... Please click to read the entire review for Gadarene at Obsidianbookshelf.com ( )

Well never say never. I always said that I would never read an horror and here I'm, just finished one, and I have to say a very good one, and being very happy to have read it (even if happy is not a word that fit with this genre ;-) )

Late nineteen century in Manhattan, Galen is just out of prison. He has spent three years in Ludlow, a boy from Five Points, with no hope for a bright future. Son of a woman who is whoring herself to live, he has neither a place to stay if it weren't for Wira. Wira is his lover. A boy born with a genital imperfection, Wira was raised by his mother like a girl, but when his mother died and he went to the youth home in Bowery, they decided he was a boy. But his mother promised him he will be a woman, and Wira wants to be a woman. Above all for his lover, for Galen.

During Galen's absence, Wira has gained money "blowing kisses", but he has never allowed to nobody to fully "have" him. That part of him is only for Galen, and now that Galen is again at home, he doesn't want that Wira goes on to do the "life". But past trauma, of both Galen and Wira, and the reason why they met, doesn't allow to Wira to forget and go on. He has always believed that alcohol was the reason for his nightmare, but now he is sober, but still he sees the "boys", little ghosts who always look at him with accusing eyes. Even more now that Galen is out of prison. But why can't Galen forget the past? Why has he always to speak of Him?

Gadarene is a very intense book. It's strong, and it's not flowers and kisses, but it's also a beautiful love story. Both Galen than Wira are very deep characters. It's beautiful to read of their relationship, how they depend on each other, how difficult is their life, but still how easy and warm is their love. And even if this book has some paranormal elements, for me it's a wonderful historical evocation, of the tough life of that part of the world not born in safe and warm houses, of a man who is not fully man, but still has found love and deserved that love.

The historical details are wonderful, the use of the different slangs, the melting pot of people which was the poor district of a long forgotten Manhattan, all conveys to make an appealing reading.