Katey Hawthorne

Kellen is prickly and awkward. He grew up poor and unpopular, and his family, while loving, is far from perfect. He has an inferiority complex that flares to life at the slightest provocation. Jamie is a charming, good-looking extrovert who seems to have everything going for him. Yet it turns out to be Kellen who has the stronger sense of self. He can't tolerate dishonesty or lack of integrity, and this is what drives the course of the romance.

Jamie is as much a product of his background as show more Kellen is, though it isn't as obvious at first. He has grown up in a community with a secret - they are "awakened", meaning they have powers other humans don't, and they keep this hidden. Thus Jamie grows up learning to hide who he is and lie by omission. In Jamie's case this habit of concealment is compounded by the fact that he is also hiding the fact that he is gay from his community. He never reveals himself fully to anyone. He is buddies with everyone, but at the start of the story no one is close enough to him to know all of who he is. So Jamie is living a shallow and lonely existence under his facade of friendly good cheer. Kellen, for all his grumpiness and awkwardness with people is the one who is known for who he is and relates to people honestly. But he is also so defensive and self-protective that he pulls away and endangers the relationship. He needs to learn to trust and forgive.

This sets up the best kind of romance - where the main characters must grow and change in order to become each other's match. No one is really in the wrong, and their weaknesses are understandable, but they have to decide whether to stay as they are or to do the hard work of changing - and accept the pain that comes with it. show less

KV Taylor isn't trying to reinvent the wheel; her vampires are sexy, nasty, and out for blood. Liam's transformation from angsty farm boy to (mostly) self-assured vampire is realised in detail, vampire Gianni on one side of him and human Aldo on the other. The sex is hot, the horror is dark, and the characterisation is realist and nuanced. This book is driven by its central relationship, though elements are introduced that will clearly drive the plot of the series as a whole.

Reviewed on Hearts On Fire... http://heartsonfirereviews.com/

This was a beautiful love story built on trust, commitment and a little fear. The first in what appears to be a series, this story was a perfect start. Adam moved away from the tiny little town in West Virginia as soon as he could and never looked back. He went through lives and loves with disregard just making it as an artist in Washington D.C. Sometimes when you run so hard away from something though you wind up running smack dab show more into it and Adam wound back in the tiny little river town he grew up in. Leith is a college senior on the swim team with Adam's younger brother TJ. Adam is attracted to Leith the first time he sees the unassuming young man at a swim meet. Leith is a loner with no real friends to speak of except for the Ohio river across the street from his and his father's run down house. Leith somehow has an affinity with water. His father believes that it came from Leith's mother but it sounds more like a fairy tale than any reality until Adam actually sees just how water and Leith embrace each other. Love blossoms between the two men much to the chagrin of TJ who seems to know Leith better than one would think and knows his brother only too well. Both Adam and Leith take chances on each other and grow through their trust and love. Ms Hawthorne did an excellent job of developing the characters of TJ, Leith and Adam fleshing them out slowly yet fully. The mysterious affinity that Leith has for water was woven through the story well and while it kept me guessing right until the end, it never overwhelmed the love story as sometimes happens with a paranormal book. I couldn't help but fall in love with the sweet, giving and somewhat innocent Leith. TJ was the voice of reason in the story and brought Adam to attention often. The story line flowed beautifully without a hiccup. There were a couple of plot twists but Ms Hawthorne delivered on a sweet HEA ending. I'm anxiously awaiting book two. I recommend this well written love story to anyone looking for a feel good book with plenty of great sex. show less

This is a demon hunting story with a slight difference – the demon hunter has managed to convince a demon to help him find his “siblings”, as he calls them, and that makes him close to unbeatable in the art of sending demons back to hell. There is one problem though. The demon who agreed to help haunts Thackeray full-time, making it impossible for him to possess and control his master, but meaning he is always there. Always!

Thackeray has good reason to hunt demons, since his childhood show more was ruined and destroyed thanks to them. It makes for a lonely life but it’s a price Thackeray is prepared to pay. Until he runs into Matt, a powerful witch, and suddenly Thackeray craves some alone time with the attractive man. Actually, it takes both of them a while to learn to trust each other, but once they work together, it becomes clear they both want more. And when Matt has an idea that might just enable them to snatch some alone time away from the demon… well, things get pretty hot pretty fast.

If you like stories about demons and witches, if two men fighting evil are your thing, and if you’re looking for a short, supernaturally charged read, then you might like this short story.


NOTE: The anthology this short story was published in has been provided by Torquere Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. show less