Title: Highland Gathering 

Series: Abducted Hearts 02

Author: Douglas Black

Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal 

Publisher: Loose ID (December 27, 2016)

Length: Novella (112 Pages)

Heat Level: Low

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥ 3 Hearts

Blurb: Recently widowed Stewart Robertson agrees to spend New Year’s Eve with Gary James, a man he only met a few days before Christmas. There’s a lot they don’t know about each other, and despite Stewart still reeling after discovering Gary’s big secret, he remains undeniably drawn to the American parapsychologist.

Gary is keen to make things work with Stewart, but he doesn’t know if the man will be able to accept his unconventional job, let alone his belief in all things paranormal. Gary hopes to show the man that his work is more normal than it might first seem by bringing Stewart and Stewart’s daughter, Havana, to a haunted castle in the Scottish Highlands.

Stewart is excited by the prospect of spending more time with Gary. He’s also excited to not spend New Year’s Eve alone in the house he used to share with his husband.

Accompanied by Eleni, a skeptic who takes an instant dislike to Stewart, and Phoenix, Gary’s crazy ex, their ghost-hunting adventure promises to be one hell of a ride. Whether Gary and Stewart are still hanging on at the end of it remains to be seen.  

ISBN: 978-1-68252-244-8

Product Link: http://www.loose-id.com/abducted-hearts-2-highland-gathering.html

Reviewer: Lisa

Review: With this type of story you must always start with the first book.  Otherwise you will be lost in most of it.  I am still not too sure what to really think about this book, but I am still thinking bizarre and twisted.

Stewart is still a non-believer when it comes to the paranormal worlds such as ghosts.  However he wants to see where things are heading with Gary.  He gets to meet Gary’s ex and a wicked woman named, well who cares what her name is.  She is the twisted one in the group a very big skeptic but she is also downright nasty towards Phoenix.  Where Gary is slowly falling in love with Stewart but afraid of what Stewart thinks most of the time.  

Like I said above about this story being bizarre is still there.  It has a serious tone to it and very little humor.  It is like this dark tone that just doesn’t make the story any better in my eyes.  It even feels like the author himself is a believer of these types of worlds and is writing about an experience.  Like I said weird and bizarre.

I am not a big fan of this book but will hold most of my thoughts until I read the final book.  It is a slow paced story so for me it seems very drawn out and a bit on the boring side.  To top it off there is another cliff hanger with this one.  Right now I am afraid that this book is definitely not for me.

Title: Haunted Hearts 

Series: Abducted Hearts #3

Author: Douglas Black

Genre: Fantasy 

Publisher: Loose ID (February 14, 2016)

Length: Novella 

Heat Level: Low

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥ 3 Hearts

Blurb: Widower Stewart Robertson hasn’t known Gary James long, but he doesn’t want to let the man out of his sight. Gary wants to be with Stewart, but he knows Stewart is going to find it hard to accept entering into a new relationship so soon after the death of his husband, Archie. With Valentine’s Day approaching, Gary wants to make things official, but life is never easy.

Even if Gary can convince Stewart a new relationship isn’t going to tarnish Archie’s memory, he also needs the man to accept his beliefs and his job investigating everything from aliens to the paranormal. On top of that there’s the stress of selling Stewart’s house and the weird phone calls Stewart has started receiving that are verging on harassment.

In the end, the question seems to be not do they want to be in a relationship, but will they be able to overcome all the obstacles in their path, and leave behind Stewart’s past so they can have a future together.  

ISBN: 978-1-68252-245-5

Product Link: http://www.loose-id.com/abducted-hearts-3-haunted-heart.html

Reviewer: Lisa

Review: With this type of story you must always start with the first book.  Otherwise you will be lost in most of it.   

Well we have finally concluded why Elani is plain nuts and nasty.  You will be surprised by this little twist, but I have to admit that I kind of figured it out earlier.  She knew too much about Stewart and Havana.  Things are progressing quite nicely between Stewart and Gary but paranormal not so much.  Selling his home, weird phone calls, strange feelings are just a bit of what he is going through, suppose it could explain his kooky attitude.  

This is the strangest story I have ever came across, better than the first two but not by much.  At least there is some humor in it that balanced it out.  Gary is still a bit worried about how Stewart will take things and afraid that he still might call an end to it.  However he is holding on just like Stewart.  Havana is a little girl with a big girl sight I suppose.  She definitely doesn’t act her age, but then again neither does Phoenix. 

It is a very strange story but still a good read.  I can’t say that I like it, because I really don’t but it is still a fun read. All though there is still that next cliff hanger and ghost to find.  You would think that by now they would have proven to Stewart about ghosts and spirits, but nope.  That part of the story just seems a bit dull.  They are doing all the talking but still haven’t proven that they are not crazy to me nor to Stewart. I can tell from the ending that there will be another book in this series but I am not really sure I want to read it.  I will though because I want to see what happens next.  Guess I might just be as crazy as them. 

Title: Left Behind

Series: Abducted Hearts #1

Author: Douglas Black

Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal

Publisher: Loose ID (December 12, 2016)

Length: Novella (115 Pages)

Heat Level: Low

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥ 3 Hearts

Blurb:  Faced with the prospect of spending Christmas alone with his daughter, Havana, in the house he used to share with his husband, widower Stewart Robertson heads north to a campsite in Glen Coe in the Scottish Highlands. There, he meets Gary James, an American parapsychologist with beliefs very different to Stewart’s own.

The sexual attraction is instantaneous, and overwhelming, and when Gary asks Stewart to spend Christmas with him and his friends in Fort William, Stewart agrees. Knowing next to nothing about each other, the two quickly start a physical relationship.

Stewart, emotional, angry and still reeling from the recent death of his husband, doesn’t know if he’s ready to start dating again, but he can’t deny that he wants Gary, a man who is keeping a secret that threatens to derail any chance of a happy ending before they even get started.

ISBN: 978-1-68252-243-1

Product Link: http://www.loose-id.com/abducted-hearts-1-left-behind.html

Reviewer:  Lisa

Review:  When I chose this book I was thinking on a different line to what this story is about.  I knew I should have read the blurb but nope I decided to just grab and read.  

Stewart lost his husband over a year ago to cancer.  He is left behind with their daughter to figure out how to make life good again.  He is a weird guy who doesn’t believe in anything that can’t be proven.  He decides to take his daughter to a campsite instead of doing Christmas with her.  Like I said he is weird.  Anyway he meets Gary and Gary’s nephew Lucas.  If Stewart doesn’t believe in some things such as religion or heaven, can you imagine how he is going to feel about what Gary does for a living.

Gary is a parapsychologist but he has a secret that he is not telling Stewart about.  Something that is bizarre enough to get Stewart to run.  Something that is hard to believe, but Gary is scared that it might just end what is becoming love.

I am sorry but this book is so damn slow paced that it was just off to me.  To top it off ghosts and alien abduction, I am with Stewart on this.  However it is a fantasy book and the story was pretty good even if it was slower then what I would have liked.  I hate to admit that it was just a tad bit boring also.  I hope the next book sparks a bit more interest than this one did. To top it off, it ends in a cliff hanger, not one of my favorite things.