Blurb: Twice each year, during the solstice, the Holly King battles the Oak King as Nature takes its course. This year, however, Holly concedes defeat far too easily. Curious about his brother’s haste, Oak nags his brother into revealing his secret: a new relationship with a human. While loving a mortal is not taboo, Oak fears his brother’s love may run too deep. But despite knowing he risks his heart, Holly is determined to share warmth with his Sergio for as long as the world will allow, if not beyond.
Review: The imagery in this story, though it is short, is vivid and lovely. The story is enchanting. These characters made me happy to meet them and sorry to see them go. I only regret this wasn’t a longer read.
Blurb: When a powerful witch is murdered by mundane means—with the killer leaving behind clues reminiscent of an old mortal folktale—the NYPD calls in Tuulois MacColewyn and the rest of Section Thirteen.
It’s been a while since Cole and his onetime partner, Corhagen, have worked together on a murder case, and sparks still linger between them despite Cole’s budding relationship with Inspector Joss Vallimun. As they struggle to put their past behind them and discover what happened to the witch, they unearth clues to similar murders. Murders that remind them of an old adversary in a case still unsolved.
When further evidence leads Cole and Corhagen to the shattered fragments of a mythical sword, it points to a cryptic clue about a prophecy involving a king. The revelation leaves Cole reeling and sets him up to make what could be the biggest mistake of his life….
Review:This story is part of a series and must be read in order. Section Thirteen is back and they have their hands full when an enemy from the past rears their ugly head. When a witch is murdered in a mundane way, Cole and James Corhagen are requested to assist in the hunt for the murderers. The odd clues lead them to a trap and Joss and the rest of Section Thirteen are called in to help. Facing down old adversary and the witch killers leads to new revelations. Cole struggles to deal with the now friendlier James, struggling to keep a handle on the still simmering attraction between them.
Oh my God Cole, what the hell are you doing Sidhe? So we have a new installment of the Section Thirteen Case Files filled with danger, surprises, twists and old enemies. Cole and Joss are moving forwards in their relationship, with Joss being to be a bit more open and relaxed more with Cole. James *scowl* suddenly becomes friendlier with Cole and makes a confession. On the work front, Joss and Cole are called by Rainette, who is worried about a witch friend and it leads to Cole and James being assigned to help look for the witch’s murderer. The entire Section group is called in when they spot three wanted half-fae and it leads to a confrontation where secrets are revealed.
So, we have a lot going on in this book and we revisit some old friends including the wood goblins and Robyn (Little Red Riding Hood). The police station takes another beating, James seems to be crawling out of the closet and a startling revelation is made. Oh and let’s not forget the orgy that Joss and Cole start in the middle of a fae bar. This is a great story that moves along at a smooth pace. There are moments when you can only recoil in horror at what Cole is about to do. *Cole, no, you’re smarter than that!!* And you want to grab him and shake him. With James, you want to laugh in his face and say ‘it’s too late’. and with Joss you want to stare at him in awe and go ‘oooohhhhhh’. The action and fights are impressive, the characters are brilliant and the storyline is cool. the new development that emerges near the end of the book has me desperate to see what happens next with both Joss and Cole.
I have to recommend this to those that love urban fantasy, danger, brilliant fights, traps and escapes, closure of an old storyline and a new one emerging, hot sex, new twists, betrayal and an ending where you wonder what Cole will do next.
Real-life superhero Push knows that better than anyone. When the Cape Cabinet decided to boost their numbers and commissioned the release of Wrath, a former supercriminal, Push and his best friend, Scratch, got the arduous assignment of rehabilitating Wrath and showing him heroism’s ropes.
Now all three are stuck in Shove Point, Arkansas, lying in wait for one of Wrath’s evil villain ex-buddies. Between the mysterious plane crash in the center of town and the spacecraft that self-destructed, Shove Point is weird enough. Then the utterly straight Scratch suddenly professes his undying love for Push.
As the situation heats up—between him and Scratch and in Shove Point—Push decides to call in reinforcements. Giant robots stomping all over the small town do not help matters, nor does a rampaging cyborg, nor Push’s unresolved attraction to Wrath. Then they discover there’s a mole in the Real-Life Superhero association. Whatever their differences, the newly formed team must put aside their baggage and work together to prevent an even greater tragedy.
Review: This story is part of a series and must be read in order. Push, Scratch and Wrath are stuck in Shove Point trying to find an escaped supercriminal, Pranksta Gayngsta, and a wanted supervillain, Sloth, but things still aren’t going their way and having giant metal monsters and alien slime, as well as a strange pod to find means they call in help from their friends. Too many things happening in Shove Point and the experimental equipment they find, points to a mole in the Real-Life Superhero association.
This story continues from where Push Comes To Shove ended (if you ignore the epilogue). The story broadens in this installment of No More Heroes, we see Push and Scratch come to an understanding between them, they are still trying to capture Sloth and more things crawl out of the woodwork which means they call in a friend to help them. In the last book the team had aliens to deal with, well in this one they have metal monsters to contend with. We get to know more of the superheroes in the shape of Professor Trixter, Wiccan Witch and Scarlet Queen and we discover a little bit more about the main characters Scratch, Push and Wrath.
I enjoyed this story for the simple reason that it was a complex storyline, and it is looking to get even more involved and complex as time goes on. Push and Scratch and their relationship is moving forward even with Push’s doubts about Scratch’s feelings, so there is much questioning in Push’s mind, especially because Scratch is straight. We also see confusion in what the men have gotten into just by being at Shove Point, everything seems to be happening at once and there is no end to the strangeness that heads their way. Their bosses seem to be ignoring the aliens and they discover that people are being lied to, and pinning Sloth down isn’t as easy as they hoped.
The relationship between Scratch and Push begins to move forward and we see some hot scenes between them, although Push tries to hold back at first because of his fears. The storyline and plot really begins to pick up and I can honestly say I haven’t got the foggiest idea where it’s headed… I can’t wait to find out though. I have to warn readers that if you are hoping for answers, then all you will find is more questions, and doubts, *sigh* just when you think that maybe you are getting a handle on what is happening, something happens to throw you off kilter. I must admit that the epilogues to these books leaves me guessing, who are these men? What part do they have to play? And most importantly when will we find out?
I have to recommend this to those who love superheroes, great characters, metal monsters, incredible situations and a storyline that leaves you guessing.
Blurb: After his last somewhat disastrous assignment, sidhe special detective Tuulois MacColewyn effectively got benched. But when a break-in at a high-tech storage facility leaves no witnesses—alive or, Cole’s specialty, dead—and just one missing canister, he’s recalled to Section Thirteen, the NYPD’s paranormal branch. It’s nice to get to work again with his current flame, Inspector Joss Vallimun, even if they do have their hands full: some mysterious force is cutting a swath through the city in search of that canister. If Cole and Joss figure that out, there’s the disappearances of employees connected to a local children’s television program to solve. Meanwhile, Internal Affairs is breathing down their necks.
But while Section Thirteen is working to find the stolen property and figure out what it is, something even stranger starts happening. Children’s imaginary friends are somehow manifesting themselves—and they’re coming after Section Thirteen. Even with a newly deputized witch and an ogre to bolster their numbers, the detectives have their work cut out for them.
Review: This story is part of a series and I recommend they are read in order. Tuulois MacColewyn (Cole) is re-instated as a special detective for Section Thirteen when a high security storage facility is broken into. He’s happy to be working again, but finds that Section Thirteen is being monitored more closely than he thought. Joss, Cole and the rest of the gang have to discover who or what stole the canister. they find a connection while on another case involving mysterious happenings at a TV studio.
This is an excellent continuation of this fantastic urban fantasy series. Cole, Joss and the gang are back in Section Thirteen, a paranormal unit for paranormal crimes. Cole is recalled back to the unit when something breaks into a secure storage facility. Unfortunately, whatever it is has them all baffled, but they make a slight breakthrough during another case. Cole and Joss are feeling their way through their relationship, with Cole fumbling in the dark trying to get a grip of human relationships. Staffelbach (another Section Thirteen detective) becomes more involved in the paranormal than he ever thought he could. Marcel and Rainette become much closer and lend a huge hand in dealing with the thief. And Corhagen, well, Corhagen is his usually affable charming self. (Sarcasm is a dying art.)
J.L. O’Faolain has definitely given us plenty to work with in this book; danger, excitement, betrayal, love, hot sex, mysterious foes, strange fights and so much more. New foes come to light in this one, but they have a tentative connection to previous foes. Okay, so one of them has an ‘in your face’ connection and flaunts it. We discover new paranormals like the Tulpas, which come in all shapes and sizes. There is a renewal of Naryssa’s child kidnapping and the Internal Affairs and Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn are sniffing around. So these guys have their hands full all the way through the book and the ending was great… I just want the next book so I can discover what is happening to… *shakes head* (you all should know better by now).
The characters are again brilliant and Joss and Cole’s relationship seems to be going well. Corhagen puzzles me slightly in this one, I don’t know why but he seems a bit shifty at times, but at other times he is just one of the guys (well not with Cole, who he is still uncomfortable with). We see a lot more of Staffelbach and get to know him better; he fits right in Section Thirteen. and Marcel and Rainette are interesting characters who round off a great team. We find out a lot more about Cole’s youth, in this one. And at times you forget Cole isn’t human, until his bafflement at human actions comes to the fore. Do not forget the great imagery we are given that has your breath catching as our heroes plunge into danger again and again.
So, with this one, I will recommend it to those who love urban fantasy, ogres, witches, sidhe, hope for Joss and Cole, fights, betrayal, new discoveries, old enemies and a great ending.
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (28th November 2011)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5Hearts
Reviewer: Pixie
Blurb: Tuulois MacColewyn’s simple life performing dirty jobs for fey hiding in New York City has died a quick death. Consulting for the NYPD on a case involving child abductions, losing a friend, laying siege to a stronghold at the end of Broadway, and being chased through a hospital by animated scarecrows combined to make last month hell. This month is shaping up to be much worse.
Yet, it’s not all bad. Cole has a new place to live, a steady-paying job working for the NYPD, and the heart of Inspector Joss Vallimun, head of Section Thirteen and, incidentally, Cole’s new boss.
Section Thirteen is understaffed and overworked, trying to solve every supernatural crime in New York, including a series of grisly child murders and evidence that local fey are being enslaved. When Vallimun is gravely injured just as the investigation reaches a fever pitch while a snowstorm blankets the city, Cole will need all the help he can get to have any hope of salvaging this month at all.
Review: Oh My God… It’s here finally after waiting years and years and years… What? What do you mean it wasn’t that long ago? Well, it felt like it was years and years that I waited *pout* and honestly you should know by now I have no patience whatsoever. Anyway, back to what I was saying it’s finally here… the long-awaited sequel to The Thirteenth Child and it is just as Brilliant.
Cole is back and he is just as leather wearing as ever. He might now be a special detective with Section Thirteen but he’s not retiring his leather for anyone. Joss is now his lover and superior and it seems to be going well for them and James Corhagen is still living in Narnia (I doubt he will ever find those closet doors) and now makes snide remarks about Cole and Joss.
This book starts with Joss and Cole trying to solve the murders of some young boys. Then Corhagen having really bad timing (which I thought was really funny) and a new murder which has ties to a private school. As Joss, Cole and Corhagen investigate they find it’s much worse than expected when they discover that The Hermetic Order of The Golden Dawn is involved.
Wow! what a trip I have got to say that this is just as good as the first book and J.L. O’Faolain keeps it paced nicely throughout; throwing us little tid-bits that begin to make more sense and fit together really well the longer we read. The relationship between Joss and Cole is really good and the sex between them is scorching hot. Joss’s injury hits Cole hard but he has to save the fey and stop the one who calls himself the Lord of All Fey.
So my recommendation is you go get this book and read it ASAP. but if you need more reasons than that then how about this, red-hot scorching sex, Marcel the ogre, Jynx the changeling, Boogaloo the wood goblin, Mal the ghost sorcerer, a pack of Cu Sith (fey wolves), pixies, a trow, a tree dryad, cake golems!!!, alchemy, a witch, Aed Deigh (Cole’s double headed blade which has cool new powers), Cole’s twin guns, explosions… do I really need to go on???
Title: Holly & Oak![ThirteenthShard[The]LG](http://mmgoodbookreviews.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/thirteenthshardthelg-e1370540184182.jpg)
