Death by T.A. Chase

Title: Death

Series: The Four Horsemen 04

Author: T.A. Chase

Genre: Paranormal

Length: Novella (138pgs)

Publisher: Total E-Bound (16th April 2012)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥4Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: In the 1700s, Gatian Almasia was rich and a sought-after member of Parisian society. No one realized he’d lost his reason for living three years earlier. When his sister accuses another nobleman of raping her, Gatian does what any older brother would do. He challenges the man to a duel, and kills him. Later that night, the dead man’s family takes their revenge on Gatian.

Gatian’s death is just the beginning of the journey he must take as Death, the Pale Horseman of Apocalyptic fame. While he doesn’t regret taking the nobleman’s life, the guilt of not being there when his lover died builds a wall around his heart, and until he accepts forgiveness, he must always be Death.

Pierre Fortsecue is a spoiled rich young man whose heart is broken by the man he thinks he loves. Finding himself alone in Paris, Pierre sinks into a haze of heroin. He gets a tainted baggie of the drug, and almost dies from it. Death arrives to take his soul, and something about Pierre touches the Pale Horseman, who steals him away to help heal.

As Pierre heals and Death begins to feel again, they begin to wonder if love really is the only emotion needed to overcome desolation and destruction.

Reader Advisory: This book is best read in sequence as part of a series

Purchase Link: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?P_ID=1612

Review: Death has no remorse for the actions that lead to his death.  But, he carries guilt over his lovers’ death.  Now, he carries the mantle of Death, the Pale Horseman and his new orders take him to a man who is close to death from drug abuse. Pierre has plunged back into drug abuse after discovering his lovers’ betrayal, on the brink of death.  He is visited and given a reprieve. Now, with the help of Death, he starts to pull himself out of the gutter.

*Sigh* Death, oh Death, what guilt you carry on your shoulders. How hard you try not to care and how soft your core really is. Death/Gatian has lived with the guilt of his lovers’ death for many years. But, meeting Pierre leads to some similarities, but also glaring differences. Death begins to hear his lost lovers’ voice, as he helps Pierre get clean. Pierre has sunk low before, but never this low and now, with Death’s help, he starts to see things a bit differently and begins to find his way out of the hole he has landed in.

I have to say that this is my favorite Horseman and not just because we finally got Death’s story. It’s also because of the level of detail that we are treated to; from the streets of Paris in the 1700’s, to Gatian’s country estate.  And also the detail of the effects of the drugs and the overdose. We get to see Aldo and Bart briefly for a flying visit and we meet Lam’s lover, Day. God. I so want to read their story.

Death and Pierre’s story is really good.  Pierre finally comes to face his own actions and grows up.  Even going so far as to… ah nah read the book. Death/Gatian finally begins to process his own guilt over not being there when Oliver died. and Pierre and Death have some really hot sex. I thought that the way the relationship played out was great. And, I especially liked it when Pierre insisted on standing on his own two feet, without using Death as a crutch.

So the end to a well-loved series and I will recommend that everyone who loves paranormal, hot men, great back stories, hope for the future and a happy ever after.

 

Famine by T. A. Chase

Title: Famine

Series: The Four Horsemen 03

Author: T.A. Chase

Genre: Paranormal

Length: Novella (142pgs)

Publisher: Total E-Bound (20th February 2012)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥3 ½Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: Saving a dying man might be just what Famine, the Black Horseman, needs to feed his starving heart.

Having been sacrificed by his village shaman, Famine knows what it’s like to do anything to survive. He wanders the world, sowing drought and starvation in his wake. Yet he hates being the Black Horseman more than anything in the world, except the man who ended his life all those centuries ago. Famine never stops doing his job, and never allows himself to fall in love.

Ekundayo wants a better life for himself, so he steals a diamond from the mine where he works. Nothing goes well for him after that, and he finds himself dying in the desert on his way to the border. When he’s rescued by Famine, Ekundayo isn’t sure if his luck has changed or not. The longer he stays in Famine’s company, the more Ekundayo discovers he just might be falling in love with Famine.

One bad choice of Ekundayo’s part and a future together seems out of reach. Will Famine let his only possibility of love go or will he defy Death himself to keep Ekundayo?

Reader Advisory: This book is best read in sequence as part of a series

Purchase Link: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?P_ID=1547

Review: Famine spends his days traveling around making sure nothing will grow and drying up any water around.   He might not like what he does and he has done it for a long time, but he knows that there is a reason for it even if he doesn’t agree. Ekundayo steals a diamond from the mine he works (slaves) at.  As he runs away with plans to sell it, he slips and now he is trapped.  When he is rescued, although he feels attracted to his rescuer, he needs to find the diamond and sell it to have a better life.

This is a well written story that shows us more about what it means to be a Horseman. Famine isn’t like the other horsemen, as he hadn’t done anything to deserve becoming a Horseman and he has nothing to feel guilt over. So I was puzzled as to why he was made one but then it was answered near the end. Both Famine and Ekundayo are good characters and they seemed to have a spark, but they didn’t come across as real people… they were flat and they didn’t really feel alive so my attention wandered often.

Ekundayo being a thief isn’t even a blip on my radar as living in conditions that he was I’d have done worse.  What did bother me is that while he was recovering with Famine he was obsessed with getting the diamond back.  Even while he was falling in love with Famine. Famine is cautious with Ekundayo and he does try to dissuade him a bit. The sex between the two is hot and I did like the way that Famine went to Ekundayo’s rescue with Death’s subtle nudging of course.

Now the only part that really got me and miffed me off a little and that was a mistake by the author (unless there was something missing with an explanation) and that was Famine’s salt, it was clearly stated to Famine by Death that the salt would only work for Famine ‘no one else could do what he did’ but Ekundayo drops one of the grains and it ruined the little Island. Now on the good side Lam has a mystery so is he heavily featured in Death’s story or will there be a story just for him?

So any way with this one I will recommend it to those who love hot sex, desperate men, a man who needs to forgive and a happy ever after.

Portia’s Mini-rant:  I was very disappointed with the cover art for this book.  There are too many beautiful Black men in the world to have to Photoshop in dreadlocks.  My my mind, Death looks  more like this. 😉 

War by T. A. Chase

Title: War

Series: The Four Horsemen 02

Author: T.A. Chase

Genre: Paranormal

Length: Novel (144pgs)

Publisher: Total E-Bound (26th December 2011)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥4 ½Heart

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: Fighting the battle in his own heart, War must find peace before he can find love.

War destroyed an entire tribe of innocent people when he was mortal, all because his best friend lied to him. His guilt brings him a destiny he never planned. As the Red Horseman, War spends the centuries creating battles and wars between countries to restore balance in the world. While he accepts the job to atone for his sins, he wishes he didn’t cause men to kill each other. War lives a solitary life, without hope of ever finding forgiveness.

From the mountains of Afghanistan to the plains of Kansas, and to the steppes of Mongolia, Russell Heinz searches for peace. He’s battling survivor’s guilt after having two members of his army unit die within feet of him. His own mind shuts down, and Russell spends time in a mental ward, dreaming of a man with blood-red hair and all-black eyes. Unsure if the man is real or just a figment of his wounded mind, Russell heads to Mongolia, looking for forgiveness of his own.

Separately, Russell and War fight their own personal demons. Together, they find peace in a love tested by the fires of battle.

Purchase Link: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?P_ID=1481

Review: War still feels guilt over being deceived by his closest friend.  That guilt lead to him becoming War and being called upon to induce wars throughout the years. When Death tells War to return to Afghanistan and he discovers a lone soldier gravely injured on a ledge, he steps into rescue him. Russell is waiting for death, all alone on a ledge; he knows it’s too dangerous for his unit to come after for him even if they notice him missing. When death passes him by and he is rescued by a handsome redhead, Russell begins to doubt his mind.

This is a well written story that delves into PTSD and mental breakdowns while still giving us an incredibly enjoyable story.  War is mired in guilt, even though he knows that he was deceived the guilt still lingers.   While he rescues and supports Russell through his mental breakdown, he tries to get it across to him that there was nothing he could have done to change the outcome. Russell travels to Mongolia and meets the man who has been haunting his mind.  Finally, Russell begins to heal and understand what War really is.   he also helps War understand that the guilt isn’t his burden to bear.

Once again, I really enjoyed the story of the Horsemen; what their roles are and how they balance out the good and evil.  the characters are well portrayed and you feel sympathy for both of their stories. The sex is hot, the story-line is good and all the characters are great.  I have to admit to waiting with bated breath for Death’s story and I am really hoping that there will be a story for Lam somewhere in the future.

I am going to recommend that you give War a read.   it’s paranormal, it’s got hot sex, it’s got loads of guilt, it has some action and danger and it has a HEA.   So really you have no excuse for not reading it.

Pestilence by T. A. Chase

Title: Pestilence

Series: The Four Horsemen 01

Author: T.A. Chase

Genre: Paranormal

Length: Novel (143pgs)

Publisher: Total E-Bound (12th September 2011)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥4 ½Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: For Pestilence, the White Horseman, love becomes the most powerful cure.

Having lost his wife and child during the Black Death, Pestilence accepts the fate destiny has given him as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. For centuries, Pestilence did his job, spreading plagues and disease around the world. He does it to keep the balance between good and evil, yet he hates every minute of it. He longs to be left alone, but suddenly fate seems to have a different plan for him.

When Bart Winston stumbles into an Amazon clearing, he’s terribly ill and sure he’s going to die. A tall white-haired man with unusual black eyes catches him in his arms and Bart’s life takes a turn into the unbelievable. Blaming the whole situation on his illness might have worked, but as he gets better and learns about the strange man who heals him, Bart must accept there are more things in the world than he ever guessed.

Pestilence and Bart heal each other, and begin to wonder if there can be a future for the White Horseman and the mortal he’s fallen in love with.

Review: I am a huge fan of T.A. Chase’s paranormal/fantasy stories.  I have got to say she doesn’t let us down with this one. Bart has been abandoned in the middle of the Amazon by his colleagues; he’s ill and stumbling blindly to find his way out when he falls into the arms of Pest. Pestilence takes care of the man who collapsed in-front of him while juggling with his job as a Horseman; he ignores Death’s advice and ends up caring deeply for Bart.

This is a really good story about The Horsemen and I was fascinated by the premise of who they are, how they came to be and what their job really is. This story is focused on Aldo Bianchi, AKA Pestilence, who carries guilt with him.   He hates what he is and hides deep in the Amazon as far away from humanity as he can.  When he meets Bart something starts to change for him. Bart has his own problems to deal with, he is severely ill, stuck in a jungle with only primitive medicine and a crazy man to help him.

We get a good background on the MC’s and some really good story building on The Horsemen background.  The sex is hot and the relationship between Pest and Bart is great.  It isn’t rushed into or based just on sex. Bart helps Pest deal with his guilt and accept that there are just some things that happen. I loved Death and can’t wait for his story (it’s going to be a corker I just know it) and we met War briefly at the end, so is it War’s story next?

I will recommend this to everyone who loves hot sex, hot men, a great story and a brilliant paranormal plot.