Dan Stone (5)

Colm McKenna has lived his entire life feeling as if he’s different than everyone else. Not only is he gay, but he also possesses some very unique abilities which nobody else seems to have, and he fears that if anyone were to find out, he would be ostracized even further. Colm can freeze time. He can influence the weather. He can cause objects or people to immobilize. What he doesn’t know yet is that he is an elemental witch.When Colm one day encounters another person who seems to also possess unexplained powers, he can hardly believe it’s true. Aidan Gallagher is also a witch, but his gift relates to the element of fire. Whereas Colm is by nature calm and cool, Aidan is a ball of energy. He can levitate objects, spontaneously start fire, and most impressively, he can communicate telepathically with Colm.The two immediately are drawn to one another, and it is obvious to everyone that they’re a perfect match. They complement one another so well, providing a perfect balance. The conflict arises, however, when they discover that they have been down this road before in numerous lifetimes previously. Their pattern has been to connect with one another and eventually separate. Colm begins to fear that the course of his current life is destined to face the same tragic outcome, and he sets out to protect himself from the eventual heartbreak he assumes he’s destined to endure.Although I generally do not gravitate towards books of a paranormal or fantasy theme, I was utterly captivated by this story. Initially it was the writing and crisp dialogue which captured my attention, but as I continued to read, I became engrossed in the story itself. The book has a rather lighthearted feel, and yet it delivers an emotionally gripping message. It is very rare to encounter a storyteller who can so effectively draw the reader into a narrator’s head as did this author. Colm was a character with whom I empathized and cared deeply about. The chemistry that he had with his love interest Aidan was explained in such an idyllic and romantic manner that it continually pulled at my heartstrings. I almost felt as if there were an underlying Dom/sub dynamic that existed for this couple, and I was in awe of the way that Aidan was so loving and protective of his boy.The banter and often-campy dialogue that was employed made me feel like I was in the middle of a crowded gay bar, and I found it amusing—often laughing right out loud. Yet in spite of this lightheartedness, I also felt the depth of Colm’s emotion as he bared his soul to the reader. The romantic scenes were described so poetically and beautifully that they were literally breathtaking.I’d like to share a quote, just to highlight this author’s amazing writer’s voice:For every push or shove there was a caress, for every pinch orbite, a sweet kiss. It was a wrestling match and a dance. There werea couple of moments when I could’ve sworn both our feet left thefloor, and I couldn’t tell which was the more powerful force—thelightning in the sky behind him or the lightning flashing in hiseyes. I had no idea that another body could connect so completelyand so perfectly to mine, or that it was possible for two people toarrive at the same awareness at the very same split second, like asingle comet streaking across the sky, seen only by two pair of eyes,and to have those most seminal words form simultaneously andappear unmistakably in two minds, transforming everything likethe proverbial thunderbolt hitting the tower:“I love you.”This book possessed every quality that I love about romance. Two perfectly-matched central characters are brought together under the most opportune circumstances. They connect and realize they were made for one another. Their intimacy is both beautiful and heart wrenching because of the underlying fear that it’s just too-good-to-be-true. It leads to a conflict of which only love can resolve. The secondary characters were also extremely well crafted. They were fleshed out just enough to become understandable and likeable. The author rather skillfully used these colorful characters to infuse humor into the plot. My personal favorite was Aidan’s Aunt Lu, an extremely outspoken voice of reason with a garish, larger-than-life personality. This is an extremely well-written and carefully edited story which is sure to touch your heart. Even if you’re not a fan of the paranormal and do not relate so well to witchly tales, the love story itself is more than worthy of the time it takes to read it. I’m thrilled to have been afforded the opportunity to experience this book and this author, and I cannot wait to see more of his work.Love wins, and so will you if you give this book a chance. It is certainly one of my favorite reads of the year!… (lisätietoja)

This was one of those books that I enjoyed while reading, but didn't think was especially awesome. Only, I kept thinking about it long after I finished - even after I started another book. The story resonated with me somehow - I think perhaps because the characters were so likeable and the story very original. There are familiar elements to the tale that readers may recognize from elsewhere, but how the author ties them together is fresh and inventive. Plus, it was the first time I came across witches in a paranormal romance that I found as enjoyable as werewolves and vampires!

I didn't have any idea the story was paranormal because it started out so ordinary, with a young photographer taking pictures of a parade. Until he froze some of the people (a lá Piper from "Charmed"!) to stop anyone getting hurt in an accident. Everyone freezes when Colm uses his power, only this time someone didn't! That someone is Aiden, Colm's opposite in power and personality. Unbeknownst to him, he is descended from a long line of witches just as Aiden is. Only, Colm's spiteful aunt who raised him after his mother died (hello, Petunia Dursley anyone?) hid the truth from him. Now, here's where the author really had fun. Aiden and Colm have been living their romance through centuries - reincarnated trying to make their love work out as it should. Only, that knowledge scares Colm. They love each other, but it has never been enough. This is a romance, so of course love is enough. But, our hero has to discover the truth about himself, and Aiden needs to convince Colm that this time, they will get it right.

Though there are secondary characters (Aiden's aunt is a hoot!), they are not developed much. This book is very much about Colm and Aiden, and only they are fully realized characters. That works just fine for this style of story though - the book is told from Colm's POV, and readers build a strong connection with him. There is frequent sex, though it is not explicit and fits into the romance. Though it may seem simple at first glance, this story has an unnoticed depth that stays with a reader. Some readers may dismiss this as fluff (it's not everyone's cup of tea obviously), but fans of paranormal M/M romance will likely enjoy it very much. Highly recommended.… (lisätietoja)

The novel is a surprising light and nice book. I really was not expecting to find it funny, from the blurb and the type of story I was ready to read an almost new age full of hidden symbols book. And instead this is the story of two young men in love and the trouble they face to be together... even if, truth be told, the trouble are not so much and the happily ever after is near and clear.

Colm is an elemental witch, he has the power to control the ice, but he doesn't know it. He was not taught in the 'art' of being a witch when he was young, he discovered his powers alone and he thinks at himself like some freak. He chose to live in the shadow as much as possible, and it's not an insignificant detail that he is a photographer, usually who stays behind the camera is someone who doesn't like to be at the center of the stage, he prefers to work behind the scene. Then he meets Aidan, another elemental witch, a fire witch; it's quite obvious that fire and ice are fated to be together, but there is something else between Colm and Aidan. They are forever lover, they lived many life, in every life they met and for some reason they were torn apart. It was not always some cruel game of fate, sometime it was Aidan who left Colm... actually more than sometime. Colm was always the abandoned lover, the one who loved too much and who payed for it. In some past life he was also a woman, and sometime he also gave birth to Aidan's son, but for a reason or the other, they have never had an happily ever after. And maybe this is the reason why now, Colm is running away from Aidan, instead of being happy to find him again... even if Colm doesn't remember all their past life, his heart knows that loving Aidan is dangerous, unless they don't change the past trend.

Aidan is not so change in this life, he is still the flirty and happy-to-go type of man that he was in almost all his past life; he is ready and willing to claim eternal love to Colm, but he does it without thinking, following the rush of the moment. Aidan is like is elemental, fire, he burns quickly and quickly fades, but if you are good in feed him, he can be a constant source of warm and comfort. Colm instead is like the ice, he has good and long last memory, he tends to be more careful in his action, and apparently he is less involved, but once he loves you, once he has you in his ice prison, it's almost impossible to run away.

I tried to tell you how the author plays with these two characters and their different behavior, how they are apparently at the opposite, but that they complete each other; but don't forget what I said at the beginning, all in all this is a 'light' story, full of nice supporting characters, daddy leathermen and latino twinks, bearded drag queens and horny teenagers.... plus it's also quite sexy without being overtly detailed. Colm and Aidan love each other, and also if Colm is still quite uncertain of all this thing of being a witch, of one thing he is sure, Aidan is his boyfriend, and he was so for the past two thousand years, and so it's better that no one tries to take him away from him, or he will show them how it's living in the North Pole. Even if this is a paranormal romance (how it couldn't be with witches and co around), I didn't feel it too much 'out of the ordinary', I read it more like a nice modern love story with some paranormal twists.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1590211472/?tag=elimyrevandra-20… (lisätietoja)