Review: Over the top with action, but still an awesome read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 4, 2012
This book is a trip. AN AWESOME AWESOME TRIP. And it has EVERYTHING--romance, adventure, paranormal, sexual tension, fantasy, action, sexy times, mythology, time travel--EVERYTHING. And I couldn't believe how much I dug this story that totally goes in crazy town directions, directions I never saw coming, but I LOVED IT.The story--Sean O'Hara is a Cuban/Irish American, mostly estranged from his very Irish Boston family, and plagued nightly by horrible nightmares about a single murder from long ago. He travels to Ireland to seek out the guidance of one Cormac Kelly who investigates paranormal mysteries (due to his Druid ancestry and powers.) Cormac scoffs at Sean, thinking he's some Yank off the boat that's high on the idea of Irish magic and lucky charms, but quickly realizes that Sean's tied in to something much deeper, darker, and more connected to Cormac's past than he would have ever expected.What I loved:The characters--so good! Loved the MCs. They're so sympathetic and interesting, and the developing chemistry and heat between Cormac and Sean is off the charts. But even besides the hot sexy times, the romance and relationship growing between them is intense and enthralling, to the point where you have these gasp-worthy scenes where they're clutching at each other, Cormac saying so fiercely that no matter what happens in this CRAZY STORY, he will find Sean. Super intense and fully engaging, and boy was I rooting for them. (And yes, the ending is sooooooooooooo satisfying.)The story--By 30% in, I was a happy camper, following along. Around the 40-45% mark, the story starts to veer in these new unexpected directions. And basically every 10% mark after that, things just keep going down this rabbit hole that I never would have dreamed of from the start. Druid magic, Irish gods, potty-mouthed gnome creatures, time travel, A GIANT EEL, changelings, old flames, etc. And that's just a tease! There is so much more, and YOU SHOULD BE SURPRISED. Or at least as surprised as I was. At 75%, I was all, "This cannot get any more crazy," but then, "...OMG. IT DID!"It's also deliciously long. It doesn't feel long in a bad way, and Amazon tells me this is around 280 pages, but so much happens in this story that I felt like I came up from a much longer work. It's kind of amazing how much is crammed in there, but overall, I didn't feel that the pacing was rushed, and the authors did a good job of wrapping everything up.The writing--very smooth and readable. Really well done. And there are a lot of Irish mythology references in here that mostly go unexplained. Personally, I preferred it this way rather than having a lot of exposition and info dumping. It meant that the pacing was overall very tight, and moved along quickly. I never felt a drag, which I think was one of the reasons why the story felt so intense.As a heads-up, the first scene is very violent. (It's Sean's nightmare. Totally understand his sleepless nights.) If you're squeamish about violence, I recommend just pushing through. There's violence in other parts of the book, but I think this scene has the most intensity and immediacy.Anyways, still kind of stunned. Totally loved this crazy book, and would pick up a sequel in a second if one comes out. If you are fine with fantastical elements in your m/m romance, and can handle a story that's a little intense, then you might really dig this book. The story progression is definitely a little over the top, but I just went with the flow on this one, and I really enjoyed it. Highly recommended.