Genre: Paranormal, Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Aethena, Paranormal Romance Guild
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About The Book
Monks, magic, and mermen, oh my! The cast of supporting characters from Natalina Reis’s “Of Magic and Scales” are back and stronger than ever, and so are the pop culture references and silly jokes Aiden likes so much. As Aiden and his new family are joined by an unexpected antagonist that may yet prove to be their undoing, will their (un)domesticated new life as a couple be turned upside down?
Aiden Mercer’s life has changed dramatically since his days of being a man-whore, where he spent most of the time either running his coffee shop in sunny Portugal or man-watching at the beach. He now has Naël, a cranky merman to love and to hold, and his sister, Vee, and friends to care for. Life is good.
But life never seems to stop surprising the American ex-detective. A mysterious order of monks, a mermen poacher, shocking revelations about his parentage—and whoever is hunting him down—turn Aiden and Naël’s summer into one to remember. Or maybe one they’d rather forget.
The Review
Natalina Reis continues to capture my attention with the delightful descriptions of the scenery and life in Portugal. After reading this book, I really want to visit Portugal and relax on the beach keeping an eye out for merrow and enjoying the sun. I can understand why Aiden, the main character of this series, has so much trouble dragging himself back to the coffee shop he owns and is supposed to be running.
Running the coffee shop gets pushed to the back of Aiden’s priorities once again in this installment of the Of Magic and Scales series. Trouble in two forms is holding Aiden’s attention. A poacher is hunting down the local merrow, and someone is still trying to kill Aiden. When the entire cast of characters in this story gets involved in both mysteries, the action doesn’t stop. Aiden and Naël still manage to find some down time for themselves. I enjoyed the action packed scenes and multilayered mystery. The author does a wonderful job of taking a break from the action by adding a few sweet romantic moments which were nicely balanced with some steamy scenes.
The interactions among the cast of characters is entertainment all by itself. Aiden is slowly beginning to trust the family that is growing around him, and he is starting to let go of the pain of his difficult past. I am invested in seeing how all of the characters evolve in this series, and I look forward to seeing how Aiden deals with the revelations about his birth family. This book wraps up nicely, but this is definitely not the end of the story.
If you are looking for a refreshing escape from a summer heat wave , I suggest picking up this story about a hot merman and a coffee shop owner with an interesting heritage who both seem to attract more trouble than they can handle on their own.
4 Stars.
The Reviewer
Lives in the Pacific Northwest and vacations in the desert as often as possible. She is allergic to garlic, sleeps during the day whenever possible, and breaks out in an allergic rash when exposed to excessive sunlight. She has a degree in engineering, works at a comic book store, and goes for long bike rides at night during the full moon because of the sun allergy. Aethena was forced to switch to mostly e-books and audio books when the last floor to ceiling bookcase started to overflow. She is on her fifth e-reader, and is contemplating using her engineering degree to design an e-reader that can withstand her capacity for destruction.
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