Title: Single White Incubus
Series: Supernatural Selection
Author: E.J. Russell
Genre: Paranormal
LGBTQ+ Category: MM/Gay
Publisher: Riptide
Pages: 288
Reviewer: Pat
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About The Book
Does a bear shift in the woods?
Well, partially. That was what got grizzly shifter Ted Farnsworth into trouble. He wasn’t trying to break the Secrecy Pact. He just wants people to see the real him. So he signs up with the mate-matching service Supernatural Selection—which guarantees marriage to a perfect partner. Not only will Ted never be lonely again, but once his new beaver shifter husband arrives, they’ll build Ted’s dream wilderness retreat together. Win-win.
Quentin Bertrand-Harrington, scion of an incubus dynasty, has abstained from sex since nearly killing his last lover. When his family declares it’s time for him to marry, Quentin decides the only way not to murder his partner is to pick someone who’s already dead. Supernatural Selection finds him the ideal vampire, and Quentin signs the marriage agreement sight unseen.
But a mix-up at Supernatural Selection contracts Quentin with Ted. What’s Ted supposed to do with an art historian who knows more about salad forks than screwdrivers? And how can Quentin resist Ted’s mouthwatering life force? Yet as they work together to untangle their inconvenient union, they begin to wonder if their unexpected match might be perfect after all.
The Review
I’m not a big fan of shifter books, having read so many that the plots have started to be the same old, same old for me. But the blurb for E. J. Russell’s Single White Incubus sounded just different enough that I decided to take a chance on it. And am I glad I did!
I fell in love with affable and loveable bear shifter Teddy Farnsworth. Unlike the majority of bears, Ted craves company even with winter hibernation coming on. Consequently, he’s been in deep do-do since playing what he thinks of as harmless pranks to get attention. Lately, he has let himself be caught mid-shift by a tabloid photographer who sells the picture as evidence of Big Foot. Not only is the yeti community incensed, but the bear shifter council isn’t pleased either.
To provide Ted with the companionship he needs, he’s ordered to register with Supernatural Selection and be matched with the perfect mate. What a great idea, right? And it seems to work out. Ted, the head of a construction company, is paired with a beaver shifter, someone else who knows about the building trade.
The glitch is what makes the book a delightful treat. Although Supernatural Selection is run by a coven who swear by their accuracy and acumen, when the contracts are printed up, Ted seems to be paired with an incubus, not the promised beaver!
Not only that, but Quentin Bertrand-Harrington, whom Ted at first mockingly calls Q-Bert, was supposed to be matched with a vampire, a being that Q-Bert couldn’t kill via sex. Ted on the other hand? Well, he and Q-Bert better not be attracted to one another, for a multitude of reasons, but the biggest one is that Q-Bert just might slay Ted if they consummate their relationship.
Needless to say, unexpected plot developments, high jinx, and laughs ensue. I haven’t had so much fun reading a book in quite a while. As the obstacles to their mating pile up, Ted and Q-Bert find more and more reasons to be together, ignore all the dire consequences, and end up falling in love. Disaster, right?
Well, since this is a romance—and a really enjoyable one at that—suffice it to say there is a happy ending. Whether it’s between Ted and Q-Bert or Ted and his beaver shifter or Q-Bert and his vampire is immaterial. It’s the getting to the perfect match and being completely entertained by the fun twists and turns that’s important.
Author Russell not only charmed me with this first book in the Supernatural Selections series, but she keeps up the surprises and delight throughout the rest of the books too. Readers looking for a few hours away from the daily grind will adore both Russell and the supernatural world she builds.
The Reviewer
Pat is a writer and reviewer of MM romance who currently lives in Sacramento, California