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Song of Oestend (Oestend #1)

by Marie Sexton (Goodreads Author)

4.16 of 5 stars 4.16 · rating details · 576 ratings · 105 reviews

Aren Montrell has heard tales of the Oestend wraiths – mysterious creatures which come in the night and kill anyone who’s not indoors. Aren’s never had reason to believe the stories, but when he takes a job as a bookkeeper on the BarChi, a dusty cattle ranch on the remote Oestend prairie, he soon learns that the wraiths are real. Aren suddenly finds himself living in a sup...more

ebook, 298 pages

Published August 22nd 2011 by Total E-Bound

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Between Sinners and Saints by Marie Sexton

Best M/M Romance Published in 2011

41st out of 399 books — 860 voters

Best Gay Romance With Physically Smaller Tops

24th out of 145 books — 172 voters

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Oct 02, 2011 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: orannia

Shelves: gay, bdsm, ebook, 2011, scifi, menage, done, favorites, signed

Excellent kinky scifi m/m romance with cowboys. Weirdly, I'm not a big fan of scifi and even less of a fan of cowboy books, but this just completely worked for me. It's about an artist who takes a job as a bookkeeper for a ranch on the other side of the world so he can get away from his past at the university. He finds himself unprepared for his new life, but he slowly finds his way and makes his place at the ranch as he befriends the reclusive foreman.

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Dec 09, 2011 ~♥I_Luv_2_Read♥~ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-favorites

I wasn't going to read this book. Even though there isn't a Marie Sexton book I haven't loved, I just didn't think I would like this. I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction. I want my books to be contemporary. Even though I love cowboys (who doesn't, right?) I want them set in the now, not the then. Even though I like paranormal, again, I want it contemporary. I don't like ghost stories and I really thought there was to much mixed together to enjoy. So this book is everything I thought I would...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Jess rated it 5 of 5 stars

I don't know if I should ignore HC for a few days - she could have warned me...

I made the mistake of starting this book just after midnight, I had the intentions of only reading a few pages before going to sleep....I finished it at 5am in the freakin morning.

THEN I woke up with a bad headache that morphed into a migraine which morphed into me laying in bed near death all of yesterday.

I blame it ALL on HC

SO as for the review.

This book ROCKED - go buy it - then read it - DURING THE DAYTIME!!!

8 likes · like · see review

Dec 11, 2011 Td rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sims-is-trying-to-kill-me, bdsm, fantasy, friends-to-lovers, paranormal, mystery-suspense, cowboys, wusses-beware

I liked just about everything about this book. The majority of the characters, how it took its time to develop, how it hit my kinky buttons, the twists that surprised me and kept me guessing. I worried a little when going into the last chapter I still had questions, but nope, they were all answered. The only thing I would like now is an update on Frances...and maybe Dante.

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Aug 25, 2011 Veronica / V rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

7 stars??

First of all, I will say Marie's Coda Series, for me, were OK, nothing to be that crazy about (I know, I know, I'm weird).
I had my doubts if I really wanted to read this book, I'm so glad I did.
this story is one of the best I have read in a long time, I'm very, very impressed with this Author.
I just can't believe how fantastic this story was, the plot terrific..and it was so fricking Sensual I just can't put into the right words to give this story the full justice that it deserves.
The...more

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Sep 10, 2011 Leanne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: bdsm, best-of-2011, favorites, hurt-comfort, mm, fantasy

I'm a huge Marie Sexton fan and she doesn't disappoint in Song of Oestend.

I enjoyed the strange, eerie world of wraiths and magic Marie has created. Nothing too overtly paranormal with enough references to the familiar that it never felt too over the top.
What I love most about Marie's work is her wonderful characterization and Deacon and Aren were so human in their strengths and frailties, so real... each finding in the other the courage and confidence not only to survive their harsh surrounds...more

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Aug 27, 2011 Simsala*is getting slow* rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, paranormal, fantasy, bdsm, cold-shower-ice-fan-pronto, threesome, td-teaser

4,5 stars

Heather C has written a spot-on review for Song of Oestend.
I agree to 95%.

My two cents...

I think the sparse worldbuilding was enough - just added fuel to the subtle,creeping horror of the ghost-story part in the book.No cheap effects here and it wasn`t overly gory - it were the characters`s palpable fears of the unknown and "why?" that made it so scary.

The build up of the romance was very slow,but the "wait" was so worth it.Time enough to make the growing love and desire between Aren an...more

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Sep 25, 2011 Lavinia Lewis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-favourites

Wow I really don't know how to begin describing this book. It was wonderful. So completely different to anything I've read before. I loved it!

Firstly, I love the world it's set in. It's like a mix of historical America with the fantasy elements giving it an other-worldly feel. Most of the story takes place at the BarChi, a cattle ranch in Oestend, and in Oestend you can not go out after dark or the invisible creatures known as wraiths will kill you. Symbolism plays a large role in this book and...more Wow I really don't know how to begin describing this book. It was wonderful. So completely different to anything I've read before. I loved it!

Firstly, I love the world it's set in. It's like a mix of historical America with the fantasy elements giving it an other-worldly feel. Most of the story takes place at the BarChi, a cattle ranch in Oestend, and in Oestend you can not go out after dark or the invisible creatures known as wraiths will kill you. Symbolism plays a large role in this book and we are told that symbols painted on walls, doors and windows used to keep the wraiths away but people stopped believing in them, so they stopped working. Now, the only thing that keep the wraiths at bay are large generators which have to be maintained regularly to avoid fatal consequences. It was a great premise and made for a very interesting story.

Now I'm not a huge fan of BDSM Novels and there is a small amount of it in this book but it suited the leads very well. (I love that it was the smaller of the two that ended up playing the dominant role.) The slow build up to Deacon and Aren's romance worked perfectly for me, and when they eventually did get together it was scorching hot.

Halfway through reading, I was told of the ménage scene in the latter half of the book. Now, Ménage scenes don't bother me usually as long as they are handled well and are appropriate to the story and don't create any unnecessary angst between the leads, and I have to say it didn't feel that way at all. The scene felt like just another way for Deacon and Aren to show how much love and trust was between them. I really felt for the 'third' too and I would love to read a book centred around him. I wouldn't hesitate to read another book set in this world and I hope there is one.

I don't want to give too much of the story away, so I will just say it is one not to be missed. It had the perfect amount of tension, chemistry and scorching hot sex. The characterisation was wonderful, both for the leads and all the secondary characters. The story was interesting and unique and the ending satisfying.

Buy it, read it, you won't regret it.(less)

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Aug 23, 2011 Heather C rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, m-m, ebook, paranormal-romance, menage, total-e-bound, dubcon-rape, cowboy, friends-to-lovers, ghosts, faves, bdsm, historical-romance, read-2011

Different and Refreshing...I loved it!!!

This book is probably not like any other book I have ever read before. Its kind of a historical-fantasy-alternate reality-romance that doesn't involve a huge amount of world building. Yeah, it is historical like, but it is set in a time and place where homosexuality seems to be easily acceptable. The set up is a little slow paced, but you have to realize, it is set at BarChi, a cattle ranch on the Oestend praire. And on Oestend, wraiths come out and kill a...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Pixie Mmgoodbookreviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, fantasy, cowboys

3 1/2 Hearts

Review written for MM Good Book Reviews

http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/

Aren has fled from an untenable position, his new home on Oestend seems like his dream come true and having some eye candy like Deacon to look at doesn’t hurt. When Deacon collect’s the new book keeper he doesn’t think he will last a month.

This is a sweet love story that is worked into a very well written fantasy world. When we first meet Aren he doesn’t believe in the wraiths but it is not long before we f...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Jaya rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: good, series, slashreaders

SlashReaders : So, I bought this book a while back and didn't get around to reading. Then when I came back to it was a little put off by the wording of the blub. However, I was quiet happily surprised by the complexity of this novel. The plot is carefully crafted and layered nicely and the characters are well formed from those in the lime light to all auxiliary personal.

This book covers a lot of different realms and ideas, which makes the originality of it stand out. Set it another world that re...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Tracy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: f-sf, m-m

Oh, where to start?

Aren is such a contradiction; he describes himself as having allowed others to use his body for sex, having subsumed his pride in service to his desire. He's been disinherited by his family for his proclivities, he's been turned into a pariah and, ultimately, shipped off to an entirely new country when his lover got bored with him. And yet, he's strong, in his own way, and has the courage of his convictions, such as they are. He's determined to make a new life for himself, ho...more Oh, where to start?

Aren is such a contradiction; he describes himself as having allowed others to use his body for sex, having subsumed his pride in service to his desire. He's been disinherited by his family for his proclivities, he's been turned into a pariah and, ultimately, shipped off to an entirely new country when his lover got bored with him. And yet, he's strong, in his own way, and has the courage of his convictions, such as they are. He's determined to make a new life for himself, however strange and scary and dangerous the situation might be. And on this particular frontier, it is very much all three.

Deacon is the de facto foreman on the ranch where Aren has been hired as bookkeeper. He has plenty of secrets of his own (as do, apparently, plenty of others on the ranch, including owner Jeremiah's oldest son Dante, Dante's wife Daisy, neighbor's daughter Alissa...) Deacon's also worn down with the weight of being the strongest personality on the ranch, the one soul capable of providing the direction the other farm hands need and keeping everyone safe.

Deacon and Aren do a delicate sort of courtship dance, neither completely willing initially to acknowledge their attraction for each other and hampered by Deacon's need to keep Aren as the one friend he's got, since he can't really be friendly with the men he needs to have respond to orders without question. They're jogged along the way by Olsa, a native woman who's employed as cook for the ranch. Olsa's relationship with Deacon is much that of a grandmother; she ultimately raised him as his mother died when he was very very young and she was a native woman bought as a slave to provide Jeremiah's brother with an heir. Olsa has taught Deacon all the old traditions, but he's also been raised and acknowledged by Jeremiah as a member of the family, and he feels torn between the two roles, unable to fully believe either. The balance of power and the roles taken on by Aren and Deacon in their relationship with each other were absolutely NOT what I was expecting, but also felt right and made sense when I thought about them. Aren had plenty of experience and opportunity to learn exactly what he wanted and needed from a relationship, and was able to be exactly what Deacon needed to help him reconcile the contradictions of his life.

Tragedy strikes a nearby ranch when the generators that keep the wraiths at bay fail, killing everyone, including Jeremiah's second son Brighton and his wife and sons, who were visiting Brighton's in-laws. Deacon has to go find out why they're so late returning from their visit and then has to cope with the mass deaths and fix the generator and and and...sometimes, it seems that the book is one long death scene interspersed with interludes of almost-hopefulness -- ranch hands and others die to injury from the giant, viciously ill bull, wraiths, sheer bloody-mindedness. And there's nothing much anyone can do about any of it.

And of the supporting characters? Some of them were little more than backdrops, but a few really stood out -- Dante, Daisy, Tama, Frances, Alissa, Simon, Garrett and especially Olsa.(less)

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Jan 03, 2012 Elisa Ramblings added it

I didn’t really know what to expect from this fantasy gay western romance, fantasy and western seemed a strange pair, but I have to admit the author blended them in a perfect way, avoiding any friction between the genres.

Aren comes from a wealthy family, boarding school, good college, but I gathered they were not so tight or supporting of their own son. Aren is orphaned by mother, sent to boarding school as a little child, it was quite obvious that he lacked a fatherly figure. Abused by older ki...more I didn’t really know what to expect from this fantasy gay western romance, fantasy and western seemed a strange pair, but I have to admit the author blended them in a perfect way, avoiding any friction between the genres.

Aren comes from a wealthy family, boarding school, good college, but I gathered they were not so tight or supporting of their own son. Aren is orphaned by mother, sent to boarding school as a little child, it was quite obvious that he lacked a fatherly figure. Abused by older kids when he was in boarding school, he moved to college to end up the kept boy of a college professor, someone who used, and again, abused him. When he got tired of his new boy toy, he sent Aren in the Oestend, i.e. the equivalent of the Far West of the XIX century, a place where civilization and modernity are still strange words.

The setting is fantasy since there is a lot of paranormal elements in the story, and there is the use of “modern” elements, like electricity, in an old fashioned environment, like a XIX-century-like cattle ranch, but truth be told, I think the author opted for the fantasy to have a little more “freedom” with her characters, allowing them an homosexual relationship with, yes, a little opposition, but at least not a death-by-hang crime.

In the Oestend Aren meets Deacon, the foreman of the ranch in which Aren will be the bookkeeper. Deacon is a Native of the Oestend, like Olsa, to very old housekeeper of the main house. They are pretty much how you would imagine to be the Native Americans, people with very old traditions, having their roots in ancient times, still very much bonded to them. As it is, the Wraiths, the ghosts haunting the Oestend lands, and killing the farmers are ancient warrior ghosts who, I gather, are still protecting their lands and their people. It’s strange but in the end, I was almost feeling sympathy for these ghosts, even if they killed a lot of people, and amongst them, good and bad men.

The relationship between Aren and Deacon is not easy but neither too complex; as soon as they realized the attraction is reciprocated, Aren and Deacon settle into an almost “marriage” bond, an equal partnership where they comprehend and support each other. Deacon is for sure the stronger in body, but Aren has a better emotional balance. It’s strange, and well welcome, but Deacon doesn’t substitute the fatherly figure Aren was searching, on the contrary, he gives that power in their relationship to Aren to make him emotionally independent and stronger.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0857157477/?...(less)

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Sep 26, 2011 Jj Nightsong rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: bdsm, m-m, post-apocalyptic

Cover - Nothing special, bare torso, bare back - sort of an odd juxtaposition. The picture of the setting is pretty spot-on, I think.

MC's - Aren - artist and bookkeeper; Deacon - ranch manager. POV is Aren's third person.

I'm categorizing this as post-apocalyptic, although I'm not sure that's how it's meant - this could be a fantasy in that it's a made-up world. It has the feel of a post-apocalyptic though. There is the continent, where Aren had been a university student, with bustling cities. Th...more

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Aug 28, 2011 Top 2 Bottom Reviews Interviews and More rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Review:

Two very different men are attempting to escape their pasts.

Aren Montrell, an artist and scholar, has accepted a position as bookkeeper at the BarChi Ranch in the desolate, wild, and supremely dangerous Oestend territory. Aren is a man whose desires have led him to make choices that, in the harsh light of day, have often left him feeling ashamed of those needs and the way in which he’s been forced to satisfy them—his body used as a playground by men who could not have cared less for Aren,...more Review:

Two very different men are attempting to escape their pasts.

Aren Montrell, an artist and scholar, has accepted a position as bookkeeper at the BarChi Ranch in the desolate, wild, and supremely dangerous Oestend territory. Aren is a man whose desires have led him to make choices that, in the harsh light of day, have often left him feeling ashamed of those needs and the way in which he’s been forced to satisfy them—his body used as a playground by men who could not have cared less for Aren, but cared very much about slaking their own physical hungers.

Deacon is the foreman of the BarChi, a man who was pushed by prejudice, years before, into denying his attraction to men. Deacon is a man who wears the weight of his responsibility like a mantle, forced each day to earn the respect of the hands and to ensure that the ranch and everyone who lives and works there not only does his share but also remains safe from the natural and unnatural dangers that make the days and nights in Oestend a perilous existence to navigate. Deacon’s iron rule over the ranch does little to earn him friendship from the men he leads, but friendship doesn’t count for much of anything if the men don’t respect him. Deacon is a man with an uncertain past, and rather than aligning himself with one history or the other, he has chosen to deny both. In doing so, he has denied both his birthright and his heritage—a heritage that will ultimately prove to be incomparably vital to his future.

When Aren and Deacon meet, it seems unlikely the men might find enough in common to form any sort of bond, but they do, slowly and genuinely, as they each discover that friendships can spring from necessity and grow from little more than the need to connect with someone who understands that companionship is not about what you can take, but also about what you can give; that it’s not about what you say, but that you’re willing to listen.

Song of Oestend is set in a landscape that conjured a picture in my mind of distant times, when the American West was nothing but miles of barren land, a land where Native American lore was a religion in which the People honored those who had come before them.

The land of Oestend is haunted by the spirits of the Old People who left the realms of the living and passed into a spirit world to become revenants, an intangible and utterly deadly foe that will kill anyone who dares to trespass upon the dark of the night they claim as their own. The wards and songs, the prayers sung in the ancient language of the Old People, have been mostly forgotten and replaced by more modern technology, a dependence that turns tragic when technology fails those who depend upon it to survive.

Marie Sexton has written a tale that is woven together from several threads. It is a story of the paranormal that runs through an alternate universe of centuries past, where the unusual is the norm. It is a story of legend and of a race that has been all but decimated, of a lost language and customs that are part of the past, but find a very urgent purpose in the present. It is a story of a young love torn apart by religious intolerance, about one boy who moved on, while the other became mired in what might have been, and crippled by his inability to let go. That betrayal of self becomes integral to the story for Aren and Deacon when its poison threatens to harm them.

At its heart, however, this novel is the story of two men who find their way to each other from different paths in life. It is a story of a dominant man who, in the private times they share, is willing to give up control of himself—heart, soul, and body—to a man who, until that point, had only submitted to those who’d used and dismissed him. Their bond is formed within mutual need and a profound and undeniable trust that they mean more to each other than merely a way to satisfy their own individual desires. They are connected by the certainty that they have each found in the other, the one who will give him the strength to fight for a future not haunted by the past.

Symbols have power, which Aren and Deacon prove when death threatens to separate them, but those symbols are made even more powerful when constructed in love. Though the journey isn’t always easy, though it takes some time for Aren and Deacon to find the crossroads that will alter the paths their lives have been on, it was so well worth the trip.

Reviewed By: Lisa(less)

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Aug 28, 2011 Liade rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourites

Great book. Despite the slow start I soon couldn't stop reading. Both Aren and Deacon were really interesting characters - and just how often do you meet a book keeper as a main charter? Plus both changed and grew such a lot in a short space of time. Their relationship and the sex (once they got there) was tender and very hot.

Yes, there was quite a lot of violence but I feel it has to be seen in the context of the remote frontier type of setting. Did I want more world building? NO, it was just...more

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Aug 28, 2011 Mackenzie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Marie Sexton, don't ever stop writing. Please.

I was predisposed to feel all kinds of icky for this book because there's an m/m/m warning. As much as I love Marie Sexton, I really don't enjoy it when she makes her main couples in the story do things with other man (such as what her Coda series characters Zach and Angelo do). So when I first heard about the book, I didn't rush to the front line to grab it and read it. But I came around because I love Ms. Sexton's writing too much to pass up this o...more Marie Sexton, don't ever stop writing. Please.

I was predisposed to feel all kinds of icky for this book because there's an m/m/m warning. As much as I love Marie Sexton, I really don't enjoy it when she makes her main couples in the story do things with other man (such as what her Coda series characters Zach and Angelo do). So when I first heard about the book, I didn't rush to the front line to grab it and read it. But I came around because I love Ms. Sexton's writing too much to pass up this one and... I'm immensely relieved that I didn't give up on it.

Song of Oestend is the first story that she wrote where the setting is in a 'fantasy' realm. I put the quotation mark there because when I say 'fantasy', it's not really in the way that Middle Earth and Westeros are fantasy realms. The place this story takes place, Oestend, bears so much resemblance to the wherever in America that cowboys live and ranches exist, so while the name suggests that the story takes place not in our world, the setting itself is very familiar and its concept easy to grasp. That's good because if you're a fan of Marie Sexton, you'll notice that all of her stories are set in the real world so this proves that this author can still make things work despite doing something different than what she usually does.

Anyway the characters themselves are a marvel to read about. What I like about her characters is that they usually defy stereotype. When I first started reading, the first half of the main couple, Aren, comes across as a soft, sensitive man and the other half, Deacon, is the manly, butch, take-charge one. Naturally, I'm assuming that Aren will be the one doing the pining and the submitting and generally become the bottom of this relationship. As it turns out, their dynamics is not like that at all. Somewhere in the middle of the story, Aren suddenly takes charge - not only of his life and his feelings for Deacon, but also of Deacon himself. It's jarring and yet, at the same time, it's very attractive. I'm thinking, if I ever meet a guy like Aren... I'd probably be idolizing him and ask him to be my mentor. The quiet strength that Aren displays is perhaps slightly too good to be true, but damn if it's not sexy! I love being surprised when I read and Sexton does this very smoothly to me by showing the changes in Aren's personality.

Another thing that surprises me is how gore and violence play heavily into the plot. Deacon's brash personality and his penchant for hitting insubordinate ranch hands... they're not something that can easily be digested if you're used to of the sweetness/cuteness of the Coda series. It's rather shocking when I first read about how easily Deacon punches someone in the face or how easily he can tell people to cut someone else's throat. And later when a very bloody scene occurred in the middle of the story, I had to stop reading for a while because it was outrageously gory. However, this serves to underline the fact that this story does not take place in our world. You end up realizing that "no, this can't be our world, because this guy would've gone to jail in our world. And yet, he's a hero for doing all that thing."

Unfortunately, the plot itself is rather predictable. The supernatural element that manifests itself in the legend of the wraiths in the story and the additional ghost story that haunts the book's characters are very well thought out, but it's not spooky enough to properly give you the chills. Perhaps that's good, but I was kind of let down by the fact that even I managed to figure out what was going on in the story. It makes the twist a little bit less twisted, although I have to admit it doesn't take the charm too much out of the story.

I also feel that I must address the menage part of the book that was the reason for my reluctance to read it. If anyone were to ask me how it turned out, well, I would say that there's honestly nothing to worry about. I won't be able to say much about it without spoiling too much of the plot, but I confess to liking the menage scene very much. One, it's because the third person involved in the menage is a character I adore (whom I hope will be getting his own book in the future). Two, it's because the scene itself is very well-written. That is to say, very, very hot. So if anyone is wondering whether the menage scene would be a hindrance to enjoying the story, I would suggest them to try to keep and open mind and give this book a chance anyway.

I hope Sexton will continue writing in this verse. It'd be very interesting to see what happens to some of the other characters whose journey continues after the end of this book. The clues are already in place and I think a second book is imminent anyway. When and if that sequel comes out, that time I'm pretty sure I'll be first in line to read it!(less)

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Aug 24, 2011 Gyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

When Aren leaves behind a user ex-boyfriend to take a job as a bookkeeper in the small secluded town of Oestend he brings plenty of baggage...both literal and figurative! It's a good thing tall sexy Deacon is there to help him with the burden. Aren, however, quickly discovers life in the ranch is dangerous and lonely but he's determined to make it work. He convinces Deacon to let him move into his abandoned and haunted house. He sharpens his body with
physical labor, his mind with painting and s...more

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Aug 22, 2011 Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've loved all of Sexton's books, and I'm happy to add this one to the list. I had misgivings about buying it since it was billed as a paranormal - I've not had good experiences with m/m paranormals. In my impression, they've been poorly written vamp/were stories with little plot and generic sex scenes. But Sexton's writing was brilliant as always.

The heroes - Aren and Deacon - are engaging characters with moving backstories and resulting emotional issues that affect their budding relationship....more

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Aug 29, 2011 Ami rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm-cowboys-ranchers-western, mm-romance-or-erotica

Marie Sexton proves once again, why she is one my favorite MM authors. At first, I was reluctant to even get near this book, due to the readers advisory. Not because of the D/s tone but more on the m/m/m warning. It's not my thing, not in romance anyway. But, a friend reassured me that Marie Sexton did a good job, so I decided to give it ago.

AND OMG!!! I am so glad that I do.

Song of Oestend sets in an alternate reality, where violence is accepted as common ... but it also feels like it sets in a...more Marie Sexton proves once again, why she is one my favorite MM authors. At first, I was reluctant to even get near this book, due to the readers advisory. Not because of the D/s tone but more on the m/m/m warning. It's not my thing, not in romance anyway. But, a friend reassured me that Marie Sexton did a good job, so I decided to give it ago.

AND OMG!!! I am so glad that I do.

Song of Oestend sets in an alternate reality, where violence is accepted as common ... but it also feels like it sets in a somewhere ranch, in some old time. It's a combination of historical/settlers with legends of old-people (which I sort of imagine as Native Americans) and wraiths/ghosts. The later is significant but not front and center, and it doesn't give me enough "chills" like when I'm reading horror stories (not that I read many of those).

The great thing about Marie Sexton's stories is her characters. I have read all of her books and one thing in common: her characters ALWAYS experience some sort of life-journey, a self-development. Those we meet in the beginning of the book ARE NEVER the ones we meet when the book ends. This one is no difference.

At first, Aren might seems like this shy, awkward young men, who goes to the ranch while still thinking about his time at the all-male university, and how he is usually used by his professors and other student. While Deacon is a self-confident ranch leader, who's easy with women, strong, and taking charge of everything. Somehow, in the progress of this book, as Aren and Deacon act on their attraction, Aren becomes the "leader" in the bed-room, taking control of Deacon, while Deacon happily let himself go, that he doesn't have to be strong in front Aren, that he lets Aren takes care of him. It sort of reminds me of James Buchanan's "Against All Odd" series, where Nicky and Brandon in the bedroom are different with Nicky and Brandon on the outside.

This power balance works so well, and I adore Deacon so very much. He is so adorable when he is trying to apologize when Aren is mad at him. He cannot easily accept thanks, oh, gosh, I want to squeeze him :). And when he declares his love for Aren, you see the mush on the floor? Yeah, that's me :). I'm not into Aren very much though. Sure, he shows his strength while he is in the ranch, and he provides support that Deacon needs, however ...

... this has something to do with the threesome scene that comes later. At first, I don't think the scene is necessary, AT ALL, and second (view spoiler). It's a bit hard for me to appreciate Aren after that.

Over all, it's another great story though and I promise from now on, I will take on whatever theme Marie Sexton is throwing us, readers. Oh, and if she wants to revisit this world again, please bring Frances and Simon on the front seat :)(less)

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Jan 13, 2012 Ronna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, adult-paranormal-romance

Marie Sexton's books never let me down, and this book was no exception. This story is a twist on the standard m/m romance with a fantasy world much like the old wild west with cowboys and ranches, but in a world where wraiths could kill those unprotected once the sun went down. This is a back drop to a wonderful coming of age story for two men. One, Aren, was a smaller man who had been taken advantage of sexually because of his size and insecurities. He heads west to Oestend to be a bookkeeper o...more Marie Sexton's books never let me down, and this book was no exception. This story is a twist on the standard m/m romance with a fantasy world much like the old wild west with cowboys and ranches, but in a world where wraiths could kill those unprotected once the sun went down. This is a back drop to a wonderful coming of age story for two men. One, Aren, was a smaller man who had been taken advantage of sexually because of his size and insecurities. He heads west to Oestend to be a bookkeeper on a ranch and escape his past. There he meets another man, Deacon, the foreman of the ranch, who is big, strong and confident, and in order to keep the ranch running smoothly and his men in line, he has to be dominant and intimidating. Both need a friend and since Aren doesn't work for Deacon, Deacon lets his guard down and they become very close. Not long after becoming friends, they realize that they share a mutual attraction and become more than friends. Oestend and the ranch can be a dangerous place though. Deacon has tremendous guilt over the way he has to treat people to keep order and everyone safe. It is a huge responsibility to bear, never mind a past of guilt he can't escape. He wants to give up control and Aren finds a confidence in gaining control, especially over someone dominating like Deacon, that he never had before. Together they begin to heal each other and discover true love. Along the way there is an interesting plot around them involving rights to the Bar Chi ranch, The Old People and the wraiths. I enjoyed the many peripheral characters, especially Olsa. The end wraps up the main story and the sub-stories well. There is a dom/sub theme but not in the traditional sense. Not sure the best way to say it, but it seems geared for a more mainstream audience and I had no issue with it. There is one m/m/m scene as well. Overall, I read this book in just a couple of days and had a hard time putting it down. Definitely recommend to all m/m romance fans.

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Jan 12, 2013 Kaje Harper rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, favorites, m-m

I went into this book with few expectations. For once I didn't read many reviews - didn't bother because Marie Sexton is pretty much an auto-buy author for me, even if I was slow to get to get to this one. And after a few pages of "Huh, this is different..." I was hooked.

This was an intriguing mix of the familiar and the unique. It had a strong feel of stories of the American west in the early days of colonization, with the rough ranch life, the extermination of the native population, the harsh...more

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Jan 13, 2012 orannia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 25, 2012 Èmina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, m-m-erotica, m-m-romance, pnr, mystery, fantasy, bdsm, mx3

I like this book a lot, loved the world it took place in, the creepy factor, the gore and violence, loved the characters and the love story.
I don't really like to read books with BDSM but I was told this one was different then what one would expect...and I must admit the sex scenes were very well written.
I have though a huge problem with one or both characters sharing their bed with a third party....there was only once it happened in this book and despite how well written and how hot the scene...more

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Nov 19, 2011 L-D rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cowboys-ranchers, ghost-spirits-medium-reaper, artists, pnr, romance, m-m

I'm a big Marie Sexton fan and this book did not disappoint.

Aren Montrell has just left his life at the university to work at the BarChi ranch as an accountant. Aren is not a ranch hand so he doesn't fit in with the other hands, and he doesn't fit in with the ranch owner and his family. After leaving his lover at the university, Aren is lonely and feeling a little out of his element until he builds a friendship with the enigmatic Deacon, the ranch foreman.

Oestend is an interesting place where w...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Julesmarie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, friends-to-lovers, cowboys, m-m, paranormal-urban-fantasy, historical-fiction

Wow, what to say about this one? It really is interesting how much of an effect personal taste has on reactions to books.

I adored this! I was hooked right off with the perfectly-toned narration. I had gathered from the blurb and from some reviews this was sort of ghost-y and sort of cowboy-y, set in a fantasy/AU version of the old west. The tone for that was set right from the start, and Aren was the perfect PoV to discover that world through.

Arriving in Oestend with Aren and discovering and lea...more Wow, what to say about this one? It really is interesting how much of an effect personal taste has on reactions to books.

I adored this! I was hooked right off with the perfectly-toned narration. I had gathered from the blurb and from some reviews this was sort of ghost-y and sort of cowboy-y, set in a fantasy/AU version of the old west. The tone for that was set right from the start, and Aren was the perfect PoV to discover that world through.

Arriving in Oestend with Aren and discovering and learning about his new home along with him was fascinating and spooky and so much fun!

I loved watching Aren and Deacon become friends, and then build their friendship into a relationship. This is the very first story I've read with a physically smaller Dom that I actually believed, and I found myself totally loving those times when both men were able to provide something the other needed desperately. At the same time, however, I also loved that that wasn't the only aspect to their relationship. I liked that they were able to be equals and lovers and that the D/s thing was special and was brought out when one of them particularly needed it.

I also adored the lore and the myths of the Ainuai that we were shown little by little. I adored Olsa and how determined she was to get Deacon to believe. (view spoiler)

I feel like everything about this was just so beautifully done: the setting, the characters, the pacing, the tone--all of it combined to hold me spellbound. I would wish for more, but the ending was too perfect! (view spoiler)(less)

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Jun 04, 2012 Evaine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: bdsm, e-books, m-m

Niiiice! I have to say that after reading the awful, incorrectly portrayed BDSM of 50 Shades, I've been lucky enough to cleanse my BDSM palate with a couple of excellent kinky tales, including this one. And again, this was a surprise, because I had no idea that it would play such a huge role in Song of Oestend.

There was really so much to enjoy here. Two great main characters, Aren and Deacon, who are definitely not anywhere near cookie-cutter stereotypes, even role reversal stereotypes (ie: litt...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Dee Wy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: bdsm, m-m, m-m-paranormal, over-250-pgs, favorites, x

There are so many reviews on this wonderful book, so I will just say it has all my favorite elements: a D/s relationship, a paranormal twist with the wraiths, character depth with lots of interesting supporting characters and a GREAT, mysterious plot. Did I mention the romance was fabulous too?

Great book. Highly recommend!!

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Aug 23, 2011 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have to admit when Marie told me what she was writing I was skeptical. But it was Marie and if there is one thing about her I love; is her writing. Well, I was blown out of the water with this story. I have never been one on alternate reality, but this book : WOW!! The suspense, now you know when you watch a movie and you say don't do, don't open that door! Well, I can say I was doing it while reading this book, it was so suspensful. I even wanted to close my eyes at one scene but I couldn't o...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I adore Marie Sexton, have read all her books, and this one was not a disappointment--it was a great story with great characters. Although I love the "Promises" series, this book and Sexton's other fantasies--"Blind Space," "Cinder"--hold a special place in my heart because of the way they allow love to be love, whether the people who share it are male or female. When Deacon and Aren decide to be together, the fact that they're both men is not a cause for censure or anger or disappointment, exce...more

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About Marie Sexton

Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along. Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.

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