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Bomber's Moon (Under the Hill #1)

by Alex Beecroft (Goodreads Author)

3.44 of 5 stars 3.44 · rating details · 36 ratings · 18 reviews

The faeries at the bottom of the garden are coming back—with an army.

Under the Hill, Part 1

When Ben Chaudhry is attacked in his own home by elves, they disappear as quickly as they came. He reaches for the phone book, but what kind of exterminator gets rid of the Fae? Maybe the Paranormal Defense Agency will ride to his rescue.

Sadly, they turn out to be another rare breed:...more

ebook, 321 pages

Published April 3rd 2012 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

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Sexy dark-fantasy M/M fey & faeries

15th out of 22 books — 28 voters

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(showing 1-30 of 177)

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Feb 27, 2013 Richard rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review can now be seen at Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud.

9 likes · like · see review

Feb 27, 2013 oceankitty rated it 5 of 5 stars

This wasn't an easy read, but it was wonderful in all its complexity. Urban fantasy and steampunk all mixed up into one wonderful and really exiting story. The two worlds, faerie and our own, are in a way mirror images of each other where the borders are blurred and things leak over in both directions. Time is seriously out of synch, which leaves our lovers Chris and Flynn torn apart not only by magic but also by years, and it makes me wonder how they'll ever be able to find each other again.

And...more

5 likes · like · see review

Apr 06, 2012 Violetta Vane added it

Shelves: mm, multicultural-or-interracial

There's an Indian meal called thali, which consists of many different local delicacies in small metal sample bowls all clustered around a central portion of rice and breads. It's sort of a very fancy, beautifully presented mini-buffet. This book reminded me of a thali. There are so many different elements and it's absolutely a joy to consume! I have very little time in my day or night for concentrated reading, but I made sure to make time for this book. Here are some of the awesome elements.

Writ...more

7 likes · like · see review

Apr 08, 2012 Feliz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-adventure, elves, fantasy, m-m

You always thought Elves were noble creatures, honorable and detached, but basically tolerant towards humans? Read this book, you're in for a surprise: those elves are anything but. They're every bit as selfish, cruel, arrogant and manipulative as old lore marks them, the "good people under the hill" who need to be placated lest their ire come upon the thoughtless human who stood in their path. Beware! And then there's Ben, of Indian descent but English to a fault, trying to blend into his envir...more

5 likes · like · see review

Feb 23, 2013 Tracey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, two-time-periods, wwii

When it's so common to find a great many books which are rather less than was expected, it's wonderful to run into something that is so very much more than was expected or even hoped for. I trolled the Samhain Publishing site a while back, and short-listed this book, and eventually bought it, and then promptly forgot everything about it. Every time I scrolled past it on the Kindle or saw the cover (I cordially dislike the cover), I thought "m/m romance – not in the mood" and kept going with a fa...more When it's so common to find a great many books which are rather less than was expected, it's wonderful to run into something that is so very much more than was expected or even hoped for. I trolled the Samhain Publishing site a while back, and short-listed this book, and eventually bought it, and then promptly forgot everything about it. Every time I scrolled past it on the Kindle or saw the cover (I cordially dislike the cover), I thought "m/m romance – not in the mood" and kept going with a faint feeling of embarrassment for having bought it. There are times when I wish I could go back and apologize to my past self for doubting her judgment – because, boy, did I. This was fantastic.

I mean not just enthusiastically but literally – this wasn't simply a contemporary romance sort of thing. In fact, romance was only a very small part of the book, in the conventional sense. By which mean if you're seeking out gay romance novels for the sex scenes, keep seeking; apart from one scene it was a book about two people feeling each other out, not up. In the more traditional sense, the old-fashioned sense of romance in terms of (oh, this is good, Wikipedia): "love emphasizing emotion over libido" – yes. Quite. Also, the older-still meaning of romance applies very nicely to this book: "A long fictitious tale of heroes and extraordinary or mysterious events, usually set in a distant time or place". Yes. Quite.

The synopsis is a little hard to swallow. Bear with me. It's worth it.

The Goodreads description begins: "The faeries at the bottom of the garden are coming back—with an army." Which is brilliant, by the way. And not untrue. Ben Chaudhry, a young Londoner of Indian extraction, has a close encounter of the fey kind, he has no idea what to do. Tinkerbell has nothing to do with these fairies; these are old-fashioned tall-and-beautiful-and-deadly fey, and they scare the hell out of him. As they should. He's fairly sure he's losing his mind, but a giant just shook his house like a rattle – he has to do something. So he - reluctantly - turns to the local equivalent of the Ghostbusters, a local branch of UFO/ghost/what-have-you-got hunters led by an (extremely attractive, of course) older (by which I mean my age) man named Chris Gatrell, ex-RAF.

What Ben doesn't know is just how ex-RAF he is.

Chris, you see, was a hotshot bomber pilot in the early days of WWII. (No, I'm not that old. Neither is he. Sort of.) He and his team went on a mission; something terrible happened, of which he was the only survivor. In the late 80's. He was discharged for mental health reasons, as a not-quite-satisfactory cover, and sent off on his own devices. It's been a rough couple of decades. Not only does he have that stain on his record, but he has the evergreen memories of his comrades, left barely recognizable as human, one of whom was – secretly, of course – his lover.

Meanwhile, those fairies that Ben Chaudhry encountered? They have a human hostage, Geoff, who gives every appearance of being one foretold to either be the key to the success of the fae queen's plans, or to the failure thereof.

One aspect I loved about this book was that although the main characters are gay men, not everyone in the book is either gay or a man. It seems like, in my limited experience, so many of the books I've read that feature gay characters seem to reflect some idea that all the people in the general vicinity of the story must be gay. Here, there was a very diverse set of characters surrounding the heroes – and it was great. There were women, and everything!

Lovely writing, a convoluted and unique and thoroughly enjoyable plot – I love a pleasant surprise. (less)

6 likes · like · see review

Sep 10, 2012 Heidi Belleau added it

Ugh I cannot describe how much I loved this book. It's everything I enjoy in an urban fantasy: it's funny, it's smart, it's quirky, there's a genuine sense of danger and wonder in the paranormal parts, it's got really strong leads (GOD do I love Ben) and a wonderfully well developed sense of place. The ensemble cast is brilliant: I love every single character, and would happily read more about ANY of them.

The romance was fantastic: the tension between the leads was perfect, there was genuine co...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 06, 2013 Lesley Arrowsmith rated it 3 of 5 stars

Very much enjoyed this - and what a cliff hanger to end it on! Also it's not clear who the main characters can trust, other than themselves.
I did like the mentions of things like Torchwood and Doctor Who, too - and I see that the author does re-enactment with Regia Anglorum, which instantly puts her on the same wavelength as me.
I've just downloaded part two, Dogfighters (I love Mozzies! And a Mosquito against a dragon! Deep coolness!) and I think I'll be looking at other novels by the same autho...more

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Mar 15, 2013 Suleikha Snyder rated it 5 of 5 stars

One of RT's Seal of Excellence contenders for March 2013:

Alex Beecroft navigates away from her nautically inclined historical romances and takes to the air for a paranormal and political delight in Under the Hill book one, Bomber's Moon. Combining modern-day mystery with meddling Fae and out-of-time WWII flyboys with wounded hearts, Beecroft's tale of brash Ben Chaudhry and world-weary paranormal investigator Chris Gatrell will have readers buckling in for one hell of a ride. The entire cast — h...more

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May 06, 2012 Sasha Conte rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-challenge-of-100-books

I love Alex Beecroft's writing, really I do, but this story wasn't my thing. Still, it's well-written and well within the author's style, so if you like Alex Beecroft, go ahead and give this a try.

1 like · like · see review

Feb 27, 2013 !Tæmbuŝu marked it as to-read

Shelves: gr-friend-rec, gay, fantasy-scifi

KOBOBOOKS

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May 14, 2012 Meghan (mm_reads) marked it as book-owned-to-read

Shelves: _orientation-m-m-romance

started this book but can't deal with a cliff-hanger. Will come back to it later.

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Jan 11, 2012 Lady*M marked it as maybe

I like when publisher warns you about cliffhanger. Well done, Samhain!

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Mar 07, 2012 Gwengwel marked it as to-be-released

Note: Good guy publisher warned people about the cliffhanger ending.

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Jan 23, 2013 Dee rated it 2 of 5 stars

Couldn't finish the book. The fairy stuff just wasn't my cup of tea.

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Apr 30, 2012 MandyM marked it as m-m-to-read

Shelves: wait-for-sequel

Warning on blurb of sequel: "have your hankies ready for a bittersweet ending". Check reviews first to see if MC dies.

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Apr 09, 2012 Nova rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm, contemporary, fantasy

Oh, those evil fairies!! Smilie by GreenSmilies.com

Looking forward to the next book!

2 likes · like · see review

May 19, 2012 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, gay, ebook, cliffie, 2012, done

Very good paranormal m/m romance about a guy who contacts a paranormal investigator after an unsettling encounter with the Fae. This ends on a cliffhanger, so make sure you have the second book handy!

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Jan 01, 2013 Melanie Tushmore rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: action, bittersweet, contemporary, elements-of-mythology, elves, fantasy, m-m, mystery, vintage-elements, cliff-hanger

Awesome! Although I'm not sure I'm brave enough to read part two just yet, which promises a bittersweet ending. EEP!

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May 05, 2013 Chris added it

Apr 22, 2013 Meagan marked it as to-read

Apr 15, 2013 Anna marked it as do-i-want-these

Apr 14, 2013 PaperMoon rated it 4 of 5 stars

PaperMoon Bomber’s Moon opens with young South Asian accountant, Ben Chaudhry encountering the cold ethereal beauty of an elven army marching past his front gar...more Bomber’s Moon opens with young South Asian accountant, Ben Chaudhry encountering the cold ethereal beauty of an elven army marching past his front garden, a frightening midnight encounter which propels him into seeking protective assistance. And assistance comes in the form a raggle-taggle group of societal misfits – e.g. UFO hunter, ghost-buster types. There is immediate attraction and antagonism between Ben and Chris Gattrell – leader of the so-called Paranormal Defence Agency. Fighting mutual attraction as well as repeated attacks by the Fae (I was quite taken aback by how ingenious and unpredictable the Fae attacks were – seemingly normal everyday life events and places can suddenly turn malevolently life-threatening!)

The book alternates between Ben and Chris’s small British town reality and an other-worldly Fae landscape where we find Flynn (WW2 RAF survivor) caught in the machinations and plots of just one (of many) fairy-queen. Slowly and carefully through successive chapters, readers make the connections between the trapped airman Flynn and the guilt-ridden Chris Gattrell. The storylines start coming together (read here – ‘make sense’) about two-thirds of the way through the book and that’s when the action starts heating up. A ghost-busting adventure goes scarily wrong for Chris and his team. Increasingly violent attacks on Ben lead to him fleeing into the country side only to find the long arm of the Fae reaches anywhere and everywhere ! Flynn discovers and then attempts to thwart the fairy queen’s plot to take over the human world.

I started off being in two minds about this paranormal romance, Beecroft being an author I usually associate with period naval-military romance dramas – so this was a risk I took. Fortunately, Beecroft manages to spin an overall decent “beyond time and space” paranormal action-romance, but readers may have to persevere past the first few confusing and seemingly unrelated chapters to get into the metier of the story. The book comes to a thrilling and scarily abrupt climax but readers have to pick up subsequent plotlines in Beecroft’s sequel Dogfighters: Under The Hill.

I think I prefer elven-folk depicted as not human – less of Tinkerbell or Legolas and more of the emotionless, icy, dispassionate variety of Fae … like those I’ve experienced from Terry Pratchett’s Lords and Ladies, Diana Wynne-Jones’ Fire and Hemlock or the Tam Lin folktale. It was also a nice change to have a MC with a South Asian/Indian background. Ben has his own traumas to cope with – hints of the London underground bombings but the author doesn’t go much into detail (as yet … this is only the first book in the series and I feel there’s much more to Ben’s character and past that has to revealed). There’s a couple of M-M erotic passages but these definitely take backseat to the paranormal plot action; overall I’d give this a 4-star rating.(less)
Apr 14, 2013 05:55am

Apr 10, 2013 H. Lang marked it as to-read

Apr 03, 2013 Jess marked it as to-read

Apr 03, 2013 Anna Rodney added it

Apr 03, 2013 Jenn/Yana marked it as to-read

Apr 03, 2013 Kasia marked it as to-read

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Mar 30, 2013 Christina marked it as to-read

Mar 31, 2013 Nialla42 rated it 4 of 5 stars

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About Alex Beecroft

Spaceships and galaxy spanning empires, conversations with angels, viking villages, haunted mansions and forbidden love in the Age of Sail... I love a good strong plot in an exotic setting, with characters you can admire, and a happy ending.

If you make a venn diagram of genres, including historical, fantasy, gay romance and mystery, I occupy the space in the middle where they overlap.

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Bomber's Moon (Under the Hill #1)

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