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Into the Mystic, Volume Two

(Into the Mystic)

Jason Bradley (Editor),

T.S. Porter,

C.C. Bridges (Goodreads Author),

M.K. Hardy,

Elna Holst (Goodreads Author),

Sita Bethel (Goodreads Author),

Laura Bailo (Goodreads Author),

Jacqueline Rohrbach (Goodreads Author),

more…

3.97 · Rating details · 38 ratings · 18 reviews

Nine lesbian/bisexual paranormal short stories…

Green Love – Have you heard about the aspen clone in the heart of Blackwood forest? Some say it’s enchanted, while others…

Dead Letter – Signed, sealed, delivered…or was it?

Seaside Escape – Just because it's been done for generations doesn't mean it should be.

Dressed in Wolf Skin – She was never particularly fond of werewolves, ...more

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Published October 16th 2017 by NineStar Press

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Average rating 3.97 ·

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· 38 ratings · 18 reviews

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Sep 30, 2017 J.S. Fields rated it really liked it

Shelves: lesbian

*fans self* Well, that was a thing. Excuse me while I go take a cold shower.

INTO THE MYSTIC, vol 2, was in a whole different class than the first one. Almost every story in this collection was descriptive, developed, and sensual in a way that vol 1 just never managed. There was once again just one story that seemed like it probably shouldn't have made it into the anthology, and stuck out even moreso in this collection, since the general caliber of the stories was really out of this world.

Some in ...more

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Oct 16, 2017 Sam Burns rated it it was amazing

Shelves: f-f

I'm rating the anthology for what I think is the best story inside, because frankly, it seems rude to give the best stories a decreased average because I didn't like others as much. As with most anthologies, the stories themselves cover a wide range from just okay to truly excellent. On the whole, however, I think the majority of the stories are four or five star worthy.

The stories range from barely-romance to romance-for-the-ages, so however much you like romance with your paranormal f/f, you'l ...more

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Oct 16, 2017 Lily rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017, ace-aro-demi-rep, anthology, ff-relationship, lesbian-rep, lgbtqiapd-rep, magical-realism-and-fabulism, mental-illness, mythology-and-folklore, new-adult

This is such a strong collection of short stories. From the sensual and the sexy to the sweet and the sensitive, I feel fairly confident in saying there should be something for almost every reader in this charmingly queer collection.

There is a lot of great representation in this anthology – including lesbian, bisexual and demisexual characters – so if you’re looking for beautifully diverse women loving women and sex positive F/F relationships then you’re in the right place. Each short story is This is such a strong collection of short stories. From the sensual and the sexy to the sweet and the sensitive, I feel fairly confident in saying there should be something for almost every reader in this charmingly queer collection.

There is a lot of great representation in this anthology – including lesbian, bisexual and demisexual characters – so if you’re looking for beautifully diverse women loving women and sex positive F/F relationships then you’re in the right place. Each short story is grounded in the paranormal, drawing on elements of folklore and urban legend to create an anthology that is delightfully creepy and compelling. I loved the darker fantasy undertones, the undercurrent of quiet tension and mystery that flows between the stories as well as the surprisingly delicate and beautifully tender relationship development at the heart of each narrative.

My personal favourite was ‘Unravelled’ by CC Bridges which features an intelligent, badass and street smart magic hacker. Yes, you read that right. And honestly, this was not something that I realised I needed in my life until reading this but OH MY GOD I REALLY, REALLY DO. The magic system was incredibly intriguing and the actual narrative was really well developed considering the short length. Between the fantastic and unique concept, the fleshed out characters and the sweet romance this story really stood out from the pack. I would actually give pretty much anything to see this one written into a full length novel. I absolutely loved it.

I also really enjoyed ‘Lighthouse Five’ by TS Porter, which features a really lovely slow burn romance and has this delightfully quiet, muted atmosphere that evokes a really beautiful sense of loneliness and longing, and ‘The Holy Company’ by Laura Bailo, which explores a mysterious local Spanish legend along the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage and features a gorgeous best friends to lovers relationship with a demisexual protagonist.

On the whole this is a great collection with some really diverse and unique stories. There should be enough mermaids, vampires, werewolves and witches to satisfy even the most hardcore paranormal fantasy enthusiast.

Actual rating 3.5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy from one of the authors in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Oct 29, 2017 Nina Arce rated it really liked it

Shelves: review-copies, f-f-romance

// Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. //

If you're looking for an equally eerie and romantic F/F short story anthology, look no further than Into the Mystic. This book contains a variety of short stories; featuring everything from ghosts to witches, werewolves and nymphs. In addition to featuring some sweet, tingly feelings (Dead Letter being my favourite among the sweeter pieces), many of the stories are also quite sexy—meaning explicit, but in a se ...more

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Oct 04, 2017 Carmen rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, ebook, lgbtqia

I got a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is definitely one that shouldn't be read for the weak of heart or in company with sensitive sensibilities [read as: COLD SHOWER NEEDED DURING/AFTER EACH STORY].

The anthology starts strong and then tapers off. "Green Love" is actually the best start because it spends a majority of its time as a run of the mill fiction story. It's only until the end where it reminds you this is a paranormal anthology.

I found that I don't enjoy se ...more

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Oct 06, 2017 Weaving Fiction ( Sj ) rated it liked it

Shelves: short-story-collections, lgbtqia, 2017

This was a wild ride! It’s definitely not a book for the weak hearted and it can be very EXPICIT! I totally enjoyed reading this, while I didn’t really love every story, there were three that got 3.5 from me and I really enjoyed them! There will be a full review on my blog in the coming weeks *thank you to Laura Bailio for providing me with an ecopy*

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Oct 22, 2017 Isabelle Adler rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017

Some of the stories resonated with me more than others, but all in all, this was a beautiful and haunting anthology.

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Nov 21, 2017 USOM rated it really liked it

This collection is fun, steamy, and positive. There's great romance and angsty feelings, but also there's such a care and depth to the characters. You truly become immersed in the world of each small snippet.

Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for an honest review from one of the authors.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi... ...more

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Mar 31, 2018 Paula López-Jurado rated it liked it

I am going to give my opinion on each different short history, since I believe it wouldn't be fair to judge all of them as a whole.

Green Love by Elna Holst--> I found very interesting that she mixed a scientific concept like that with the mythology of tree nymphs. And on the same time, it makes for a very interesting ecological message. The forest is a huge living being constituted of thousands of souls that feel, suffer and love as one. My only problem with it is the apparent erotica turn that I am going to give my opinion on each different short history, since I believe it wouldn't be fair to judge all of them as a whole.

Green Love by Elna Holst--> I found very interesting that she mixed a scientific concept like that with the mythology of tree nymphs. And on the same time, it makes for a very interesting ecological message. The forest is a huge living being constituted of thousands of souls that feel, suffer and love as one. My only problem with it is the apparent erotica turn that the story takes, over the romance. Being the romantic development scarce and the description of the encounters to explicit for my taste.

Dead Letter by Valentine Wheeler-->There is not much mystery about it, but I loved the details the author put in developing a romance between to people who cannot see each other. Wow with the platonic love. Dead letter is a sweet history, full of nostalgia, and with a spirit who wants to live again in a much more open world that the one she lived in.

Seaside escape by A. Fae--> . It's a nice love story that talks about consent and makes you ponder over the risks of taking someone from their home. What I didn't like is that, since it’s a very interesting moral dilemma, the easily it is solved and brushed out. I would have loved that the author gave more strength to the discussion, even though being a short story, maybe she didn't had the chance.

Dressed in wolf skin by Sita Bethel--> It's a beautiful story with both POC (person of color) characters. There's a very intense chemistry between the two that can be felt during the lecture, to the point of becoming a little bit explicit (I'm blushing). But it would caught you in its reflection of freedom and the dangers of embracing ones true nature.

Unraveled by CC Bridges-->It's refreshing to see a preexisting emotional relation instead of the girl meets girl telling we've been seeing. I love that the characters have a previous ongoing relationship before the typical romantic explosion of the genre. Especially because you can remark other qualities than the physic, more like the personality of the subject of desire.

The Holy Company by Laura Bailo-->Its greatest part is that it has been written by a Spanish woman, happens in Spain and talks about a mysterious Gallegan legend. You can see it when she speaks about gastronomy or architecture. Laura knows well her country, as she knows humans relations. The relation between Sophie and Anna is pure, full of sentiment. It only saddens me that they haven't given more protagonism to the ghosts that announce a near death.

Vampire Hours by Jacqueline Rohrbach-->I liked it because it's different from the rest. For starters the romantic relation is preexisting. I don't have much experience with depression, but I liked it reading about it. I think it would be important to see how you deal with, how it can sabotage your happiness and, most importantly, how you can help other to get through it.

To the sea by MK Hardy-->When I started reading it I suspected that Rose might have been a mermaid, it would make sense. Nevertheless, it’s again a kind creature that doesn't wish to see herself trapped inland. It's probably up to the date one of my favorites love stories, because it talks about the expression: If you love it, set it free. ¿Would you force someone you love to stay with you?

Holy water by Lina Langley-->It's a very sad love story, and I cannot stop thinking about the song from Coco (Llorona, ay de mi llorona, llorona de azul celeste…). The way she falls in loves is very fast and simple, but it feels like it has been a long way. It has a similar end to Dead Letter but it has left me emptier, like they took something from me.

Lighthouse Five by T.S. Porter-->The creature called merperson reminds me a lot to The Shape of Water, being a more animal self than person. And therefore, their beauty is based on the character, innocence and curiosity, more than the looks, even though they have a very soft skin. And since the story doesn't have an adjacent problem like others, the history concentrates exclusively in the friendship and love, developing in more depth. I also find very interesting the qualities of the merperson, very similar to many marine animals. All the time they are referred as an androgynous character, in consequence, I had some problems at the start trying to understand if there were many of them, but it ended being interesting.

...more

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Oct 22, 2017 Kaa rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-for-review, short-story-novella, queer-sff, ace-aro-spectrum

A free copy of the book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say, this anthology was not exactly what I was expecting based on the cover and the "paranormal" description, and that's definitely not a bad thing. I have pretty mixed feelings about a lot of what passes for paranormal these days (especially when it's romance-related), but many of these stories took the genre in some very interesting directions and the overall tone of the book is quite eerie. I also appreciate ...more

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May 06, 2018 Alex rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, fantasy, lgbtaiq, magic, magical-realism, ownvoices, short-stories, urban-fantasy, vampires, werewolves

This review also appears on my blog alexreadsboooks
______________

Into The Mystic. Volume Two is a collection of ten lesbian and/or bisexual paranormal short stories published by NineStar Press.

I’d like to thank Laura Bailo, who has her story The Holy Company featured in this collection, for providing me with an eARC.

I really loved the range of stories in this collection. There is a great diversity in the topics and the paranormal elements used, and between tree spirits, vampires, werewolves, sel ...more

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Oct 24, 2017 Xan West added it

Shelves: ace-spectrum, disabled-central-char, mi-rep-nope, mi-rep

Going to do trigger warnings as I go.

Trigger Warning: (view spoiler) ...more

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Nov 13, 2017 C.T. Callahan rated it it was ok

There are a lot of stories here, but they really just weren't for me. I was hoping for something rife with magic and intrigue, and while the magic is there, it comes off a bit more subtle. These are contemporary-esque stories against a magical backdrop. There's also a lot of sexual content from vivid masturbation to fantasizing that might be cool if you actually get into that kind of stuff, but it's just wasted paper for me. The stories aren't bad, but they just really weren't what I was looking ...more

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Nov 11, 2017 BookAddict rated it really liked it

really enjoyed these short stories.
they are definitely NSFW.
i think there is a story in this collection for everyone and is worth getting and reading
i think there was only one story i didnt enjoy in this collection.
will be recommending this to others

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Nov 16, 2017 Jasmine Lexa rated it really liked it

Note: This ARC has been provided by Laura Bailo, in exchange for an honest review.
A couple weeks ago I saw Laura Bailo's tweet announcing e-ARCs for this anthology and after finding out that it was a collection of lesbian/bisexual paranormal short stories... I could not say no. And oh boy let me tell you guys this collection of stories is steamy! I was not prepared whatsoever.
I'm not going to give much away because I don't want to spoil anything, so here are my thoughts on my favorites and my on ...more

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Oct 18, 2020 aspeccharactersoftheday marked it as featured

Shelves: demisexual

https://aspeccharactersoftheday.tumbl... ...more

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Nov 16, 2019 Ameliah Faith rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Into the Mystic Vol 2 is a fantastic anthology of lesbian paranormal goodness! From Selkies to a Werewolf, from a cursed Spirit to a Mermaid this book has it all in ten short and erotic stories. My favourites include Vampire by Hours by Jacqueline Rohrbach. It’s a charming and sweet story about a vampire and her mortal lover who suffers from long term depression. I LOVED this one! Another excellent story is The Dead Letter by Valentina Wheeler. This one is about a lost letter and the mail carrie ...more

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