All That Glitters

The ABCs of Spellcraft #1.5

by Jordan Castillo Price

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Audiobook, Magic, Humor

20 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2019

About the author

Author and artist Jordan Castillo Price writes paranormal sci-fi thrillers colored by her time in the Midwest, from inner city Chicago, to various cities across southern Wisconsin. She’s settled in a 1910 Cape Cod near Lake Michigan with tons of character and a plethora of bizarre spiders. Any disembodied noises, she’s decided, will be blamed on the ice maker.

Jordan is best known as the author of the PsyCop series, an unfolding tale of paranormal mystery and suspense starring Victor Bayne, a gay medium who's plagued by ghostly visitations.

Reviews

[Shin Mon Thway · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s always difficult meeting with the family for the first time. 😁 And let’s not forget how shy and distrustful Yuri is towards strangers. But he loves Dixon and if meeting his family is what it takes to please his always happy, optimistic and enthusiastic boyfriend, so be it. 😅 And as predicted, introducing Yuri to Dixon’s overprotective and tight-knit family didn’t turn out as smooth as Dixon expected in the beginning. However Yuri will try his best conquer a red spatula and a fierce mama bear to declare his love to Dixon in front of his family and become a Penn family member. 😉

A sweet, short, lovely foray into Dixon and Yuri’s lives after “Quill me now”. As always, unique and quirky and true to Jordan’s style. Very enjoyable. Already reading the sequel “Trouble in Taco town” and loving it. 💜



3.75 We will always be bound by love and magic stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟

[Len Evans Jr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This free little short about Yuri's first dinner with Dixon's parents was full of humor and love! The author writes these two so beautifully and with so much joy. She has developed a totally awesome and cool magic system for this series that is fascinating!

[Jenn (not Lily) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect! I don't think I've ever read a better meet-the-parents story, plus add in a little bit of spellcrafting? How is it that I've waited so long to continue this series? Obviously I need to make up for that oversight immediately!

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute free bonus scene.

[Kit (Metaphors and Moonlight) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Review:
This was a cute little short story extra in the series. Not a lot happens, but I would say it's good to read if you're reading the series because it shows Yuri meeting Dixon's parents. And you get to know Dixon's family a tiny bit better. The ending cracked me up. A fun little addition.

I enjoyed the audiobook, narrated by Nick Hudson. Further thoughts on the audio can be found in my review for Book 1 or The ABCs of Spellcraft Collection Volume 1.

*Rating: 3.5 Stars // Read Date: 2020 // Format: Audiobook*

Recommended For:
Fans of previous books in Jordan Castillo Price's The ABCs of Spellcraft series. Anyone who likes sweet m/m romance, unique magic systems, and silly, sitcom-esque stories that aren't meant to be taken too seriously.

Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight

[Heather York · Rating 5 out of 5]

This free short story is an absolute delight! Yuri's fears about meeting the 'rents and Dixon's hope of everyone liking each other is rom-com 101 with Jordan Castillo Price's flair that makes All that Glitters anything but cliche. A real treat for this series and an awesome look into the growing connection between Dixon and Yuri.

[Silvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved! Yuri is a man of few words. He’s Russian and still coming to grips with Americans. For one thing, they smile too much, lol. So when Dixon wants to introduce him to his parents over dinner it’s with trepidation that Yuri agrees. I had fun reading all the interesting food combinations served, lmao in fact. And when Dixon’s dad mentioned beard glitter I snorted. Never had so much fun! What a fun and unique couple/family/series! That’s to be expected from one of my fave authors.

[Drianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I... think you were supposed to find Dixon's family charming? I... did not.

[Anne Barwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute story about Yuri meeting Dixon’s parents. It’s a lovely feel good short with a wonderful family vibe. I loved Dixon’s parents. They’re quirky—his mother’s meal being a good example of that, and I love how they accept both of them, and the way in Yuri reveals his talents to them.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute, cute... CUTE!!! Beard glitter? LOL!!!

*clears throat*

OK, Yuri still rocks, IMHO... but Dixon is such a clueless sweetheart, you have to love them both! Looking forward to getting this series finished in the new year! Holiday stories are in full swing for now, though! *grin*

[Benjamin Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, short and fun little story about Yuri, who has trust issues, meeting Dixon's parents. As it turns out, Dixon's parents aren't entirely that trusting either. It was a nice little nugget and despite it being short, still managed to pack in a fair bit of fun, humour and just that bit of family drama. Liking this series and the world it is set in more and more!

[Booker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book I've read in this series and I don't think I'll continue. The writing is good, the world-building is good... it's me, not the books. If you like humorous paranormal MM romance, you might like this one. It's just not for me. 3 stars.

[Victoria Loves Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun little quickie!!!

[Blaine]

Such a cute short. Made me smile :)

[Fi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Punk · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Midwest is strong in this one. I nearly turned around at "Dorito green beans" and dinner only gets...more from there, but I endured and this short is short and sweet. Yuri meets Dixon's family and has a nice moment with his mom.

Contains: non-explicit m/m sex; casseroles.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was frickin' adorable.

[Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

"do you have jello in russia? Im sure you do and its probably called something else"

Dixon and Yuri go for dinner with all the glitter ✨

[Deeze · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet little freebie.

Yori gets a taste of a loving family.

[IslandRiverScribe · Rating 5 out of 5]

TRUST AND ACCEPTANCE

As this short story opens, Dixon and Yuri are now formally a couple. And today is the day Dixon decides to introduce Yuri to his Scrivener parents – over dinner at the parents’ house.

If it were just your average first meeting of parents and significant others, Yuri would not be so worried. However, his past experiences in both Europe and America don’t give him much reason to trust anyone with magical talents. Plus, Dixon’s parents have long hoped for him to pair up with a Seer. Since they have no idea that Yuri is just that, Yuri does not expect a warm welcome, not at all.

The stage is now set for a magical take on a most common, yet stressful, experience known to us all.

While the first entry in the series, Quill Me Now, is from Dixon’s POV, Ms. Price writes this bridge story entirely from Yuri’s view. In doing so, she gives us a short but telling exposure to Yuri’s thoughts and fears and hopes. Having read scores of JCP stories, I fully expected her usual smooth flow from scene to scene and chapter to chapter and was not disappointed. And her usual mixing of character traits and internal monologues with plot progression was spot on.

I rarely give short stories a rating higher than 3 stars due to that short length not being naturally attuned to either character growth or overall series plot expansion. They are usually just a flashpoint, a quick action-adventure, a filler to explain the time that is passing between major works in the series. Not so here. Yuri’s character definitely takes a major leap forward in this entry. And Dixon’s personality is not forgotten either as the play on words in the story’s title ultimately plays out.

Oh, and as a post-script, Chicken and Dumplings made with canned biscuits is a real thing. Done right, it’s actually quite good!

[Susana · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
Yuri is not really fond of families… Not of his, at least. So being unexpectedly invited to Dixon’s family for lunch is not something he is looking forward to. His sassy boyfriend is sure that his parents are going to love him, but Yuri is not that sure, and Dixon’s parents reaction only confirm his suspicions. Fortunately, his boyfriend’s crazy routines and a mother’s concern manage to turn what looked like a complete disaster, in a hopeful start…
Yuri and Dixon are back! That’s such great news. I loved Quill Me Now, it is the perfect mixture of mystery, humour, paranormal, romance, and I am really glad Jordan decided to give us more on these two. All that Glitters is a short story, only a snippet of what Yuri and Dixon’s reality has become after the events in Quill Me Know, but it shares the same sense of humour and freshness of the first story (albeit being told mainly from Yuri’s point of view makes is delightfully dark).
I am really looking forward to continue reading their adventures. Yay!

[Penumbra · Rating 4 out of 5]

All That Glitters is part of ‘The ABCs of Spellcraft’ series. It’s a follow-up to where Dixon mentioned he wanted to introduce Yuri to Dixon’s family. This is told in first person from Yuri’s perspective.

This book is a quick, easy read without any of the mystery from the first story. Dixon’s family is a bit suspicious at first until Yuri helps find the red spatula that means a lot to Dixon. Yuri also reveals to the family, he is a Seer.

I like the covers on these books. They have a cozy mystery type feel to them, while at the same time being fun to look at.

There’s not much I can say about the plot because it’s just a family ‘get-to-know-you’ dinner. Dixon and Yuri remain the same characters they were in the first book. Cute, fluffy story. I give All That Glitters, 4 Stars

[Amyiw · Rating 5 out of 5]

A meet the parents novella of Yuri and Dixon. Yuri is nervous and not sure what to think going to dinner and Dixon's parents house. Dixon doesn't let his parents know that he is a Seer as his mother always wanted him to be with a Seer and doesn't want to influence them. Yuri coming from a intolerant Russia where both his gayness and his spellcrafting were impediments as spellcrafting was illegal and being gay was unaccepted. Now it is very hard for him to be open to being open. When the lucky spatula is lost and Dixon goes crazy, Yuri and the mother go one way to look while Dixon and his dad go another. Alone with mom, Yuri finds just how accepting Dixon's mom is.

very cute, very short.

[Melissa Brus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella is a great addition to the ABC’s of Spellcraft series. It is a quick read that Jordan Castillo Price manages to squeeze a fantastically awkward meet the parents moment into! The fabulous Dixon Penn returns with all of his awkwardness and babbling, along with Yuri, his giant, patient, Russian boyfriend. Meeting Dixon’s parents is such a fun interaction. The title takes on a whole new meeting once you get to the end! I was so hoping after Quill Me Now that we would get more of Dixon and Yuri and now we do! So excited to see what comes next.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great 'meet the parents' short. It is wonderful to see how Yuri and Dixon are doing away from their respective curses of the first book. Yuri is adjusting to finally having the freedoms he imagined in America slowly. Dixon continues to be unrelentingly hopeful and open about the new direction of their lives. This optimism and joy infuses Yuri's life with hope and happiness, something he has not truly had before. Letting that shine through to Dixon's parents is everything. Sweet, fun, sexy short!

[Debby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a deliciously delightful short story that details how Yuri met Dixon's parents. Yuri is not sure he wants to meet them but goes along. Dixon's parents are a bit quirky and so is the meal but it made for a smile while reading. Yuri's method for revealing his talent was just as delightful as the story. I already bought the next one in this series and look forward to more. JCP has created another great series for my reading enjoyment.

[Deena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave it a 3 out of generosity - it might have been cute if you read them in order, but this is the second one, and I read it first. Fortunately, Price doesn't waste a lot of time telling you what's going on - it's too short for even a short info dump. I can't even tell whether or not I would like the characters; there simply wasn't enough fabric to see the weave, unless you already know the world.

[Monika · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt like a snippet of a larger story. It was sweet but there wasn't enough there. Sometimes shorts are just too short.

QUICK THOUGHTS

• Paranormal
• Urban fantasy
• Magic
• Established couple
• I like this world
• Yuri gets to meet the family
• Dixon's parents made me chuckle
• I think Dixon & Yuri are sweet together
• There wasn't a lot here, wish this was longer
• Less than 50 pages
• NOT a stand-alone

[Pete W · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun intermission short. With some character building thrown in, the only way an experience writer like Ms. Price can.

Yuri was about the experience one of the important milestone in a relationship, meet the parent. Yuri was understandably nervous about the dinner. As we seen the Penns' household, we learn more about Dixon. It was interesting that they seems to be not quite well-off, despite their power. It was peppered through out the whole series that the normal people only grudgingly seek them out only when they needed them. In the tone that implied they were calling plumbers and not lawyers.

Dixon's parents were quite a character themselves. Florina and Yoska. Florina was shown to be a very capable woman both at taking care of her family and herself. Which read like a aetup for her role in the future books.

Also, was I right in read that they haven't washed the red spatula once they found it on the floor under a kitchen counter? Eww...

The glitter sure was a nice touch and a reminder that glitter went every where. Be careful where you applied them :P.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hahaha! Yuri and Dixon are back and their next adventure is to meet the parents. Well, Yuri gets to meet Dixon’s parents and see where all of the crazy neuroticisms originated. Oh gosh Poor Yuri. He is such a good sport about everything. Insert eye roll here.

Super cute short story that will make you laugh. Brilliant!