Detective Quinn Manning wants nothing more than to see Diamond Dace, one of Fagerdal’s most notorious drug lords, behind bars. After years of the man eluding the authorities, when Manning accidentally stumbles onto an opportunity to catch the powerful dealer red-handed, he doesn’t hesitate. But what should be a simple tail instead drops Manning into a real-life world of myth and legend.Hush is a hulder, a forest spirit also known as a pine tree Mary. Since the beginning of time, his people have lived in the forest, feeding off the energy they derive from the lust and desires of passing hunters. But Hush is an abomination, the only male of his kind.After a lifetime of starvation, Hush has struck a deal with a human. A simple trade that will give the human what he desires and keep Hush from wasting away completely.When Manning saves a young man from Diamond and one of his men, his view of reality is altered forever. And Hush, who has never met anyone like Manning, finds the man’s attraction to him enough to finally stave off his constant hunger.Together they set out to rescue Manning’s partner, and their connection to one another grows. But can a human detective have a future with a creature of the forest, a creature who isn’t supposed to exist?
Ofelia Gränd is Swedish, which often shines through in her stories. She likes to write about everyday people ending up in not-so-everyday situations, and hopefully also getting out of them. She writes contemporary, paranormal, romance, horror, Sci-Fi and whatever else catches her fancy.
Her books are written for readers who want to take a break from their everyday life for an hour or two.
When Ofelia manages to tear herself from the screen and sneak away from husband and children, she likes to take walks in the woods. She’s recently discovered the miracle of podcasts and spends her strolls listening to wise people talk.
4/5/20 I loved this story!!! Now, everyone can pick up a copy and enjoy it too!! The kindhearted author is offering us all a FREE copy via JMS books: https://www.jms-books.com/free-c-440/...
Thank you, Ofelia!!
4 Urban Fantasy Stars
Author Ofelia Gränd is a deft hand at crafting spooky tales sprinkled with sweetness and romance. Pine Tree Mary features one of the sweetest supernatural characters I have ever encountered. And what a gorgeous cover!!
According to the author, a Pine Tree Mary is a magical being from Scandinavian folklore who lives in the forest and feeds off of human sexual energy. In the tales of old, the Pine Tree Marys (also known as hulders) are usually female, but in this original tale, the MC, named Hush, is a male creature who needs to feel desire from human males in order to survive. Hush is all kinds of sweetness, naivety, and light. I adored him.
The story derives its urban fantasy slant from Hush's interactions with Detective Quinn Manning, who is trying to take down an evil crime lord. Quinn is sure that Hush can help him capture the crime boss, but he is in for quite a surprise when he realizes that Hush is something straight out of a fairy tale, complete with a tail and magical powers.
Watching Hush and Quinn slowly fall in love is lovely. Quinn is extremely protective, kind, and caring, and Hush is deeply appreciative to be receiving affection and attention. Their pairing was such a good fit!
A pine tree Mary is a creature from the Scandinavian folklore, she'll ensnare you with her beauty and lure you into the deep forests. But what if she happened to be a he?
I like the way this author tells her stories. It has a bit of suspense, a bit of magic, a bit of romance, shuffle this all together and tada.... a sparkling fairytale revealing a shining light in your eyes.
Hush, intertwined with the forest, is a spirit who gets his strength from the sexual energy of people. Without it, he will starve to death.
Detective Quinn Manning is looking for drug criminals: Diamond and North. Following one into the forest, the man escapes but instead, Quinn finds Hush. An innocent, beautiful delicate man with endlessly long hair who lives in the forest.
Hush has a connection with North and Diamond, they are his energy source, he can feed on them. In return, he gives them what they desire. But Manning is different, Hush gets energy from him without anything in return. When the criminals get their hands on Manning’s colleague, Jacobs, he asks Hush for help. Little did he know about all the magic.
Lovely story, the scenery was beautifully pictured. I kept looking around and saw the beauty. Hush was breathtaking, sweet, kind and unknown of people’s nasty behavior. An awesomely captivating magical fairy tale.
Detective Quinn Manning ist schon lange hinter dem Drogenboss Diamond Dace her. Doch wieder einmal entkommt Diamond und zurück bleibt nur ein junger Mann, an einen Baum gefesselt, im Wald. Ein Opfer oder ein Komplize Diamonds? Manning erkennt schnell, dass der junge Mann mit dem ungewöhnlichen Namen Hush allerlei Geheimnisse hat, aber einen guten Charakter besitzt - und eine unwiderstehliche Anziehung auf Manning ausübt.
So fand ich's:
Im Wald leben die Pine Tree Marys genannten mystischen Wesen und ernähren sich von der Lust der Männer, die sie mit ihrer Schönheit und Erotik verführen. Hush ist der einzige männliche Pine Tree Mary und sieht sich als Missgeburt, als einen Fehler der Natur, denn es gibt für ihn nur Schwestern und keine Brüder. Er findet zu selten Männer, in denen er erotische Gefühle erweckt und ist immer kurz vor dem Verhungern. Bis er mit Diamond einen Deal eingeht.
Erst als er von Detective Manning aus einer unschönen Situation gerettet wird, erhält er erste Einblicke in die Welt der Menschen und ihm gehen einige Lichter auf. Hush ist ein freundlicher, geradliniger und manchmal etwas naiver Kerl, der einem aber sofort sympathisch ist. Auch Detective Manning fühlt sich zu Hush hingezogen und versucht, Hush unter seine Fittiche zu nehmen. Doch als Mannings Partner entführt wird, müssen sich die beiden zusammentun.
Pine Tree Mary ist eine wunderbare Fantasygeschichte um ein skandinavisches Fabelwesen. Die Welt der Menschen und die der Pine Tree Marys vermischen sich und zwischen Manning und Hush entwickeln sich ehrliche Gefühle. Dazu kommt eine kleine Kriminalgeschichte, die Spannung mit hineinbringt.
Eine wunderbare mystische Lovestory, die unterhält und das Herz berührt.
I tell you, I had a hard time with this book, because I was either saddened or pissed off majority of the book. Hush, one of the MC, was just dealt a very crappy life. This story may have triggers too, for some of you. There is beatings from abuse, hate crimes when they find out he’s a man not a woman, and just sheer hatred that he’s different. I was intrigued by Hush, and I think that’s why I read this book to the end. Because otherwise, I might not have finished. The only reason I even gave it 4 stars was because of Hush. Everyone else in this book, as far as I’m concerned, can kiss my butt. Even Detective Manning when he first figured out what Hush really looked like and what he was, showed nothing but contempt and disgust for him and now all of a sudden, he thinks Hush is beautiful. After Hush helped him with his case and stuff. Everyone, including Hush’s sisters the most, has done nothing but abuse and use Hush. They don’t touch him, they don’t treat him good. They treat him like he’s the lowest of low and I’m still pissed off. At least Manning started to pull his head out of his ass and treat Hush better, but I almost still felt like there was some using there. Like he truly hadn’t accept Hush and what he was. And it was obvious he hadn’t, the more Hush explained about his world. Yes, I get it’s hard to understand or wrap your head around paranormals when you aren’t used to them being in the world, but still. You don’t treat them like dirt one minute and the next try to hump them or something. I don’t know. I’m still ticked. Hush didn’t deserve what he got in this book. He was just trying to survive and do good in a world that treated him like utter shit. Hush is what made this book any good at all. He was a sweetheart in a world of evil.
Aww what a sweet, adorable story! I love everything this author writes, and have probably read almost every book she's written too. This one was so completely different. A clean, sweet fairy tale about a rare mythical creature and his eventual romance with a human guy. If you enjoy adventure and sweet fantasy, (with a bit of suspense and action thrown in), you will love this book. Aaand that cover! There could not be a more perfect depiction of Hush. Just beautiful! *Standalone story. *Although clean, the themes are of an adult nature, so I'd recommend 16+. *No Profanity or on page violence.
I received an advance reader copy of this title via Booksprout and have willingly read and reviewed.
4.5 stars Magic is what you read about in fairly tales...or is it? Hush is a hulder, a magic being who inhabits forests and feeds on energy. But Hush is also an abnormality, because he is a male hulder who needs energy from human males to survive… Something his sisters tell him is against their nature. Weakened by starvation, he resorts to the only source of nourishment he knows about, only to be detained by a very handsome detective… Detective Quinn Manning does not believe in fairy tales. For him, Hush in a very young and deeply abused man who may help him capture the criminal he’s been chasing for way too long. But the more he knows Hush, the more the realises he may be more than what he seems to be. In fact, he may be completely different from anything or anybody he’s met before…. This was such a sweet, funny, entertaining short story! I must recognise that, despite being a lover of everything mythology, I did not know about Hulders, a very appealing figure in the Scandinavian mythology (I’ve been reading about them since discovering them in this story). I loved the dynamics between Quinn and Hush, the nativity of Hush is hilarious sometimes, as it is Quinn’s surprise at his antics. The mystery is intriguing, the romance sweet, the narrative smooth and easy-flowing… I really loved it In short, a charming little story with endearing characters which will cheer up your day Highly recommendable
I love everything I have read by this author and this book is no exception. This is detective Quinn and Hush a forest spirit. When these two meet they end up falling for each other while trying to find Quinn’s partner. This is a sweet love story and I loved it, to be honest I can’t see why anyone wouldn’t.-Enjoy
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was the book that got me hooked on Gränd's work. So strange, so weird, so different from the usual tired genre tropes, so... awesome. The basic story revolves around Detective Quinn Manning saving a strange person during a drug bust, who then becomes central to the pursuit and investigation of the drug lord Diamond Dace. Who also has a connection to the stranger, Hush and is using them for their nefarious plan.
What looks like a standard crime drama goes sideways when you find out Hush is not human at all but a Scandinavian succubi-like forest spirit. But male. From there on in there's some very entertaining fish-out-water romance and action between Hush and Quinn incorporating eclectic familiar elements from ET, The Ritual, Grimm, Supernatural, X-Files and similar works, but in their own unique style not a recreation. It's hard to describe, I really recommend you read the preview at Smashwords and see if their unusual dark romance style is your thing. It's definitely... different.
Personally I really enjoyed this romance, and the additional complications that came from the clash of cultures and expectations. Also m Gränd writes M/M erotica in a really relatable and approachable style that evokes romance and emotion, is really really hot, yet avoids a humdrum 'Pot Black'-like telling of the story making the outlandish premise 'just work' beautifully.
Can I ship this attractive, fragile yet strong lost Hulder and Quinn's feelings for him? Yes I can!
I do love Ofelia Gränd's she always does an amazing job and her stories are always so engrossing even if at first you may not feel like it going in. In this story we follow Detective Quinn Manning who is trying to take down a very prolific and crafty drug lord, Diamond Dace. In the process of tracking Diamond he comes across Hush. Hush is a Pine Tree Mary also known as a hulder, a forest spirit that lives in the forest and feeds off the desire of hunters/men. He's the only male of his kind and is considered an abomination. While Manning does feel attraction to Hush, he's not sure of his role involving Diamond. When Manning's partner on the force is kidnapped the two strike up an uneasy partnership in hopes of catching Diamond and rescuing Manning's partner.
I enjoyed learning about the characters and hulders in general. I've not read any stories involving hulders and I quite liked it and hope there is a chance there will be more like it in the future. Hush's innocence concerning the world and it's working was kind of endearing to me and I liked that while Manning didn't quite understand Hush's oddities he didn't reject him or judge him. They were both likable characters and Manning's desire to get Diamond off the streets was a bit compelling. The ending was sweet and satisfying.
A free copy was provided to me through Booksprout in exchange for an honest review.
Sweet tale of a hero with a tail who deserves so much more!😉
4.5 🌟stars 👍👍Author Ofelia Grand has a true knack for building worlds and M/M love stories where the human and paranormal intersect and result in sweet romance with a bit of bite. In this instance she incorporates fantastical forest creatures from Scandinavian folklore to excellent effect.
Unlikely hero Hush is so innocent and good; he is a great character. Convinced he is a freak and unworthy of love and respect, even from his own family, Hush does not let that keep him from giving his all to help Manning hunt down Diamond, a notorious gangster. With plenty of action and a growing trust between the two heroes that results in some surprising gifts, this story was a little gem, not too violent and just touched with tamped down desire and the promise of a lovely.future.
Not my first read of an Ofelia Grand story (I loved the humor of her recent Nine Stones, for example) and it will not be the last either.😊
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I'm a big fan of Ofelia Gränd's works and she always accomplishes to surprise me with the diversity and uniqueness of her stories and the occuring characters. Before this novella I had never before heard of a "Pine Tree Mary", here you can feel the scandinavian backround of the author. Of course I immediatley had to go to wikipedia and teach myself about this mythological creature ;) and I was so fascinated that I just had to start the book directly after this "lesson". And the story itself did not disappoint. We get a modern day fairy tale with a slowly developing romance as well as some suspense/action moments and a touch of angst. I really adored Hush and Quinn was a great and worthy partner for him and their HEA felt right and very satisfying :)
Another great read by Ophelia Grand. This is a sweet fairy tale romance between Hush and Quinn. Their characters are strong and likable and I enjoyed watching their relationship evolve and grow. The author brings it to life with her descriptive writing and detailed scenes bringing suspense,action and adventure and kept me glued to the pages right to the sweet ending. I enjoyed and would recommend this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.
This book really threw me for a loop. As I began I really didn’t know what I was getting. Hush, a character that I fell in love with, and Manning, a police officer out to get the bad guy. Their beginning, their middle and their happily ever ever was nothing short of phenomenal. This book really packed a wallop. It was terrific!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I enjoyed this intriguing mix of fantasy fairy tale with the modern world. It's a fun juxtaposition. Ofelia writes a sweet connection with unique characters. I really felt for Hush with the way his sisters abuse him. So glad he found Quinn. I liked the little twist about Jacobs knowledge in the end. The tale is a bit gritty in parts, but not a lot of on-page violence.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Pine Tree Mary by Ofelia Gränd is a great story to read. I was not sure what to expect when I started reading this story but i am glad I read it, I really enjoyed reading this story. I recommend this story to all who like reading about LGBT and paranormal romance.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I picked this book because its different than what I usually read. ...it was clean. It's fantasy intertwined with a touch of supernatural folklore and normal romance. The characters were well developed and shined in this unique. I'll definitely check this author out again.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a fantastic story mixed with folklore and legends. Hush is a creature of myth living in a horrible situation because he was never treated with any care.