Cassadaga Nights

by Jana Denardo

Santino Bellomi and his coworker, Cam, are sent to Cassadaga, Florida by the Aspida Pneuma, a group of psychics and mages. Their job is to rescue a nixie from a polluted lake and to check out the town, which is known for its psychics. New recruits to the Aspida are always welcome and where better than a spiritualist camp to hunt for them? What Santino wants most, however, is to finish the assignment quickly. He isn’t a fan of heat and humidity, and he’d looking forward to a well-earned vacation once the mission is over.

Ryan Doyle grew up in Cassadaga, where being psychic runs in the family. Ryan has never roamed far from home, though it’s hard being a geeky gay, wannabe urban fantasy author living in a small town. His job as one of the town psychics is fairly routine until he meets someone new. Ryan has never encountered anyone with a psychic shield so strong until Santino sits down for a reading. Intrigued, he asks Santino out even though Santino is as secretive as he is fun.

Santino hopes to win Ryan over both for himself and for the Aspida. And he’s hoping his skills in the kitchen will swing the balance in his favor. Ryan has almost given up on finding love, living in rural Florida. Can a seductive tourist be the answer to his dreams?

Things never run smoothly for those in the Aspida. What should have been a simple rescue mission is plagued by mosquitoes, enraged ghosts, and someone or something draining residents of their life force. Ryan’s first foray into adventure may be his last.

Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, M M Romance, Gay, Urban Fantasy, LGBT

ebook

Published September 14, 2020

About the author

Jana Denardo's career choices and wanderlust take her all over the United States and beyond. Much of her travels make their way into her stories. Fantasy, science fiction, and mystery have been her favorite genres since she started reading, and they often flavor her works. In her secret identity, she works with the science of life and gives college students nightmares. When she’s not chained to her computer writing, she functions as stray cat magnet. She’s also learning that the road to enlightenment is filled with boulders she keeps falling over and that the words gardening and Zen don’t go together no matter what anyone says.

Visit Jana's blog at http://jana-denardo.livejournal.com/.

Reviews

[Moony (Captain Mischief) MeowPoff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ryan and Santiago was okay...but i was missing more chemistry and spark between them. It felt very insta-lovey and not too much focus on the supernatural that was happening.

[Kelli · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise of this book sounded interesting and I really wanted to like it. I love books that focus on the supernatural world. But that’s not really what this book was about, it was about dating. Geeky, awkward dating and Florida’s terrible heat.

So much of the book was spent on Santino and Ryan getting to know each other that anything supernatural was just hamfisted on a few pages here or there to remind the reader what the book is supposed to be about. But nothing of substance really happened. Every conflict was handled quickly without much detail, making me wonder why it was a problem to begin with. One conflict was forgotten about entirely and I don’t know if that was done on purpose or the author just forgot. There is also one part in the book where one of the characters is thinking about the name of a group he doesn’t learn about until two chapters LATER.

While the characters and their powers were interesting they didn’t get enough fleshing out for me to care about anything that happens to them or the world they live in. The entire book felt rushed and disorganized.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Ashley Martinez (ilovebooksandstuffblog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sexy psychics and steamy romance in the sweltering heat of Florida. I enjoyed the story it was fast-paced and interesting.

[Joscelyn Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall an enjoyable story. The characters were engaging and the storyline was interesting enough that I'm hoping for more.

[Danai Christopoulou · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating premise that could serve as an amazing series starter, but with some plot and pacing issues

There are many things I enjoyed about this book. The whole idea of Cassadaga (which I didn't know about but apparently it really is known as the "Psychic Capital of the World") and the abilities of people there was fascinating. The idea of Aspida Pneuma (had to chuckle a bit on the use of Greek there) as a secret organization/supernatural police was also fascinating: I wanted to learn more about how Santino and Cam came to work together, their other colleagues, their code of conduct... And last, but definitely not least, I thoroughly enjoyed the high caliber geekiness in both the MCs.

There were however, some issues with plot and pacing that pulled me out of the story at times.
For instance: the POV often changes from Ryan to Santino mid-chapter. That is no problem by itself, but the way these two characters voices are written is quite similar to one another; very often, until we're given a name, we have no idea which character is talking. It would be lovely, for instance, to get more glimpses inside their heads or to have Santino think or talk to himself more in Italian.
Another big issue for me, which forced me to turn my editor's brain on, is that at some point Ryan talks and behaves as if he already knows Santino's occupation and secret... although they haven't had that conversation yet. For a while, I was left wondering why such a big part of the plot was handled off screen.... only to see that the revelation hadn't come yet and was indeed handled later. I don't know if that was the developmental editor messing up with continuity or what it was, but personally, it took away my focus from the great story for a while.

Overall, while I loved the premise, I do feel like this book would be absolutely amazing if it had more space to spread its wings, so to speak. Things were a bit rushed; the first few chapters were so exposition heavy they were quite hard to read; the finale felt a tiny bit anticlimactic... Still, this world is so fascinating, I'd love to read more of it.

P.S. Thank you to NetGalley and NineStarPress for providing me an ARC of this book. As always, my reviews are 100% honest.

[Veronica of V's Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryan Doyle is a psychic in a long line of them--his mother was renown in the field and his sister has the gift, and resents that Ryan does as well. Ryan mentors younger or newer psychics, using his gifts to help them gain control of theirs, but he's feeling a little melancholy about his life. Cassadaga, Florida is a a sheltered community and he rarely has and social engagements--of the romantic kind.

Santino Bellomi is a mage and psychic, and works for a secret society called Aspida Pneuma. He is tasked with stopping malevolent forces from infringing on the mortal realm. His partner, Cam, a shapeshifting female, also has strong magic. They have been dispatched to Cassadaga to track down a nixie (water spirit) who seems to be in danger. The pond where this being is living is tiny and not suitable--but Santino and Cam are having trouble coaxing the nixie into direct contact. Meanwhile, Santino is intrigued by the thriving psychic community, and believes Ryan's abilites may align with that of the Aspida Pneuma. So, he begins to build a rapport with Ryan--whom he finds very attractive.

This is a sweet, short romance with some excellent and fun magical elements. There happens to be a fae interloper in Cassadaga who's wreaking unexpected havoc--and Santino and Cam are in good position to manage the situation. Ryan's shock over learning about magical creatures and the danger Santino faces day to day. He's intrigued about the Aspida, but he's more intrigued with Santino. I liked how they had some fun date nights, and tried to learn a bit about one another before they get physical. The game dates and walking through botanic gardens really sounded fun. It's a low angst romance kicking off what seems to be a series focused on the magical misadventures of Ryan and Santino. I look forward to reading on!

[Anne Barwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story and not just because I love reading about psychic powers. I thought the set up and world building was very nicely done, and I liked how the author incorporated mythology into her world building, yet gave it an original twist.

Ryan and Santino are wonderfully geeky, and I liked them as characters both separately and as a couple. I loved the Doctor Who and anime references and thought their scenes together were very sweet. I’m hoping we haven’t seen the last of them, especially as they’re only just setting out on their adventures together. I also liked how Ryan and Santino use their psychic shielding, and adapt it to their powers, and how Ryan shows himself to be very capable when they finally figure out who is behind the mystery.

The supporting cast is great, and I particularly liked Cam. She totally rocks. Cassadaga has a real small town feel about it with everyone knowing everyone else’s business. Ryan’s sister needs to get over the huge chip on her shoulder though. I thought the side plot with the nix was interesting, and a little different too.

I’d also love to learn more about Aspida. It’s a fascinating idea, and I liked how this story feels like an introduction to a much bigger world. My only issue, which is why I didn’t give this 5 stars, is that the continuity was a little off in one place to the point where I had to look back to check I hadn’t misread something.

Despite that I’d still recommend this story, and am hanging out for more. Psychic powers within an urban fantasy setting are one of my favourite combinations, and I want to see what’s in store for Ryan and Santino.

[Alan D.D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Como dije, es un libro corto que se lee en poco tiempo. Me gustó el inicio, cómo los personajes se hacen querer, y otros no tanto, en poco tiempo. La puesta en escena es bastante rápida y nos enteramos en el acto de qué está pasando en este pueblo. El ritmo rápido trabaja muy bien este aspecto, por lo que me sumergí en la lectura prácticamente desde la primera pagina.
Reseña completa: http://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/202...

As I said, it's a short book that's read in a short time. I liked the beginning, how likeable the characters become, and others not so much, in a short time. The staging's quite fast and we find out immediately what's happening in this town. The fast pace works this aspect very well, so I immersed myself in reading practically from the first page.
Full review: http://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/202...

[Sunsettowers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cassadada, Florida is famous for being full of psychics. Tourists flock there, and so has Santino, a psychic himself who works for the mysterious Aspida. When Santino meets Ryan, a fellow psychic, sparks fly immediately. As they juggle dating, secrets, and a powerful supernatural force set loose on the town, both must decide what, and who, their futures hold.

This was a quick read full of fun characters, and I especially enjoyed Santino and Ryan. They are both delightfully self-described geeks, who also are gorgeous and have amazing psychic abilities. Their relationship is definitely one to root for.

The side characters are fun too. I especially liked Cam, Santino's coworker, who can shift into an owl. The Florida setting is really brought alive as well, I could practically feel the oppressive heat and humidity Denardo describes.

I do wish this book was a little longer, but I think the shortness of it is because Denardo is (hopefully) setting things up for a sequel.

[Susan Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I‌ ‌received‌ ‌a‌ ‌copy‌ ‌of‌ Cassadaga Nights ‌by‌ ‌Jana Denardo via‌ ‌IndiGo‌ ‌Marketing‌ ‌&‌ ‌Design‌ ‌in‌ ‌exchange‌ ‌for‌ ‌an‌ ‌honest‌ ‌review.‌ What are the odds of‌ picking up two books in one day that both talk about the small town of Lily Dale. If nothing else, that confirmed for me this was the perfect book for me! It helped that the three characters, Santino, Ryan, and Cam, are all fun with intriguing abilities, which come out over the course of the story. I was already aware of Cassadaga and its community of psychics but the author used the setting to good advantage with an assortment of supernatural residents. It was fun to google the Florida locations I was not familiar with to see what Santino saw. I devoured the book in one sitting since it was so addictive, much like cannoli! I hope this is the first of many adventures for this group.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ryan has never explored the world even though he really wants too. He’s a psychic and he makes his living teaching and reading people. His particular talent is reading object or people by touch. He also sees ghosts.

Santino works for a secret group that use psychics to solve problem of a supernatural nature. He comes to Cassadaga to see if there are any gifted people to recruit for his organization.

Slow burn romance with likable characters. The plot was fairly simple, mostly settling on the romance between Ryan and Santino. Light angst, an angry ghost, a dangerous Fae, and a search for an ill Fae creature made this pretty well rounded story. It ended on a good note but I hope there will be more.

This book was provided by the author via IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review. Review Copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads.

[Belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The blurb was interesting, the idea for the story sounded good, there were enough parallels to common folklore, that the scarce worldbuilding was overall sufficient to get the picture. But
even so the characters were kind of cute and likeable, the writing stayed on the flat side. The mystery fell a bit short and lacked complexity. More telling than showing (especially with the needs, thoughts and feelings of the maincharacters), a bit repetitive and sometimes I got the feeling something went missing in action... or in editing... dialogues? scenes?... or got mixed up in revision of the first draft.

So in short good idea but needs to be a bit more fleshed out (another 50 pages with character and/or story developement might have done the trick), needs to be a bit more three-dimensional to be really satisfying.

[K.S. Trenten · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet romance between a geeky psychic and a geeky paranormal investigator. The latter, Santino is looking for recruits and finds Ryan. A mystery brews as the steam rises between the two men, developing the supernatural life in Cassadaga.

Ryan and Santino were engaging, entertaining characters as was Cam, the investigator working with Santino. The supernatural beings weren’t necessarily monstrous and it was a relief to see the investigators use more creatively merciful solutions of dealing with the troublemakers. Lots of banter kept things light, even though there were a couple of nasty characters far more unpleasant than the supernatural threats. All in all, this was a fun read I’d recommend to those looking for a little paranormal investigation with their male/male romance.

[Coltostallion · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the characters and enjoyed the story, but there was one thing that sort of nagged at me. Though our two characters are both differing brands of psychic, that's not as big a part of the story as it makes it seem. The entire join our psychic organization because your psychic powers are useful plot would have been more convincing if the psychic aspect played a bigger part in the story as whole. They did appear, of course, and they were plot points but just not in proportion to the importance given to them.

[RACHEL REED · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an interesting paranormal mystery romance. Coupled with geeky psychics, magic, suspense and a slow brewing romance, this had all the elements of a good paranormal mystery.
I was absolutely entertained by the plot. The characters were likeable and well fleshed out. Hopefully we get a sequel to see what happens next!

[Moraye Potgieter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Psychics in Cassadaga, Florida and not just any psychics, geeky psychics.

Heat and would wear anyone down, luckily there is a new relationship to be found, that may make things even hotter.

This book has it all from magic and secret societies to steamy romance between geeks. It is a quick exciting read that keeps you entertained the whole time.

Looking forward to more from Jana Dernardo.

[Roger Hyttinen]

I was really intrigued by the premise of this book. The story follows Ryan Dole, a genuine psychic who comes from a family of psychics and makes a living doing readings for others. Ryan lives in the town of Cassadaga, a small unincorporated community in central Florida, which is a real place known for having many psychics and mediums. It’s even been called “the Psychic Capital of the World.”

We’re then introduced to two additional characters, Santino and Cam, who have been sent to Cassadaga for two purposes: 1) to recruit psychics for the Aspida Pneuma, a secret order of psychics and magicians, and 2) to rescue a nixie from a polluted lake. When Santino and Ryan’s paths cross at a psychic fair, sparks fly between them. Santino hopes to recruit Ryan for the Order and also perhaps to win the man for himself. But first, he has to get Ryan to trust him and somehow not scare him off in the process.

I loved the idea of a secret society of mages and psychics who investigate paranormal activities and found this aspect of the book intriguing. But as a whole, the story didn’t work for me as well as I had hoped. There was minimal conflict in the story — only a couple of super-short scenes which were resolved almost immediately. Most of the book consisted of detailed descriptions of Santino’s and Ryan’s dates as the two men slowly got to know each other, which, truth be told, I found rather boring overall.

Now I do get the impression that this is the first book in the series, so I might be interested in seeing where the author takes it in the future. Hopefully, future books will have more action/intrigue and fewer drawn-out dating scenes. But for someone who prefers more of a romance-centered story with the added intrigue of psychics and magicians, then this might be worth checking out.

[Valeria Orlando · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book wasn't bad per se but I would have liked it to be more about the paranormal aspects of the story, maybe fewer dates, and more about the characters as well. Also, I didn't understand if this is a stand-alone or the beginning of a series.