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Arcanum #1
Arcanum: Vervain
Detective Jonah Pierce has mourned his brother Riley's death for a decade, and he's never managed to heal. He loved Riley too much, and maybe in the wrong way. When a new rash of vampiric murders begins, Jonah's division Arcanum is called in to investigate. Sent to talk to a potential suspect, Jonah gets the shock of his life. But that's nothing compared to what comes later, when betrayal shows itself far closer than he ever expected.
53 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 21, 2010
About the author
Mychael Black
339 books114 followersFormerly known as Kay Derwydd
Myc has been writing professionally since 2005, solo and with Shayne Carmichael. Genres include pretty much anything (no steampunk yet), though Myc is well known for paranormal stories. When not writing, Myc is usually playing PC games, reading, editing, watching movies and shows on Netflix and Amazon, or spending way too much time on Facebook.
Myc has been writing professionally since 2005, solo and with Shayne Carmichael. Genres include pretty much anything (no steampunk yet), though Myc is well known for paranormal stories. When not writing, Myc is usually playing PC games, reading, editing, watching movies and shows on Netflix and Amazon, or spending way too much time on Facebook.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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November 12, 2010Mychael Black has chosen a very touchy subject for this novella and I don’t know if the short length in this case helps or not the author. For sure, since it’s only a novella, the author cannot indulge too much in the regrets and sense of guilty that usually the men involved in the relationship are experiencing due to the illicite nature of the affair.
Jonah is a detective in a special task force working with paranormal crimes. He is still mourning the loss of his brother Riley to the hands of the same criminals he is targeting, vampires. No one seems to understand why Jonah is still so crashed by his bother’s death, even after 10 years. And probably no one can understand since they didn’t know that Jonah felt something more for his younger brother than “only” a brotherly love. No one, neither Riley were aware of Jonah’s feelings, and now Jonah seems unable to let it go and starting living again.
Then, following the clues for yet another murder, Jonah meets Le, a young goth vampire, that is way too much like his brother; to heal and be able to love again, Jonah has to understand that not all vampire are bad, and that he can love again, and maybe being also reciprocated.
I like that the author didn’t let the reader too much hanging and waiting for a some sort of happy ending for Jonah: when Le enters the scene it’s pretty clear that he will be Jonah’s solution against the pain he is suffering. As I like that the illicite relationship between Jonah and Riley is not contrasted but neither simply accepted. More than one person around Jonah, who cares for him, let him know that they don’t understand how he can be in love with his same brother, but they will not judge him. That is probably the only possible attitude, as I have already explained after reading similar books, even if it could be considered with a negative connotation, if the incest is between two brothers (or in any case between two males), for me it’s not the same that between male and female, probably since there is no chance of “breeding”; I will draw a line only if the incest is between parents and sons, that is for sure something I would not read (or like).
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0043XXBH4/?...
Jonah is a detective in a special task force working with paranormal crimes. He is still mourning the loss of his brother Riley to the hands of the same criminals he is targeting, vampires. No one seems to understand why Jonah is still so crashed by his bother’s death, even after 10 years. And probably no one can understand since they didn’t know that Jonah felt something more for his younger brother than “only” a brotherly love. No one, neither Riley were aware of Jonah’s feelings, and now Jonah seems unable to let it go and starting living again.
Then, following the clues for yet another murder, Jonah meets Le, a young goth vampire, that is way too much like his brother; to heal and be able to love again, Jonah has to understand that not all vampire are bad, and that he can love again, and maybe being also reciprocated.
I like that the author didn’t let the reader too much hanging and waiting for a some sort of happy ending for Jonah: when Le enters the scene it’s pretty clear that he will be Jonah’s solution against the pain he is suffering. As I like that the illicite relationship between Jonah and Riley is not contrasted but neither simply accepted. More than one person around Jonah, who cares for him, let him know that they don’t understand how he can be in love with his same brother, but they will not judge him. That is probably the only possible attitude, as I have already explained after reading similar books, even if it could be considered with a negative connotation, if the incest is between two brothers (or in any case between two males), for me it’s not the same that between male and female, probably since there is no chance of “breeding”; I will draw a line only if the incest is between parents and sons, that is for sure something I would not read (or like).
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0043XXBH4/?...
January 9, 2014
A short and uncomplicated read. Good fun, but I would love some more plot and romance development. There isn't any fuss or angst about the brothercest and the level of acceptance in the book was warming-- very likable characters.
January 25, 2015
UPDATE 24 Jan 2015
Just finished my first re-read of this so I can finally get to #2 and #3. It is short enough that everything feels just so sudden, but I do enjoy the characters and am looking forward to finally getting to see what happens to them next.
ORIGINAL REVIEW 19 Feb 2014
Fun premise, I just wished I could have gotten to know Riley better. I had a hard time understanding his motivations.
Just finished my first re-read of this so I can finally get to #2 and #3. It is short enough that everything feels just so sudden, but I do enjoy the characters and am looking forward to finally getting to see what happens to them next.
ORIGINAL REVIEW 19 Feb 2014
Fun premise, I just wished I could have gotten to know Riley better. I had a hard time understanding his motivations.
October 10, 2015
Interesting twist on vampire hunter tale. Jonah's secretly in love with his brother Riley. And as far as Jonah knows Riley was killed by vampires 9 years ago but a rash of killings reveals that Riley was not killed but turned and surprise Riley is in love with Jonah. I do like a good brothers in love story and this one was just o.k. for me. The potential was there but it was just too short.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2016
Torquere 12 days of Christmas freebie 14.12.14
Vampire bro-cest...
Sort story of Jonah, an officer with Arcanum (supernatural police), discovering that his brother Riley wasn't killed 10 years before when he and his partner Mike are hunting down a vampire serial killer a d rekindling more than a brotherly relationship
Vampire bro-cest...
Sort story of Jonah, an officer with Arcanum (supernatural police), discovering that his brother Riley wasn't killed 10 years before when he and his partner Mike are hunting down a vampire serial killer a d rekindling more than a brotherly relationship
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December 14, 2014Free all day @ Torquere - 12/14
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December 26, 2014
Too short and condensed. Not enough story to decide if I want more of the series and if I do, the price for each short book is way too high for the page count.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews