‘Spell Bound’ The Warlock Brothers of Havenbridge: Book One by Jacob Flores #LGBT #Review

Bethany reviews ‘Spell Bound’ by Jacob Flores.  Published by Dreamspinner Press on May 27th, 2015.  218 pages

We were provided a copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Why I read:  I am a big fan of Jacob Flores’ books so I wanted to see how he would handle a paranormal.

Mason Blackmoor just can’t compete with his brothers, much less his father. They represent the epitome of black magic, strong, dark, and wicked, and though Mason tries to live up to his respected lineage, most of the spells he casts go awry. To make matters worse, his active power has yet to kick in. While his brothers wield lightning and harness the cold, Mason sits on the sidelines, waiting for the moment when he can finally enter the magical game.

When a dead body is discovered on the football field of his high school, Mason meets Drake Carpenter, the new kid in town. Drake’s confident demeanor and quick wit rub Mason the wrong way. Drake is far too self-assured for someone without an ounce of magical blood in his body, and Mason aims to teach him a lesson—like turn him into a roach. And if he’s lucky, maybe this time Mason won’t be the one turned into an insect.

Not surprisingly, the dislike is mutual, and Drake does nothing to dispel Mason’s suspicion that the sexy boy with a southern drawl is somehow connected to the murder.

If only Mason didn’t find himself inexplicably spell bound whenever they are together, they might actually find out what danger hides in the shadows.

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Check out my review for book two here: Blood Tied

Let me start off my saying that I am not a huge fan of YA.  Its not that I don’t like them I just have to be in a certain mood for them.  I do not like them when they are too explicit.  So after reading the blurb I was slightly worried to see how Jacob would handle this.  But I should not have doubted cause he handled it wonderfully.  Which is one more reason why Jacob is becoming a go to author for me.  He has yet to let me down.

Ok I know that I probably shouldn’t have liked Mason as much as I did in the beginning.  Cause lets face it he is kind of a jerk.  But come on, he is a senior in high school, and sometimes high school can be a hard place to fit in.  So instead of trying to find his place he puts up a front and comes across as an ass.  And the further that I read the more I understood why, at home he is the joke of the family.  The warlock who’s spells don’t work, and when he tries he ends up turning himself into a cockroach.  LOL  His oldest brother is a powerful warlock set to take over the family business, his other older brother is a brilliant warlock, and his dad, well his dad can be pretty flippin scary with how powerful he is.  So yeah, he feels like the black sheep, the loser of the family.

Drake, oh man I can’t tell you how much I love Drake.  From the moment you meet him you will realize he won’t take crap from anyone, especially Mason.  When he sits down with Mason and his group of bullies for lunch, and basically puts Mason in his place, I knew that Mason had just meet his match.  Drake is the epitome of strength, losing both of this parents he moves in with his aunt, still holds his head up high.  Yet as strong as he comes off, deep down inside he is a scared little boy, longing for someone to love him.  Oh how I wanted to just hug him so much.

So at first Mason and Drake seem like oil and vinegar.  You just don’t see how they will ever work.  But with enough mixing and shaking slowly but surely they come together to make something that belongs together.  That is not to say that Mason totally gives up the sarcastic remarks, or that Drake doesn’t make Mason work for it.  I enjoyed watching them fall for each other, and then lean on each other after realizing they had more in common than they thought.  I really enjoyed the banter between them.

I would love to go into further detail about this book but I am afraid it would give to much away.  What I will say is I am so glad I got a chance to read it, I was hooked from the very beginning till the very last page.  Jacob knows how to build characters that you absolutely fall head over heels in love with, and secondary characters that give the book just what it needs.  Just when I thought I had every thing figured out, he proved I didn’t.  And when I finally did get to the end I was pissed, pissed that it was over.  I wanted more, like NOW.  All that I can say is can I have the next book, please.  ‘Spell Bound’ is a fantastic start to a really intriguing series, its whimsical, and pure fun to read.  It is one I know I will be re-reading many times.

 

 

Jacob Z. Flores lives a double life. During the day, he is a respected college English professor and mid-level administrator. At night and during his summer vacation, he loosens the tie and tosses aside the trendy sports coat to write man on man fiction, where the hardass assessor of freshmen level composition turns his attention to the firm posteriors and other rigid appendages of the characters in his fictional world.

Summers in Provincetown, Massachusetts, provide Jacob with inspiration for his fiction. The abundance of barely clothed man flesh and daily debauchery stimulates his personal muse. When he isn’t stroking the keyboard, Jacob spends time with his daughter. They both represent a bright blue blip in an otherwise predominantly red swath in south Texas.