BOOK REVIEW: Darkly Enchanted Romance by Joshua Ian

Publication Date: 9/19 | 9/20 | 3/21 Format: Kindle Genre:  lgbt romance/

Publisher: Moody Boxfan Books         Length: 50 p | 127 p | 210 p Buy: Kindle

Synopsis

The Harvest Moon

England, 1834.

On the night of a harvest moon, in the shadows of late autumn, Malcolm comes across a quaint village tucked away in the forest. It seems the perfect spot for a weary traveller to lay his head, and maybe find a little company. But there is dark magic afoot, and lots of local gossip swirls around the seductive titian-haired weaver, Daniel. All Malcolm seeks is a night's pleasure. He never suspected he would have to worry about losing his life. Or his heart.

The Ghost of Hillcomb Hall

England, 1910.

Landscape designer Jonas Laurence arrives at the cheerless and fog enswathed Hillcomb Hall, home to the Earl of Stanley and his family, to renovate their crumbling gardens. With a great storm crashing all around, his time is at the mercy of the house's odd and mysterious occupants. Captivated by the hauntingly attractive portrait of Lord Stanley's ancestor, which constantly seems to watch and taunt him, Jonas's dreams become weird and distressing. And his waking moments are consumed by the strange stories and weird atmosphere of the manor estate. Ghostly visits in the night leave Jonas no choice but to accept his attraction to the otherworldly spirit from the painting. But is this affaire de coeur real? Or is it all just a trick of the mind, a sinister game being played by the inhabitants of Hillcomb Hall?

Manchester Lake 

England, 1910

Monty, along with his best friend Bishop, investigates an odd seal-like creature swimming in Manchester Lake. The pair soon realize they've found a selkie when the magnificent animal transforms into the most gorgeous man either of them has ever seen. Determined to discover the origins of the mystical man, they bundle him into Bishop's brand-new electric automobile and whisk him off to London.

There they find a host of distractions: a tastefully debauched house party hosted by silver-tongued aristocrats, and a queerly European-inspired novelty called the night club. Both are filled with a cast of characters sometimes amusing and sometimes frightening. And as the night unfolds, Monty comes face-to-face with ghoulish agents of the occult as well as revelations from the past.

Most surprisingly of all, Monty finds himself falling for the beautiful creature from the lake, who seems equally interested in him. Can he really find himself in love with a man he has only just met? Or do they have a deeper connection which goes much further back? And what does it all have to do with the memories of his trip to Paris three years prior?

Review: 

This is a really entertaining series that takes fairy tales and folklore and transforms these stories into gay male romances.  The Harvest Moon focuses on a witch who is stuck, struggling to find love, Hillcomb Hall is about ghosts and has a good creep factor to it and Manchester Lake works with selkies.  I really appreciated the folklore aspect to these stories.  

Harvest moon is a novelette and is a very quick read, Hillcomb House is a little longer but has a bit more of a story, and Manchester Lake has characters from both previous books, which I always appreciate since it gives readers who have read previous books a bit of a nod.  However you do not have to read the other two in order to enjoy Manchester Lake.  All three are stand alones.

Each book is a quick read and are less focused on the steamy pants dropping romance and more of the creepy forbidden mystical experience. 

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