Badlands Book 5 - An MM Psychic Detective Romance Adventure
by
Morgan Brice
Publisher: Darkwind Press
Cover Artist: Natania Barron
Release Date: April 22, 2022
Genres: Urban fantasy MM paranormal romance, psychic detective
Tropes: Hurt/comfort, established relationship, evolving relationship, learning to trust, grumpy-sunshine, cold case, ghosts helping/interfering, lots of magic, wedding planning
Themes: Found family, loyalty, not keeping secrets, dealing with unresolved issues, putting the past to rest
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 224 pages
It is a standalone book in the Badlands series and does not end on a cliffhanger.
Cold cases, hot leads, a psychic psychopath, a copycat killer, cursed objects, the trial of the century--and wedding plans.
Blurb
Psychic medium Simon Kincaide and sexy homicide detective Vic D'Amato met hunting a supernatural serial killer. Since then, Simon has become a police consultant on cases involving the paranormal, and Vic has gotten over his doubts about Simon's abilities being real. Along the way, they fell in love and got engaged. But it seems like the danger never ends.
Now, the first case Simon and Vic worked together comes back to haunt them as the killer goes to court and all hell breaks loose. The killer has a crazy fan setting curses on key players in the upcoming trial. Ghosts from an old cold case suggest that someone got away with murder. And a supernatural creature attracted to fear and death is using the Grand Strand as its feeding ground. Simon and Vic feel like they’re waging a war on all fronts, but with the stakes so high, there can be No Surrender!
No Surrender is a fast-paced thrill ride MM paranormal romance packed with supernatural suspense, haunted tourist attractions, monsters, visions, hot sex, hurt/comfort, loyal friends, wedding planning, found family, ghosts galore, dark magic, and an evolving, established romantic relationship with all the feels.
No Surrender is Book 5 in the Badlands series but can be read as a standalone.
Excerpt
“Since when do serial killers get fan mail?” Homicide detective Vic D’Amato fumed. “How fucked up is that?”
“They don’t just get fan letters; they get marriage proposals,” his partner Ross Hamilton replied, shaking his head in disbelief. “I don’t get it, but that doesn’t stop it from being true.”
Vic took a slug of coffee from his stained mug and barely kept from grimacing at the bitter taste. Hospitals and police precincts always made the worst java. “I guess it’s like the people who follow all the true-crime podcasts. We get paid to be hip-deep in the worst humanity has to offer, but doing it for fun? People are weird.”
“You’ve been a cop for how long, and you’re just figuring that out now?” Ross teased.
Vic shrugged. “Every time I think that I’ve lowered my expectations too far, reality says—‘Here, hold my beer.’”
“Yeah, well. I’m right there with you on this one.” Ross chuckled. “Have you heard whether you and Simon will have to testify at the trial?”
“Pretty certain. Of all the charges, Fischer shooting Simon is the most ironclad, with plenty of witnesses,” Vic replied. “I’m not in any hurry to be part of the media circus, but I don’t see a way to avoid it.”
“Lucky you—the Slitter trial is shaping up to be the biggest deal Myrtle Beach has had in a long time.”
Vic grew up in a family of cops back in Pittsburgh. For generations, D’Amatos had been proud to serve. His father, brothers, and other relatives were still on the force up north while his sister was studying criminology. But an encounter with something supernat‐ ural Vic couldn’t explain had made him unwelcome with the Pitts‐ burgh police. Vic had relocated, started over in Myrtle Beach—and met the love of his life.
“I don’t want to put Simon through what happened the last time,” Vic confided.
“Not sure you’re going to have much choice about it.” Ross finished his coffee and set the cup aside. “The closer we get to the trial date, the more reporters will be angling for a scoop. I’m surprised there haven’t been some camped out in front of the store already.”
“I suspect Simon boosted the wardings against nuisance as well as malice. I tried talking him into going down to Charleston to spend some time with his cousin, but he flat-out refused to leave me here alone during the run-up to the trial.”
“Alone—with me and the captain and the rest of the department, plus a squad of lawyers and witnesses?” Ross joked.
“And not one of you with any magic, in a trial where the killer used spells to help him get away with murder,” Vic answered. “Simon doesn’t want to be in the spotlight—or the crosshairs—but if it comes to that, I don’t doubt he and his friends will come up with ways to protect us.”
Simon Kincaide, Vic’s fiancé, ran Grand Strand Ghost Tours. The boardwalk shop also offered psychic readings and séances, showcasing Simon’s abilities as a psychic medium as well as his knowledge of the spooky side of local history and his background as a former folklore and mythology professor.
When an impasse in the hunt for the Strand Slitter brought the investigation to a standstill more than a year ago, Vic tamped down on his deep skepticism about the paranormal and asked for Simon’s help as a psychic. Their first encounters with each other were prickly, and Vic accepted much of the blame for that since he had doubted Simon’s abilities and hated needing his help.
Simon turned out to be the real deal, and his visions plus the ability to communicate with the ghosts of the Slitter’s victims cracked the case—nearly costing Simon his life. In the year since then, Simon became an official police consultant, working cases with Vic and Ross when a supernatural connection seemed likely. Vic and Simon fell in love and now had a wedding to plan.
Buy Links
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Kobo | Nook
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About the AuthorMorgan Brice is the romance pen name of bestselling author Gail Z. Martin. Morgan writes urban fantasy male/male paranormal romance, with plenty of action, adventure and supernatural thrills to go with the happily ever after. Gail writes epic fantasy and urban fantasy, and together with co-author hubby Larry N. Martin, steampunk and comedic horror, all of which have less romance, more explosions. Characters from her Gail books make frequent appearances in secondary roles in her Morgan books, and vice versa.
On the rare occasions Morgan isn’t writing, she’s either reading, cooking, or spoiling two very pampered dogs.
Series include Witchbane, Badlands, Treasure Trail, Kings of the Mountain and Fox Hollow. Watch for more in these series, plus new series coming soon!
Author Links
Website | Audible Profile | Amazon profile
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4.25 out of 5 stars
“No Surrender” by Morgan Brice is part of the ‘Badlands’
series that features Simon Kincaid and his fiance Vic D’Amato, who use their skills
as a psychic medium and homicide detective, respectively, to solve paranormal
cases. Mysterious curses threaten to derail an important trial, complicated by
a very poorly investigated cold case involving missing women. The pair will
have to use all the resources they can find to resolve the cases, but even that
may not be enough to keep them safe from a determined killer.
This exciting gay paranormal mystery and romance continues
to highlight the challenges of solving cases when the only witnesses are dead,
and the skills needed are highly specialized and require sometimes unorthodox
methods. It is always fascinating to get glimpses of the arcane abilities that
Simon displays, but it’s wonderful to see how far his relationship with Vic has
progressed from those early days of suspicion and doubt. The love that the two
have for each other shines through clearly, and the trust and faith that
underpins their connection only deepens as the series continues.
This author has the talent to make these characters come
alive and become folks one would love to know (not so sure about interacting with
the ghosts, though). The story is exciting and holds one’s attention, not only
because of the uniqueness of the crime-solving, but because many of the
secondary characters are so fascinating as well. I always am excited to see a
new episode in these guys’ lives, and I enjoy getting cameos from characters in
the author’s other series. Although this probably can be read as a stand-alone
book, it will be much more enjoyable if the other stories in the series have
been read. Be prepared to stay up all night to finish the story as you get
caught up in the enthralling and thrilling action.
A copy of this title was provided for review
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