Magic Burning Carnival Of Mystery Series Book #2
Multi Author, Magic Anthology, Gay Romance, Paranormal Romance
Alan
I haven't been out with a guy in the last two years. Partly because I'm a gay elementary-school teacher in a fairly small, conservative town. Partly because I'm a sorcerer, and dating ordinary humans only leads to trouble. Sleeping with one though? That's doable, so when my birdbrained familiar Sunny lines up a tall, muscular firefighter for me, I'm not going to say no. Just once, though. Maybe twice. I don't need more trouble in my life.
Jason
I don't regret moving back to my hometown and my big family. Well, not much. I'm not out to them, and I miss the anonymity of the big city, but I like the local fire house and the slower-paced life. Still, when I see my niece's teacher, Mr. Hiranchai, in gray sweatpants talking to a mini-parrot on his shoulder, something inside me (or maybe something in front of me) perks up and says "I want that one." I can't have an actual boyfriend, but I sure wouldn't mind getting laid, and Alan's slim, dark-haired, smart-assed style rings all my bells.
It's no surprise we turn out to be great together, even if my job and his responsibilities make it hard to find time. It is a surprise when I realize I want more than just an occasional night. But some weird fires out in the brush keep us firefighters hopping, and when this strange carnival comes to town and lands me with a pair of magical doll shoes, life gets truly confusing. There's more to Alan than he's telling me, and I'm getting a bad, bad feeling about all this.
Magic Burning is a story in the Necromancer universe, 60 years after Marked by Death, and is part of the multi-author Carnival of Mysteries Series. Each book stands alone, but each one includes at least one visit to Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries, a magical, multiverse traveling show full of unusual acts, games, and rides. The Carnival changes to suit the world it’s on, so each visit is unique and special. This book contains a snarky, matchmaking bird, a lonely young teacher, and a gay firefighter finally coming out to his large family.
Review #1 By Linda Tonis
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
This is another edition of the multi-author series Carnival of Mysteries and once again a visit to the magical Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries where magic happens.
Alan Hiranchai is a sorcerer and a third-grade teacher with a conure for a familiar. His conure, Sunny has a very bizarre sense of humor I.e., he decided that Alan should date the handsome fireman he picked out for him. He had a sure-fire way of bringing said fireman straight to Alan and that was to make the sound of an alarm bringing the firemen right to him. Of course, the fact that Alan may be evicted if he does it one more time doesn’t matter because Alan and Jason Miller the sexy fireman are now going on a date, not bad for a bird.
Alan is just looking for someone to have a good time with for a short period since sorcerers and humans don’t mix. Jason is also looking for a good time but since he is still in the closet it would be a very secret affair. Alan is very open and makes sure that parents understand he is queer, no secrets to come back and bite him in the ass. Jason on the other hand makes sure that there is no connection between him and Alan that can be construed as a relationship.
When Alan made the mistake of taking dessert from the dinner, he and Jason had to the firehouse to share with the other firemen Jason was immediately informed that Alan is gay as if that had anything to do with a nice gesture. Alan is devoted to helping his mentor, Sylvester suffering from dementia and trying to ensure he is not locked up. Sylvester is very powerful and if he is not watched and controlled, he could inadvertently cause major damage, which unfortunately happens.
As Alan and Jason spend more time together, they realize that they want more then hot sex, but Alan has secrets he can’t share, and Jason is still afraid to come out of the closet. Then a visit to the Errante Carnival changes everything, suddenly Jason doesn’t want to hide that he is gay and takes Alan’s hand and walks right by his parents. He goes as far as bringing Alan to the family picnic, all the family, welcomed by some and insulted by others but neither he nor Alan care.
Things are looking bright for the two men but then magic goes awry causing all kinds of trouble. Alan’s magic is uncontrollable so he will be useless in solving the magical problems, but he will try with Sunny talking in his ear. A pair of red doll shoes and a pendant from the carnival could be the answer to all their magical problems but having them doesn’t mean knowing what they are, more secrets.
This is a wonderful series and a must read for those who love magic, sex, romance, surprises and secrets. It was a pity that a man like Jason who puts his life in danger fighting fires was still afraid to reveal he was gay at the age of 36.
Review By Ulysses Dietz
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
When the Carnival of Mysteries appears in this second book of the series, it takes us into the world of Kaje Harper’s great Necromancer series—but set today, sixty years after the events take place in that series. Here, in a world that is already filled with magic—even if that magic is kept largely secret from ordinary mortals—the Carnival stands out as special; wild magic with its own purpose.
Jason Miller is a big, handsome fireman, a romantic archetype. He moved back to small-town eastern Washington from Seattle to be near his sprawling and close-knit family. His older brother is his boss at the Shadecliff fire station. But Jason has a secret. He’s gay, and has made it into his 30s without coming out to either family or co-workers.
Alan Chiranchi is another romantic archetype: petite, pretty, an elementary school teacher who is magic with children. He faces prejudice in eastern Washington, both for being Thai and for being gay, but he’s strong, and he deals with it. But he, too, has a secret. He’s a sorcerer, and while his power seems to be strong, he has never been able to control it neatly, so mostly he keeps his secret, except from his closest magical friends. He relies on the Great Spell (called the Great Ward in the Necromancer novels) to help him hide who he is and keep the magical world safe.
And then, as happens in romances, they meet. And as also happens, they realize that their attraction seems to be more than a one-night-stand might warrant. Alan, however, knows that sorcerers can’t maintain relationships with non-magical humans—a point driven home by the Upheavals of the 1990s. Jason, for his part, figures he has no future with this beautiful Asian man because Alan’s apparent gayness would shatter his own smokescreen.
It’s a wonderful, complicated, elegantly woven story, bringing in the Carnival of Mysteries in a perfect, unnerving way. I particularly liked the way the Carnival is described by Kaje—a magical place I would love to experience.
Blood family and chosen family are important, as is personal integrity. Harper brings all sort of modern issues, from comedic to heart-breaking, into the mix with dexterity and her own brand of tenderness. To link this story more firmly to the Necromancer books, she gives Alan a marvelous familiar—a conure (small parrot) named Sunny.
When several characters from the earlier series make important cameo appearances—a device as telling and emotionally charged as anything else in the book—my eyes call all weepy. Harper manages to give us a deep insight into the events of the sixty years preceding this story. She also seems to open up Alan and Jason’s story to the possibility of a sequel.
Wouldn’t that be nice?
