Stop Dragon My Heart Around Magic Emporium
LGBT, Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Anthology
Independently Published
April 1, 2021
181
Sometimes Fate has a bizarre sense of humor.
Or at least it seems that way to Gus, owner of the Rainbow Room, Asheville’s main hangout for gay paranormals. He’s seen Fate catch up with the patrons of his bar while he served drinks and listened to their stories for three hundred years. He found all of it amusing, until his fated mate walks in and suddenly the twists aren’t so funny any longer!
Bear Hickes is a mage who specializes in fire, but life has lost its spark since his twin brother got married and left him alone. His older brother, Whimsy, is determined to help Bear find happiness no matter how much Bear objects, but meeting Gus gives Bear a wonderful idea: if Gus will pretend to be his boyfriend, Whimsy will get off his case. And somewhere along the line, Bear finds he wants it to be for real.
But there are secrets Gus is keeping from not just Bear, but the whole world. And when those secrets catch up with him at last, the danger won’t be just for Gus alone.
This story is set in the Asheville Arcana universe, but can be read as a standalone.
Stop Dragon My Heart Around is part of the multi-author Magic Emporium Series. Each book stands alone, but each one features an appearance by Marden’s Magic Emporium, a shop that can appear anywhere, but only once and only when someone’s in dire need. This book contains explicit scenes, a grumpy mage, a paranoid dragon, a very arrogant vampire and a guaranteed HEA.
Available at Amazon.
Reviewed by Melissa Brus
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
This is a part of the Magic Emporium universe AND it is a part of the Ari McKay’s
Appalachian Arcana series. I am lucky enough to have read these as well so it
was a thrill to see characters I loved again! This can totally be read as a stand
alone. Bear Hickes has a meddling brother that wants him to get over the fact
that his twin brother is married and living his own life. So a fake relationship with
Gus is the best way to get his brother to leave him be. Gus has a huge secret
that he has kept for centuries, yet within minutes of meeting Bear, he is losing his
ability to keep the details of his life under wraps.
There is so much fun in this book. The way this adventure unfolds, the unique
way the characters' magic reveals itself, and the romance pace all mix together
to create a great and fantastic read. Gus’s skepticism and general crankiness is
so endearing, especially since his partner is probably even more of a grump than
he is. Watching two grumpy guys open up and find each other is my new favorite
thing. This is a great addition to the Magic Emporium and Appalachian Arcana
worlds.