Katey Hawthorne

Reviewed on Hearts On Fire... http://heartsonfirereviews.com/

This was a beautiful love story built on trust, commitment and a little fear. The first in what appears to be a series, this story was a perfect start. Adam moved away from the tiny little town in West Virginia as soon as he could and never looked back. He went through lives and loves with disregard just making it as an artist in Washington D.C. Sometimes when you run so hard away from something though you wind up running smack dab into it and Adam wound back in the tiny little river town he grew up in. Leith is a college senior on the swim team with Adam's younger brother TJ. Adam is attracted to Leith the first time he sees the unassuming young man at a swim meet. Leith is a loner with no real friends to speak of except for the Ohio river across the street from his and his father's run down house. Leith somehow has an affinity with water. His father believes that it came from Leith's mother but it sounds more like a fairy tale than any reality until Adam actually sees just how water and Leith embrace each other. Love blossoms between the two men much to the chagrin of TJ who seems to know Leith better than one would think and knows his brother only too well. Both Adam and Leith take chances on each other and grow through their trust and love. Ms Hawthorne did an excellent job of developing the characters of TJ, Leith and Adam fleshing them out slowly yet fully. The mysterious affinity that Leith has for water was woven through the story well and while it kept me guessing right until the end, it never overwhelmed the love story as sometimes happens with a paranormal book. I couldn't help but fall in love with the sweet, giving and somewhat innocent Leith. TJ was the voice of reason in the story and brought Adam to attention often. The story line flowed beautifully without a hiccup. There were a couple of plot twists but Ms Hawthorne delivered on a sweet HEA ending. I'm anxiously awaiting book two. I recommend this well written love story to anyone looking for a feel good book with plenty of great sex.… (mer)

Moondrop was written for the Goodreads M/M Romance Group’s 2015 ‘Love is an Open Road’ event. The author wrote this to a requestor’s prompt. The story is about Dylan Woodhouse, a high school English teacher, and Eli Quan, a tattoo artist and weekend help for his cousin’s band. This is told in third person through Dylan’s pov.

3.5 Stars



A cute, sweet story about Dylan, Eli, and their slow courtship. Dylan’s heart was broken quite a few years ago and his trust is shattered. In the intervening years, he hasn’t gone out to find anyone. His best friend Jack, and Jack’s wife, drag Dylan to events in order to help him socialize and in hope he meets someone. At a club, he meets Eli, who’s immediately attracted to Dylan, and Dylan has mixed feelings with his attraction for Eli. After an awkward start, they agree to take it slow because Dylan’s not much of a spontaneous kind of person. The author did a good job of setting the slow pace of their romance.

Dylan is hesitant, insecure about his ability to keep a beautiful man like Eli interested in him. Little does he know that Eli was smitten with him at first sight. For Eli, Dylan is ‘the One,’ and he knew the moment he set eyes on him at the club. Eli is quite the philosopher and courts Dylan, gently and attentively. The author gradually hints that Eli is not quite all that he seems, and I liked the slow reveal.

There was quite a bit of dialogue, which I liked, and which worked well in the story. When the story switched to monologue, I noticed the telling rather than the showing. Other than that, Moondrop is a sweet fast read with no angst. I give it 3.5 stars because of the telling and because I think this story could’ve been longer, especially with more explanation about Eli's history other than the little we're told, and what exactly happens with him in his other form. Does he not remember he's also human? How did the dragon shifters come to be? Also, what did Dylan's student mean when she said Dylan had the shine? There's a lot missing in this story that I wish the author would expand upon and clarify. I think this would turn out to be a much more interesting book if she did. But, despite those issues I found lacking, I raise the stars to 4 Stars for the charming story, and because the author wrote this story for free for the ‘Love is an Open Road’ event.

… (mer)

Alchemiya by Katey Hawthorne
Historical steampunk F - F romance novella.
Genie is shunned by polite society after being caught in a public tryst with another woman. She agrees to an engagement from another prominent family. Lord Oliver has also had some romantic gossip around him because he’s actually Olivia in disguise. The union between Genie and Liv seems like a perfect pairing until there is a threat of exposure.

Great world building and a wonderful romance for a couple that didn’t expect to get their own HEA. A perfect solution for the two separate problems.… (mer)