MM Fantasy Romance Books Reviews
Buzz Kill: Smoke & Mirrors Tavern – Book 7 by Ember Morgan | Goodreads | My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series
The Smoke & Mirrors Tavern interconnected series of mm fantasy romance books, with each book following a different couple in a large network of paranormal found family. It is a spin-off of the The Contractor’s Curse Series by the same author. The Contractor’s Curse Series follows human/imp Ollie and her little polycule harem of paranormal hotties, while the Smoke & Mirrors Tavern series is, from my cursory glance, fully MM paranormal romance.
Set in the human town of Eastbend and a small but tight-knit group of paranormal residents, the series follows an overarching plot, good vs. evil, where the paranormal community is maligned and feared by humans. But within the many species of paranormals, in fighting often tears their ranks apart with sabatogue. Sometimes, the biggest villains are the ones who should be closest to you.
Buzz Kill is the seventh book in the series, so a lot of things have already happened. The plot from previous books continues in each new book. They are not standalone stories, even though each book follows a new set of main characters. But with so many books, characters abound, and there are many characters on-page sometimes. They have already found their true mate (I didn’t really know this was a true mate type book until the end, so heads up there.)
Blurb
DECLAN:
Look, I didn’t come to Eastbend just to cause problems and play the bad guy — but I do it so well, why stop now? I crashed this town’s little friendship circle for one selfish reason. Problem is, the payout isn’t quite what I expected. How was I supposed to know my escape plan would get me sucked into the town’s troubles and sent on a mission that would bring me right back within the reach of my dear old dad?
This town’s woes aren’t my problem and I’m not some sentimental do-gooder who has the capacity to help other people. Save that crap for Alwin, the proper elf and upstanding citizen of Eastbend, always stepping in to help save the day. Stoic and unyielding, noble and strong, transcendently beautiful. If the man knew how to smile, he could bring the world to its knees. It’s not that I’m unaffected by the piercing looks in those crystal blue eyes, but alas, he’s immune to my charms — rudely going right for the truth behind my distractions instead of just taking the bait. Such a shame.
The clock is ticking, and my time in Eastbend is quickly coming to an end. No matter how much the beautiful elf tries to butt in, some things are just too big, even for him. I’m already cornered, and it’s too late to change the decisions I made that led me to this point. But like a knight in a fairytale, that’s Alwin’s cue to come to my rescue. It can’t last. It’ll never be over. So why do I keep taking his hand and letting him pull me out of the dark just for a glimpse of his light, especially when I know it’ll only make everything harder in the end?
It’s more than obvious Eastbend wants to use me, but I can’t bring myself to let Alwin face my family alone. My fate is already sealed, but people like him are meant for great things and I can’t let him throw it all away. Might as well go out with a bang, right? Or maybe I’ll just make things worse for all of us. Apparently, that’s a little more my style.
ALWIN:
My first two centuries in Faerie forged me into a model elf. An upright soldier with a noble bearing, earning much respect among my people. Then my brother came into my life. A half-human baby my mother ordered me to get rid of, and in defying her, everything changed. More than fifty years later, Aiden has found his way and will soon have a child of his own. My brother pulled me into his life in the human world and influenced my life in Faerie in ways I would never have considered. I would do anything to protect the family he’s built here in Eastbend.
So when a Prescott sorcerer showed up in town with a lot of excuses that didn’t add up, I considered it my duty to ensure he wasn’t a threat. Declan isn’t the first Prescott sorcerer I’ve met and they certainly left an impression, yet this strange man who’s rejected both his magic and his powerful family has grabbed my attention in ways I never expected.
Elves are not an expressive people by nature. We are not easily moved by the whims of others, but the closer I get to Declan, the more I find myself on uneven footing. Never have I been so frustrated and unnerved by another. And yet, despite the way he makes me feel, I find myself drawn to him again and again. He tests my control at every opportunity, and I can’t help but want more.
One by one, I’ve unraveled all of this man’s secrets. So why do I still feel like I don’t understand anything at all?
Buzz Kill is an opposites attract MM paranormal romance around 100k words about a slacker screw-up of a sorcerer and a noble, uptight elf. It is recommended that this book be read after books 1-6 in the Smoke & Mirrors Tavern series. This book is not recommended for anyone under the age of 18 due to swearing, sexual content, and violence.
Continuing Adventures …
Since this is book SEVEN of a mm fantasy romance books series, it follows a full, FULL cast of characters. There is a lot going on that has been previously established, so this book would be best enjoyed if one has read all the other books in the series. There are always characters popping up that are clearly from previous stories. So, read this series in order. Unfortunately, I haven’t read it all. But I still was able to pick up on context and learn the important players during the course of the book, which speaks to the author’s ability to write a cohesive, well-paced story. Even a story like this, that’s very multifaceted and complicated.
Declan
- — passionate
- — cursed
- — reckless? But not really
- — dark past with a family out to get him
- — honestly, he should be more traumatized than he is.
A complicated character, I felt drawn to Declan. I sought to understand his nuance because his actions are often in direct conflict with the way he outwardly portrays himself. Chapters from his POV were windows into his inner thoughts that were vastly different than the carefree and reckless persona he was putting on for the group of friends he is making in Eastbend. His conflicted and bruised psyche screams out for comfort and a helping hand while he actively pushes people away. He’s the type say he doesn’t care about someone while doing everything in his power to protect that person. Declan is passionate and conflicted.
He’s fled his family, a toxic and evil villainous group of people and sought out his cousin Elliot, a character from a previous book. His family are sorcerors but Declan refuses to use the innate magic he possesses due to his family’s abuse. He’s cursed in ways the reader doesn’t understand until they get into the meat of the story, and his curse drives a lot of the seemingly reckless behavior. I think once the reader learns about the root of Declan’s motivations, they will feel like I do and like Alwin does: they’ll want to protect Declan at all costs!
With his family out to get him and such a horrible life under their thumb, I think Declan should be even more traumatized than he is. But because he’s actually a total badass, he’s just really strong and resilient.
Alwin
- — austere and hard to get a read on
- — noble in his own realm but not in the human world
- — total badass
- — passionate under the surface
- — a bit mystified about human interaction
Alwin reads like elves are on the neurospicy spectrum somewhere, and if you know anything about me, you’ll know I am all for it. I thrive when there are neurodivergent-esque characters in a story. If that’s just how elves comport themselves as a species in this universe, whatever, I still like it. Alwin is Aiden’s brother, yet another character from a previous book. Elven society shunned Aiden for being half-human, and Alwin has always protected Aiden because of that. He moved them to the human realm to get away from the prejudice. But Alwin, a centuries-old elf, doesn’t quite fit in. He’s not as emotive as humans, and he doesn’t get human interaction. He’s drawn to Declan, though, even if much of their early interaction consists of Alwin rolling his eyes at Declan’s over-the-top flirting.
Reluctant Partners to Lovers
I wouldn’t say this is enemies to lovers because, from the very start, Alwin keeps hovering around the periphery of Declan’s life. Alwin and Declan work together to further their group’s mission, details of which I, as a first-time reader, am honestly still murky on. But there is a villainous organization of paranormal hunters who are after the group of found family in Eastbend, and Declan and Alwin go on a mission together.
Forced Proximity in the Demon Underworld
Things go tits up though on their mission. Declan and Alwin are transported into the demon underworld. It forces the duo into an extended period of living in close quarters. They work closer than ever since they are unexpectedly stranded in a completely foreign land. They rely on each other to survive. Declan’s over-the-top flirting becomes less about provocation to get a rise out of Alwin and more actual flirtation, and feelings emerge and are acted upon.
I enjoyed reading this part of the book. I wish the author had fleshed it out further. Declan and Alwin quickly establishing themselves as rulers of their own little demon kingdom is the best part. Where they could be totally cowed in a scary place, they prevail. They successfully fight off wave after wave of demon combatants. Eventually, they make it out of the demon realm, but I do wish they’d stayed a bit longer. The best part? They gain a sidekick who I absolutely adore. Rith is the best side character.
The transition from back to the human world shifts the tone quite jarringly back to a lot of details about the overarching struggle with various organizations out for paranormal beings’ demise. The underworld section of the book is a nice interlude, but a lot of that takes the back burner since they are quite literally in a different plane of existence.
Complicated Plot
Complicated plot from previous stories aside, the action in this story remains complicated. Multiple bad guys, some colluding with one another. Evil families, shadowy organizations, paramilitary hunter groups that verge on cults, you name it, this series has it. Even with details from previous books interspersed throughout the story, I grasped the main ideas just fine. Then, when the action picked up, I fully invested in the group of found-family fighting for the safety and protection of their paranormal family. I want them to prevail!
Overall
This series of mm fantasy romance books is fun and really well developed, and there are six previous books to read. I liked Buzz Kill and plan on reading the whole series! This one is a recommend for me.
MM Fantasy Romance Books
Some tropes are overly common in mm fantasy romance books. This series is not immune to checking off the tropes left and right. But it’s enjoyable here, and readers of these mm books generally LIKE these tropes so that’s okay!
Reviews
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel read my review policy and submit a contact form.
