Immortal Symphony: Overture by SL Armstrong and K Piet

Title: Immortal Symphony: Season One: Overture
Authors: S.L. Armstrong and K. Piet
Cover Artist: Nathie Block
Publisher: Storm Moon Press
Genre: Paranormal, Serial
Length: 39 pages
Rating: 4 stars out of 5


You think you know the story of Dorian Gray, but you're wrong. The real story didn't end the way Oscar Wilde penned; in fact, it hasn't ended at all. The ageless beauty of Dorian Gray walks now in our world of cellphones and lattes and internet porn. His latest conquest is Gabriel Lawrence, a paranormal investigator with a secret or two of his own. But the trouble with a life as long as Dorian's is that the skeletons are threatening to overrun the closet... and not all of them want to stay dead.

Season 1: Overture introduces Gabriel to the truth of a world he had only suspected, where ghost hunting is the least of his worries. And at the heart of it all is the mysterious and fascinating Dorian Gray, as though he'd stepped out of the pages of the book bearing his name. But if he has, he hasn't come through alone. And this figure from a past Dorian had though long behind him bears a grudge nurtured for a hundred years and intends to tear down everything Dorian has built, a piece at a time.

Episode 1: A Meeting of Fate
Gabriel Lawrence, a paranormal investigator from America, finds himself in London chasing down a supposedly haunted artifact. While there, he meets a man who calls himself Dorian Gray, who may not match the description from that famous story, but certainly has the attitude. And the seduction. And because ghost hunting isn't exactly a lucrative venture, Dorian's invitation into his world of opulence, decadence, and wealth may just prove too tempting for Gabriel to resist!

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Serials are a sore point with me: they can be done right, or they can be done wrong. Generally the difference is presentation and disclosure. Storm Moon Press understands that, and they are labeling their new serials so that there is no question in anyone’s mind. Each installment can be purchased separately and clearly identified, or one can purchase the bundle and collect each section as it appears, plus additional materials that can’t be obtained any other way. They are up front about it, and for that I applaud them. It isn’t clear from the site how many sections to expect, but judging from this first, it would take at least 5 to make a novel length piece. Per private communication with the publisher, this one is the 'Radio Drama' format, where each episode (aka short story) must be read in sequence for the plot to make sense, and each episode ends on a little bit of a cliffhanger or substantial shift in the plot. They have other formats explained in that link.

And I’m fine with that. I’ve been warned, and I’ve also been given a nice hefty chunk of story, priced sensibly by the chunk. The bundle price suggests there are substantial goodies included. So bring it on!

For the no-lady-bits purists, back away now: we start out in a girl’s head, and she’s enjoying her debauching at the hands of Dorian Gray, he of classic, out of copyright memory. He’s still at his hedonism, and after close to a hundred years, he might be a bit jaded and having to reach for his pleasures. I don’t mind the use of such a character since the story he’s embroiled in is completely new and original, not another author’s text with sex shoehorned in. **applauds some more**

His opposing number, a young gay man with paranormal sensitivity and an unique relationship with his twin brother, is absolutely not living the high life—he takes menial jobs to feed himself in between his investigations. Dorian is a huge temptation physically and for comfort: who wouldn’t want a plush bed and lavish meals with a hot man for company, when the alternative is a hostel, a sandwich, and his right hand.

This first installment is more a set up, and as has been disclosed, ends on the brink of a major change. Gabe’s initial investigation may not be as complete as he’d like, and his twin doesn’t trust Dorian in the least. It’s going to make reviewing a real challenge for future segments, because not spoiling what comes before is going to be nearly impossible. However, I like the set up, I like the characters. Dorian is edgy and arrogant, Gabe is both cocky and ready for a bit of adventure, and there should be all sorts of sparks as they interact. This wasn’t a complete story arc, but I wasn’t expecting that, and I will be sniffing around for the next section. 4 marbles.

Devil's Night Anthology

Title: Devil’s Night
Author: S.L. Armstrong, K. Piet, Alina Ray, Azalea Moone, Tali Spencer
Cover Artist: Dare Empire
Publisher: Storm Moon Press
Genre: paranormal
Length: 42,500 words

The infernal host is on the prowl. They want your soul, and they're not afraid to bargain for it. They'll promise you everything you could ever desire, but the price tag may be steeper than you can handle. Whether tempting and seducing mortals, defiling angels, or reveling among themselves, the fiendish creatures in these four haunting tales know that while good is okay, evil is just more fun.

Thaddeus sold his soul to save his family long ago, but the deal he struck with the demon Belial has him spending eternity managing Le Carnaval du Diable, filled to the brim with others damned into servitude. Belial wants more than Thaddeus' soul, though, and his constant advances only add to Thaddeus' stress as he faces a threat to The Devil's Midway.

Craig Peters finds himself Hell Bound and destined for an eternity of torture at the hands of the demon Karawan, despite having no memory of the sin that condemned him to this existence. Over time, though, those memories return, along with an unnatural attraction to Karawan, which leads them both down a path neither of them could have possibly imagined.

When the Hounds Come Out to Play, Ryu and Keir are released from their chains to hunt the wayward damned and drag them down to Hell. A breath of freedom is an opportunity for fun, however, and Ryu isn't about to waste it, even if it means getting caught in a case of mistaken identity with a handsome stranger.

Finally, Beltran is a man of heritage and honor, and when his cousin is brutalized, he has few qualms about consulting a local Inca shaman on her behalf. Little does he know the price of the charm he seeks will make him The Seventh Sacrifice in the amaru demon Kitara's ancient quest for revenge.
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Another anthology with some favorite authors and new to me names, and a fine diabolical streak running through the stories. Sexual tension, in gobs. Danger and threats, lots and lots. Hellishly charming beings, definitely. Hot sex, oh yeah. But if you read expecting romance, you aren’t going to be happy.

I’ve been reading S.L. Armstrong and K. Piet for a while now, and have enjoyed their growth as a team. The Devil’s Midway is their strongest I’ve read yet. Thaddeus, the POV character, is a genuinely good man who sold his soul for the best of reasons. He’s the only one who can stand up to Belial, though it’s growing more and more difficult to turn down what the demon offers. Thaddeus’ struggle is with himself; the story is extremely tense, and manages to be both sexy and frightening at the same time.

Alina Ray’s Hell Bound was impossible for me to get involved with, since one of the characters was discovering his kink a little late. Rookie demon Karawan doesn’t know what to make of Craig’s reactions to his torture, and I was having some real issues with the torture being entwined with everything else. Pain play sends me running. YMMV.

When the Hounds Come Out to Play from Azalea Moone had an interesting twist, since one of the characters was a shape-shifting, candy-stealing hellhound. Being a bit unclear on some human conventions, Ryu’s Halloween night becomes extra interesting when he spends quite a lot of it with a human male. The dog-out-of-collar moments provided flashes of humor to leaven the anthology and were cute, with an edge. Grant was a hard character to get into, being inconsistent and with some knowledge that gave the entire encounter an air of WTF in retrospect.

The Seventh Sacrifice is the first of Tali Spencer’s works I’ve read, but it won’t be the last. This was a beautifully crafted story, combining the exotic atmosphere of La Paz, the native lore of Bolivia, and characters that are both in opposition and aligned in some ways. That the author entwines their stories and lives to bring them into something unexpected, and definitely not entirely consensual but still satisfying is a testament to skill and vision. While certainly not a standard romance, there is underlying respect between Beltran and Kitara, and a definite sense that what is necessary will become something treasured.

As with any anthology, the stories will vary, but here they are varying within a high and narrow range. Even allowing for personal squick on one story, I’m still quite pleased with the overall effect of this collection. Because of bias my rating doesn’t include Hell Bound¸ since I honestly can’t differentiate between what’s done well or not in a sub-genre that makes my skin crawl.

With the reservation of the pain play story, Devil’s Night is recommended for the reader who doesn’t require a consistently happy ending but does want tension and heat. 4.5 stars

Other Side of Night by SL Armstrong and K Piet

Title: Other Side of Night: Bastian and Riley
Author: S.L. Armstrong and K. Piet
Cover Artist: Nathie Block
Publisher: Storm Moon Press
Genre: paranormal
Length: 47k words/190 pages

Vampires walk among us. For centuries, they have adapted, learning to pass undetected in our world. They no longer fear the day, only the sting of direct sunlight. They are students, bankers, lawyers, and even actors. But when the sun goes down, they are all united by their eternal thirst. We do not see them from our safe and comfortable side of the night. But sometimes, one of us is drawn away from the light and we cross into their world. Into the other side of night.

Sebastian Rossi's second year at the University of Tennessee began much differently than his first. He rushes to and from his classes, covered head to toe in thick clothing. Parties are a thing of the past, and dating hasn't been high on his list of priorities. No, high on his needs is blood. Lots of it. Adjusting to the changes no one even told him would happen following one great night of partying and sex has been hell for Bastian, but he's managing.

Riley Lynch's dream is to be a veterinarian. He works hard to pay his tuition, reads in every spare moment, and tries to forget the nightmare of his sophomore year. Summer has washed away all the bad, leaving him refreshed and eager for his junior year at UT. Life is finally looking up for him, and he has no intention of sliding back down into the depression that had consumed him during his last relationship.

A chance meeting brings their two worlds into alignment and passion sparks between them. When Riley learns of the changes Bastian is going through, he has a choice to make: walk away or embrace the night.
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Isn’t college tough enough without a growing craving for blood and an aversion to the sun that makes getting to midday classes difficult? Bastian’s trying to keep his grades up and his appetite down, but since he hasn’t really got a clue what’s happened to him, trying to grow a relationship is twice as hard.


Riley has his own difficulties—he fled his last university and the abusive boyfriend, bringing with him his work ethic and a raft of trust issues. Getting involved with a man who has a lot of secrets is a set-up for problems.

The Other Side of Night is a lighter-hearted take on vampires than most—neither man believes in them at first, and only time, experience, and a harsh encounter make believers out of them. Bastian doesn’t seem to have many of the strengths normally associated with vampires, or he hasn’t learned to use them. No super speed or strength, no materializing under doors as smoke, or any of the goodies, really, just a really intense desire to take a nip out of Riley in bed. No wonder he’s having such a hard time adjusting. It would help if an older vampire had left a manual or at least some advice.

Riley’s healing from an abusive situation, so he and Bastian take it slow, really slow, growing into trust and friendship before they make the leap into sex. The revelation of Bastian’s new nature, which he can barely fathom, let alone explain to Riley, comes as a betrayal—any echo of bad boyfriend rocks Riley to the core, and he’s got a lot of shocks coming as the two figure out themselves and their relationship. It’s rather sweet to see vampirism coming as a possible deal-breaker with an otherwise marvelous guy, instead of being the huge lure.

The plot seems to veer toward a certain confrontation—I kept waiting for it, but every time the set-up seemed to lead that way, it twisted sideways again, leading to a certain amount of frustrated anticipation on my part, although it wasn't exactly a loose end. I did get something I didn’t anticipate, an acute demonstration of how Riley has changed in other ways from being with Bastian. This came as a horrible shock to Riley, and I really felt for him while he explored his very limited options, although his flip-out might come as a horrible shock to readers who don’t care for any hint of infidelity in their stories. I saw it as desperation more than anything else, and understandable.

I liked the characters very much, being good-hearted young men with some whacked-out problems, trying to solve them with the best of intentions and the worst of coping skills. The secondary characters came with a few interesting twists of their own, and were a nice but not intrusive touch, and they did get the one true eyes-bugging-out moment. The pacing seemed a little uneven, but this was a pleasing read all the same. Focused more on trust than the good or evil of vampires, this is young love with blood rather than horror. 4 marbles



(This story is available in print and ebook, and also as a bundle with both. Nice touch. Also, the publisher's web site has been redesigned and is very clear and easy to use.)

Wild Passions (anthology) edited by SL Armstrong

Wild Passions by S.L. Armstrong
Publisher: Storm Moon Press
Genre: M/M, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Length: 188 pages


Summary: Authors: S.L. Armstrong, Cornelia Grey, Elizabeth Hyder, Wayne Mansfield, K. Piet, Angelia Sparrow, & Cari Z

Editor: S.L. Armstrong

Other worlds, other planes of existence, other places where humans are not the only type of creature to walk and talk. Human-like animals populate the pages of Wild Passions! These are not shifters, but humanoid animals that experience love and lust in their sometimes wild, sometimes civilized worlds.

Meet Liam, a half-fox in a world where 'urban jungle' isn't a metaphor. When trouble comes in the form of an organized militia looking to experiment, Liam must put his trust where he never expected -- in the hands of a human.

Koit is a Shterpi, a reptilian alien with a reputation for womanizing. A dare from a friend has Koit changing his target to other men, and he finds that variety really is the spice of life.

Alec and Nahale are feral-Maith, genetic offshoots from a fantastic race. Under pressure, Alec challenges Nahale for leadership of their clan, threatening to destroy the relationship they'd been building for years.

Panos only wants to live a normal life, free from the secret that's kept him isolated from others. However, he still needs a roommate, and his attraction to the other man has him wondering if opening up might not be so bad after all.

Ferran is making his last trip away from his home planet of Perelan before duty calls him back. But a rakish spaceship captain tosses a wrench into his finely crafted plans, and his world may never be the same.

Gordon and Leo work in the freak-show at a traveling carnival, wowing audiences with their half-animal physiques. But when animal constructs are second-class citizens and legal property of others, falling in love is the most dangerous act of all.
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Wild Passions provides several fine takes on what love and sex might be like for other beings, alien or animal. The worlds vary from Earth to Earth-like, to not-Earth, and humans figure as everything from enemy to owner to non-existent, which means the variety editor S.L Armstrong put into these pages is really wide.

Cornelia Grey's 'City of Foxes' features a dystopian future where animal-people live in the cracks of society. Life is harsh, trust is rare, and when it does happen, it can bring everything down. This is my second sample of Grey's fine atmospheric writing; I could taste the grit of the city and feel the shards of betrayal. The love story plays against an exploration of man-as-animal and man-worse-than-animal: we humans need our shining individuals to have any claim to worth as a species.

'Trust Me' from Elizabeth Hyder takes us into space; several races co-exist in sufficient harmony to have joint ventures such as space stations and higher education, in a very easy-going society. A meddling friend of the half-Shterpi Koit prods him in the direction of same sex encounters – his blundering along is humorous because it has the feel of an elective class in a subject that has to grow on the student. His eventual partner is a really delightful pain-in-the-butt. Much is made of a Shterpi attribute that ended up feeling tacked on rather than integral to the story, but perhaps there will be other stories in this setting that utilize it better.

Co-authors S.L. Armstrong and K. Piet bring us 'Alpha's Pride,' which looks at authority and complacency as well as the relationship between two strong males. The power struggles between Alec and Nahele come from their different views of what is good for the tribe and branch into the personal; I bled with them because neither is entirely right or entirely wrong. The "other" here is not well defined, leaving them feeling more like aliens than part animal, but it's still a fine story.

Panos, from "I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside" is more closeted by what he is than by his sexuality, so trust is his huge issue. He fears, rightly, what could come from trusting Jason, because he could easily become the center of much horrible attention. Fortunately Jason's a good man with some useful skills, if not enough empathy early on. Given his situation, Panos had to either be inexperienced or have trusted before, but author Wayne Mansfield doesn't address either option, leaving me wondering.

Cari Z has drawn a love affair between the human captain of a passenger freighter and a scion of a great family from another planet. 'Opening Worlds' unfolds the relationship between Captain Jason Kim and Ferran, an empathic, be-quilled Perel, who doesn't have as many options in his life as he comes to wish for. Why this should be is doled out in small tragic bits, giving their love a special piquancy. The story is very tender and the resolution is cause to rejoice.

A bit of Depression-era steampunk closes the anthology. Angelia Sparrow's constructs, part animal, part human, are property, and as such their lives can be so awful they have to look up to see down. Arthur, the bear-boy, and his bear-mother are fortunate to be loved by Daddy Frank, who goes along with the charade of ownership only to keep them safe. Gordon, the lion-boy, is not so fortunate – his owners are abusive and predatory. 'Songs for Guitar and French Harp' has by far the darkest themes but is one of my favorites in this anthology. Arthur is both teen-aged boy and bear; his view of society is the outsider's view for both reasons, and he may be the only one in the world who can really be there for Gordon.

The stories here vary from good to very good, and are more imaginative than the inaccurate blurb-writing would suggest. The theme wobbles a little, in that several stories feature out and out aliens, but it's worth sampling their animal magnetism. 4 marbles

Rachmaninoff by SL Armstrong and K. Piet

Nineteen-year-old Aric Reynolds has spent most of his life in boarding schools, summer camps, or on tour as a prodigy with the piano. His wealthy parents have never had time for him, and after a failed year at college, they have decided on a final course of action. Aric is brought to Nikola Jovanovic's beautiful, sprawling manor in Serbia.

Nikola is known the world around as a master in music, unsurpassed by any, but terribly reclusive. For one year, Aric is to be his student, but in the modern day, it is easy for Aric to learn Nikola's secrets. With a dark shadow lurking from Nikola's past and Aric's stubborn, promiscuous nature, the sexual tension between the pair simply explodes, and Aric's very mortal life is held in the balance.
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Nineteen year old Aric Reynolds becomes the less than willing student of the vampire Nikola Jovanović, and he's pissed about his parents dropping him off in a castle in Serbia. Nikola's lessons in music and history do start to grow on him, but don't satisfy his cravings to be anywhere else, doing anything else, trying to achieve the oblivion that would be preferable to his emotionally empty life. Casual sex and drinking might shut down Aric's mind, but it only infuriates Nikola, who has watched Aric from afar since he was a thirteen-year old child prodigy and senses the vast potential Aric carries. (That is creepy, but this is a vampire -- they take the long view.)

The lessons turn from the strictly academic and musical, to lessons of the heart, taught in both directions -- Nikola both holds Aric at a distance and teaches him about intimacy, and Aric tutors Nikola, sometimes with very harsh lessons, about letting go and listening. Nikola, unfortunately, is not a very good student.

The story divides roughly into two sections, and the first, in set mostly in Nikola's stronghold, contains most of the emotional story arc. The pair goes from antagonistic to lovers, and had the story ended there, I would have closed the book with a most contented sigh. Aric both figures out Nikola's secret and accepts it, and shows some great emotional growth in learning to care about others and even to love, while Nikola engages in a real relationship for the first time in centuries. And there really are very few things as sweet as a kiss in Paris in the spring.

But those centuries of keeping his own counsel have left a mark -- Nikola slips into his old ways of making decisions without consulting Aric, creating multiple incidents of extreme havoc. The first was both unnecessary and far too easily forgiven, and the others -- a minor character who wielded a cluebat did finally show up.

The first section worked much better than the second, which divided its focus between emotions and the practical aspects of being a vampire, though it most certainly solidified the HEA. Nikola kept repeating his earlier error, with variations, and while this might mirror the structure of Rachmaninoff's piano music, it unfortunately doesn't strengthen the story.

This writing team has done several things very well -- the emotional arcs for both Aric and Nikola are beautifully drawn, aside from the incident of easy forgiveness, and the incorporation of the music into the initial arc was well done, though possibly its more accessible for someone with a little musical training. The sense of place was vivid, especially during a section where the pair traveled extensively. Aric's mind came through in lines like this: "He was in hell. Without any extra batteries."

Some things didn't quite work: the POV changed frequently and without warning, and the practical aspects of Aric's musical training and career didn't especially mesh with my understanding of the care and feeding of a serious musician.

This is the first offering I've read from Armstrong and Piet, and while the story had some issues, it had enough that really shines that I will gladly read more. 3.5 marbles (rounded up at Goodreads)


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