Title: Into the Mystic

Series: Volume One

Author: Brooklyn Ray. J.C. Long, Kara Race-Moore, Samantha Kate, Nicole Field, J.P. Jackson, Caitlin Ricci, L.J. Hamlin, Kayla Bashe, Charli Coty, Tay LaRoi

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 7/31/17

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Female/Female

Length: 101100

Genre: Paranormal, paranormal, witches, werewolves, lesbian, bisexual, mermaids, fae, zombies, shifters

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Synopsis:

Eleven lesbian/bisexual paranormal short stories…

Reborn by Brooklyn Ray – Dark magic, mystical bloodlines, a living forest, and two women fighting to reclaim a love they lost.

Zero Hour by J.C. Long – She can’t outrun the full moon.

Dove in the Window by Kara Race-Moore – As if the Great Depression wasn’t bad enough, Cissy’s first love is back from the dead.

Bottom of the River by Samantha Kate – The demon isn’t always the monster.

If You Want to Walk by Nicole Field – Follow Chess into the Underneath and meet the strange creatures she finds there.

A Tended Garden by J.P. Jackson – Immortality or humanity—which one will win out in the end?

Romancing the Healer by Caitlin Ricci – In a deadly snowstorm a werewolf needs all the help she can get, and the werebear coming to her aid is more than she appears to be.

Midnight Kisses by L.J. Hamlin – A local witch, a new-to-town werewolf, and a mystery to be solved.

Like a Bell through the Night by Kayla Bashe – Guarding a faerie princess? All in a day’s work for a werewolf bodyguard. Avoiding falling in love with said princess? The hardest mission of Jaffa’s life.

The Imp in the Rock by Charli Coty – The cure for a bad breakup might be magic.

Smile Like You Mean It by Tay LaRoi – Ingrid meets a terrifying Japanese legend, but the stories are all wrong.

Excerpt:

Reborn by Brooklyn Ray

Thalia Darbonne left Port Lewis three years ago with no intention of returning. Despite being a powerful witch, she’s now known as a deserter – an outcast in the magical society. But after her mother’s untimely death, Thalia is called back to her hometown in order to fulfill her duty as matriarch, and take the place as head witch of the Darbonne Clan.

Being back home isn’t easy, especially when Thalia is confronted by a ghost from her past, the beautiful, dangerous necromancer, Jordan Wolfe.

As Thalia tries to cope with the loss of her mother, she’s also faced with her feelings for Jordan, the responsibility of becoming matriarch, and the strange, dark magic lingering between her and her first love. Thalia and Jordan fight through three years of confusion in the forest they grew up in, where trees whisper, the night sky bleeds, and sigils are carved into flesh.

Zero Hour by J.C. Long

After being bitten by her long-time girlfriend Robbin in werewolf form, Simone does the only thing she can think to do—she gets in her car and drives as far away as she can. As the first full moon since she was bitten approaches, Simone is faced with a difficult choice: does she trust Robbin, who wishes to guide her through her first transformation, after being hurt by her? And more importantly, with the full moon drawing near, does she really have a choice?

Dove in the Window by Kara Race-Moore

In 1930’s Appalachia, Cissy McGurk is still mourning the death of Pearl, her first love. However, Pearl shows up one night and crawls into bed with her, bemoaning that she can’t sleep. More and more people from the local cemetery are crawling from their graves because something won’t let them rest. Cissy has to find out how to fix it, even if that means asking Death himself for advice.

Bottom of the River by Samantha Kate

Anja Bauer is the daughter of rich but cruel parents who care little about her happiness. Despite her revulsion toward men, they plan to marry her off to a faraway suitor. But Anja’s discovers a contract they signed with the demon they’d warned her about, and she learns the true extent of their wickedness and the reality of the demon.

If You Want to Walk by Nicole Field

Chess runs into the world of the Fae to try to escape her depression, only to find it comes there with her. When she finds her way back, she knows she will have to leave many things behind. Is leaving worth that price?

A Tended Garden by J.P Jackson

Alyssa is a natural witch whose thoughts have a way of coming true. Her coven is the only one around—well, the only one she’ll practice her beliefs with – but her high priestess, Rachel, is particularly difficult to please.

Rachel has a secret she hasn’t told anyone in her coven—one that her ancestral witches before her kept from their covens too. If Rachel’s to hold on to her traditions and the immortality she’s been promised, she’ll have to keep the women in her coven returning to the sacred grove, and that includes Alyssa.

But secrets have a way of being revealed, and when Alyssa stumbles across Rachel’s violent and horrifying history with the trees of the grove, the pact between the sacred grove and Rachel’s family may have a price too steep to pay.

Romancing the Healer by Caitlin Ricci

When she takes too long to come back to her pack, Aria is caught up in a snowstorm. To make matters worse, she’s twisted her ankle while running. Hurt, freezing, and alone, her best chance for survival is to stay under an evergreen until the storm clears then try to limp back to her pack. Zoe has a better idea. She’s a healer without a pack to call her own, although she’s desperate for the kind of family Aria has with hers. Being trans, Zoe has never felt all that welcome with other shifters, but Aria promises to show her that there is at least one pack who would gladly have her. All they have to do is wait out the storm together.

Midnight Kisses by L.J. Hamlin

A night out in a bar before a big council meeting to relax seems like a good idea, talking to the cute werewolf at the bar seems like a better idea. But when they meet again will sparks get in the way.

Like a Bell through the Night by Kayla Bashe

Rhiannon, faerie princess in exile, has been on the run for her entire life. Hunted by her most dangerous enemy yet, she turns to her childhood crush for help: immortal, smolderingly sexy werewolf Jaffa Volkovitch.

Jaffa’s scars and secrets haunt her, and she doesn’t let anyone get close. She remembers Rhiannon as an optimistic child… not an alluring, resilient young woman whose every touch awakens forgotten feelings. Keeping up her emotional barriers could mean breaking Rhiannon’s heart. What will Jaffa decide?

The Imp in the Rock by Charli Coty

Wendi Tamura turns to her favorite beach to calm her jangled nerves after she’s dumped by her cheating boyfriend. The water near her home on the Oregon Coast is never warm, and no place for a nude woman, so when one appears before her seemingly by magic, Wendi offers her help. It’s been years since she’s been with a woman, but when the beautiful Hanako reveals her true nature, Wendi doesn’t let either detail keep her from the most magical and steamy night she’s ever had.

Smile Like You Mean It by Tay LaRoi

Ingrid Smith, a young American living in Sendai, meets the cursed Slit-Mouthed Woman of Japanese folklore and does her best to rid herself of the woman. When a conflict reveals that Ayame isn’t as terrible as her legend says, she’s embarrassed by the truth and vows to haunt Ingrid until they can figure out how to lift the curse. For weeks Ingrid tries to lift Ayame’s curse, but with each passing day, she’s not sure she wants to.

Exclusive Content:

Smile Like You Mean It by Tay LaRoi

Ingrid’s phone hated Sendai. Between the narrow roads, footpaths that taxi drivers thought were roads, and businesses stacked on businesses, the poor GPS hardly knew which way was up. Thankfully, Ingrid spoke a fair amount of Japanese and plenty of people were out for Halloween.

Too bad no one knew where Blue Star Night Club was. After asking two witches, three cats, and one vampire, Ingrid felt more lost than ever. With a defeated sigh, she took off her top hat and dialed her friend. A cacophony of blasting music and drunken cheers nearly blew her eardrum before she heard his voice.

“Where are you?” Thomas shouted over the racket. “You said you’d be here by eleven.”

“I’m lost,” Ingrid grumbled. “I’m standing outside the Family Mart near Clis Road. The one by the bank.”

Thomas chuckled on the other end. “You really suck with directions, huh?”

“Just get me to the club.”

“Okay, okay. Get back on Clis Road and take a left. Go through the light and take the first right. Then take a left. The club’s three buildings down.”

“Thanks. See you soon.”

Ingrid went back the way she came, embarrassed by the fact that she had lived in Sendai for a year and still had trouble getting around. But she got to strut around in a cape for a while. That was cool. Judging by the occasional double take from men and women alike, a lot of people agreed. The glances and whispers made her stand a little taller and puff out her chest. Her bright-red hair usually drew gawks of wonder, but this felt different. It felt like being cool for once.

Too bad it went to her head and caused her to miss her turn.

With a frustrated groan, Ingrid weighed her options. She could go back, but there was a diagonal alley to her right that no doubt led to the same road. Convinced that would work well enough, she set off again, determined not to be distracted, especially considering how dim her route turned out to be. Ingrid had never seen a road this dark within Sendai’s city limits. Not until the early hours of the morning, at least.

Weird or not, it was only a few steps until she’d be back in the light.

“Excuse me.”

Ingrid nearly jumped out of her skin as a pale hand snatched her wrist. Before she could scream, she realized the fright had been for nothing.

Ingrid’s captor let go and lowered the hood of a long black fur-like coat to reveal a feminine face hidden by a white surgical mask. Ingrid saw thousands of women like her on her commute to work, especially now that flu season had set in.

Judging by the way the woman’s eyes widened at the sight of Ingrid, she had made a mistake. “I’m sorry,” she muttered in a soft, timid voice. “Please excuse me.”

Ingrid smiled down at the woman and tried to look untroubled. “It’s okay, but you should be careful. This doesn’t look like a safe place to hang out.”

A glint came to the woman’s eye. “You speak Japanese?”

Ingrid shrugged. “Well enough.”

The woman’s eyes crinkled, giving Ingrid the only sign of her smile. “I have a question for you, then. Am I pretty?”

Ingrid’s stomach dropped at the question. Why did she have to tell her that she spoke Japanese? There was no right way to answer this question. Her ex-girlfriends had proven that.

“I’d say you’re pretty,” Ingrid answered hesitantly. “I think everyone’s pretty in their own way.”

The woman’s eyes lit up with glee. For some reason, that just made Ingrid more uneasy. The woman reached up to pull down her mask, and Ingrid’s blood turned to ice. She knew she had to stop the woman, but she couldn’t say why. When the woman revealed her face, Ingrid got her answer, and it shook her to her very core.

The woman’s smile ran from ear to ear.

Literally.

Identical ragged scars ran from the corner of the woman’s mouth up to the far sides of her cheekbones as if her face had been split in two. It didn’t look as though the ghastly wound had healed properly either, given the way her mouth spread past the corners of her lips when she spoke. Forget speaking. She shouldn’t even be alive.

“How about now?” the woman asked, slipping a pair of long scissors from her coat pocket. “Am I pretty?”

Review:

Into the Mystic, Volume One by Brooklyn Ray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Into the Mystic – Volume One (ARC) was graciously provided to me by IndiGo Marketing & Design for an honest review.

Eleven lesbian/bisexual Paranormal short stories of varying lengths, filled with different types of characters as well as different levels of heat.

1. Reborn, by Brooklyn Ray: 3.6
-A very long and often confusing read of a beautifully detailed world, various interesting characters; two legged and four, and magic, all wrapped-up in a cautiously-filled acceptance.*

2. Zero Hour, by J.C. Long: 4.5
-An incredibly gripping, heart-stopping, heart-warming, and exciting read! A story about two lovers confronting and dealing with, through eventual acceptance, the circumstances of a painful accident.*

3. Dove in the Window, by Kara Race-Moore: 4.8
-A sad and tragic and yet incredible story about two young women from a long time ago, who had discovered their feelings for one another, and, both ultimately having a future that neither had expected, all tied-up with a mysterious and heart-breaking twist…*

4. Bottom of the River, by Samantha Kate: 4.6
-Wooww…a story about a mysterious, haunting, sad, and yet, beautiful discovery, with a huge and unforeseen twist! *

5. If You Want to Walk, by Nicole Field: 3.5
-As I love and enjoy reading beautiful and imaginative fae stories, this one was different. It was a confusing, yet sad and tender, somewhat under developed read. It’s a story about the consequences of what you wish for, leading up to the discovery of true happiness and unconditional love.*

6. A Tended Garden, by J.P. Jackson: 5.0
-One of the most beautifully written short stories about a young witch and a nymph, I have read in a long time, if not ever. A stunningly beautiful, heart-breaking, and, heart-warming read, with a surprise ending..*

7. Romancing the Healer, by Caitlin Ricci: 4.0
-What a wonderful, and, welcomed read about a two shifters, who after discovering their instant connection, had then found an equally promising connection with their pack consisting of a very open-minded, and accepting pack of shifters. *

8. Midnight Kisses, by L.J. Hamlin: 3.8
-An exciting law enforcement type of read about the world of werewolves, witches and warlocks, all with an abrupt ending.*

9. Like a Bell Through the Night, by Kayla Bashe: 3.3
-A slightly confusing, yet exciting short story about a powerful faerie and a strong and protective werewolf.*

10. The Imp in the Rock, by Charli Coty: 4.7
-A delightful, beautifully descriptive, interesting and humorous read, about just letting go and following your heart..*

11. Smile Like You Mean It, by Tay LaRoi: 4.6
-WOW. A sad, gripping, and haunting story about following your heart and trying to deal with it’s…consequences….*

*star rating: 4.22*