Calculated Magic

Tikron is a warlock just shy of his 350th birthday. This is a deadline for his immortality due to a curse placed upon him by his coven’s head warlock. The only way to break it is to find love. Tikron comes off as a sort of playboy in the beginning of the story but then he sees Richard and all that screeches to a halt. Richard is a man all about routine. He believes that love is a frivolous, baseless, pointless emotion. He avoids all human companionship. The only companion he allows in his life is his little dog Albert. Richard doesn’t understand why Tikron has targeted him and this starts to destroy his carefully constructed world. The first two thirds of the book is all about Tikron trying to woo and convince Richard that magic is real. Only after a tragic accident does Richard finally see that Tikron is for real. After that he seems to accept magic pretty easily. He comes to realize that love is the most powerful magic in the world.

I enjoyed this story for the most part. It is definitely a slow burn love story. I found myself actually liking the secondary character Ry more that Tikron but that may be because he was written more as the comic relief. Richard is definitely frustrating at times but he is a mathmetician. Once his walls finally start to come down he is a very amusing character. Tikron comes off a little shallow in the beginning but eventually once he shares his backstory he become a more relatable character. All in all this is a story about one man finally believing in the magic of love.

“People were strange. To say he was socially awkward was an understatement. It was another reason he avoided any kind of human companionship. He didn’t understand most people. The typical human let emotion rule their life. Richard used logic and sense. He had nothing in common with the majority of people.”

I believe in magic. I can’t imagine not believing it when there are so many unexplained things in the world around us. ‘Calculated Magic’ brings into play my two favorite type of characters – one man, seeing the world through magic, fun and whimsy, and the second, a very logical, precise man who only believes in the rational – and has them smashing (not literally) into one another from the moment they meet. This book was pure fun right from the get-go.

Tikron and Richard are such different men that it was more than funny to watch their interactions. Not to make him sound arrogant, but Tikron is 349 years old and hasn’t had any trouble attracting and charming men during this time. He is baffled (and his best friend greatly amused) by Richard’s immediate refusals and lack of interest. Richard is, initially at least, annoyed at this large man who keeps popping up and interrupting Richard’s solitude. But, Richard can’t deny the attraction goes both ways. Of course, when all manner of strange things begin to happen, Richard is positive he’s losing his mind because there’s no such thing as magic!

“His entire world could end soon, and yet he wasn’t willing to miss this moment, determined to enjoy each and every second of life he had left, whether that meant another week or another hundred years. Each single moment defined living, not the length of said life.”

A delightful romance with more than a touch of whimsy. I really enjoyed this story and I’m kind of hoping the author will write Ry’s tale next? Hmm?

NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews

Although paranormal stories aren’t normally my cup of tea, something about this one intrigued me as soon as I saw the blurb. And I was sucked into the story right away, but not because of the relationship with the two MC’s! (Although that happened later).
Tikron, a 350 year old warlock, and his best friend, Ry, less than 300 years old, started this book off with a bang. Their relationship and deep friendship was so fantastic, that the book didn’t need angst in order to carry the book. Tikron and Ry were sometimes lovers, but primarily seemed to have a brotherly relationship. They teased each other mercilessly, yet could count on each other without question. Even Tikron’s mother clearly loved Ry almost as much as her own son. Above all, though, these two men supported each other, and went out of their way to do whatever they could to make sure the other was happy, even if they harassed the other along the way.
Richard, Tikron’s love interest, was set in his ways, with each day scheduled out precisely. Then along comes this man who bursts into his life bringing magic (which Richard didn’t believe in), fun and laughter (which Richard had to learn that he wanted), and love (which Richard didn’t know if he believed in, or even knew what it was). **Side note…the moment that causes Richard to “believe” in magic was slightly devastating, and I recommend not reading this on a city bus, in the event you end up crying. Not that I know what that would be like at all…**
The relationship between Tikron and Richard progressed quickly, and with little angst. The one piece of angst I was somewhat expecting never materialized other than a “we will talk about this”, but that really didn’t matter. This book was about relationships, plain and simple. The relationship between Tikron and Richard which moved from “no I don’t want to date you” to “I still don’t want to date you” to “I trust you and believe in you”. The relationship between Tikron and Ry, which made me laugh more times than I could count. And even the relationship between Tikron and his mother, who clearly adored her son, and was willing to do what she could to make sure he lived.
There were some incomplete pieces that I would have liked wrapped up, but I have a feeling that a second book will be coming (PLEASE!!!!!) about Ry, and we will definitely get some of those things answered.
All in all, a fun read. Recommend.
4 pieces of eye candy

Review by Annie @ Kimmers' Erotic Book Banter: https://bit.ly/2COujWf

I mistakenly thought, looking down my eye glasses, that any book as simple as SJD Peterson’s 'Calculated Magic', might not connect with me. Apparently I was thinking a bit too much like Richard, a main character. Since I’d never read SJD I underestimated her, as she pulled a rabbit out of the hat and her pages smoked.

Richard is a mathematician, raised by his equally genius parents to value reasoning, predictability, and frugality. His sparing, unemotional lifestyle is meant to highlight his career while avoiding entanglements. “Equations were logical; people rarely were,” he thinks to himself.

Richard is too entrenched to recognize his loneliness. Readers understand him better after he meets Tikron, a more vibrant, brawnier man than he generally prefers, which SJD informs us is “cute, smart and mute.” He calls his mom for reassurance, who tells his dad, “‘Richard has experienced sexual stimuli to someone outside his normal parameters of attraction.'” Ouch!

Tikron is an immortal warlock who has walled himself off from romance after losing his last beloved during the Civil War. Since then, Mysdus, head of his clan, has cursed Tikron. Mysdus, who is sufficiently powerful to create a death curse, wants to marry Tikron’s mom. Unless she weds him (unwillingly) or Tikron finds true love by his 350th birthday, one month away, Tikron is scheduled to die.

At this point, Tikron has started to wonder if death might be okay. As he tells his best friend, Ryxium, “‘I’m tired of watching people we care about grow old and die. It’s a vicious cycle: meet, care, die, move, repeat. I’m so weary of it all, and yet, at the end of the day, I’m a coward. I don’t want to die.'”

That’s when Tikron and Ryxium encounter Richard, and Tikron’s heart is revived. But Richard seems impervious to seduction; it’s his training. Can Tikrum quickly convince Richard that magic really exists, especially in its most important form – Love?

Instalove is a necessary plot device, given the one-month time frame, but it is referred to as “invisible threads” between the men, suggesting a paranormal element. In fact, each time an aspect of magic is introduced, the ethical constraints on its use are emphasized. That’s how it dawned on me. 'Calculated Magic' is a mortality fable, examining which powers actually make life worthwhile.

Ryxium is written as the court jester. “Ry, bless his heart, was a great friend, but a bit of a scatterbrain. Flash something shiny in front of him, and off he went, chasing it,” Tikrum notes to himself. As with most jesters, Ry’s silliness hides deeper wisdom. Of their relationship, SJD writes, “The more stress, the more immature they seemed to become. It was a great way to lighten a mood. A far better way to deal with difficulties than crying or pickling their livers from overindulging in alcohol.”

Starting with the quotes before each chapter, such as, “Be a seeker of everyday magic,” 'Calculated Magic' reminds readers that life’s most important pursuit is to treasure the pleasures in front of us, most specifically any love on our path. As Tikron faces the possibility of death, he follows the magic, reveling in his attraction to Richard. “Each single moment defined living, not the length of said life.”

By the end I saw 'Calculated Magic' as a humorous Zen Koan, akin to the act of staring at a wall in meditation – the simplest of acts is the most difficult, and can change one very profoundly. Or as SJD indicates, “Walk barefoot. Listen to the wind. Drink in the moon. Be magic.”

This Dreamspun Beyond novel is a unique tale of romance between two men who are complete opposites. In this tale of sexy warlocks and nerdy mathematicians, time is not a luxury the sexy warlock can afford. Being immortal isn’t what it’s cracked up to be when the coven leader puts a spell on Tikron. He either finds his true love by his three hundred and fiftieth birthday or he dies. It’s either that or his mother has to wed the coven leader. With help from his best friend Ryxium, the two try everything to break the curse but nothing works until Tikron sets his eyes on an introverted math genius at the local coffee shop.

Richard doesn’t believe in anything that he can’t see and touch. Magic is nonsense, and he’s not going to be persuaded even if the one doing the persuading is a sexy Adonis. He has everything he needs or wants, he has his math, and his dog. He doesn’t need or want anything else. So when the perky waitress at the coffee shop he frequents like clockwork sits across from him, he’s instantly annoyed. He doesn’t do people. She’s only conversing with the prickly man because the Adonis at the counter won’t stop looking at Richard like he wants to consume him. That confuses Richard, and now he’s even more determined to not deal with all this crazy nonsense. As he leaves, he runs into his admirer, and I wish I could say sparks fly but nope. Richard has to believe in Tikron, and everything Tikron is before these two can have any chance.

Tikron would rather die than let his mom be miserable for the rest of her life. His mother had one true love in Tikron’s father before he passed away. When the coven leader cursed Tikron, it was for purely selfish reasons. Tikron doesn’t want to die but as him and his best friend Ry discover, only true love can break the curse. Tikron never thought he’d find his soul mate until he spots a ordinary looking man in a coffee shop. He can’t believe he actually found his soul mate, but now he has to convince the grumpy, standoffish man that magic is real and that Tikron is his fated mate. Easy right? Ha. Richard thwarts his advances and isn’t falling for the brute that easily. He and Ry have to get creative if Tikron ever wants the surly man for himself. Shenanigans ensue. A sassy squirrel, a missing dog collar and a best friend uninvitingly popping in while definitely not using Richard’s front door.

I really enjoyed this. The characters were fantastically written, and the plot was interesting. Definitely nothing I’ve read before. I loved Richard’s change throughout the book as he discovers love and magic. Tikron and Ryxium were hilarious when they got going. I’m really hoping for Ry to get his own book. All in all, this was a fantastic paranormal, and I definitely recommend it.