Romanus

I received a free copy of this audiobook to listen to and review for Wicked Reads.

I am absolutely addicted to this audiobook. There is something about the combination of the story that Calmes has penned and Tremblay’s narration that has resulted in me listening to it every day for a week, sometimes twice a day. The fact that it’s just under two hours long makes it possible to listen to it daily, yet I’ve refrained from writing my review just so I had a semi-plausible excuse to listen to it again and again and again. I’ve always been fascinated by gargoyles, yet I think this is the first M/M gargoyle romance I’ve read (or listened to, in this case) and that has probably contributed to my addiction as well. You’re likely laughing at me or scoffing at my claim of repeated listening, but it’s so true that I received the Silver Repeat Listener badge from Audible, which is earned for listening to the same audiobook at least 10 times. Obviously, I have a problem and were it not for the fact that I want to get Romanus and its sequel, Chevalier, blogged this week in the leadup to Halloween, I’d probably still be putting off writing this review.

Of course, the problem with addiction is that oftentimes it’s difficult to explain why you enjoy the thing you’re addicted to so much. In the case of Romanus, that is only partly true for me because while there is an elusive quality to it that keeps me coming back for another listen, there are several specifics I can readily identify. Calmes manages to pack a lot of story into a novella and through the events that take place, builds the world that Mason has suddenly found himself a part of. From Mason’s first interaction with Fabron, we learn much about the kind of man Mason is – kind, patient, and possessing an honest concern for his fellow man – and the author continues to use Mason’s interactions with others, including his friends, roommates, and the gargoyles to show us his character. I found it to be a clever way to both develop his character and move the storyline along. The author also drops bits of information that help to explain Mason’s instant attraction to Luc Toussaint, although the extent of their connection isn’t revealed until the end of the book and is still left up to the reader to ponder just how strong their connection will be. Calmes uses an opposing faction within the gargoyles’ champ (the downside of audiobooks is not knowing how to spell unfamiliar words, which bothers me a lot) to add an element of suspense and action to the storyline that felt natural instead of forced for the sake of drama, which can happen when an author tries to put too much in a novella. Being as Romanus is a novella, there was not a lot of character development for Luc, so I hope that we will see that take place in Chevalier because I loved the chemistry between him and Mason and I’m looking forward to seeing that relationship progress further. Romanus was a sexy gargoyle romance that sunk its talons into me so thoroughly that I didn’t want to leave, while at the same time made anxious to begin Chevalier so that I can find out what will happen to Mason and Luc next.

P.S. – As an aside, I did take issue with Eli’s attitude that it was acceptable for him to stroke Luc’s back while Luc was asleep in Mason’s bed. Mason shouldn’t have had to tell him not to do it in the first place, but then for Eli to do it anyway, that just irked the heck out of me.

Independent reviewer for Divine Magazine, I was gifted the AUDIO file of this book.

Mason discovers a naked old man wandering the roads and takes him home. MAson then finds himself in the middle of the stuff of nightmares.

SHORT!!! SO FREAKING SHORT!!

This is an audio review, and I find I cannot split the book from the narration if the book is in first person. So it'll all run into one bit puddle :-)

Greg Tremblay narrates. The man is AWESOME!! I thought, worried, actually, I might get shades of Cole McGinnis (The Dirty Series, by Rhys Ford) bleeding through, since I'm listening to this on the back of those, but I need not have worried. Tremblay is a MASTER at his craft and his work shines.

I loved Mason, ans his brief history we get here. I loved his reaction to the group of people he meets taking the old man home. And I loved his reaction to Luc and what Luc tells him. He is Romanus, long fabled about in Luc's and now Mason's people, but few are found.

Luc is a Gargoyle and I love Gargoyle stories, we get so few of them! Luc's voice here is only when he speaks though, and Tremblay nails that one, I tell ya! But because he doesn't get a say, for that Ms Calmes, I am not happy. Short as it is, had Luc had a say, I have no doubt that this would be a five star across the board.

BUT! I have discovered, since finishing, that there is a second book about Mason and Luc and I wish to listen to it too. However, its not out in audio yet, so I'm gonna have to wait! I don't liked to mix and match between reading and listening in the same series.

so, ONLY because its single POV and we don't get Luc,

4.5 stars for the book

but

5 stars for the narration

**same worded review will appear on: Goodreads, Audible.com, Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, BookLikes and Dreamspinner Press**

This was a great short read and hopeful will more coming in the future. Mace is on his way home from the firehouse and is bone tried from his double shift. When he sees and naked man in the road and drives past him, it kicks in quick that as a firefighter he is to help people no matter what. When he gets closer to the old man is see things that off about him, when he helps him back home. Mace is in for a surprise he has enter a weird nudist colony he thinks and just wants to get out of there quickly. Raoul meets Mace and tries to get him to stay since Falcon has call Mace Romanus. When Luc meets Mace there is an instant chemistry between the two, but they both do not know what to do.
Luc meets Mace again and the romance and connection between the two characters is hot. Will Mace finally accept Luc when he shows him his true form? Hope there will more about Finn and his view of the Gargoyle’s. Highly recommend this book


How would you describe the plot of this book? some twist
Which of these words best describes the mood? Suspenseful
How would you describe the pace? steady
How would you describe the characters? developed
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review *

Book - Romanus
Author – Mary Calmes
Star rating - ★★★★☆
No. of Pages – approx 70 (14 pages of promo)
Movie Potential – Hmm...probably yes, but it would need to be something along the lines of I, Frankenstein.
Ease of reading – easy to read, with a few hiccups
Would I read it again – Maybe. If it's part of a series.
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
reviewed for Divine Magazine
This was my first Mary Calmes story and the first time I've ever seen Gargoyles used in a romantic setting. I was pleasantly surprised by both.
This one was really hard to review. On one hand, there was a lot I liked about it. On the other, there was a lot I didn't like. For me, this story is a solid 3.5 rating. I've rounded up to 4, because a 3 seems unfair, considering the fact that I liked it. Let's divvy it up into Pros and Cons.
CONS
I always like to start with the worst things and build up the best, so that my review never ends on a sour note.
Issue 1:
Length: the story wasn't long enough. The story needed a lot of guts and flesh to really work, but both of these were lacking somewhat. I think, although the 'romance' aspect of the story happened fast, it could have been elongated and more focus could have been put on the world that Calmes was trying to build. The story was just too short to do this plot justice. It needed to be two or even three times as long. I just think it needed more time to develop and flourish the way the characters and the plot deserved. To me, this read more like a Prequel to an upcoming series. Which would be fantastic.
1st Person POV: I'm not a fan. It tends to detract from the story. Instances like these, tend to put me off:
“Firemen carried all sorts of emergency items in their vehicles just to be on the safe side, and I was no exception.” This sounded like an excuse, from the author, as to why his character was fully prepared for the moment. In third, a statement like this would have made sense, but in first it sounds awkwardly like the character is trying to justify their actions and it jars my reading. But, this is just my personal preference. Once the story got going, these little snippets dropped out and more focus was put on the individual characters.
Slang, Accents Etc: I also don't like these: wanna, gotta, lemme. I get that accents make these words realistic, but it makes the character sound lazy. I'm not sure if this was the point or if it was to strengthen the thought that the character was drowsy at the time (though they use them later, as well) but it's just a little pet peeve of mine.
Unnatural Phrases: “like he was just so pleased” irks me. It's not a phrase I've ever heard in this order. It feels really unnatural, but maybe it's not for some people.
Confusing Descriptions: When things got hot and heavy, it also got really confusing. Actions took place that weren't described well enough (which direction the person was facing, what position they were in etc) so that it took me two or three reads of the paragraph to make sense of what was going on. I won't go into too much detail about it, as it's not all that important, but I don't like being jarred out of the moment to re-read something, because it didn't make sense. People also miraculously went from lying to walking immediately; literally from one position to another, which was entirely impossibly.
Mason and Luc: Mason's reluctance to admit what was happening between them didn't seem quite in line with his acceptance of what Luc is. He's fine with accepting that Luc is a gargoyle, but he doesn't sense that they're really soul mates, when he keeps insisting they're just “trying things out”. This doesn't work for me. Either Mason has gargoyle instincts that lead him to accept who and what Luc is, or he doesn't, which means he can't feel the same connection that Luc is convinced makes them soul mates. It can't go both ways.
PROS
Gargoyles: the general idea of the story really appealed to me. The gargoyle aspect was unique and the characters were strong enough to carry the storyline. The description of the creatures, their habits and their “chasse” (AKA clan type of gathering) were great. Not enough was said, in my opinion, about their world.
Friends: Mason has a group of friends, and maybe this was intended or not, but these people are NOT my definition of a friend. They're leeches and hangers on, that Mason lets away with murder. Honestly, other than Finn, I wouldn't be friends with a single one of them. I hate them (which is a sign that the author did something right). I don't like the way they talk about each other or Mason and I certainly don't like Eli, who tries to manhandle Luc right in front of Mason.
Mason and Luc: as a couple, these two are cute, hot and sweet all at once. Mason is more of a “settle down” type of guy, while Luc appears to be the hot dangerous boy (has a motorcyle, has horns and fans, flies and breathes fire and is constantly naked) but they're more similar than they first appear. This works well for them. Though, Mason's reluctance to admit what was happening between them didn't seem quite in line with his acceptance of what Luc was.
Characterization: It took me a while to warm up to Mason, but eventually he became this nice, wholesome guy, old enough to be a fireman, but with some childish/teenager tendencies. This worked, because he came across as a little naive and a whole lot shy. He's this typical twink; skinny, power/greedy bottom, who feels unattractive but is uncomfortable with the fact that he's irresistible to all men. Luc, on the other hand, is the opposite extreme. Strong, buff, hot, dangerous; he's the typical bad boy, with a softer side.
Mason's Acceptance: as I said above, Mason is extremely accepting of what happens, but I can buy this, because the gargoyles know him by sight. Knowing that Mason is one of them is really the key to making this part work. I accept that he accepts it, because it's his nature and completely normal. (though I still have doubts about the whole issue mentioned above)
OVERALL
In total, Romanus was a great short read, which could have been longer and needed a little more fleshing out. With a few shorts or a real novel to explore this world further, Calmes is onto a winner. I really do hope she continues it, as I'd like my questions answered and I'd love to see this taken to the next level, with these characters and the few minor ones mentioned.
I'll admit, I was disappointed with the ending. It was too abrupt and, as I said, my questions weren't answered. This made the story feel incomplete. It's enough that it peaked my interest, if there were more stories to read in the future (as I suspect there might be, considering the ending and Raoul) but I'd have liked this as a novel instead of a short. I'd be interested in reading more, but I'd probably wait until they were all available, so that I'm not sitting on a cliffhanger.
As the prequel or introduction to a series, with these characters, Romanus is a success. The plot has so much potential that wasn't reached in this short, which would make sense if it was just the start of a more extensive series.
However, if this is a stand alone short story, never to be revisited again, it reads as incomplete. There are so many questions unanswered and a very hasty, sudden ending that leaves me feeling unsatisfied.
I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for more.