Changing hearts and opening minds has been an uphill battle for Reverend Philip, one that has sent him even further into the closet. Little does he know the simple act of protecting a bullied outsider will force him out of the closet and face to face with the powers of those who have been Transformed. Helping Evan quickly becomes less a question of right and wrong and more A Question of Faith, both in God and in his own abilities.
Wearing a Roman collar shows without words that Paul is Never Not a Priest, but the weight of that fact has kept him from fully embracing himself and his lover, Tyler. When the bishop of his diocese announces the Anglican Church will marry those within the LGBT community, Paul is forced to rethink his now-pre-marital affairs.
Giving in to lust demons is an occupational hazard for priests like Leo, but his half-brother Theo has always been a grounding force amidst the maddening pleasure. Higher level demons mean trouble, though, and even with many exorcisms under his belt, the town of Fieldstream might just have more Lust Allure than Leo can handle.
Lord Rhys, heir to the earldom of Kent, is intelligent and unattainable as far as Father Andrew is concerned. To avoid a great famine, the unlikely pair sets out to commission an engineer to build a much needed Water Wheel. However, if the power-hungry Bishop of Rochester has his way, their quest and budding affection are both doomed to failure.
Tyson may be the Son of a Preacher Man, but he's certainly no saint. Exorcising demons is taxing work, and his partner, Seb, certainly knows how to relieve the tension. Their latest assignment seems ordinary enough, but Seb's connection to this particular hellspawn means Ty might have to strike a deal, and the terms will be questionable at best.
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| Halleloo! |
This anthology is a mixed bag five totally different stories and takes on the men of faith - ranges from modern day to historical to urban fantasy to paranormal, Devout delivers the hotness (mostly) With only one dud in the bunch I think this anthology is worth the time and effort, if you're curious.
A Question of Faith by D.K. Jernigan - 2 Hearts
If I'd never read this author before in the Tall, Dark and Wriggly anthology, I wouldn't know how good of a writer they are. This story was odd and not a strong start to the anthology. A Question of Faith? Good title choice because I have more questions than answers at the end of this story. A priest in Idaho saves a younger gay man (or teen?) from being beat up in front of his church. The young man is named Evan and he's Infected or Transformed. Being Infected means you have a superpower from what or whom? *shrugs* You can get it from sex, maybe? *shrugs* The priest, Phillip, is thirty and closeted in a conservative town. he helps Evan, then loses Evan to angry mob, then finds Evan again with the help of Evan's sister. The siblings are both Infected with not entertaining superpowers - they were meh. The story was meh. Why introduce the paranormal aspect if it wasn't going to enhance the story? It just made an easy kidnap find easy. There's a handjob which I question because if I got my faced kicked in more than once, I'm not worrying about sexy times. The kid is beat up and drunk...why is he worried about his penis or Phillip's? It read weak. The entire story is weak. A decent idea, haphazardly written with a weak sort of HFN ending.
Never Not a Priest by Annabeth Leong - 4 Hearts
"Didn't Mary Magdalene wash Jesus' feet with her hair at some point? I don't see why I can't wash yours with my tongue."
"I didn't know you knew this much about the Bible."
"I know enough to be dangerous."
Who knew feet washing could be so erotic? This was a great addition to Devout. For the length, I got a great sense of the main characters. And they came off real...like regular flawed human beings. And I could've done with out the sex (though it's a yummy addition) Whoa. I can't believe I said that but it was so good. Anglican priest Paul is gay and has been living in the "shadows" by fornicating with Tyler, a sculptor, for 5 years. It's more of a "fuck buddy" relationship but during that time the men came to care and love one another. Paul wrestles with his faith and following his bishop's recommendation, so the moment he receives a letter from his bishop acknowledging LGBT parishioners and clergy including their marriages and civil unions, he wants to propose to Tyler and stop his sinning. So he does and they walk off into the sunset? WRONG! And that's why this story rocked. The two go back and forth discussing their concerns and don't jump into the next level of their relationship without talking and thinking things over. Sweet story, it got wordy with the religion's views about the LGBT community in a few spots but overall a satisfying short.
Lust Allure by Ann Anderson - 4 Hearts
Okay...I thought this was going to brocest. I barely finished the story's blurb once I saw half-brother and demon. I was ready. But it's not brocest. Instead it's sort of a fantasy/paranormal with an Old Western feel with super hot sex between an exorcist priest and a lust demon. If I rated the story based on that hot rough sex scene, it'd be 4-4.5 hearts, easy. But the story introduces you to this interesting world and gives the bare minimum. Good enough to answer some of the pertinent questions but not enough, not nearly enough. I stared at the end thinking another 20 pages were going to sprout out the screen. Leo is the exorcist priest who battles lust demons with magic , runes, a little help from his half demon brother but mostly through fucking the enemy. Hot. Hot! Getting impaled on demon cock on an altar? *trembles* I wished it was longer. I wish there was more resolution written about the town of Fieldstream. The story is maybe 3.5 if based on the plot - great ideas, good enough execution. And the ending left me wanting more. I'll average the hotness factor and the plot to rate this one.
Water Wheel by Angelia Sparrow - 5 Hearts
“How wonderful and multitudinous the works of the Lord.”AMEN! This story was everything! Well written, full with fleshed out characters, an adventure, a little suspense and medieval historical romance. Oh, did I mention that it was H.O.T.? And there's a young, virgin ginger monk as a MC? *swoon*
Something about this story made me think of "Pillars of the Earth", could be the timeline. I dunno. But there's a villainous, lecherous bishop named Leo who is greedy and full of yuck and he has big dreams of papal domination. But not for himself, for the sweet, godly, redheaded Father Andrew. Father Andrew has his own secret, plays his cards very close to his chest and loves the young, handsome Lord Rhys from afar. Leo throw the two young men together on a road trip to help save Lord Rhys' lands. On this trip, the adventure never ends and the men get closer. How close?
"Then, he brought his hand, covered with streaks of white, to his mouth and licked some of it away. "Next time, I'll take it from the source," he whispered."That close.
The sexual tension and kisses are full of aching passion. I could have read an entire novel just on these two. The writing was entertaining and I loved the end. It was a HEA and didn't leave any loose ends. I need more of this author in my life. I love her ideas.
Son of a Preacher Man by Cari Z. - 4.5 Hearts
Oh man, this was a little mini head trip but a fun one. First off the beginning starts of with a bang...literally in a gas station bathroom stall. Fuckhot! Oh yes! And it features and establish couple of sorts, an exorcist priest, Tyson and his lover with a hellish background, Seb. Together they battle, demons and send them back to Hell. But there are secrets that Seb never shares. On a exorcism call in Idaho, these secrets come to light. The would building (for the limited amount of words) was interesting. I'd read more of this world. The tinge of horror was nice touch. The writing was vivid and really put you into this alternate universe world. This is my second time of reading about Seb's kind (for lack of a better word) and it still interests me. Sexy, a little scary and some information. All in all a satisfying little nugget.
This anthology...
Recommended
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