Reviewed by Carissa

TITLE:  North on Drummond

AUTHOR:  K.C. Burn

PUBLISHER:  Loose Id

LENGTH:  287 pages

BLURB:  

Sandy Bottom Bay, Florida–Come for the Haunts, Stay for the Beaches!

Drew Drummond might call himself a psychic tarot reader, but he doesn’t believe in the supernatural. The business was left to him by his grandmother, and seemed the best way to rise above the chronic criminal behavior of the Drummond family. Despite his efforts, few of the townspeople consider him a good romantic match. Being gay only makes finding love more difficult.

When Cliff Garcia, Drew’s teenaged crush, moves back to town and joins the police force, Drew doesn’t think he has a chance. After all, the skeptical cop considers Drew’s profession on par with professional conmen, and Cliff had spent his entire school career feuding with Drew’s volatile brothers. Despite the obstacles, Drew and Cliff begin a fiery relationship.

Just when Drew starts to believe they might have a chance, he suffers a head injury and begins having visions of the future. If Drew tells Cliff the truth, he’ll lose the man he’s falling for, but keeping his new ability a secret is no longer an option. If he can’t convince Cliff he’s for real, a murderer will walk free.

REVIEW:  

Drew Drummond might make a living reading tarot cards and divining futures, but he’s not exactly a big believer in the supernatural. But being psychic-for-sale is probably the most honest thing anyone in his family has ever done, and Drew intends on staying on the right side of the law. Especially when ‘the law’ is Cliff Garcia, who he has been mooning over since high school.

Cliff moved back to Florida for a lot of reasons: a break-up, his best friend dying, his mother’s insane belief in the supernatural. But when he sees the fiery red-head walking out of the food store, Cliff has to admit that moving back might have also finally given him the chance to have a relationship not tied up in closets. Too bad Drew is a Drummond, and Cliff knows all about how Drummond = Bad News. But when an accident lands Drew practically right into Cliff’s arms, and a little maneuvering lands Cliff right into Drew’s house, the two men can’t really deny what is going on between them.

Which would be all fine and dandy except Cliff’s ex is making a nuisance of himself, Drew’s family is courting assault charges, and Drew’s psychic power seems to not have gotten the memo that it is supposed to be fake. Oh, and a murderer may or may not be walking around Sandy Bottom Bay. So…who knew small-town life would be so exciting?

This was such a fun story. Seriously, I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did, but almost right from the beginning I was sucked into this book. I will say, though, that if I hadn’t already come to the conclusion that Florida weather would kill me, this book would do an awesome job of nailing that coffin shut. California might not be heaven, but I’m pretty sure Florida could make a good case for hell.

There honestly was not a whole lot about this book that I didn’t like. The pacing was well done, the characters (both MC and secondary) were interesting and well rounded, and the paranormal aspects kinda blended into the background–so that they didn’t take over the story, but instead made it more interesting.

I don’t know a whole lot about Florida, but I have grown up in a succession of small(ish) towns, and there was a lot about Sandy Bottom Bay that I recognized. Though, I don’t think there were a lot of ghost stories floating around my home-town (there was an orchard that no one walked thru after dark, but that was more because the owner was an asshole, and not because of any spectral complaints). The author did do an awesome job of selling this town…and the weather. *shudders*  For all that I know nothing of this place, I had no problem imagining it, and its people. I was comfortable there, but it was interesting enough that I always wanted to know just a little bit more.

The paranormal/mystery aspects really doesn’t come into play till later in the story, but I liked how they were worked into it. The solution was fairly obvious, though, so if you are looking for a story that is mainly about the ‘who done it’ I would say that you might find this book a bit light for your tastes. I was really in the mood for something like this, so it was great to find a nice romance, with good characters, and just a hint of supernatural mystery to make it unique.

Cliff’s ex is a major tosser, though. Kinda wouldn’t have minded if the gator had gnawed on him a bit. Not killed…but nibbled enough by the local wildlife that it would deflate his ego a bit.

All in all, a really good book. Totally reccomend you read it.

RATING:

BUY LINKS:

Loose Id

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