Reviewed by Amber
SERIES: Open for Business: Brandywine Investigations #1-3
AUTHOR: Angel Martinez
PUBLISHER: Mischief Corner Books, LLC.
LENGTH: 448 pages
RELEASE DATE: April, 27th 2016
SERIES BLURB:
When humans forsake the temples, the gods need to find other employment. Hades opens Brandywine Investigations after his divorce and his subsequent move to the modern world. If he was hoping for boring infidelity cases and lost dogs, he’s sorely mistaken as murder and mayhem find his agency and his extended family at an astonishing rate.
OVERALL REVIEW:
If you like all things paranormal and all things Gods and monsters then this series is totally for you. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all the delicious Gods and all the crazy things they get up to. I really enjoyed the writing and the full rich characters this author seems to make come to life. She was able to take things that should be frightening and make them endearing and sweet. Absolutely recommend…this was a lot of fun!
OVERALL RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
BOOK ONE TITLE: Canines, Crosshairs, and Corpses: Brandywine Investigations: #1
LENGTH: 183 pages
BLURB:
What’s a Lord of the Dead to do? Hades’ bride of several thousand years has served him with divorce papers and she doesn’t just want him out of her life, she wants the palace and the dog, too. Hades’ nephews and his faithful ferryman, Charon, are determined to find their uncle something to distract him before he expires of brooding misery.
Tiberius Snyder had a good future, until his mother dies and his employer shuts down. When he finds himself alone with nowhere to live, he turns to panhandling and to drink, depression slowly killing him.
He just wants a place to sleep out of the cold wind, but Death finds him in a dirty alley. Odd. Ti never thought Death would be so hot…
REVIEW:
My very first Angel Martinez book!!! WOOHOO!!! I’ve heard so many wonderful and glorious things about this author so I knew I just had to read something of hers so I could understand all the hoopla!! Let me tell you…the hype is ALL true!!! I’m a huge fan of Greek Mythology so taking that and combining it with M/M romance, I was SOLD!! This book was so creative and so well written that I really couldn’t stop reading it once I started.
I absolutely adored Hades. He was so different in this book then what I’ve conjured up in my head. Angel Martinez totally has me believing Hades is just misunderstood and not at all the big bad guy legend has us believing. Hades is a big ole’ softy with a crazy soft spot for animals and children. Life has thrown him a pretty big curveball so he’s left floundering trying to decide what to do with his time. Murders in the city have caught his attention. He decides to open an investigations company to right the wrongs of society. While out investigating he stumbles upon a man who has just witnessed a murder.
Tiberius Snyder knows all about life’s disappointments. Drowning his sorrow in the bottom of a bottle hasn’t helped him any. So, it’s no wonder he still feels drunk when he wakes up in a fancy condo being taken care of by Gods and Ferryman.
Ti and Hades start working closely together to try and figure out who is murdering homeless men in the city, and why. Both men start feeling a connection that they can’t ignore.
I think if I had a complaint it would be that I really wish Ti and Hades attraction would have started earlier. I understand why it didn’t considering Ti circumstances but it was almost like I blinked and they were attracted. There wasn’t really that much of a buildup and I love the buildup, so much.
Needless to say, this book was great!! Such an awesome start to a series…..can’t wait to dive into book 2!!!
RATING:
BOOK TWO TITLE: No Enemy But Time: Brandywine Investigations: #2
LENGTH: 62 pages
BLURB:
Zagreus (Zack), the son of Hades, and his former guardian angel, Michael, live a quiet life of gardening, animal rescue, and playful sexual experimentation. They have a house near the beach, family close by and each other. This should be the happily ever after of every god’s dreams.
But lately, strange misgivings have plagued Zack, a sense of something dark and powerful approaching. Since he can’t pin down a source, he dismisses his instincts. Why borrow trouble? That is, until Michael begins to have strange mood swings and a dark stranger appears in the garden one night. Zack will need to battle time itself or lose both his hard-won peace and the love of his immortal life.
REVIEW:
So, the positives…I really liked Zach and Michael. They’re very likeable and the back and forth protectiveness is incredibly endearing. I knew without a doubt that they would lay down their life for the other if need be. I think that’s a testament to how talented this author is. Without much of a background she was able to show just how much love Michael and Zach had for each other.
But, that also leads up to the biggest issue I had with the story and that was feeling lost at times because it did feel to me that I was just dropped into a story mid way through. I would have loved to have read Zach and Michael’s initial meeting, the buildup, them trying to stay away from each other, then finally giving in and that first kiss sounds EPIC, I would have loved all of that!! Not to mention the big fall while Zach and Michael try to build their lives together. Those things might have made this one a little less murky for me. I just felt like I was wading through mud trying to figure out these characters and the big mystery. All in all I did enjoy the story just certain things I had issues with but that doesn’t take away from how unique and creative this writer is.
Not to give too much away but essentially Michael (a fallen angel) and Zach (Hades son) have been together for years. Choosing to live in the human world their life is picturesque until Hades calls on Zach to come into the city and help him with a case.
Fallen angels are being targeted and there is crazy magic at play. Zach and Michael find their beautiful life together on the line.
This ending was very bittersweet. I’m not really sure how I feel about it. There’s still a lot to process but I’m going to dive into book 3 and see where that take me…
RATING: 
BOOK THREE TITLE: Dragons, Diamonds, and Discord: Brandywine Investigations: #3
BLURB:
The most valuable pieces of jewelry are vanishing from the god Hermes’ Manhattan stores and the security feeds pick up only clouds of smoke. While the god of thieves, messengers, and commerce doesn’t appreciate someone stealing from him, he’s intrigued by this thief’s ingenuity and skill. When Hermes enlists his family to trap his burglar, he gets the surprise of his immortal life.
Fafnir just wants to be left alone. Doomed over the centuries to a never-ending cycle of violent death and painful rebirth, he had hoped to find an escape in the quiet life of author and illustrator. But there are forces at work he doesn’t understand, and his peace is shattered by the return to old cycles and the sudden interference of a beautiful and incredibly irritating Greek god.
REVIEW:
Well, apparently I love dragon shifters. Like absolutely LOVE dragon shifters…Fafnir was so angry sweet and damn endearing. I don’t think there could have been a better match up than Hermes and Fafnir. They complimented each other quite perfectly.
The God Hermes lives his life filled with the things he loves. Having lost his longtime love to accident of his doing he prefers things uncomplicated and unattached. Until he meets Fafnir, the dragon shifter and all he really wants is to complicate things.
There are a lot of machinations at work in this story plus several answers to some of the mysteries in the earlier books. We found out what’s really been going on in the city and who’s to blame.
All while the mysteries are being solved Fafnir and Hermes find themselves very much attracted and very much involved. These two are so hot together…like spread open on top of kitchen counters and bar stools HOT!!! Wheww…!!
This last book was incredibly enjoyable. I really liked the characters and did I mention that I LOVE dragon shifters??
Recommend, for sure!!
RATING