Peacemaker
(Sharps & Springfield #1)
by Morgan Brice
Narrator: John Solo
Release Date: February 20, 2024
Genre: Steampunk MM romance
Tropes: Secret agents, co-workers to lovers, forced proximity, hurt/comfort, mistaken identity
Themes: Learning to love again, taking a chance on love
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 7 hours and 22 mins
It is a standalone book and the first in a new series. It does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links
Audible US | Audible UK | Audiobooks.com
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Nook | Kobo
Blurb
Supernatural Secret Service agents Owen Sharps and Calvin Springfield meet on the train to their new assignment in St. Louis, and sparks fly between them. But it's 1897, and they need to be very careful—falling in love can be dangerous for men like them.
It's their first case together, investigating mysterious disappearances—including the two agents who preceded them. Grim evidence leads them to look for a darker purpose. Old ghosts haunt the railroad line, zombie rise, signs point to ritual sacrifice, and they suspect someone is trying to open the gates of hell.
Can Calvin and Owen stop the mayhem, thwart the vampires, and find true love, or will everything go up in smoke?
Peacemaker is a high-stakes steampunk MM romance thrill ride filled with found family, paranormal Pinkertons, intrepid reporters, mysterious disappearances, nefarious land brokers, hellhounds, zombies, vengeful spirits, dark spells, absinthe magic, a ruthless vampire railroad baron and a love that won't be denied.
Before Colt and Winchester, there was Sharps & Springfield!
Carra's Review
I tend to shy away from M/M books that have a historical setting since I don’t want the added angst and drama of same-sex relationships from those time periods, but given the paranormal aspect and that this was written by one of my favorite authors, I set aside my reservations to give this a go. I’m glad I did because I really enjoyed this first story in this new series!
I love the idea of secret agencies dealing with supernatural threats, particularly in a historical setting like this. The historical aspects considering setting and time period showed the author did their research to keep things authentic. The meet-cute between Owen and Calvin was perfect, even though I did realize what was up as it was happening.
There is a lot of “is he or isn’t he” going on in each of their heads, and if you are expecting anything romantic or physical, you’ll be waiting a long while. This does serve to increase the angst level between them, and allows the story to concentrate on the case they are investigating. They each have their own contacts that help move the investigation forward, both strong female characters that I’m hoping we’ll see in subsequent books in the series. Another fantastic supporting character is Winston, who serves as their “valet”, but is also a witch, assistant, and like their version of Q (from the Bond stories). He’s one of my favorite supporting characters this author has written.
The story really grabbed my attention, and I was fully drawn in to everything that was going on. It does set things up well for the series, particularly with how the vampire baddie ends up in a down-but-not-out position…you just know he’s going to be back. And like with this author’s other series, there is a strong supporting network being established to help Calvin and Owen with whatever they might face.
Peacemaker was a 4.5-star read for me, my only wish is that when it came to their relationship there would have been more show, not tell—particularly earlier on in the story. Regardless, this was a great read, and I’d recommend it to any M/M paranormal romance fan.
The narration was excellent, perfectly paced and with good differentiation in the character voices. You could also easily tell the difference between points of view, as well as times when the characters’ thoughts were being expressed as opposed to their dialogue/actions. John Solo’s narration gets 5 stars from me!
About the Author
Morgan Brice is the romance pen name of bestselling author Gail Z. Martin. Morgan writes urban fantasy male/male paranormal romance, with plenty of action, adventure and supernatural thrills to go with the happily ever after. Gail writes epic fantasy and urban fantasy, and together with co-author hubby Larry N. Martin, steampunk and comedic horror, all of which have less romance, more explosions. Characters from her Gail books make frequent appearances in secondary roles in her Morgan books, and vice versa.
On the rare occasions Morgan isn’t writing, she’s either reading, cooking, or spoiling two very pampered dogs.
Series include Witchbane, Badlands, Treasure Trail, Kings of the Mountain and Fox Hollow. Watch for more in these series, plus new series coming soon!
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