Psychic medium Simon Kincaide and his boyfriend, Myrtle Beach homicide detective Vic D’Amato, find that the only thing more frightening than murder might be navigating their first holiday season as a couple. A trip back to Pittsburgh to spend Thanksgiving with Vic’s large, exuberant family means dodging old frenemies and a bitter ex-boyfriend. A cold case comes back to haunt Vic when a murdered … when a murdered woman’s ghost begs Simon for justice. Then a new murder back in Myrtle Beach looks suspiciously familiar, and the dead man’s ghost isn’t playing nice. When Simon gets a vision of the next victim before the crime occurs, he realizes that all the murders are supernaturally linked. Catching the murderer will take his psychic sleuthing skills along with Vic’s street smarts to avert a tragedy. Can they do right by ghosts past, present and yet-to-come without ending up in the crosshairs of a killer for Christmas?
Lucky Town contains sexually explicit material intended for adults 18 and over.
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In this novella, Simon and Vic visit Vic’s family in Pittsburgh. Although brief, Simon and Vic’s interactions with Vic’s family were great. In contrast to Simon’s mom, who we meet during a brief phone conversation, they are loving and accepting of not only Simon and Vic’s relationship but of Simon’s profession and abilities as well. I definitely recommend this short book to anyone who enjoyed Badlands. On to the next book in Simon and Vic’s story.
Lucky Town: Badlands Book 1.5 starts with our guys painting the rooms of Simon’s house after they move in together. Expecting the paint smell to dissipate over the course of their visit to Vic’s family in Pittsburg for Thanksgiving, Simon anxiously anticipates the next crucial step in his relationship with homicide detective D’Amato. He is understandably worried about Vic’s family’s opinion of his work and his gifts but his biggest detractor is Nate, Vic’s ex-boyfriend who is still with the police department. A ghost visits Simon during the confrontation claiming that justice was not served due to Nate’s unwillingness to follow procedures on their case. Vic is understandably shaken to discover he was literally in bed with a dirty cop.
Back at Myrtle Beach after their visit to Pittsburg, Simon discovers a spirit that is tormented, fragmented, and nearly destroyed. Information gleaned determines the ghost’s state is the result of a bargain the person made with a man controlling Krampus–a malevolent fae entity. So horrendously sad that folks experiencing bad luck in their lives to be punished after their lives are harvested. It isn’t long before Simon is approached by a woman hoping to avoid Krampus and he bands together with his psychic allies to keep her safe and to permanently eliminate the threat.
This novella does much to further the Badlands series by introducing readers to the members of Vic’s family and especially his ex-boyfriend Nate. In addition, the audience gets to witness Simon’s rootworker friend, a seventy-something-year-old African American woman, do battle more directly. There are other aspects of the story that act as teasers that readers may hope will get fully fleshed out in future sequels of the series. All in all, the idea of Krampus putting in an appearance in time for Christmas was quite clever and interesting.
Lucky Town is part of the Badlands series and introduces us to Vic’s family during the holidays. This was a fun novella that had a bit of everything: mystery, ghosts, evil ex-boyfriends, and the wonderful romance between Simon and Vic. This was fun novella that helped flesh out Simon and Vic’s relationship even more. I really love how they interact with each other.
Lucky Town by Morgan Brice is the second book in the Badlands series and continues the story of psychic medium Simon and his detective boyfriend, Vic. This time we get to witness the first holiday together…with Vic’s family. There is drama/angst, mystery, paranormal happenings, and sweet love. It is a bit shorter than the other books in the series but just as amazing!.
A sexy winter tale perfect for the holidays. I really enjoyed the lore and mythology woven into the story and of course loved diving more into the characters.
Audio Review:
Narration – 5
Story – 4
Overall – 5
This was a really nice novella about Vic and Simon going back to visit Vic’s family in Pittsburgh. The blurb really describes it well so this will be a quick review. The narration by Kale Williams is great and I really liked the story, too. It’s a quick listen at just over 3 hours.
I always thought that this type of paranormal/urban fantasy story would not be my cup of tea; boy was I wrong. After listening to Badlands I couldn’t wait to jump into this one. Now I’m onto the next one in the series: The Rising.
I almost forgot… this one could probably work OK as a standalone. The author gives critical information from book one during this one so I don’t think you’ll be lost if you haven’t read it first.
I really enjoy this series from Morgan Brice. Both Vic and simon in this installment not only have to face Krampus but their first holidays together. I cant wait to read the next book in the series .
What a great addition to the Badlands series! While this is a novella and I kind of wish it was a little longer, this short book packs a punch and then some. It is a must-read at 4.5 stars.
Story: 4.5 stars
This story is full of mystery, suspense, emotion, and magic. It picks up shortly after Badlands, and we get to see more of Simon and Vic. It’s the holidays and things aren’t ever easy with these two. A trip to meet Vic’s parents, weird murders, and a mysterious creature are clinging to them. They have to find the murderer and keep their heads at the same time. The characters and the plot will keep you interested and wanting to keep listening/turning the page.
Narration: 4.5 stars
I really like the way Kale Williams is narrating this story. For the most part, the voices are different enough that we can pick out who is who, however, there were a couple of times that I was a little confused, but then again, we have so many more voices in this book…sometimes talking at the same time. That said, he did a great job and I still loved his version of Lucky Town.
Overall: 4.5 stars
Overall, I’m giving Lucky Town 4.5 stars and highly recommend you check it out for yourself. With the plot and a cast of interesting characters, you won’t be disappointed.
This is my review of the audiobook:
I love the Badlands series, and Simon and Vic are terrific characters. This is their holiday book, full of friends and family, but also full of the spells, magic, and ghosts I expect from the series. For a novella-length story, a lot happens here. Simon meets Vic’s family and his ex, Vic gets a better understanding of Simon’s gifts, and Vic moves in with Simon. Some moments are sad, and some are frightening. Simon and Vic just become closer with every obstacle they have to overcome. I love these men and the stories revolving around them. Even better, the performance of a great narrator just enhances a terrific story, and he makes Vic and Simon even more real, with the feelings that come through as he reads. This audiobook is wonderful!
Oh, how I love Simon and Vic! Even though I read this novella out of order, it was so entertaining. For a short story it packed a lot heat and had enough going on to be intriguing and gripping at the same time.
D’Amato clan welcomed Simon with open arms. We get to see where Vic gets his looks as well as personality traits. And we also get a glimpse into Simon’s relationship with his mother who would make Snow Queen look like Mary Poppins. There are moments full of holiday cheer and romance but never fear murder does not take vacation, and soon Simon and Vic are in the midst of very serious investigation involving dark magic, old legends and desperate people. Another lovely tidbit is that Vic’s ex-partner shows up with such an extreme case of sour grapes! Made my day! Plus Simon’s sight showed all was not so simple with Nate, and in the end he got his just deserts!
This was a wonderful novella full of magic, spirits, friends and Simon and Vic finally settling in and making a home together. Loved it! I hope there will be many more Vic and Simon adventures!!! Highly recommend!