Police officer Jordan and dragon shifter Edra might have to work together, but they don’t trust each other—even if sparks do fly between them.If anyone finds out Jordan’s a mytho sympathizer, it could kill his career. No one can know that he frequents the satyr dens and uses the drug Bliss. A dead satyr might not get much attention, but two dead humans who appeared to overdose on Bliss? That … Bliss? That shouldn’t even be possible.
And it might not be an accident.
Edra, Mythological Services Liaison, has been covering up mytho crimes to protect the community’s reputation. With a mayoral election looming, the last thing his people need is a scandal.
To get a murderer off the streets, Jordan and Edra will be spending a lot of time together, and it won’t be easy to keep up with their deceptions… or to keep resisting each other.
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Review of 2nd edition.
I loved the first book in this series, and am looking forward to reading more. I enjoyed the mix of urban fantasy, interesting layered characters, slow burn romance, and intriguing plot.
I liked the duality of the MCs Edra and Jordan. Being a dragon shifter, Edra might appear as human on the surface but isn’t. Jordan also has different sides to himself, one of which he keeps hidden at work. I loved their connection and that they need to take it slow or risk losing what they’re building between them.
The twist on mythology is nicely done especially how the two worlds colliding have impacted both, and the mythos now stuck in our world. I liked the thinly disguised social commentary of the story too. Bigots and religious fanatics are still alive and well unfortunately. I also liked how political the stories are, and how that impacts Jordan and Edra’s ability to solve crime and bring justice to those responsible.
The supporting cast are interesting, and I like how the different societies interact while trying to keep their cultures alive. The details give the worldbuilding a rich layer of realism, and make a lot of sense.
Although there is some closure within the story, there’s a lot of open threads along with Jordan and Edra’s relationship, which left me wanting the next book ASAP.
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Lust and other Drugs, by T.J. Nichols
Mytho, Book 1
258 Pages
3rd person, dual character POV
Themes: romance, shapeshifting, creatures
Triggers: mentions of drug taking, addiction, violence
Genre: MM Romance, LGBT, Urban Fantasy, Shapeshifters
World-Building:
Heat:
Chemistry:
Plot:
Romance:
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INTRO
I originally read the first edition of this series (books 1-2, at the time) in November 2019, but it’s been a while and I’ve read a lot of books since then. Although I remember certain scenes, characters and events, I was a bit vague on the story as a whole, so I can confidently say that I went into this second edition with fresh eyes.
And…I still loved it. I still stand by my original review (after re-reading it, before writing this) and I loved that I was able to both fondly remember the series, as well as have that rare experience of reading it for the first time again. I can’t pinpoint how or why that feeling was possible, but I honestly felt like I was reading it again for the first time, and that everything was new and amazing.
CHARACTER
The story starts with Jordan – a detective who is denying his addiction to a mytho drug, Bliss. The way his addiction is explored, with Jordan denying it, justifying it, lying to himself, convinced he’s not an addict, is smart and realistic. Jordan is an emotional softie, a top who feels unwanted because he likes to wear lace, silk and make-up, with a history of bad relationships where men reject him once they find out about his likes.
Then we’re introduced to Edra – a lesser dragon mytho who lost his mate during the collapse, ten years ago. Now, he’s alone, clinging to his traditions, where he was called a Knight, and was considered the mytho version of police, protecting his city. Now, he does the same job, at Mytho Servo – the public service office of mytho, who try to police mytho. It’s Edra’s job to clean up as many messes as possible, so that the police don’t get involved. There’s no trust between the mytho and police, leaving Edra playing devil’s advocate half the time, while working on a shoe-string budget.
A tricky case comes along, just as Jordan has returned from undercover work on a black market illegal trading case. With no other cases, Jordan is landed with the mytho case, and steps on a few toes when he starts suspecting and investigating humans of committing crimes against mytho. With no one ready to accept mytho as victims, or even humans with rights, Jordan’s poking around gets him noticed by the wrong people.
With an election on the horizon – one pro-Mytho advocate against the current anti-Mytho mayor – Jordan doesn’t want to be stuck in the middle. But when he crosses paths with Edra, who is trying to clean up the mess of the case, it’s an instant clash. Leading to gradual respect, grudging trust, and two men working together who have the same goal of solving the case. The attraction is fought on both sides, but eventually can’t be denied any longer, and leads to a long, slow burn, intense chemistry, and a sizzling connection that lasts the entirety of the book.
PLOT
The story deals with a crash of two vastly different worlds – one human, and the other full of mythological creatures from fairytales. When they collide, it’s a political nightmare, and humans – as usual – react badly.
The way humans behave towards mytho is very reminiscent of so many historical events that it’s both frightening, but also shows the author’s skill in weaving real human emotions into an urban fantasy story. When the mythological creatures appear, humans treat them as lesser beings.
As usual, humans played scientist and screwed the Mytho world, bumping two worlds into one and destroying the other. Instead of accepting their error and working together, they did what humans always do – they blame someone else. The fact most mytho are animal-based creatures let the humans slap the “monster” sticker on the problem, justifying their bad behaviour. The poor mytho – their world destroyed, their traditions treated with contempt, and some hunted for sport – are expected to shut their mouths and tolerate it, since they don’t have any rights anyway.
The way this was all woven into Jordan’s work as a police officer, and Edra’s work as a Mytho Servo liaison, means that we get to see the multiple, cruel ways the Mytho are mistreated by humans. Everything from internment camps, segregation, prejudice, violence and no legal rights, are explored through their work, naturally exploring the reality of life as a mytho rather than rushing to list and info-dump them.
Using the Prologue to explore the crash of worlds, how it came about and the consequences, sets up the worldbuilding well, while leaving the rest of the story to add the intricate details seamlessly. This Prologue is both clever, in that it gives a quick but condensed view of the collapse, while also being useful in introducing the reader to the background without inserting info-dumps into the main story. This allows the main story to focus on the details, the characters, and the main plot, expanding upon the world formed in the Prologue.
WRITING
I’ve been a fan of T.J. Nichols’ style of writing and storytelling for years. This one is no different. Even though this was an ARC, I think I only saw one or two small errors that will inevitably be cleaned up before publishing. I did see one inconsistency, early on – at the den, Edra tells the satyr to ride him, but during their encounter neither ‘ride’ the other, unless the mytho have another meaning of the term that’s not explored. Other than that, it was brilliantly clean.
The plotting was clever, the pacing well done, and the storyline engaging.
The criminal investigation takes centre-stage, while the relationship is secondary, but it never feels like one is ignored in favour of the other. The two are woven together well, using the case to throw Jordan and Edra together where their chemistry fizzles on a slow simmer.
Though it takes 89% for any intimate contact between Edra and Jordan, there’s a logical and plot-driven reason for that, and I loved how it added an extra bit of tension and anticipation to the story. Edra’s aversion to kissing, and Jordan’s slow exposure to mytho life, history and traditions, made for a constantly engaging romance. Jordan had a lot to learn, and Edra tried to make allowances for the differences between them. As the older of the two – at 130+ in mytho years – Edra constantly tries to be the wise and logical of the pair, while Jordan is more driven by his emotions.
There is a definite series ARC – the relationship between Edra and Jordan, as well as the political tightrope between mytho and humans – but each book has a singular criminal investigation that is wrapped up by the end of the book. While it makes a great individual novel, it also makes it more exciting to binge-read the series and creates anticipation between novels.
OVERALL
Lust and other Drugs is a clever, engaging novel with a well-rounded plot, an intriguing investigation, and a relationship with so much chemistry it sizzles right off the page. Jordan is endearing, Edra protective, and both easily relatable despite Edra’s mytho status. The story revolves around a cleverly paced and plotted investigation that keeps you engaged from the start, with enough clues, hints and politics, to keep you reading right until the very end.
The addition of Jordan and Edra’s chemistry, their personalities and individual quirks, make them just as interesting on their own.
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Favourite Quote
“Everyone deserved justice, even if they had fur and fangs.”
Humans screwed around and caused two worlds to collide. Now Mythos (Mythical beings) are stuck in human world and humans are jerks. Humans segregate Mythos and discriminate. Pretty much following history. Jordan is a police officer who is secretly hooked on a Mythos drug, Bliss. Edra is a dragon shifter who is trying to work on relations between the Mythos and humans. Jordan and Edra get stuck working together to work on murders. I loved the world building. And Jordan’s penchant for silky lacy underthings 😉 definitely looking forward to next book.
A really interesting world opening up here with paranormal beings shoved into a human world. This gives the author free rein to explore issues of discrimination, racism, tribalism, politics, power etc. in both the mytho and human societies. Then, we have a human and a dragon forced to work together and learn about each other to solve a series of murders . Jordan and Edra make an interesting pair. Edra has lucked out that Jordan is a secret mytho sympathiser but Edra is keeping secrets from him. Edra is not just a human with dragon touches here and there. The author has done an amazing job of making Edra “other” so it takes a while for the reader to understand his viewpoint and actions. I cannot wait to read more in this series.
T.J. Nichols begins a new series, Mytho, with style and flair. Set in a world where mythological creatures now exist due to a crash of one world into the other, Police Officer Jordan and dragon shifter Edra, the new liaison to the police department, find themselves working together to solve crimes committed against Mythos. Jordan must balance his investigation because being known as a Mytho sympathizer could kill his career. The death of a satyr and the use of Bliss in satyr dens are just a few of Jordan’s problems. He also finds himself wanting more from Edra.
What an intriguing world T.J. Nichols has created! With vampires, dragons, satyrs, mermaids and more now living in San Francisco, there is a distinct line drawn where one group feels they are not human and therefore not due the same considerations while the other group is for full integration. The world created is quite different from what many of us have read before. It is fascinating to immerse yourself in the differences. Jordan wants to do his job but has many roadblocks. Edra wants to help but he is Mytho himself and that could be problematic. I am so look8injg forward to the next story. You should run to get this story as it is amazing.
Lust and Other Drugs is the first book in the Mytho series.
The world has been thrown in a disarray when supernatural beings who were only known to humans through stories and myths got relocated in the human world due to the destruction of their home Tariko. As a result of the experiments done by scientists, the barrier between the two worlds collapsed forcing the mytho to try and integrate in a world that fears and hates them for being different. Being taken out of Tariko, some of the mytho suffered terrible changes physically, thus adding to the hardships they have while living the human world.
Edra, a dragon, has been assigned to work as an intermediary to the San Francisco Police Department. Though wary and uncertain that any trust can be built between the mytho and the police, Edra would have to learn to work with the man assigned to be his liaison. Jordan is an openly gay police man who is also silently sympathetic and supportive of the mytho. Being gay, Jordan personally knows how it feels to be discriminated. This does not however prevent the fear he feels of being found out as someone supporting the mytho as it would mean career suicide. However, meeting Edra and having to work with him on a case that will have huge ramifications for the relationship between their two communities has forced Jason to examine his true feelings and his principles.
One of the strongest point of this book is the world-building and lore. T.J. Nichols has created a fascinating world filled with supernatural creatures from myths and legends while injecting her own touch to the lore surrounding them. The little details regarding mytho daily life and culture that they are trying hard to retain adds a wonderful layer on making them feel more real. The character development and the relationship of Jordan and Edra was handled wonderfully. I love their dynamics. The tension and the chemistry between them is palpable. Their relationship is complicated with Edra always wanting to protect his community at all cost including doing some morally shady things and Jordan wanting to do his job and what is right. Add in the fact that they have their own pasts that drive them and the fact that they are two totally different species with such a huge cultural difference. Despite all that, Edra and Jordan grow closer together and are willing to give whatever is between them a chance to develop into something more.
Jordan is an interesting character but I love Edra more. He’s funny, witty, driven and has some really sharp and unique insight into human behavior. Seeing things through his eyes give such a different color on things some of which are hilarious while others feel poignant and heart-breaking.
The overall mystery is alright nothing really remarkable. The appalling treatment of the mytho which reminded me of the real-world treatments of refugees is very painful to read because of how realistic it felt. The novel’s pacing was a bit slow in some parts and at times there are too many things happening at once that it can be a bit overwhelming. The main plot for the book was resolved however, Lust and Other Drugs does feel like a beginning of a series and it has raised a lot of questions that needs to be answered. The romantic relationship between the two leads is a happy for now scenario but any consequences on the events that transpired wasn’t shown yet.
Still, Lust and Other Drugs was an enjoyable read. This is more of a paranormal, procedural/mystery MM book. The romance is there but it was never the highlight or the main focus of the story. This would be a 4 star out of 5 star and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
I received an ARC of this book via GRR and I have chosen to publish my fair and honest review.
A fascinating world of shifters of all kinds trying to exist in the human world after scientists destroy their world of Tariko that results in the shifters being dumped into our world. Trust is something that must be earned and dragon mythos Erdra, intermediary to SFPD, isn’t sure he can build trust with the human cop Jordan. Little does Erdra know that Jordan is sympathetic to these shifters. The plot of this story was intriguing to me. Here shifters are shown as just normal but not human. Understanding and accepting differences is key to this theme. Through co-operation and eventually attraction each reaches a HFN ending. More is to come. This isn’t their or the human society’s end. I was given an ARC for writing an honest and voluntary review.
Thank you for the ARC read, I voluntarily give this book an honest review. A knight and a human police officer working together! Is it wrong to laugh about Edra going invisible at the worse of times? What happens when not just bliss but satin comes out to play? Will it push a certain dragon over the edge? Man some people can be so brain dead, humans for earth really? It wasn’t the mythos fault here, as things are forever changed after the collapse, scientists have done what they do best like meddle with the unknown and claim’s no responsibility. Now that two different worlds have collided, it leaves everyone displaced.
Edra is just one of the displaced mythos that have to work out the new human/mytho environment. Working with the humans is going to test him more than he realised as he new a secret of the detective he was now forced to work with. With the up and coming new elections, hate/fear mongering groups was on the rise.
Unaware that the dragon knew things, just coming off one undercover case Jordan is pushed to take on the cases of the mythos. With the liaison from the Mythological service department. Shame eats at Jordan even while he craves to indulge in his desires, The Anti-groups was making life harder for the mythos, along with the setting Mayor. Now the impossible happens death by bliss.