Friday, July 29, 2016

Deductions by Lyn Gala


Darren is proud of his work on the FBI’s magical Talent unit. However, his own lack of magic means he can never be with Supervisory Special Agent and Shaman Kavon Boucher. The shamanic magic poses a real danger to any mundane who gets too close, so Darren tries to hide his attraction and keep a professional relationship at work. That resolve begins to crumble when a new man sets his sights on Kavon and Darren can’t control his resentment.

Now they have a brutal new case of a suspect targeting magical adepts. Darren tries to keep focused on that crime, but when he starts to show signs of his own magic, he hopes that maybe he can not only be a more effective part of the team but also a real partner to Kavon. He might have a second chance at love if only Kavon can learn to trust his new and unpredictable magic that has changed the rules of the magical game.

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Book 1
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela☆☆☆☆☆
As a fan of Gala’s sci-fi romances, I was beyond excited for the chance to review Deductions. I queued it up on my Kindle this morning to read while I was waking up slowly on a Sunday morning, taking a bit of time to myself to enjoy an author who, after only two books, had secured a top spot in my go-to authors for sci-fi romances. My plan was to read a few chapters, get up and work on the blog posts for the week, and then end the day reading as much of the rest of the novel that I could before sleep claimed me. HAHAHAHA!!! That is so not what happened. Five hours and 200 plus pages later, I’ve finished devouring Deductions and want Derivation NOW!

In the world of Aberrant Magic, there is a small proportion of society who are natural born magic users – shamans, spell casters, crystal users, and more. An even smaller portion of those are called adepts – persons who possess lower levels of magic, but who can serve as an anchor for shamans when they walk in the spirit world. People without powers are referred to as mundanes and most readers won’t be the least bit surprised that a good amount of mundanes fear or hate magic users. Because of this and because of his staunch commitment to justice for all individuals, Darren works well as the sole mundane on the FBI’s Talent unit. He has no prejudices against his teammates; in fact, his attraction to his supervisor is more of a threat to his spot on the team as shamans and humans are incompatible. While Darren has worked hard over the years to keep his feelings for Boucher to himself, the addition of a new adept working closely with the shaman and enjoying it far too much, is proving to be a more difficult pill for Darren to swallow. That the adept seems to be targeting him with his magic fuels Darren’s frustration with the matter, especially as no one believes him. But when a “prank” goes wrong and Darren exhibits previously undetected magical abilities, his status goes from mundane to unknown in a matter of hours, and as more is revealed about his abilities, it becomes obvious that the “rules” don’t apply to him. As Darren is thrust into a new way of life, a new political landscape, and a second chance with the man he’s been pining for, his untapped powers may be the key to solving the case they’re currently working and discovering who’s behind the kidnapping and murder of adepts.

The fact that I got sucked into Deductions and didn’t come up for air until I finished the book five hours later, is a pretty strong indicator of just how much I loved the story. Gala has created a fascinating world and, because most of the book is told from Darren’s point of view, the reader learns the secrets of the magic world at the same time he does. Even though he’s been on the FBI’s Talent team, there are things his status as a mundane kept him from learning. This allowed the author to engage in world building gradually over the course of the novel and prevented an information dump at the beginning of the book. That the book begins during a magical shoot-out that requires the various team members to use their unique abilities serves as a great way to introduce the reader to the different aspects of their world, as well as the team dynamics. The parts of the book that are told from Boucher’s perspective not only reveal that Darren’s feelings aren’t unrequited, but also go a long way in helping the reader to understand just how impressive Darren’s abilities are. One of the things I liked is that Boucher didn’t waste time telling Darren that he shouldn’t have been able to do certain tasks. I get that he was often stunned by what Darren accomplished – and rightfully so based on his and Les’s reactions – but because Darren didn’t know what he shouldn’t be capable of doing, it seemed to make his acceptance of Bennu practically seamless, thereby enabling him to do things that were outside of Boucher’s realm of abilities, much less a newbie like Darren. The emotional connection between Darren and Boucher was an interesting mix of relief and regret that worked well with their circumstances as Darren was relieved that he finally had a real chance with the Boucher, and Boucher was both relieved that Darren was within the realm of possibility, yet regretful of the loss that represented. As for their case, well that’s one of the reasons why I cannot wait to get my hands on Derivation – to learn exactly how organized the murderer(s) may be, as well as to see how things will continue to progress between Darren and Boucher.



Lyn Gala started writing in the back of her science notebook in third grade and hasn't stopped since. Westerns starring men with shady pasts gave way to science fiction with questionable protagonists, which eventually became any story with a morally ambiguous character. Even the purest heroes have pain and loss and darkness in their hearts, and that’s where she likes to find her stories. Her characters seek to better themselves and find the happy (or happier) ending.

When she isn't writing, Lyn Gala teaches history in a small town in New Mexico. Her favorite spot to write is a flat rock under a wide tree on the edge of the open desert where her dog can terrorize local wildlife. Writing in a wide range of genres, she often gravitates back to adventure and BDSM, stories about men in search of true love and a way to bring some criminal to justice…unless they happen to be the criminals.

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http://www.loose-id.com


Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Deductions (Aberrant Magic #1) by Lyn Gala to read and review.

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