I’ve been waiting for this book…and it didn’t disappoint.
Title: The Called
Series: The Calling Book 2
Author: M.D. Neu
Publisher: NineStar Press LLC.
Release Date: April 19, 2021
Heat Level: 4/5
Pairing: M/M
Length: 392 pages
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Tags: Established couple, immortality, magic, paranormal, psychic ability, royalty, vampires, werewolves, witches
Content Warnings: Graphic violence
Blurb:
The world is changing quickly for Chris now that he’s part of the Immortal Community. With the events of his past finally behind him, he’s still having visions and true magic is gradually taking hold in the world. Chris is still new and has no real standing in the Immortal Community, but he is learning that nothing is what he thought.
Old enemies must work together and longtime friends may not be trustworthy. With Juliet, Amanda, and Kirtus by his side, they have to prevent the immortal and witch community from being exposed.
New friendships are made, and longtime alliances are called into question. How will The Called defeat these latest threats, and what does it mean for the world?
My Review:
This series isn’t what you’d typically expect for a vampire tale. Sure, sure there’s a little bit of blood and gore – but not where you’d expect it.
Neu has taken a very romantic view of the predators that many of us have come to know and love. The enticement of immortality persists, but the savage violence is hidden behind closed doors, contained within psychic visions, or displayed in traditional ‘fight-to-the-death’ challenges. It almost feels like we are only allowed glimpses, snapshots if you will into the evil chasms of a vampire’s soul. Blood is still sustenance, and there is only one source – live humans. Immortals have tempers either forged in fire over millennia, or tempered through self-mastery, culture, and business affairs. Humans are not always victims of their savagery. Nay, it would seem they are far more discordant amongst themselves than they are with their sources of food.
There are two camps. The dark, and the light. They are, as you might expect, a defining line between behaviours, however, the differentiation is more representative of moral character than anything else. The dark are dubious, enigmatic, dangerous, and certainly more quick to resort to mayhem. Those in the light are elegant, refined, and governed by tradition, rules, and modesty.
Both have style.
Neu has cleverly written in fashion, aromas, and tastes into the novel giving it a textured layer. Even though everything is dripping in red, not all blood is the same. Believe it or not, some of us smell like buttered popcorn, vanilla and roses, or chocolate covered strawberries. It’s an interesting take on what we would have come to expect from bloodthirsty creatures.
Chris, our main character, carries on in his customary “everyday joe” feel from the first book. He doesn’t see himself as unique or special, and his actions and language come across that way, setting him apart from the rest of his kin. And yet, Chris, along with his lover Kurtis turn out to be the most central of all beings within the supernatural world.
Neu has woven in First Nations shamanistic traditions, witches, and shape shifters giving the second and final book in this duology additional complexity. There’s an ancient mystery here to be solved as well, and I was unsure where the story would lead – and that’s a good thing. As much as I could sense an inevitable happily ever after, the ending was still unexpected.
It’s quite difficult to put into words how The Called takes the Urban Fantasy Vampire realm, and while retaining much of the expected elements, has managed to turn it all on its head and give it an easy, classy and romantic feel to it.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s still violence, blood, and mayhem, and yet there’s an accessibility to the books that I’ve not quite experienced before and it is, in a sense, calming. It’s a gentle, but welcome read.
There’s a part of me that still wants more though. I’d love to see where the story picks up five years from now. I want to see more of Kurtis, the non-dark and non-light vampire, and how his reign has changed the immortal world. I’d love to see how Chris’ abilities grow – he certainly showed a credible amount of learned mastery over the course of the book. Perhaps I could persuade the author into writing more.
Or perhaps the next time I smell buttered popcorn, I’ll fondly remember that may be how I smell to at least one vampire.
Certainly will make me look over my shoulder, and check the shadows, however briefly.
My Rating:
Purchase Links:
NineStar Press | Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | International Buy Link
Meet the Author:
M.D. Neu is an award-winning inclusive gay Fiction Writer with a love for writing and travel. Living in the heart of Silicon Valley (San Jose, California) and growing up around technology, he’s always been fascinated with what could be. Specifically drawn to Science Fiction and Paranormal television and novels, M.D. Neu was inspired by the great Gene Roddenberry, George Lucas, Stephen King, Alice Walker, Alfred Hitchcock, Harvey Fierstein, Anne Rice, and Kim Stanley Robinson. An odd combination, but one that has influenced his writing.
Growing up in an accepting family as a gay man he always wondered why there were never stories reflecting who he was. Constantly surrounded by characters that only reflected heterosexual society, M.D. Neu decided he wanted to change that. So, he took to writing, wanting to tell good stories that reflected our diverse world.
When M.D. Neu isn’t writing, he works for a non-profit and travels with his biggest supporter and his harshest critic, Eric his husband of twenty plus years.
J.P. Jackson 
Thank you for the wonderful review.