Review: The Fool by A.J. Marcus

Title: The Fool (Cards of Destiny: Book One)

Author: A.J. Marcus

Length: 84 Pages

Category: Paranormal

At a Glance: The Fool has the feel of a longer novel, and, if the author had chosen to expand it, it would have been a great one. I definitely want to know how the story unfolds.

Reviewed By: Taz

Blurb: When Arron Carmichael and Ramsey Roland broke up it devastated both of them, but Ramsey couldn’t handle Arron’s family secret. When the family business brings them together, they discover Ramsey has a secret larger than any Arron thought possible.

Arron is part of the Gardener family, a group of witches who have protected the world from daemons for thousands of years. Ramsey couldn’t deal with the magic that was an intricate part of Arron’s life, so he told Arron they were finished, and he needed to leave. His decision left two hearts broken.

When Ramsey is mugged while going to a bar to hang out with friends, it opens him up to the world Arron had hinted at, but it also brings Arron back into his life. Arron does his best to save Ramsey from the dark forces that are hunting them both. When they learn the reason Ramsey is being hunted, it shocks them both to their cores but brings them closer together. Only together can they hope to defeat the forces working against them.

Review: The Fool is a paranormal romance that touched on a lot of hot spots I like. The two characters were totally into each other, there were some cool world-building elements, and there was fighting and action which made the reading exciting.

At 120 pages, this gives the reader a little more room to fully develop an opinion about the characters and to invest in where they end up. I enjoyed how Arron and Ramsey both reconnect and then are quickly thrown into a struggle that may tear them apart. I also enjoyed the tension built into the development of Ramsey who, as we discover along with him, has a secret that even he doesn’t know about himself. This twist had me eager to turn to the next chapter, then the next.

As with any shorter story or novella, the reader has to be willing to suspend disbelief a bit. No one, not even paranormal creatures, can flip switches on and off so quickly. But then there’s limited space, feelings have to evolve at a faster rate than would happen in a longer novel. That said, The Fool has the feel of a longer novel, and, if the author had chosen to expand it, it would have been a great one. I certainly want to learn more about what happens in the other books in the series.

I am left with one question after finishing the book: why did the author title it The Fool? I’m not entirely sure, although I could guess at a few things. Other titles I might give it are Dimensional Love for the dimension hopping or Across Paranormal Lines for the cross-paranormal-being love interest. One thing is for sure: I definitely want to know how the story unfolds.

You can buy The Fool here:
[zilla_button url=”http://bit.ly/2gehniI” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] eXtasy [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://authl.it/B06XBZWRVL?d” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Amazon [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://bit.ly/2gh2Z9r” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Barnes & Noble [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-fool/id1224713380?mt=11″ style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] iBooks [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://bit.ly/2gew19U” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Kobo [/zilla_button]