Goldilox and the Three Weres: Review: The Rising by Morgan Brice

The Rising
(Badlands #2)
Morgan Brice
Release: February 13, 2019
Goodreads Amazon

A big storm is brewing, there’s a killer on the loose, and the ghosts of Myrtle Beach are restless. Psychic medium Simon Kincaide and his sexy cop boyfriend, homicide detective Vic D’Amato have their hands full helping the Grand Strand brace for rough surf, driving rain, and high winds as a winter storm roars toward shore.

Everyone’s on edge, and rumors are rampant about sightings of Blackcoat Benny, a ghostly omen of danger, and worse, the Gallows Nine, the spirits of nine infamous criminals hanged back in the 1700s, a harbinger of disaster. Rough tides wash the wreck of an old pirate ship into shallow waters, high winds threaten to damage an old mansion with a dark past, and the citizens of the beach town hunker down to ride out the storm.

As the skies grow dark and the sea turns wild, several men from prominent local families end up dead under suspicious circumstances. Simon’s premonition confirms Vic’s gut feeling—the killing is just getting started. As Simon tries to reach out to the spirits of the murdered men to help the investigation, he’s attacked by malicious ghosts that don’t want anyone getting in the way of their long-overdue vengeance.

With the storm hammering the coast, and new victims piling up, Simon is certain that the sins and secrets of the past are coming due, and that the murders have a supernatural link. Vic and Simon race to stop the murders against an unholy deadline, but as they battle rising tides and risen ghosts, can they save the intended victims without getting trapped themselves?

The Rising is the second novel in the Badlands series. It is a MM romance intended for readers 18 years of age and older.

Review:
In case you missed it, I've kind of become obsessed with Morgan Brice's books this year. It all started when I read her book, Badlands, and I ended up picking up everything she's written. I've already reread Badlands a couple of times and I've been pushing it on all of my friends. All while I've been not so patiently waiting for the sequel. And that sequel was everything I wanted and more! I loved The Rising so much!

Reading this book made me realize three things:

1. I need a lot more queer paranormal romance/urban fantasy books in my life.

2. I need more books/series that revolve around established couples because Simon and Vic are everything.

3. Morgan Brice has officially made my auto-buy author list.

Ghost pirates! Boo hags! Hoo doo! Colonial manors! Unexplainable suicides that might actually be murders! It seems like a weird and quirky mix to find in a story that should never work together but it does! It does so well! This book is so cleverly written with captivating characters. I found myself fully immersed in the story from page one and read it in one sitting. And just like the first book, I loved Simon and Vic and their relationship but the mystery was the show stealer again. It was twisty and bloody intriguing and the guesses I kept making about how things were going to go down were nowhere near correct. It was just SO good!

As I said before, I loved that while there was romance in this book we get to stick with Simon and Vic as an established a fully committed couple. I loved watching them explore and deepen their relationship and figure out how to compromise with each other. I really do need more books where the romance between established couples are explored.

And can we talk about how great all of the secondary characters are? I love Simon's bestie and Vic's partner and the dynamic they have with the main characters. But I love, love, love the fact that Simon's colleagues/mentors in all things paranormal are two older women who are the local experts in their fields of magic. I loved the mix of Simon's visions, the hoo doo, and the bruja awesomeness! It makes for a unique take on the paranormal that was refreshing to read. I also love how the paranormal creatures aren't the mainstream werewolves and vampires that I love in other series. I'm not sure if I had ever heard of a boo hag before this series. Which is saying something with how much urban fantasy and paranormal romance books I read.

I could seriously gush continuously about how good this book and this series is but I'm going to contain it to that. I loved it so much! And I can see myself rereading them over and over again in the future. Alas, I’m back to waiting for the next book. Hopefully it comes soon!

Note: I think you need to read the short story, Restless Nights, and the novella, Lucky Town, before you pick up this book.