Skeletons In The Closet

by R D Noland

Overview

So what's a young gay boy from suburbs of Dayton, Ohio to do, when he comes out to his family, only to finds out his family has been keeping their own secrets. Jason Wynwood just turned 18 finding out he is in a long bloodline of witches. As Jason searches for love, he falls for a mysterious black haired gentleman named Damien. Jason is thrown into a dangerous world of magic with witches, vampires and werewolves, and a glittery nightlife sexual pleasures. He also discovers Young gay men have been turning up dead at rest stops all over surrounding areas. Police suspect that it's the work of a serial killer. But when a friend ends up dead it becomes personal. Can Jason find the killer before anyone else turns up dead?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781087902883
Publisher:	Raymond D. Noland
Publication date:	08/14/2020
Series:	Tales of a Gay Witch Book , #1
Pages:	252
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.53(d)

About the Author

R.D. Noland was born in the suburbs of Dayton, Ohio. During his last two years of high school, he attended M.C.J.S. studying art, photography, and printing. He took some classes at the Sinclair Community College to continue his education. He was raised by his mother, grandmother and aunt, all of whom shaped the way he viewed the world. Mr. Noland moved to Florida in1989 with his significant other and their two cats. They closed the chapter on that relationship after many years and sadly the cats went with his ex. Later he adopted two dogs that he fell in love with; they became his baby girls. He was accepted by some major art schools but could not afford to attend, so enrolled in a local college to study art. He has worked as a custom picture framer and a freelance artist in some several galleries and frame shops. Mr. Noland feels at his best when he is creating, so please join him on this new creative adventure and see where his imagination takes us.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer

Ulysses Dietz, Paranormal Romance Guild.

Review

This has to be categorized as an enthusiastic 3 rating, because I found myself charmed both by the story and by Jason Wynwood's character-despite the insistently unpolished and badly-edited writing. This is Harry Potter set in middle-America, presented to the reader through the eyes of R.D. Noland who, after reading his biography, could himself be Jason Wynwood. The tale is told in a matter-of-fact way, filled with unadorned yearning and a kind of awkward young-adult sex that I found weirdly endearing.

Jason's personal journey in southern Ohio becomes a three-pronged story: coming out, discovering his own magic powers, and helping his newly found paranormal community track down a serial killer. Eventually, Jason meets Damien, a beautiful dark-haired boy who seems to be Jason's dream date but turns out to have his own interesting complications. It's a bittersweet story, this one, opening the way for the second book in the series, "In the Light of The Moon."

Reviewer

Amanda Sloan, Reedsy Discovery

Review

This book Is a lot of fun! But I want to preface this with an adult content warning. Skeletons in the Closet starts out with some pretty graphic m/m smut scenes. And I also need to say that there is a scene with sexual violence in the first chapter. It does have relevance for the book and the main character's story progression, but I needed to put this warning in place.

I really enjoyed the story and thought the characters were believable. The main character, Jason, was both relatable and sarcastic, and Noland wrote him with perfect Twink vibes. Even before it was stated later in the book I got this - fantastic descriptive writing.

One thing that threw me off was the time period this was written in. The first indication was an apartment for $300 rent a month (what! Unheard of now!) followed by references to the "gay cancer" going around. This does not detract from the story, but I did scratch my head in confusion before I realized when this was written from.

Skeletons in the Closet falls into a few genres: adult fantasy, LGBTQIA+, romance, and mystery/crime - all in one story. It definitely keeps pace and is a page-turner. I love how all aspects of the story relate to one another and pull the conclusion together. Honestly, very well thought-out and executed outline! Commendations to Noland.

Noland painted a very realistic picture of what I imagine the life of a gay man in the late 80s/early 90s was. Plenty of sex, lots of fun and dancing, some acceptance, some bigotry and hatred, coupled with the murder of innocent gay men. Heartbreaking and beautiful.

As an aside, my favorite character was Jo and I 100% stand behind those protective lesbian mother vibes from her!

I feel like this book focused more on the LGBTQIA+ storyline and less on the witch/fantasy side. I would have loved to hear more about the family history of witchcraft and also Jason's father's Druidic association. But I guess that's for future books!

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy smutty m/m action set in a fantasy story. I would not recommend this book to anyone who is triggered by sexual violence or graphic sex scenes.

From the Publisher