The Fall of Elijah Gray by Colette Rivera

ARC Review

“Moonlight Falls calls us home.
But it feels more like home with you here than ever before.”

Moonlight Falls #0.5

Not suitable for anyone under 18 years of age.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️

Blurb

Focus on magic (not the hot chef) and everything will be fine.

Elijah Gray didn’t want to end up back in Moonlight Falls, but when he’s sent to the spooky small town as part of his magical research, he has no choice but to return home.

Parker Hayes is Eli’s brother’s best friend. He’s older, a powerful magical practitioner, and a pillar of the Moonlight Falls community. Eli has known Parker for years and isn’t sure why it feels like he’s never seen Parker properly…

Until now.

Eli has always considered himself straight, but he’s flustered around Parker. He’s noticing Parker in ways straight guys don’t usually think about other men.

He wants Parker but will never act on it. Something casual with his brother’s best friend would be a mistake, and anything more would mean accepting life in a town he can’t wait to escape.

All Eli has to do is ignore his new, confusing desires until he leaves Moonlight Falls. But every casual touch from Parker feels like a revelation, and Eli can’t help wondering if letting himself fall would be so bad.

***
The Fall of Elijah Gray is a stand alone prequel novella to the Moonlight Falls Trilogy. This MM paranormal romance ends in an HEA and is perfect for fans of the small town, age gap, and brother’s best friend tropes. CW’s can be found using the look inside feature and on the author’s website.

What to expect:

❥ Single POV ❥ MM Romance ❥ HEA
❥ Paranormal ❥ Brother’s Best Friend
❥ Age Gap ❥ Small Town ❥ Bi-Awakening

Review

This was such an enjoyable novella, a really great introduction to the books to come in the Moonlight Falls series. I’m definitely excited for the next book.

I always expect a bit of insta-lust in romance novellas, but it’s not at all the case in this one. I even had the feeling of a bit of slow burn while still getting a complete and wholesome love story. Of course it helps that Elijah and Parker aren’t strangers as they develop feelings for each other.

The romance itself was very low angst, and Elijah and Parker were super cute. I’m also always enjoying the bi-awakening trope, which was really great in this one.

I loved the small town vibe, with everyone being in everyone’s business, and the close bond between Elijah and his brother.

The magic and paranormal elements were captivating and eerie, and I’m very much looking forward to learning more about what’s going on in Moonlight Falls in the upcoming books.