You Can Do Magic

Carnival of Mysteries

By: R.L. Merrill

Narrated by: Victor Quixabas, Lance West

WINNER of the Paranormal Romance Guild's Reviewers Choice Award and FINALIST in The North Texas Romance Writers' Carolyn contest.

Musical prodigy Kallos Alexandrou has played his calliope for countless visitors at Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries, but his one-year residency has come to an end. Scars from a terrible tragedy in his past are the only explanation he has for his loss of speech and memory, but it’s time to move on, so when a music festival sets up next to the carnival, Mr. Ame sends him off with identification, a bottomless billfold, and a set of new clothes. Outside the carnival’s perimeter, Kal finds himself in an unfamiliar world surrounded by strange instruments and vibrant people like nothing he’s ever seen.

Ryan Wells is the troubled and celebrated lead singer of the metal band Backdrop Silhouette. He’s brought more than his share of baggage on the last cross-country Warped Tour, including harsh restrictions placed on him by his parole officer and the band’s label, but it’s the treatment from his bandmates that have him feeling unsettled. After a tough morning, he spots a strange young man playing carnival music on a keyboard backstage, and the sound takes him back to a particularly vulnerable time in his youth. Intrigued, Ryan asks the young man’s name, but he flees only to appear later as a replacement stagehand for the tour.

An invitation from the band Hush to ride on their bus gives Ryan and Kal a welcome distraction. They find the camaraderie and support they’ve both been craving…as well as a little magic and a fresh new romance. But personal secrets and the music business make relationships difficult to maintain, and when the tour ends, Ryan and Kal will have to make a choice: move forward together on an uncertain path, or let fear keep them from trusting that sometimes you really can have everything you desire.

©2023, 2024 Celie Bay Publications LLC (P)2024 Celie Bay Publications LLC

So good!

Such a good and interesting story! Magic and love make for a great experience and I loved listening to this. I think the voice actors did a great job. AFAIK it’s the first audio I’ve listened to performed by Victor and I really enjoyed his voice. RL Merrill has written a book that held my attention from start to finish! I’m quickly moving on to her next book in this magical world.

Love story

This story was very creative and I really like the magic and music combination. The love story was sweet but I was still confused about some things in Ryan’s past. Enjoyable story.