reviews_and_ramblings | And Hell Itself Breathes Out by AR Moler

I’m not usually a big fan of horror/thriller stories, but And Hel itself Breathes Out won me over for having the right dose of drama mixed with a good romance and a real story beside the good sex.

Evan Garrett is an homicide detective with Washington DC police department; he is not your usually cop, and not only since he has an high rate of resolved cases; he is also a pagan, and an empath, and even if he doesn’t flaunt his Talents, he is not against the idea to use them, and above all he is open to believe in everything.

When a series of murders seem to be linked to a demoniac cult, John Benchley, the head of Special Investigative Services, enters the scene: as Evan he has some mild psychic power, nothing really big, but as for Evan, it opened his mind to possibilities.

This is basically what I liked most of this novel, the balance between real and fantasy, between possibilities and reality. It’s a horror paranormal story, but, if you are far enough to not see all the details, it could well be another serial killer type of story. The murderers are bored and spoiled college kids with too much money on their hands and really nothing do to. The victims are mostly society wrecks, people no one will miss. This is not a big case, if not for the narrow sequence of dead bodies, and for the paranormal side that gathers the interest of the SIS.

Even the story between Evan and John is at the same time simple and intense; there are some sparks and then a deflagration and a night of passion; after that, both of them are able to bring back the relationship on track, allowing them to share “comfort” but also to work together. No drama, no sense of guilty, only a bit of uneasiness in front of their colleagues, but nothing insuperable.

There is no pushing on the drama button, not trying to highlight what is obvious: John and Evan are both bisexual, John a recent divorcee, Evan in a new relationship with a woman, but nothing really serious, nothing he will miss if it will suddenly disappear: proof is the fact that the woman enters the scene well far forward in the story to not really leave a sign. When Evan does the first move on John, it’s natural and light, even a bit a teasing of the almost aloof John; Evan has a different way to approach life, maybe since he hasn’t suffered all the losses John had.

Even if they start a relationship, mutually satisfying, not John or Evan suddenly “turn” totally gay; basically they don’t discern between men and women, they have the concept of “partner” and if they are good with a partner, doesn’t matter if it’s a man or a woman. As John and Evan are open minded to accept the paranormal side of their job, they are the same to accept any possibilities in their private life.

Everything was so smooth and natural, that in the end, I didn’t feel as I was reading an horror or a bisexual story or a gay romance, I was simply reading a story of two men in love with each other and fighting against something outside.

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