Oleander House (Bay City Paranormal Investigations) [Paperback]

Ally Blue (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bay City Paranormal Investigations | Publication Date: April 17, 2007

When Sam Raintree goes to work for Bay City Paranormal Investigations, he expects his quiet life to change-he doesn't expect to put his life and sanity on the line, or to fall for a man he can never have. Book One in the Bay City Paranormal Investigation series. Sam Raintree has never been normal. All his life, he's experienced things he can't explain. Things that have colored his view of the world and of himself. So taking a job as a paranormal investigator seems like a perfect fit. His new co-workers, he figures, don't have to know he's gay. When Sam arrives at Oleander House, the site of his first assignment with Bay City Paranormal Investigations, nothing is what he expected. The repetitive yet exciting work, the unusual and violent history of the house, the intensely erotic and terrifying dreams which plague his sleep. But the most unexpected thing is Dr. Bo Broussard, the group's leader. From the moment they meet, Sam is strongly attracted to his intelligent, alluring boss. It doesn't take Sam long to figure out that although Bo has led a heterosexual life, he is very much in the closet, and wants Sam as badly as Sam wants him. As the investigation of Oleander House progresses and paranormal events in the house escalate, Sam and Bo circle warily around their mutual attraction, until a single night of bloodshed and revelation changes their lives forever. Warning: this title contains explicit male/male sex, intense violence, and graphic language.

Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Samhain Publishing (April 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599983559
• ISBN-13: 978-1599983554
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #872,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ally Blue is acknowledged by the world at large (or at least by her heroes, who tend to suffer a lot) as the Popess of Gay Angst. She has a great big suggestively-shaped hat and rides in a bullet-proof Plexiglas bubble in Christmas parades. Her harem of manwhores does double duty as bodyguards and inspirational entertainment. Her favorite band is Radiohead, her favorite color is lime green and her favorite way to waste a perfectly good Saturday is to watch all three extended-version LOTR movies in a row. Her ultimate dream is to one day ditch the evil day job and support the family on manlove alone. She is not a hippie or a brain surgeon, no matter what her kids' friends say.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK but I'm done, October 31, 2007

By 

Ron "[e-mail]" (Whidbey Island, WA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Oleander House (Bay City Paranormal Investigations) (Paperback)

I'd hoped this would be the first of many in the Bay City Paranormal series that I'd enjoy reading. But my journey is over. It's not terrible, but has too many annoying points for me to go on with the books. I found the dwelling on Sam's attraction to Bo and his reactions unconvincing and pointless. Plus, what's with "the braid?" Never understood the emphasis on or repetitive mentioning of Bo's hair appendage. It's an easy-to-read book, but it didn't really wrap things up by the end -- probably as an inducement to continue reading the series.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fine piece of M/M romance from Ally!, April 17, 2007

By 

R.Parklane (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Oleander House (Bay City Paranormal Investigations) (Paperback)

This is vol 1 of the Paranormal Investigation series and it is much more than a M/M romance. The characters are well developed, leaping from the pages. The plot started off slow but as the story progresses, it is gripping and intriguing as the characters are drawn into a paranormal world which ultimately threatens their lifes. As this is a series, the romance between the 2 guys is not rushed as in most M/M erotica. In Vol 1, Ally does a marvelous job building up the tension and emotions between Sam and Bo. [...].

[...]. Howeve I find both Sam and Bo not very likable (reason for my 4 stars) and am still trying to figure out why. Bo definitely need a good shake and I would have preferred him to be more alpha. As for Sam, he could be more sensitive and vulnerable ? However they do grow on you and I find myself cheering them on to be together. And I have to say the last 40 pages as their feelings and the plot reach a climax is a darn fine piece of writing from Ally. For those of you who cannot wait, Vol 2 is available from Samhain and let's just say the paranormal plot is as gripping and the emotional entanglements between the guys angst filled.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not my favorite, but will give the series the benefit of the doubt and read book #2..., June 14, 2010

By 

S. J. Cowan (Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Oleander House: Bay City Paranormal Investigations, Book 1 (Kindle Edition)

This is the first book in the Bay City Paranormal Investigation series. As a first book I was kind of disappointed. The main character is a man by the name of Sam Raintree who has just been hired by the Bay City group and is ready to begin the first case. The group is to investigate Oleander House, located in the South (United States), which has a less-than-favorable history. It has been the scene of numerous slaughters, where all but one person residing in the house was torn to bloody pieces. That one remaining person often ended up in an asylum. The team is called in when a child touring the house, which has been opened as an attraction, is bitten by an unknown animal. The bite immediately becomes infected and the child dies. The Bay City group consists of four men (including Sam) and a woman, plus an additional woman who is an outside psychic brought in by the houses owner. The six of them proceed to investigate the house and property in an attempt to find the source of all the problems that have reoccurred over the years.

The regular investigation hits snags periodically, not the least of which is Sam's attraction to his (male) boss. While his boss is married and has children he seems to periodically share Sam's attraction while at other times he is cold and shoves him away. I found the interactions between the two, as well as Bo (Sam's boss) in general to be frustrating and they often seemed to detract a bit from the book. Additionally, some of the dialogue (between any number of characters, but especially the psychic) seemed forced. While I won't give away the ending, I will say that it seemed abrupt. I'm aware that there are other books in the series, but at the end of this book the story just seems to stop without any sort of resolution. I wasn't terribly impressed with the book overall but will give the series another chance and read the second book before giving up on it completely.