REVIEW: Jade Lion and the Witch Boy by CD Rachels (Haunted Hearts: Season of the Witch)

JADE LION AND THE WITCH BOY

Haunted Hearts: Season of the Witch

by CD Rachels

Release Date: October 13, 2025

Review

I think this may be my favourite so far by CD Rachels. It’s a really great story with two wonderful characters set in a fascinating world of magic, who you immediately like and root for.

The Jade Lion is the most powerful spellcaster to exist, and he has been trapped in a stone for a century, because the people of his time wanted him to uphold the status quo.

When young Seb inadvertently set him free from the stone souvenir that he brought home from his trip to Hong Kong.

What ensues will not only change their lives as the two men find love, but will also change the course of history for the magical community.

Find love, family, and acceptance; Seb and Kai become leaders as well as lovers.

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Synopsis

The Jade Lion is the most powerful spellcaster to ever exist. And he was living inside my souvenir.

It was only a tiny keepsake from my trip to Hong Kong. How was I supposed to know it imprisoned a legendary mage? Sure, I’m attuned to magic, but if I had known a massive lion-human-hybrid―with power dripping from his ferocious claws―was inside the trinket, I probably would have avoided it. And when he morphs back into his human form, he’s…drawn to me.

My coven wants to be accepted by wizardkind. It makes sense―us witches are the marginalized community of the magical world. Forming a bond with the Jade Lion might be our ticket to more respect. But I’m a mediocre witch, and he’s a living legend trapped out of time. I don’t see how I can emotionally manipulate him into giving us power. As the weeks go by and we grow closer, I’m starting to feel like I don’t want to. Against all odds, I’m falling for him.

Dark forces lurk around every corner. If I can’t convince Kai to join us, it could spell catastrophe. What’s a witch boy to do?

“Jade Lion and the Witch Boy” is a paranormal M/M romance, involving a coven of disgruntled witches and a lion-shifter with more power than he realizes. This spicy tale is part of the “Haunted Hearts: Season of the Witch” collab series where Own Voices authors tell mystical tales, HEA guaranteed.

About CD Rachels

CD Rachels has been coming up with stories since he was little. At first it was all about superheroes and pocket monsters, but his genre of choice has expanded since

puberty.

He’s been consuming young adult gay fiction since he was a teen, but within the past five years, he’s moved up to the big leagues of gay adult romance. In 2020 during quarantine, he burned through more male/male romance books than he ever had in the previous 29 years combined.

He lives in New York City with the love of his life and works in health insurance. When he’s not reading and writing, he’s playing board games and practicing music. He is honored to become a published author, and if you’re reading this, your support means so much to him that it’s giving him a tingly feeling (in a good way).

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