Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.

Was swooning a thing real people did? Or was it just something that happened to characters in books? Because I was ready to fall into this guy and have him carry me away.

Book 3, and I’m still having so much fun reading this series. There’s so much sweetness in the romance, a perfect amount of paranormal stuff going on, some action and also a good dose of funny stuff. I remember the warm and fuzzy feeling the first book in the series gave me, and this one was no different. I would gladly move to Willow Lake, and I can’t wait for Simon’s book.

I do wish the overarching plot for the series was touched on a little more in this book, because it did feel it was mostly relationship centered. Which is fine, and it was still there, but I’m such a sucker for external action. I’m guessing there will be more in the next book.

Two of the characters I have been the most intrigued by through the first two books were Gage and Jake, so I got really excited when I found out they would be paired together. It definitely did not disappoint. Jake is the cutest and most charming little dude ever.

This series is low angst and loads of fun. Can definitely recommend.

?? Blanket spoiler warning ??

?? Tropes & tags ??
Demon MC
Oracle MC
Found family
Supernatural
Small town
Virgin MC
Slight age gap
Slow burn

?? Content warning ??
Vomiting
Explicit sexual content
Mentions of human trafficking
Bomb explosion
Minor injury (MCs and SCs)
Death of family members (past)
Graphic violence and murder

??Book safety ??
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
POV: 1st person, dual POV
Genre: Paranormal romance, M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters’ age: 23 and nearly 2000
Pages: 356

I may not have ever had sex, but I knew what I wanted: I’d discovered porn in the last year. It’d been very educational.

A sharp pain sliced into my leg. “Ouch. What the?—?” Paws was there, clawing on my shin to get my attention. “Lift me up,” he demanded. I still wasn’t entirely comfortable with my grandfather’s supposedly magical cat, but I did as he asked. I gathered him in my arms and hoisted him up. He was surprisingly heavy for being so small. “Don’t hold me I’m a baby, for fuck’s sake,” he grumbled as he wiggled out of my arms to climb onto my shoulders. He sprawled behind my neck, stretching from one shoulder to the other the world’s most uncomfortable scarf.


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12 s Heather706 12

DNF 50%

The writing style of this author doesn't mesh with what I enjoy as a reader. There is way too much exposition and internal monologue. A five sentence conversation takes five pages because someone says a sentence and then gets lost in their own head for a page. Then the next person replies, lather, rinse, repeat until I can't even remember what the point of the conversation was. I prefer showing in books. This is just way, way, waaaaaaay too much telling for me. It's an absolute chore to get through and that's not the point of reading for me.5 s2 comments Joyfully Jay8,079 470

A Joyfully Jay review.

4.25 stars

Oracles Always Win is the third book in Lori Ames’ Willow Lake Supernatural series and it’s another great installment in this engaging paranormal series. These books each feature a new couple, but the characters appear in each other’s books and there is an overarching suspense storyline. We also meet Jake in earlier books, as well as learn a bit about Gage from his teammate Adrian’s book. So while you might be able to follow along here, these are best read in order starting with Hellhounds Never Lie to get the full picture of the threats and character backstory.

I have been intrigued by Jake as a character as we learned in past books that everyone knows he is an oracle but him (and the townsfolk have a betting pool going as to when he might figure it out)

I found this another great installment to a really compelling series and I am definitely excited for more.

Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.

jay4 s Elena Rodríguez815 458

2.5
“This is the place. Welcome. You are here. You are home. We’ve been waiting for you. We’re thrilled to have you. So happy you found us.”

Tercera parte de “Willow Lake Supernaturals”. Le tenía ganas a la historia, sobre todo porque pensaba que iba a ser el momento que se me respondiesen muchas de las preguntas formadas en los otros libros, sin embargo, no ha sido así.

Me han encantado los personajes y los secundarios los que más. Pero de resto, se me ha hecho un poco bola y repetitivo. Me ha dado también rabia que esté alargando la saga como un chicle y contando las cosas a cuentagotas, pero tengo ganas como sigue y necesito respuestas. También admitir que mejora en cuanto a su escritura.

A por el siguiente.
4 s Taylor Jefferson306 2

2.75

I have d this series so far, but was frustrated for most of this book. First of all, the abundance of repetitive inner dialogue drove me nuts. Characters would be in the middle of conversations but there would be paragraphs/pages of a character's thoughts between each time a character spoke. It threw off the pacing and I found myself skimming a lot.

Jake's character pops up in the first two books. We already know he has powers but his ability to see the supernatural world is suppressed. It took almost half the book of Jake stuffing his head in sand before he finally found out he was an oracle. I was frustrated with him for how willfully ignorant he was being and with the town, who saw he was struggling but chose to keep him in the dark. He would literally see centaurs, tentacles and people with horns and his reaction was just "I must be going nuts, but I probably shouldn't tell anyone." Once again it was just repetitive and all I felt was frustration. Jake was insecure and naive at the beginning of the story and remained that way. I didn't see any real growth from his character.

There were still so many unanswered questions regarding Jake and his oracle abilities. At the end of the book he has the opportunity to speak to the ghost of his grandfather and get some answers but he decides he doesn't want to. Well, that's just fine and dandy but as a reader I would have d some answers! The author has the perfect setup to provide us with some closure then doesn't. It felt a tease. I love interconnected "standalones" with overarching plots but there has to be a balance of leaving the door open and providing a satisfying ending for each couple.

I will still continue this series, mostly because I d the first book so much, but this was lackluster.books-read-in-2024 mm-romance paranormal-romance3 s Fernanda Fatio339 1 follower

There was not much advancement in terms of the overall arc (the trafficking ring investigation). Gage and his team didn’t do a thing there that actively involved an investigation.
The town’s bet toward Jake may have started fun and innocent but it pissed me off how no one saw how he was deteriorating. They knew he was an oracle and having visions without admitting to seeing the magic properly. No one imagined what he must have been thinking? Felt sad that even after been there for a year he didn’t have one single person to confide with.
Gage was an interesting character and I d how to noticed this issue right away and took upon his responsibility to help Jake, even before knowing what they meant for each other.
As for the attack on the other pack and the bombing in the inn we are left with more questions than answers and I found weird that the author preferred to focus on Gage and Jake discussing hygiene habits before sex after bonding for several pages instead of the fact that Gage had gone on a rampage and killed several people.
Lastly, I saw that next book will be Simon and Ogden. Who the hell is Ogden? Do I know an Ogden? And Simon? Scaredy cat Simon) I was more interested in seeing other characters Levi/Parker, Hayden or Van - since we don’t know their story yet. This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review2 s Geeky Mama58

I absolutely love this series! Lori Ames is going to be an instant buy author for me from here on out.

Gabe and Jake are a bit of a slow burn in that it takes them a while to figure things out - with good reason. Jake doesn’t know about supernaturals and thinks the things he sees are hallucinations bringing him closer and closer to a padded room.

I d how patient and understanding Gabe was with him. He also has the whole touch him and die thing going on and who doesn’t love that?

Jeremy is a favourite of mine and I was thrilled to see a decent amount of him in this book too.

The characters are overall, well rounded and interesting. There are a lot of side characters and it can be a little hard to keep track of who is who all the time. Especially if you’re me and absolutely terrible with names. That said, so many of the side characters are interesting and make me want more. will a certain pizza guy ever end up with his shy Minotaur? Or what’s up with the sheriff and his doctor or just anything about Nelson (broody goth boys are my jam).

The action was well paced and kept me entertained.

Just a warning, this isn’t really a series that can really be read as a stand alone. The author does a good job of explaining things but you will miss out on a lot of context if you skip the first two books. Plus you’ll miss out of all of Jeremy’s hilarious antics in book two.

I can’t wait for the next book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.2 s Emily Pennington18.7k 311

The Demon and the Oracle . . .

Jake figures that he is normal and ordinary. But he does suspect there is something different about Willow Lake’s population. He imagined Van Clark, the Chief of Police, had fire in his eyes! It had to be a trick of the light though. And he thought he heard Hayden Walker growl. A bad cold? He even thought he had seen a horse run through the shadows… but the top half really did look a guy, and he wasn’t riding the horse! A centaur? Was he hallucinating? But people looked at Jake as if he was odd too, so he must be mistaken. Fortunately, he has a way to relax his mind, a sort of therapy. He paints while he sleeps. Creepy depressing pictures always done in black, gray, and white paint, but still it doesn’t harm anyone. His “normal” paintings were not selling, and the inn he inherited from his grandfather was not doing well. So he hated wasting money on the dreary paints. He also was afraid to see whether he again painted the guy with horns he seemed fixated on. He was running out of space to store all these odd paintings! He even tried to paint over one to reuse the canvas, but his fingers locked up, his muscles seized, and he couldn’t do it. Then he realized a half-hour had passed without his awareness! He screamed out his frustration; the Inn was empty and no one would hear him anyway.

Gage is a demon. He opens a portal so he and his team, Isaac (a cyclops) and Nelson (a shadow jumper), could enter this magical place. The strong magic was affecting each of them. Gage was meeting the police chief (a hellhound) later but he wanted to look around more first and they headed to the inn. Jake had finished getting dressed and stepped out of his room. But hearing a sound at the end of the hall, he looked up to see the man he had been painting in his dreams! And he really did have horns! His hallucination, for it had to be that, was stunningly handsome. He even had dimples! Jake blinked, but the vision didn’t go away. Jake studied him, impressed at the accuracy of his paintings that captured every inch of this man who now started to grin. Gage was about to apologize for startling him when Jake put his finger over the man’s lips… he didn’t need his vision to talk, just needed to study every detail of his body and “get to the good stuff” since the man felt so warm and real! Jake wished the man’s shirt away, but it somehow didn’t disappear? He wished this was real, but he loved this perfect illusion. And he demanded that the man kiss him right now! As the man lifted him, he wrapped his legs around the guy’s waist. With a happy sigh, he was ready to head off to work, knowing he could conjure up this scenario again as soon as he got back. The whole experience was so life! Maybe losing his mind wouldn’t be so bad after all… and he left Gage standing there speechless!

Eventually Gage will reveal to Jake that he is a demon who loves the family (team) he has claimed as his own. And he has information about Jake too – Jake is an oracle and is Gage’s mate. Jake will have so much to learn, especially about all the paranormals that have always surrounded him! And will Gage be beside him for this unusual journey to self-awareness?
reviewed1 C.188

The Willow lake series is a fun journey into the supernatural. It is great to see all the characters from previous books and hope for more books in the future with other characters. 1 Courtney Bassett735 190

I just recently discovered this series and have been eagerly anticipating Jake’s story! Plus Gage, who so desperately needed a tether! It was fun to see all the side characters, including Jeremy (who I will never get enough of) and several whose happy endings I can’t wait to see (looking at you, Hayden).

This author has a really good grasp on pacing as well as a great balance between plot and romance. Each book has had me cheering for the couple and invested in the story.

I do recommend reading this series in order because of the overarching plot and world building, though each book features a different couple. hardback-or-paperback mm paranormal-fantasy ...more1 Demian Grimm108 1 follower

Lori Ames and her Willow Lake Supernaturals series quickly became a must-read for me. It is simply impossible not to fall in love with this colourful city and its quirky inhabitants.
Even though each book features a different couple, I definitely recommend reading this series in order for the world building and overarching plot/mystery.

I loved the romance between Jake & Gage. And although they have instant chemistry, it takes a while for them to figure things out.
Jake is a cinnamon roll of a character you would wrap in a burrito blanket to comfort and protect. While Gage is an incredibly powerful demon, he has a soft spot for everyone he considers his own - his team (found family) and Jake.

Main characters are interesting, able and well developed. Story is well written and fun with a touch of action, suspense & mystery. It is also full of interesting side characters that make you want to read more about them (and find out who their fated mates are).
There is also the ongoing mystery to this series which is interesting and engaging.
I can't wait to read how the story develops and unfolds in the next book.

On the whole, I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for all the other stories!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.1 Cath2,568 32

This is book three of the Willow Lake Supernaturals series and the main characters are Jake, the owner and landlord of the local inn, and Gage, a demon who works with a team of supernaturals on jobs for the Supernatural Council, hunting down those who cause harm and do wrong. Jake has no idea why he has been painting pictures in the middle of the night whilst asleep, always in just black and white, then throwing up and crawling back into bed exhausted. Lots of those images have been of a handsome man with horns coming out of his head and even himself in some, with them getting pretty frisky together. Jake has been thinking for months, after arriving in town after his mother’s death and after being invited there by a grandfather he had never even known about, that most of the townsfolk looked a bit weird. He thought he saw fire in the Chief of Police Van Clark’s eyes, growling coming from the town’s mechanic, Hayden Walker, and even the pub cat sounded he was talking to people at times. Now he had done a painting of a centaur, racing across the area outside his inn! The inn has no customers and only the pub is bringing in any money, but he doesn’t know if it will be enough to keep his grandfather’s business going. He hasn’t even managed to sell any of his own paintings, the colourful ones he does during the day. After the latest bad night, he makes a wish list of three things he wants to achieve before it’s too late. Gage and his team were investigating the break-in at the inn and the stolen dangerous artifacts his grandfather owned, which led them to a separate wolf pack outside of town who had sold some of the items to a goblin and this leads to an illegal trafficking of supernaturals ring run by the goblin, but clearly not alone.

Gage had been searching the world for centuries looking for a place that was his tether, a place to become the guardian of and that in return would balance his demonic powers. He had gathered his team with him over the years, making a deal with them in return for his protection, allowing his magic to be shared and getting something in return. Walking through his portal into this town, he and the others are struck by the power surge they feel in this place. He thought it was down to the number of supes in the small town, but the inn is also built right over ley lines. He and some of his team are now in town to meet up with Van and Hayden. Gage, Nelson a shadow jumper and Isaac a centaur, wanted to get a feel for the inn and he used his powers to get through the locked doors. The rest of his team, Davina a medium and his second, and Teague a death mage were working on another case, whilst Adrian a wolf shifter and his human mate Jeremy, would be with them shortly. Gage gets a strange feeling he should check the upstairs of the inn and walks right into Jake as he comes out of his room, but Jake thinks he is a hallucination! He tells Gage to kiss him practically climbing up him, something he would never have done in real life, having had very little experience with relationships. When the three of them walk into the pub and get a table later on, he can hardly take his eyes off Gage! Everyone in the pub has realised exactly what he is, but he is the only one that doesn’t seem to know. He is an oracle without a tether and that could drive him mad with visions and he would die. Gage feels a connection to Jake and a strange flutter, making him wonder if Jake could be his mate, but he also can’t get a read on exactly what Jake is and he shows no real knowledge of supes. Turns out the locals have had a bet on about when Jake will actually realise what and who he is!

Gage is already feeling overly protective towards Jake, and his team notice this making fun of him, but they are also there for an important reason and need to get to know the other supes in this town. They meet with Van a hellhound and Hayden a reluctant wolf shifter alpha, in the pub and discuss Hayden’s brother Robbie, who is in charge of the other wolf pack up in the hills and responsible for the thefts of Jake’s grandfather’s artifacts and so much more criminal activity. Another painting Jake does in Gage’s presence shows another trafficking event, with lots of different supes locked up in cages, meaning Gage’s team haven’t gotten to the root of this evil ring and need to speak to Haden’s brother and those responsible for the theft. An embarrassing painting session with the old ladies of the town, has Jake suddenly paint another scene of a devastating incident sometime in the near future. Nelson is the ideal member of the group to sneak into the wolf pack’s grounds unseen, but soon calls with a shocking discovery that could be deadly to Jake and everyone in the inn! Somehow Jake’s oracle powers hadn’t shown him this happening, but he soon gets another whilst staying in Gage’s motorhome, without his usual painting supplies, one of devastation and death to happen up in the pack’s lands up in the hills. What he sees and what almost happened to him, sends Gage off in a rage and he almost loses his control over his demonic side. If he had, his own team had promised to take him out! Almost a shocking end to the story, with only his connection and love for Jake being able to bring him back to himself. It was great seeing how Gage’s team came together to help Jake and look out for Gage as well. The small town has become a welcome place for a very varied selection of supernatural beings and even Gage’s team are quickly drawn to it as well. There are lots more relationships to look forward to within the town’s residents supes, with lots more to find out about some of them, especially talking cat, Paws. An unexpected connection and mating between Jake and Gage, as well as to the town itself, with both finding the tethers they need to stay sane and have a longer life.

I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Melanie2,299 3

fabulous story, great characters

Rating: 4.5
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