This book has an interesting history. Originally released in the Dirty Daddies 2020 anthology, it had a definite age-play theme. Ms. James expanded the story and released it for a short time as “Best Seller”. Updated and expanded to lead a paranormal mystery series, it is now available as “Advance”.

Sage Matthews is a bestselling author of romantic suspense books featuring the hot stud Roark Samuels. She feels like she’s gotten into a bit of a “rut” with the stories, but her agent is demanding that she continue with the books. Like many plus sized ladies, she has self-confidence issues. Here of late, however, she has started to dream of Roark…

Roark has watched Sage as she worked on her laptop. He’s been with her since the beginning of her career and has watched her blossom. But now, now someone is threatening her and that’s not something he’s willing to tolerate. Once again, he examines the boundaries that imprison him. Something has changed, the boundary between him and Sage is thinning….

As readers, we don’t always remember that “Paranormal” doesn’t just mean our favorite shifters. It encompasses so much more!

The Reviews!

Redrabbitt
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
5.0 out of 5 stars WHEN CHARACTERS COME TO LIFE
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2021
Verified Purchase
Wow, did Ms. Delta James pen a unique and page-turning tale. All the jokes about book boyfriends, but in this fantastic mystery-suspense story, he won’t just be a fantasy; he will become a true hero. The story was initially released in the 2020 Dirty Daddies Anthology under the name ‘Best Seller’ and did have the daddy/little girl vibes—but not in the rewrite—which has also been expanded.

Bestselling Author, Sage Matthews, has had a great run with a series of wildly popular romantic suspense books with a hot main character, Roark Samuels. What had been meant to be a single book became a series. Each book sold more than the one before it, making her shoot to the top of the bestsellers lists. Roark Samuels was just a little bit kinkier with each book, and that worked with her readers and publisher. But Sage wants to write something new, and her publisher, Gail Vincent, is fighting her on it. A trip to a book signing in London is the last straw for these two. A nasty breakup will only be the beginning.

The story has the good, the bad, and the ugly of people. Several things have law enforcement worried about, but there is nothing concrete for them to establish who is stalking Sage—yet the threats are real and are becoming bolder. How far is a killer willing to go—from the USA across the ocean to London, England. When Sage tries to expand on her newfound freedom, it nearly cost her her life. When she comes too, she will find herself rescued by none other than her character, Roark Samuels.

“She didn’t need a keeper who would try to box her in. What she needed was a Dom—someone who would act as her protector, confidant, mentor, anchor, disciplinarian, and lover, and dominant—and she would obey and submit whether she liked it or not.”

I loved how several characters from her stories will find a crossover dimension, leave the web, and find themselves at the Savoy in London. Nothing like writing heroes and being rescued by them too.

“Don’t you die on me, Sage. Come back, do you hear me? Holmes was right, you know, you need someone to look after you, but I’m here, love. Your Master is here.”

“This guy looked exactly like she had always seen him in her head and had described him, and he acted like Roark, except for the whole Dom thing—but that wasn’t possible. Roark was someone she had created—a figment of her imagination. Or was he? the voice whispered again. Shut up! No one knew Roark was actually every hope, every dream, every fantasy she’d ever had rolled into one.”

Has she got into the head of her hero character, or has he reached into her head? Roark brings out a new dynamic that Sage never introduced in her stories, a Dom, and proving to her she is submissive. He is strict, demanding, and knows exactly what she needs---even if she doesn’t believe it.

“A book? How could this be happening? Was this all some crazy dream? Had she died? If so, was this heaven or hell? Maybe she was just in a coma and would wake—but what if she didn’t want to?”

The story has a strict, take control Dominant, matters of life and death, well-earned punishments, and sizzling hot explicit sex scenes. Best of all, it has the villain captured and new life for Sage and Roark. But that won’t be the end—this is a new series, and the next book, Negotiations, in The Paranormal Mystery, will feature another character from Sage’s bestseller books!

Castiel
5.0 out of 5 stars Keeps getting better
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 5, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is the third incarnation of this story that I’ve read (it was a short story in an anthology, then a longer standalone, and now this expanded series starter) and each version keeps on getting better!

Sage (h) is a great character - well-rounded (in shape and personality) with all her quirks and cares and insecurities, who has written her perfect hero in Roark.

I’m so glad that there will be more of these, as I want to see more of this couple, as well as the other characters who have ‘escaped’.

GOODREADS Review:
Kathy Heare Watts rated it FIVE STARS (it was amazing)
Shelves: adventure, anal-play, authority-figure, betrayal, bullying, conspiracy, contemporary, control, crime, dark-and-dirty
WHEN CHARACTERS COME TO LIFE

Wow, did Ms. Delta James pen a unique and page-turning tale. All the jokes about book boyfriends, but in this fantastic mystery-suspense story, he won’t just be a fantasy; he will become a true hero. The story was initially released in the 2020 Dirty Daddies Anthology under the name ‘Best Seller’ and did have the daddy/little girl vibes—but not in the rewrite—which has also been expanded.

Bestselling Author, Sage Matthews, has had a great run with a series of wildly popular romantic suspense books with a hot main character, Roark Samuels. What had been meant to be a single book became a series. Each book sold more than the one before it, making her shoot to the top of the bestsellers lists. Roark Samuels was just a little bit kinkier with each book, and that worked with her readers and publisher. But Sage wants to write something new, and her publisher, Gail Vincent, is fighting her on it. A trip to a book signing in London is the last straw for these two. A nasty breakup will only be the beginning.

The story has the good, the bad, and the ugly of people. Several things have law enforcement worried about, but there is nothing concrete for them to establish who is stalking Sage—yet the threats are real and are becoming bolder. How far is a killer willing to go—from the USA across the ocean to London, England. When Sage tries to expand on her newfound freedom, it nearly cost her her life. When she comes too, she will find herself rescued by none other than her character, Roark Samuels.

“She didn’t need a keeper who would try to box her in. What she needed was a Dom—someone who would act as her protector, confidant, mentor, anchor, disciplinarian, and lover, and dominant—and she would obey and submit whether she liked it or not.”

I loved how several characters from her stories will find a crossover dimension, leave the web, and find themselves at the Savoy in London. Nothing like writing heroes and being rescued by them too.

“Don’t you die on me, Sage. Come back, do you hear me? Holmes was right, you know, you need someone to look after you, but I’m here, love. Your Master is here.”

“This guy looked exactly like she had always seen him in her head and had described him, and he acted like Roark, except for the whole Dom thing—but that wasn’t possible. Roark was someone she had created—a figment of her imagination. Or was he? the voice whispered again. Shut up! No one knew Roark was actually every hope, every dream, every fantasy she’d ever had rolled into one.”

Has she got into the head of her hero character, or has he reached into her head? Roark brings out a new dynamic that Sage never introduced in her stories, a Dom, and proving to her she is submissive. He is strict, demanding, and knows exactly what she needs---even if she doesn’t believe it.

“A book? How could this be happening? Was this all some crazy dream? Had she died? If so, was this heaven or hell? Maybe she was just in a coma and would wake—but what if she didn’t want to?”

The story has a strict, take control Dominant, matters of life and death, well-earned punishments, and sizzling hot explicit sex scenes. Best of all, it has the villain captured and new life for Sage and Roark. But that won’t be the end—this is a new series, and the next book, Negotiations, in The Paranormal Mystery, will feature another character from Sage’s bestseller books!

MGKA rated it FIVE STARS (it was amazing)
So different!

The plot of this story was fantastic! Completely original and so entertaining! I had a feeling Gail was not the person she appeared to be, but taking scene from Sage's books to threaten her with...yikes. I loved how Roark was able to break through right when she needed him the most to save her in so many, many ways. Great read! Excellent characters!