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J.L. Gribble
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Earth and Water: MM Paranormal Romance (Steel Bonds Book 1) Kindle Edition

by J.L. Gribble (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 37 ratings

A life with no room for distraction

Earth mage Kane Nalamas may be on his first official contract as a mercenary, but his years of experience and training don’t prepare him for immediate betrayal. Within days, he loses both his client and his freedom.

A prison of his own creation

Water mage Archer Sophin would not wish his half-life as a human magical battery on anyone. Especially not the sweet mercenary who has no idea he’s stumbled upon one of the greatest secrets in the magical world: magic is dying.

An unlikely partnership

Kane will take any help he can get from the intriguing water mage, even if he’s not sure whether Archer’s role is villain or fellow victim. Drawn further together by an unexpected voyage, what begins as a temporary arrangement turns into the potential for so much more.

To live free in a world that craves their power, the elemental mages will have to use earth and water in ways never seen before. And for a chance to build a future together, they’ll have to escape the chains of their past.

Earth and Water is an M/M paranormal romance featuring a broody pansexual water mage, a stubborn gay earth mage, forced proximity, meddling best friends, and magic as an accidental aphrodisiac. It is set in the same universe as the author’s Steel Empires series but can be read as a standalone novel with a happily ever after and no cliffhanger.
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  1. Book 1 of 2
    Steel Bonds
  2. Print length
    227 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    January 23, 2024
  5. File size
    2.0 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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From the Publisher

Top part of cover art with text reading "earth"
Center portion of cover art with text "water"
Bottom portion of cover with book tag line

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CLW8CZMY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Limani Press (January 23, 2024)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 23, 2024
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.0 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 227 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ B0CSFW4GN7
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 37 ratings

About the author

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J.L. Gribble

J.L. Gribble

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J.L. Gribble writes speculative fiction and romance, but she’s happiest when combining the two and adding a dose of the unexpected or nontraditional. When not writing, Gribble reads an eclectic range of books, adds to her LEGO collection, and plays video games. She lives in Ellicott City, Maryland, with her husband and vocal Siamese cats.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
37 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • David B Brawley
    5.0 out of 5 stars More from the Steel Empires universe!
    Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    While I don't usually read romance, I had to see the full story of how Archer and Kane got together. It was absolutely worth it.

    Having to relive Syri's death still sucked.
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  • Krimon
    4.0 out of 5 stars clingy, like mud
    Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    A real touchy-feely earth mage meets a water mage, sparks fly, and they fumble towards love.

    While the stereotype of earth magic is solid, dependable and ponderous, would have been interesting if they played with those ideas, earthquakes, lava, barren sand rather than green growing things.
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  • Jennifer Della'Zanna
    5.0 out of 5 stars I love Toria and Kane...
    Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2024
    ...and now I love Archer. I love all the characters in this series, and while I appreciate their little cameos, it made me want to "see" them again. I've been thinking about re-reading the whole series. It's one of my favorites--and not just because there's a Lady Della'Zanna in there! I love that Kane gets to find a happily ever after. I can't wait to read the next book...AND go back and start over!
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  • Obsidian88
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fun read
    Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This was a fun read into a magical world. Well actually a world where magic is dying. Toria and Kane are mercenaries looking into why there is a reduction in students and mage instructors. They head out to a other area to see if anyone else is having same issue. They wind up at the school where former classmate Archer is working. Archer has his own problems with the headmaster and he sets out to make sure Kane and Toria do not fall under headmasters control.

    Kane and Archer have an attraction to each other but Archer and Toria had an attraction when they were in school. Kane is undecided what to do.

    Kane and Toria are bonded mages, platonic, just friends. So that is a downside to having any kind of boyfriend or girlfriend for either of them.

    Now they are embroiled in the danger and mystery of finding out where the magic has gone.

    It's a fun read. I enjoyed the characters and the story. I would definitely read another feom this author.
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  • LilMommi
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting
    Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This was the first book that I've read by this author, and it has a wonderful storyline, engaging characters, it's a real page turner. This is a take on what might happen to earth if WW3 happened, with magic being the biggest change but also the effects on technology.
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  • Yakira
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Spin-off!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2024
    JL Gribble has taken some of my favorite characters from her Steel Empires series and given them the Happily Ever After they deserve.

    Kane and Toria, soul bonded mages and best friends, accept their first job as Journeyman members of the Mercenary Guild. It sends them far from home and into unexpected trouble. When they arrive at their destination, all is not as it appears, even the water mage, Archer is wrapped in illusion. But once that drops, the attraction between him and Kane flares. It only grows as they're forced to share a state room on a week long ocean voyage.

    I loved the way Gribble handled the soul bonded pair, Kane and Toria, through this story. Their close bond could have caused problems with the budding relationship between Kane and Archer. Instead, Toria accepted Archer like a sibling, giving him the family he sorely needed.
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  • avidreader4ever
    5.0 out of 5 stars Kane and Archer, and Toria
    Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2024
    I was intrigued from the beginning by the relationship between Kane and Toria who are a bonded partnership. They work together and that made me wonder how things would play out when his love interest would be revealed. Kane is an earth mage and Toria a storm mage. As the story opens the world they are working within sounds like quite a challenge but they are early in their work and seem up for challenge not expecting that it would come so soon or be so troubling. Archer, a water mage, and Kane feel the attraction right away once they meet but do not act on it right away. A little forced proximity helps them get on with it. I really liked the levels of relationship in this story. There was intrigue, good world building and characters that I wanted to get to know. This was my first story by this author but won't be my last. 4.5 stars.
    I received an ARC from GRR and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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  • AHicks
    4.0 out of 5 stars Bonded Warrior Mages, Werewolves, Vampires, and a Kidnapping!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2024
    Earth and Water is a spinoff of the author's Steel Empire series. While that series seems to focus more on the vampire, Victory, her adoptive warrior mage children are at the forefront here. Particularly, the earth Mage Kane (one half of the bonded warrior mage pair). The other perspective comes in the form of an accomplished though power crippled water Mage called Archer. Investigating the mystery of the decline in Mages in society brings Kane into Archer's orbit. Upon setting eyes on each other there is an immediate attraction between the two. However, Kane has just begun his 18 month stint as a journeyman mercenary and, while not in a relationship with his bonded partner Toria, it does cause an issue of starting a relationship while already soul bound to another. And although Archer would love to explore where things could go with Kane, he's trapped in a not-so-voluntary bond of his own. Their connection to each other is strong, as is their support from Kane's bonded mage partner and Archer's ex. As Archer helps Kane to solve the mystery of the disappearing mages he and Kane become closer and begin to form a bond of their own. But is it strong enough to keep them together when life is pulling them in different directions? I've never read the author's Steel Empire series but did not feel as though I was missing anything jumping in to Earth and Water. It was an interesting story with great characters and a decent mystery. A map detailing the locations of their travels would be great and I felt like the final conflict between Archer/Kane and Burrows could have been slightly more exciting but overall this was a great read that I would recommend!
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Sue
    5.0 out of 5 stars Terrifically magical mm series
    Reviewed in Canada on January 26, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    The world building is definitely the stand out in this book that begins this new series by J.L. Gribble. I haven’t read the Steel Empires series that is apparently the precursor to this series yet but I’m hoping it’s a good a read as this is and I intend to dive right into it. The relationships between these characters are well crafted and fun to read about and while the emphasis is on Kane and Archer they are surrounded by interesting people, both good and bad (and some we aren’t quite sure about yet!). This is a very different take on what might happen to earth if WW3 happened, with magic being the biggest change but also the effects on technology. Gribble does a great job of working in explanations of these things without any of those explanations seeming like a lecture. More please.
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  • Elizabeth D
    4.0 out of 5 stars Elemental magic and adventure
    Reviewed in Canada on January 23, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    3.5/5 I didn’t quite click with this as much as I wanted to, and I’m not entire sure why. I enjoyed the intricate world-building, and I liked Kane, Archer, Toria, and Hal a lot. I think I found Kane and Archer’s relationship a little …distanced. At points where I hoped they’d get to know one another better and really spend time together, they were mostly purely physically intimate (while also keeping as many barriers up as possible during this intimacy, thinking they had no future together). There was a slow-down of action at this point, and I was hoping for stronger emotional growing to replace it. (There were still confessions and discussions and tender moments, just not quite in the ratio I prefer.)

    I enjoyed the magic, especially the connection between Kane and Toria and between Kane and Archer. It was interesting to see what they could do and how they were limited. I enjoyed the generally excellent parental figures and strong friendships that existed. I felt like the MCs went into some of the confrontations woefully unprepared, but they are pretty young and learning, so perhaps that’s just par for the course. I think some of the action might have packed a more emotional punch if I’d read the series from which this spun off. There was clearly a lot more going on in the world that we only started to delve into, but I still felt there was a solid resolution here to what became this book’s main conflict for me to be satisfied. I enjoyed the epilogue(s) to give us a lovely glimpse into the future.

    I received an ARC from GRR. This is my honest review.
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