Welcome SJ Himes to the blog for the tour of her new release, Wolf of the Northern Star. We have an exclusive excerpt and an awesome giveaway so make to scroll down and have a look!
Title: Wolf of the Northern Star
Author: SJ Himes
Series: The Wolfkin Saga, #2
Release Date: June 15th 2017
Genre: Gay Paranormal Shifter Romance
Ghost, once known as the cub Luca, is finally home. Back among his kind and learning what it means to be both a man and a shaman, Ghost battles the expectations of his people, his family, and the pressures of a society that is both foreign and familiar. His power is greater than any seen before, dwarfing that of even the legendary Shaman Gray Shadow—and his union with Kane places him in the center of a controversy that rattles wolfkin society around the world.
Kane, greater alpha and Heir to Black Pine Clan, has finally defeated the traitor and murderer that destroyed the heart of Black Pine years before. Freed at last from guilt and pain, Kane has a new enemy to face: his own people. Placed on trial for violation of Law and blasphemy, Kane will have to fight to the death to preserve his bond with Ghost and keep his mate and people safe.
The soulbond between Ghost and Kane is forged by the creator and Goddess of the wolfkin. Usually, a sacred and treasured union that honors the pair and their clans, this soulbond is seen not as a gift, but a threat to eons of tradition and Clan Law.
The union of a Shaman and Alpha is anathema—but how to reconcile that belief when it is the wolfkin Goddess who forged it? Can Ghost and Kane save themselves, preserve their bond, and find a new future when the laws of the ancient past threaten to tear them apart?
*This book is part of a series and should not be read as a standalone. Prior books should be read to understand content. 104,000 words*
Purchase: Amazon Universal
Find The Wolfkin Saga on Goodreads
Exclusive Excerpt!
“Threesomes are common in casual arrangements. As something more formal like a mating, usually it’s an alpha with two beta females, each serving as alpha mate. Such arrangements are rare, and in some places, are frowned upon, but since Royrick is a clan leader, any blowback he might get will be minimal. Red Wraith is one of the more progressive clans in the Northeast,” Kane explained. “Things might be tense, especially since Gerald is male and Sophia has a well-known history with Royrick, but Royrick and Sophia are both strong enough to mitigate any issues. I think they’ll be happy after a brief adjustment period.”
“But so fast?” Cat asked, head tilting to the side.
“Not fast for us, not really. Our people tend to know whether we’re going to be compatible quickly—and the older we are when we mate, the better the matches. Sophia and Royrick have known each other for a long time, and Gerald fits them both. All three are a few hundred years or older. It’s a good match.”
Cat’s hands twitched, like she wanted to take notes. Glen frowned at Kane, and looked at Ghost. He could almost read his human alpha’s mind. “Kane and I are soulbonded—there will never be a need or room for a third. Their triad is a matter of choice—they have chosen to be together in such a way. Our pairing is Goddess-forged, and entirely different.”
“You didn’t have a choice? I thought wolfkin just moved fast compared to humans.” Glen frowned even harder, narrowing his eyes at Kane. His human alpha was no match for Kane, and seeing Glen get worked up made Ghost feel better about his choices. Glen would always be family. No matter where they were.
“I would have chosen this mating with Kane,” Ghost said, leaning forward, meeting Glen’s concerned gaze and holding it. “I love him. I’ve always loved him. Even when I forgot who I was, the impression Kane had made on me remained from our brief meeting when I was a cub. A soulbond is a blessing, not a trap.”
“Is that how you feel?” Glen demanded of Kane. “Would you have chosen Ghost if given the choice?”
“Yes,” Kane answered, without hesitation and with enough force Glen sat back in his seat, blinking. “I never could let go of the belief that Ghost was alive. He may have been a cub when last we met, but he left a lasting and permanent impression on my heart. Finding him now, a grown wolf, has been the greatest joy and gift I could ever receive, and I will be thankful forever that our Goddess joined us. I love him. She can bind us together, but She cannot create love. We came to love each other on our own.”
“Why would your Goddess join you?” Cat asked, confused. “If you were going to fall in love anyway, why do the soulbond thing?”
“I don’t know.” Kane answered. Ghost looked up at his mate. “She has a plan. She never does anything without purpose. Maybe She knew we would need the protection of the soulbond to see us through. I am grateful for it—I don’t know if I would have the courage to claim Ghost as mine without it. Not if it meant his life would be in danger.”
“You would have,” Ghost murmured. “No one is braver than you. I might have needed to nudge you along if we didn’t have the soulbond, but us loving each other is as inevitable as the sunrise.”
EXCERPT
“Where have you been? With your mate?” Glen asked, and Ghost grumbled.
“Been running around the mountain all night long, thinking. Being a man is hard. How do you do it?”
Glen snorted out a laugh. “Practice.” He nodded at the blanket, and Ghost sighed loudly.
Ghost sat up, wrapping the quilt about his hips. He threw himself back down almost immediately, and Glen found himself unable to resist the plaintive whine that came from his pretty lips. Glen was as straight as they came, but even he could acknowledge the sheer beauty of the human form of his wayward wolf. Ghost was beautiful, inside and out, and yet he had a shade of sadness hovering about his expressive silver eyes. He walked around the couch and paused as Ghost scrambled out of the way long enough for him to sit down. A bare second later he had an armful of lean youth and wiggling limbs.
Ghost curled up in his lap like he used to as a pup, though it was different now, as Ghost was not a wolf anymore. Glen heaved out a groan in complaint, but let Ghost hide under his chin and snuggle. He hugged the boy to his chest, and they both relaxed, adjusting easily enough to the new dynamic.
“What’s wrong?” Glen asked, and Ghost responded in a tiny voice.
“They put Kane in a cell in the woods yesterday. And they want to destroy our mate bond.”
Glen could recall only two times in his entire life he ever got angry enough to kill. Once was back in college when he tore a drunk frat boy off a cussing and furious redhead who then proceeded to wallop her attacker. The other time was when he rescued a malnourished wolf-hybrid from a careless and ignorant suburban family in the outskirts of Toronto, the poor thing starved near to death and skeletal thin. As he did then, he ran his hands over the back of a young wolf’s head, and said, “Everything is going to be okay.”
Glen managed to hold onto his temper, but it was a battle. The youngling needed a shoulder to cry on, a place to relax his guarded emotions, and Glen would be that safe place for him.
“I wanted to come home more than anything,” Ghost whispered, pressing his face into Glen’s chest. “But nothing good has come of it. They think me damaged, weak. Vulnerable.”
“We both know you are not damaged or weak. I don’t think I would have survived fifteen years locked away in the body of a wolf, deprived of any sense of self or family. You’re strong. And what do you mean nothing good has come from returning to your people? You have your man now, Kane. He’s your mate, no matter what those fools may say or think.”
“He’s in a cage, Glen. In the woods, alone, surrounded by alphas who wouldn’t hesitate to hurt him. I can feel him through our bond. He’s frustrated, and misses me. I haven’t seen him since they took him away yesterday We can’t talk because the alphas might be able to overhear us, but I can still feel him. It hurts not being with him.”
The Wolfkin Saga #1
Title: Wolves of Black Pine
Release Date: June 30th 2015
Genre: Paranormal, Shifters, MM Romance
BLURB
An ancient civilization long hidden from humanity is on the brink of chaos and war.
Peaceful for thousands of years, the wolfkin clans are mysteriously losing packmates, kidnapped and killed by unknown foes. Among the dead is Luca, youngest grandson of the two most powerful wolves in the Northern Clans, but he is forced into a half-life, hidden in the far northern wilds of Canada and cut off from his kind. Those who raised him have no idea the creature they harbor in their midst, and name him Ghost. He begins to lose himself over the long years, and though he barely recalls his true name, the one wolf he never forgets is Kane.
Heir to the wolfkin clan Black Pine, Kane is charged with hunting down the traitors who them to the humans. Years fly by, and more wolves are dying. He refuses to give up, and he vows to never again fail another of their kind, as he failed young Luca years before. His heart tells him Luca lives, but his mind tells him that it’s foolish hope, his guilt eating him alive.
Fate and magic change the course of their lives, and the two wolves long separated by the years find their paths intertwining, though the reunion does not come without cost...
150,000+ words, contains graphic sex between men, dubious consent, mentions of abuse. Contains gore and violence. Mature readers only.
Purchase: Amazon Universal **On SALE $2.99 until 5th July**
GIVEAWAY: Win $10 Amazon gift card and Wolves of Black Pine & Wolf of the Northern Star ebooks
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About the Author
I'm a self-employed writer who stresses out about the silliest things, like whether or not I got my dog the best kind of snack and the fact my kindle battery tends to die when I'm at the best part in a book. I write mainly gay romance, erotica, and urban fantasy, with ocasional forays into contemporary and paranormal. I love a book heavy on plot and character evolution, and throw in some magic, and that's perfection. My current series are: The Beacon Hill Sorcerer, Bred For Love (as Revella Hawthorne), and The Wolfkin Saga. My last two novels in the Beacon Hill Sorcerer won 3rd Place in the Gay Fantasy category for the 2016 Rainbow Awards.
I live in New Orleans, where the personalities are big and loud and so are the bugs! New Orleans is rich in cultural history, and the flavor and music of the City is impossible to hide. Before that, I lived all over the United States: Tampa, Western Massachusetts, Indianapolis, and on and on.... I'm a nomad, and I've yet to find a place that calls to me strongly enough to become home. My faithful travel companions are my dog Micah, the numerous voices in my head who insist they all get put on paper, and the wind at my back.
Links: Website | Blog | Facebook | Facebook Fan Group | Twitter | Amazon
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