What's on the Reading Radar? #TBR #WishList #read

This has been the week, like last week, of edits and more edits. I needed to add a couple more chapters (advice from editor) and those went back to the editor at the beginning of the week. Still working on the blurb for Cherish. It's either blah blah or gives too much away. I'm at the point where I'm ready to be completely done with this manuscript but it still needs me. LOL

Title: Muscle and Bone

Series: 

Author: Mary Calmes

Length: 338 pages

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Alternate Universe / Alpha-Omega Dynamics / Gay /

Notes: This was different than what I expected when it comes to omega. There are similarities with omega's being considered objects, but Avery's parents/family with how he's treated and raised is kinda of flipping the bird at convention and tradition. I love that this has a non-toxic alpha male, too. This balances the possessiveness with a willingness/love to allow Avery to be himself and to do what he loves. I wish it was a series. Not that I wanted more from these two MCs because I like where this HEA, but I want Lynden's (sorry for the spelling, I listened to the audio not sure of the spelling) romance. I would love to see him get his HEA.

Blurb: You belong to me and I know it down deep, in muscle and bone, where my wolf lives.

Avery Rhine isn’t an average homicide detective with the Chicago PD. In fact, Avery isn’t an average anything. Sure, as an omega he knows he’s at the bottom of the food chain, but that’s never slowed him down. He’s got a great life, complete with a loving family and a best friend who’d take a bullet for him, so what more could he possibly want or need? Except, maybe, for the world to change. And to find someone to spend more than one night with, but that isn’t high on his list of priorities. He’s never been one to believe in destiny or whatever else the fantasies sell about there being someone special out there meant just for him.

Then a chance encounter at a party changes everything.

Graeme Davenport has no delusions about finding his true mate. The consensus is that if an alpha doesn’t find their other half by the time they’re thirty, the chances of it ever happening go from slim to none. He’s not a mere alpha, though; Graeme is a cyne who sits at the pinnacle of lupine hierarchy, so he’s obligated by tradition and duty to choose an omega now, sign a contract, and bond with him. Love is not part of the equation.

When Graeme and Avery meet, their fierce attraction to each other flies in the face of reason and logic. Avery’s intense physical reaction to the alpha is something he’s never experienced before, while Graeme, who has always been the soul of discretion, loses all his inhibitions to desire for the man he wants to possess. They are two very different men trying to navigate expectations, separate reason from innate primal drive, and do it while working together to solve a murder.

It will take everything they are to find a middle ground, and to learn to trust in a fated kind of love.

Title: Fallen

Series: (The Dark in You Book 7)

Author: Suzanne Wright

Length: 283 pages

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / 

Notes: I have read only the first book in this series, but it was a while ago but I still remembered some of the details of the world itself. I didn't have a problem following along after skipping the other books. LOL I just liked the cover and the blurb and gave it a go. I enjoyed and I'm thinking about going back to read the others. 

Blurb: Only a few are brave enough to fall . . .

When Raini desperately needed help, she went to the one person who she knew could save her dying friend . . . her secretive and ruthlessly powerful anchor, Maddox. His price was that she grant him access to her life, yet he's still determined not to form the anchor bond with Raini. That rejection stings, even while she can't stop her body - or her demon - reacting to his presence.

Maddox is a descendent, a rare breed of demon possessing angelic blood - and Raini knows he'll let someone close when hell freezes over. As a succubus, she's used to men wanting her uncontrollably - and used to having all the power. But while Maddox wants her strictly on his own terms, for the first time she can remember Raini's struggling to keep her own emotions in check.

Yet when someone - or something - starts to target Raini, Maddox's protectiveness goes into overdrive. Suddenly he's finding it harder to keep his secrets and his distance, for nothing seems to matter as much as Raini. As the threat escalates into all-out war, they both have to decide: can they trust the other to catch them if they fall?

Title: Shadow Mage

Series: Darkling Mage, 1

Author: Nazri Noor

Length: 305 pages

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Notes: I was introduce to this world with Blood Moon, and I thought I would go back to the beginning. I have about 2 hours left on the audiobook and I'm at that point where I'm yelling at the character to Do Not Go Back! It's a good story.

Blurb: The gods are dying. But for one man, death is only the beginning.

Murdered as a ritual sacrifice, amateur thief and professional charmer Dustin Graves mysteriously survives, finding himself gifted with strange, dark magic. Then more dead bodies turn up. Some are human, but one is a god of the old world, slain at his own doorstep.

Mortal or divine, the bloodshed must end, and Dust is the mage for the job. But first he must contend with a succubus, a talking sword, a spider queen, a goddess of magic, and eldritch abominations from beyond the stars. No big deal… right?

If you like snarky heroes, snappy dialogue, and a bit of grit and gore, you’ll love the first standalone book in Nazri Noor’s series of urban fantasy novels. Explore the Darkling Mage universe and discover a taste of Shadow Magic today.

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

What's on the Reading Radar? #read #TBR #WishList

 I took a couple of days off this week and then editor for Cherish sent edits back to me, so I jumped into that. I really should start gearing up for Cherish's release and start getting the word out. LOL

Title: The Blood Burns in My Veins

Series:

Author(s): Megan Derr

Length: 

Genre: Romance / Fantasy / Gay / 

Notes: This cover is GORGEOUS.

Blurb: The House of Ferro has dominated the city-state of Verona since its creation, made mighty by their magia del ferro, financial acumen, and ties to the imperial throne. The House of Ishikawa arrived on Verona's shores a few years later, made powerful and wealthy by way of their rare, priceless magia d'acqua. A short time later, murder and vengeance exploded into a feud that has lasted for generations—and by decree of Hardegin-principe, will end now or else.

Royal decrees cannot so easily quell generations of hate and bloodshed, but ancient feuds cannot stop love. Determined to be together, young Ferro Carac and Ishikawa Arata decide to run away and leave their families behind. But on the night they depart, Arata is murdered, and Carac is wrongfully blamed for it, betrayed by everyone he trusted.

Fifteen years later, Carac is long dead of disease while in prison, and Verona is abuzz with nervous excitement over the betrothal of Ferro Selinah to Ishikawa Naoki. Unhappy with the pending marriage, Naoki spends most of his time drinking and sleeping. On the way home from a bar one night, accompanied by the sister come to drag him home, they are attacked by a bandit—and saved by an intriguing man who goes by the name of Dante…

Title: Fallen Reign

Series: Sins of the Father, 1

Author(s): Nazri Noor

Length: 268 pages

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Notes: So when I finished Blood Moon, I bought the audio boxset for this series. But I have been stalking the author's facebook page and it seems that all his books are set in one world and I'm wondering if I need to start his first series first?

Blurb: Half human, half angel, 100% pissed off.

Mason Albrecht’s life changed the day the angels tried to kill him. As the son of a fallen angel king, Mason is an abomination, one who can command the Vestments, divine arms and armor summoned from heaven’s own arsenals. And everybody wants a piece: death witches, demon princes, even deities of ancient myth.

Then an enterprising enchantress offers to cloak Mason from those who would corrupt him into a living weapon. But will Mason run from supernatural entities forever, or embrace his unholy birthright and defy the very forces of heaven and hell?

Sins of the Father is a new adventure from Nazri Noor, bestselling urban fantasy author of the Darkling Mage series. Follow Mason’s first steps in Fallen Reign, a humorous, high-impact supernatural suspense story filled with magic, mythology, and plenty of mayhem.

Title: King Cobra: A Powertools Spinoff
Series: (Hot Rods Book 1)

Author(s): Jayne Rylon

Length: 206 pages

Genre: Erotic Romance / Contemporary / Poly Series / Bisexual / 

Notes: Jayne Rylon was the author who introduced me to M/M romance. I read the Hot Rod series a while ago (years, LOL), but you don't have to have read that series to follow this one. This one is about Eli and Alonzo getting their priorities straight and exploring what they want their relationship to be. Though this is about the two of them, it is evident that they will be adding people to relationship as the series goes on. It's a fun quick read with a smidge of angst that is quickly resolved.

Blurb: Growing up in a group of mismatched foster kids from all sides of the tracks, Eli and his partners in the Hot Rods garage have a connection like no other. These bonds, forged in fires set by their personal demons, are unbreakable—or so Eli wants to believe.

He recently walked in on four members of the Powertools construction crew in bed together. All this time, they’d been embracing a lifestyle Eli hadn’t known was possible—one where friends are lovers, and the connections between spouses are strengthened by shared passions.

The only thing stopping Eli from proposing a similar arrangement between himself and his Hot Rods gang is the fear of ruining their friendship or their business.

When he takes too long to figure things out, his head mechanic blows a gasket. Alanso peels out of the Hot Rods garage on his motorcycle, heading for a hook up spot to take his bisexuality for a test drive with multiple strangers. Eli is left with only two options: let Alanso go or chase him down to fight for the future they both desperately desire.

Title: Grave Robbing and other Hobbies

Series: Grave Concerns, 1

Author(s): Jayce Carter

Length: 

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / RH

Notes: What a great title. It is why I stopped to look at the book. 

Blurb: Ghosts, corpses and four hot men—what's a girl to do?

Abandoned at three—whose parents want a kid who sees ghosts?—I learned the world is quick to punish misfits. I try my best to be a normal, boring human, but the call of the supernatural just won't be ignored.

When a stranger shows up on my doorstep in the middle of the night, it's no sexy tryst. Instead, I'm off to the graveyard, digging up the corpse of a murder victim at the demand of the local vampire coven—and that small felony is just the start.

The spirit of the woman has gone missing—something that shouldn't be possible—and everyone is looking to me for answers. There's Kase, a vampire who's both terrifying and secretive. Grant, a mage with a bad attitude and a lot of power. Troy, the possessive werewolf-detective next door and Hunter, a mysterious bad boy who isn't even close to human.

It's a race not just against time but against everything to figure out where the spirits are going, who's behind it and if I can trust the men who now share my bed.

And all because of a little grave robbing...

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

What is on the Reading Radar?

 Whelp, I didn't post anything last week for the Reading Radar. I got caught up with sending Cherish out to the editor and I immediately jumped into writing Curse Breakers (Sumeria's Legacy). That is Nathan's book that I have been planning and world building on for a couple of years. I had meant to take a couple of weeks off to recharge, but new book energy gripped me and one page turned into another until I wrote 7k in a couple of days.

But, I'm on the ball this week. There are a couple of books that I completed that I really loved and there are a couple other books that I have my eye on.

Title: Blood Moon

Series: Vampire Vigilante, 1

Author(s): Nazri Noor

Length: 244 pages

Genre: Urban Fantasy / Light Mystery / Humor

Notes: I enjoyed this immensely. Nazi Noor has been on my TBR for a while but this is the first I've read by him. I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator, Nick Pedehl, was perfect. He really gave Sterling this panache that I might not have if I'd read this before listening. Sterling was hilarious but also endearing. Though he's vainglorious, I wasn't unsympathetic, especially when I realized that he was hamming it up. I really started worrying a bit for him before I was even half way through the book. I would totally recommend this. It was a perfect read for me.

Blurb: All vampires suck. Sterling just happens to be very good at it.

Vainglorious vampire Sterling is forced to trade his big city hedonism for a trip to a sleepy mountain town, where mangled dead bodies have been discovered. Soon he’s entangled with snooty vampire nobles, territorial werewolves, and a society of law-enforcing sorcerers.

The locals aren’t so bad, like the luscious young lady at the fruit shop, or the hunky electrician whose smile sends out sparks. But they’re distractions from the hunt for the mountain murderer. And then there’s the eerie enigma: why are all these corpses missing their faces?

Title: The Favor

Series: 

Author(s): Suzanne Wright

Length: 473 pages

Genre: Romance / Contemporary / Marriage of Convenience / Fake Relationship

Notes: I don't know why I stopped and looked at this book. Y'all know that I rarely read contemporary, much less contemporary romance with only the romance as the main plot line. Something about the cover made me listen to the audio clip. I've read Wright's paranormal series, so I'm familiar with her. But still, fake relationships are not my cuppa, and yet, the clip caught my attention and I went for it without reading the blurb. Sucked me in from the very first. It's a 15 hour audio so I had to split it into two days, both with late nights because I kept saying, "Just one more chapter." Loved it. I'm rereading it. :)

Blurb: Vienna Stratton knew she only had herself to blame. You didn't let yourself become indebted to a man like Dane Davenport, no matter how badly you needed his help. As his personal assistant, she was very aware that the globally successful CEO was ruthless and unforgiving.

Of course, if she'd known he'd request that she be his wife for 12 months, she'd have hesitated in accepting his help. Because what she'd learned from Dane was that the devil wasn't ugly and terrorizing. He was seductive and captivating. He hummed with whispers of temptation - the temptation to sin and surrender, to let him brand and possess you. He awakened every need and fantasy you had.

He could even make you love him.

Title: Blood and Sand

Series: (The Books of Rue 1)

Author(s): Aisling Wilder

Length: 447 pages

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Vampires / Lesbian

Notes: As of Friday (when I created this post) the book was on sale for $0.99. I'm not sure how long that will last.

Blurb: Ancient vampire Rue keeps to herself. It makes it easier to fight the constant hunger that plagues her. That is, until the night she catches Grace-a not very good vampire hunter-stalking her through the streets of Dublin. Something about Grace is achingly familiar. And strangely irresistible.

Rue soon learns that Grace is herself being hunted, and is thrown into a battle she never wanted, to save a woman who wants her dead. As Rue unravels the horrifying and treacherous plot, she also uncovers a secret about Grace that could change everything. Along the way, Rue finds herself drawn to the girl, and is forced to choose: Continue her solitary life of safety, or risk it all for love?

Through it all, Rue recalls her creation and formative nights in an ancient world far from the rainy streets of Dublin, a world where she learned to live, love, hunt and kill.

Title: Galen

Series: Sons of the Fallen, 1

Author(s): Jaclyn Osborn

Length: 363 pages

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Grumpy & Cinnamon Roll / Gay

Notes: Low Angst and Grumpy & Cinnamon Roll characters! Yes, please.

Blurb: Simon just wants to run his antique shop in peace.

But then he finds a small mysterious box that’s (probably) haunted, and his shop is broken into by the hottest man he’s ever seen who then steals said creepy box.

Now demons are after him and his only hope is to trust the tall, muscled, combat-boot-wearing thief who claims to be the son of a fallen angel.

Galen is charged with protecting humanity from dark forces. Cursed with Wrath, he’s hot-tempered and spends his days fighting demons and trying not to kill his six brothers when they irritate him.
His number one rule? Never fall in love. But then he meets Simon, a clumsy human who asks way too many questions and is—unfortunately—a total demon-magnet, and he starts breaking his own rules.

What’s inside the box, and why do the demons want it so badly? One thing is for sure… Simon can kiss his peaceful, ordinary life goodbye.

Book 1 in the Sons of the Fallen series. A low-angst urban fantasy MM romance featuring a grumpy half-angel and the human he swears he doesn’t like (he’s lying), seven warriors representing the deadly sins, a seaside mansion where they all live, banter, a snarky demon, and a HEA.

Title: Chaos

Series: The Library of the Profane, 1

Author(s): JB Trepagnier

Length: 

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / RH

Notes: The Series Title made me stop and look at the blurb. It sounds like it will be funny.

Blurb: The Library of the Profane has everything your black heart desires. But we don’t just allow anyone to get a library card.

Need to summon a demon? Raise the dead? A clan of vampires bothering you? Do you like the really nasty werewolf erotica? The Library of the Profane has all of that, but not everyone can handle the contents (Some people can’t handle their werewolf erotica). I’ve been a librarian here for five years and when I say I killed to get this job, I’m not being facetious.

You can’t check out our books. Some of the books are sentient and don’t like it. We have rooms to perform the spells in or hell, we do have a copy machine (copies are extra). When a witch came in and said they needed to do a little necromancy, I didn’t question it. They wouldn’t have been given a library card if they were going to raise someone really bad. I helped with the necromancy because it’s just my job as a librarian.

Except it wasn’t a normal resurrection. It was the physical embodiment of Chaos and when he woke up, he saw me first and now he’s attached. Chaos personified is a horrible library guest and he won’t leave with the witch who raised him. He’s constantly getting into things he’s not supposed to and he’s really into the werewolf erotica.

It’s not like I can let him out because the Library of the Profane is meant to contain Chaos. The rest of the world isn’t. He’s awful about keeping his identity secret too. A warlock, a Hellhound, and a vampire know he’s here and they are bugging me to let Chaos have a little fun.

I just want a normal day of summoning demons, cursing people, and telling people to be quiet in my library. This is too much.

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!