Saturday, June 11, 2016

What's On The Reading Radar #WishList #TBR

 I scrambled to get this up today. I usually work on it through the week, but I'm coming to the end of Releasing Chaos, and all my spare time went into working on it. I wanted to have the story done before next week, and it looks like I might have the first draft wrapped up by EOD Sunday. I won't know what to do with myself. Well, not true. There's a ton of stuff waiting for me. :)

TitlePredator
Series
Author(s)Michelle Horst
Length: 407 pages
PublisherMA Horst (April 27, 2016)

Genre:  Romantic  / Contemporary / Suspense / Crime / 

Notes

Blurb: 

All my life I’ve been hiding, until there is no corner on this god-forsaken earth left for me to hide. I have to pay for the sins of my father. No one with Ellison blood in their veins is allowed to live, and I am the last of my bloodline.I am kept in a container waiting for my death sentence to be carried out, when he comes. He is only known as ‘Predator’. No one knows who he works for, only that he leaves no one alive.

His every breath is filled with the last gasp of his dying prey.

But for some reason he doesn’t kill me.

I don’t know which is worse, the death sentence hanging over my head, or being at his mercy.



Title: Compelled
Series
Author(s): Jo Tannah
Length: 39 pages
PublishereXtasy Books (April 8, 2016)

Genre:  Erotic Romance / Gay / Soft Sci-Fi

Notes

Blurb:  Do you believe in dreams? That’s how I found Ryan. Unfortunately, I could not be with him then, not until he took that final leap of faith. You see, I come from a distant star and coming from another planet is problematic. Coming from a planet where the atmosphere is different from Earth makes it even more complicated. 

Despite my father’s caution, I went to Earth. I was compelled because of my love for Ryan. I wanted him to come home with me but he would have to suffer through the change to survive. I wanted to be with him on Earth but its atmosphere is toxic to my kind.

I was caught between two different worlds and longed for at least one more hour on that planet so I could be with Ryan. What I wouldn’t give, just to feel his skin against mine, to taste his lips on my mouth. What I wouldn’t give, just to get lost in his embrace once more.

I am Q’lan. This is our story. It is not long but it was difficult. I am glad that I can tell it now with Ryan in my arms.

In my embrace.

In my life.



TitleBeneath the Chapter
Series: Hunters, 2
Author(s)Jessica Walsh, Briana Lawrence
Length: 328 pages
Publisher: Self-pubbed

Genre:  Romantic Elements / Gay / Paranormal / Urban Fantasy / Fantasy /

Notes

Blurb: Was this why? Was this the reason he'd told her to be quiet, because this needed to happen? The middle of winter has given the residents of the warehouse plenty of time to mull over their last adventure. The Storyteller has been found, but has left behind only more questions and no real answers. Just when the group exhausts all of their resources, a new organization comes to the surface that could tie up all the loose threads. Unfortunately, the Chapter isn't what it appears to be, and the Hunters are now left to deal with a new threat that hits a little too close to home. What secrets is the Chapter hiding, and is it worth uncovering the truth?


TitleIceFire Trilogy
Series
Author(s): Patty Jansen
Length: 796 pages
PublisherCapricornica Publications (December 25, 2012)

Genre:  Romantic Elements / Gay / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy /

Notes

Blurb: Where magic is dark and gritty, characters troubled and twisted, and victory comes at a heavy price. 

Deep under the City of Glass in the frozen southern land, an age-old machine called the Heart of the City radiates a power which locals call icefire. Most citizens are immune to it, but a few, always born with physical disabilities, can bend it to their will. For fifty years, the ruling Eagle Knights, who fly on the back of giant birds, have killed these Imperfects, fearing the return of the old royal family, who used icefire to cut out people's hearts, turning them into ghostly servitors.

Across the border in steam-age, science-focused Chevakia, people have built barriers against the radiation, against which they have no resistance.

Chevakia also harbours the old southern royal family’s only surviving members, and they are planning revenge and their return to power, taking both countries to the first war in fifty years.



Title: Bishonenwork's Anime Coloring Book For Big Folks
Series
Author(s): PL Nunn
Length: 40 pages (8.5x11 inches)
Publisher: PL Nunn

Genre:  

Notes: Seriously, I might take up coloring just for this...

Blurb: A coloring book for big people and fans of pretty anime boys and girls by P.L. Nunn.

The process of coloring is a proven method of stress relief and artistic outlet for adults. Here are a collection of anime-style original and familiar character artwork to fuel the creative process.


A coloring book for adults. Lots of pretty anime boys . . and some girls for your coloring pleasure. 

Its PG at most, so its home and work safe.

This one I'm having shipped direct from Lulu, so please go here to place your order.

Fandoms | Bloodraven | Final Fantasy | Original |Rurouni Kenshin | Saiyuki | Smallville | And More




Title: Double Alchemy
Series
Author(s): Susan Mac Nicol
Length: 335 pages
Publisher

Genre:  Romance / Gay / Fantasy / 

Notes

Blurb: Powerful yet tormented modern warlock Quinn Fairmont must initiate the silver-eyed Cade Mairston into the world of witchfinders, Withinners, and what can happen when two men fall truly, madly, deeply in love. 

THE WORLD IN SHADOW

In modern London there lurks a warlock, Quinn Fairmont. Dangerous, powerful, tortured, sharing his body with the soul of an ancient Welsh sorcerer, Quinn is never alone—and never wholly himself. He fights against all those who would exploit his kind. He takes pleasure where he can find it.

In the forest of Hampstead Heath, Quinn’s hometown, Cade Mairston appears to him like a waking dream. Lithe, lean and silver-eyed, he evokes feelings in Quinn unlike any other: lust with true affection, immediate and shocking. Cade is clearly more than he seems. And yet, if a man of the world, Cade is innocent. He knows nothing of warlocks, witchfinders or Withinners. He knows nothing of what he is, what he might be, or what he might feel. For him, the story is just beginning. Magyck, peril and passion await. More awaits in book two…



Title: Ghost in the Machine
Series: Corwint Central Agent Files, 1
Author(s): C.E. Kilgore
Length: 394 pages
PublisherThe Stars; 3 edition (April 30, 2014)

Genre:  Romance / Sci-Fi / 

Notes: I wanted to read this because the 2nd book in the series is a gay romance. Usually, I hope right in but it's a hit or miss depending on how interconnected the stories are. 

Blurb: Ghost In The Machine is a mature space opera romance with strong language, some violence, a good heaping of romance, some steamy bits, a few crazy aliens, one very confused android, an empathic girl with emotional issues who tends to trip herself up, and a crew of space agents who seem to enjoy making their Central Director yank out her hair. 

Love is like a wormhole. You stumble on to it blindly, it sucks you in and takes you somewhere completely unexpected. You can't fight it, because that would tear your ship apart. You can't control it, either. All you can do is set your thrusters on glide and let it take you where it's going to take you."

Going against the rules of her Vesparian Sisterhood, which seeks to keep its entire existence a secret, Orynn is thrown into the open by a request for help that she could not refuse. Seeking to reconcile past mistakes and gain a forgiveness she feels she does not deserve, the fragile control over her empathic abilities is put to the test. The darkness that lives within her spirit has grown impatient and threatens to once again destroy any piece of happiness that she allows herself to find.

As a Mechatronic Automaton, Ethan navigates his world through a set of logically defined values and understandings. Encountering Orynn throws his system off balance as he tries to decide if he should trust the feelings he is developing, or if he should follow the logic telling him that she is trying to control him for some unknown purpose. As his understanding of her develops, he begins to question all of his preconceived notions about both himself and the universe around him.

In his attempts to capture the Vesparian prey he has been hunting after for two decades, the First Commander of the Xen'dari fleet will stop at nothing and track Orynn to the ends of the universe. On a path of vengeance for a past he can't let go of, he will do everything in his power to burn her world down around her feet until nothing is left but ash and the bitter taste of regret.

Ghosts of the past clash with hopes for the future in this first book of the series, set in a universe where nothing is as it seems at first glance and trust is a highly priced commodity.

*This book is intended for mature readers and contains mild violence, coarse language and romantic scenes of intimacy.

About The Series: Corwint Central Agent Files
Corwint Central Agent Files is set in a galaxy far, far away. Various planetary systems and alien species, some human-like and others very unique, offer a backdrop to the adventures, struggles for power, character development and romance. As a space opera, character development and world building are the key ingredients. As a romance, ideals of love and relationship development are what drive the stories forward.

The Corwint universe is a constantly growing, changing and evolving universe. From space stations to newly discovered planets, each story in the series adds to a universe rich with life, struggling with conflict, and evolving its own sense of existence.

Love is the key theme in the series. Each book explores different aspects of love; from 'love at first sight' to unrequited love, from 'friends to lovers' to 'opposites attract', and everything in between. It also explores both sides of love - the good and beauty that can come from it, as well as the destructive force it can unleash when love turns to obsession.

Everything, and everyone, in the Corwint Universe has a past, present and future. Nothing is stagnant or an island. Every action, or inaction, has the potential to cast stones across the universe, creating ripple effects that may not be realized until years later. Fate mingles with choice, and consequences follow every decision.

Title: Burning Desire
Series: Eternal Flame
Author(s): Cree Storm, Maggie Walsh
Length: 176 pages
Publisher: Self-pubbed

Genre:  Romance / Gay / Fantasy / Dragons / Urban Fantasy /

Notes

Blurb: Centuries ago the Phoenix and Dragons were a force no one could penetrate. They fought together, mated together, and worked side by side, and then all that changed. The children of the leaders were dead and war had practically destroyed them all. The fighting stopped and they both went their separate ways.

Daytona was the Captain of the Crystal fire department. He loved his small town and he loved his job. However, what none of the small town knew was that he was also a dragon. Crystal was a small location just outside Denver, and it was also the home to the Phoenix. He had lived amongst them for years, hiding his scent, until the day came that he could no longer keep his secret.

When a fire claims his mother's life, Ethan rushes home. Having your mother being a victim of an arson is not something he was prepared to face, but discovering he wouldn't have to do it alone, should have been a relief. The thing is...that relief came in the form of a dragon, and the town believes that his mate is the cause of all the fires around town.

When the arsonist strikes close to home, Day knows he must clear his name and find the culprit that is now trying to kill his mate.



Title: Guardians of the Pattern
Series: Vol. 1
Author(s): Jay McKenna
Length: 937 pages
Publisher: Self-pubbed

Genre:  Romance / Gay / Sci-Fi / Fantasy / 

Notes

Blurb: The Guardians of the Pattern Bundle, Volume One contains the first three M/M sci-fi/romance novels of the Guardians of the Pattern series: Psi Hunter, Gremlin's Last Run, and Ghost in the Mythe, plus the free prequel short story, Facing the Mirror. 

Facing the Mirror (Prequel): When undercover agent Cameron Asada meets Miko, a psychic slave kept by the drug lord Cameron is investigating, he starts to question his mission priorities. The choice is clear: complete the mission or help Miko. Neither option is easy, but only one will allow Cameron to face himself in the mirror.

Psi Hunter (Book 1): Sparks fly when ex-lovers Kyn Valdari and Pat Cottrell are ordered to team up on a murder investigation. When they discover an abused, traumatized young psion powerful enough to kill with a thought, they must work together to protect him from being enslaved by the very organization that is supposed to save him.

Gremlin’s Last Run (Book 2): When independent freighter captain Rhys Tyler finds Alek McKinnon hiding in his cargo hold, he has a choice to make: help a wounded Federation agent escape from his captors, or shove him out the air lock. One look at Alek’s pretty brown eyes is all it takes to convince Rhys to take a chance on the man. Now they’re both on the run from a shady organization that wants Alek back at any cost.

Ghost in the Mythe (Book 3): Exiled from his home world, Tarrin Rhivana stows away on a Federation ship, and finds himself lost in the terrifying place-between-worlds where jump ships navigate. There he meets a beautiful ghost who might be the only one who can help Tarrin save his world from outside forces that would strip it bare.

Title: Hiatus
Series
Author(s): L.A. Witt
Length: 272 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Genre:  Romance / Contemporary / Rock n Roll Bands / Poly / MMM / 

Notes

Blurb: Three's a disaster when things come unraveled.

Rock star Nate Keller is on top of the world, but his headlining tour has one drawback. It keeps him away from his boyfriends, Theo and Cameron, for weeks at a time. Yet after four-and-a-half years-and a lot of hard work-the trio is still going strong.

But then Cam comes to visit with devastating news. After seventeen years together, he and Theo have agreed to a trial separation. Nate tries desperately to fix his lovers' broken relationship, but there's only so much he can do from the road.

At home, Cam tries to carry on, but feels like his whole life is spiraling out of control. Theo struggles to cope with the split as his depression worsens. They're both spinning their wheels, quickly losing hope they can keep it together-and keep the man they both still love.

Desperate, Nate drops everything in a last-ditch attempt to pull their trio back together before they hit rock bottom. Except their love could already be shattered beyond repair.

Warning: Contains two men who must face how broken they are before they can fix their failing marriage, and the man who loves them both-but doesn't know how to save them.



Title: Monsters Within
Series: Tooth and Claw, 4
Author(s): Amelia Faulkner
Length: 321 pages
Publisher: Self-pubbed

Genre:  Romance / Gay / Urban Fantasy / Vampires / Shifters / 

Notes

Blurb: A long-lost father. A world of nightmares. And sorcery. Let’s not forget the sorcery... 

Tooth & Claw, Book 4.

Randall Carter lost his father when he was ten. Not to accident or to crime, but to nothingness. Randall’s brother Kieran swears dad left mum for another woman, but the truth is he disappeared and not even the police could find him.

Ellis O’Neill has everything he never wanted: power; responsibility; guilt. A seat on the Council, a fledgling under his wing, and the crawling fear that in fighting monsters he may well have already become one.

As vampires across London disappear one by one, Ellis’ power becomes a sought-after commodity. But when the visions he receives are too much like his nightmares, facing the darkness might fall to Randall alone...

Title: Enchanted Soles
Series
Author(s)A.D. Truax, A.M. Valenza, Archer Kay Leah, C. Finley, Katey Hawthorne
Length: 88k
Publisher: LT3 Press

Genre:  Romance / Anthology / Asexual / Biromantic / Bisexual / Fantasy / Poly / Trans / Urban Fantasy /

Notes: Releases July 6th

Blurb: Sometimes all it takes is the right pair of shoes...

In Three Nights (A.D. Truax), Synder buys a pair of sandals that have a mind and plan of their own, and drag him to a celebration to which he was not invited—and into the arms of a handsome prince.

Saidah of Dame Fortune (C. Finley) asks her beautiful new wishing boots to take her to her true love, but the simple question has a complicated answer that will take more than magic boots to find.

Heart, Lace, and Soul (Archer Kay Leah) brings together Elly, who seldom removes the psychic boots that let her read and feel the minds of other people in order to help them, and a man her boots cannot read.

In Aelfwear (Katey Hawthorne), Frida is hired to make hideous shoes for a beautiful woman who claims she's out to cause misery for a man who once betrayed Frida's family—but Frida fears she'll wind up being played for a fool a second time.

And Into the Hollowed Veil (A.M. Valenza) is the story of a man who puts on a pair of beautiful red shoes and finds himself in a strange forest helping a beautiful woman rescue the man she loves...



Title: Back Lash
Series: Shame & Terric, 1
Author(s): Devon Monk
Length: 146 pages
PublisherOdd House Press (November 10, 2015)

Genre:  Urban Fantasy / Bisexual / Gay / Paranormal /

Notes: So I'm reading Hell Bent (Broken Magic, 1)  which is about Shame & Terric. I'm 100 pages in on a 375 page book and I was thinking about ditching it. I could see what Shame and Terric needed to do to be happy and balance each other out but Shame was getting on my nerves. After finding this book, I think I'm going to finish Hell Bent and whatever else is in that series so I can read Back Lash. I'm interested to see if Monk went where I hope she did.

Blurb: Shame Flynn and Terric Conley hadn't meant to become the living, breathing vessels for Death and Life magic. But they hadn't meant to die, be reborn, break magic, save the world, and kill a few psychopaths along the way, either. The one thing they had meant to do was to seal magic away so it could never be used to kill again. 
When a string of dead bodies–people killed by magic–appear throughout Portland, Oregon, Shame and Terric must scramble to uncover who broke the locks on magic and how. 

Before Terric’s sister becomes the next target. 


Before the Russian mob locks them in their sights.


Before the question of who can control magic is decided by bullets and blood.



Title: Cloaked in Blood
Series: Wolfkin Legacy, 3
Author(s): T.F. Walsh
Length: 270 pages
PublisherCrimson Romance (May 9, 2016)

Genre:  Romance / Paranormal / Shifter /

NotesCloaked in Blood is Book 3 in the Wulfkin Legacy series, but can also be read as a standalone book.

Blurb: The daughter of a sultan alpha, Selena Kurt agrees to an arranged wulfkin mating to protect her sister from a dangerous alpha from the enemy clan. To her surprise, her match is Marcin Ulf, the next in line for the Hungarian throne . . . and the wulfkin who broke her heart years ago. 

Marcin is just as shocked to learn he'll be matched to the enemy's daughter and the woman he's never forgotten. Before they can be paired, however, they're drawn into a tournament where Marcin will compete to free his estranged imprisoned brother, while Selena battles for the life of another wulfkin alpha. Both intend to seize this chance to save those they're fighting for - even if it means facing off with one another just as their romance rekindles.

Will tribe loyalty triumph, or will they realize they're better off as a team before it's too late?

Sensuality Level: Sensual


Title: Depth of Blur
Series: On Deception's Edge, 1
Author(s): Lisa MacTague
Length: 264 pages
PublisherBella Books (May 24, 2015)

Genre:  Romance / Lesbian / Sci-Fi / 

Notes


Blurb: For Torrin Ivanov, life is a bargaining table. Every planet is a new business opportunity. Legality is optional and supplying one side in a local civil war always adds up to profit. 

Jak Stowell is at war within a war. A woman hidden in the heart of a male-only army, her brother’s murder has left her desperate for vengeance. Her skill as a sniper gives her both the disguise she needs and paves the way ever closer to her real goal. She kills efficiently, without remorse. Putting down an off-world smuggler will be no different.

A moment’s hesitation. A flicker of doubt. Two women on a collision course set off a chain reaction of intergalactic intrigue—and awaken a dangerous passion that could cost them their lives.



Title: Nightfall
Series: The Chronicles of Ardene, 1
Author(s): Shiriluna Nott, Saja H
Length: 320 pages
Publisher

Genre:  Romantic Elements / Gay / Epic Fantasy / 

Notes

Blurb: Gibben Nemesio thought his life was over the day he received a conscription notice demanding he train to be a soldier. When he left his home for Silver City, he never expected he'd thwart a terrible plot to murder the King and become an overnight hero—and he definitely hadn't expected to find love in the form of a handsome mage trainee named Joel. 

Three years later, Gib has fought his way from lowborn farmer to hold the coveted position as understudy to the seneschal. Despite heightening tensions between the King and High Council and the rumors of impending war still terrorizing the people of Arden, Gib finds solace in the company of his wise mentor, loyal friends, and beloved companion.

But with the arrival of an ominous message from a powerful enemy in the north, Gib quickly realizes peace is fleeting in a world where chaos lurks in every shadow, and treacherous forces—from both outside the country and within—threaten to destroy everything he holds dear.

In "Nightfall", the second chapter of the epic fantasy series "The Chronicles of Arden", the adventure continues. 150,000 words. Epic fantasy. LGBT fiction.

 


Title: The Archer's Heart
Series: Book One of Three
Author(s): Astrid Amara
Length: 263 pages
PublisherBlind Eye Books (September 1, 2008)

Genre:  Romance / Gay / Epic Fantasy

Notes: This comes across my desktop from time to time and I tell myself I should give it a go. I know people who really love this series.

Blurb: In the ancient kingdom of Marhavad, noblemen dominate the lower castes, wielding mystic weapons, known as shartas, against any who oppose them. For generations the rule of Marhavad’s kings has been absolute. But now the line of succession is divided, and whispers of revolution are heard in even the royal palace.

Keshan Adaru, an outspoken man of unearthly charms, welcomes these changes. All his life he has foreseen an uprising that will shatter the castes and end the tyranny of the old laws. His visions have driven him but now, at the brink of their fulfillment, he finds himself obsessed with Prince Jandu Paran– a man whose entire family must be destroyed if the kingdom is to be freed.

Tarek Amia would gladly see Jandu Paran brought low. Born the son of a charioteer, Tarek has no love for the royal princes who have slighted and insulted him all his life. Only Keshan’s philosophies have elevated him from the brutal ranks of common soldiers. Tarek owes Keshan his devotion, but he is a pragmatic man and when he discovers Keshan’s reckless affair he realizes that Keshan may have to be sacrificed for the sake of his own revolution.

Young Prince Jandu Paran has never concerned himself with court intrigue. His life has been dedicated to the lordly art of archery and mastering the immense powers of the shartas. Handsome and arrogant, he is sure that no man can surpass him and yet Keshan Adaru’s mere touch brings Jandu to his knees. But his desire for Keshan is more than forbidden; it threatens to destroy Jandu’s pride, position and family. In the midst of this turmoil, an unspeakable event forces Jandu to redefine the meaning of honor and loyalty.

And now, as armies arise to war, each man must decide where his allegiance lies and what he will sacrifice in his heart and on the battlefield.



Title: Cops and Robby
Series
Author(s): Carol Lynne
Length: 22k
Publisher: Wild City Press

Genre:  Erotic Romance / Contemporary / Poly / MMM /

Notes: I couldn't find this on Amazon but it is selling at the publisher.

Blurb: Cops, Cole and Morgan Caldwell, have always had to hide their love for each other from the outside world. They are content with each other until the night they rescued Robby. Beaten and left in an alley by a john, Robby has never known true kindness and soon falls for both men, but Robby’s got a problem. His pimp, Vince, isn’t ready to let him go.

Can two cops love a prostitute or will Robby’s baggage be too much for them to carry?

NOTE: Second Edition – This is a previously published work.



Title: Underdogs
Series
Author(s)Geonn Cannon
Length: 166 pages
Publisher: Self-pubbed

Genre:  Romance / Lesbian / Urban Fantasy / Shifters

Notes


Blurb: Ariadne Willow is a private investigator with a secret weapon. She's a canidae, a person with the ability to transform into a wolf at will. Using her heightened senses to track and her shapeshifting to follow people without being seen, she's made a decent business for herself and her associate Dale Frye. When one of the richest women in Seattle wishes to hire her, Ari and Dale think their ship has finally come in. All Ari has to do is observe the client's tabloid-friendly daughter, fresh out of rehab, and confirm that she's truly clean.

Ari thinks the case will be a piece of cake, but a moment of shocking violence changes everything. Soon Ari finds herself backed into a corner with no way out, forced to either run or risk losing everything she holds dear by fighting an enemy with unlimited power and resources. With Dale refusing to leave her side, Ari decides to make a stand to remind her enemies that there's only one rule in betting...

Always bet on the underdogs.



Title: Knight
Series: Allie's War, 5
Author(s): JC Andrijeski
Length: 545 pages
Publisher

Genre:  Romance / Gay / Sci-Fi / Dystopia / Urban Fantasy / 

Notes: This series is predominately het so I'm not sure this can be read as a standalone. The way the blurb is set up, I'm guessing not--which isn't a problem for me.

Blurb: "I thought the two of you were scary individually..."

Plagued by prescient-seeming nightmares and with hostile seers hot on their trail, Allie sets up camp in New York, along with Revik and the remnants of their seer alliance.

Not long after they arrive, a human-killing virus strikes San Francisco and Allie's loved ones start to disappear. Fielding off attacks by the Lao Hu and the mysterious Shadow, Allie and Revik are forced to make impossible choices as they learn how to work together again.

Meanwhile, Allie's brother, Jon, seems to be going through some big changes of his own as he and the ex-rebel, Wreg, work to find humans on a list marking them as important in the coming Displacement.

Series Summary


The Allie's War series is an apocalyptic psychic romance set in a unique, gritty version of Earth populated by a second race of psychic beings called Seers. Its heroine, Allie Taylor, was marked "The Bridge" from birth, born to be the leader of the Seer race and the bringer of the next stage in humanity's evolution. Unfortunately, to many Seers, that means the death of just about every human on the planet.

She is helped and hindered, awakened and impeded by her antihero partner, Dehgoies Revik, whose on-again-off-again relationship with the dark beings known as the Dreng may destroy them both.

The series takes place in a modern version of our world at the brink of apocalypse and a dystopian future. It spans centuries along with the lives of its main characters, the Seers, and the wars they fight with themselves and their human allies and enemies. 


Main Series Books:
Rook: Allie's War Book One ~ amazon.com/gp/product/B004TXR6FG
Shield: Allie's War Book Two ~ amazon.com/gp/product/B004TXR750/
Sword: Allie's War Book Three ~ amazon.com/gp/product/B004W48KXO/
Shadow: Allie's War Book Four ~ amazon.com/gp/product/B006L0XQX6/
Knight: Allie's War Book Five ~ amazon.com/gp/product/B008FKV59M/
War: Allie's War Book Six ~ amazon.com/gp/product/B00CGETSCE/
Bridge: Allie's War Book Seven ~ amazon.com/gp/product/B00FI2RLDE/
Prophet: Allie's War Book Eight ~ amazon.com/dp/B00NZ741XC
Dragon: Allie's War Book Nine ~ amazon.com/dp/B00VXH22O6
Sun: Allie's War Book Ten ~ COMING SOON!


Title: A Year Less Three Days
Series
Author(s): Alyn J. Shaw, Mychael Black
Length: 133 pages
Publisher: Samhain

Genre:  Romance / Gay / Shifter / Fantasy / Historical /

Notes

Blurb: Only love will save them…if it can survive the pits of the damned.

When Lias’s wife was kidnapped, all his skills as a woodsman couldn’t save her—or himself. Captured, sold repeatedly to different masters, Lias endures abuse, torture, and worse. By the time his latest master buys him, Lias is little more than an animal.

He is a creature of rage and hate, antagonizing his master at every turn, lashing out at his boundaries, waiting and watching for a chance to escape and return to his children—or die trying.

At times, Necromis, a knight of the Order of the White Bear, would like nothing more than to oblige his aggravating new charge, but one thing stays his deadly hand. Lias is his last hope. Long ago, Necromis made a deal with a demon named Bonecracker to gain fame, wealth, and respect.

But the day of reckoning is coming, and there’s only one way out of this bargain—capture the heart of a broken slave, or Necromis’s soul will forever belong to Bonecracker.

Warning: Mention of rape, violence.



Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Friday, June 10, 2016

Book Searching Frustrations: Looking for Recommendations

I've thought long and hard on blogging about this topic. There's a good chance that I might offend someone with my opinion or observations. I will endeavor to be a good girl, but apologize in advance if I strike a nerve. I'm just frustrated.

Last week I was on the Amazon looking for bisexual menage romances and kept coming across these cheating MILF (BTW, I have no idea what a MILF is. I think it has something to do with a mother-in-law but I'm completely drawing a blank on the last letter.) stories, which technically are bisexual, but I'm just turned off on the whole bisexual cheating trope. 

There were other menages with these super long titles that just made me wonder why they included all that stuff. Example (not from a real book but made up example): Bad Boys Rock (Alpha Male Menage Collection) (MFM New Adult) (Threesome Shorts) (May Have Alien and Shifter Bits) (Stepbrother's Baby Brother) Hero Shifter Steamy) (And Motorcycle and Tattoos).

Why?

Really, Why?

It bothered me that elements that should be in the blurb or set up in the Amazon categories were included in the title. After looking at them closer, they were all participating in the Zon's Kindle Unlimited. I guess the phenomenon is encouraged by the program, I don't know.

I will admit I'm frustrated with Amazon's filing system. I get that simple can be better, but not here. Not when authors feel they have to put a category in their title to get noticed. That's only my opinion. Plus, when I want something specific, there isn't a way to search for it unless I have an author or title. Since I like finding new to me authors/books, that's not possible.

It's also frustrating I have to go through loops to be able to see a list that is not their top 100 for the category. It seems like Zon makes it intentionally hard for a buyer to look through their catalog of books to sell. (Once I found the pages that weren't the featured books, I saved the link because I've thought I knew how to get back to that point only to get lost again.) I don't care if there are 30,000 titles under gay science fiction, give me the list. I'm a dedicated reader who will flip through a thousand pages to find the book or ten that catches my fancy.

But I digress... my whole frustration is finding menage bisexual romances.

There isn't a menage category under romance or LGBT. I have the erotic filter disabled on my account but that didn't seem to make a difference. I want to send Amazon a letter, not that it will do any good. 

So, I'm still looking for bisexual menage romances. Right now I don't care if they are contemporary, fantasy, or sci-fi. They can be any pairing. i.e. MMF, FFM, MMM, POLY+, (that also includes Asexual, Trans characters). I'll take any and all recommendations. Even if it's a book you've only heard of, throw the title or author my way.

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

The End of Sumeria's Sons

I can see the end of Releasing Chaos. Today, I'm starting on the final battle. I'm not sure what is going to happen. I already have an idea what Brian and Ushna will do. Gregori, Juan, and Ace will work as a team. Magi will be given permission to use magic offensively. Warriors and Ophidians will do their best against the Servants of the Glorious One. There are surprises planned and a twist or two that will have the last book of the Sumeria's Sons go out with a bang. 

I've cried. Not crocodile tears or gasping sobs, but silent reluctant tears. Some of the emotion is because these guys get their happily ever after, and they deserve it. I cried because that ending is going to be hard won. And I cried because there are a couple of characters who's love for family made me proud and broke my heart.

Now, all I need to do is get the evil Goddess and her cohorts correct, give them a good thrashing, and then wrap everything up. It looks as if I can have the first draft of Releasing Chaos finished this week if I push. (which means no recreational reading for me, pooh!) Then I have to decide if I'll sit on it or start typing up. (The Dragon software was recommended to me so I might give it a try to see if it's faster.) More than likely, I'll sit on it because Kenzie Cade is waiting on me to return Devil's Heart and my portion of those edits which I put off to concentrate on Releasing Chaos. After that, it looks as if the rest of my month will be spent editing... *cries* Such a necessary evil.

Wish me luck!

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Saturday, June 4, 2016

What's on the Reading Radar #WishList #TBR

It's that time of the week where I offer up what I found while browsing for books for my wish list (as if it needs to be longer :). I'm looking for gargoyle romances if anyone has any suggestions.

Title: Casto
Series: Gods of War, 1
Author(s): Zenia Melzer
Length: 314 pages
PublisherDSP Publications; 1 edition (June 21, 2016)

Genre:  Romantic Elements / Gay / Fantasy / High Fantasy? /

Notes


BlurbGods of War: Book I

All is fair in love and war. Renaldo has lived happily by that proverb his entire life. But he has finally met his match, and he’s about to discover how unfair love and war can be.

When demigod and warlord Lord Renaldo takes a beautiful stranger captive during an ambush, he is delighted to have found a distraction that will keep him entertained during the upcoming siege. Little does he know, Casto is keeping more than just one secret from him. Slowly, Renaldo gets sucked into a turbulent roller-coaster relationship with his mysterious prisoner, one that begins with hatred and soon spirals into a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. And when it seems that things can get no worse, an old enemy stirs right in the heart of his home.

Determined to keep Casto by his side, Renaldo has to find a balance between the capricious young man and his own destiny as a ruler and god to his people.

Title: Curse of Blades
SeriesCurse of Blades, 1
Author(s)
Length: 71 pages
Publisher: Self-pubbed

Genre:  Romance / LGBTQ / Assassin / Fantasy / Historical-ish / 

Notes

BlurbCoulta was born with a curse, one that forces him to obey the commands of those with authority over him. At only five years old, his father gives him up into service of a powerful lord, hoping to give Coulta a better life. But it was a mistake. Varin turns Coulta into an assassin, someone who can't stop himself from killing even the most innocent person he was commanded to murder. Despite the pain of a life out of his control, Coulta does have hope; hope that he will one day meet the person his mother claimed would free him of his curse.

Wildas is the Crown Prince of Phelin. He has known nothing but luxury and comfort, not the pain and suffering of a cursed killer. He has no idea that his life is in danger, that assassins are lurking in the shadows of the next city he will visit on behalf of the Crown. Nor does he know that his very soul is tied to one of those assassins, a tie that not even death could ever break.

Anil lost her entire family to a winter illness and has asked herself time and again why she alone was spared. Only the chance encounter with two mysterious men will answer that question for her.

Myri is a healer in a small village. She never expected to be healing the Crown Prince himself after a dangerous encounter with an assassin. Can she truly save him? Or is danger shadowing their every move?



Title: Dark Descendant
SeriesNikki Glass Book 1
Author(s): Jenna Black
Length: 341 pages
PublisherPocket Books (April 26, 2011)

Genre:  Urban Fantasy

Notes

BlurbNikki Glass can track down any man. But when her latest client turns out to be a true descendant of Hades, Nikki now discovers she can’t die. . . . Crazy as it sounds, Nikki’s manhunting skills are literally god-given. She’s a living, breathing descendant of Artemis who has stepped right into a trap set by the children of the gods. Nikki’s new “friends” include a descendant of Eros, who uses sex as a weapon; a descendant of Loki, whose tricks are no laughing matter; and a half-mad descendant of Kali who thinks she’s a spy. But most powerful of all are the Olympians, a rival clan of immortals seeking to destroy all Descendants who refuse to bow down to them. In the eternal battle of good god/bad god, Nikki would make a divine weapon. But if they think she’ll surrender without a fight, the gods must be crazy. . . .


Title: For the Love of a Steampunk Heart
SeriesFirebend Chronicles, Book One
Author(s): Leah Ross
Length: 222 pages
Publisher: Self-pubbed

Genre:  Romance / Gay / Steampunk / Science Fiction /

Notes


BlurbSixty-four years ago, the Blast changed everything. The modern, interconnected world died and two disparate societies took its place. The pioneers founded their own world in the frontier of the Fringe. The rest crowded themselves into dome cities and cut themselves off from the world. Fringer or Domer. One or the other. Never both. Until now. 

Nick Massey is an inventor and mechanic, a Domer struggling to break out of his poverty-stricken existence and escape his tragic past. He’s brilliant. He’s talented. He just lost his job. With nothing keeping him in the city, he leaves his meager life behind and strikes out for the wild unknowns of the Fringe. He’s hoping to find happiness and purpose. Instead, he finds Zander.

Zander Pennington is a Fringer, born and bred, a lifelong resident of the town of Firebend. He’s tough and resourceful and absolutely intolerant of unknowns. As a partner in the region’s most lucrative mineral mining operation, he doesn’t have time to deal with anything but business. Business is what he knows. Business is his comfort zone. Nick is not business.

Despite their inherent differences, Nick and Zander must learn to trust each other and work as a team to thwart the danger that threatens them and all of Firebend. It’s the danger they can’t fight, though, that could break both of their hearts and destroy their lives.


This work is intended for a mature audience and contains mature content. For a more comprehensive list of content tags, please see this book’s information page at the author’s website.



Title: Of the Essence
SeriesHellmaw, Book 7
Author(s)Gabrielle Harbowy
Length: 179 pages
PublisherHellmaw (April 30, 2016)

Genre:  Urban Fantasy / Paranormal /

Notes: Opps! The book listed on kindle doesn't say it's part of a series. I didn't realize this until I looked at the audiobook. The I had to hop over to GoodReads to find out hte order. The series actually starts with Hellmaw: Your World is Doomed!

BlurbWhen a powerful daemon is murdered on modern-day Earth, all signs point in the same direction: to Tehru, the daemon who was his direct enemy throughout the dynastic war on Araunt. But Tehru knows that someone else has access to her own unique power: Quills, a back-alley magic dealer who once took a sample of Tehru's essence as payment. Now the murdered daemon's followers are coming after Tehru for retribution, and Quills has to track down the real killer and clear her client's name. If she doesn't solve the murder in time, she'll be the one who takes the fall.


Title: Kestrel's Talon
Series(The Stonewatchers Book 1)
Author(s): Bey Deckard
Length: 426 pages
Publisher: Self-pubbed

Genre:  Romance / Gay / Fantasy / Paranormal / Dark-ish w/Sexual Slavery / 

Notes


BlurbFollowing the Prentish/Nemarri war, Kes is rejected by his homeland under the guise of religious purity laws. Though he's spared execution, the proud Nemarri's fate is only marginally more merciful than death when he is sold into sexual slavery at a prosperous pleasure house. 

Despite his stoic endurance, Kes knows he’s reaching his breaking point, but there is nothing he can do—there is no path to freedom in the Holy Prentish Empire, only a lifetime of humiliating servitude.

That is, until a beautiful young slave and his formidable master approach Kes in the marketplace and make an astonishing offer to take him home with them. The only problem: “home” is the accursed Horthmont Castle from the scare-stories of Kes’s childhood.

Thrown into a world of living myth, powerful magic, and ancient gods, Kes learns the secrets kept hidden by Horthmont’s thick blackstone walls. There he discovers something he thought he’d never know again: hope for the future.



Title: Windbrothers
SeriesWindbrothers, 1
Author(s): Sean Michael
Length: 301 pages
PublisherDSP Publications; 2 edition (May 24, 2016)

Genre:  Romance / Gay / Fantasy / 

Notes


BlurbBanished from his homeland, Surial is sent to Azize to run the family business. When he wins a slave, Kade, in a dog race, Surial is unsure what to do with him, as he doesn’t believe in slavery. Kade’s way with horses leads to him being relegated to the stables, where Surial becomes drawn to the big, quiet man. 

A proud warrior at heart, Kade has been a slave for too long, and when he is passed to yet another owner, he goes without a fight, no hope left in him. When he discovers Surial’s secret, a fragile friendship blossoms between the unlikely master and the unwilling slave as Kade shows Surial that what lies within him is not a curse but a gift.

In a world of magic, Surial and Kade face their fears and hopes amid dangers that threaten both of them as their friendship is put to the test. What lies at the end of their trials is something more precious than either of them has ever dreamed of.



Title: Trial By Fire
Series
Author(s): BA Tortuga
Length5 hours and 36 minutes
PublisherDreamspinner Press LLC

Genre:  Romance / Contemporary / Aussie / Ranch / 

Notes


BlurbOne Aussie. One Texan. One baby. One hell of a fight.

When his sister and her husband are killed in an accident, Aussie cattle station owner Lachlan McCoughney rushes to Texas to rescue their infant daughter, Chloe. He expects to find his niece living in squalor with the Sheffields, a rodeo family.

Instead, Lachlan finds Holden Sheffield, a salt-of-the-earth cowboy, running a huge business operation. They want to explore their mutual attraction despite the many problems thrown their way, and together, they must find a way to give Chloe a new family and find a love that spans thousands of acres and two continents.



Title: Triad Blood
Series
Author(s): Nathan Burgoine
Length: 240 pages 
Publisher

Genre:  Romance / Gay / Poly / Fantasy / Urban Fantasy / Paranormal / Vampires / Demons / Wizards / 

Notes

Blurb: The law of three is unbroken: three vampires form a coterie, three demons make a pack, and three wizards are a coven. That is how it has always been, and how it was always to be. 


But Luc, Anders, and Curtis—vampire, demon, and wizard—have cheated tradition. Their bond is not coterie, pack, or coven, but something else. Thrust into the supernatural politics ruling Ottawa from behind the shadows, they face Renard, a powerful vampire who harbors deadly secrets of his own and wishes to end their threat. The enemy they know conjures fire and death at every turn. The enemies they don’t know are worse.

Blood, soul, and magic gave them freedom. Now they need to survive it.




Title: The Reminiscence of Good King Carnack
Series
Author(s): Jack Harvey
Length: 16k
Publisher: Less Than Three Press (May 31, 2016)

Genre:  Asexual / Fantasy / 

Notes


BlurbCarnack rules a vast kingdom, with millions of people looking to him for leadership and protection.

But he wasn't born royalty, and never had any interest in taking care of anyone but himself. So what changes a cold and ruthless mercenary into a trusted and caring king?

That story begins with a belt buckle, and the unexpectedly complicated adventure required to obtain it...



Title: Season's Bleeding
Series: Thaumaturge Series, 0.5
Author(s): Cal Matthews
Length: 16 pages
Publisher: Self-pubbed

Genre:  Erotic Romance / Gay / Fantasy / Urban Fantasy /

Notes


BlurbHoliday shopping can be scary enough. Holiday shopping with the undead?

In this Thaumaturge series short, Ebron and his sort-of, kind-of, vampire boyfriend spend an evening picking out gifts for their nearest and dearest. 


Ebron's trying to be nice. Leo's being naughty.



Title: The Dead
SeriesThaumaturge Series, 1
Author(s)Cal Matthews
Length: 228 pages
PublisherSelf-pubbed

Genre:  Romance / Gay / Fantasy / Urban Fantasy /

Notes

Blurb“She’s dead,” I said to him harshly, and he made a tiny, breathless noise. The old man put his hand on the boy’s shoulder, and the girl gave another sob, her face crumpling like a tissue. 

“But I can fix it,” I said, and smiled.

Ebron White has plenty of skeletons in his closet. Being gay in a remote ranching town is no picnic, but that’s nothing compared to Ebron’s biggest secret: he has the power to raise the dead. His life is complicated but so far he’s managing. He’s got a respectable business, an undead (though unreliable) boyfriend and most folks in his little rural community are willing to live and let live.

But a coven of witches showing up in town can only mean trouble. They’re entirely too interested in him and as the bodies pile up, Ebron is starting to realize that the dead are the least of his worries. It’s the live ones he has to survive



Title: Jade
Series: Three J'amingos, 1
Author(s): Rose Montague
Length: 254 pages
Publisher: Self-pubbed

Genre:  Romance / Paranormal / 

Notes

Blurb

Meet Jade Smith, a magical mutt with a mission. A detective partnered with a shifter named Rolfe, she’s on the case to solve a slew of murders: Vamps are killing humans, and nobody knows why. When London Jane, the most powerful vamp in town, is implicated in the murders, Jade knows something isn’t right. Together with Jill, the Winter Queen of Faerie, Jade and Jane take their investigation underground. On the run, with nowhere to hide, they uncover a secret that could destroy Faerie, as well as the human realm. Will Jade stop the killer in time? Or will she be the next victim? Magic, mayhem, and mystery abound, and the odds are stacked against them; it’s three against three hundred.



Title: Totems
Series: Part One
Author(s): A.P. Slater
Length: 222 pages
Publisher: Self-pubbed

Genre:  Romance / Gay / Fantasy / 

Notes

BlurbJeren is content with his place in the order of things. Apprentice to the towns blacksmith, the path lying before him is plain and simple. 

But a higher power has other ideas for Jeren and his totem, Nya. Tragedy strikes and his dreams of a simple life are shattered. Pursued by a deadly tryad of skilled hunters who come with one purpose. To drag Jeren through the Hive Domain, to an evil place lost beyond its borders.

Jeren turns to the elders for help, unaware of the corruption which has tainted them. Jeren is left with a difficult choice. Should he risk his freedom and endanger those he loves?

Or should he run? And forsake the people of Amaranth to the waves of destruction threatening to overcome them all.

Title: Sharp-Shooter
Series
Author(s): Leslie Murray
Length: 582 pages
PublisherSapphire Books Publishing (October 1, 2014)

Genre:  Romance / Lesbian / Contemporary / Suspense / Action & Adventure /

Notes


BlurbA mission gone horribly wrong. 

A vicious killer who will stop at nothing.

Two women on the run for their very lives.

After 9/11, an experimental branch of the U.S. government has been tasked with the mission of proactively putting a stop to terrorism. They have sent a team to eliminate a financier responsible for funding the worst of these organizations. Everything is going according to plan.

Until it’s not.

The team is ambushed, and when the mission is looking its darkest, it goes from bad to worse. Former Marine scout sniper Seven Michelis is a black ops sharpshooter now injured and on the run for her life. Peace Corps volunteer Dr. Jenny MacKenzie defies good sense and sets out to help a stranger in need. What she finds is something else entirely.

From the rugged foothills of the Andes through the dense forests of the Amazon river basin, Seven and Jenny fight to survive the perils of being hunted through Bolivia by a killer hell bent on homicide. Who can they trust, and what fresh hell awaits them if and when they make it home? Will they survive long enough to explore their growing attraction?



Title: The Rain
SeriesPendragon Chronicles Book 1
Author(s): Amos Cassidy
Length: 212 pages
PublisherAmos Cassidy (October 24, 2015)

Genre:  Dark Urban Fantasy / Gay / Fantasy / Arthurian Fantasy / Dragons & Magic / 

Notes

BlurbDestinies aren’t written, they’re forged, and Jake Winters is about to get a 101 in forging. 

A quaint British coastal town hiding ancient secrets, a heavenly weapon that claims a host, a dragon’s egg that has a tale to tell - Jake Winters is the line that connects all the dots. 


But Jake has much to learn, and very little time, because a serial killer is on the loose, a monster with the face of a fashion model, and it’ll take Jake’s special brand of intervention to stop him…




Title: Overshadowed
SeriesRokkir Saga, 1
Author(s): Tabitha Chirrick
Length: 264 pages
Publisher: Self-pubbed

Genre:  Science Fiction / Pirates / Lesbian / Aliens /

Notes

BlurbFourteen months ago, the Igador System's council government finally achieved peace with its personal brand of space pirate: the Sinosian Raiders. Coexistence was short-lived, and now Igador is devastated as the raiders use fourteen months' worth of peace tax collections to launch a full scale invasion. 

Driven from her home planet by the catastrophic raid, seventeen-year-old Tayel flees to a council refugee camp. No one is permitted to leave, no one shares progress on the invasion, and worst of all, refugee shuttles stop flying in, preventing the chance of reuniting with anyone from home.

So when a battle-hardened woman shunned by the camp for her Sinosian attire warns Tayel of the council's corruption, Tayel seriously considers the woman's offer of help to escape. The terms seem fair enough: help steal a ship drive from the secured government docks to power up an escape vessel, and get a free ticket out of a camp-turned-processing-line for something darker than Tayel can imagine.



TitleHuman Omega
Series
Author(s): D.J. Heart
Length: 317 pages
Publisher: Self-pubbed

Genre:  Romance / Gay / Urban Fantasy / Shifters / Dark Themes / 

Notes

BlurbPolice officer and alpha werewolf John Tate never planned on turning a human into an omega. He was supposed to be civilized. Nice. The exception to the rule. But one whiff of Ian Bones on the full moon and all of Tate's morals and ideals go flying out the window. Ian smells like his, and Tate's wolf has no intention of denying them what is rightfully theirs... 

Warning: This story contains some dark themes before the happy ending, including kidnapping, unfair punishment, abuse of power and dubious consent. Do not read if this bothers you.



Title: Bastet
SeriesEarth Warriors, 1
Author(s): T.A. Chase
Length: 156 pages
Publisher: MLR Press

Genre:  Romance / Gay / Fantasy / Urban Fantasy /

Notes

BlurbKellan Largant and Bastet are drawn into an ancient battle while learning to love each other. 

Kellan Largent is a grad student at Harvard. His thesis is on ancient Egyptian religious cults. While immersed in his research, he comes across an obscure reference to the Earth Warrior cult. Little does he know that one sentence in a dusty tattered book will engulf him in a battle between good and evil. A battle that could be the end of the world as he knows it.

The stray cat wandering the streets around Kellan's house is more than an abandoned feline. Bastet has roamed the earth from the days when Egypt was young. He's watched the pharaohs rise and fall. New gods come and go. His purpose has remained the same: Protect the earth at all costs and keep the secrets of the Earth Warriors from regular mortals. He's sent to keep Kellan Largent from finding out the truth about the cult, but also to keep the unsuspecting college student alive.

One man will do anything for the spell that created the Warriors. He wants immortality and killing Kellan for the secret is just the beginning of the trouble he'll cause to get what he wants.



TitleThe Warriors of Valishna
SeriesCartharia Book 1
Author(s): Spencer Reaves McCoy
Length: 525 pages
PublisherBrigade Press (April 28, 2016)

Genre:  High Fantasy / Mythology / Fairy Tale / 

Notes

BlurbThe Black King, Richard Sullivan, has declared war on the kingdom of Arinford: the first war in centuries. He has shown the world his strength by razing the city Valishna to the ground. He reigns over a much larger kingdom, and the military he commands grows daily with fanatical supporters. 

Matilyn and the few friends she escaped with embark on a perilous journey across kingdoms, leading a small resistance into battle as they trek through enemy territory.



TitleRaw Power
Series: Demon-Hearted, 1
Author(s): Ambrose Ibsen
Length: 212 pages
Publisher: Self-Pubbed

Genre:  Urban Fantasy / Non-romantic Sex / 

Notes

BlurbHowdy. My name's Lucian Colt.

I'm one of those disgruntled millennials you've heard about on the evening news. I've got a master's degree in Art History, a mountain of student loan debt and no job to show for it.

Wait, scratch that. I track down stolen pieces of art for wealthy clients and then beat whoever stole them to within an inch of their life. Say what you will, but it puts bread on the table.

Something went wrong with this last job of mine, though. I walked in on something I wasn't supposed to see and got murdered by witches. Yeah, real, legit witches. Never saw that one coming, did you? Neither did I, and the only reason I'm writing this is because some doctor working for an ancient secret society decided it would be a good idea to use me as a science experiment.

See, he implanted a new heart in me and saved my life, but it wasn't just any old heart. It was ademon's heart. Nifty, eh?

Anyhow, I'm back and better than ever, except that, now and then, the demon takes over completely and I do awful things. Lose control. But enough about that. This is a story about how I (mostly) rein in the demon's impulsive personality and seek revenge against the coven of witches that tried to kill me. Along the way, I learn a thing or two about this secret society I'm apparently now a member of and find out that there's a lot of shit out there that goes “bump” in the night.

Mandatory Disclaimer: Yeah, look, some people don't like the way I talk. I say words like “fuck” a lot. If you want to take this ride, then you should know there's going to be a whole lot of cussing and violence along the way. And if I'm lucky, there'll be some skin, too.

But, who knows? Maybe you'll like it, you filthy animal.



Title: Curragh
Series: Werewolves of Chicago
Author(s): Faleena Hopkins
Length: 371 pages
PublisherHop Hop Publications (January 21, 2016)

Genre:  Romance / Paranormal / Werewolves

Notes

BlurbThe tight black dress. The booze in her hand. 

The soft-brown bedroom eyes.


The acceptance of his invitation to join him in the bar's locked bathroom right after they meet. 


None of these things could have warned him she was a f-ing off-duty cop and after the same bad dude he was. Fuhhhhhhhck.

Detective Kara Monaghan and wolf Curragh Dominion are after the same guy, but by very different means. When they meet as strangers in a bar and chemistry flies, they have NO idea they're on different sides of the law until after they've had their delicious fill of each other. He wants her to go away AND come closer. What's a stubborn beast to do when his wolf has a mind of its own?

Werewolves of Chicago:
Curragh (Curr-agh) - The Beast (tough fighter, with a female detective on his back)
Howard - The Sexy Underdog (sweet, but newly powerful)
Xavier - The Hero (hot hot hot hot hot hot)



Title: Gun To My Head
Series
Author(s): Dira Lewis
Length: 101k
Publisher: LT3 Press

Genre:  Romance / Bisexual / Urban Fantasy / Paranormal

Notes: July release date

BlurbSin is a vampire at the end of his rope. Having escaped forcible conversion by a vampire cult, he temporarily kills himself and rises again only to immediately imprint on a human: eighteen-year-old Dominic.

Thanks to the cult's conditioning, Sin can't bite Dominic, but because of the imprint he also can't leave him alone. Protecting Dominic from a local vampire named Oriana puts Sin between a rock and a hard place.

With nowhere else to turn he does his best to convince Dominic to like him—but finds himself becoming just as attached to Dominic, which definitely isn't making his life any easier.



Title: Hexbreaker
SeriesHexworld Book 1
Author(s): Jordan L. Hawk
Length: 259 pages
Publisher: Self-pubbed

Genre:  Romance / Gay / Historical / Fantasy / 

Notes

BlurbWill a dark history doom their future together? 

New York copper Tom Halloran is a man with a past. If anyone finds out he once ran with the notorious O’Connell tunnel gang, he’ll spend the rest of his life doing hard time behind bars. But Tom’s secret is threatened when a horrible murder on his beat seems to have been caused by the same ancient magic that killed his gang.

Cat shifter Cicero is determined to investigate the disappearance of one friend and the death of another, even though no one else believes the cases are connected. When the trail of his investigation crosses Tom’s, the very bohemian Cicero instinctively recognizes the uncultured Irish patrolman as his witch. Though they’re completely unsuited to one another, Cicero has no choice but to work alongside Tom…all the while fighting against the passion growing within.

Tom knows that taking Cicero as his familiar would only lead to discovery and disaster. Yet as the heat between them builds, Tom’s need for the other man threatens to overcome every rational argument against becoming involved.

But when their investigation uncovers a conspiracy that threatens all of New York, Tom must make the hardest decision of his life: to live a lie and gain his heart’s desire, or to confess the truth and sacrifice it all.

Genre: m/m paranormal historical romance



Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Friday, June 3, 2016

Disappointment, Celebration, and Self Expectations

June is a big month in my house. The first two weeks there are either a birthday or anniversary most everyday. It also marks the first half of the year gone and I can't help but look at what I've accomplished because it affects the second half of the year. The produce garden has been planted. We started on some landscaping for the front of the house that had to be put off on one side because a robin decided to nest in the clematis.

Our 23rd anniversary is this coming weekend and a couple days afterwards is Jason's birthday. He'll be 48 and he's already worried about turning fifty. 


The last couple of days I've been lamenting my inability to write shorter standalone stories. I think I have a plot that would fit well into a 25k story and low and behold it's turned into a 175k trilogy. Not what I was looking for. I wanted something where I could get in and get out in a couple of weeks, and I wouldn't have people waiting on me.

Normally, I'm pretty cool with writing longer stories that need more than a couple of installments to tell the whole story. But I've been feeling guilty since people are still waiting for Prometheus to be found or they want the last book for Sumeria's Sons or "wait, is that another series called ION?". It's like I can't help myself.


Writing series can be daunting and being in those character's head space all of the time can burn me a bit. I have to take a break from the characters and worlds because I can't read another word. 

On the other hand, there are these bits of advice that eat a me. Like, you should only write trilogy because you lose your audience after book three. Or, you should have the release of the series in quick order while the buzz is still hot and you have people's attention. 

By some professional's estimation, I'm doing this all wrong. I have to remind myself that it might be wrong by their standards but right for my wellbeing. I don't write well on schedules. I have to switch it up or I'm throwing away all the words I'm writing because I'm dissatisfied and hate it. There are times in the middle of a manuscript when I crave writing a marriage of convenience between an human and alien. And I can't. I can't stop what I'm doing to go off on a tangent (even though I'm positive that tangent would be yummy good). Then I get upset because I'm not writing fast enough because, you know, tangent is breathing its fiery breath down my neck. There are a dozen stories I want to explore and I have to make myself wait or nothing would get done.


That's what everyone wants... to get to the end and see how things are resolved, right? 

Well, I'm really close with coming to that ending with the final book in the Sumeria's Sons series. I had hoped to have Releasing Chaos wrapped up by the end of May. That date flew right on by. But definitely sometime this month I will have the first draft finished. I just might cry my eyes out. Partly because of the story, and partly because everything but 40k is hand written. I'll have to type up somewhere between 60k-90k (estimating right now. I might be lowballing it). I'm such a mediocre typist that I dread it even though I console myself with editing while transcribing.

Some of my other accomplishments in the first half of the year, Kenzie Cade and I have completed Devil's Heart. Now we're working our way through it (slowly) between our other commitments. Death Mask and the 2nd ION book are coming out sometime later this year. I don't have any details yet. 

What is still yet to come. Darksoul... I had planned to have the book out before now. There have been complications out of my control. Even though I'm unsure at this moment, I'll be making some decisions soon to get this back on some kind of schedule. Fate & Destinies is being self-edited. I'm not sure if I'm going to self-pub or if I'm subbing it somewhere. Bespoken is my next writing project. I also anticipate starting on the second book in the Devil's Dawn series with Kenzie. Somewhere in there I want to insert time for writing the tangent story. :)

That's it. The disappointment in my limitations. The celebration of not only anniversaries and Jason's birthday, but of what I've accomplished so far this year. Last but not least, what I expect I can complete before the end of the year. :)


Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Something To Talk About. May's Reading #bookshelf

I read in spurts during May. I've been trying to make sure I have a balance of work and family, but it's hard when a story is flowing well. Releasing Chaos finally found it's stride, so instead of allowing writing to eat into my family time, I sacrificed my evening reading hours. My reading usually starts after Jason goes to bed, but in the past couple of weeks I re-purposed those hours to work on Releasing Chaos. I would really love to have the book finished in the next couple of weeks and so have been pushing hard. 

All in all, what I did get a chance to read was excellent. :)

For me, this series is a great mixture of urban fantasy, action, and romantic elements. I love the world built here and I will be sad when the last book comes out. Kellen's Awakening breaks your heart a couple of times but the story needed to be told in this way. Seriously, I love the troll maintenance dude. He had a small part in the story but I loved that he came through with a smash. :)


I loved finding this Wytch King series about dragons. The two books in the series so far are Burn The Sky and Blackfrost, but I'm hoping for more because this world has so much potential for different plots. (And I get more dragons.) For me, Blackfrost is a little bit darker than the first book. In Burn The Sky there were characters I didn't like but in Blackfrost I simply despised a couple. I was impatient to the bad guys to get their comeuppance, and the longer it went on the more blood thirsty I became. Great series and I hope there will be more to come.

If you love mpreg and knotting, then you'll love this first book. (I think this series will be a trilogy but don't quote me on it.) First Omega is well written with great character depth set in an alternate world where humans know about wolf shifters. Josiah is the ambassador sent to learn more about the shifters and instead uncovers something about himself that changes everything he thought he knew. And he's quite stubborn which was refreshing.


Love me some Bailey. This is one of several of the multi-author Dubious series that I picked up from ARe. I probably should clear one thing up about Prey Mate. There are no prey shifters involved in the story. LOL! I think I might've been one of a few who didn't go into the story thinking I was going to get a bunny or squirrel shifter. It's about the chase and kidnapping of Cody, as in Cody being the prey of a hunter. It had the right amount of angst for me and the history of the shifters was something I hadn't seen before.

This was quick, fun read about an ice dragon hiding about at a mountain retreat as a guide. He doesn't have nice thoughts about other dragons, and when he meets Levy, he mistakes him for another dragon. The budding relationship between the two is the main focus of the story with the mpreg being the icing on the cake at the end. And you know, dragons. It seems I'm on a dragon kick this month. 


So I've read a goodly amount of MC/Biker romances. Usually they are more about nice wholesome girls from all walks of life falling in love with a bad boy. In some, the bikers really are criminals and they like it that way. Others, its just a persona and a deep comradery between the MC brothers. If the plot is a romance, then I have to be convinced the heroine finds something redeemable and falls in love. Many times I'm not convinced and 8x out of 10 I'm not a fan of the woman.  Not every book in a series is a hit with me either. What I liked about Nomads' Fall is Jolly. This story is more on the erotic side than romance, and Jolly isn't really a "good girl". Actually, this was a breath of fresh air because it wasn't about an angsty romance. Jolly took care of her own problems and told the men to shove-off when their arrogance took over. I liked it a lot and didn't have to read the first book in the series in order to understand what was going on. A big plus for me because some storylines I'm not interested in so I can skip around.

This was a cute, quick read about a knight sent out to rescue a princess so he could marry well. Only, he doesn't want to marry a princess or anyone else but his father has given him a ultimatum. Yes, yes. Another dragon story. Destiny & Dragons is the third book in the Fairy Tales For All series. Let Your Hair Down and Potions & Prisons are the other two books in the series and can be read as standalones.


Confession: I haven't read any other book in this series. I saw shifters and poly and jumped on board. I wasn't lost which is an A+ and really enjoyed the bit of angst this offered without it going overboard. I do plan on going back and reading from the beginning and I'm invested in this little town of omega shifters who are bucking the system and their allies... LOL! I didn't mean it that way.


Goblet's Edge is exactly the type of romance that I would expect between people of two different classes in the Victorian age. This has that steampunk feel as well as a different history on vampires. August is the valet to a duke who is betrothed to the queen. The wedding is weeks away and August is unsure where he will stand in the duke's affections. August and the duke also share a secret that August is afraid the queen will discover. There is so much detail in this short story that I could see the scenery from the train, imagine the stately castle. There is something else I want to say about the relationship between the three and my view of the importance of the queen, but that would be giving away spoilers so I'll hold my tongue.

Megan writes excellent grumpy dudes and has great finesse doling out details. This is about a forty-something necromancer and a twenty-something dragon forced into marriage. I loved both Tilo's persistence and Rochus stubbornness. Both of them have good hearts. I've already read it three times. :)


So I didn't read the blurb. I noticed it was the sequel to Romanus, which I read a looong while back, and just cracked it open. I was about half way through when I realized who the characters were from the first book, but I wasn't lost at all. I loved the gargoyle mythos and Mason's to-hell-with-all-of-you-if-you-don't-approve attitude. And seriously, gargoyles. I've been looking for gargoyle romances and there are so few. I hope she continues the series. Can't have enough gargoyle... or dragons. :)

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!