Saturday, September 15, 2018

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

My week has been super busy. I have created an author page on Facebook and I'm putting together a quarterly newsletter that will deal mainly with new releases. Working on getting Twin Flames (Sumeria's Sons, 1) produced as an audiobook. And there is just a ton of other things that I need to do. For some reason, this week has felt busier than previous ones.


Title: Destiny: A Prequel to Bound by Destiny
Series: The Harvest Young
Author(s): MA Church
Length: 68 pages
Publisher

Genre: Romance / Sci-Fi / Gay

Notes:

Blurb: Raiden Shou knew who his mate was before he took his first breath. Hard to believe? Well, when it comes to these Tah’Narians and their young, nothing is impossible. 

Did destiny bring Raiden and Dayo together? Or something else? And does it really matter when the love of a lifetime awaits?

Follow Raiden and Dayo from birth to their mating day. See how their bond evolves as they grow older, how the struggle of being part of the Tah’Narian royal family takes on an unexpected meaning to the young warriors, and how their hopes and dreams cumulate into a future they can’t wait to embrace at long last.




Title: Black Annis: Demon Hunter
Series(Revenge of the Witch Book 1)
Author(s): Aubrey Law
Length: 212 pages
Publisher

Genre: Romance / Urban Fantasy /Dark Paranormal / Lesbian / 

Notes:

BlurbHell has no fury like a Black Witch betrayed

The legendary and dreadful witch Black Annis rises again after she was brutally executed and snatches the body of an unsuspecting young woman in modern Los Angeles. Annis must adapt to the new world after four-hundred years of torment in the Lake of Fire and her hatred of the Priesthood with their demon allies is eternal. The hunt for her enemies has begun but the woman's body she selfishly possessed will change Annis in ways she never imagined possible. Can a Black Witch's cold empty heart ever know love?

Powerful Necromancers, deadly Archdemons, and even the angels of Heaven all want to spill the blood of Black Annis. Those who seek to kill her will not rest until she is dead again and her dark soul is returned to the Lake of Fire.



Title: Queen of Gods
Series(Vampire Crown Book 1)
Author(s): Scarlet Dawn, Katherine Rhodes
Length: 399 pages
Publisher

Genre: Romance / Vampires / Paranormal / Reverse Harem / Poly / 

Notes: I've been on the fence about reading this sreis. RH is good but I like my multiple partner romances to have a little bit more love and respect between all the characters. I was reading the blurbs for the next two books and the little content warning sold me. "*CONTENT WARNING: This book contains graphic language, violent content, and sexual situations (M/F, M/F/M, M/M/M, and M/F/M/M). It is intended for audiences 18+ ONLY.*" Yes, please.

Blurb: Magic is life. 
Bound to S'Kir, the Unseen Gods wait to reunite with their brethren. Only an ancient prophecy keeps their hope alive.

Blood is life.
Locked away from S'Kir on earth, the Vampire Overlords and an Original Druid hold their crowns with brute power. The Law is all that keeps their savage nature hidden.

Until one defiant vampire is awakened early from her Rest and summoned to the vampire stronghold. In her wake, all hell breaks loose...

Magic always wins.
But never without blood.

*CONTENT WARNING: This book contains graphic language and sexual situations. It is intended for audiences 18+ ONLY*
*Slow-burn Reverse Harem (for one woman) with guaranteed sexy times in each book*




TitleThe Mercenaries of the Stolen Moon
Series: Tales of the high Court, 4
Author(s): Megan Derr
Length: 100k
Publisher: LT3 Press

Genre: Romance / Fantasy / Pansexual / Bisexual / Trans / 

Notes: Releases 11/21

Blurb: For twenty years Myra has served the High King, so familiar, respected, and envied the rest of the palace calls him the High Secretary. For twenty years he has kept his secrets buried, and after so long he dares to believe he has left his past behind. But during the Festival of Harmony, tragedy strikes, and Myra's past is dragged into the present.

Once third in command of Fathoms Deep, Charlaine is used to shadows and secrets, but even he is shocked to learn what his best friend, and the man he secretly loves, has been hiding all these years. In the wake of a terrible tragedy, he doesn't know what to do—except whatever it takes to help his friends.

Though Jac is a member of the Three-headed Dragons and primary bodyguard to the High Consort, she is used to being overlooked and underestimated. But she didn't earn her spurs by backing down, and she's not about to do so now—even if she must defy the High Throne itself to save the man she's falling in love with.




Title: Murder of Crows: Shaman States of America
Series: Stealheads
Author(s): James Osris Baldwin, Chrishaun Keller Hanna
Length: 185 pages
Publisher

Genre: Romance / Lesbian / Urban Fantasy / 

Notes:

BlurbMonsters are real - and we are their prey.

Elizabeth Fox is small, dark, and deadly. As the new leader of the Steelheads, Washington’s top monster hunting team, she must face down monsters in single combat, absorb their power, and banish their spirits – or die trying.

A family is slaughtered in their Seattle penthouse by a prehistoric nightmare too powerful for the cops to handle. The Steelheads are called in to destroy the monster and rescue the only survivor: a young girl who is at the center of another bloody mass murder the very next day.

The girl is innocent.

Whatever has control of her is not.

Starring a fierce Valkyrie who must learn to rely on her teammates - a mysterious and devastatingly handsome sniper and a Marines combat veteran with an encyclopedic knowledge of monsters - Murder of Crows is set within the expansive world of the Shaman States of America. Join Liz, Inari and Jack as they take on monsters, gangsters and each other in Book One of the Seattle Steelheads series!



Title: Fairy Dusted
Series
Author(s): Shannon West, Susan E. Scott
Length: 209 pages
Publisher: Painted Hearts Publishing; 2 edition (August 28, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Fantasy / Urban Fantasy / Gay / 

Notes:

Blurb:

When FBI agent Cole Gregory is called to his bureau chief’s office and recruited for a special task force, he is confronted with the commander of the force, a handsome, enigmatic man named Commander Levi who makes Cole feel restless and uneasy. Cole learns of a world beyond our own, one entered only through special Blood Gates, into a world where Faeries and Demons rule, and where Fae and Paranormal creatures exist. These creatures are dangerous to humans, and the FBI has a secret special task force to keep the Blood Gates sealed. An astonished Cole is informed that he has been selected as a member of this force. While all that’s hard enough to believe, even worse is the way Commander Levi looks at Cole, as if he wants to consume him. When Levi changes into a powerful demon right before his eyes, Cole begins to wonder if he’ll even survive this encounter, or will this demon take possession of not only his body but his very soul?


Slade is another FBI agent and Cole’s best friend. When Cole suddenly goes missing and no one can explain where he is, he goes looking for him and stumbles into an open Blood Gate, where he encounters a powerful and handsome wizard, who tries and fails to send him back to the human world.

They seek help from others in the Realm and soon become caught up in a powerful war raging in the Faery Domain, one that his friend Cole, along with Levi, are already mixed up in. When Cole and Slade are both taken by the evil Faery king and slated for sacrifice, they realize they have to stick together and use all their training and a bit of luck to make it out of this alive.



Title: Edge of Nowhere
Series
Author(s): Felicia Davin
Length: 299 pages
Publisher: Etymon Press (July 31, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Sci-Fi / Gay / 

Notes:

Blurb: Kit Jackson has two talents in life. He can navigate the void known as the Nowhere to teleport himself across long distances and he can keep his mouth shut. These talents have earned him a reputation as a discreet, reliable Nowhere runner—he’ll smuggle anything for the right price—and that’s how Kit likes it. Morals don’t earn money, and neither do friends. When the private research firm Quint Services makes Kit an astounding offer for a mystery delivery, he says yes.

The parcel turns out to be an unconscious man, and even for Kit, that raises questions. When something monstrous attacks them in the Nowhere and throws them into an unknown wilderness, Kit and this stranger, a man named Emil, have to rely on each other. Kit just wants to make his delivery and get paid, but he finds himself increasingly entangled in Quint Services’ dangerous research—and his own attraction to Emil.

Emil Singh left his career in the Orbit Guard to work at Quint Services Facility 17, a base hidden in an asteroid, to prepare a team to cross the Nowhere into other worlds. It’s the chance of a lifetime and he can’t wait to explore the universe. But then Emil witnesses a terrible accident in a Facility 17 lab and gets sent to Earth for questioning. Something isn’t right, but before Emil can investigate, he and the Nowhere runner hired to transport him are knocked off course. Is the monster that attacks them a creation of Quint Services? What else is the corporation hiding? He has to get back to Facility 17 to protect his team and he needs Kit’s help. Can he trust the cynical young smuggler?




Title: Syn Consulting
Series: Dragos War Chronicles, 1
Author(s): AG Carothers
Length: 189 pages
Publisher

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Urban Fantasy / Bisexual / Gay / Poly / 

Notes:

Blurb: Continue to hide or help save the very kin she's hidden from?

Welcome to SYN Consulting, the top business strategy consulting firm in Europe, home to a motley crew whose leader has a life changing secret. CEO, Danica Lestrange, is the first female dragon born in the last 800 years. Hidden from the rest of her kin and raised in the human world, she built a life that she would defend until her death.

A devious plan is unearthed while working on a new business deal that could plunge the dragons into another war with the humans. The humans may have forgotten the last dragon-human war, but the dragons have not. Will the war reveal this hidden world to the humans, or will the clans come together to defeat their enemies and maintain their anonymity?

Danica must gather her allies and help the very dragons she's hidden from her whole life. She can only hope that she'll be strong enough to protect her chosen family.



This is the first book in a new series about dragons who want nothing more than to live in peace, but refuse to be subjugated. In war there's also love, and love is blind. Love doesn't care about gender, race, species (in this case), or sexuality.

Warning: This book contains explicit sexual content between consenting adults. The sexual scenes are MM, MF, and MMF. There are romantic relationships depicted that are MM. There is also a high level of explicit language, snark, kink, and possibly bad puns and fart jokes.

This book does end in a cliffhanger. Book 2 will be released in November 2018.




Title: Legacy
Series(Deity Rising Book 1)
Author(s): Kilian Grey
Length: 447 pages
Publisher: Zurr Sol; 1 edition (September 3, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Fantasy / Gay /

Notes:

Blurb: A fractured hierarchy. A buried past. The wind tells all, to those who listen.

Tension is high among the kingdoms of Alimphis and information about the past is prohibited. The Kingsley royal line has lived under restrictive rules from the deities, Emoris and Lathil, but the royal family also holds a great secret.

Prince Faust has kept his affinity for magic hidden by the order of his brother, King Konrad. His life is thrown into chaos when Emoris discovers he can wield all four magic stones and tries to kill him. King Konrad sends Faust away under the guise of a prestigious court merchant. Outrunning the deities isn’t easy, and Faust is exposed to the corruption and lies that have settled in the kingdoms.

With the help of a rather amorous mercenary and King Konrad’s allies, Faust embarks on a path to restore order to Alimphis’s kingdoms. Emoris and Lathil will stop at nothing to ensure he fails, even pitting him against his own family. Faust isn’t alone in his fight as those with power gather to assist him. But is he ready to shoulder the weight of war?



This book (series) contains dark themes, M/M moderate heat, and is intended for mature audiences.




Title: The Returned
Series: The Complete Trilogy
Author(s): Emyrs Apollo
Length: 284 pages
Publisher

Genre: Romance / Fantasy / Gay / 

Notes:

BlurbIn an ancient world of magic and mythos, a war has broken out. As the dragon guardians vanish and old gods rise to bring chaos and destruction, lovers Emerys and Aeron find that they are the only ones who can bring peace to a desolate land.

But ancient magic is more than meets the eye, and the pair must triumph and rise... or die.


Title: Unbearable Mates
Series
Author(s): Calandra Hunter
Length: 114 pages
Publisher

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Gay /

Notes:

Blurb: Bear shifter Peter Harris just wants one thing: catch the wanted criminal he's been tracking down. His latest case has led him to an art gallery in the small town of Wethersville, and his plan is simple: Attend the exhibition opening, pretend to like paintings, and solve the case before moving onto his next one. But running into his destined mate changes everything, especially since his mate might just be the most arrogant man Peter has ever met. 

Swan shifter Henry Sinclair just wants one thing: for the exhibition opening he's organised to run smoothly. Everything seems like it's going according to plan until he meets his destined mate, and he isn't sure what's worse: that there's a wanted criminal at the gallery, or that his true mate is a selfish jerk who doesn't like art.

After a passionate quickie turns into a passionate argument, Peter and Henry decide to team up for now. The sooner they get rid of the thief, the sooner they can get out of each other's lives.

But as the evening goes on and they learn to work together, they also learn about each other. Can they get a second chance to make a first impression, or has the situation become unbearable?

This is a 38000 word standalone shifter romance with a HEA and explicit sex scenes between two men. No cliffhangers.


TitleQueen Takes Checkmate
Series: Their Vampire Queen, 5
Author(s): Joely Sue Burkhart
Length: 301 pages
PublisherJoely Sue Burkhart (September 9, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Vampires / Poly / Myths 

Notes: Okay this was tagged on at the last minute since the book came out this week. I have been waiting for this conclusion to the series. I will probably have devoured this book long before this post goes up on Saturday. :)


BlurbThe god of light has met his match. But whose life will the red serpent claim?

Killing the queen of New York City has added a million new responsibilities to Shara Isador’s list. The former queen’s Blood must be dealt with before they turn thrall. The queens Keisha Skye coerced into sibling relationships must either be formally sworn to House Isador or freed. Though Shara can’t in good conscience allow anyone into her house who took part in the rampant torture in which House Skye indulged.

While every single day, Shara feels the weight of the red serpent coiled around her throat. The goddess’s gift grows heavier with every passing moment. If she doesn’t act, the serpent will consume everything she loves. But if she goes after Ra as promised…

Someone she loves very much will die.

Any of her Blood will gladly pay that cost, but Shara loves them too much to even consider losing one of them.

Who will survive the epic showdown with Ra, the god of light, and will this be the end of Shara Isador’s story?



Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Pact Days: Series News Bits #ValespianPact #Cosntant #AlphaTrine


Welcome back to Pact Days!

Today, I'm going to stick to news so it will be a shortish post. I'm working on next week's which will be about the GyrFalconi. They are one of my favorite species (other than the Alpha-Zetamites, or the Mar'Sani, or the Dire D'Noss... LOL) and a bit more fleshed out than some because Axis de la Rynch will have a book after Bespoken called Chosen

The first bit of news is that I'm going to have a quarterly newsletter. It will come out... yep, quarterly, and will have release information and other bits of news so that you won't miss when I release a new book. For instance, one of my other series, Twin Flames (Sumeria's Sons, 1) will be coming out on audio later this year. That will make the newsletter. So if you want to sign-up, here is the link. Like I said, you will only get something once a quarter, besides the welcome to the newsletter bit. No spamming your email. I don't have time or have that much to say, really. LOL



The second bit of news had to do with updating you on where Constant (Valespian Pact, 3) is at. When I handed Constant over to the beta readers in March, the book was 67k. With Caledonia Destiny releasing in July, my weekly blog story, Assassin's Retirement, and then the contact renewal and re-editing of Alpha Trine, I was juggling edits and such along with trying to fix things with Constant. May, June, and July were mostly editing on anything but Constant. I even put Assassin's Retirement on hiatus for a couple of weeks because I just couldn't spare the time. But after the first week of August, I was back down to just Constant and Assassin's Retirement, and since then I have been writing new chapters for Constant, tossing out what doesn't work, or expanding what does. Now the book is up to 102k and I'm still working on it. I know those who love the Valespian Pact are like, 'YEEEESSSS, give me more'.

Readers have asked for some more details on Zeus and his family, which some of what I plan does fit well into Constant, but I had to acknowledge the other day that some of the scenes will probably be cut. They just don't fit. A couple of scenes that are flash backs to Azaes's, Mestor's, and Zeus's childhood will be gathered into a short anthology which I'll put on Instant Freebie. Some of the others stories, if there are any, I plan on publishing in a short story anthology, probably after Constant is published so that it doesn't give out spoilers. 

The one thing about the Valespian Pact that makes writing in this world hard is that it is detailed, more detailed than I had originally planned. The plot is vast and intricate because real life is sometimes not that uncomplicated. 




There are several 300 page note books, print outs, maps, and even Word and Excel files that has information that helps me keep track of timelines, events, locations, appearances, planets, types of starships... you get the idea. This world is massive and there is much that I have to keep track of. With Constant taking place the same time as Striker, I also have to match up those timelines and make sure things don't get hinky. So the books are coming, they will just take a bit longer so that I can be sure I get them right. 




The last thing I would like to talk about is Alpha Trine. :) A couple of weeks ago I spoke about re-editing Alpha Trine. I took care of all the little things that bugged me. I fleshed out a few things, such as gave characters last names like Abechan of Glimmering Moor who was only Abechan before. I standardized time telling: Atlainticians count years by 'summers', but when in space everyone uses the Galactic Standard time. I called the police and military a dozen different things. Clarified things that were generalized, and so on. I got my books in the mail the other day and I thought it felt more substantial than the original and when I put them side by side, I could see the difference. 





The one on the right is my old copy. It is 196 pages and the new one is 242 pages. The font is different so that would account for a little bit of difference in page length, but I also know that after editing there was also a little bit of word count added. I don't know that anyone will see the differences... well, the die-hard Valespian Pact re-readers probably will. If you bought your books through the publisher, LT3 Press, or Amazon, you can download the updated version. With Amazon it's a bit trickier because you have to go to 'manage your devices', search for the book, and select the update option. I don't know if you can do the same with B&N, iBooks, or Kobo. 

That is all for now! See you next Pact Day!  


Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Saturday, September 8, 2018

What is on the Reading Radar? #WishList #TBR

What am I doing? Well... I need to be working on the next chapter of Assassin's Retirement but I'm feeling a bit lazy today. I have worked on Constant all week. I've worked the last three or four weekends, I think I need a day to two to myself.


Title: Wolf's Clever Mate
Series: (Lake Valley Shifters Book 4)
Author(s): Marie Cole
Length: 84 pages
Publisher: Etopia Press (May 25, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Gay

Notes: It says it can be read as a standalone.

Blurb: A wolf shifter who values his solitude...and the fox shifter who just ended it...

Wolf shifter Gabriel Mendoza is not the nicest person in the world. Far from it. The former mercenary just wants peace and quiet in his forest cabin. But after the last job almost killed him, he thinks he's earned a little peace and quiet in his forest cabin.

And that's what he had...until Shin Tarumi came into his life. The fox-shifter Gabriel finds trespassing on his property is undeniably his mate. Normally he'd run off any trespasser, but his wolf has other ideas. Gabriel wants Shin like he's never wanted anything else. And he won't stop until he convinces the small fox to be his.

Shin Tarumi was perfectly happy living his life with a few friends and the occasional relationship. He believed he didn't need much else in his life. But a confrontation with a sexy lone wolf has suddenly smashed that belief to pieces. Sure, the wolf shifter might be interested in him, but Shin also has a history. He's not sure if he's willing to give up his hard-earned freedom to settle down with a giant wolf mate. But when old enemies show up looking for vengeance, more than their love is suddenly in danger...

Reader note: contains shapeshifters, paranormal, and M/M romance elements including male male love and a happily ever after. Can be read as a stand-alone or as part of the Lake Valley Shifters series




Title: Unwanted Omega
Series:  
Author(s): Caitlin Ricci
Length: 16k
Publisher: LT3 Press

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Urban Fantasy / Gay / Bisexual / 

Notes: 


Blurb: Mated against their will and forced to have a child, Thomas and Helena hope now that they've done their duty, their alpha will leave them in peace to heal, raise their child—and allow Helena to spend more time with her secret lover, who is also Thomas's sister. When that hope is shattered, they try to bow out by claiming they're too busy raising their first child to have a second.

In response, the alpha gives them an omega, Owen, to help ease the burden. Rather than cave to Abraham's demands again, Thomas and Helena are determined to fight back—but first they need to figure out whether or not they can trust Owen...




Title: Winter Rising
Series: (Coldharbour Chronicles Book 1)
Author(s): Richard Amos
Length: 416 pages
Publisher: 

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

Notes: releasing Sept 27th


Blurb: It started with a curse. Or was it the murder? No definitely the curse. 

In mourning after the murder of his husband, and looking for revenge, Jake Winter finds himself in a city that shouldn’t exist. Evil stalks the streets and goblins weave sweet lies, and there’s a curse that, it turns out, only Jake can break. Suddenly, revenge isn’t his only purpose; suddenly Jake is the people’s last hope. Add some new friends sworn to guard him, including a sexy half-fae bloke who has an unwelcome effect on Jake’s pulse, and the stage is set for a new life of danger and death on the British coast.

Because Jake has a destiny. Question is, will he live long enough to fulfill it?

A dark urban fantasy tale with kick-ass action and slow-burn m/m romance.




Title: Mages and Mechanisms
Series:  (Jak & Leander Book 1)
Author(s): Devon Harnois
Length: 244 pages
Publisher: October Night Publishing (May 18, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Steampunk / Gay /

Notes: 


Blurb: Leander Weatherford doesn’t want a mage, but he needs one. Enchanted mechanical animals are all the rage among the upper classes, and selling them will save his struggling family business. Enter Jak, whose enchanting ability is second only to his talent for flirting. It’s dangerous to keep such a tempting man close, but Leander can’t resist—in more ways than one.

Jak needs money to continue his aimless life of running. A partnership with Leander provides both income and a lovely diversion. Their masterful creations catch the attention of an eccentric baroness who offers them an enormous sum for an ambitious project—a full-scale mechanical dragon.

Swept into a life rubbing elbows with nobility, Leander is pleased but overwhelmed. Spending both workdays and evenings with Jak, he finds himself drawing closer to the charming mage. But Jak is hiding a dangerous secret, and the truth could tear them apart.




Title: Machine Metal Magic
Series:  (Mind + Machine Book 1)
Author(s): Hanna Dare
Length: 204 pages
Publisher: 

Genre: Romance / Sci-Fi / Gay /

Notes: 


Blurb: The galaxy's a dangerous place. Best not to travel it alone.

It's been over a century since the AIs rose up and attacked, driving humans from Earth and leaving them scattered across the galaxy. Humanity survives, but always fearful of the technology that allows them travel among the stars, never knowing when it may turn against them once more.

An interstellar fugitive.

For Jaime Bashir, born with the ability to communicate telepathically with computers, his gifts are more of a curse. They also make him a target. On the run, he finds himself among a starship crew, one transporting a mysterious cargo. Even more intriguing is Rylan, the muscled guard watching his every move. Jaime has no reason to trust him, but nowhere else to turn.

A disgraced ex-soldier.

Rylan Slate is looking to leave his past behind. Joining a crew of smugglers is one way to do it. But capturing Jaime is both an opportunity and a danger. He starts out as a prisoner, but then becomes something more, testing loyalties in ways Rylan never expected. Will regaining his honor mean betraying Jaime?




Title: Sword Oath
Series:  
Author(s): Jackie Keswick
Length: 41 pages
Publisher: 

Genre: Romance / Fantasy / Gay

Notes: 


Blurb: Can love and a promise triumph over death?

I’ll die for you, or with you.

When Madan swore a sword oath to Serrai he was eight years old. He kept his promise while they grew to manhood and took their respective positions as king and general, even when it seemed that he was the only one fated to love, deeply and devotedly.

Serrai never declared his feelings, but his love for Madan was just as fierce. And quietly, in his heart, he swore his own sword oath: to die with Madan.

Until a battlefield death leaves both oaths broken, and two men fighting for a future that doesn’t see them forever parted.

An m/m fantasy short story proving that love can win an argument with fate.



Title: Soulbound
Series:  The Republic, 4
Author(s): Archer Kay Leah
Length: 596 pages
Publisher: Less Than Three Press, LLC (September 5, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Fantasy / Gay / Bisexual / Poly /

Notes: 


Blurb: In a relationship that violates rules and expectations, Mayr and Tash have found their perfect match in each other. Despite their fears and difficult pasts, they hope for a shared future with security and a family. When Mayr's secret first love, Arieve, proposes they create that family with her, it seems dreams could become reality.

But life is complicated, and so is the delicate balance between duty and love. While Mayr protects the Dahe family at all costs, Tash is determined to succeed as a priest. Both positions require sacrifice, forcing their relationship into painful choices. To make matters worse, criminals lurk in the shadows, seeking revenge on them and those they guard.

The life they want risks losing everything—including Arieve and each other. Even if they can have it all, keeping it may take more than they can give.




Title: Prick of the Spindle
Series:  The Crown Jewels, 1
Author(s): Ophelia Cox
Length: 116 pages
Publisher: MLR Press (January 19, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Fairy Tale / Fantasy / Gay

Notes: 


Blurb: In this gender swapped version of Sleeping Beauty, Beau has been learning magic from his fairy keeper not knowing he is heir to the kingdom instead of the forest foundling. As Beau begins to unravel the secrets of his life, he repeatedly runs into an exciting fairy named Cauley, who keeps teaching him clever spells. Beau soon discovers that Cauley is the son of the dark fairy, Meridian: the women who mistakenly gave Beau her magic. And now she wants it back.



Title: Touch of Salar
Series:  Masters and Mages
Author(s): Alexis Duran
Length: 123 pages
Publisher: ShadowSpinners Press (May 6, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Fantasy / Gay

Notes: 


Blurb: In a world ruled by tyrannical kings and fickle gods, the young monk M'lan finds himself at the center of royal intrigue as his healing powers attract the attention of his superiors. When he learns the handsome warrior whose body he’s tending to is not only a noble, but a king's assassin, any attachment to him might prove fatal. Despite the danger, he can't stop himself from falling in love. Can he risk the abandon of passion when a slip of the tongue might force his lover to execute him?

Major Jamil Jarka comes to the temple with one intention—heal his wounds so he can return to the fight against the rebellion. When the monk assigned to him turns out to be stunningly attractive, he sees this as a pleasant distraction, no more. But soon he finds himself becoming obsessed with M'lan and is torn between the fear of betrayal and the lure of love.

Sinister forces strive to turn the monk and the warrior against each other—a conflict neither will survive if they cannot trust their lives to love and the healing power of Salar




Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Thursday, September 6, 2018

Pact Days: Family Trees #ValespianPact


So I ran out of topics... *gasp*

I knew it would happen. I've been putting all my time into writing or editing, and not much else. So far, I've blogged about each of the species that make up the parties/planets of the Valespian Pact. I've shared some of the maps (which the land mass details continue to grow). And I have also shared the character illustrations. I haven't made any more sketches or worked on old ones, so there isn't any help coming from that corner. 

I went on Facebook and asked for topics. Some great ideas were thrown at me. But since I asked yesterday and the blog post for Pact Days is supposed to go up today, I'm going to pick one of the easier topics suggested since I have so little time. I would like to get this post finished so I can get back to writing on Constant. :)

From Samantha Derr, one of the quick suggestions was 'family trees'. Now, I'm not going to lay out a family tree but talk about the extended family for Ashari and Valdor.

Mar'Sani live about 300 summers. Both Ashari and Valdor are roughly 60 summers old. With them being so young and their people living so long, where is their extended family? If they had been around at any of the events that occurred in Alpha Trine or Striker, I would have mentioned them. In Striker and speaking in generalities, I did mention there was a relative who was watching over Atlainticia when ALL the royal family was off gallivanting around the galaxy. 

For the most part, the extended families aren't around and it's not because they don't get along. They do, very much so, but they have lives of their own. Unlike some prominent families in our world, Mar'Sani aren't known for their family names or houses. They do not ride the coattails of deeds of the family. They must make a name of their own. This is why Mar'Sani don't use surnames. Sohm'lan's last name is Myrmidon but he isn't called Warlord Myrmidon, he is Warlord Sohm'lan. No one cares what noble house he comes from. Noble houses are about expertise, not a group of people from the same bloodline. No one cares who his father or mother is. Surnames show bloodline but it is only important when one is looking for a mate and not for the reason you think. Simply because they are careful of inbreeding. At one time, there were very few Mar'Sani and they needed to be careful with mixing bloodlines. Now that there are many more people, checking surname lineage is a formality but still important. So, Sohm'lan's name is his own and Mar'Sani spend their life building their name through their own deeds and accomplishments. 

Since the Mar'Sani work to build who they are and their own sphere of influence by their own deeds and accolades, they often break away from the core family to forge their own path. They keep in touch and come to help when their help is needed but because there is no power sharing in a family name, they often do no stay close but venture out looking for their... niche. 

So, of course Ashari and Valdor have extended family, parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and even grandparents and great grandparents. They are all making their own way through the world, and there isn't any resentment that their families don't stick close. Mar'Sani have an independence about them that doesn't suffer from not having relatives close by. Sometimes they have family that come to visit or vice-versa but it's also all right if they don't visit at all. 

The one thing that I really like about this practice is it makes people stand on their own. Today we have power families whose names carries weight or means something: the Kennedy Family, the Hilton Family, the Walton Family, the Rothchild Family, House of Saud, the Slim Family of Mexico, the Bettencourt Family of France. The people of these families are looked at differently just because of their family names. Then imagine being related to or even carrying the same name of someone who became infamous and ruined a family name: Manson, Hilter, Judas, Rosenburg, Bundy. Or being considered 'that good-for-nothing so-in-so's kid' and trying to break away from the name that has tainted you even though you are an innocent party. In Mar'Sani culture, only you can ruin your name, and you are also the only one that it affects, but you are the one who can bring it back from ruin. 

Well, I hope you enjoyed the topic, weird as it is. If you have suggestions for topics, feel free to leave a comment and I will try to accommodate all suggestions (as long as they aren't spoilers for future books.)


Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Saturday, September 1, 2018

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

What am I doing? Well, this week I worked primarily on Constant. I did stop and write a chapter for the next installment of Assassin's Retirement... which needs to be typed up. The downside of handwriting the first draft.

Ha! Ha! Remember last week when I said no more buying books willy-nilly? I put a two book limit on myself and by Thursday, I reached the two book limit and complaining that I didn't have anything that I didn't 'want' to read. I have stuff I haven't read yet, but man, I suddenly wasn't interested in any of it. LMAO. BUT today, starts a new month so I now have another two book limit. I will be very, very careful with what I'll buy.

Speaking of, of the list below, I think I already own several. The rest will have to go on my wish list. :)


Title: Mystic and Rider
Series:  (Twelve Houses series Book 1)
Author(s): Sharon Shinn
Length: 421 pages
Publisher: Ace (February 28, 2006)

Genre: Fantasy / Military / Magic / LGBTIAQ Characters /

Notes: 

Blurb: Gillengaria seethes with unrest. In the south, hostility toward magic and its users has risen to a dangerous level, though King Baryn has ordered that such mystics are to be tolerated. It is whispered that he issued the decree because his new wife used her magic powers to ensnare him…

The King knows there are those in the noble Twelve Houses who could use this growing dissent to overthrow him. So he dispatches the mystic Senneth to assess the threat throughout the realm. Accompanying her is a motley band of magic-users and warriors including Tayse, first among the King’s Riders—who holds a hard view of mystics in general, and Senneth in particular.

But as the unlikely allies venture farther into the south, they will face death in a land under the sway of a fanatical cult that would purge Gillengaria of all magic users. And they will come to realize that their only hope of survival lies in standing together…




Title: Monster Born
Series:  Northern Creatures
Author(s): Kris Austen Radcliffe
Length: 218 pages
Publisher: Six Talon Sign Fantasy & Futuristic Romance (August 8, 2017)

Genre: Paranormal / Urban Fantasy / Frankenstein / 

Notes: 


Blurb: What happens when a man starts life as a corpse?

Two hundred years ago, Frank Victorsson awoke as a semi-dead, monstrous abomination reanimated by his hubris-ridden father, Victor Frankenstein. But Frank refused to become the infernal hate his father spewed at the world. He walked away from his origins — and into a small, Minnesota town overflowing with magic.

Now Dr. Frankenstein’s other sins want revenge.

The Nordic elves of Frank’s new home call him family. The werewolves call him friend. And when the town’s vampires disappear and innocents die, Frank realizes the demon responsible might be the one force on Earth faster and stronger than him — and the one foe capable of pulling to the surface his long-suppressed rage.

Now Frank must stop a rampaging evil bent on murdering the people he loves the most. But can he save his town without losing himself to the monster he once tamed?




Title: Craved by an Alien
Series:  Stolen by the Alien, 4
Author(s): Amanda Milo
Length: 253 pages
Publisher: 

Genre: Romance / Sci-Fi / Alien / 

Notes: I have read the other three books to this series. I would recommend them if you read MF and like alien romantic interests.


Blurb: I was abducted by aliens and auctioned to a positively lovely bleak place called the Underwater Pleasure Dome. An amphibious alien with hands like bug zappers helped spring me, and if you've followed my friends' adventures, you know Dohrein and I teamed up because we're both equally stellar, and awesome attracts awesome.This is the story of what happened *after* abduction life.

The good part.

The part where we settle in and build brand new lives on this brand new planet.


I just need to have tea with my Alien-in-law and convince her to set her pet humans free.


No biggie.


*Wish me luck.*

**NOTE: Is this a Standalone? Not really. A few brave booksouls who started the series with this story jumped right in and enjoyed, so it's *possible,* but I also created a Cast List Recap that will patch you through if you want a bit of a guide to this world.

Series Order:
Book 1: Stolen amzn.to/2ATZfV6
Book 2: Rescued amzn.to/2nn36A6
Book 3: Won amzn.to/2MaHwNz
Book 4: Craved amzn.to/2AWQpph



Title: Circle City Psychic
Series:  (Circle City Magic Book 2)
Author(s): Stephanie A. Cain
Length: 289 pages
Publisher: Cathartes Press (June 12, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Urban Fantasy / Paranormal / Gay / 

Notes: 


Blurb: Martin Cole has been home from Afghanistan for three years, and his business--a one-man garage--is going well. The problem is, his PTSD hasn't gone away. He's tried all the usual treatments and some of the...well, less legal treatments, despite the fact his sister's a cop.

But he's still having nightmares. Dreams. Visions. His world turns upside down when he meets a handsome homicide detective with Indianapolis Metropolitan Police who says the visions aren't PTSD--they're premonitions.

Elliott Blake is certain he's right about Martin's visions--he's not just a detective, he's also a werewolf with preternatural senses, and PTSD symptoms have a different scent than premonitions. And his case that has way too many things in common with Martin's visions to be a coincidence.

The problem is, whoever killed Ainsley Shaw has killed again, and Elliott's no closer to catching the killer. If he could just get Martin to trust him, they could work the case together--and maybe figure out what to do with the attraction between them.

Unfortunately, the killer has other plans...




Title: Devil Take Me
Series:  
Author(s): Rhys Ford, Ginn Hale, Jordan L. Hawk, TA Moore, C.S. Poe, Jordan Castillo Price
Length: 450 pages
Publisher: DSP Publications

Genre: Anthology / Gay / Horror / Paranormal / 

Notes: 


Blurb: Temptation lurks around every corner in worlds sometimes dark, sometimes lurid. Giving in is both dangerous and satisfying, though never in the ways one expects. While these enticements offer a vast range of benefits and boons, the cost is a soul and the devil expects his due. Sometimes suave and charming or calculating and cruel, these devils have schemes and desires of their own. They can be creatures to run away from… or toward.

Join the most unique and celebrated authors of LGBT urban fantasy and paranormal fiction for a fast-paced and unpredictable ride, from a city on the other side of reality, to a world suspended in dusk, to a twisted version of the 1960s and 70s.

Meet devils in top hats and waistcoats, a defrocked motorcycle-riding priest, and a genderfluid antihero—among many more. Full of humor, romance, horror, action, intrigue, and magic, these stories have one common element….

They’re one hell of a good time.




Title: If a Butterfly Don't Fly
Series:  Out of Underhill, 2
Author(s): Mell Eight
Length: 40k
Publisher: LT3 Press

Genre: Romance / Gay / Paranormal / Fantasy / 

Notes: releases November 14th


Blurb: Merridy has always loved music, but can't sing. The only job in the music business he can get is as a security guard for The Bard and Sons, a premier record label. He keeps their secrets and patrols their hallways, always secretly wishing for a big break he knows will never come.

Changeling's Court is a brand new band struggling to cut their first single and record. Merridy chances upon a scrap of their lyrics without accompanying music notes and can't help composing a simple ballad for them. If he's found out he'll probably get fired.

Instead, he finds himself in a strange new world of magic and faeries—and danger.




Title: Kinesis
Series:  
Author(s): Irene Wendy Wade
Length: 55k
Publisher: LT3 Press

Genre: Romance / Sci-Fi / Non-binary / Pansexaul /

Notes: releases September 11th


Blurb: Myrdu is an Avlan, part of a proud warrior race. He has family on Avla, mothers, broodmates, a daughter. But one day he finds that it's all a lie—that Myrdu himself is a lie. Myrdu's lifetime is only one of many in the unfolding memory of Okka, the shapeshifter, Okka, the spy. But Okka's mission on Avla has come to a bitter end, and xir homeworld has fallen. Xe cannot stay on Avla now that xe knows what xe is.

Okka flees to Earth, hoping to buy xemself time, hoping against hope to find some way to save the Mimica homeworld. Okka does not expect to find humans that xe can call family, not in the way that Mimica can be to each other.

Okka does not expect Waverly Kemp.



Title: Mark of the Incubus
Series:  Robert & Caleb, 1
Author(s): E.S. Hutch
Length: 232 pages
Publisher: 

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Gay

Notes: 


Blurb: Robert Layton is dead.

But at the same time, he isn’t. He eats and breathes, walks and talks, but to the rest of the world he might as well not even exist. He’s forgotten as soon as he’s out of sight.

A former cop, Robert’s arrogant ways led to him being possessed and then destroyed by an ancient evil, a demon that preys on man’s deepest desires. Now that same demon has led him to its latest victim, the first person capable of remembering Robert since his death.

Caleb Miller has made some monumentally stupid decisions, all before the age of twenty-three. He dropped out of college, is stuck in an affair with a married man, and struggles to make ends meet as a folk singer at the same coffee shop he slings drinks at all day.

When a handsome stranger shows up and claims Caleb’s been possessed by a strange sex demon, he’s obviously skeptical. But Robert turns out to be the man of his dreams, and Caleb can’t believe his luck. Too bad Robert has vowed never to touch him.

Forced to live together while battling their intense attraction, they must find a way to stop the demon before it’s too late to save Caleb’s life and his memory of Robert.




Title: Rise
Series:  Morrighan House Witches, 0
Author(s): Amir Lane 
Length: 232 pages
Publisher: 

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

Notes: 


Blurb: "You never knew what it meant to get involved with a witch."

Grad student Ekkehard Schneider doesn't believe in magic until he discovers his boyfriend, Zven, is a pyromancer. When Zven panics and sets a police officer on fire at a riot he didn't intend to be at, Ekkehardt can't bear the thought of a life without him. Attempting to flee to West Germany together, Zven is killed and Ekkehart is left with a bullet in his chest, a heavy survivor's guilt, and the ability to see spirits.

Recovering in his parents' home in Leipzig, Ekkehardt finds an old journal belonging to his late aunt, where she describes bringing her boyfriend back from the dead. Though the last pages are missing, Ekkehardt knows he has to make things right. He doesn't expect it to work, and he certainly doesn't expect to wake up battered and bruised with no idea of how he got home.

Zven isn't the only spirit he brought home, and they want his blood.




Thank you for stopping by and reading!!