Saturday, March 16, 2019

What's on the Reading Radar? #WishList

What's going on... well, I got sidetracked from my 'intended' reading and have been binge-reading RJ Blain's series, Magical Romantic Comedy (with a body count). Can't help myself. I have been picking up one right after the other without reading blurbs. I'm just diving in without knowing what each on is about and it has worked out quite well for me. So instead of my normal list, I'm posting mostly my wish list. 


Title: Hearts of Fire
Series: (Chevalier Book 1)
Author(s): Kay Doherty
Length: 146 pages
Publisher: NineStar Press (March 11, 2019)

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Shifters / Gay /

Notes: 

Blurb: Luca Duray has been quite happy living a solitary existence for decades. But when a steel trap around his leg catches him when he’s weak and hungry, his life is irrevocably changed. He knows the wolf shifter who offers him assistance is more than he appears and immediately makes plans to keep the pup close.

Disowned by his pack for being gay, Tanner McBane is forced to become a lone wolf. While on a hunt, he stumbles upon an injured dragon shifter and provides aid. It’s not easy surviving on his own and when money gets tight, he finds himself face-to-face with the dragon shifter once again during an interview. Tanner isn’t sure a wolf should be working for a dragon, but he accepts the job and unknowingly creates a bond to his new boss. Soon, Tanner learns Luca isn’t just his boss—he’s his mate.

The mating of a wolf and dragon shifter is uncharted territory for both Luca and Tanner, but they are determined to make it work despite widespread prejudice, death threats, and the untraditional pack Tanner finds himself leading. Tanner only hopes that the bond he forms with Luca will prove to be unbreakable.




Title: Taming Chaos
Series: Darkstar Mercenaries, 1
Author(s): Anna Carven
Length: 242 pages
Publisher: 

Genre: Romance / Paranormal-SciFi / 

Notes: 


Blurb: Torin Mardak came to Zarhab Groht to hunt. Some idiot's been selling Callidum weapons on the black market, and he's been tasked with finding the traitor.

The illegal trading station isn't exactly Torin's favorite place in the Nine Galaxies. It's dirty, chaotic, and full of thieves and murderers, but as an elite Kordolian First Division warrior, he's the most dangerous thing on this floating cesspit, and he won't let anything stand in his way.

But when he encounters a group of humans who really, really shouldn't be here, his priorities might just have to change, because one of them is about to get betrayed in the worst possible way...

And she just so happens to be exactly his type.

Taming Chaos is Book 1 in the Darkstar Mercenaries series. It features a lethal silver-skinned alien hero, a curvy human heroine, and the usual action, violence, steamy sex scenes, and HFN ("happy for now") ending.




Title: Dignity
Series: (Determination Trilogy Book 1)
Author(s): Leslie Richardson
Length: 297 pages
Publisher: Lesli Richardson (December 28, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Contemporary / Political / Poly / Bisexual / 

Notes: 


Blurb: He wants it back…

My name is Kevin Markos, former star anchor for Full News Broadcasting.

I say former, because an exhaustion- and frustration-fueled emotional on-air meltdown of apocalyptic proportions means my previously dignified reputation and stellar career as a highly respected conservative TV news host and commentator lay in smoking, irreparable ruins. Only one person will hire me now, and it’s the last person I want to work for—Democratic Senator ShaeLynn Samuels, who’s determined to be the next president of the United States.

My reluctance isn’t because of her, but because of who’s working for her—Special Agent Christopher Bruunt, the head of her Secret Service detail.

A college spring break trip I thought was safely hidden in my past, even if it never strayed far from my thoughts, now comes back to haunt me. But if I take this job and succeed, it could resurrect my career and put me at the right hand of the most powerful person in the United States.

But how much am I personally willing to sacrifice to claw my way back to the top? Because Christopher never forgot that spring break, either.

And he has a few agendas of his own.

(Note: The Determination Trilogy is a standalone spin-off trilogy set in the world of the Governor Trilogy and the Devastation Trilogy.)



Title: The Recruit
Series: (Alpha Squad 1)
Author(s): Julia Talbot
Length: 88 pages
Publisher: Changeling Press LLC (January 4, 2019)

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Shifters / Gay

Notes: 


Blurb: When Alpha Ops team leader Tuck’s last mission goes terribly wrong, he and his team are put on hiatus until they can get their proverbial stuff together. His guys are starting to get restless, and a bear shifter, a couple of predatory birds, and a fox can be pretty impatient when they’re bored. When their benefactor decides a new team member will be their salvation, Tuck has no choice but to accept.

Jayden isn’t interested in working with a team who really wants nothing more than to kick his butt. As a cougar shifter, he’s perfectly happy to work alone. So why does Tuck make him want to stay? The two of them have to find a way to work out their issues, or the team may never get another job. Good thing they have enough attraction to keep them going, even when everything else is going off the tracks.




Title: Dragons' Fire
Series: City of Dragon's, 2
Author(s): Lisa Oliver
Length: 196 pages
Publisher: 

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Dragon Shifter / Gay /

Notes: 


Blurb: Ever since his father was killed, Samuel Hollingsworth has worked hard to cultivate a meaningful relationship with the dragon half of his soul. Things were going well for a while, and then their mate rejected them, and now his and his dragon’s connection took on added importance as they tried to keep each other’s hopes alive. But it wasn’t easy, being patient, trusting the Fates had a plan for them, when the man they wanted was on the other side of the country and showed no signs of coming back. 

Vampire elder and coven ruler Raoul didn’t have time for weakness. He was determined to keep his coven and his city safe and if blood was spilled to get the job done, then he was going to be the one who was spilling it – every single time. Even a chance meeting with his beloved in New York didn’t deter him from his duty. Riding on a dragon’s back might be fun for some people, but he had more important things to do.

But the Fates will not be deterred even when it comes to stubborn vampire rulers older than dirt. A chance kidnapping sets in place a chain of events that test Samuel and Raoul’s fragile bonds to breaking point. When a bomb goes off and everything Samuel and Raoul hold dear is in danger, will Samuel be strong enough to stand by his mate’s side?

Can be read as standalone, but reading book 1 will help readers understand a few of the secondary character’s motivations more easily – such as Samuel’s brother Dirk and his mate Jon. This is an MM true mates paranormal romance story intended for adult readers. Mpreg elements are included but aren’t the focus of the story line.




Title: Love Among the Stars
Series: Fire and Ash, 1 
Author(s): Hannah Walker
Length: 394 pages
Publisher: 

Genre: Romance / Sci-Fi / Sounds Angsty / Gay / 

Notes: 


Blurb: Broken both physically and mentally, and struggling to face each day with no direction, Blake searches for a way to bring meaning to his life. He finds solace staring up at the stars, dreaming of adventures on distant worlds as a way to distract himself from the nothingness he experiences on Earth. 

Vice Kalis Torran, a dovrik shifter known for his strength and honesty, is the commander of the flagship vessel in the Dolian fleet. He focuses everything on his job and protecting those he loves. But when circumstances force him to seek out a rare stone or risk being stranded in the depths of space, he is forced to travel to Earth. Little did he realize that travelling to Earth would bring him exactly what he needed, and more than he ever imagined.

Drawn together by fate, Torran’s dovrik senses his mate is close, but Torran is torn between finding the stone that will save his crew or finding the mate who just might save his soul.




Title: Shadowmancer
Series: Paladin Charm
Author(s): Devin Harnois
Length: 189 pages
Publisher:  October Night Publishing (March 5, 2019)

Genre: Romance / Fantasy / Bisexual / Gay /

Notes: 


Blurb: Marius Everhart is something even mages fear — a shadowmancer. His power marks him as cursed, a creature belonging to the Queen of Shadows. Marius escaped her realm with his memories corrupted and his sanity in tatters, managing to live a fragile, lonely existence at the edges of society.

Some might call Ayodele Sauveterre delusional. He prefers the term “optimistic”. With his homeland in danger from invasion, Ayodele will do anything to protect it, even recruit a shadowmancer. Marius’s incredible power and gentle nature make him a perfect addition to Paladin Charm, a new mage guild dedicated to helping rather than exploiting the non-magical populace. The fact that handsome Marius also warms Ayodele’s bed is a wonderful bonus.

With support from Ayodele and his new friends in the guild, Marius begins to heal. He’s also quickly falling for the alluring mage, but Ayodele struggles with what’s forming between them. Past experience left Ayodele flippant but guarded, and Marius’s open honesty unnerves him.

As they grow closer, Paladin Charm prepares for a battle with impossible odds. And in the darkness, the Queen of Shadows waits to reclaim Marius and drag him back into a nightmare.




Title: Forbidden
Series: Siren Cove, 1
Author(s): Claire Cullen
Length: 168 pages
Publisher: 

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Shifter / Siren / Gay / 

Notes: 


Blurb: All his life, Jonah’s been warned about wolves.

The last of a dying species, hiding amongst the humans, Jonah accepts his lonely life, knowing one day he’ll lose himself in the call of the sea. And then a pack of werewolves moves in next door. Wolves are dangerous, cunning, and vicious. He knows he has to chase them off before they discover the truth about what he is. But he hadn’t counted on Nate, their ruggedly handsome alpha. No one warned him wolves could be so… captivating.

As the lone alpha left, he’s their only chance of survival.

After an attack leaves his pack on the run, it’s up to Nate to lead them to safety. He brings them to the one place they won’t be followed, a place wolves don’t dare go. At first, the Cove seems like a haven and stories of monsters lurking in the shadows sound far-fetched. Jonah, the local vet, and their new neighbor, is just the sort of distraction Nate needs. When danger closes in on all sides, Nate must do what he can to keep his pack, and his new favorite human, safe from harm. But is Jonah all he appears to be?

The truth will tear them apart.

When Nate turns up at his door with an injured wolf cub in his arms, Jonah doesn't have the heart to turn him away. He knows he's playing with fire, letting himself be drawn further into the shifter's dangerous world, risking discovery with every word, every kiss. Self-preservation be damned.

Forbidden is a novel-length read, featuring a flirtatious wolf, a lonely siren, an evil alpha, a loyal dog, mpreg (kind of), and scenes not suitable for readers under the age of eighteen.




Title: What He Needs
Series: (Salutem Book 1)
Author(s): Megs Pritchard
Length: 133 pages
Publisher: 

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Gay

Notes: 


Blurb: Being rescued was the start of a new life for Alex. He never thought he'd live through the abuse and torment at his captors hands, but somehow he had and now he was in a town called Salutem trying to recover. He wasn’t sure if he ever would. The things he’d endured, the things he’d witnessed cause nightmares that didn’t seem to fade when the morning sun rose.Some days Alex wondered if he should have been saved at all but here he was, trying to move forward with his life when he didn’t know how to get through each day.

Cyan Dubois loved Salutem and what it represented: safety. A place where shifters could feel safe and be who they were meant to be without living in fear. There was only one thing missing and that was his mate.


When Cyan meets Alex he realizes that at last he’s found his mate but he needs to take his time. His mate, his Alex, had suffered and is nowhere near ready to accept Cyan or what their mating would entail. 


When Alex turns away from Cyan, too afraid to be the mate Cyan knows he can be, Cyan is devastated. With there appearing to be no chance of ever having a relationship with his mate, Cyan is left to wonder what the future holds for him.


Could he wait for Alex to move past his fear or was their relationship doomed before it even began?



Title: Hidden Powers
Series: Superordinary Society
Author(s): Tara Lain
Length: 269 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (March 13, 2019)

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Gay /

Notes: 


Blurb: Jazz Vanessen is weird—and not just because he’s a werewolf. For most of his life, he’s felt different from his alpha male brothers and friends. Since he’s adopted, he can’t even blame it on family.

Now eighteen, Jazz meets his idol, the social activist Lysandra Mason, and her breathtaking nephew, Dash Mercury. When Dash is around, even stranger things start to happen, including Jazz falling hopelessly in lust. Not only is Jazz having visions, making people disappear, and somehow turning invisible, but somebody’s following him and threatening to reveal his pack’s secrets to the world.

Together with Dash and Jazz’s equally amazing friends—Carla, BeBop, Khadija, and Fatima—they discover the danger is even more lethal than they thought, and Jazz’s weirdness may save all their lives.



Title: Alpha Vampire's Heir
Series: (Tenebrae Brothers Book 1)
Author(s): Hawke Oakly
Length: 
Publisher: 

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Vampires / Gay / 

Notes: 


Blurb: An alpha who needs an heir to survive.

Pierce’s family is in danger. The coven matriarch is dying. As the sole elder vampire, only she possesses powers that protect their way of life. The only other creature with the same abilities is a dhampir - a creature that is half-vampire and half-human.

To keep his brothers safe, alpha vampire Pierce must mate with a human omega and produce a half-vampire child. But Pierce doesn’t want to use humans as tools like the matriarch suggests. He wants an omega to truly love - and if he hasn’t fallen in love by now, will he ever? And can he even afford to wait?

An omega who needs to save his brother.

Benji is out of options. With only a part-time job, he can’t afford to pay for his younger brother’s surgery. Desperate to raise the money, Benji storms out of the hospital despite his brother's protests in a rush to find another job - and run into a group of cruel alphas who intend to kick him while he’s down.

But a handsome and mysterious alpha named Pierce saves Benji and offers him a miraculous choice. Pierce can easily fund the surgery.

It sounds too good to be true until Benji finds out the truth. He must carry Pierce's child. A half-vampirechild.

Alpha Vampire’s Heir is a 53,000 word mpreg novel with steamy scenes and a HEA. It is the first book in the Tenebrae Brothers series.



Title: Dark Rain
Series: (The Anrodnes Chronicles Book 1)
Author(s): JC Owens
Length: 233 pages
Publisher: Etopia Press (December 19, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Fantasy / Gay / 

Notes: 


Blurb: Alone behind the mask, only his Chosen could touch him.

Raine held no hope for his future. Youngest in a line of brutal, warlike brothers, he is judged to be weak and worthy only to be sold off for political gain. Now the worst of his brothers is taking him to the heart of the empire that has conquered their homeland. Taldan, the Imperial Heir of Anrodnes, is holding a traditional choosing of a companion, a Chosen, for when he ascends to become emperor. Forced into the competition for the title, Raine finds himself in a different world, one of culture and science, so different than his cruel home. Even though he feels immediate attraction to the cold, logical, and powerful Taldan, Raine knows he has no hope of winning a place at the prince's side. How can he compete against the other candidates or compare to Hredeen, the mysterious leader of the imperial harem, a gorgeous man of otherworldly grace who is far more than he seems? But if Raine fails to win Taldan's heart, his brother has a dreadful punishment waiting, one he's eager to inflict.

Prince Taldan views the ceremony of the Chosen as nothing more than an annoyance. He will ascend to emperor, don the metal mask, and be granted the powerful magic of his ancestors. After that, he can finally return to his studies and experiments to better the lives of his people. He sets his younger brother and best friend to helping sort through the mass of candidates for his Chosen, seeing the ceremony as a foolish tradition to endure. But when chance leads to him saving a young man named Raine from the violence of Raine's cruel brother, events are set in motion that will rock the empire to its foundations. Taldan knows the emperor must be emotionless and logical, even cold, but Raine stirs feelings and heat in him that he is not prepared for. Now there are ominous rumors of war on the horizon and the threat of betrayals and assassins in the court, and Taldan discovers Raine is right in the middle of it all...




Title: Freedom's Landing
Series: (A Freedom Novel Book 1)
Author(s): Anne McCaffrey
Length: 331 pages
Publisher: Ace; Reissue edition (March 26, 2013)

Genre: Sci-Fi / Time Travel / Colonization /

Notes: 


Blurb: Kristin Bjornsen lived a normal life, right up until the day the spaceships floated into view above Denver. As human slaves were herded into the maw of a massive vessel, Kristin realized her normal life was over and her fight for freedom was just beginning…

The alien Catteni value strength and intelligence in their slaves—and Kristin has managed to survive her enslavement while hundreds of other humans have not. But her trial has just begun, for now she finds herself part of a massive experiment. The aliens have discovered a new world, and they have a simple way of finding out if it’s habitable: drop hundreds of slaves on the surface and see what happens.

If they survive, colonization can begin. If not, there are always more slaves.




Title: Hypnos
Series: (Seeking the Zodiacs Book 1)
Author(s):RJ Blain
Length: 309 pages
Publisher: Pen & Page Publishing (April 23, 2019)
Genre: Urban Fantasy / Humor / 

Notes: releases April 23rd


Blurb: Following the devastation of World War III, nuclear radiation has spawned magic, ranging from nuisance koppa oni plaguing the Golden Gate to masters of the elements. It falls to the FBI's supernatural quads and their supervisors to protect those who can't protect themselves.

But when a mysterious force storms through a busy shopping center and fells everyone in its wake, Olivia Abrams and her team of special ops must find who is behind the attack and why before the entirety of San Francisco succumbs to its powers.




Title: First Strike
Series: Dragon War Chronicles, 1
Author(s): AG Carothers
Length: 210 pages
Publisher: 

Genre: Romantic Elements / Paranormal / Shifters / Bisexual / 

Notes: 


Blurb: Previously on Dragon War Chronicles, our heroes recovered and were preparing to take the fight to a still unknown enemy. Meanwhile, startling breeding experiments were revealed.

Three sites are discovered in Russia that could hold all the answers they’ve been looking for. Three strike teams are assembled led by Xander, Kollin, and Tyler. Three simultaneous attacks are combined to make one devastating first strike against their hidden enemies.

What horrors will they discover? What plans will be revealed? Why is a member of the Dragon Council showing up on Danica’s doorstep with ultimatums?

Find out in the next exciting installment of Dragon War Chronicles.

Warning: This book contains explicit sexual contact between consenting adults. There are romantic, BDSM, and purely sexual relations shown that are MM and MF. There is also high sexual tension and alpha male posturing that will make you laugh and roll your eyes along with plenty of snark and definite teasing of dwarf-like dragons.




Title: Mate for Two
Series: The Helan Universe, 1 
Author(s): Lynn Tyler
Length: 145 pages
Publisher: Lynn Tyler Books; 2 edition (March 3, 2019)

Genre: Erotic Romance / Sch-Fi / Poly / Bisexual /

Notes: 


Blurb: This book has been previously published.

It’s not easy being king, especially when you’re the king of a dying people. But that’s exactly what D’Arik is. Now, he and his consort, Varin, are faced with the task of finding a female mate to carry their child.

Jacy Townsend is enraged by the thought of human women being bartered as broodmares to an alien race and helps to fund a rebellion. But what will she do with she is closed to be the queen of the very people she is rebelling against? And what will D’Arik and Varin do when they find out she is supporting the evacuation of human women?

As emotions and passion clash with fundamental differences, Jacy, D’Arik, and Varin must find a way to come together if they want to have any hope of savings the Helan race.


Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Saturday, March 9, 2019

What's on the Reading Radar?

What's going on? Working on Constant and making plans for Salvaging Toby's Heart expansion. Found my self a little peace of motivation. :D Assassin's Retirement characters aren't talking to me which is not so good since I need a new post this coming Tuesday. 


Title: Discovery
Series: The Drakyl Ranch, 1
Author: Thianna Durston
Length: 228 pages
Publisher: ATT Press (September 1, 2015)

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Vampires / Cowboys / Gay


Notes: 


Blurb: Discovery is Book 1.


Living in Montana and working the ranch is all Aaron wants to do for the rest of his life. Diagnosed as allergic to the sun thirteen years previous, every day is a struggle to get out of bed. Having to wear long-sleeved shirts, gloves, and even material to cover his face from the effects of the sun, just makes it all worse. Now, in his thirty-second year, he is sure this will be his last summer. While he hates it, he knows he needs to come to terms with the truth and put things in order for his younger cousins. Before he does so, he heads out for one night of pleasure before facing what’s coming.

Jaret loves excitement and new adventures. For over five hundred years, he has sought them out. In Montana on a whim, he comes across someone he doesn’t expect, someone who makes him feel things he does not understand and does not want to give up. In no time at all, he feels like he cannot live without Aaron. The only problem is Aaron doesn’t know who he is, what he is, nor that he isn’t going to die. Not on Jaret’s watch. With a plan to help the other man discover who he is in place, he only has one thing to worry about: whether an ancient enemy will come and destroy everything he now holds dear.

Warning: This book is a paranormal m/m romance with some horror elements. It also crosses cowboy and vampire genres. If you don’t think cowboys look hot with fangs, you’re missing out.




Title: Witchblood
Series: (Kitsune Chronicles Book 1)
Author: Lissa Kasey
Length: 350 pages
Publisher: Lissa Kasery (March 8, 2019)

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Shifters / Kitsune / Gay / 


Notes: 


Blurb: Sebastian Volkov, a fox shifter raised among werewolves, ran from everything he ever loved after a brutal attack that left him fearing his own shadow. That night a single kiss saved his life and left him with fantasies of a man whose face he couldn’t remember. When Sebastian’s car breaks down in a small Washington town, he meets an Alpha werewolf who reminds him vaguely of a stranger’s kiss.


A year ago Liam Ulrich, Alpha of the Northern Cascade’s Pack, shared a magic filled kiss with a virtual stranger, the infamous Witchblood child of the most powerful werewolf in the world. Since that night, Liam has been waiting for Sebastian to find his way home. Liam knows that Sebastian doesn’t trust easily, or at all, so he’s going to have to give his prickly mate time and space.

The past Sebastian tried to escape still stalks him and slowing down gives it time to catch up. 


When the werewolves’ ultimate enemy rises up to cast its shadow over them all, Sebastian realizes he will have to stop running or risk losing everything…. including his hope of a future with Liam.




Title: Playing with Fire
Series: A Magical Romantic Comedy (with a body count)
Author: RJ Blain
Length: 264 pages
Publisher: Pen & Page Publishing; 6 edition (January 30, 2017)

Genre: Urban Fantasy / Black C4-Eating-Unicorn / Romantic Elements / Humor / 


Notes: When I think of romantic comedies, I think of despicable people doing terrible things to others that is supposed to be funny but is just mean spirited. This is Nothing like that. The humor is situational and sometimes self-deprecating, sometimes unrequited lust. This is a romance but the sex is fade to black which did not detract from the story. There was enough banter that it did not need those scenes.  I like it so much that I immediately picked up the next book in the series. 


Blurb: What do you get when you mix gorgons, an incubus, and the Calamity Queen? Trouble, and lots of it. 


For Bailey, catering to the magical is a tough gig on a good day, but she has few other options. She can either keep spiking drinks with pixie dust to keep the locals happy, or spend the rest of her life cleaning up some of the world’s nastiest magical substances.

Years after helping Police Chief Samuel Quinn escape an unhappy marriage, Bailey is once again entangled in his personal affairs. To make matters worse, Quinn’s ex-wife is angling for revenge, tossing Bailey into the deep end along with her sexiest enemy.

Warning: This novel contains excessive humor, action, excitement, adventure, magic, romance, and bodies. Proceed with caution.



Title: Hoofin' It
Series: A Magical Romantic Comedy (with a body count)
Author: RJ Blain
Length: 314 pages
Publisher: Pen & Page Publishing; 6 edition (January 30, 2017)

Genre: Urban Fantasy / Human So of a Werewolf / Romantic Elements / Humor / ex-cops / FBI /


Notes: I thought the first book of this series was good. This was better. I LOVE this UF world. This follows a couple who were not a part of the first book. These can easily be read as standalones and in any order. I highly recommend these fun books.


Blurb: All Shane wanted was to get away from the wreckage of his career for a while. He picked New York City to provide him with a distraction from his early, unwanted retirement from the police force.


New York City delivered, distracting him with three corpses and a miniature llama with a spitting problem and an attitude. If he wants to return to a normal life, he’ll have to face off against a sex trafficking ring targeting the woman of his dreams, ancient vampires, murderous criminals, his parents, and an FBI agent with a hidden agenda.

Some days, it isn’t easy being an ex-cop.

Warning: This novel contains excessive humor, action, excitement, adventure, magic, romance, and bodies. Proceed with caution.




Title: Masques
Series: (Sianim Book 1)
Author: Patricia Briggs
Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Ace (September 28, 2010)

Genre: Romance / Fantasy

Notes: This was all right. Fairly angsty free with a smidge of romantic elements.

Blurb: After an upbringing of proper behavior and oppressive expectations, Aralorn fled her noble birthright for a life of adventure as a mercenary spy. But her latest mission involves more peril than she ever imagined. 


Agents of Sianim have asked her to gather intelligence on the increasingly popular and powerful sorcerer Geoffrey ae'Magi. Soon Aralorn comes to see past the man's striking charisma—and into a soul as corrupt and black as endless night. And few have the will to resist the sinister might of Geoffrey and his minions. 


So Aralorn, aided by her enigmatic companion, Wolf, join the growing rebellion against the ae'Magi. But in a war against an enemy armed with the powers of illusion, how do you know who the true enemy is—or where he will strike next?


Title: Ensnared
Series: Brair Wood Pack, 4
Author: Claire Cullen
Length: 199 pages
Publisher:

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Shifters / Mpreg /

Notes:

Blurb: 
Eager for a challenge to keep him out of trouble, Max goes undercover in the search for Griffin’s brother, Michael. But finding the omega and rescuing him are two very different things. When he learns Michael is about to be sold to Griffin’s enemies, Max has to do something before it’s too late.

There are worse lives than the one Michael is living. He gets to be close to his kids, Ryan and Eliot, who matter more to him than anything. He’ll do whatever he can to stay with them, even if it means playing nanny for the alpha and beta he’s a surrogate for, even when the resentful beta treats him no better than a slave. It’s all worth it to be with his boys.

When a new guard arrives at the house, Michael tries to keep out of his way and out of trouble. But trouble finds him all the same. Dragged unwillingly from his life by Max, he’s torn away from his kids with the promise of being reunited with his brothers. When Max is injured during the escape, Michael winds up trapped with a protective, near-feral bear in the middle of nowhere with no idea what to do next.

Max’s past and present collide when he’s injured, leaving a blank slate where his memory should be and a scared omega by his side. All he knows is that Michael is his to protect, and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep him safe from the people chasing them.

Ensnared is a novel-length read, featuring a protective alpha, a courageous omega, mpreg, knotting, some difficult themes, and scenes not suitable for readers under the age of eighteen


Title: Temper Deference
Series: The Temper Trilogy, 1
Author: Lila Mina
Length: 238 pages
Publisher: Fierce Editions (March 9, 2019)

Genre: Romance / Contemporary Fantasy / Dominance-Submission / Poly / MFF / Bisexual /

Notes: cliffhanger warnings but the next two books are already scheduled for release.

Blurb: 
Submission will tame her temper but unleash her true power. Dutiful devotion will heal cursed bodies and souls. Compassion and boundless passion will set them all free. Nobody, nothing will tear this trio apart. Not even death!

Short-tempered Lana Martin is a workaholic consultant based in Tokyo. Not one to turn down a challenge, she accepts the indecent proposal of her martial arts instructor to become his submissive in a dynamic that tests her resilience.

Spreading like wildfire, their affair lights up another blaze, this time between Lana and Honda’s wife, the sophisticated socialite Yuki. Fearless, Lana embraces what her two masters offer her.

Yet, unbeknown to her, their powerful desire rouses ancient Japanese demons who have waited for decades to claim their prizes. Lana must confront the enemy eating her from within, while pulling back Honda from the edge of madness. Yuki’s unwavering strength will keep them sane - but for how long?

A two-edged sword, the trio’s fiery passion will either destroy them or be the key to their salvation.

TEMPER: DEFERENCE is the first book of the TEMPER saga that continues with DREAD and ends with DELIVERANCE (two cliffhangers and and a HEA).


Title: Dread
Series: Gods of War, 2
Author: Shannon West
Length: 171 pages
Publisher: Painted Hearts Publishing (January 10, 2019)

Genre: Romance / Urban Fantasy / Gay /

Notes:

Blurb: Will Logan and Luke Warren are still running, with no refuge in sight. After stopping in Tennessee to meet up with teammates Ron Perry and Jake Wilson, they head for Atlanta, to rendezvous with the remaining member of their team, Todd Jackson. Kowalski told Logan he murdered Jackson, but Logan knows all too well how hard it is to kill any of them now. He’s hopeful that Jackson survived and is waiting to meet them. Once they arrive in the city, they find Jackson easily enough. They soon discover, however, that he’s involved in a strange and savage situation, a member of a vicious fight club in the basement of an Atlanta club. When he tells Logan he’s in trouble and can’t extricate himself, Logan finds an oppressive atmosphere of evil in the club, seeming to center around the club’s owner, a charismatic man named Austell. Logan is disgusted by the illegal fighting, but Luke and the others are all inexplicably drawn to it. Something or someone is influencing the men, infusing them with violence and cruelty. A chain of events begins to unfold that will test Logan and Luke’s bond to the breaking point. Logan’s life is turned upside down as he has to fight for the lives of his friends and the man he can’t live without. When they're kidnapped, and everything Logan holds dear is in deadly danger, will he be strong enough to save them all?

In this book, the second in a three part series, new clues and revelations emerge as to what happened to Logan and his friends in book 1, Origins, Gods of War, to change their lives. They face a new and savage threat to their safety, and receive intervention from Heaven itself? Or could it be Hell?


Title: Prince of Death
Series: (Lords of the Underworld Book 1)
Author(s): Sam Burns, WM Fawkes
Length: 306 pages
Publisher:

Genre: Romance / Fantasy / Greek Gods /

Notes:


Blurb: Gifted power over life and death, Lysandros has spent millennia in the underworld, listless and alone. The youngest child of Hades and Persephone, he’s been sheltered from the threats in the world above.

Theo Ward hasn’t been so lucky. After watching his mother wither away, he’d do almost anything to have her back. When a messenger appears at the Banneker College of Magic and offers the young professor a chance to save her, Theo can’t pass it up, even if it means going straight into the underworld and dragging her home. But Theo gets more than he bargained for when he crosses paths with the prince of Hades.

Set against the king of Olympus, they must shed their past burdens and learn to trust in each other, so they can face down a storm that threatens to wipe the nation’s capital off the map.

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Friday, March 8, 2019

Release Day Guest Post: Witchblood by Lissa Kasey #giveaway


A huge welcome and congratulations to Lissa Kasey! She's stopped by the blog with a post for her new release, Witchblood. 


Angst and Interesting Reading

Reading angst-filled stories can be heartbreaking because we, as humans, connect to pain in a very emotional way. Often on social media, you’ll see someone who posts about how a book made them cry, or even something as small as a meme. Some wonder why anyone reads the stuff if it effects them emotionally that way. Masochism? Probably not. More likely we identify with a character, their story, or even a situation, and it gives us just a tiny bit of hope for ourselves. Books are an escape from our real world problems. As a voracious reader I grew up spending my days lost in made up worlds, learning about people who had never really existed and wishing I were there. Not much has changed now that I’m an adult and a writer as well as a reader.

I wrote my first novel in the sixth grade. It was called Ship Wrecked and featured a group of teenagers who had been ship wrecked on an island which was full of booby traps. At the time I’d been reading a lot of Christopher Pike books, so the story had a pretty grim outcome. In fact everything I wrote for the first twenty years of my life erred on the side of total destruction to my characters. Lots of rejection later, I learned that destroying a character might be fun, but it was the rebuilding that made for enjoyable reading. How often have you read a series in which the author killed off a favorite character and you angrily said you’d never read them again, only to buy the next book anyway?

Growing up in a less than ideal family I had a lot of hardship that I poured into my writing to ease some of the daily sadness. I read a lot of romance, but didn’t starting writing it until I was in my late twenties. Romance was candy. It was easy for my brain to attach happiness to it because it didn’t mirror anything I’d ever experienced in real life. Until that point I’d been writing urban fantasy, and thought, well let’s see if I can add a bit of this candy to all my angst. Which was how Inheritance was born. If you haven’t read it, the Dominion series was my first urban fantasy romance series. It was also my first published books. I learned a lot from the dynamic of damaged characters. All the expectations of life and fear of failure I dropped into Seiran and let him run with it. Poor guy. He’s come out okay. And to those who’ve asked, yes there will eventually be a book five.

My latest urban fantasy romance, Witchblood, has some similarities. Sebastian has been running from his past and himself for a long time. He’s got so much self-doubt that he expects everyone to stab him in the back, even people he’s never met before. His personal growth is not so much about trusting again, that will take time. Often a lifetime. It’s more about having hope to try. None of his problems are solved overnight. When Liam tells him they are fated mates, Sebastian is wary and ready to run again.

I recently did a poll in my author group. What would people do if they found out they had a fated mate? The major of them answered: Research the hell out of them. Our suspicious world demands knowledge. But if they didn’t have hope that it was real, would they look at all? I think that’s why angst is such a beloved genre in the romance niche. Everyone loves the brain candy every once in a while with the simple boy meets boy and they fall madly in love, happily ever after. But we know that’s not how life works most of the time. And hope for a character who’s a little damaged like us to find love, is a pretty big motivator.

One of my favorite lines from the book is one of those that just free-flowed from my life. Sebastian had just found out that Liam has a grown daughter. So Sebastian assumes that Liam is the typical alpha, married with kids. His thoughts are: I sighed, fantasy bubble bursting into shards of emotional glass. Reality is that Sebastian has made a wrong assumption and caused himself pain. Sebastian is an untrusting bastard who runs into a wall that is his fated mate. How he reacts is based on his upbringing and personal choice. He could run again. Or he could take a chance. We as readers enjoy the angst taking that chance brings the story. Even if it cuts us along the way.





Witchblood by Lissa Kasey

Blurb: Sebastian Volkov, a fox shifter raised among werewolves, ran from everything he ever loved after a brutal attack that left him fearing his own shadow. That night a single kiss saved his life and left him with fantasies of a man whose face he couldn’t remember. When Sebastian’s car breaks down in a small Washington town, he meets an Alpha werewolf who reminds him vaguely of a stranger’s kiss.

A year ago Liam Ulrich, Alpha of the Northern Cascade’s Pack, shared a magic filled kiss with a virtual stranger, the infamous Witchblood child of the most powerful werewolf in the world. Since that night, Liam has been waiting for Sebastian to find his way home. Liam knows that Sebastian doesn’t trust easily, or at all, so he’s going to have to give his prickly mate time and space.

The past Sebastian tried to escape still stalks him and slowing down gives it time to catch up.
When the werewolves’ ultimate enemy rises up to cast its shadow over them all, Sebastian realizes he will have to stop running or risk losing everything…. including his hope of a future with Liam.





Buy Links: Amazon | BN | Kobo | Smashwords |

Also available at Itunes, Overdrive, and some libraries.


Bio: Lissa Kasey is more than just romance. She specializes in in-depth characters, detailed world building, and twisting plots to keep you clinging to the page. All stories have a side of romance, emotionally messed up protagonists and feature LGBTQA spectrum characters facing real world problems no matter how fictional the story.

Social Media Links:


Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Saturday, March 2, 2019

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

What's up? Not much. Writing away on Constant. Sorta bummed that February is already over. 


Title: Changeling's Fealty
Series(Changeling Blood Book 1)
Author: Glynn Stewart
Length: 310 pages
PublisherFaolan's Pen Publishing Inc.; 1 edition (November 13, 2017)

Genre: Urban Fantasy / Fae / Wizards / Vampires / Shifters / LGBTIAQ Side Characters / 

Notes: This was recommended to me and I bought the audiobook. It was a great story and I bought the rest of the series, though they aren't on audio. And for those who are wondering, the LGBTIAQ characters are not 'red shirts'.

BlurbA ragged newcomer…
With a secret even he doesn’t know
A backwater city…
With a countdown to an explosion no one is expecting
A secret Covenant…
And a conspiracy to break it to pieces

Jason Kilkenny is a new arrival in the Canadian city of Calgary. Unlike most newcomers, Jason isn’t looking for a job in oil and gas: he’s a half-fae changeling that wants to get away from the politics of the inhuman races.

He soon learns that despite being a supernatural backwater, the city is run by a near-godlike Wizard—and the shadows are full of unseen dangers. Jason’s here to hide, but he finds himself called to service by Calgary’s understaffed Fae Court.

As supernatural politics collide in his new home, Jason’s plan to keep his head down is shattered and he finds himself testing the limits of his meager gifts. He cannot run, he cannot hide…and if he loses, he loses everything.




Title: A History of Trouble
Series: Beacon Hills Sorcerer Anthology
Author: SJ Himes
Length: 
Publisher: 

Genre: Anthology / Urban Fantasy /

Notes: 

Blurb: A HISTORY OF TROUBLE A Beacon Hill Sorcerer Anthology

A collection of brand-new short stories, featuring characters from The Beacon Hill Sorcerer Series by bestselling author SJ Himes.

Red Wine and Blood
The Blood Wars raged for centuries across Boston. Witness a brief glimpse into the brutal history of the Wars with Ignacio Salvatore and the vampire he loves, Ashwin Metcalfe, in 1897.

A History of Trouble
Angel was joking when he asked O'Malley if someone resurrected a mammoth. Little did he know that was exactly what someone did. Experience the untold story of what happened that unfortunate night at the Boston Public Museum.

A Dragon in the City
What happens when Eroch goes adventuring in Beacon Hill without Angel? Chaos, pure chaos.

Fae's Gold
Daniel is helping the newly-resurrected fae Ruairi Brennan become accustomed to modern-day living. A boring trip to the bank quickly escalates, and Daniel calls Angel for help. The day goes downhill from there but ends in a comfy meal in a pub for an ancient fae warrior and a necromancer's apprentice.

This is an anthology, featuring vignettes and short stories from the universe of The Beacon Hill Sorcerer series. For full enjoyment, the Beacon Hill Sorcerer Series Books 1 through 3 should be read before reading this anthology.

Please note that this is not a full-length novel. Combined word count is 23.6k words. Approximately 80 pages depending on the reading device used. See Trigger Warnings on the Copyright Page by using the Look Inside Feature or by downloading a sample of this book.




Title: The Lost and the Chosen
Series: (The Lost Sentinel Book 1)
Author: IVY Asher
Length: 34 pages
Publisher: 

Genre: Romance / Urban Fantasy / RH / 

Notes: 

Blurb: My name is Vinna, and I’ve been keeping a lot of secrets.

You would too if you'd experienced some of the weird shit I have: red-eyed monsters chasing me, markings on my body appearing out of nowhere, a strange power that crackles colorfully over my skin from time to time, and don't get me started on the weapons I can conjure up almost out of nowhere.

Lucky for me, I have yet to meet someone whose ass I couldn't kick, inside the ring or out. I put that to the test when I run headfirst into a fight that brings all my secrets, and reality as I know it, crashing down around me.

Now, I'm looking for answers and trying to piece together what the hell is going on. Paranormal is my new way of life. It's not going to be easy, and I'm not exactly welcome.

That is, until I meet the boys, and trust me, they are anything but boyish.

I'm up against elders who think I’m too powerful, a family who views me as a threat, and something lurking in the shadows that's been coming for me my whole life.

There’s not a chance in hell I’m going down without a fight. I’m not lost anymore, and I'm about to show this world exactly what I can do.

Author’s Note: This is the first book in The Lost Sentinel Series and ends with a cliffhanger. This book is a medium burn reverse harem story, intended for ages 18 years and older. This story contains strong language, sexual situations, and violence.




Title: Black Wings Beating
Series: (The Skybound Saga Book 1)
Author: Alex London
Length: 432 pages
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (September 25, 2018)

Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Gay /

Notes: I have been looking at this for a couple of month and since it is young adult I have held off. I cannot read YA like I used to. But the audio became available at the library so I grabbed it.

Blurb: The people of Uztar have long looked to the sky with hope and wonder. Nothing in their world is more revered than the birds of prey and no one more honored than the falconers who call them to their fists.

Brysen strives to be a great falconer—while his twin sister, Kylee, rejects her ancient gifts for the sport and wishes to be free of falconry. She’s nearly made it out, too, but a war is rolling toward their home in the Six Villages, and no bird or falconer will be safe.

Together the twins must journey into the treacherous mountains to trap the Ghost Eagle, the greatest of the Uztari birds and a solitary killer. Brysen goes for the boy he loves and the glory he's long craved, and Kylee to atone for her past and to protect her brother's future. But both are hunted by those who seek one thing: power.

In this first young-adult fantasy novel in a trilogy, Alex London launches a soaring saga about the memories that haunt us, the histories that hunt us, and the bonds of blood between us.



Title: Hell to Pay
Series: Hellhound Champions, 2
Author:macy Blake
Length: 264 pages
Publisher: 

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Shifters / Fae / Gay / 

Notes: releases March 5, 2019. Yes, please.

Blurb: As a hellhound beta, Solomon has no complaints. Life is fine. His pack and his goddess-given duties as a protector of the human realm are enough. So what if he’s a little bored and a smidge lonely? Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. When his alpha’s mate suggests he pull his head out of his ass where one of their human pack mates is concerned, Sol cooks up a scheme to break through the wall between him and Cody, but it comes at the worst possible time. 

Cody is convinced the bar he works in is run by a group of elite mob enforcers. Nothing else makes sense. The funny thing is: he doesn’t care. They treat him well and he’s come to consider them family, but like any family, there’s always someone who stirs up trouble. For Cody, that’s Solomon, the bouncer who is constantly glaring at him from the back of the bar. Something is going on, but Cody has a new distraction in the form of an anonymous online lover who knows how to push all the right buttons.

A magical attack causes havoc for their pack, dragging Cody into a world he didn’t know existed. His new family is involved in a much more dangerous life than he could ever have imagined. Hellhounds and humans must join together to stop a terrifying creature hell bent on raining destruction down on them. Solomon and Cody must step up and fulfill their destinies, or risk losing the one thing they desire most: each other.




Title: Wild Country
Series: The World of the Others, 2
Author: Anne Bishop
Length: 492 pages
Publisher: Ace (March 5, 2019)

Genre: Paranormal / Alternate History / Shifters / 

Notes: I love The Others series and have been waiting for this. The highlight of this week was the library notifying me that they followed my suggestion and bought this audiobook. I am #1 on the waiting list when it comes out in March. I am so stoked.  


Blurb: There are ghost towns in the world—places where the humans were annihilated in retaliation for the slaughter of the shape-shifting Others.

One of those places is Bennett, a town at the northern end of the Elder Hills—a town surrounded by the wild country. Now efforts are being made to resettle Bennett as a community where humans and Others live and work together. A young female police officer has been hired as the deputy to a Wolfgard sheriff. A deadly type of Other wants to run a human-style saloon. And a couple with four foster children—one of whom is a blood prophet—hope to find acceptance.

But as they reopen the stores and the professional offices and start to make lives for themselves, the town of Bennett attracts the attention of other humans looking for profit. And the arrival of the outlaw Blackstone Clan will either unite Others and humans...or bury them all.




Title: Legacy
Series: (Deity Rising Book 1)
Author: Kilian Grey
Length: 396 pages
Publisher: Zurr Sol; 1 edition (September 3, 2018)

Genre: Fantasy / Royalty / Gods Camping Out At Court / Magic / Gay / 

Notes: Dudes, I a m such a sucker for covers with swords on them. Immediately my brain says, swords=must be good. I'm not as bad as I used to be and now actually read the blurb before *one clicking*. It is so hard for me to say no. 


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?


Legacy is a full-length novel (115,000 words).




Title: Shot Through the Heart
Series: 
Author: Shannon West
Length: 111 pages
Publisher: 

Genre: Romance / Urban Fantasy / 

Notes: 


Blurb: WRAITH agent Will Donovan should have known better than to fall in love with a treacherous and beautiful Fairy, but he simply hadn’t been able to help himself. Now Commander Levi has teamed him with the gorgeous Ash again, this time to travel into the Vargr Realm to stop a dangerous and deadly drug called Candy Hearts from being sold and distributed to humans.

Once Donovan arrives, he has to deal with a broken-hearted little wraith, a treacherous brownie, amorous Nymphs and a growing attraction to his partner. When he’s kidnapped by Cupids, he’s taken to their capital city and has to face the biggest threat to his safety yet—his love for a being who can never stay with him.

Ash, along with a Paladin witch he picked up along the way, has to save Donovan, the love of his life and talk himself out of a relationship that will one day prove to be deadly. To do it he has to be willing to sacrifice his own life and break an ancient curse, but if he can pull it off, he might just get everything his heart desires.



Title: Mate
Series: Forbidden Desires, 3
Author: Piper Scott & Virginia Kelly
Length: 379 pages
Publisher: 

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Dragons / Eggs / Gay / 

Notes: 


Blurb: Spitfire Disgrace Matthieu Boudreaux has one wish: to age out of the Pedigree he despises, then destroy it. With one year left before he achieves the first step of his goal, Matthieu finally has some hope for an independent future… until a surly Amethyst dragon by the name of Geoffrey Drake and his entourage show up at Matthieu’s cloister and inform him he’s been selected to be part of an ‘experiment.’ 

Geoffrey Drake, proud and stuffy legal counsel for the Amethyst clan, has been charged with ruining his own life. His mission? Deliver a potential mate to the son of the Amethyst clan’s most despised enemy—and the man he’s loved in secret for the last hundred years—Topaz dragon Ian Brand. Refusal is impossible. Dragons don’t consort with dragons, and should Geoffrey decline, he risks exposing them both.

Ian Brand, charming black sheep of the Topaz clan, is trapped between his forbidden love for an Amethyst dragon centuries his senior and his duty to his family. Chosen by his unhinged father to be the Topaz candidate for the mating experiment, Ian is faced with a terrible choice: run away with the man he loves and face the deadly consequences, or accept his fate with a broken heart.

But dragon magic, as Matthieu, Geoffrey, and Ian soon discover, works in mysterious ways. When an unforeseeable circumstance draws them all together and puts their futures at risk, they have no choice but to set their differences aside and work together to prove a new, startling truth…

What the dragon world knows about mates has been wrong all along, and it will be up to the three of them to prove it.

Mate is a 103,000 word steamy omegaverse mpreg-ish romance that will leave you in stitches. It contains an experiment gone awry, five eccentric peacocks, an unusually large number of whelps, an ancient Viking Daddy dragon, and science! For maximum enjoyment, Mate is best read following the events of Clutch and Bond.



Thank you for stopping by and Reading!!