I’m so excited for today’s guest post! She’s definitely one of my fave authors, as she creates worlds so well, and always has some sort of “boom” in them. 😉 Jocelynn Drake is here talking about Saving Rafe, and where she started when she created the Lords of Discord series. There’s also a fantastic excerpt from Saving Rafe that is super sexy. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
The troublemaker. The risk taker. The sexy club owner full of wicked promises.
Rafe has devoted his immortal existence to pleasure and causing mischief.
The only ones who can depend on him are his brothers. Of course, that’s very much a Varik thing.
But when the leader of the Arsenault clan specifically requests Rafe’s help in tracking down a killer, he can’t say no.
Sure, Rafe claims he’s doing it for his family. They’ve attracted too many enemies and could use a few allies.
That’s not the whole truth, though.
There’s something about Philippe Arsenault that draws Rafe in. He wants more of Philippe. The vampire leaves him longing for another second in his presence, another taste of his lips, another caress of those perfect fingers.
Yet when it’s all over, what will become of Philippe and Rafe? Because Philippe will always be an Arsenault, and Rafe will always be a Varik.
Saving Rafe is the second book in an MM paranormal romance series that has vampires, betrayal, annoying brothers, music, heartbreak, hope, sexy times, and a pair of star-crossed lovers.
Title: Saving Rafe
Series: Lords of Discord #2
Author: Jocelynn Drake
Publisher: Indie
Release Date: March 6, 2020
Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 105000
Genre: Romance, paranormal romance
Amazon – Kindle Unlimited
Claiming Marcus (Book in the Lords of Discord series)
A Different Kind of Vampire By Jocelynn Drake
I have loved vampires forever. From Bram Stoker’s Dracula to Anne Rice’s Lestat to Kerrelyn Sparks’ cuddly, sexy vampires to Lynsay Sands’ Atlantean vampires. I love them when they are mindless, blood-sucking killing machines and I love them when they are brooding, tortured souls who just need a hug.
One of the hardest and most exciting questions when starting a new vampire series is: What kind of vampire do you want?
Mindless killer?
Tortured soul?
Just a regular guy with diet restrictions?
Are you going to follow all the old school rules of garlic, mirrors, church relics, and a stake through the heart?
Are they superhuman with great healing, speed, and mind control?
Sadly, you can’t do it all because you’re likely to end up with a mess.
When I was creating my vampires for the Dark Days series, I went with a lot of the traditional rules and myths. They were superhuman and couldn’t go into churches. They were incredibly fast and great healers. And could even do a little mind control. But they were dead during the daylight hours.
When I decided to tackle the Lords of Discord series, I thought I’d pull back on the powers just a little and make my vampires slightly more human. Oh, they are still good at healing, but it takes a little longer than blink an eye and the wound is gone.
The vampires in the Lords of Discord can eat regular food. They just don’t need to. It’s more for pleasure than sustenance.
They are also awake during the daylight hours, but their severe allergy to the sun continues.
And when it comes to powers, that’s where the fun stuff kicks in.
Each vampire ends up with a different gift, and they never quite know what they are going to end up with.
As we learned in Claiming Marcus, Marcus Varik has the ability to suck all light in a room into himself, creating a suffocating, all-encompassing darkness.
In Saving Rafe, Rafe shows off his ability to “charm” and influence others to do his bidding.
Beltran has already shown that he can speak to and control animals.
And Winter, he’s given little hints of his ability, but you’ll learn more about the youngest Varik soon.
Be sure to catch up with all the Varik brothers in Claiming Marcus and Saving Rafe — the first two books in the Lords of Discord series.
From their first meeting at The Gallery, Philippe found himself drawn to Rafe. Everything about the vampire whispered temptation. Philippe longed to pin Rafe to the nearest flat surface and make the most delicious moans rise from those lush parted lips. But more than feeding and fucking, Rafe whispered of escape and freedom. No more worry and responsibility beating him down. With Rafe, Philippe would be able to run free and laugh, enjoy the long life he’d been cursed with.
Jullien had warned him that Rafe didn’t seem to be appearing at his club as much as he had in the past, but Philippe wasn’t worried. Lola had spotted the Arsenault pair from where she was leaning against the bar. If she hadn’t called Rafe already to alert him that the clan leader was at his club, she would shortly.
No. There was no need. Rafe was already there.
The vampire was in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by a throng of men and women as they moved to the pounding beat of the music. A slender blonde pressed tightly to his front, her long arms wrapped around Rafe’s neck, while a muscular man in a shirt that looked as if it was a second skin was pressed against Rafe’s back.
Reaching behind him, Rafe grabbed a handful of the dancer’s hair and held him in place as Rafe ravaged his mouth. Even through the writhing crowd of bodies, Philippe could see the man’s left hand tighten on the vampire.
Blood shot straight to Philippe’s dick as he regarded the blatant display of sex and power. His fangs ached to slide down, but Philippe couldn’t figure out if he wanted to join the sexy threesome or if he wished to shove both humans away so he could claim Rafe for himself. Neither of them was a healthy thought or would help his clan, so he shoved away the flicker of hunger.
As if he knew what was flitting through Philippe’s brain, Rafe released his companion and looked directly at Philippe, a wicked grin growing on his glistening lips. There was the faintest glow in his sharp blue eyes. It could be blamed on the flashing lights, but Philippe recognized it for what it was. Hunger. Sharp, sexual hunger.
Philippe’s breath caught in his throat and his fucking dick gave another begging throb, urging him to cross the damn club and grab Rafe, but he kept his feet planted as if they’d been bolted to the floor.
The look passed in just a second; then Rafe was turning to both people cuddled against him. He said something to each in their ears before extricating himself and making his way across the club toward Philippe.
“Oh, he’s here already,” Jullien murmured behind him as if he’d just spotted Rafe.
Philippe gave a curt nod, not trusting himself to speak yet. He wanted to reach down and adjust himself in his slacks, but he was afraid of Rafe catching the movement as he got closer. Philippe kept his eyes on Rafe as he smiled and laughed, kissing cheeks of familiar patrons while he slowly made his way through the crowd. Halfway to Philippe, a vampire he didn’t recognize whispered in Rafe’s ear while handing him a drink. Rafe’s smile shrank a millimeter as he accepted the glass.
And those electric-blue eyes were on Philippe as he sipped his dark drink, a wicked smile playing on his lips. God, Philippe was dying to kiss that smile off his lips.
When Rafe was standing in front of him, the club owner took a deep breath as if he was scenting the air. Philippe couldn’t guess what he smelled, but he carefully schooled his face, giving away nothing but mild amusement.
“You’ve finally made your way into my little den of sin,” Rafe said with a laugh.
“I’ve heard so much about it, Mr. Varik. I thought I should see it for myself.”
Rafe’s eyes sparkled with laughter, and he leaned close so he could speak directly into Philippe’s ear. Behind him, Jullien stepped forward, bumping Philippe’s shoulder. Philippe immediately reached back, pressing a restraining hand to Jullien’s stomach. Rafe wasn’t threatening him. No, the vampire was playing with him, and there was a part of Philippe dying to play with Rafe.
“Come now, Philippe. We’re going to be forming an alliance. We’re practically family. I think you can call me Rafe.”
For a second, Philippe closed his eyes at Rafe’s rough whisper. It was like the vampire was lightly raking his nails across all Philippe’s nerve endings, sending the most decadent shiver across his flesh. There was a whiff of blood and alcohol on Rafe’s breath, enflaming Philippe’s hunger. He had only to turn his head and he’d be able to capture Rafe’s sinful mouth in a scorching kiss.
But Philippe didn’t let himself move. Didn’t flinch a single muscle as he fought his own desires to get to the heart of what Rafe was telling him.
Philippe’s eyes snapped open, and he found himself drowning in Rafe’s all-too-perceptive blue eyes. “You’re going to help me find Piper?”
Something passed over Rafe’s face for a second, but Philippe couldn’t describe it. It was gone almost as quickly as it appeared, and Rafe was smiling his wicked grin again.
“The Variks are happy to help the Arsenaults,” Rafe said, and they were back to the diplomatic comments.
Philippe couldn’t quite stop his disappointment from showing. He liked the flirty, playful Rafe more. The one who liked to fan the flames. He didn’t seem the “watch the world burn” type, but he didn’t mind lighting a few small controlled fires to shake things up.
I am obsessed.
I was so so excited to see that Rafe was next. I was so enamored with him in Marcus’ story, I just knew that he was going to be my favorite. The careless playboy who took nothing seriously and enjoyed gaining all the wrong kind of attention… I just knew that there was something there, waiting for someone to come along to let it out. I think Bel and Winter are going to give him a run for his money because I’m so excited for them, but Rafe is hands down, my favorite so far!
A little about Rafe…other than being the playboy with a penchant for sex, blood and his sarcastic nature, he was hiding this loneliness and such a deprecating sense of self. He tried to tell himself he had all that life had to offer, but he was missing something so big. He was envious of his brother and his newfound love in Ethan, even if he wasn’t honest with himself, he wanted what they had so badly, he just didn’t think it was possible for him…. And that’s where we meet Philippe.
Philippe seemed to be the polar opposite of Rafe. Leader of his clan of misfits, along with his power, he made his family up of people who needed his help. What a sweet heart he had. I could see why Rafe was so smitten. When one of his family goes missing, he goes to Rafe for help.
These two were drawn to each other from the first time they lay eyes on each other, but Philippe needed Rafe’s help and Rafe didn’t waste his time with repeats and relationships, right? But he could… with Philippe, he could… not only that, he wanted to, more than almost anything. First things first though, was finding out who was targeting Philippe’s clan and why.
This whole story kept me on the edge of my seat and it felt like the craziest action movie I could see so clearly in my head. I won’t give it all away, but some key points are….throughout this story, we so much growth within the family and get to know each of the brothers a little bit better. We meet some new players and get a sense for what’s coming. We see Rafe war himself between what’s in his heart wants and what it needs…. There were so many times when Rafe would tell himself one thing and in the same breath, say the exact opposite when it came to Philippe. He loved him so much, even from the beginning, even when he knew he shouldn’t, even when he tried not to and told himself to stop. He couldn’t. He’s a romantic at heart, really… this whole story was so romantic when you separated it from all the action and blood and war lol
I’m not usually a fan of paranormal… no, correction, not usually.. I’m just not a fan of paranormal, period… but I can’t get enough of this series. I’ve gone and fell in love with each of these brothers and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Bel and Winter and hopefully Ryder and Gideon. Maybe Gideon and Winter? That’d be cute, huh? Or Gideon and Ryder? I hope Gideon gets some happy, I hope he gets a story.
This is quickly becoming one of my favorite series that I’ll definitely revisit and probably often. What a great read! Don’t pass it up, especially if you love family, romance and a whole lot of blood.
5 pieces of eye candy
Vampire books can be either really good or really bad. When I read the first, Claiming Marcus, I held my breath waiting to see what I would get. It was definitely good, almost really good. This one is good. But not close to really good.
I like the plot, but it seemed so stretched out. Phillippe goes to Rafe for help with a missing clan member. Turns out that 2 clan members were already murdered before Phillippe looked for help. I get that they are a secretive, keep to themselves kind of clan, but I don’t see Phillippe as having the ego to not ask for help sooner. I get that a couple of his other clanmates don’t want him asking for help, but that should have been a big warning right there.
I really liked snarky Rafe from book 1. I feel like he lost a bit of his snark, a bit of what makes him Rafe when he fell for Phillippe. As a couple I liked them ok, but more sexual tension would have been welcome.
I do love that Aiden is back for good. The four brothers desperately needed him and his guidance. The scenes with him and the brothers together were so sweet.
We are obviously building up to a show down with the ministry, but I’m sure the next book will be more set up for that. Don’t get me wrong, I will definitely read the other books when they come out. I look forward to them in fact. Something just fell a little flat with me in this one.
3 pieces of eye candy
It started with a battered notebook. Jocelynn Drake wrote her first story when she was 12 years old. It was a retelling of Robin Hood that now included a kickass female who could keep up with all the boys and be more than just a sad little love interest. From there, she explored space, talked to dragons, and fell in love again and again and again.
This former Kentucky girl has moved up, down, and across the US with her patient husband. They’ve settled near the Rockies…for now. She spends the majority of her time lost in the strong embrace of a good book.
When she’s not hammering away at her keyboard or curled up with a book, she can usually be found cuddling with her cat Demona, walking her dog Ace, or flinging curses at the TV while playing a video game. Outside of books, furry babies, and video games, she is completely enamored of Bruce Wayne, Ezio Auditore, travel, tattoos, explosions, and fast cars.
She is the author of the urban fantasy series: The Dark Days series and the Asylum Tales. She also has a gay romantic suspense series called The Exit Strategy and has recently launched a new paranormal series called the Lords of Discord. She has also co-authored with Rinda Elliott the following series: Unbreakable Bonds, Ward Security, and Pineapple Grove. She can be found at www.JocelynnDrake.com.
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Sounds good, right? And while he’s home, he might as well pick up the love of his life that he left 20 years ago when they were both teenagers and start back where they left off, eh? That’s honestly what he expected to happen. I can honestly say that Kye was not my favorite of any guys in this series. His ego and lightheartedness was too much, so much in fact that he honestly couldn’t see what the big deal was after leaving his teenage boyfriend/best friend and not calling or coming to visit or even send him a letter for 20 years and now that he’s back, he’s confused as to why game warden Davy is upset. Why he doesn’t trust him? Why doesn’t he just jump back into bed with him, when at first, that’s really all he’s offering… I just didn’t understand Kye at all.
