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All or None by Aurora Lee Thornton: Exclusive Author Interview and Excerpt

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In a world where everyone has a soulmate, uniquely powerful mage Royiora and reluctant assassin Kalo collide in the worst of ways.

Royiora Daralkaen, the only mage alive able to use all five kinds of magic, has a near idyllic childhood in the country of Porescalia – before war breaks out with their antagonistic neighbors, Kloria.

Kalo Porla, a naturally magic-proof individual known as a Null, is trained to be as an assassin by the authoritarian empire known as the Domain.

When Kalo and his partner assassin are sent to kill a mage and his apprentice, it starts a journey neither man was prepared to begin.

Author Name: Aurora Lee Thornton

Publisher: Self

Release Date: Friday, May 15 2020

Word Count: 87000

Cover Artist: Aurora Lee Thornton

Genres: Fantasy

Pairings: Primary: m|m, secondary: mf, ff, ffm, mm

LGBTQ+ Identities: ace, demi, bi/pan, gay, lesbian, non-binary, poly, trans woman

Keywords/Categories: enemies-to-lovers, soulmates, coming-of-age, slice-of-life, mages, assassins, queer, LGBTQ, fantasy

Goodreads

Amazon

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’m a plantser, ha ha. I started off as more of a panster but I would keep running into the issue where I would forget where I meant to go with a story? So I started writing outlines – nothing too detailed, usually just a very basic ‘here is each major plot point’ or ‘this is what each chapter is about.’

My stories do tend to be character-driven over plot, so I leave plenty of wiggle room for change. And some stories I don’t have outlines for because I don’t know where they’re going yet – and that’s fine with me, too.

What are your favorite parts of publishing?

Getting my stories out there so other people can read them! I’ve only self-published, so it’s all very exciting to get everything together and get ready to go.

I love hearing what other people enjoyed about my story – little details, favorite characters, etc. I also love talking about my stories, though it can be hard to avoid spoilers in that case, ha ha.

What are your least favorite parts of publishing?

Again, I self-publish, so basically everything that isn’t the actual writing part – sending out review requests, planning advertising campaigns, all the other marketing aspects. Social media, copywriting, etc. It’s all just so much planning and work (and usually at least some money).

I also dislike querying, not that I know any authors that enjoy it. My latest story has an unconventional narrative structure, which made it hard to write a compelling synopsis/query letter when almost all the advice for how to do so is based on the three act structure or hero’s journey. I like meandering plots and slice of life, which don’t translate well, unfortunately.

Let’s talk to your characters for a minute – what’s it like to work for such a demanding writer?

Roy: “Demanding? Ha. Xe wasn’t even supposed to give us a story.”

Kalo: “Yeah… we were apparently ‘too interesting’.”

Roy: “Now xe has a whole series to contend with instead of one standalone. It’s kind of funny.”

Kalo: “It’s really not.”

Roy: “You’re only saying that because you’re a writer too.”

Kalo: “… true.”

Were you a voracious reader as a child?

Oh absolutely – I even got grounded from reading because I would read instead of doing my homework! (Though that was probably more the undiagnosed ADHD…

I feel lucky that I ran into some great fantasy written by women as a kid – I didn’t even realize how male-dominated the genre was until adulthood. Tamora Pierce is still a big favorite of mine.

Even though I know I’m not a woman now, it was still great to read fiction with complex heroines – I only wish I had known Kel was ace when I was a kid, then I might have found out I was sooner!

Star Trek or Star Wars? Why?

Trek, all the way. I don’t have a problem with Star Wars – I like it in its own way. But I prefer the cerebral, utopian future exploring socio-political issues – even though they don’t always get it right.

DS9 is my favorite series because it dealt with different issues than the other STs – mainly, how a utopian society interacts with a non-utopian universe. I found that kind of interplay very interesting, and it helped add a lot more nuance to the Federation and its place in the universe.

Is this our destination? Roy considered, but chose to wait to find out.

His assumption turned out to be correct, as Kalo sighed in relief when he saw it, leading the way right to the door and knocking.

A woman of Kalo’s race answered it, even with the same red skin and gray hair. She laughed and pulled his soulmate into a hug when she saw him, before pulling back and flicking his ear with something even Roy recognized as an admonishment.

The assassin replied something tiredly, walking past the woman with the slight limp he’d had for the past week or so.

Then she turned to the mage, and in perfect Porescalian said, “And you must be my brother’s soulmate. Hello, I’m Rela.”

Roy flinched in surprise, then cleared his throat and shook the proffered hand, “Yes, uh… I’m Royiora.”

“Do you shorten it?” Rela asked, ushering him inside, “I read most Porescalian men do.”

“Um, yes,” the Porescalian man replied, “I usually go by Roy.”

The horned woman nodded, half pushing him past high vaulted halls into another room, “You must be freezing – come on, let’s get you something warm to drink. I’m sure you have plenty of questions Kalo couldn’t answer.”

Roy didn’t get a word in until after Rela had taken the borrowed coat and replaced it with a surprisingly warm blanket, sitting him at a table in what appeared to be a study or classroom with the promised hot drink.

“There are warmth runes inside the stuffing,” someone said, and then a strange looking man with six arms and blue skin hung down from the ceiling. Unlike Rela and Kalo, he had purple glowing eyes, and held out one of his arms, “Hello, I’m Xia – Rela’s one of my soulmates, and this is our home.”

“Uh, hello,” the mage said, shaking as he looked up at the rest of the man’s insectoid body clinging to the ceiling, “I’m… Roy.”

“Nice to meet you, Roy,” Xia said, skittering over a bit to lower himself to the ground, “Rela and I took the trouble of learning your language some time ago, as our other two soulmates appear to be Porescalian as well.”

“And Kalo asked me to translate his soul writing when we were kids,” Rela said, sitting across from Roy, “He was so very excited to meet you, you know. Though, judging by the state of the two of you, I’m guessing it wasn’t under happy circumstances.”

“Not… exactly, no,” Roy said, feeling comfortably warm for the first time in a while. He took a sip of the drink – it was oddly nutty, but enjoyable nonetheless, “Uh… what… is Kalo?”

Rela snorted, “A bit of a pain in the ass, honestly.”

Xia laughed, and went over to the chalkboard in the room. He cleared it with a bit of arcane magic, and started drawing, “Kalo is what we call a ‘null’ – magic doesn’t affect him, and he can absorb it to fuel pseudo-magic abilities of a limited range.”

The strange insect man pulled back to reveal the celestial star, with words written underneath each point.

“Divine magic gives him self-regenerative abilities and invisibility,” Xia said, pointing to Radzmia’s crystal throne, then moved on to Pelzz’s obelisk, “Arcane provides mental acuity and teleportation,” onto Ruelop’s spring, “Physical resistance and enhanced senses,” Guulruf’s nine-pointed star, “Physical strength and shadow walking,” and finally, Forea’s whirlpool, “And physical speed and water breathing.”

“They identified him and our cousin when they were five,” Rela said, smiling, “We were all so excited – the government provided us stipends for their education and care. Us, a little provincial family of no repute.”

“So it’s an…” Roy struggled to keep up as the warmth and stillness worked on relaxing him to the point of drowsiness.

“That’s what they told us,” the woman snorted, taking a drink, ears flicking, “But when they were twelve, they went to the Institute.”

“Where they train them to be tools of the Trinity,” Xia sighed, coming back to the table.

“The… Trinity?” Roy asked.

“Our leaders, Frezians like Xia,” Rela supplied, then shook her head. She looked up at the mage, “Let me tell you about what happened to my brother.”

Aurora is a nonbinary, asexual writer with a new goal in life: to write the queerest books possible. (And yes, xe means gay, but also weird is good too.)

Xe loves dragons and fantasy, and someday hopes to complete a (soft) science fiction novel as well. Currently, xe lives with xyr two cats.

Author Website: https://www.auroraleethornton.com

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/AuroraLeeThorntonBooks

Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aurora_T_Books

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auroraleethornton/

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16358225.Aurora_Lee_Thornton

Author Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Eq3rOO

Bitter Heat (Heat of Love Book 3) by Leta Blake: Quick Review

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A pregnant omega trapped in a desperate situation, an unattached alpha with a lot to prove, and an unexpected fall into love that could save them both.

Kerry Monkburn is contracted to a violent alpha in prison for brutal crimes. Now pregnant with the alpha’s child, he lives high in the mountains, far above the city that once lured him in with promises of a better life. Enduring bitterness and fear, Kerry flirts with putting an end to his life of darkness, but fate intervenes.

Janus Heelies has made mistakes in the past. In an effort to redeem himself, integrity has become the watchword for his future. Training as a nurse under the only doctor willing to take him on, Janus is resolute in his intentions: he will live cleanly in the mountains and avoid all inappropriate affairs. But he doesn’t anticipate the pull that Kerry exercises on his heart and mind.

As the question of Kerry’s future health and safety comes to an explosive head, only the intervention of fate will see these desperate men through to a happy ending.

This gay romance novel by Leta Blake is the third in the Heat of Love universe which began with Slow Heat. It’s 111,000 words, with a strong happy ending and a critically-acclaimed, non-shifter Omegaverse. It features alphas, betas, omegas, male pregnancy, mpreg, heat, and knotting. Content warning for a violent and oppressive society regarding reproductive rights.

Length: 110,000 words approx.

Cover Design: Dar Albert @ Wicked Strange Designs

Amazon US – Kindle Unlimited

Amazon UK- Kindle Unlimited

Book #1 – Slow Heat – Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book #2 – Alpha Heat – Amazon US | Amazon UK

I kept hearing about Leta Blake’s Omegaverse series, and even though mpreg wasn’t my thing, I love Leta’s writing, so I jumped in with this book…and then went right back and read books 1 and 2. 🙂

Great world building in an alternate universe, so well developed. The Alpha/beta/omega dynamics really are quite different, and in this society, it is definitely the have’s versus the have not’s.

This book really took some dark turns, with Kerry really struggling with how to proceed with the situation he was in. Fortunately, he was able to be somewhere safe so that he could be away from the anger and terror he was subjected to by the person he was contracted with.

Janus, because I read this story first, I was so happy with…only when I went back and read what was more of his backstory did I really understand what he had done to get himself in such a bad place in his life. Fortunately he was already redeemed with me, so I could look on with good eyes. (These books stand alone very well).

It was a slow (as the title implies) fall in love for these two men. As it needed to be, with a very happy and unexpected ending. I would love to see more of this entire universe!

4 pieces of eye candy

Author of the bestselling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and the fan favorite Training Season, Leta Blake’s educational and professional background is in psychology and finance, respectively. However, her passion has always been for writing. She enjoys crafting romance stories and exploring the psyches of made up people. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family.

Patreon | Website | Facebook | Twitter

Alliance (Torsere Book 3) by Annabelle Jacobs: New Release Review

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With war, comes sacrifice….

Ryneq and Nykin return home to find the lowland armies camped along Torsere’s borders. Seran wants the dragons, and with a new witch in his ranks, war is inevitable.

With the elves at his side, Ryneq fights to keep Seran and his soldiers at bay. But they’re not prepared for the witch using old dark magic. As Nykin and the dragon riders battle a deadly attack, an unexpected betrayal forces Ryneq to make a difficult decision.

Faced with the prospect of losing his kingdom, Ryneq gambles on a plan that could ultimately save Torsere, if only they can stay alive long enough to see it through.

Featuring magic, suspense, and danger in the final instalment of this romantic fantasy.
Previously released through Dreamspinner

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

This was a fabulous end to the trilogy, and I read it in one go. Nyken the dragon rider and consort of King Ryneq is busy juggling his new responsibilities as second to the lead dragon rider, and his relationship with Ryneq.

Ryneq–understandably–doesn’t want to put his lover in danger, but Nyken rides one of the most powerful dragons and it’s his job. It was good to see some personal issues to be resolved as their relationship grows.

Everything that the first two books have been leading to gets resolved in this book. Some I was expecting, some i was hoping for, and a few curve balls. Danger, action, sacrifice, betrayal, and heartbreak culminating in a very satisfying ending and a Happy Ever After.

I don’t think these books could be read as a standalone, but why would you want to? This is a trilogy firmy going on my reread shelf.

And dragons?

Did I mention dragons?

Five “flaming” stars

Wild Sky by Zaya Feli: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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Tauran Darrica has been retired from the Valreus Sky Guard for four years following the Battle of the Broken Wings that resulted in the death of his dragon. Now, all Tauran wants to do is spend his days forgetting the past and gambling his way to an unsteady income.

So when his old general from the Sky Guard hunts Tauran down to request his help with staving off the increasingly aggressive wild dragon population, Tauran refuses. But a fire ruins his rented room and leaves him without a place to stay, and Tauran finds himself on the road to Valreus, after all.

Tauran is determined to stay as far away from dragons as he can get, but a starry-eyed young man from Sharoani, land of the wild dragons, might just ruin his plans.

Kalai Ro-Ani has spent his life watching the stars, knowing he could never reach them.

With his wild dragon Arrow, he sets out for the city of Valreus in the hope of building himself a better future than he could have stuck at the foot of the Kel Visal dragon temples.

But nobody told Kalai that only the Sky Guard is allowed to own dragons, so when Arrow kills a guard in Kalai’s defense, it looks like his adventure might be over before it can begin. But a chance encounter at the old Valreus archive offers Kalai the future he’d been hoping for. In the span of a single day, he has a home, a job, and a purpose.

In Valreus, something much bigger falls into his lap – along with a tall and striking Valrean man with a rather strange disposition.

A new, LGBT+ fantasy story from Zaya Feli, featuring dragons, aerial battles and epic journeys through dangerous wilderness.

WILD SKY by Zaya Feli

Publisher: Self-published

Release Date: Ebook: August 24th | Print: TBD

Length: Ebook: 189,000 words

Subgenre: Fantasy/Romance

Warnings: mentions of symptoms of depression and PTSD. Medicine addiction and withdrawal.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

From the author, Zaya Feli:

The overarching theme is about how healing is possible despite severe damage. That some things may not be fixable, and that simply learning to persevere and find support and happiness where it exists can be enough.

It took Tauran two days to work up the courage to enter the guard grounds.

He knew he was being a coward. That this new place, these new recruits, and the Ground Guard had nothing to do with what had happened at the Solar Tower.

But Tauran’s nerves weren’t so easily convinced.

When he approached the steel gates, he was happy he’d skipped breakfast. He grabbed the string and rang the bell a little too hard.

The hatch in the door opened, and a thankfully unfamiliar face appeared.

“Tauran Darrica,” Tauran said, “here at General Falka’s request.”

The doors swung open with a groan.

And then he was inside.

The atmosphere was such a stark contrast to the gloom brewing in Tauran that he had to pause and take a moment to adjust. It was as if Tauran’s memory of the guard had frozen in the time after the Battle of the Broken Wings, that stunned period full of fear and sorrow and rage.

But in the four years since Tauran had last been surrounded by the guard, it had recovered.

Young recruits ran past him shoulder to shoulder on their way to the first lesson of the day. A pair of older men, captains, judging by their uniforms, sat bent over a table, spending their break playing a game of Isutagi. At a table behind them, a woman with her sleeves rolled up past her elbows focused all her attention on the pistol she was cleaning. Black and copper uniforms dominated the outdoor space. The Ground Guard had always outnumbered the Sky Guard, but the difference seemed even more stark, now.

A brief glimpse of silver caught Tauran’s eye here and there. Messengers, or perhaps weather specialists, on their way to delivering flight reports and air pressure charts.

Tauran took a deep breath of the air inside the grounds and found it didn’t sting as much as he’d feared.

This book (all 764 amazing pages) kept me reading until a ridiculous time in the early hours of the morning to finish. It’s been a while since I  was so engrossed in a story. It kept me glued.

Fantasy at its best, and a new to me author I’m thrilled to discover has a backlist.

Two men. One a washed up permanently damaged ex Dragon rider who’s own Dragon died in a terrible war, and one a young innocent-ish geek who happens to have his own wild dragon currently hidden because in their world, dragons are so rare only properly trained riders are allowed to keep them.

The world building is amazing, the relationship between them and their dragons are wonderful, but this isn’t just a sweet romance.

There is evil, betrayal, enemies where you least expect, a wild dragon egg about to hatch, and problems that seem insurmountable. And not everything is black and white. Expect surprises and plot twists.

This will appeal to fans of Mercedes Lackey, Megann Derr, and C.S. Pacat

Five “Dragon’s teeth” (Sounds better than stars)

Zaya Feli grew up in various small towns in eastern Denmark where she spent most of her childhood and youth daydreaming about strange and incredible fantasy worlds. In 2018, she moved to northern Denmark with her pet snake, Helix, to work as a web developer, and is now dedicating all her free time turning the fantasy worlds inside her head into words and illustrations on the page.

An avid sci fi and fantasy fan since childhood, she also has a deep love for history, archery, nature, language and art.

Zaya Feli released her debut novel, Stag’s Run, in November 2016, and has since released four more full length novels and a short story. Her favourite genres are fantasy and sci-fi with a sprinkle of romance.

Connect with Zaya: Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Website

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Golden Valley (Pack Collection Book 3) by Cardeno C.: Quick Review

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A generous Alpha with a tragic past and a young Omega with hopes for the future overcome mistakes to heal a pack and find happiness together.

Life has thrown more than his fair share of challenges and losses at Alpha Morgan Peters. Despite his pain and disappointment, the shifter picks himself up and does right by his pack. As the years pass, Morgan establishes himself as a leader who is as kind as he is strong and Golden Valley prospers. But it isn’t until an Omega shifter enters his life that Morgan sees hope for a future where he can be more than an Alpha.

When Psi Omega Ricky Marx goes to Golden Valley as a representative of his home pack, he is thrilled to find his mate—the beautiful, powerful Golden Valley Alpha. Unfortunately, their first meeting doesn’t go well, and overwhelmed by his mistakes, Ricky sees no choice but to flee.

Morgan’s past makes him struggle to absorb more loss. Ricky’s youth makes him struggle to find his voice. But if these two shifters can overcome their challenges and come back together, they’ll heal the Golden Valley pack and fulfill their destiny.
Word Count: 41,524

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Somehow Cardeno C makes me read things that I would not normally read, and love them. I don’t normally read shifters, any kind, and yet, when I received this review request, I knew I had to get this one in, and I’m so glad I did.

This story takes place over a longer period of time than might be the case in a “normal” book. Lots of misunderstandings, miscommunications, and loads of longing. I really liked, as the story moved along Ricky becomes even more confident, and determined not to be a pawn in a pack struggle.

Both MC’s are sweet, caring people, who only want the best for everyone, they just didn’t communicate well enough to get to that point for themselves. Ricky choose not to really talk to anyone, which I did find somewhat frustrating, as he had a very supportive group of people behind him.

Overall, really enjoyed this new addition to the series, and loved catching up a bit with previous characters in the series. FYI. This does have mpreg, if that is not quite your thing.

4 pieces of eye candy

Truth in the Wind by Diana Waters: New Release Review

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Sometimes the truth can be the hardest thing to find—especially when it comes from within.

Despite the recent loss of his parents, Ash Woodhart is content living with his siblings, deep in the southern countryside of his family’s domain. Ren, an aloof boy with no home and no family, is an intrusion forced on Ash by his eldest brother. Ash dislikes Ren on sight, but as the years pass and the two come to understand each other, his feelings for Ren gradually morph into something more. However, Ren shows no sign of reciprocating those feelings—and as Ash’s recklessness leads him into danger, the truth may come too late.

Book Title: Truth in the Wind

Author: Diana Waters

Publisher: eXtasy Books

Cover Artist: Martine Jardin

Book Release Date: August 7, 2020

Pairing: MM

Genre/s: Fantasy

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 32 000 words / 101 pages

The book is part of a series, but is designed to be read as a standalone piece as well – while a few previous book details are alluded to, no prior knowledge of the series is necessary to enjoy the story as a whole.

The story does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Amazon US

Amazon UK

I need to kick off my review by saying the review request stated that this book could be read as a standalone with no prior knowledge of the series.

They are wrong. I didn’t read the rest of the series and I’m hoping the questions could be explained by doing so, but as the other book blurbs refer to different characters I don’t suppose so. I’m going to have to base my review on this book alone.

This is fantasy. A wealthy family that live away from the city. There was a war that happened ten years prior but no indication of any sort of immediate danger.

Which is why I never understood why one of our characters at ten years old when the story starts, is given a bodyguard. (A twelve year old) The older brother explains he is really a “companion” but Ash is never allowed to go anywhere without Ren, and Ren seems to have some sort of sixth sense meaning Ash can never shake him (Also never explained.)

We are never told why Ash’s twin brother and younger sister don’t merit their own bodyguards, or who or why the older brother thinks Ash needs one but no one else does.

The family seem to have an ability to control weather – namely the wind. Ash only ever manages an occasional gust and is even given special tutors to help him master this, but no one ever says why. The ability is never used in the book except to half destroy a room by accident, and as a reader I was left wondering why it was ever mentioned in the first place.

Ash eventually falls in love with Ren at which point I pretty much gave up. Ren gets blamed for an injury to Ash, and Ash despite never being given any reason to think he can’t tell the truth, let’s Ren take the blame then wallows in pity for a few weeks until Ren comes back.

This could have been so good. A little external conflict, a lot more word building, and some good beta readers to ask these sort of questions would make a promising storyline.

2 pieces of eye candy

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