paranormal

Wild Warrior (The Weavers Circle #2) by Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott: RDB, Excerpt, Release Day Review *2 and Giveaway

August 7, 2020 by Denise

Baer Manning

What happens when Baer spills his big secret about monsters and magic to a total stranger?

Chaos.

In Baer’s defense, he really thought Wiley was a lost brother.

This case of mistaken identity forces the cute artist to stay at the plantation house for his own protection while they search for a way to take down a witch.

Wiley Stuart

He never should have gotten in Baer’s Jeep.

But in Wiley’s defense, Baer is really sexy. And funny. And so sweet. And did he mention sexy?

All his life he’d dreamed of superheroes and a life of action. He just never expected to find himself swept up into a world filled with monsters and goddesses.

Wiley will do anything to stay with this magical band of brothers and help them with their fight. He just wished he could be Baer’s soul mate.

Wild Warrior is the second book in the Weavers Circle series. It includes fast-paced action, running through Savannah, secrets, swimming pool fun, shapeshifting, an elephant, sexy times, lots of snakes, insecurity, three crazy old ladies, and magic!

Title: Wild Warrior

Series: The Weavers Circle #2

Author: Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott

Publisher: Drake & Elliott Publishing LLC

Release Date: August 7, 2020

Heat Level: 4 – Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 106,000

Genre: Romance, Fantasy

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There were about five people ahead of Baer in line—all of them staring at their phones or the shiny glass case of a tantalizing rainbow of doughnuts and pastries. Including the sexy blond Mini Cooper owner who was right in front of Baer in line. While Baer was a relatively average height of five ten, the blond was at least a delicate five seven or maybe five eight. The guy looked up from his phone as Baer stepped up behind him, and he flashed a nervous smile.

“Hey,” he greeted in a slightly husky voice and then flushed some more.

Yeah, this guy was all kinds of adorable.

“Mornin’,” Baer replied. “You ever been here before?”

The man shook his head, shoving his phone into his pocket. “No. It was recommended to me recently. When I woke up this morning, I just had to have doughnuts.” He gave a nervous little laugh. “I guess that’s the result of nonstop marketing at its best. It’s fall, so we’ve all gotta eat pumpkin-flavored everything for the next month.”

Blondie had the sexiest southern drawl. It wasn’t too thick. Probably a local, but he’d spent some time out of the area. Just enough to lose some of its natural thickness, but those lilting drawls still mesmerized Baer when he spoke, leaving him wondering how his lips and tongue wrapped around each vowel and consonant.

Good grief. He really did need to grab Grey for a boys’ night out in Savannah if he was going to start fantasizing about a nerdy twink’s mouth. Soul mates and forever sounded great, but it was clear that he needed to get laid. And what better time was there? Things were quiet. They weren’t running and fighting for their lives.

Pumpkin doughnuts and sex could do a growing boy good.

The bell hanging from the front door announced the arrival of another customer. Baer was about to ask the man’s name when the heavy scent of rotting flesh rolled through the room, overpowering the delicious miasma of frosting and fried dough.

Fuck.

He didn’t even need to turn around to know that behind him, pestilents had stepped into the bakery. It wasn’t enough that the alien race was attempting to steal the power of the earth to save their own dying planet while killing all Weavers in the process, but they had to interrupt his attempts at flirting as well? Just not cool.

Silently, Baer cursed himself and his luck. They’d all grown a little complacent over the past couple of months. They’d even started venturing away from the protection of the plantation without backup because the pestilents had stopped attacking.

Apparently they’d gathered enough numbers to make another go at the Weavers, and he’d not been paying enough attention to his surroundings to check to make sure there were no pestilents close. Instead of checking in with the animals in the area that there were no pestilents around, he’d let himself get distracted by big chestnut-brown eyes and a sweet smile.

Twisting around to glance over his shoulder, Baer swore under his breath to find a male and female pestilent standing in front of the door. Humans wouldn’t notice anything different about them, but Weavers could. The air wavered around them as if they radiated heat. And, of course, there was the godawful stench. Pestilents were not meant for this world, and their bodies started rotting from the moment they arrived. Their time in this place was limited, but what time they had was spent trying to kill the Weavers.

The pestilent woman wore a pair of ragged jeans, and her brown hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, making her angular features seem that much sharper. A feral grin pulled across her thin lips when she spotted him. She lifted the shotgun in her hands to her shoulder and pointed it straight at his chest.

Baer sucked in a breath. Was she really going to open fire in a small building crowded with people? Everyone was going to be killed or injured. Not only one fucking Weaver.

Pivoting on the balls of his feet, Baer wrapped an arm around Blondie’s slender waist and dove over the closest table. A shocked yelp left the man’s lips, but he didn’t fight Baer as they tumbled to the floor. With his free hand, Baer grabbed the edge of the table, pulling it onto its side. They landed with the surprisingly thick wooden barrier at their backs just as the shotgun exploded in the room, slamming into the far side of the table and a scattering of chairs.

You definitely need to read book 1 as this is a continuing story.

We met Baer in book 1 as one of the Weavers. Magical beings that, through reincarnation, have been trying to beat the pestilents- otherworldly beings that are trying to take over earth because their world is dying. Like I said, you have to read book 1.

Baer is the animal weaver. Not only can he hear what animals are “saying” but he can also shift into any animal. It’s really pretty cool. Which is exactly what Wiley thinks when the bakery they are both in is attacked by pestilents (only Baer knows what they are) and Wiley watches him shift into a lion.

Wiley draws comic books for a living, so seeing this happen is like the coolest thing EVER for him. And then when Baer thinks Wiley is another weaver, WIley is practically GIDDY.

Wiley is thrust into this reality of magic and weavers and goddesses and pestilents and is having the time of his life. It’s kind of adorkable how much he loves being in the middle of it all- even without powers.

The pestilents have upped their game though. They have finally thrown something at the Weavers that they can’t seem to beat. They also find another “brother” the Fire Weaver. And they are searching for journals that previous Weavers wrote.

This installment was exciting, fun, sexy, heartbreaking and suspenseful. There was a lot less of the goddesses and more of the Weavers trying to figure out what they are going to do. While waiting for the missing Weavers to make their way to the plantation.

Drake and Elliott have woven (see what I did there?) an intricate world in the age old battle of good and evil. I CANNOT wait for more.

4 pieces of eye candy

I knew I was going to love Baer, I knew it and I was so excited for his book, but let me just tell you, I completely fell in love with Wiley! Lemme tell you why these two are so perfect for each other.

Baer is our shifter weaver, able to tune in with animals, hear their thoughts and speak with them, and he can turn into any one of them, though he hasn’t tried them all yet. He’s compared in the last book, to a bouncy, happy dog, and that’s exactly what his personality feels like to me too. He’s always just so happy and eager to please, I just love him immediately… so when he sees Wiley, a nerdy and cute comic book illustrator at a little donut shop, he thinks that he was led there by Jo (one of the Goddesses/Aunts), and since he feels such an attraction to him, he thinks he’s the group’s fourth weaver, so after saving him from two pestilents that follow him into the shop, he dumps every bit of truth on him and fully thinks that he’s their new brother.

Wiley is thrust into this magical world after a little old lady put an idea in his head that he wants pumpkin donuts… which, ewww, but ya know… whatevs lol After seeing this red-headed hunk in a donut shop, he can’t believe his eyes when the hot guy shifts right in front of him and takes apart these two people with guns…it gets more unbelievable when the guy asks him to come with him, tells him he’s part of their brotherhood, tells him he’ll get powers of his own and tells him everything there is no know about he and his brothers…. And Wiley….is….pumped!

I really felt for him, especially in the beginning because he wanted to belong to this group so bad. He’d always wanted a big family, with brothers and cousins and aunts and uncles, and though he has his grandma, he was lonely…. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out, but he was still so determined to help. And just because he isn’t a Weaver, doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his purpose, and Gray knows it too, even if Baer and Wiley do go back and forth over it so much I wanted to slap them both and yell DON’T YOU SEE??? You’re his soulmate!!….. YES YOU ARE!…… Nooooo, yes, you are! I mean, stop arguing with me in my mind, Baer, I know what I’m talking about!

Anyway….aside from Baer and Wiley and how ridiculously perfect they are for one another, we get to learn more about the guys and their purpose in this one. More pieces come together and things start making sense, and though I’m normally not a paranormal kinda gal, I do not do shifters and magic and ghosts and aliens and whatever else the paranormal world brings… I am absolutely hooked on this story and I never stopped being entertained.

I love the banter between the brothers and they really feel like brothers in this one. Soul brothers or whatever, like they’d known each other their whole lives. They bicker like brothers, they’re loyal like brothers and they’ll lay down and die for each other without hesitation. I love that. And Baer, so fierce and loyal and just so impossible not to love.

We also get a new brother, Lucien, and I cannot wait to know more about him, though I suspect the next story will be Grays with that lead in… I hope so, I cannot wait to see who’s going to be able to tame that broody broody man. It’ll be so hard to top Baer for me though, I just really fell in love with him and Wiley. Everything felt so genuine with them, they meshed so well together and when they finally realize that what they have isnt’ temporary, and they admit their feelings for one another, it feels so real and believable. I LOVE when that happens. Those I love you’s, are deserved in this one. I just swooned all over the place for both of them.

Overall, it was a crazy intense roller coaster full of action, loyalty, love and brotherhood. Honestly, what more could you want? It was perfect. I cannot wait to find out more about Gray! I’ll be over here impatiently but politely waiting for more!

All the stars from me!

5 pieces of eye candy

Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott have teamed up to combine their evil genius to create intense gay romantic suspense stories that have car chases, shoot outs, explosions, scorching hot love scenes, and tender, tear-jerking moments. Their first joint books are in the Unbreakable Bonds series.

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The Harp and the Sea by Lou Sylvre & Anne Barwell: RDB, Release Day Review, Excerpt and Giveaway

July 29, 2020 by Denise

In 1605, Robbie Elliot—a Reiver and musician from the Scottish borders—nearly went to the gallows. The Witch of the Hermitage saved him with a ruse, but weeks later, she cursed him to an ethereal existence in the sea. He has seven chances to come alive, come ashore, and find true love. For over a century, Robbie’s been lost to that magic; six times love has failed. When he washes ashore on the Isle of Skye in 1745, he’s arrived at his last chance at love, his last chance at life.

Highland warrior Ian MacDonald came to Skye for loyalty and rebellion. He’s lost once at love, and stands as an outsider in his own clan. When Ian’s uncle and laird sends him to lonely Skye to hide and protect treasure meant for Bonnie Prince Charlie’s coffers, he resigns himself to a solitary life—his only companion the eternal sea. Lonely doldrums transform into romance and mystery when the tide brings beautiful Robbie Elliot and his broken harp ashore.

A curse dogs them, enemies hunt them, and war looms over their lives. Robbie and Ian will fight with love, will, and the sword. But without the help of magic and ancient gods, will it be enough to win them a future together?

Title: The Harp and the Sea

Author: Lou Sylvre and Anne Barwell

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: July 27, 2020

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 84200

Genre: Historical Fantasy, LGBTQIA+, historical fiction, fantasy, fated love, Scottish Isles, Jacobite revolt

NineStar Press

Amazon

Goodreads

1605 the Scottish Border Marches

Robert Ker of Cessford, Lord Roxburgh wielded nearly autonomous power at the turn of the 17th century as Warden of the Scottish Middle March. Often called the Debatable Lands, the Border Marches had rough and fluid application of law. A violent nature and loyalty to kin and ally were all the tools Cessford needed to enforce his judgements. His position made him a powerful man, and though he owed allegiance to Scott of Buccleuch, he marched mostly to his own drummer.

But in the year of Our Lord 1603, King James VI of Scotland became also James I of England, and set about unifying the two countries into Great Britain. His “pacification” of the Border Marches in truth meant abolishing the office of Warden, renaming all the Marches the Middle Shires, and killing enough Borderers to make the rest bend the knee. Having lost autonomy, Ker wormed and weaselled his way into the king’s courts at Whitehall and Edinburgh and commenced warring on the people of the March without mercy as a way to impress the monarch.

On a rain-soaked day in autumn, 1605, the rough men who served Ker of Cessford and King James Stuart shoved Robbie Elliot into a damp prison cell beneath Hermitage—a stark and haunted castle located almost dead centre in the Middle March, a place Robbie had once called home. When he heard the heavy oaken door thunk shut behind him, rattling the rusty iron chains and window bars, he fell to his knees in the filthy straw that lay scattered over the stone floor. He and a half-dozen others had been force-marched sixteen miles from Hawick, bound, handled rough, and prodded with sticks. Now Robbie tried in vain to find a few square inches of his body that didn’t cry out in pain.

“There’s water, Robbie.” The weak, high-pitched male voice came from the darkest corner of the cell, and it gave Robbie a start for he’d thought himself alone. “In the barrel there,” the man continued. “It’s clean enough.”

Robbie’s legs obeyed him after only a brief argument, and he stood and walked to the barrel. Dust and chaff floated on the top, but when he dipped the single iron ladle and brought the water to his lips, it had no foul smell. “I’ve had far worse,” Robbie said, and then drank.

When he’d slaked his thirst enough, he turned to his cellmate, who’d stepped out of the shadows. “How’d you come to be here, Keithen?”

“Same as you, I’d wager. I’d heard the warden’s men were on the march, and I meant to hide at my old da’s holding, east of Kelso. But I was caught no more than ten miles from Hermitage castle and strung along with five others—including your stepbrother Jem. We’d thought we’d go no further than the gallows on the hill, but they brought us here.”

“Jem? He’s here?”

“Alas, Robbie, he was a lucky one, for he’ll never see these cells. He fell on the trail, and the warden’s man kicked his head a mite hard. Snapped his neck.”

Robbie piled up some straw and sat, slumping back against the wall, his own head pounding as if he’d been the one kicked. Keithen, who tended to prattle on most of the time, stayed blessedly silent until Robbie spoke up a few minutes later. “Yes, probably lucky to die then, quick like that. Do you ken why they brought us here? What they’re planning for us?”

A sudden rattle of heavy keys beyond the door interrupted the prisoners’ conversation, and a single, crusted pot was pushed inside, its contents warm enough to steam in the perpetual cold of the below-ground keep.

Keithen said, “Porridge, or what passes for it,” and then got up and lumbered stiffly to fetch the pot.

Robbie realised all at once that his insides had gone so hollow he’d be happy to fill them with a brick if it was all he had, and he wasted no time. Given no utensils, the two men scooped the thick, sticky oatmeal with their hands, minding neither the slight burn nor extra flavour of the dirt and blood on their own skin. By the time they finished, Robbie had forgotten his last question entirely until Keithen answered it.

“I heard a couple English talking yesterday—their voices come down clearly through the shaft, just there.” He pointed at a corner of the ceiling, a black, empty rectangle amid the grey stone. “They said we’ll be marched to Carlisle, and wicked James himself, the king, travels there too. They’ll hang us all at once—for his entertainment.”

Robbie said nothing for a long while, his mind focused instead on whether he could find a way to die sooner rather than give the king his satisfaction. He could think of nothing short of refusing water or smashing his head against the stones, and he knew he wouldn’t do either. Although small in stature, he’d proven himself brave in battle when he was no more than fourteen, and he’d borne his wounds as well as any man. But courage has its limits, he thought, and the pain of drying to dust from the inside out or smashing my own skull is beyond mine.

At last he said, “Well, Keithen, some comfort. At least we’ll die among our own, and not alone.”

The Scottish borders, Bonnie Prince Charlie, a Jacobite rebellion, and a witch’s curse…

I am awed by the amount of detail and research that has gone into this book. Two men, one a highlander ready to fight for Scotland and to see their own King back on his throne, one a simpler man in the wrong place at the wrong time and about to get hung.

Enter the witch and fast forward a hundred and fifty years later. Robbie might be saved from the hangman’s noose but he will always be permanently cursed by the witch until he can be freed by the one person–Ian–that falls in love with him. Ian rescues Robbie the first time when he is sent on a mission to take treasure to fund the Scottish uprising.

Ian’s responsibilities constantly war with the growing feelings he has for Robbie, and not only the danger as they flee from the soldiers intent to stop Ian and the rebellion, but the magical curse that threatens so many times to take Robbie from him forever.

The language and the setting were amazing. My only wish, maybe, that their quest would have been a little less protracted midway, and I became guilty of skipping a few pages.

Fantasy lovers, history buffs, and possibly fans of Outlander (Jamie that is not Claire) should check this out.

4 pieces of eye candy

Anne Barwell lives in Wellington, New Zealand. She shares her home with a cat with “tortitude” who is convinced that the house is run to suit her; this is an ongoing “discussion,” and to date, it appears as though Kaylee may be winning.

In 2008, Anne completed her conjoint BA in English Literature and Music/Bachelor of Teaching. She has worked as a music teacher, a primary school teacher, and now works in a library. She is a member of the Upper Hutt Science Fiction Club and plays violin for Hutt Valley Orchestra.

She is an avid reader across a wide range of genres and a watcher of far too many TV series and movies, although it can be argued that there is no such thing as “too many.” These, of course, are best enjoyed with a decent cup of tea and further the continuing argument that the concept of “spare time” is really just a myth. She also hosts and reviews for other authors, and writes monthly blog posts for Love Bytes. She is the co-founder of the New Zealand Rainbow Romance writers, and a member of RWNZ.

Anne’s books have received honorable mentions five times, reached the finals four times—one of which was for best gay book—and been a runner up in the Rainbow Awards. She has also been nominated twice in the Goodreads M/M Romance Reader’s Choice Awards—once for Best Fantasy and once for Best Historical.

Lou Sylvre loves romance with all its ups and downs, and likes to conjure it into books. The sweethearts on her pages are men who end up loving each other—and usually saving each other from unspeakable danger. It’s all pretty crazy and very, very sexy. As if you’d want to know more, she’ll happily tell you that she is a proudly bisexual woman—a mother, grandmother, lover of languages, and cat-herder—of mixed cultural heritage. She works closely with lead cat and writing assistant, the (male) Queen of Budapest, Boudreau St. Clair. She lives in the rainy part of the Pacific Northwest, and hearing from a reader unfailingly brightens the dreary weather. Find her through her links listed here, or drop her a line at lou.sylvre@gmail.com.

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Single Omega Dad (The Omega Misfits, Bk 4) by Wendy Rathbone: Excerpt and New Release Review

July 9, 2020 by Denise

My new financial guardian, Mathias, is a cold, self-centered, rude-ass Alpha, and the son of one of the wealthiest men in the country. To him, I am a burden on society, only fit to live on a chattel farm.

It doesn’t matter that I’m drawn to him, to his ominous presence and chiseled jaw, his muscular body in his fitted silk suits. I’m a single dad with kids and responsibilities –I don’t have time for that rich bastard.

He keeps coming by the house so I can sign documents, fine. But then he’s got cute gifts for my kids. It’s got to stop. I don’t have time to fix him. Don’t have time to fall in love with an Alpha right now.

A non-shifter Alpha/Omega love story with mpreg, a single widower Omega dad, an Alpha who cannot knot, emotional issues, two adorable identical twin boys, and an HEA.

Some characters from “Trust No Alpha” make appearances in this novel, however, this book is a standalone read.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

He moved up in the bed, his mouth kissing along my ribs and then latching onto one of my hard nipples. His tongue and lips caressed it, leaving me still writhing as he finally took me into his arms and found my mouth with his own.

Tongues collided.

I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t care.

I had a craving to touch myself again. Apparently I hadn’t had enough.

My ass leaked with ‘honey’ as most Alphas had called it.

As he kissed, I reached between us, feeling his big, firm erection.

I leaned back. “Fuck me,” I said.

“Insatiable and demanding.”

“Fuck yes,” I agreed. “But it is your turn, too.” I sat up.

“Are you sure in your condition?”

“It told you. It’s okay. Really. Have you never been with a pregnant Omega?”

He shook his head.

“It’s actually good for us hormonally to have this, uh, this sort of affection. And stretching is good. All the way up to the birth.” My face heated at the words.

I could see his cock bobbing in the shadowy dimness. Big and fully hard. Thick like I liked them when I was young on the chattel farm and serviced Alpha Burns.

At the root of his cock, Mathias wore a silver ring. I had heard of cock-rings, of course, but never seen one in person and on an actual man standing before me. The idea that he wore it, and had had it on all this time, turned me on even more than I already was.

I don’t read a ton of omegaverse books. I tend to read more in the contemporary genre, but every once in a while, I grab one. I haven’t read anything in this series, or even anything from this author, so I was going in blind. I definitely wasn’t disappointed. It also seemed like having read the previous books was not a requirement for enjoying Single Omega Dad.

I liked that even though Saber lived in a society that did not value omegas, and had children, with more on the way, that he didn’t wallow in self-pity. He had always taken care of his children, and himself on his own, so losing his Alpha didn’t change much other than having to have someone approve his financial life.

Mathias was a study in contrast. Most definitely an asshole, who didn’t care much for anyone, except one of his brothers. He seemed to connect quickly with Saber, and even his children-although it seemed one child more than the other. However, he still carried a grudge to one of his other “litter mates”, his other brother, that I didn’t ever quite understand the complexities of it. It had something to do with their father, and a heat, and Mathias blaming his brother when he should not have. But this just didn’t really make sense to me fully. It could have been something explained in a previous book, though so I set that aside as I was reading.

I was personally turned off as a reader by a couple of things, although not everyone would be.

I did though really like how the relationship between Saber and Mathias progressed. Simple dates, with the children, these are often missed in romance books, because of all the other things going on in the story. It allowed the characters to grow and love each other, and for Mathias to connect with the kids. Even with Mathias’ “problem”, at some point, that was dealt with to ensure that happy ending we are all after.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Read Wendy Rathbone where… imposters and outcasts, princes and lost boys always find love and a happily ever after!

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Currently, I write all male/male romances.
For many years it has been my first love and is my focus.

If you are not sure which of my books to try first, pick a genre. If it’s contemporary, you will enjoy The Foundling Trilogy: Rescue Me, Sacrifice Me, and Remember Me where a billionaire underworld businessman rescues an amnesiac man at sea.

If you love fantasy, The Imposter Prince and The Imposter King tell the story of a double for a prince who must continue in his role after the prince is secretly killed. How can it get worse? He falls for an enemy prince!

Or you might enjoy stories set in present-day Earth where the owning of pleasure slaves is legal, in which case you can start with The Slave Palace.

All my books are available in Kindle Unlimited. Happy reading!

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Everybody Burns (Enhanced World Book 6) by Victoria Sue: New Release Review and Exclusive Giveaway

July 2, 2020 by Denise

Eli was only seven years old when he had been given to monsters.

Sixteen years later he finally gets the chance for revenge, and with his enhanced abilities changing, nothing and no one is gonna stop him, especially a new partner that seems to see right through the black holes in his soul.

Agent Daniel Connelly left Washington trying to keep his sanity, but the images of the innocent victims are still haunting him and knows the horror in Eli’s eyes is exactly what he is trying to forget.

Everybody Burns is a story about two men falling in love. Except, one doesn’t think he is capable of it…

And the other doesn’t think he deserves it.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

This series is really damn good, if you like paranormal type stuff…although the paranormal isn’t crazy if that isn’t your usual cup of tea. It truly is abilities that are enhanced.

That being said, this book was a hard one, because when you see Eli’s story unfold, there are a couple things that could be hard for an author to make happen in 200 or so pages and still feel like it was realistic. One of them was that Eli just had not gotten over, or really even started to heal at all, his deep wounds from childhood abuse. He truly didn’t believe he deserved to be happy, and to fall in love during that, well it just isn’t going to work in most cases. There were also physical “wounds” that many survivors of abuse cannot get past…no matter how much therapy, how many drugs, or how many times they “try”. That also really makes it hard to find the person that is going to accept you, and be willing to stand with you as you heal.

I’ll be really honest…as I saw this unfolding, I just didn’t see how that was going to happen without it being wrapped up in a tidy little bow of joy and rainbows. That is a lot of hurt, and pain that one person cannot safely and realistically get through in a very short period of time. Color me surprised when it did work! 🙂 The author didn’t rush it. She didn’t have Daniel make it all better with his magical personality and p***s. It was clear that it was work, and understanding, and a lot of love.

Eli needed all of that to heal and be able to find love. Without it, he couldn’t love himself, and certainly couldn’t love Daniel. The story around the love story, in this case, was more about redemption. The meat of this book was simply that Daniel didn’t force his love on Eli, he simply let Eli find it. Meanwhile Daniel let Eli know that whatever worked for them, worked for THEM. Their love, and their relationship was about what they needed, and what they would find in each other.

And isn’t that what we all want in a relationship?

Also, it was fantastic catching up with all the guys–LOVED the scene with Finn, Sam, and poor wide-eyed Eli. Totally fantastic!

4 pieces of eye candy

Victoria Sue fell in love with love stories as a child when she would hide away with her mom’s library books and dream of the dashing hero coming to rescue her from math homework. She never mastered math but never stopped loving her heroes and decided to give them the happy ever afters they fight so hard for.
She loves reading and writing about gorgeous boys loving each other the best—and creating a family for them to adore. Thrilled to hear from her readers, she can be found most days lurking on Facebook where she doesn’t need factor 1000 sun-cream to hide her freckles.

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Victoria Sue has generously offered up an ebook from her backlist to one commentor to this blog post. 🙂

Kings of the Mountain by Morgan Brice: Exclusive Author Guest Post, Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

June 15, 2020 by Denise

Fast cars. Outlaw country boys. Snarky werewolves, vengeful ghosts, and menacing monsters.

Dawson King’s family has been hunting things that go bump in the night in Transylvania County, North Carolina, since before the Revolutionary War.

Dawson was never happier than when he was racing his souped-up Mustang along winding mountain roads and hunting monsters with his best friend, Grady. Then Grady fell in love with him, which should have been perfect since Dawson had already fallen hard for Grady.

But Grady was only seventeen, and Dawson feared that sooner or later, Grady would realize his feelings were just a first crush, and then he’d be gone, leaving Dawson devastated. They both needed space to figure things out. So Dawson joined the army, while Grady stayed on the mountain.

Four years later, Dawson is coming home. He’s more sure than ever Grady is his forever love, and they’ve both agreed to begin this new aspect of their relationship as soon as Dawson gets back.

Then Grady’s father is killed in a werewolf hunt gone wrong. Grady is devastated, and he’s throwing mixed signals about moving forward. Dawson knows he needs to hold off on this new thing between them until Grady has time to grieve. But monsters never sleep, and one hunt after another throws Dawson and Grady into constant danger, while tension and unresolved feelings ripple between them.

Making it even harder, Dawson’s got a secret. He’s dreamed of death omens—which point to something stalking Grady. Can Dawson figure out who’s trying to kill Grady, save his life, and win back his heart?

Plenty of mutual pining, hurt/comfort, spooky chills, sexy thrills, and a very happy ending. The Kings of the Mountain is the first novel in the series. It is a MM romance intended for readers 18 years of age and older.

Book Title: Kings of the Mountain

Author: Morgan Brice

Cover Artist: Natania Barron

Release Date: May 21, 2020

Genre/s: Urban Fantasy, MM paranormal romance

Trope/s: Hurt/comfort, mutual pining, friends-to-lovers,

childhood best friends, second chance

Themes: coming of age, forgiveness for self and others,

crush maturing into love, letting go of guilt, family

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 63,000 words/238 pages

It’s the first in a new series

Goodreads

Amazon US – Kindle Unlimited

Amazon UK – Kindle Unlimited

Starting from Scratch By Morgan Brice

Starting a new series is exciting and stressful. Exciting because beginnings are always full of opportunities. Stressful because it takes a while to know your way around—to have a feel for the places in the book and really understand the characters and hear their voices clearly in your head.

There’s a lot of worldbuilding that goes on, especially in a paranormal romance, beyond what shows up on the page. That includes thinking through how magic works and who has it, what kinds of abilities monsters can have, what sort of creatures exist, how ghosts can be summoned and banished—all of which provides a framework to tell a solid tale and remain consistent. It’s like building the foundation for a house. If I don’t get the worldbuilding right, the stories built in that world won’t hang together the way they should, and inconsistencies will happen that spoil things down the line.

It also usually takes some time to hear the characters clearly and have a sense of their personalities, likes and dislikes, fears and strengths—all the things that make them real in the minds of the readers. I always learn something about my characters when I’m writing the books, no matter how far into a series I get. That’s part of the fun.

When I start a new series, I usually have a mix of plot, people, and place in my mind. So for Kings of the Mountain, the plot bunny was ‘what would happen if you crossed Dukes of Hazzard with Supernatural, only the main characters were *together*?’ Then as I thought about where to have as home base, Transylvania County seemed like a natural choice (it’s a real place). Everything took off from there.

Starting a new series is so much fun. It’s the beginning of a journey with new friends—and you never know where it will take you!

“Dude, you can’t keep me hanging for over an hour until we get home. Please.” Dawson didn’t care about begging. He needed to know what had happened, so he could figure out what to do when he got there.

Colt slid him a sidelong glance and relented. “If I tell you, you’ve got to keep Uncle Denny from whupping my ass, because he told me not to.”

“You know I will.”

Colt tightened his grip on the wheel, his knuckles bone-white and kept his eyes on the road, a convenient way to avoid looking at Dawson. “We’ve had some problems with rogue werewolves and feral shifters lately. They like our neck of the woods because it’s remote. If they didn’t bother anyone, we might have let it ride. But there’ve been livestock kills and some attacks on people that just barely got pushed back.”

“How did you know you’ve got weres and shifters?” Dawson fell back into hunting mode out of old habit.

“It’s that time of the month,” Colt replied with a smirk. “Seriously? The weres are only out the three days of the full moon. You know this shit—did you forget it all while you were gone?”

Dawson flinched. “Just confirming. Didn’t want to assume.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time you made an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me.’” Colt’s smile faded. “Anyhow, we’ve all been out trying to track down one particular werewolf. He didn’t stay in the forest and feed off the deer. If he had, no one would have bothered him. Kept coming near towns, snatching farm animals. Grady and Aaron thought they’d figured out a pattern and guessed where he’d strike next. So they did a stakeout.”

Dawson found he was holding his breath. He had an awful feeling about how this was going to go.

“They were right,” Colt continued, his voice flat. “The werewolf got the drop on Aaron. Grady shot the wolf—silver to the heart—but he’d already bit Aaron.”

“Fuck.”

“Aaron begged Grady to shoot him. Grady refused. Grady also wouldn’t just leave his gun and walk away.”

“He knew how it had to end,” Dawson said quietly, his voice thick with sorrow for both Grady and Aaron.

Colt shrugged. “Maybe he needed more than a few seconds to be okay with killing his father.” At Dawson’s wince, Colt relented. “Sorry. I don’t know what happened to Aaron’s gun; he probably lost it when he got jumped. Anyhow, Aaron went for Grady’s gun, and in the struggle, it went off. Killed Aaron. Grady walked home, covered in blood, and told Uncle Denny what happened. Denny took care of the body.”

“Jesus,” Dawson murmured. “What did they tell the cops?”

“Sheriff Rollins knew about the rogue were. He had his men out looking for it, too. So what went down could have happened to anyone.”

At least no one was going to jail. That was a small comfort. “What about Knox?”

Morgan Brice is a new author to me, but I am totally hooked. This book has it all: friends to lover, monster hunting, angst, slow burn, action and adventure. Somehow Morgan Brice ties is all up in this super entertaining story that I couldn’t put down.

The monster adventures were amazing to read, there was so much detail and imagination in each scene. I loved that we got to be in both Grady and Dawson’s head, to hear their inner thoughts and their perspective on what happened.

The flashbacks from present to past were easy to navigate, I never was confused about what was happening or when it was happening. Overall, this is one of the best stories I have read this year, I really hope it becomes a series.

5 pieces of eye candy

Morgan Brice is the romance pen name of bestselling author Gail Z. Martin. Morgan writes urban fantasy male/male paranormal romance, with plenty of action, adventure and supernatural thrills to go with the happily ever after. Gail writes epic fantasy and urban fantasy, and together with co-author hubby Larry N. Martin, steampunk and comedic horror, all of which have less romance, more explosions. Characters from her Gail books make frequent appearances in secondary roles in her Morgan books, and vice versa.

On the rare occasions Morgan isn’t writing, she’s either reading, cooking, or spoiling two very pampered dogs.

Series include Witchbane, Badlands, Treasure Trail, Kings of the Mountain and Fox Hollow. Watch for more in these series, plus new series coming soon!

Author Links

Facebook Group | Pinterest (for Morgan and Gail) | Twitter: @MorganBriceBook

Read a copy of my Badlands short story Restless Nights here for free

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Come On, Get Lucky by Jacqueline Rohrbach: RDB, Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

June 9, 2020 by Denise

Grant is looking for love, but there’s one big problem—himself. Due to Grant’s massive size, not to mention the fact he’s also a werewolf, all the eligible bachelors steer clear of him, preferring men who are a little less ginormous and a lot less monstrous. Only Lee, Grant’s best friend and vampire extraordinaire, sees him as a gentle giant who longs to give awesome backrubs, cupcakes, and endless affection to his lifelong mate.

Lee is tired of the same old song and dance of dating and then breaking up. The only steady presence in his life has been Grant, a tried-and-true friend who always knows what to say and the right spot to scratch. So, when Grant finally breaks up with his flighty boyfriend, Lee sees an opportunity to let his carefully guarded heart out of its box and try for something real and lasting.

There’s a problem, though: Lee has always forbidden romance between friends, an order he’s drilled into Grant’s head over and over again.

That means Lee might need to throw their friendship to the fire. To find passion, they’ll have to become enemies. To find love, they’ll have to get lucky.

Title: Come On, Get Lucky

Author: Jacqueline Rohrbach

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: June 8, 2020

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 59300

Genre: Paranormal, LGBTQIA+, werewolf, vampire, best friends to lovers, humor, sarcasm, socially awkward character, slow burn-UST, men with pets

Amazon

NineStar Press

Goodreads

Chapter One

Grant wiped sweat from his brow. Hands trembling, he struggled to maneuver the oversized shirt button into its tiny hole. It was like being a virgin all over again. Should he lube the damn thing? Would that make it glide right in to everyone’s satisfaction? Scratch those thoughts; Grant couldn’t afford a sexual itch right now. If he stiffened, he might have a stress boner all night in the fancy restaurant where he’d booked a table for two. And, oh Jesus, everything was a mess. A total, awful mess.

“Knock, knock, big guy,” Lee said, tapping on the wood frame of the doorway. “You almost ready?”

“Come on in. Help me out. Get this thing in there.”

“Goodness, dear heart. I hope you won’t have to say that tonight.”

“I’m trying to not think about sex!”

“Boring.”

As lithe and graceful as Grant was bulky and clunky, Lee glided in on a cloud of glitter and sarcasm. His slender fingers made quick work of the task, and before Grant knew it, his dress shirt was smoothed down the length of his torso and tucked neatly into his black slacks. Standing to the side, his palm supporting his chin, Lee inspected his handiwork. Grant, for his part, stood straight under his critical eye and endeavored not to dwell on the lingering tingle along his spine where Lee’s fingers had touched him.

Muttering and twirling his finger, Lee said, “Turn around.”

Grant rarely dressed to the nines because it made him feel like he was ten. Lee, who searched him over for any flaw, didn’t help matters, especially not when he tsked like a disappointed mother.

“Well, do I pass inspection?” Grant asked him.

“Oh, you’re delish. Real wagyu beef.”

Grant dipped his head and made a show of inspecting his shoes to hide the sudden rush of heat to his face, which no doubt stained his cheeks a telltale shade of alarm-bell red. Then, to his mortification, he noticed a toe poking through a hole in one of his socks. Shit, he’d forgotten his shoes. Disaster. This night was going to be a total disaster.

Practically hyperventilating, Grant asked, “Where are my wingtips? The nice ones.”

Lee tapped his chin. Casually, as though he’d organized Grant’s closet himself, he kicked—literally—the polished wingtips onto the bedroom floor. “There are your big, goofy shoes. But, trust me, tonight is a big mistake. David is not the one. ”

“Thanks! You’re a lifesaver. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Yes, I know you couldn’t manage without me. But don’t ignore my warning.”

Wagging his finger in Lee’s face, Grant said, “No, no. We’re not playing the David-is-no-good game tonight. Tell me what wine should I order, instead.”

“Are you asking me what pairs nicely with showing your flighty, dimwitted boyfriend your werewolf form?”

Exasperated, Grant said, “I’m bringing this one home for good, Lee.”

Relenting with a sigh, Lee flounced around the bedroom, windmilling his arms in dramatic fashion as though getting ready to run a marathon. Was he stretching? Yes, yes he was. Lee hadn’t surrendered: he was ramping up to continue the fight. Grant should have learned to not underestimate his best friend when it came to matters of the heart, which he saw as his expertise as a vampire. The undead, according to him, had their fingers on the pulse of life. Werewolves, well, they had their noses in its crotch. The long-term rivalry between their species was great. Truly.

Ever since Grant brought David home, Lee had gone on about how it was a poor fit. Things heated up between them when David farted and blamed Lee. Fangs out, Lee had said, “Vampires can’t even pass gas. He’s messing with the wrong Edward. I will glitter bomb his ass to hell. My sunlight sparkle will burn out his eyes.” From there, matters got worse.

“You’re being petty,” Grant said, dabbing a bit of cologne on his neck. “Get over the whole fart thing. He was nervous. That’s all.”

“This is more than passing gas, dear heart. Although your little beau does disturb the oxygen balance of the room.”

“You’re a brat.”

Lee said, “I know, dear heart. That doesn’t change anything. David is… David is yuck. I’d eat him but it’s an affront to my sensitive palate. Blah.”

“Say ‘blah’ again but do it in a Transylvanian accent.”

“If I do, you have to listen to my rant. You can’t block me out, not even for a second.”

Grant’s inner survivalist debated the merits of the proposal. On one hand, the Transylvanian accent version of blah never failed to put a smile on his face, and he could use a bit of humor to settle his nerves before his big date. On the other, Lee’s rants lasted as long as an immortal desired, which was a very long time indeed. Grant couldn’t gnaw his foot off to get out of the trap should he decide to walk into it.

“Decisions, decisions,” Lee said as a taunt without bite.

“You make it so hard.”

“That’s what all the guys say.”

This book, had a good premise. However, it didn’t quite deliver like I had hoped. I liked the characters. The sweet and “fluffy” Grant, and the snarky and caustic Lee. However, they didn’t quite mesh for me as a couple. Grant was depressed about his ex-boyfriend, and rumors that were spread about him. Lee’s idea was for them to f**k it out over a week at an event in the woods. I felt like they were great friends, but the transition to trying to be more was not a normal friends to lovers. There wasn’t much flirting, it just kind of happened.

There was also a lot going on in this book. Some I didn’t understand why it was there…like Lucky, I didn’t get why Lucky was a thing, but he was cute, so there’s that. It just seemed to jump around quite a bit. It also seemed as if this was a follow up book, maybe not to this couple, but I felt like I was missing pieces I should have understood,

The storyline itself was cute and had some suspense, but overall, I would say it’s a read it once for the cuteness, but not really a reread.

3 pieces of eye candy

Jacqueline Rohrbach is a 36-year-old creative writer living in windy central Washington. When she isn’t writing strange books about bloodsucking magical werewolves, she’s baking sweets, or walking her two dogs, Nibbler and Mulder. She also loves cheesy ghost shows, especially when the hosts call out the ghost out like he wants to brawl with it in a bar. You know, “Come out here, you coward! You like to haunt little kids. Haunt me!” Jackee laughs at this EVERY time.

She’s also a hopeless World of Warcraft addict. In her heyday, she was a top parsing disc priest. She became a paladin to fight Deathwing, she went back to a priest to cuddle pandas, and then she went to a shaman because I guess she thought it would be fun to spend an entire expansion underpowered and frustrated. Boomchicken for Legion! You can find Jacqueline on Twitter. https://www.twitter.com/ImmutableMoon

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