An Alisa Review: Night Train to New Orleans (Night Train Series Book 2) by Carolina Valdez

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

night-train-to-new-orleans In New Orleans, the killer still stalks, and confusion and passion heat up the reunion of human and vampire lovers.

In this sequel to Night Train to Naples, confusion, danger and passion heat up the reunion of Italian diamond courier Dante Rocco and his once business rival, then lover–the vampire Alexandros Nicolaides. Alex has never wavered in what Dante means to him, but Dante arrives in New Orleans suddenly unsure of his feelings and the impulsive promise he’d made to leave Italy and move to America. In the historic richness of the French Quarter, Dante must decide how he really feels about Alex even as the powerful ruler of the Louisiana vampires complicates their lives, and Giacomo, an unstable vampire, arrives with their murders on his mind.

This was a wonderful continuance of this series. Dante is now doubting his feelings and pledge to move to America to be with Alex after their time apart and all the confusion and people trying to undo their relationship is not helping. Alex takes things into his own hands to show Dante how important it is for them to be together.

Dante continues to be thrown in the deep end of the immortal world while interviewing for a new job with the courier that Alex works for. He begins to see that he can belong just as Alex begins to fear for his safety more than ever. Alex struggles with his desire to keep Dante close while also keeping him safe from anyone who means harm.

We once again get to see the story from both characters’ points of view and can see what each character is struggling with. Dante fights with himself over his feelings for Alex, but after Alex forces him to feel unbidden their relationship just blossoms. This was a nice ending to these characters’ story, I can’t wait to read the next book to see what is in store for Malcolm.

Cover art is very nice and follows the pattern for the series.

Sales Links: MLR Press | Amazon | ARe

Book Details:

ebook, 258 pages

Published: 2nd Edition, September 24, 2016 by MLR Press

ISBN: MLR1020160618

Edition Language: English

A Paul B Release Day Review: Full Circle (Sirius Wolves #7) by Victoria Sue

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

full-circle-by-victoria-sue Anubis has been called before the council of the gods. Orion, current leader of the gods, and four senior gods are to pronounce punishment on Anubis for interfering with humans and werewolves. His punishment will be permanent banishment. The gods are surprised when Anubis readily agrees to his punishment—until he said that if he is to be banished, so should Sirius, Orion’s wife. He points out that Sirius gave the human Marcus a wolf when he was injured, even though the werewolf voluntarily gave up his wolf. He proposes a wager. Sirius appoints a champion who must win the heart of the werewolf with the hardest heart. If the champion succeeds, the Anubis will leave the earth alone. If he fails, the Anubis will cause the destruction of all werewolves, hybrids included, and the champion must serve as his mate for all eternity in hell. And the champion must accomplish his mission in two weeks. The gods accept the challenge.

Sirius knows just who her champion will be. Her son Horus, the only child born of two gods, will go to earth as a human named Adam, named after the mythical first man. Adam arrives just in time for selection of human gammas that will help guard the Jefferson pack lands. When he arrives, he meets Jed, pack beta and leader of security. Adam passes the physical tests easily due to his godly powers. When another recruit tricks Adam and causes his removal from the program, he wonders if he failed in his mission on his first day. When Jed finds Adam after learning the truth, Adam has come down with a bad cold after walking in the rain most of the day. Jed nurses him back to health but a week has passed. Can Adam win over Jed before time runs out on both him and the werewolves?

This seventh book in the Sirius Wolves series is another winner. This time the gods are more directly involved in matters as the premise of Anubis’ bet drives the action. I liked how Adam tries to make himself as human as possible but knows little to nothing about what it means to be human in terms of day to day living. He does not feed himself the first day and his dietary habits cause some shock among the werewolves. The Colby pack is back and again causing problems for Blaze and the group. And if you think Anubis will fight fair, you can think again. If the series has indeed come full circle like the title suggest, this would be a good book to end it on.

The cover’s theme is the same as the previous books in this series. A young shirtless man stands in front of a starry night sky. I believe that is Jed that is supposed to be portrayed here. Again, the cover art was done by E Connors.

Sales Links

Dark Hollows Press

Book Details

EBook, 154 pages

Edition Language: English

Published: October 17, 2016 by Dark Hollows Press

ISBN: 978-1-944054-88-5

Series: Sirius Wolves

Orion’s Circle (Sirius Wolves #1)
Broken Circle (Sirius Wolves #2)
Eternal Circle (Sirius Wolves #3)
The Promise (Sirius Wolves #4)
The Dilemma (Sirius Wolves #5)
The Beginning (Sirius Wolves #6)
Full Circle (Sirius Wolves #7)

Cover Reveal for ‘The Closet Boy’ by Sean Michael as Sean Michael Talks Cover and Inspiration (guest blog, excerpt, and giveaway)

The Closet Boy
Author Sean Michael
Artist L.C. Chase

Dreamspinner Press
Sales Links eBook and Paperback

The Closet Boy Cover by Sean Michael

It’s important to me that all the covers for the Iron Eagle Gym books are immediately recognizable as a part of the same series. The first few books in the series were easy enough to do that, but with this one, I really wanted to have the character in the doorway of a closet. And I had no idea how to accomplish that and still make it look like a part of the same series with the color scheme and all. This is why I am not a cover artist – I had no clue.

However, LC Chase, who has done all the other awesome Iron Eagle Gym covers, is a great cover artist. She had plenty of ideas and I’m so pleased with what she came up with.

I really wanted that closet represented, because it plays two roles – the ‘coming out of the closet’ aspect, as well as the fact that at the begining of the book, Way’ra is literally living in a closet. So thank you LC Chase for being able to translate my awkward attempt at describing the cover in my brain and making it happen.

Sean Michael

smut fixes everything

Blurb

Way’ra Bernard is only twenty years old when his parents kick him out of the house. He has been brought up to believe being gay is wrong and he is going to go to hell for it. He tried very hard not to be gay but couldn’t change the way he felt. Now he’s living furtively in a closet on the third floor of the place he’s working as a janitor—the Iron Eagle Gym.

Neal McPherson is an unattached Dom in his midtwenties and a member of the gym. One evening after working out, he notices Way’ra on the stairs, and he’s immediately attracted and intrigued, so he asks Way’ra out. Unable to come up with a reason to refuse, and also interested in Neal, Way’ra accepts.

There are a lot of obstacles to the relationship they attempt to build after their date, not least of which is Way’ra’s upbringing and his lingering doubts about the kinky sex Neal enjoys. But with patience and persistence, Neal might convince Way’ra to not only accept himself, but to loosen his inhibitions enough to explore and find a happy ending together.

Excerpt

Chapter One

God, he was tired.

Way’ra finished his shift with the broom and waved to Dalton, the nice night manager sitting at the counter at the front of the Iron Eagle Gym. “Bye, man. I’m going to check the bathrooms, and then I’ll be out of your hair.”

“Have a good night, Way. Don’t party too hard.”

Right. Because he remembered parties. The last four months had been the longest of his young life. He’d been outed, thrown out of his conservative religious college and out of his house without anything more than the clothes on his back and his wallet.

No phone. No laptop. No cash. No shoes. He’d managed to pull two hundred dollars from the ATM before his dad froze the account.

Still, he’d done it, hadn’t he? He had a job cleaning here at the Eagle, and in a month he’d have enough saved to rent a room. All he had to do was wait it out.

Well, wait it out and pray that no one noticed that someone was sleeping in one of the third-floor broom closets. So far he’d been doing it for a few months and no one was the wiser. He’d tried staying in the park, but between the snow and the cold, it had been so nasty. He’d been hoping spring would be difference, but there’d been so much rain. He only had the one pair of jeans; he couldn’t show up to work with them wet.

When he’d discovered the tiny broom closet with a layer of dust on the floor, it had felt like magic, like it was meant to be. He wasn’t hurting anything. No one was staying there, and he was super careful to sneak out before one of the day managers saw him in the morning, grab his one meal of coffee and a doughnut, and hang out for a couple of hours before he showed back up to work.

He was headed up the back stairs, quiet as a mouse, when a gorgeous stud suddenly appeared at his side. The guy was tall, close to a foot bigger than him, and with the best muscles. He was wearing a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, gym bag slung over one shoulder.

“Headed up too?” Even the guy’s voice was studly—deep and growly.

“Uh. Uh-huh. Just checking supplies.” He kept his head down, his gaze forward. This man was twice his size, easily, and he wasn’t interested in a confrontation.

“Oh right, you work here. I thought I recognized you. Do you like it?” The guy was taking the stairs two at a time, but doing it slowly enough that they stayed level.

“Yes, sir. It’s a good job.” No one asked questions. No one bothered him. No one noticed him. He didn’t exist, and that was just like he wanted it.

Sean Michael Bio:

Best-selling author Sean Michael is a maple leaf–loving Canadian who spends hours hiding out in used book stores. With far more ideas than time, Sean keeps several documents open at all times. From romance to fantasy, paranormal and sci-fi, Sean is limited only by the need for sleep—and the periodic Beaver Tail.

Sean fantasizes about one day retiring on a secluded island populated entirely by horseshoe crabs after inventing a brain-to-computer dictation system. Until then, Sean will continue to write the old-fashioned way.

Sean Michael on the web:

WEBSITE: http://www.seanmichaelwrites.com

BLOG: http://seanmichaelwrites.blogspot.ca

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelWrites/

TWITTER: seanmichael09

Sean Michael is giving away a eBook copy of The Closet Boy to one lucky reader. Leave a comment below along with your email address where you can be reached if chosen. Contest runs until midnight, November 2. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

A Stella Review: Different Names for the Same Thing by Francis Gideon

RATING 4 out of 5 stars

different-names-for-the-same-thing The last time Joël Paquet was in New York City, he nearly died. Too distracted by his problems, he didn’t look when he crossed the street and was nearly made into a pancake by a transport truck in the downtown core. The only saving grace of this trip, other than the cute person working as a living statue who saved him and then took him out for coffee, was the fact that his near-death experience finally gave him the courage to come out as trans.

Five years later, Joël Paquet is one of the most in-demand horror writers in North America. Going to New York City from his current Montreal home for the Black Markets Horror Con should be exciting, but when he gets an email that uses his birth name, he nearly cancels the trip altogether. The only thing that keeps Joël going is the thought of that living statue who saved his life once before.

Different Names for the Same Thing was my first book by Francis Gideon and it deeply conquered me. I found it to be well done and the writing so good. In just fifty pages the author kept my full attention on the MCs’ thoughts and desires. I followed Joël and the struggles with his fears and anxieties, I was able to emphasize with him on some level and that was a great success for my reading. Plus this is a second chance at love story. Double winner!

The first time Joël and Theo met, they spent a couple of hours in a bar talking about books and writing. Both of them were at an important point in their lives, still both of them were not who they wanted to be on the outside. Five years later neither of them has forgotten that chat. Surely Joël can’t forget the living statue who saved his life. The same that captured his interest even if it was called Tracy and he was still Violet. The second time they meet is the right one and the freedom and happiness they are experiencing is evident and it warmed my soul. I enjoyed their moments together, especially the ones spent with a hordes of cats. And the ending was unexpected but so beautiful and deserved.

I feel to recommend Different Names for the Same Thing to everyone who is looking for a light but poignant second chance at love story, a quick reading that will leave you with a smile on your face.

I like the cover art by Natasha Snow, well done.

Sales Links

NineStar Press

BOOK DETAILS

ebook, 54 pages

Expected publication: October 31st 2016 by NineStar Press

ISBN: 978-1-911153-93-1

Edition Language English

An Alisa Review: His Scar by Erin E. Keller

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

his-scar A car wreck leaves Ryan with a facial scar he believes people find unsightly. But not Sean, a smiling tattoo artist who doesn’t judge a book by its cover.

Sean manages to find the beauty in everyone, including gruff and defensive Ryan. He refuses to be put off by the hard mask behind which Ryan hides. But convincing Ryan to open his heart is proving to be quite a challenge.

When someone from Ryan’s past offers him what he wants most in the world, Ryan has a decision to make. Which voice will he listen to — his heart or his head?

This was a sweet story and really shows how the power of love can make things not seem as bad. Ryan has judged himself based on his scar due to the reactions he receives from a few people close to him and lets it affect how he lives his life, even his best friend can’t convince him otherwise. Sean is determined from the beginning to get to know Ryan better despite his prickly demeanor.

The blurb makes it sound like Ryan wasn’t so prickly before the accident, but I got the feeling he has always been that way it just significantly worse after the accident. Even though he tried to push people away he was still adorable with how oblivious he was to how others saw him and his emotions. He does a lot of growing up in the short time frame of this story, I loved that he jumps way out of his comfort zone to surprise Sean when he is home in Ireland for the holidays.

The cover art is great and gives a good look at the turmoil Ryan must be going through.

Sales Links: JMS Books | Amazon | ARe

Book Details:

ebook, 101 pages

Published: September 24, 2016 by JMS Books

ISBN: 9781634861700

Edition Language: English

Shell Taylor Talks Food, Cheesy Fries and Reclaiming Hope by Shell Taylor (guest post, excerpt, and giveaway)

bt_banner

AboutTheBook

TITLE: Reclaiming Hope

SERIES: Home for Hope #3

AUTHOR: Shell Taylor

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

COVER ARTIST: L.C. Chase

LENGTH: 210 Pages

RELEASE DATE: October 14, 2016

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Shell Taylor here today to talk about food and their latest release, Reclaiming Hope. Welcome, Shell!

Hi, everyone! Thanks so to Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words for hosting me! Today, I wanted to talk about one of my most favorite things in the world… FOOD! If you’ve read any of my books, you’ve probably figured that out. I love the idea of family dinners – I had them growing up every night and my family has them now every night. To me, it’s the perfect way to bring people together to share about their days because no matter how busy we all get, everyone has to eat!

First I wanted to talk about The Homeplace, which is a real thing. It’s not in Raleigh but located near Roanoke, VA, where I lived for several years right after I got married. And lemme tell ya… this place is amazing. I love home cooked food, and even though I love cooking, I love a family style meal even more when I don’t have to cook it or clean up after. The family-style restaurant is just as described in the book, although I did leave out the AH-MAZING fruit cobblers they have for dessert because Kollin and Riley wrapped up their dinner so quickly. So if you’re ever in that area, please be sure to check that place out and eat yourself into a food coma (it’s a farm house so you can walk off your meal around the farm before or after you eat!)

Saturday Brunch is a thing I want to have in my house but A) I’m too lazy to do all that work and B) my kids are so involved in soccer and basketball that we couldn’t do it during sport seasons even if I wanted to. I love the idea though and I love breakfast food, so I couldn’t resist including it. And honestly, doesn’t it sound like something Adam and Elijah would enforce??

Grilled cheese fries and chicken and dumplings… uh, yeah. Chicken & Dumplings are a favorite of everyone in my family. Honestly, when it’s a bit chilly outside and you want some comfort food, it’s hard to beat these. I wish I could share a wonderful recipe with you, but as far as I can figure out, these are a fly by the seat of your pants kind of meal. I will, however, share the recipe for grilled cheese fries with you. I have to confess that I found these on Pinterest. We’ve only made them a couple of times because… well, they’re a bit of a PITA. Deep frying anything is messy and we don’t have a deep fryer so it takes forever blah de blah blah. BUT, they taste amazing and for a once in a while indulgence are worth it. I imagine they’d also be tasty if you added some cooked bacon in there somewhere (because bacon makes errrrything better!)

Grilled Cheese Fries

Ingredients

2 tubes of crescent roll dough
Velveeta cheese, thinly sliced
oil for frying
flour for dusting to prevent sticking

Instructions

Lightly flour your countertop. Unroll one of the tubes of crescent roll dough into a rectangle, and press the seams together with your fingers. Lay the Velveeta cheese slices on top of the crescent roll dough rectangle. Unroll the other crescent roll dough, press the seams together as you did the first one, and then lay on top of the cheese topped one. Press the end seams together with your fingers. Roll out flat with a rolling pin.
Fold your cheese filled crescent dough in half. Roll out flat. Fold in half again, roll again. Then repeat one more time. At this point, your cheese & dough will start becoming one with each other.

Slice the cheese filled dough into strips. Cut the strips in half if they are too long. Fry in hot oil for about 20 seconds, being careful to not over cook. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Serve hot.

You can also google it and find the step by step instructions with pictures. I’m pretty sure I just used slice cheese because again, I’m lazy.

If anyone makes this or ever does find The Homeplace, please let me know! I love hearing from you guys, especially about food!

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Don’t forget to enter to win the giveaway for a chance to win an Amazon gift card or a book from my backlist. Or… if you’d rather, I also have an audio copy of Redeeming Hope (Home for Hope book 1) to give away!

Sales Links

BLURB: Sequel to Resurrecting Hope

Home for Hope: Book Three

Four years ago, Kollin Haverty’s best friend, Riley Meadows, dropped off the face of the earth. When he shows up out of the blue, armed with a flimsy excuse for disappearing and having nearly completed his transition from female to male, Kollin wants to pick up where they left off. But Riley’s unwillingness to be honest with Kollin prevents him from fully trusting Riley again. Despite Riley’s insecurities and Kollin’s abandonment issues, they quickly discover there’s something more than friendship between them.

When a ghost from Riley’s past unexpectedly appears with haunting memories in tow, Kollin’s anger about being lied to outweighs his desire to be the understanding boyfriend Riley needs. As Riley’s web of strategically withheld secrets begins to unravel, he must find the courage to pursue his own peace before he can move forward with Kollin, and Kollin must decide what’s more important—supporting his best friend or protecting himself.
Excerpt

Adam rolled his eyes to mimic her and then turned his attention toward Kollin. “Look who the cat dragged in.”

For some reason, Kollin’s heart fluttered. Waves of nervousness raced through his body as he tried to figure out why Adam thought he should know the stranger. He’d never told either of his parents about meeting the guy at the bookstore, and even if he had, Adam couldn’t have known he was the same person.

The man studied the ground, seemingly reluctant to look at Kollin, but Kollin knew he couldn’t identify him even if they were staring directly at one another.

Fortunately Adam saved him from further embarrassment. “I didn’t recognize Riley until he threatened to own me in Ping-Pong.”

Kollin sucked in a huge gulp of air. The nervous flutters, which had been nothing more than a curious enigma, ceased, and he suddenly felt as if a boulder had settled in the pit of his stomach.

He hadn’t spoken to Riley Meadows in over four years. When Kollin’s parents kicked him out, Riley had been the one who kept Kollin sane. He tethered him to reality when all he’d wanted was to escape inside himself. They’d kept in touch when Riley first went to college and somehow became even closer—until Riley seemingly dropped off the face of the earth. Phone calls, e-mails, texts… all unanswered. Kollin eventually took the hint and gave up.

Now Riley was back?

BuyLinks

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon US

Amazon UK

All Romance eBooks

Kobo Store

Barnes & Noble

AuthorBio

Shell Taylor is a full-time mother of three exuberant and loving kiddos and one fur baby, a tiny but fierce Yorkie-poo named Rocco. As a Christian who practices love, grace, and humility, she tries her best to instill these same virtues in her rowdy kids. She is a huge fan of Marvel comics and will never stop loving Harry Potter (Hufflepuff pride, baby!) When Shell isn’t writing, she can be found binge watching Netflix or volunteering at her church and childrens’ school. Shell considers herself blessed to have married a strong, supportive man who works hard to allow her to continue to follow her dreams.

:: Facebook :: Twitter :: Blog ::

You can also email Shell at – shell4jmu@gmail.com

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1^st Winner’s Prize: $20 Amazon GC

2^nd Winner’s Prize: E-copy of Redeeming Hope/Resurrecting Hope

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TourSchedule

October 14: Diverse Reader

October 17: Hearts on Fire

October 18: Rick R. Reed

October 19: Drops of Ink

October 20: Bending The Bookshelf

October 21: Author Dean Frech

October 24: Love Bytes Reviews

October 25: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

October 26: Because Two Men Are Better Than One

October 27: MM Good Book Reviews

October 28: Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents

October 31: Bonkers about Books

November 1: My Fiction Nook

November 2: Wicked Faeries Tales & Reviews

November 3: Making It Happen Blog

November 4: BFD Book Blog

November 7: Bayou Book Junkie

November 8: Molly Lolly: Reader, Reviewer, Lover of Words

November 9: Prism Book Alliance bt_banner

A Stella Release Day Review: Must Like Spinach by Con Riley

RATING 5 out of 5 stars

Jon’s future in New York should be bright. He’s on the corporate fast track as an executive problem solver, yet he can’t help feeling hollow. Yearning for a life spent outdoors makes no sense if he wants to flourish in this city, nor does losing his cool with clients when they make bad decisions. Only leaving the East Coast behind for three months can save his business reputation.

His exile in Seattle has unexpected upsides. Jon’s rented home has a garden where his true passions blossom. It’s overgrown yet idyllic—perfect if he didn’t have to share it with another tenant. Tyler might be as cute as hell, and their landlady adores him, but Jon can’t let himself fall for someone who seems lazy.

Three months could be enough time to see Tyler clearly, but choosing which to nurture long-term—love or a business career—might take Jon longer than one summer.

Con Riley is one of my favorite authors. She never disappoints me and always comes up with amazing stories, I’m thinking of the Salvage Stories and Seattle Stories series, stories and characters unforgettable. Must Like Spinach soon intrigued me as soon I saw it, starting from the title. I began reading it with high hopes but I was a little disconcerted when I saw Con used the present tense. I was almost despairing, I don’t like this verbal form at all and I quite often ended with hating the whole book since I found it hard to follow the plot. So I was reading the first page on my kindle, trying to cheer me up and focus on the words and on my love for the author’s previous works. And forget about the hateful present, until I realized the writing was perfect despite it. Easy to read and really well done. Kudos to the author.

Must Like Spinach is the story of Jon, who is living in New York and working at one of the most prestigious consultant firms in the city. He’s actually not cut out for this kind of job and when the chance at working on another project in Seattle is offered to him, he’s happy to take it. Three months in another city will help him understand what he really wants for his future. What he isn’t expecting is to fall in love with the owner of the smallest and messiest garage apartment he’s never seen. And this owner is not an hot man but a lovely old lady, who in Jon’s opinion, needs to be saved from the (cute but still a leech) guy named Tyler. And Jon can’t ignore and walk away, he has to know Peggy is taken good care of. While falling in love with Peggy and her flourishing garden, in need of the same care, Jon will learn who is Tyler and what he is really doing for the lovely woman. And he will fall in love again, this time with this tireless cute guy who is slowly showing Jon a different world and future.

What caught my heart were the characters and not just the main ones. I have to say all of them were lovable and well depicted, I want all of them in my life because they can make it better like they did with Jon’s. They have a reality well balanced with a lightness and sense of community and family even where there’s no blood relations, so uncommon in the last books I read. It conquered me till the end. One more thing I like was the pacing, the story was a truly joy to read, easy, light and slow paced with no rushing through scenes after scenes while giving each chapter the right consideration.

If you like enemies to lovers, no angst and slow burn stories, I’m sure Must Like Spinach would be a winner. It’s one of my favorite of the 2016.

The cover art by Natasha Snow is good, I like it, the font, the model, the colors were all right.

Sales Link

BOOK DETAILS

Kindle Edition, 245 pages
Published October 19th 2016 by Figment Ink
ASIN B01MCW7C0D
Edition Language English

A Free Dreamer Release Day Review: Changing Worlds (Worlds #1-2) by Cari Z

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

changing-worlds-by-cari-z Their love will either inspire change in the world or tear it apart.

Former starship captain Jason Kim and his lover, Ferran, are starting a life together on Ferran’s native planet. The Perel matriarchs reluctantly allowed their marriage in the hopes of securing better diplomatic relations with humanity, even though the decision ignites anger from traditionalists. Ferran’s family accepts Jason and the love the two men have found, but other influential families are less accommodating and much less willing to welcome an outsider to their isolated, subterranean world. Some of their enemies are willing to go as far as eliminating Jason permanently. Tensions are quickly building toward a breaking point that might push Perelan into a bloody civil war.

If Jason and Ferran have any hope of surviving the coming conflict, they’ll have to rely on their devotion to each other more than ever before. But that won’t be easy when a figure from Jason’s past reappears to make them question everything.

First Edition of Opening Worlds published by Storm Moon Press, 2011.

First Edition of Changing Worlds published by Storm Moon Press, 2012.

First of all, the blurb is a bit misleading. The things mentioned in the blurb do happen, but it takes a while to get there. The book starts with Ferran and Jason meeting and falling in love, so they don’t start out as an established couple and Jason is still an active starship captain.

I’m always a bit wary of real aliens in my romance, because I’m so not into tentacles. But while Ferran is definitely an alien and definitely looks different than a human, there are no tentacles. So, yay for me!

Cari Z. got really creative with the Perelans and their world. A matriarchy is rare enough that I always find it interesting. “Changing Worlds” is a perfect example that world building and romance can and do work perfectly well together, without either part of the plot having to suffer. That’s something not a lot of romance authors seem to get and which always bothers me as a fantasy/sci-fi fan who also enjoys romance.

Ferran and Jason are both very likeable. They come from completely different backgrounds and yet compliment each other perfectly. Their romance felt pretty realistic. We got to see the bumps after the very fast falling in love. Although the two of them don’t spend a whole lot of time together before they decide to commit to each other, it never really felt like insta-love.

Reading about Jason’s very real struggles with finding his place in a world that’s so completely different from everything he’s used to was very interesting. We get to learn all sorts of things about Perel together with Jason.

There are lots of hints about Jason’s past in the military and yet we never get a full story of what actually happened. That’s a real shame because it sounds as if he led a very interesting life before meeting Ferran. Since there doesn’t seem to be a sequel (or prequel) planned, there’s no hope for a more thorough explanation. It’s the only reason why I ended up giving this book 4.5 instead of 5 stars.

Long story short: “Changing Worlds” has every chance of appealing to both science fiction fans AND romance fans. Neither part takes away from the other.

I’ll definitely go looking for more science fiction books by this author!

Cover art by Anne Cain: I quite like the cover by Anne Cain. It shows Jason and Ferran, who really fits the descriptions in the book.

Sales Links

Book details:

ebook, 2nd Edition, 236 pages
Expected publication: October 24th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781634779081
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Paul B Review: Germ (Demon Elite #6) by April Kelley

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

germ-by-april-kelley Jeremy Russell is the Demon Elite team’s computer genius. While most of the men are out in the field, he stays behind and acts as the point person for the team. Surveillance, information, and hacking are the tools of his trade. He also tries to keep the guys from getting too serious with his flirting over their communication system. When Reggie Mize was rescued a short while ago, he developed a major crush on him. But being the socially awkward computer geek that his is, Germ decides he might not have a chance with him.

Reggie Mize has been beaten down his whole life. First it was his father that subjected him to emotional abuse. With his father gone, his sister Victoria picked up where their father left off. Luckily for him, the Demon Elite team rescued him before Victoria could sell him into slavery. Now he is living in the team’s estate worried that either his sister or his father’s men will come after him.

During a game of paintball among the team, their boyfriends and Reggie, Germ vows to protect Reggie throughout the game. At the end, while Germ had been “killed,” Reggie had not been. For once Reggie trust that someone is not out to hurt him. They make a date to go out shopping with others in the team. While at the mall, the hit man currently working for his sister finds him because of a tracking device that was implanted inside of his arm. Germ cannot believe that Reggie had not alerted them of this fact and think the shopping trip is a trap to eliminate his team. Reggie does not want the others harmed and is willing to turn himself over if Germ isn’t hurt. While all members of the team escape, they must still deal with the hit man and Victoria Mize once and for all. Germ will have to see that Reggie is not like other men and work his way back to trusting the abused man and how to deal with him.

This sixth book in the Demon Elite series keeps the action and passion going. As each man of the team begins to find their respective partner, the net is slowly coming around their enemy and former boss Victoria Mize. The awkwardness of Germ and Reggie comes from different places and understandable. Germ is more comfortable in front of a computer while Reggie has been psychologically abused most of his life. This is a romance you cannot help but root for. The story of how Germ got his nickname was cute and not at all what I thought it would be.

The cover art by Latricia Waters is absolutely perfect for the novel. Germ is pictured as the sexy geek that I would have pictured him.

Sales Links

eXtasy Books LLC

Book Details

EBook, 114 pages

Edition Language: English

Published: September 9, 2016 by eXtasy Books

ISBN: 978-1-4874-0877-0

Series: Demon Elite

Crash (Demon Elite #1)

Wolf (Demon Elite #2)

Cosmo (Demon Elite #3)

Tanner & Shade (Demon Elite #4)

Alisa Audiobook Review: Corey: The Atherton Pack 3 by Toni Griffin and Narrator Nick Flint

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

corey-audio6x6_2_orig Corey Jones has always maintained he didn’t want a mate. After falling for his college professor and having his heart broken, he vowed to never go there again. Now, his decision to remain single is put to the test when he meets his Alpha’s new personal assistant, Ethan Davies, and discovers the man is his mate.

After growing up in the foster care system all Ethan ever wanted was a home and someone to love him. He’s overjoyed that his recent move has brought him to his mate. Ethan’s happiness soon turns to devastation when Corey walks away from him and their bond.

Ethan is forced to walk a fine line between respecting his mate’s wishes and refusing to give up on the one thing he’s wanted his entire life. With Ethan’s determination, an interfering brother, and pack members too interested in his personal life, Corey may not stand a chance.

This is a wonderful addition to the Atherton Pack series. Corey has a nice life working for his best friend and alpha, while he keeps himself away from relationships he lives a mostly happy life. Ethan grew up in foster care and hasn’t had the connection of a pack and family (blood or otherwise) and jumps at the chance to get that when he comes to work for Ben.

Corey was devastated when his heart was broken in college and he walks away from Ethan at first, despite what his wolf wants. Ethan is determined to win Corey over and is willing to take as long as needed for it to happen. Throughout this story I could feel for both of these characters. The story is told from both of their views so it is easier to know what the characters are thinking. As with the other books in the series I love that these two work towards a future instead of jumping into bed together.

Nick Flint did a wonderful job narrating this story. I was able to understand the characters through the voices and emotions he portrayed. Even though this is a book I have read it felt new to me listening to him tell it.

Cover art looks great and follows the pattern for the series.

Sales Links: Mischief Corner Books | Audible | Amazon | iTunes

Audiobook Details:

Audiobook, 3 hrs 23 min
Published: September 20, 2016 (ebook, 2nd edition, published February 11, 2015) by MCB
Edition Language: English

Series: The Atherton Pack #3

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The Closet Boy Author Sean Michael Artist L.C. Chase

Dreamspinner Press Sales Links eBook and Paperback

The Closet Boy Cover by Sean Michael

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The Closet Boy
Author Sean Michael
Artist L.C. Chase

Dreamspinner Press
Sales Links eBook and Paperback