Day: October 21, 2018

A Caryn Review: Single White Incubus (Supernatural Selection) by E.J. Russell

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

I am soooo happy to read and review another book from EJ Russell set in the universe of the “supes” – the supernatural, from all realms.  And as a bonus, this book had cameos from David and Alun of Cutie and the Beast, as well as Mal from The Druid Next Door.  The dedication is to the readers “who fell in love with the Kendrick brothers and wanted more stories in their world”, and all I can say to that is YES! And MORE!

This is the story of Ted Farnsworth – your average lumberjack kinda guy, who also happens to be a bear shifter.  But unlike most bears, he’s generous and actually enjoys being social and interacting with humans, and that desire has gotten him into trouble with the shifter councils and the secrecy pact.  He also seems to have a bit of ADHD, with impulse control and difficulty thinking through to the natural consequences of his actions.  He’s staged a few “sightings” while mid-shift, because the photographer is his friend and down on his luck, and Bigfoot photos pay well.  When the council started threatening him with more severe consequences if he didn’t settle down and act more like a bear, he decided the best way to behave was to get married to a solid, steady kind of guy.  So he contacted the matchmaking service Supernatural Selection which guaranteed marriage to a perfect partner.  Rusty, a beaver shifter with his own construction company, was ideal.

This is also the story of Quentin Bertrand-Harrington, an incubus with a conscience who didn’t want to ever take a lover again after feeding off a boyfriend to the point of near death.  His family was pushing him to marry a human, and he figured the best way to make sure that never happened was to choose a husband from the undead – zombies are gross, but Supernatural Selection found his perfect match with a vampire.  He’d been taking suppressants to tamp down his urges to feed on humans for decades, and they left him weak, and unfortunately, a little bit mentally fuzzy – too impaired to truly pay attention…

With the contracts sealed in blood, all Ted and Quentin had to do was meet their fiancees – but that is when the comedy of errors began.  Turns out they both didn’t pay enough attention to the final drafts of the contracts, and neither noticed that the names were changed in the final contract, and it matched the two of them.  They were married!  And when you sign a contract in blood with the witches council, getting out of it isn’t easy.

There was a delicious slow burn to their romance.  Not quite enemies to lovers, but they both had to overcome a lot of preconceived notions before they were able to really and truly see each other.  And it turned out that a clumsy but good hearted bear was actually a perfect foil to a jaded and withdrawn sex demon.  How they got to that point was the majority of the book, and it was funny, well written, and made me fall in love with both of them.  Both men learned to see their strengths and weaknesses in a different way, and learn that they were indeed valuable and worthy of love.  Their unlikely pairing really brought out the best in each other.

I took off half a star because the final part of the book was a bit rushed, confused, left a lot of strings hanging, and I felt was a little too easily resolved.  The mystery to be solved in the rest of the books in the series was introduced (just who was that sneaky AI and why was he smirking?), but it seemed a bit sudden, and I thought everyone should have been questioning how Ted and Quentin’s first contracts had different names on them in the first place….

Cover art by L.C. Chase is great – clearly defines the book as a comedy, and the bear paw was a great representation of Ted.

Sales Links  Riptide Publishing  |  Amazon

Book Details:

ebook
Published October 20th 2018 by Riptide Publishing
Original TitleSingle White Incubus
ISBN139781626498501
Edition Language English
Series Supernatural Selection

In the Audio Spotlight: Austin (Man Up series) by Felice Stevens and Kale Williams (Narrator) ~ excerpt

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AUSTIN

MAN UP SERIES

FELICE STEVENS

M/M ROMANCE

AUDIO RELEASE DATE: 08.29.18

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COVER DESIGN: REESE DANTE

NARRATOR: KALE WILLIAMS

BLURB

I can make it by myself. The only rules I follow are my own. Love? I learned that lesson the hard and painful way—it wasn’t right for me. Sure, sometimes it gets lonely, and I wish I had a man to hold. Who’d love me. Want me. Treat me with respect. Yeah, I dance in a club, but that doesn’t mean I’m easy. Or a fool. So you, sitting in the back, watching me? I know what you want. You want me. In your bed. Under you. But I say no. It doesn’t matter how many presents you give me.

I’m not falling for you. I know who you are. But you don’t know me. You don’t know Austin.

Austin Teaser 3

Austin Teaser 2

Austin Teaser 1

EXCERPT

“Stop mooning over him, Austin. He’s taken.”

I gave my boss Tyler one last look from beneath the dark curls hanging in my eyes and let out a sigh as melancholy as I felt. “Don’t I know it. Look at them. The perfect couple. And Marcus never takes his eyes off Ty. I wouldn’t either if he were my man.”

Frankie Marone, the other dance instructor and my best friend, poked me in the side. “And you know Marcus hates it when you drool over Ty. You told me that yourself. So let’s finish up here and get over to the club.”Frankie’s brown eyes sparkled. “It’s margarita night, and you know that means big tips for us. Especially you, when your Mr. Tall, Dark, and Doesn’t Ever Speak shows up.”

We gathered our bags and went to change in the locker room Tyler had built in the back of the dance studio. I ran a critical eye over myself in the mirror, poofed out my curls a bit, then slicked on a little lip gloss. “Do you think I need eyeliner?”

“Girl, you know that man likes you done up. Here, take mine.”Frankie handed me his eyeliner, and I used it around the corners of my eyes, giving them a cat’s-eye tilt at the edge. “Didn’t he send you some sexy things to wear after the last time you danced for him?”

Heat crept up my face at the memory of the silky jockstrap and scented oils the mysterious stranger had sent me backstage at Man Up, the club where Frankie and I usually danced most nights. It wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life, but the money was great, and I did what I could to get by.

I gave Frankie back the eyeliner. “Here. And yeah, I dunno. He probably won’t show.”

“But you’re wearing it just in case he does, right?”

I bit my lip and nodded, then pulled down my leggings to reveal a peek of red silky material lined with crystals.

“Jesus, that’s hot. And expensive, I bet.”

“I know.”After the package had arrived, I looked up the jock online and found it at a boutique in Chelsea specializing in high-end menswear. “It’s a hundred bucks.

“Holy shit.”Frankie’s jaw dropped. “He wants you.”

It had turned chilly outside, and I tugged on my fur-topped boots. “I don’t mind a little snuggle here and there, and I’m not against saying a special thank-you with a kiss, but there’s a limit. You know what I mean.

Frankie zipped up his jacket and pulled his furry hood over his head. “If he wants to be your sugar daddy, you tell him yes. Get yourself set up good with a nice place and a bank account. I would. You don’t need to keep shaking your ass for those guys always grabbing your junk.”

“I’m not a whore, Frankie. I’m not selling myself. Right now, I love dancing and teaching the kids, but I have plans. And maybe someday, in the future, a real boyfriend.”

“And you’re a great dancer. The kids love you.”Frankie shrugged as we walked back into the studio in time to see Marcus kissing Tyler with a passion I’d never experienced. It made my heart and my dick throb. “And as for boyfriends, they’re nothing but trouble.”

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Felice Stevens has always been a romantic at heart. While life is tough, she believes there is a happy ending for everyone. She started reading traditional historical romances as a teenager, then life and law school got in the way. It wasn’t until she picked up a copy of Bertrice Small and became swept away to Queen Elizabeth’s court that her interest in romance novels was renewed.

But somewhere along the way, her reading shifted to stories of men falling in love. Once she picked up her first gay romance, she became so enamored of the character-driven stories and the overwhelming emotion there was no turning back.

Felice lives in New York City with her husband and two children. Her day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass or two of red wine. Although she practices law, she daydreams of a time when she can sit by a beach and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there is bound to be some angst along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.

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