Category: Book Reviews

New Releases Tour for Shadow Voice (Blackwood Pack #5) by Mary Rundle (excerpt and giveaway)

Shadow Voice

Mary Rundle has a new MM paranormal mpreg book out: Shadow Voice.

The Blackwood Pack saga continues…

This is part of an on-going series and reading the previous titles is advised. Readers of the past books will enjoy meeting old friends once more as the pack does what it does best ̶ caring for each other.

Slate, one of the last Dire Wolves, has carved out a life which suits him fine—plenty of traveling to exotic locations and an abundance of one night stands to handle his needs. While he’s happy for his brother, who has found his Fated Mate, Slate isn’t interested in finding his—at least not for a long time. That is, until his body betrays him. Seeking his mother’s help—who is an Oracle—Slate pays a visit to the Blackwood Pack where he finds the Fates have once again, messed with his life.

Dakota, the chef for the Blackwood Pack, fell in love with cooking as a young child and ultimately the kitchen became a place of refuge for him. Suffering with a ‘curse’ through much of his childhood, he relied heavily on his mother’s help to deal with it. After the massacre of his mother and siblings by their greedy uncle, Dakota barely survives, but finally forges a life for himself, content to stay home and take care of the people he loves.

About the Series:

Blackwood Pack

Join the journey of the Blackwood Pack, seven brothers who are gay wolf shifters in search of their fated mates – stories about love at first sight with twists and turns, angst and humor, romance and adventure. Each book has two main characters who meet, fall in love, mate and achieve an HEA but the stories also chronicle the continuing saga of the Blackwood Pack. The series is best appreciated by reading the books in order.

A long-hidden secret, rejection of a mate, acceptance of rare gifts, and a brutal kidnapping are just some of the obstacles Dakota and Slate must battle together to save their relationship. As the pack rallies around them, both must learn to trust the other before they can find the happiness that the Fates have ordained for them…

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon UK | QueeRomance Ink | Goodreads

Giveaway

Mary is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card with this tour. Enter via Rafflecopter:

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Excerpt

Meme - Shadow Voice

Slate ran down the hall, scenting his mate’s cum, determined to find him. Fuck! I don’t even know his name.Down the stairs he went, into the great room, then to the front door. Nearly tearing it off its hinges, Slate stepped out on the porch and saw the torn clothes scattered about. Just as he was about to shift and follow his mate, his father took hold of his arm and using his Alpha voice, forced Slate to stop.

“Dad, let go…my mate ran off and I have to find him!”

“Son, your mother wants to speak to you first.”

Slate fought his wolf, finally gaining control and, as the tension left his body, he slumped against the house. He stared into the woods, hoping to see his mate and when that didn’t happen, he shifted his gaze to his father. “Why did he run off? I thought a mate would rather die than abandon the one the Fates had chosen. I don’t understand it. Why didn’t he like me?”

“Slate, your mate is safe. Talk to your mother. She can help you.” Maximus gently pushed his son into the house to see his mother.

Exhausted, Slate walked to his parents’ suite. He was numb, unable to comprehend what happened and how it went wrong. Never expecting to find his mate so soon after the onset of his first toirchigh, he was confused at his need—the overpowering drive to claim his mate. All Slate knew as he entered the sitting room was that somehow he had fucked up badly. Even his wolf knew it as he keened for his mate.

The man who walked in was in pain, that much Oracle could see. But it was going to get worse before it got better. How much worse depended on her son and what he decided to do. Taking his hand, Oracle led Slate over to a chair, pushed him down in it, then sat beside him. Holding his hand, she began. “Sweetie, tell me what happened.”

Sitting next to Oracle, Slate, remembered all the times during his childhood when his mother was there for him, comforting him when he fell, and chasing the demons in his nightmares away. Drawing in her sweet scent, he confided that he’d found his mate but had been rejected. Rubbing his heart, Slate hated even saying those words, because it made the pain there more intense, so much so, he was sure it was breaking in half. Finally, when he admitted he didn’t even know his mate’s name, the tears began to flow.

Oracle put her arms around her son, gently rubbing his back as he cried. She could feel the sadness enveloping Slate, but she had no quick fixes to make it better for him. Only he could do that and she wondered, for the thousandth time, why her youngest son always had to travel such a hard road in his life. Together they sat, one trying to find the strength to continue, the other giving love and support.

When the tears had finally stopped, Slate took stock of himself, trying to find the hidden well of strength he always seemed to have. Wiping the remnants of his tears away, he looked at his mother. “Mom, I fucked up big time but I don’t know what I did wrong or how to make it right.”

“Let’s see if we can sort it out, okay, sweetie?”

“I’d appreciate it.”

“What are your intentions? Do you want him?”

Slate thought it over and much to his surprise—considering his feelings just a few hours ago—said, “Yes, I do, but I don’t even know who he is.”

“His name is Dakota and he is Jackson’s brother.”

Dakota…Dakota…oh I know him.“He’s the chef, right? Colton told me about his cooking when we were in Mexico.”

“Yes, he is and he loves it. Right now, he is teaching Theo.”

“Maybe I can share some of my recipes with him. Colton said Dakota is always looking for new recipes.”

“That might be a good way for you to get to know him.”

“Good idea, Mom,” Slate exclaimed, but then his face fell. “But first I have to find him and see if he wants me. He ran away from me. What did I do wrong?”

“May I give you some advice?”

“Sure. As you can see, I need all the help I can get.”

“Before you claim Dakota, take some time to know him and let him learn about you, Slate. His story is the key to who he is and will help you understand why he ran.”

“Okay,” Slate said, “I promise I’ll talk to my mate before throwing him down and biting him.”

“That would be a good thing to do sweetie,” Oracle said, smiling gently. “One other thing. I must talk to Dakota before you claim him to explain the gift the Fates have for him.”

“I understand, but first I have to find my mate, Mom, and I’ll bring him back here so you can tell him what you need to.” Slate stood, extending his hand to his mother and helped her up. “I don’t think we’ll make it back for lunch, so will you make my excuses to Jackson?”

“You can do that after you tell him Dakota is your Fated Mate.”

Author Bio

The first book I ever wrote was Dire Warning in 2017 and, much to my delight, it became an Amazon Best Seller. Readers loved it and I was on my way to chronicling the Blackwood Pack, seven brothers who are gay wolf shifters in search of their fated mates– stories about love at first sight with twists and turns, angst and humor, romance and adventure and, of course, happy endings.

Now, five books later, Shadow Voice, another Best Seller, has just been released to critical acclaim. I love the M/M paranormal genre because it gives my imagination a lot of territory in which to roam. My mind can really run wild and come up with some amazing stuff when it doesn’t have to stay inside the box.

My readers tell me they feel like they’re a member of the pack as the stories unfold. As if they’re right there in the middle of the action. Others tell me it’s like watching a fast-paced movie. My writing style pulls no punches– readers love it and are always clamoring for the next book.

Stories come to me as if they were being channeled by my characters, all of whom I love (except for a few villains). They are eager to recount their lives, loves and adventures and are not inhibited when it comes to revealing steamy details.

I currently live in the Northeast and love the beautiful change of seasons, my husband, and our quirky calico cat, though not necessarily in that order. I’m always happy to hear from my readers throughmy website or on Facebook!

Author Website: www.maryrundle.com

Author Facebook (Personal): www.facebook.com/maryrundle69

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

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Book Blast – Omega Challenge (Pine Creek Lake Den #4) by Quinn Michaels (excerpt)

BOOK BLAST

Book Title: Omega Challenge

Series: Pine Creek Lake Den,  Book 4

Author: Quinn Michaels

Publisher: Global Grafx Press

Cover Artist: Pebbles Davis

Genre/s: Genre/s: gay romance, MMM, menage, omegaverse, mpreg, paranormal, wereshifters

 Length: 35,920 words

Release Date: September 26, 2018          

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Buy Links

Amazon US 

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Link to chapters and all platforms

Blurb

One is forsworn. One is forsaken. One will pay.

Noah and Luther are in love. The problem, Luther is a beta, Noah is an omega, and their mating is forbidden. Worse, if Noah can’t find an acceptable alpha in the next three days, he will have no choice but to mate with Raymond, an alpha he despises.

Then Arthur arrives, and everything falls apart.

Arthur is an alpha with a secret. He and his mother were betrayed, and both wear the mark of it. Now, Arthur will stop at nothing to make the alpha who cursed them pay. Now, with revenge in his teeth, Arthur’s own body betrays him. Twice. Will Arthur sacrifice love and happiness for vengeance? Or will he choose another path?

Find out in Omega Challenge an action-packed Omegaverse romance. This is a short book set prior to the events of the other three books of the Pine Creek Lake series.

If you love shifters, mmm menage, alpha, omega, and beta dynamics, adventure, magic, and a touch of mpreg, grab Omega Challenge now!

Excerpt

The rock was red and rust-brown with fallen blood when the stranger approached.

He was large, blonde with a scruffy beard and a patch over his left eye. His right eye was gray. He wore a wide-brimmed cowboy hat, riding shirt and dungarees. Even from a distance, even through the smell of blood, this alpha’s scent was powerful. Noah felt something inside of him stir, like a vibrating banjo string only he could hear. To his embarrassment, his cock thickened.

Noah quickly averted his gaze. He took a gulp from a glass of lemonade he had been holding, and then, still feeling thirsty, he drank the last of it down.

Luther grazed his fingers over Noah’s neck, a seemingly absent touch, but one that grounded Noah. He didn’t dare look at the beta. His face was hot. He loved Luther, and this sudden attraction was a betrayal of the promises he’d made himself.

If only the alpha would leave. But no, he took his place in line behind another pair of alphas preparing to shed their blood and enter the Cluiche.

The stranger had a scar running from his hairline down his temple and beneath the eyepatch to the center of his cheek. Noah’s sight flashed. He saw a young, female omega wolf snapping her teeth. The edges of her muzzle were splattered with blood.

Noah blinked. In his moon vision, the alpha’s scar was a shimmering silver line.

Noah swallowed, wishing he had more lemonade.

The alpha approached the rock. “This is where I bleed for the challenge?”

Horace was quiet, and Noah scented fear on him.

Fear?

“Yes,” Noah said. The vision was beginning to fade, thankfully, but he couldn’t push away his attraction.

In one fluid motion, the stranger swiped a silver dagger over his palm. Squeezing his hand tight, he let three drops fall on to the stone. “I am Arthur, son of Marion,” he said, giving his family line and no pack affiliation.

A mutt.

Odd considering his youth and obvious physical strength. A small pack would have wanted an alpha and accepted him unless he had some deeper problem of disposition or character. Or maybe he was entering the Cluiche with the intention of proving himself so that he might join one of the packs here?  

The stranger, Arthur turned to leave.

Horace said, “Wait.”

The stranger turned back around. He cocked his head. “Yes?”

“Show us your eye. Under the patch.”

Horace didn’t have the sight. He hadn’t seen the scar shimmer, had he?

“The Cluiche is open to all,” Arthur said. “Pack or no.”

Noah leaned towards Horace and whispered, “He’s right. There’s no reason to embarrass him this way.”

Horace said, “Show us your eye, mutt.”

Arthur reached up and, taking the patch in a tight, almost white-knuckled grip, yanked it down. Where Noah had expected to see a hollow space, scarred and sewn over, the eye was amber. A wolf’s eye with the pupil rimmed in red and a line of white through the center, following the path of his scar.

Noah’s breath caught. Around him, the others went silent.

About the Author

Pennsylvania native, Quinn Michaels loves fantasy, werewolves and M/M mpreg romance! Her goal is to write action-packed adventures of romance, self-discovery, and second chances, all served up with a hefty helping of sweet, sexy Omegas and hot, determined Alphas who will do anything to cherish, love, and protect them. She is ecstatic to share her characters and worlds, and she hopes you enjoy them (and the sexy times!)

Her books are available on Kindle, via Gumroad directly, and also on Nook, iBooks, Kobo & Google Play.

Author Links

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Blog

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New Release Blitz for One Step Back by Edie Danford (excerpt and giveaway)

Title: One Step Back

Author: Edie Danford

Publisher: Edie Danford

Release Date: October 23, 2018

Heat Level: 4 – Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 85,000 words

Genre: Romance, Enemies-to-lovers, coworkers, workplace, stepbrothers

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Synopsis

When you fall for a guy who’s about to become your stepbrother—do you listen to your heart and risk everything? Or listen to your head…and take one step back?

In high school I had a hundred reasons to steer clear of my soon-to-be-stepbrother, Joe Beneventi. He was a hothead, and I was reserved. His life was football,
mine was academics. He wanted to be out and proud, and I desperately needed to keep my orientation secret.

But when we fell in love, my heart took the wheel, and I took every risk to be with Joe. Then one horrible night our secrets shattered. Joe disappeared—wrecking our
families and breaking my heart.

Eleven years later, I landed a challenging job at a premier PR firm. And the hotshot publicist who’s been assigned to my first big account? Yep. It’s Joe.

Fate truly hates me because now Joe and I have three days to hole up in a Chicago hotel room and nail down a deal that could make or break our careers. He
keeps distracting me, but I’m too jaded to fall for sexy smiles, bedroom eyes, and his impossible-to-ignore body. Except…

I like being close to him again. A little too much. Working together 24/7 is showing me sides of Joe I’ve never seen before.

And when we touch, being together seems like the only step worth taking.

Excerpt

I take a deep breath. Gotta prepare myself for being up-close and personal with the force of nature that is Joseph Vincent Beneventi.

“Hey, Joe,” I say, my voice cracking. Not how I’d wanted to sound.

His sexy mouth curves, and I get hit with the full impact of his attention-sucking energy. It zaps across the entryway. Through the guesthouse and the five-acre yard. All of Chicagoland. The state of Illinois, the entire Midwest…

Yeah, you get the picture. Joe has <em>it</em>. Chemical hoodoo-voodoo oozes from his pores and makes you forget whatever it is you’re doing, whatever happened to be on your mind. And all you can do is stand there and stare at him. And listen to the ridiculous shit that comes out of his gorgeous mouth.

I’ve had to cope with this Joe-phenomenon for three years now, as long as his mom and my dad have been dating. Weekends and vacations together at first, and then mostly full time as of last year, after Kim and Bernie got engaged and bought this monstrosity of a property together.

Wedding-planning and “a home where we can be a family” was supposed to bring us stability. Wishful thinking, because things between my dad and Joe’s mom—between all of us, really—seem rockier than ever.

“Hey, you.” Joe leans against the door jamb, killer smile flashing.

He’s a big, glossy beast, and he lights up the night that I’ve tried to darken. I look away from his shining eyes, but his jacked chest and abs, his maybe-too-tight board shorts, his legs, his feet, aren’t any easier to ignore.

“Why didn’t you tell me you’d be home tonight?” he asks. His deep voice has a slight throb, like he’s actually hurt. “You didn’t answer my message. Any of my messages. I get why you didn’t want to show for my amazingly fucking boring graduation, but… I was hoping to hear about your plans. For the summer.”

He reaches up to brush damp hair from his face, the movement popping every muscle from shoulder to wrist. Matty actually sighs from behind me. I try not to notice how the longer hair and the scruff on his chin make Joe look hotter than his usual smoking hellfire.

He spent his senior year at a therapeutic high school here in the Chicago area and the place didn’t demand buzz-cuts the way the military school did. The longer black waves do amazing things for his cheekbones, his squared-off chin, his sin-dark eyes.

I’m supposed to be saying something. So I open my mouth and a lame excuse comes out. “I wasn’t sure about flight times. Until the last minute. Storms in New York.”

He nods, head tilting as he scrutinizes my features. He wants to believe me even though it’s obvious I’m lying. The sky had been clear when I’d jetted away from LaGuardia, my freshman year of college complete.

I’d been avoiding all contact with Joe since Christmas break. I’d figured he’d understand why I didn’t respond to any of his messages today. Or at least take the hint. <em>Hey, Joey, after I don’t answer your two-hundredth-and-seventieth voicemail, maybe that means I don’t want to communicate with you. </em>But Joe is thick in more ways than one.

His dark eyes get warmer as they take me in, the dimple in his right cheek popping. His thumb traces the sand-dollar tattoo under his left nipple, a move I’m sure he’s making unconsciously. I do the same thing sometimes. I have a matching tattoo; we’d gotten them in Mexico during Christmas vacation two years ago. The ’rents had been very confused when both of us suddenly wore rash guards 24/7 for the rest of the break. Joe had come up with a BS-but-brilliant excuse about stingray sightings and the angle of the sun and the chemicals in sunscreen lotion killing off coral reefs.

And, okay. I’m not being fair. Joe isn’t thick. He’s probably smarter than me. He just doesn’t know how to rein in a lot of the bad shit that constantly roams his head. I’ve actually tried to help him figure out some stuff, given him some pointers about how to focus and prioritize—

There’s a crashing noise from the pool area. More shit breaking.

“Fuck,” he mutters, looking over his shoulder.

“You better get back there. Broken glass. Blood. Nastiness. It’s all gonna happen.”

He sighs—a shudder wracking his six-five frame. “Should’ve never invited anyone over.” His smile is crooked. “Your fault. I wouldn’t have had to get up to shenanigans with Bran and Troy if I’d known you’d be here tonight.”

And, there it is.

The reason why he always, <em>always </em>manages to piss me off. I’m not responsible for him. Not responsible for his feelings, for his actions. I refuse to be.

“Not my fault,” I say, my voice cracking again, damn it. I take a step backward, my hand pulling the door closed.

“Asher, come on. You know I didn’t mean it like that—”

I shut the door in his face. Then I pull the blinds closed, blocking out his beauty, blocking out his hurt expression. Maturity can go fuck itself, because literally closing off Joe from my senses will be the only way I can survive the summer.

“Wow,” Matty says.

“Yeah,” I agree.

#

It’s probably a few hours later when something jolts me awake. It’s Joe looming over me. I must’ve passed out after Matty left. I’m sprawled on the big chaise in the guesthouse’s living room, Joe standing so close his knees are touching the cushion’s edge.

There’s only one light on, a yellow glow coming from the glass-fronted cabinet that displays Joe’s shell collection. It creates weird, streaky shadows across his super-defined chest and abs.

His shorts are dry now, not as tight on his thighs or his package, but I can see he’s erect, a righteous bulge that’s impossible to miss. And, when I look up into his face, my gaze snags on his parted lips, his heavy-lidded eyes .

The house is quiet. No more party outside. When Joe inhales suddenly, I can feel the sharpness of his breath in my own lungs.

I sit, swinging my legs to the side of the chaise, planting my feet on either side of his. He takes my face in his hands. His fingers are warm, familiar, his touch so tender it makes me want to cry.

And, God, when our gazes connect, and I immediately fall into that dark brown and gold I dream about, tears clog my throat, for real.

“Ash,” he whispers, his voice so hoarse I can barely hear it. The pad of his thumb passes over my lower lip. I lick away the taste of him and he sighs. “Damn, I missed you.”

I nod. I can’t speak. It hurts.

Purchase at Amazon

Meet the Author

Edie lives in Vermont with her husband, two sons, and random creatures that might or might not be pets. She loves libraries (where she’s found play, work, and love since she was a kid), long walks (unless ice is involved), lewd language (in the right context), luscious romance (of any variety), and alliteration.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | eMail

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A Free Dreamer Review: Priest & Pariahs (Centauri Survivors Second Chance Chronicles #3) by J. Alan Veerkamp

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Costa McQuillen has escaped from Earth, where being para-human—a Pariah—with tech empathic abilities is illegal, and marks him for extermination. Arrogant and standoffish, Costa is unable to trust anyone but is willing to risk everyone’s safety in his desperate effort to reach the planet Omoikane. His best solution, gaining passage on board the Santa Claus.

Arbor Kittering is the crew’s newest coding tech. Having spent a short time in prison for data hacking and falsifying government files, the Santa Claus is his last chance at a new start—if he can decipher the strange malfunctions plaguing the ship.

Eugene “Priest” Jones, the Santa Claus’s Head Pilot, is a bit of a scoundrel. Perpetually single, Priest is attracted to Costa and Arbor. In truth, he’d like to have both, but it’s clear even his grifting and gambling skills can’t make that happen.

Now as they all travel together, it appears Priest needs to make a choice before it’s too late as each of their lives intertwine with potentially dangerous and deadly consequences.

I didn’t realize “Priest & Pariahs” is actually part three of a series before I began reading it. It works perfectly fine as a standalone, though.

After reading the blurb, I’d hoped for a good SciFi story with potentially a MMM dynamic. Those were the completely wrong expectations. This book is mostly porn, with a whole lot of romance drama, and a bit of SciFi to spice things up. Needless to say, I was rather disappointed by that.

The setting baffled me. The Santa Claus seems to be a sex cruise, essentially. Only gay men are allowed, be it staff or passengers. And everybody’s having sex with everyone, pretty much, which is very much encouraged by the Captain. That seems a bit unrealistic, sexual and romantic relationships inevitably lead to conflicts and when you’re stuck on a spaceship for weeks on end, that really doesn’t seem like a good way to keep a ship running.

Costa was the most interesting of the three MCs. Sadly, he also got the least on-page time. He remained pretty flat and a lot of questions about his past were left unanswered.

Arbor was a bit annoying. I get that he was feeling very insecure, given his past. But it seemed over the top.

Priest was boring and horribly insensitive. I could have done without him. The book would probably have been much more interesting, had it been about Arbor and Costa.

The romance was quite rushed. I never really felt the spark between Arbor and Priest. Especially Priest gave me whiplash with his change of attraction. There’s a ton of relationship drama that frankly got old fast. I don’t have patience for this stuff.

What really bothered me were the very demeaning reactions to Arbor. I can see how he would draw a lot of attention in a world where disabilities are essentially non-existent. But calling somebody “dwarf” or “midget” is just not okay and it’s not funny either.

There was no world building to speak of. Maybe there was a bit more ground work in the previous books, but “Priest & Pariahs” was pretty much a porny romance drama set on a spaceship, with some other SciFi elements thrown in for the heck of it.

Overall, “Priest & Pariahs” just wasn’t for me. I’m still not a traditional romance reader and I need more than sex scenes and relationship woes to keep me engaged. As it is, the book left me cold and kinda “meh”.

The cover by Natasha Snow is a bit boring. The blue is pretty but I’m not a fan of covers with some random guy and nothing else.

Sales Links:  NineStar Press | Amazon

Book details:

ebook, Second Edition
Published September 24th 2018 by NineStar Press (first published July 29th 2016)
ISBN139781949340761
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series Centauri Survivors Second Chance Chronicles #3, Ship Logs of the Santa Claus #3

Cover Reveal for Addis on the Inside by Annabelle Jay

 

Title: Addis on the Inside
Author: Annabelle Jay

Release Date: January 8, 2019

Category: Future, Dystopian, Lesbian

Pages: 125

Cover Artist: Blake Dorner, blakealexanderart@gmail.com

 

Blurb:

 

Seventeen-year-old orphan Jayla lives in NORCC, or the New Orleans Rehabilitation Center for Children, where all the children of morphoid-addicted Addis go to wait for a clean family to adopt them. When Jayla’s long-lost sister, Jo, arrives from the dome where the Addis are kept and tells her about the Authority’s plan to gas all the domes across the country, Jayla decides that she’s been in NORCC long enough.

 

With the help of her NORCC crew of girls, including her almost-girlfriend, Arla, and a new love interest, Riley, Jayla must take down the Authority while discovering powers she never knew she had. Unfortunately, the plot to kill the Addis is not the only secret their leaders are keeping. Jayla must fight both the Authority and her own demons in order to stop the annihilation of her people.  

 

Buy Links:  to come

 

 

 

Author Bio:

 

If there’s one thing author Annabelle Jay believes with all her heart, it’s that there is no such thing as too many dragons in a book. As a fantasy writer with few other hobbies—does dancing awkwardly in the kitchen count?—she spends every day following her imagination wherever it leads her.

A hippie born in the wrong decade, Annabelle has a peace sign tattoo and a penchant for hugging trees. Occasionally she takes breaks from her novels to play with her pets: Jon Snow, the albino rabbit who eats all of Annabelle’s bookmarks; Daisy, the Angora rabbit who constantly tries to escape her cage; and Stevie, the crested gecko who climbs glass with the hairs on her toes.

During her day job as a professor of English, Annabelle is often assumed to be a fellow student playing a prank on the class—that is, until she hands out the syllabus. When people stop mistaking her for a recent high school graduate, she will probably be very sad.

Annabelle is a current PhD student in creative writing at Florida State University. She alternates between Tallahassee and Northern Virginia with her husband, pets, and new baby.

Website: http://www.annabellejayauthor.wordpress.com

Email: annabellejayauthor@gmail.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Annabelle-Jay/376249719245415

A Stella Review : Falling into Love (Family Found #1) by Kris T. Bethke and Nell Iris

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Liam O’Donoughue is happy with his life. He runs V Wilderness Adventures with his best friends, his chosen brothers, and gets to spend his days hiking in the gorgeous Adirondacks. What’s not to love? But when he meets Austin on a hike, he thinks he’s found something he didn’t even know was missing.

Austin Jock is content with his work as a radiology tech and playing bass in a cover band. Someday he wants to find his forever person but doesn’t believe in romantic fireworks and isn’t sure it’ll ever happen. Then Liam comes crashing into his life, igniting sparks. Huge, life-altering sparks.

The connection between the two men is instant, and things move fast. But Austin isn’t sure what to do with everything he’s feeling inside. Can Liam convince him falling in love is the easiest thing in the world?

This novella was quite cute and sweet.  A quick and simple reading. I already read these authors in the past and as this time, found their writing well done and smooth. That’s why I picked Falling Into Love and I have to say I spent some interesting hours with the characters.
The plot is nothing special ( and I’m telling this in a good way), the guys are lovely and the romance flows without drama or misunderstandings. I especially liked the idea of developing a series about five best friends so protective and close to each other. I have to say I am very curious and can’t wait to read each guy’s story and see what HEA they will get.
Liam and Austin were very special young men, both of them so pure and clean. I adored how they didn’t falling in bed the first time they met.  Probably they were often a little childish, but it didn’t bother me cause they were actually refreshing.
Although the ending part of the book seemed a little rushed to me, I understood where the MCs feelings were, I saw the needing and desires  and so I appreciate the authors choices.
I feel to recommend this new release and hope to have the next book in the series soon in my hands.
Cover art is adorable and heartwarming.
Sales Links:  JMS Books LLC  | Amazon
Book Details:
Kindle Edition, 1st edition, 112 pages
Published September 1st 2018 by JMS Books LLC
ASINB07GM1GLJQ
Edition Language English
Series Family Found #1

A Lucy Review: At Long Last: Scott and Preston (Scott and Preston #1-2) by Shawn Lane

Rated 1.5 stars out of 5

When Scott Trask gets a job at his law firm, Preston Reynolds begins to feel the same attraction he felt for his best friend’s younger brother years earlier. But he couldn’t be sexually attracted to the young man. Preston isn’t gay.

Scott has been in love with Preston for years, but just because Preston is now divorced doesn’t mean he’s available. Yet soon enough, they surrender to their desires, and begin a passionate affair.

At first, Scott thinks he can handle it when Preston wants to keep their private life together a secret but he’s wrong. Then when Preston promises to change, there is hope. Sort of. Preston has a tough choice. Learn to accept himself at long last or risk losing Scott forever.

I always feel bad when I read a book that doesn’t work for me because I know the effort that goes into writing.   But this one was nearly a DNF and I struggled to find any redeeming qualities in it.  Sigh. I had high hopes for it. A “straight” man in denial about who he is coming to terms with what he really wants.  I thought it would be an easy win.  The problem is, Preston, the closeted lawyer, is so extremely unlikeable.  Scott, the target of Preston’s attraction, is a complete doormat and it made me crazy. 

This edition has two books that used to be separate and really they still are here.  The first, At Long Last, end and the next, Until the End of Time, is a separate novella that happens seven months after the first.  Okay, the things that didn’t work for me were big ones.  Preston, who co-owns the law firm with Scott’s brother, Jack, and Jack and Scott’s father, has been married and has two children.   He has never had sex or wanted sex with a man before, yet within days of Scott starting a job in their office he is all over him.  I’m sorry but the way he dove into everything gay (rimming on the first time together, for example) didn’t work for me when he was so in denial and worse, homophobic about it all.

At first, I was willing to give Preston some time.  After all, this is all new to him.  “I’m kissing a guy” is mind-blowing for him.  He then immediately (literally minutes later) jumps into rimming because, “…he didn’t want to hurt Scott either emotionally or physically by refusing to do it.”    Yet just a little later, “Don’t mention anything about this to anyone, all right?”  There might be some pretty words sometimes but it is sex, sex, sex for Preston.

So I thought I would at least like Scott (Scotty) but he’s very immature (showing up to work in jeans and then blaring loud rock music through the office where there are clients) and he is a total doormat.   There were so many times I wanted to shake him and say, “have some self respect”!  He suggests playing hooky from work for a weekend away right after he starts there and right after he and Preston are together for the first times.  When the trip has Preston acting like a closeted jerk (wanting separate rooms at the hotel, pushing Scott away repeatedly, hurting him and then a quick I’m sorry to fix) Scott shouldn’t have been surprised. 

Preston just never redeems himself.  “He would allow the relationship to continue, but on his terms.”  So hiding Scott from everyone and using him for sex.  Nice, especially when it is Preston attacking Scott for sex all the time.

The killer for me was Preston’s assertion, to Scott’s face no less, that “Scott, being g…attracted to the same sex is not normal.” He can’t tell his parents because “I can’t let them know about me.  I can’t have them thinking I’m abnormal.”  Hold on.  You are telling a gay man, one you are sleeping with, that being gay is abnormal?  Why, Scott, why would you stay for that?  Because of Preston there is also a terrible moment with Scott’s father and I had to wonder – you forgive Preston at the drop of a hat but won’t for your father?  Scott also has a betrayal by his brother, Jack, who does love him but I thought broke Scott’s trust.

Preston never takes responsibility enough.  “I think we broke each other’s hearts.”  No, that isn’t what is happening.  “But when someone point-blank asks you if you are seeing someone you say no.  You don’t acknowledge me in any way.”  It didn’t get any better in the second novella, where even though they are living together Preston is now asking his children to lie for him so his parents don’t know about Scott.  He acts like the victim so often, “Scott judged his every action and found it lacking”; “Why are you being so difficult? Please, just…just try to see this from my point of view.”  The problem with that is all the issues stem from Preston being homophobic and closeted.

I know this author has a very dedicated fan base so I’m going to be in the minority on this one but I also felt for the length of the novellas there was just too much sex.  You fill the holes of character development with sex but here sex took the place of making the characters three dimensional.  Things felt very rushed and I couldn’t see the connection between these two.  I am sorry to say I can’t recommend this at all.  The only thing saving it from being a one star read was I liked Marilyn, the ex-wife, and Candace, Preston’s daughter.

Cover art is two sets of legs intertwined on a bed but I didn’t feel it fit the mood of the book.  It makes the book seem cute and that wasn’t really the feel.

Sales Links:  JMS Books LLC  | Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition
Published June 8th 2018 by JMS Books LLC (first published July 25th 2009)
Original TitleAt Long Last / Until the End of Time
ASINB07DMFHF92
Edition Language English
SeriesScott and Preston #1-2