An Ali Release Day Review: Spindrift by Amy Rae Durreson

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

SpindriftWhen lonely artist Siôn Ruston retreats to the seaside village of Rosewick Bay, Yorkshire, to recover from a suicide attempt, he doesn’t expect to encounter any ghosts, let alone the one who appears in his bedroom every morning at dawn. He also doesn’t expect to meet his ghost’s gorgeous, flirty descendant working at the local museum… and the village pub, and as a lifeboat volunteer. But Mattie’s great-great-grandfather isn’t the only specter in Rosewick Bay, and as Siôn and Mattie investigate an ill-fated love affair from a bygone era, they begin a romance of their own, one that will hopefully escape the tragedy Mattie’s ancestor suffered.

But the ghosts aren’t the only ones with secrets, and the things Siôn and Mattie are keeping from each other threaten to tear them apart. And all the while, the dead are biding their time, because the curse of Rosewick Bay has never been broken. If the ghosts are seen on the streets, local tradition foretells a man will drown before the summer’s end.

This author’s book A Frost of Cares is one of my top 5 books of this year so I was really excited to see that she was doing another romance/ghost story.  I have to say this didn’t disappoint.  There are two stories intertwined.  There is the current love story of Sion and Mattie and there is the love story from the past.  The story of Mattie’s great-great grandfather and a man named Joshua.
The writing was excellent and the imagery was so well done that I could picture myself there.  The story was downright creepy at times and I was glad I wasn’t reading it late at night.  Sion and Mattie were both well done characters and at first I thought they were too different for me to find a believable love story but I was wrong.  Over the course of the story it becomes apparent that they are complimentary for each other. Their story is both love story and a story about forgiving yourself. I also enjoyed the story of the men from the past although it was a melancholy tale.
This was a unique and creative story that was really well done in all aspects.  I highly recommend this.

Cover Artist: Brooke Albrecht:  I like the cover.  It didn’t really stand out to me but I thought it was nice.

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Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Published August 12th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634775244 (ISBN13: 9781634775243)
Edition LanguageEnglish

A VVivacious Review: Orientation by Rick R. Reed

 
Rating: 4 Stars out of 5
 
OrientationRobert and his lover Ethan have drifted apart to the point that they are mere strangers living together. As things between them worsen Robert wonders if he ever truly loved anyone other than his first lover Keith who died of AIDS.
 
Then on one particularly lonely night Robert comes across a suicidal girl, Jess but it appears that there is more going on between Jess and Robert than either can guess at first. But what exactly does this sense of familiarity and love translate to between a gay man and lesbian?
 
I really think this book is not aptly named, I mean I don’t think it ever deals with orientation, I mean the characters in this book are not conflicted about their orientation and neither are they troubled by it. While this book ends on a note that kind of stresses orientation, this book is truly just a story of love.
 
It is a very engaging story. I read this book at a stretch; I just couldn’t put it down. It is a short book but what I liked about it is that the story never becomes predictable. What kept me turning the pages one after the other was the fact that I had no idea where this story would take me or how it would end.
 
Our MCs are Robert and Jessica who are both in ways dealing with loss. They bond over this fact but what truly makes them want to be with the other is the fact that there is a deeper sense of familiarity and love that underlies there meetings. Since the moment they met Jessica has felt that she is meeting someone she already knows and loves. Complicating this fact is that even though they feel love towards the other their orientations are completely incompatible. This story also follows two other characters, Ethan, Robert’s boyfriend and his drug dealer, Tony.
 
This story really focuses on its characters, you can sympathize with Robert’s desire to be blind to the obvious, to not have to face his boyfriend’s infidelities as well as his potentially lethal lifestyle and bury that under the joy of having someone else who understands his love for Keith. While Ethan’s struggle with his addiction is painful, he is wasting away and try as he might to climb out of the abyss he is in, he only ever manages to dig himself deeper. Tony’s guilt over being the reason many people have lost touch with themselves and his shame over not being able to give up the opportunity to make just a little more money is honest. And then there is Jess who is reeling form loss, is burdened by her lack of finances and struggling to understand these new feelings that have awakened in her… for a man…
 
This story really ties together the lives of these four characters and makes for a compelling read. This book is firstly about love and secondly about the human condition. It is an amazing read.
 
Cover Art by Wilde City Press. I liked the cover but I’m unsure as to how it relates to the story.
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Books Details:
Wilde City Press
Kindle Edition, 2 edition, 192 pages
Published July 25th 2016 (first published May 7th 2008)
Original Title Orientation
ASIN B01J4KIP94

A Paul B Review: Ashley (Demon Elite 5) by April Kelley

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

AshleyAshley Wilkins is an asshole and he knows it.  He is the Demon Elite’s interrogator and he’s damn good at his job.  However, Ash has used methods in the past which would not pass muster with the Geneva Convention.  And Ash feels guilty about this.  When a video of teammate Raven’s kidnapped brother Iain shows up, Ash cannot help but feel for the young man being tortured by the underlings of Victoria Mize.  The fact that Iain is cute as hell makes him want to take action.  While viewing the video, Ash finds a key clue as to the location where Iain is being held.  Justin assigns his interrogator to go out in the field and help with the rescue effort.

Iain Liron knows his brother has worked for a government agency.  Having just come out of rehab, Iain loves his job at a local coffee shop.  One day, his brother’s boss kidnaps him to use as leverage against his brother to make him do her dirty work.  He is hanging around in the literal sense with his arms tied above him hooked on a meat rack.  The beating he received is meant to serve as a message to the Demon Elite squad but Iain is not sure if his brother’s team will be able to rescue him in time to save his life.  When help does arrive, his rescuer is the most gorgeous man he has seen.

While clearly attracted to Iain, Ash believes that he is not good enough for him.  His life as an interrogator means he has done thing as bad as or worse than what was done to Iain while he was being held.  He feels that Iain could not possibly feel anything but contempt once he knows the full extent of what he has done.  Iain meanwhile tells Ash that everybody has something in their past.  Iain is a recovering addict and has learned to take things one day at a time.  Throw in Iain’s overly protective brother Raven and this relationship definitely has its problems at the beginning.  When the threat to the Demon Elite’s partners comes to their lakeside safe house, the men must mobilize to neutralize the situation before one of their loves pays the price.

This fifth book in the Demon Elite series once again goes to the theme of redemption for both the team member and the rescued love.  Both men know they are imperfect men and each tries to cope with it in their own ways.  Ash will do some sort of good deed without his team’s knowledge.  Iain just wants to get his life back on track after getting involved with drugs.  By the end of the book, Ash realizes that Iain means that he does not care what he does for a living and begin to move forward with their relationship.  I cannot wait for the next book.

The cover art by Latrisha Waters follows the pattern of the series.  Ashley is on the cover, shirtless, with the Demon Elite crest in the corner.  The model looks like what I would think Ashely the “farm boy” would look like.

Sales Links

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Book Details

EBook, 111 pages
Edition Language:  English
Published:  August 12, 2016 by eXtasy Books
ISBN:  978-1-4874-0844-2

Series:  Demon Elite:

A Paul B Review: Tanner and Shade (Demon Elite 4) by April Kelley

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Tanner and ShadeFinn O’Reilly has be staying at the Lakeshore safe house since his rescue from slave traffickers a couple of months ago.  He had started flirting with Shade upon his arrival.  Things seemed to be going along real well with him until Finn finds out that Shade has been dating Tanner for the past two years.  Seeing that his relationship with a married man had gotten him into the situation he is currently in, Finn wants no part of breaking up a happy home.  He will do what he has must to prevent getting involved with another married man.

Tanner and Shade have kept their relationship a secret from their bosses for the past couple of years.  While at the Agency, there was a no fraternization policy in place.  Now that the Demon Elite squad has gone private, the two have no idea what their boss Justin would think about the relationship.  Both men find Finn attractive and openly flirt with him.  Shade does the more open flirting while Tanner is there for cuddles during movie night and the like. 

As Finn continues to resist both men, they decide to try to get Finn to join their relationship.  Before they can discuss the matter with him, Finn decides the best course of action is to run away from the situation, knowing it would hurt both the men and his brother.  While he is leaving town, Finn is stopped by one of the crooked cops working for Victoria Mize and his ex-boyfriend Harrison Belani.  Tanner and Shade must rescue their wayward witness before his is returned to where this whole mess started, back to Harrison.

This fourth book in the Demon Elite series is a tale of three broken men who will form a relationship to help each other heal and grown.  Finn is driven by the bad relationship that leads to his being sold into sexual slavery.  Tanner still suffers from physical and psychological effects of being tortured during a mission gone wrong.  Shade has blamed himself for not being there when his family died when he was a teen.  Add in the fact that Finn blames himself for his mother’s murder and you can see why they need each other to heal.  I have a feeling there will be some bumpy times ahead for the group but will make it through. 

This book also expands on how rotten a person Victoria Mize really is.  First she him up her brother as a fall guy for an attempted kidnapping.  Then she sells her own brother to the slave trafficking business.  Here is hoping that she gets put out of business soon.

The cover art by Latrisha Waters follows the pattern of the other Demon Elite.  Shade and Tanner are shown with shirts open showing their chiseled physique.  The Demon Elite shield is in the upper right hand corner this time. 

Sales Links

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Book Details

EBook, 116 pages
Edition Language:  English
Published:  July 8, 2016 by eXtasy Books
ISBN:  978-1-4874-0794-0

Series:  Demon Elite

An Ali Audiobook Review: Gambling Men by Amy Lane and Gomez Pugh (Narrator)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

gambling-men audioQuent Jackson has followed Jason Spade’s every move in business and in poker since their first day as college freshmen. Eight years later, when Jace finally decides Quent is the one man he can’t live without, he sees no reason for that to change.

But as much as Jace believes that poker is life, no one gave Quent the same playbook. After their first passionate night, the real game of love and trust begins, and Jace has been playing alone too long to make teaching the rules easy. Jace only speaks two languages: one of them is sex, and the other one is poker. Between the two, he needs to find a way to convince himself to take a chance on love—and Quent to take a chance on him. It’s a lucky thing they’re good at reading the odds, because they’re playing for keeps, and this is one high-stakes relationship that’s definitely worth the gamble.

This was a sweet (& sometimes sexy) story about two best friends who finally act on the fact that they’ve been in love with each other for years.  The book started a little odd for me.  It felt like I was dropped into the middle of an ongoing story.  Which I guess in some ways I was since they had a relationship that had spanned many years previously.  They get together in a sexual manner at the very beginning of the story and the rest of it focuses on them developing their relationship and struggling through some growing pains.  While they struggle through some things it all felt realistic and it was pretty much angst free.  The entire story is filled with poker metaphors which I thought was an interesting plot device and really worked for these two characters.  I only know a little about playing poker but I had no problem following along and I thought it really added to the story.  Overall it was a lovely story about two average guys falling in love.
I enjoyed the narrator and thought he did a good job.  He has a really soothing voice and he did a good job on all the characters.  Both of the main characters as well as all of the side ones.

Cover Artist: DWS Photography:  The cover is ok but it not one of my favorites.  The cards are well tied into the plot.

Audiobook Sales Links

Audiobook Details:
Audible Audio, 8 pages, 7 hrs 18 mins
Published June 10th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press (first published May 6th 2012)
Original TitleGambling Men
ASINB01GUES5DI
Edition LanguageEnglish
CharactersJason “Jace” Spade, Quentin “Quent” Jackson settingSan Francisco, California (United States)
Hawaii (United States)

The Books You Love are Back in One Bundle! North Star (Spark-Fusion-Flare) by Posy Roberts (giveaway)

 

NorthStar-altNearly three years ago, North Star was released book by book. Now you can get the entire series as a bundle!

In the summer of 2012, I was in a tizzy to get a story down that would become my North Star trilogy. I was afraid if I didn’t get it down as fast as possible, I would lose everything. Sometimes I woke in the middle of the night and went to my keyboard and wrote for hours. Other times I sat at the lake, my laptop battery charring my thigh more than the sun at my back, and type away as fast as my fingers would fly.

The story came to me in a strangely inspired way and I knew it couldn’t be told in just one book. It had to be three, even if the story was always intended to be read together.

Spark was released at the beginning of September 2013, with Fusion and Flare following in November and then January. That’s really close together for a series, so I was lucky Dreamspinner Press released them one right after the other. People have had to wait years between George R.R. Martin or J.K. Rowling books.

And now North Star is in a bundle! *cheers wildly*

The story arc spanning all three books is how Hugo and Kevin figure out how they can be together and stay together despite all the odds. And they face many obstacles over the years, starting with Kevin’s father in high school. Lucky for them, they get a second chance at love in their thirties, years after they drifted apart in college.

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As authors, we take risks when we put out a series. There is always reader drift and I know not everyone will pick up subsequent books. I’m guilty of that myself. I move on to another book or series and by the time the next book comes out, I’m not around to see the release announcment or my interests have changed. That’s why I’m really excited about this bundle. I can’t wait to see how new readers will react to all three books together.

Just a few weeks ago I followed along as a reader picked up Spark and commented on Twitter as she read. She immediately picked up Fusion and then moved on to Flare and read them all in a few days. She loved the series, recommending it to all her followers, and I teared up with each of her tweets. What she loved about the stories is what I loved so much about Hugo and Kevin, their genuine love and devotion for each other and their family.

When I set out to write North Star, my intention was to tell a realistic story about a complex family that fought for each other, challenged each other, and lifted each other up. Some of what they are up against completely sucks, just like some of the crap we have to deal with in our own lives. Now you can enjoy the ride to three happy ever afters in a matter of days!


In high school, Hugo and Kevin discover they are perfect for each other. Sadly they fell in love years too early to make a solid commitment, and college and other relationships got in the way. Fifteen years later they meet again, and all those old feelings are rekindled. Second chances at such perfect love don’t happen every day. Hugo and Kevin immediately know they’re meant to be, but figuring out a way to combine their divergent lives without rocking their well-established boats is the challenge. If that’s even possible. Perhaps their love is worth upending the worlds they know.

Falling in love again is easy. Fitting into each other’s complicated lives isn’t.North Star for WP FI

Hugo and Kevin were best friends and secret lovers in high school, but a chance meeting years later proves that the spark that drew them together before is still there. In Spark, Hugo and Kevin must try to put together a relationship while overcoming the obstacles of coming out, divorce, and children. In Fusion, an unexpected illness may tear apart all they’ve been building. And in Flare, though they’ve finally settled together happily, outside forces are working hard to upset their family.

image009Posy Roberts writes about the realistic struggles of men looking for love. Whether her characters are family men, drag queens, or lonely men searching for connections, they all find a home in her stories.

Posy is a Jill of all trades and master of the drill and paintbrush. She’s married to a partner who makes sure she doesn’t forget to eat or sleep during her writing frenzies. Her daughter, a budding author and cinematographer, helps her come up with character names. For fun, Posy enjoys crafting, geocaching, and singing spontaneously about the mundane, just to make regular life more interesting.

 

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Dreamspinner Press Link: http://tinyurl.com/NSbundle
Amazon Universal Link: myBook.to/NorthStar
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IQTRJQO
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/north-star-11
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/north-star/id1135534675?mt=11

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Nearly three years ago, North Star was released book by book. Now you can get the entire series as a bundle!

 

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Buy here:

Dreamspinner Press Link: http://tinyurl.com/NSbundle
Amazon Universal Link: myBook.to/NorthStar
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IQTRJQO
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/north-star-11
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/north-star/id1135534675?mt=11

a Rafflecopter giveaway: 1 $10 Dreamspinner Press gift card and 1 $10 Amazon gift card.
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A Paul B Review: Cosmo (Demon Elite 3) by April Kelley

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

CosmoCosmo Ruckman is the youngest member of the Demon Elite squad.  He takes on a sense of pride that he is using his skills in breaking and entering for the good guys now.   But his criminal past has been keeping him from the one thing he desires, Agency intelligence chief Derek Kyle.  Since the Demon Elite squad has broken away from the Agency, he no longer has to withstand the looks of contempt from Derek that a criminal is actually working for the government.  Much to his chagrin, Cosmo receives his next assignment—breaking into Derek’s house and office to prove or disprove that he is working with their ex-boss, Victoria Mize, in her sex trafficking ring.

Derek Kyle knows his boss is crooked, but he just can’t prove it.  To complicate matters, members of his team are missing in action.  He wonders how Justin goes about making leading the Demon Elite squad so easy.  Derek feels that it is the sense of family that the squad enjoys.  One night, he is alerted that his office computer is being accessed.  He goes to check out the situation and finds the cute break in artiest from Demon Elite Cosmo is the culprit.  Faced with a decision of what to do with the man, he decides to join Cosmo in breaking into his boss’s house whether Cosmo likes it or not. 

With the information they find, the two groups decide to rescue the brother of one of Derek’s team.  He is being held by Mize to blackmail Raven into working for her.  Disappointed that Raven didn’t come to him, Derek decides that while he is good at investigations, he sucks at leadership.  While waiting for backup to raid the warehouse where they suspect Raven’s brother is being held, they hear a scream, prompting them to move in before they are ready.  Entering the building, they quickly realize that they are outgunned.  They will have to survive until reinforcements arrive.  But will they live that long?

This is the third book in the Demon Elite series.  I find myself engulfed in this series.  While I can follow most of the action, there are pieces that I am missing as this is a spin-off from another series by the author.  However, I feel I l know most of the characters anyway.  The miscommunication between Cosmo and Derek leads Cosmo to think Derek couldn’t possibly be interested.  Derek meanwhile would never have gone after Cosmo while they were working at the Agency even without his shady past.  Only when Germ gives Derek the information about Cosmo’s life does he realize that he might be misjudging the man.  As some have said, is it wrong to steal if you need to do so to survive?  Put into context, Derek sees the hell that Cosmo’s life was before joining the team.  Germ, as usual, provides no brain to mouth filter and provides comic relief.  I hope he finds his love soon.  I also liked how the author changed things up in that Cosmo is matched up with another member of law enforcement and not a victim that he is rescuing, like the plot of the previous two books. 

The cover by Latrisha Waters has our young Cosmo in a model like pose with a jacket and scarf.  The Demon Elite symbol is positioned in the upper right hand corner again. 

Sales Links

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Book Details

ebook, 116 pages
Published May 1st 2016 by eXtasy Books
ISBN139781487407001
Edition LanguageEnglish
Demon Elite #3

Series:  Demon Elite

A MelanieM Review: Blind Date by Kay Doherty

Rating: 3.75 rounded up to 4 stars out of 5

Blind DateDekker Callan is content with his life though he knows something is missing. Wanting the kind of love his friends share with their partners, Dekker is talked into taking part in a modeling and dating show as part of a fundraiser. He immediately falls in love with the anonymous, sexy voice on the other side of the wall, but fate has a surprise in store–his mystery man isn’t single.

Slade Gannon wasn’t supposed to take part in the dating show. That spot was for his roommate, Phil, who becomes ill and asks Slade to take his place. Slade has just recently gone through a breakup with his cheating boyfriend, George. Shocked and pleased when he wins the interest of handsome Dekker Callan, before he can go on the obligatory blind date, his ex asks for a second chance. Believing Dekker can’t possibly be as good on the inside as he looks on the outside, Slade agrees.

Dekker and Slade hit it off immediately, drawn to each other despite Slade being involved with someone else. They finally get their opportunity to be together when Slade finds out his boyfriend is still cheating, but just as they seem to discover the happiness they’ve been waiting for, George throws them one last hurdle—and this one may prove to be insurmountable.

Blind Date by Kay Doherty was an enjoyable fun contemporary romance, that starts off with a blind date that goes incredibly right and then incredibly wrong.  What fun!

Dekker Callan’s best friend talks him into a charity modeling show and sort of Dating Game fundraiser.  I thought this was a nice element and its handled with a light and sexy touch by the author.  You don’t get to see the men just as Dekker doesn’t.  Just here their questions and listen to Dekker’s mention descriptions of their voices and how they make him feel.  Delicious.

Then comes his choice and date, Slade.  Its going well until both the reader and Dekker find out that Slade went back to his cheating ex, something that makes us all extremely unhappy.  Then the waffling begins.  Will Slade go back permanently or won’t he?  Will Dekker will out or won’t he?  Dekker is such a terrific character that its a bit of a no brainer here.  He’s charming,outgoing, owns his own Adult Toy Business.  Yes, he’s a catch.  Plus he’s gorgeous.  Slade however is someone I wished had a little more…gumption or backbone or something.  I’m not sure what exactly. But the dithering here lasted a little too  long in several passages for me to be completely on Slade’s side.  This is without spoilers.

However, love is not without bumps and larger hurdles, and this author gave this couple their fill.  They survived them, and their romance and ending came together just as it should.  I got to see Dekker happy and his Slade and that’s all that counted in the end.

Did I enjoy this story? Absolutely.  I went to check to see if there were other stories about the secondary characters here because they were so entertaining and worth their own tales.  Did I find any? No, but I hope that means that this first time author is intending to bring more stories out, starting with this circle of friends I thoroughly adored.  I can’t wait to see what Kay Doherty writes next.

Cover art is vibrant and eye-catching although a little too generic for me for the storyline.

Sales Links

NineStar Press

 

 

 

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Other Links to Follow closer to release date

 

 

Book Details:

ebook, 113 pages
Expected publication: August 29th 2016 by NineStar Press
ISBN139781911153757
Edition LanguageEnglish

 

An Alisa Release Day Review: Running Hot by Yolande Kleinn

Rating:  3 stars out of 5

 

Running HotKurt Trench loves running a successful auto repair shop with his twin sister Lena. Lately loyal customer Shane Dolan has been coming around more often, and Kurt assumes it’s because of his sister. While Kurt wouldn’t dream of coming between them, he can’t help being drawn to Shane himself…. Or thinking about him in ways he definitely shouldn’t.

One night everything changes. Kurt doesn’t reciprocate Shane’s kiss—he’s got no intention of stealing his sister’s man—but when he tells Lena what happened, she can’t believe how thick her brother is. She’s not the reason Shane’s been coming around the garage, and Kurt and Shane have more in common than a love of classic muscle cars. Now it’s on Kurt to make the next move, assuming he hasn’t blown his chance for good.

 

This was a nice short story.  Kurt is completely clueless in Shane’s attraction to him and tries as hard as he can to keep him at an arm’s length to keep from getting hurt.  Kurt desires a partner, but isn’t willing to possibly hurt his sister for that to happen.

 

Through Kurt’s eyes it is easy to see how he could have been confused in Shane’s intentions when nothing is ever said.  Lena and Shane just assume that Kurt will know what is going on but Kurt is a bit bullheaded and refuses to see what he doesn’t think is there.  Kurt’s stubbornness hurts himself more than anyone else, but he owns up to his mistakes once he realizes the truth which helped him a bit in my eyes.

 

Cover art by LC Chase is nice and works well for this story.

 

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Book Details:

ebook, 50 pages

Published: August 10, 2016 by Dreamspinner Press

ISBN-13: 9781634775250

Edition Language: English

An Ali Release Day Review: Poison Tongue (Afflicted Souls #1) by Nash Summers

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Poison TongueLevi Bell can see a person’s soul just by looking into their eyes. In Monroe Poirier’s eyes, he sees the devil himself.

When Monroe moves back to the small Southern town of Malcome, Levi is repelled by the darkness of the stranger’s soul. But Levi is cursed to love things dark and wicked, and he’s seduced each time he looks into Monroe’s eyes—and drawn to the swamp behind the old Poirier house.

As strange occurrences begin to happen when shadows and visions visit him in the night, Levi sees a flicker of something good in Monroe’s soul. But the need to submerge himself in the swamp’s murky waters grows stronger as Levi’s desire for Monroe becomes unbearable.

In his struggles to help Monroe save his soul, Levi will have to decide if it’s worth losing his own.

There’s not much I love more than a good gothic romance and this book made me very happy. The author did a great job of setting the atmosphere in this story. There are all the things a good Southern gothic should have.  A creepy, decaying house, an even more creepy swamp, terrible nightmares. a curse, a supernatural presence and a love interest that may be evil himself.
Despite Levi’s struggles with the ever increasing dreams of his own demise he still can’t stay away from Monroe.  Monroe is hated by the entire town and he is bullied and picked on.  Levi doesn’t know much about what happened when Monroe lived there before but he knows that Monroe’s soul is covered in black and that no matter what common sense tells him, he can’t stay away.  He doesn’t know if he’ll be Monroe’s salvation or if Monroe will lead him to his doom.  Most of the time he finds he doesn’t care.
The storytelling and pacing were excellent and I was on the edge of my seat for the entire book.  It wasn’t scary per se but it kept me completely focused.  I loved how well the world building was done.  I felt like I was right there with Levi.  Both Levi and Monroe were unique characters and I liked them both.  I felt Levi’s sense of fear around Monroe at the beginning but soon became intrigued with him myself.  The are three prominent side characters and they held interesting roles. There was a mystery surrounding one of them that I never figured out until it was explained.  The romance aspect is a slow burn with a lovely ending.
This was one of the more unique stories I’ve read this year and I imagine it will end up in my top 10.  I can’t say enough good things about it.  This is a definite recommend from me.

Cover Artist: Natasha Snow:  When I first saw this I thought the cover was a bit too dark.  Then I read the book and I realized it is the perfect cover for this story.

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Book Details:
ebook, 200 pages
Expected publication: August 10th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 163477597X (ISBN13: 9781634775977)
Edition LanguageEnglishSeriesAfflicted Souls #1