Category: Fantasy

Release Blitz and Giveaway for Beauty & the Guardian Beast (Queerky Tales 5) by Rhys Ethan

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK 
 
Length: 8,000 words
 
Cover Design: Ethereal Ealain
 
Queerky Tales Series
 
Book #1 – Snow White & The Seven Angels  – Amazon US | Amazon UK (Currently Free)
Book #2 – The Little Mermaid & The Dry Lands – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #3 – Sleeping Beauty & The Magic Curse – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #4 – Cinderella & The Fairy Secret – Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Blurb
 

The classic tales you know, the characters with secrets you don’t.

The classic tales you know, the characters with secrets you don’t.

Ayo is a lonely boy, bullied and withdrawn, until one day his father sends him away to the kingdom of Azizi, to study under the king’s advisor, Issa, a fearsome tiger, that thinks and talks like a man. Ayo misses his father and one day he takes it out on his new companion. The next morning he wakes up to find he is starting to turn into a beast himself and if he’s to ever turn back into his human form, he has a lot to learn.

Queerky Tales is a series of classic fairy tales retold with LGBT characters. Based on the French classic, Beauty & the Guardian Beast is a tale about oppression, kindness and forgiveness.

For children and adults alike.

November 13 – Valerie Ullmer
November 17 – Padme’s Library
 
Author Bio


Writer of the LGBT retellings “Queerky Tales”. Author of fantasy and sci-fi. Also writes queer adult romances under the pen name “Chris Ethan”.

Struggling actor and a juggler of graphic design, book covers, photography, filmmaking and too many hobbies to be considered a sane person.

Rhys welcomes you into his digital home where you can find out everything he’s up to and explore the life of a professional crazy person.

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A MelanieM Review: Lyle’s Story (Landlocked Heart #2) by Kay Berrisford

 

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Lyle, a merman, and Ben, his human, work together in a seaside ice-cream parlour and their life together is bliss. Or would be, if not for Ben’s constant worries about career and money, and Lyle’s dark past—a myriad of secrets, lies, wild magic, and foul deeds, which now threaten to catch up with him.

When Lyle’s merfolk family accuse him of murder, Ben and Lyle’s bond is stretched to the limit. Not only does Lyle seem unsuited to Ben’s dreams of domestic happiness, hismagical powers are spinning dangerously out of control. Even Lyle isn’t entirely sure he’s innocent.

With Ben dragged deep into the enchanted processes of merfolk justice, escaping with his life—and getting home to an important job interview—is just the start of the challenge. Uncovering Lyle’s inner truths without destroying their love could be a step too far…

Lyle’s Story is the second in Kay Berrisford’s Landlocked Heart series and I think it succeeds far better than the original story.  I liked so much about Lyle’s Story, especially in comparison to The Lonely Merman (Landlocked Heart, #1) which I liked but had issues with the format and ending.

Lyle’s Story is straightford lovely storytelling.  All the gaps and narrative whopping holes from the first story are filled in beautifully here, the characters and their relationship show real growth, and I just loved some of the elements (mysteries) that the author added into the overall series arc.

Ben and Lyle’s relationship is still in its formative stage and they are adjusting to each other and their hopes for the future.  It’s charming and oddly realistic considering one is a merman.  Lyle’s nature is not that of a human, Ben is human…there’s fins, magic, and much more to deal with, including Lyle’s past that he hasn’t been entirely truthful to Ben about.

I loved how Berrisford folds practicality and magic, myth and the mundane all together and it works.  This new addition to the series has me totally charmed and now I can’t wait to read the next installment.  The Landlocked Heart has captured mine.  If you are a lover of merman, romance and HEA, perhaps this is just the series and stories for you.

Cover art by J. Ang is simple and brands the series.

Sales Links:  Less Than Three Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook
Published September 27th 2017 by Less Than Three Press
Original TitleLyle’s Story
ISBN139781684310401
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesLandlocked Heart #2

A Free Dreamer Review: A Question of Counsel (The Republic #1) by Archer Kay Leah

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Life hasn’t been easy for Aeley since she arrested her brother, and her role as a political leader leaves her feeling isolated and lonely. Days before her brother’s trial, she meets Lira, a quiet and modest scribe who makes Aeley want more than just a professional relationship. When she attends the trial and leaves with a marriage contract, Aeley doesn’t know what to do. She must choose one of two brothers, marrying into a family she doesn’t know.

Then she discovers that Lira is part of the same family-a sister to Aeley’s suitors and the family’s disgrace. And not at all opposed to an intimate relationship. Except random acts of violence against her people test Aeley’s ability as a leader, and a web of lies and deceit threaten not only her chance at happiness, but her life…

A Question of Counsel is one of my very first F/F books. I’ve never really liked books with female leads, no matter the genre, so I never thought to read a story with a lesbian couple. But my reading tastes have evolved over the years and the blurb sounded so tempting, I just had to give it a shot. And I’m glad I did.

I quite liked Aeley from the beginning. She’s a tough woman and definitely no damsel in distress, but she’s not perfect either. She drinks too much and can be a little grumpy at times. And she’s apparently not very good at flirting and courting women. She made me laugh a lot.

I loved the flirtations and courtship between Aeley and Lira. Loved the sexual tension as well. And the one explicit sex scene we get was absolutely scorching hot.

While I liked both protagonists and the romance between them, the rest of the plot fell a bit short. The beginning starts right in the middle of things and I felt like I missed a prequel or something. I’d hoped there would be more explanations as the plot moves on, but I always felt a little lost. So much happened before the beginning of the book, it just left me with a big fat question mark.

Another issue I had with this book was the world building, or rather the lack thereof. Throughout the book, I was left wondering just what genre this book was trying to be. A sort of historical AU? Fantasy? Or something completely different? It had a historical feel to it, but there’s four Goddesses and homosexual relationships are perfectly normal. It just had me completely puzzled.

So while I enjoyed the romance part of the book, the rest was just confusing. Still, I did quite enjoy the book for the most part and there’s definitely potential for an interesting sequel.

While the cover by Natasha Snow looks pretty cool, it might give the wrong impression. There is no BDSM in this book.  As long as you don’t take the blindfold too literally, it does fit the book, though.

Sales Links:  Less Than Three Press | Amazon

Book details: ebook, 184 pages

Published May 27th 2015 by Less Than Three Pres

A MelanieM Review: Dragon Lesson (Supernatural Consultant #6) by Mell Eight

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

All Lumie wants is Goldie’s beautiful smile, but the only expression he ever shows Lumie is tears. When Goldie asks him for a favor, Lumie leaps at the chance to finally see Goldie happy.

Goldie wants to live a life free of the fear that has chained him for so long, but breaking free of them once and for all may come with a higher price than he and Lumie are prepared to pay.

Cover by Aisha Akeju is similar in tone and coloration to the other books to brand the series, along with the “dragon kid like” footprints which these dragons are now long past.  It makes it feel like a children’s story and in fact they are getting their mates. Just not a fan.

We’re now up to book six in the Supernatural Consultant series by Mell Eight and she’s still running strong and not out of dragon kits yet.  In Dragon Lesson, it’s one of my favorite of Dane and Mercury’s  odd children or dragon kits as it were.  Lumie, a dragon of mixed elements the result of heinous scientific experiments, he’s been something of an adorable enigma throughout most of the stories.  He’s been capable of astonishing feats of power even at the youngest of age and has abilities that not even his mixed elemental powers can explain.  Now of age to go to college, Lumie finds himself at a crossroads at every stage of his life.

In a previous story, several dragons were rescued from yet another “lab” by Dane, Mercury and family along with government help.  One of them was a badly abused and tortured dragon  named Goldie (you won’t have to guess the element here). Lumie finds himself instantly drawn toward Goldie, trying in his own way to help the dragon heal and move forward.

These are short stories.  Yet, Mell Eight still produces a tale that shows Lumie trying to figure out where he belongs (he doesn’t think it’s college), how much he loves his family), what’s happening with some of the other kits, and still produce a suspense story that moves the entire series arc forward.  That would be the one about the mystery of the person behind the dragons kidnapping and experimentation to begin here.  Goldie and Lumie figure heavily into the plot as well as find they mean something much more to each other.

Dragon Lesson is another wonderful edition to the series.  But if you are coming at it new, I expect you would be quite lost.  These are not standalone stories but need to be read in progression starting at book one as the characters age and the plots build on one another.

Sales Links:   Less Than Three Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook
Published October 10th 2017 by Less Than Three Press
ISBN13 9781684310913
Edition Language English
Series Supernatural Consultant #6

A MelanieM Release Day Review: Second Level by Drew Marvin Frayne

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

The path to true love is never easy, especially when you are on opposite sides of the world’s greatest theological debate.

It’s Halloween, and the Demon of Masturbation—Dom, for short—has come to Earth to collect sins and souls for his boss. But a representative from the Interfering Angel Network—Ian—has been sent to put a crimp in his plans. Frankly, though, the two seem less interested in sins and souls than in the three bottles of tequila they down during the night. Alcohol can lower the inhibitions, but it also impacts judgment, and Dom and Ian soon find themselves in the world’s most awkward threesome with a young mortal virgin.

Forget battling for his soul—their real passion seems to be for each other. But Halloween night is waning fast, and the veil between the worlds is only lifted for one night. How can two beings from opposite sides come together when they know they are destined to forever be apart?

Second Level by Drew Marvin Frayne has to be one of my favorites simply because I laughed so much.  And it had such a neat twist at the end.  But mostly because of the humor and the wonderful characters.  Dom the Demon of Masturbation is priceless, especially when he’s musing on how beauty and body image has changed over the centuries.  What’s a short, chunky demon to do?

However, it’s in the swing towards poignancy towards the end where the depth of the story really kicks in and pulls at your heart, surprisingly so after sort of labeling the story a comedy.  No there’s more to this little gem than just that.  Read it and find out for yourself why I highly recommend it.

Cover art by Natasha Snow is again just perfect.

Sales Links:

NineStar Press | Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Book Details:

ebook
Expected publication: October 23rd 2017 by NineStar Press
ISBN139781947904101
Edition LanguageEnglish