Category: Fantasy

A VVivacious Review: The Mutt: An Order Short Story by Kasia Bacon

 
Rating: 5 Stars out of 5
 
the-muttErvyn Morryès is a Highlander, a dark elf from the Black Mountain clan participating in the training camp which is recruiting soldiers for the Queen’s National Army. He is mesmerized by the half-breed, the mutt Lochan Fèyes who is a blue-eyed assassin, deadly to say the least. But Ervyn is unable to let go of his obsession, he needs Lochan to notice him…
 
I think I successfully butchered the blurb for this short story. Basically this is like a prequel to the “The Order” Series which is going to centre on Ervyn and Lochan and this short story is the author’s way of giving us background on these two characters.
 
Personally I am amazed with this short story. It is so well-written. Ervyn is literally tight-rope walking the line between attraction and obsession. But the way everything is worded makes it just perfect, it is never unhealthy enough for you to question Ervyn’s motives but at the same time it is not entirely healthy, what it is, is the right amount of attraction and obsession making for a heady mix.
 
This story is told from Ervyn’s perspective entirely which is perfect to understand Ervyn’s thinking and Lochan’s outward demeanour. But I for one am really grateful that the author plans another short story from Lochan’s perspective prior to commencement of the series because I really want to know what’s going on in Lochan’s head and what kind of an impression Ervyn makes.
 
For a short story, which is just a set-up for a series, this story is just so good. I just loved the story and I loved the introduction it provides to these two amazing characters. I feel like these two characters have such contrasting personalities but at the same time I felt like these two have complementing personalities.
 
Personally I can’t wait to see more of these two and will be anxiously waiting for the next in this series.
 
Cover Art by Marek Frankowski. I liked the cover but I feel like the darker colours used to depict the background make this story feel like a dark one but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
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Book Details:
ebook, 40 pages
Published January 20th 2017 by Self-published
Original TitleThe Mutt: An Order Short Story
ASINB01N9P0LNX
Edition LanguageEnglishsettingThe Elven Country

A Paul B Review: For a Dragon’s Control (Highland Dragons #10) by Charlie Richards

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

for-a-dragons-controlRyder MacGree has missed his brother Ian since he left the village.  Ian was supposed to marry the daughter of a rival clan’s chief.  This started a string of people disappearing from his village who were never seen again.  Having learned that Ian went to the Kartelle Valley has driven their father Chief Goth into madness.  No matter how many men the Chief sends, they never return.  Ryder wants to end this pointless one-sided war but is not sure how to do this.

Returning home one day, Ryder finds Ian’s best friend Ewan in his home.  Ewan tells Ryder that Ian is nearby and will take him to see Ian.  With Ian and Ewan is Elder Combs.  Combs proposes a solution to Ryder’s problem as suggested by Ian.  As Ryder has reached his majority, if he should take a consort then Goth must step aside and Ryder would become Chief.  And seeing as Ryder is Ian’s brother and probably an asda (a human who can bond with a dragon), Combs brings three prospective consorts with him.  Ryder must choose between Eustize the male herald, Ryantra the female warrior or Tygo the male healer.

Tygo is the best healer in the Karstelle Valley.  Despite his young age, he desperately wants to claim an asda as his own.  When he hears of the trip to Clan MacGree’s village, he goes along.  He is taken by the beauty of the clan’s countryside and interested in the plants that he has never seen before.  But that is second to the beauty he sees in Ryder.  While Tygo knows that Clan MacGree has not had same sex consorts as Karstelle Valley does and he will probably lose to the female dragon warrior, he hopes he can win the heart of the future chief.

This is the tenth and final book in Charlie Richard’s Highland Dragon series.  I have enjoyed this trip to medieval Scotland.  What started out as a son’s refusal to marry a woman he not only does not love but could not “lie down” with as he prefers the company of males ends with a satisfactory resolution to the obvious one sided war started by his father.  The dragons of the Karstelle Valley would just want to be left in peace and in the end they will get their wish. 

As for this book, Ryder must decide between the easy choice of selecting Ryantra (and probably ensuring a successor) or the difficult choice of Tygo whom he seems to have a connection to but is of the same sex and may not be accepted by his clan.  He must also ensure that they all live until the bonding as his father is out to stop this arrangement before it can be completed.  As the two cultures are different, how Ryder must prove a bonding goes directly against the possessive nature of dragons and he must find a solution to that as well. 

Once again the cover by Angela Waters is simply stunning.  Tygo’s yellow dragon is seen flying behind a kilt wearing Ryder.  Ms Waters has never failed to deliver the perfect cover for any of the ten books in this series.  I must complement her on the work she has done.

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eXtasy Books

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Book Details

Ebook, 84 pages

Edition Language:  English

Published:  October 7, 2016 by eXtasy Books

ISBN:  978-1-4874-0896-1

For A Dragon's Touch For A Dragon's Protection For A Dragon's Treasure For a Dragon's Forgiveness For a Dragon's Redemption For a Dragon's Healing For a Dragon's Persuasion
Highland Dragons

The Fire Trilogy by RJ Scott Tour (release blitz and giveaway)



Buy Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2kTti2f

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2kpwFBr



Add to Goodreads 

Kian’s Hunter

Kian knows Regan is the perfect man to fight alongside him, but Regan trusts no one.

It isn’t until they are facing death and a terrible evil that Regan finally realizes he can trust another; his fated partner, Kian.

Darach’s Cariad

Ceithin teaches Darach that you shouldn’t always believe in fairy tales. Now they have two choices; do they run, or do they make their stand together?

Eoin’s Destiny

Eoin is faced with the end of times.

The final installment of The Fire Trilogy discovers old Guardians, ancient Cariad magik, and not least of all the other half of Eoin; Trystyn.

Author Bio

RJ Scott is the bestselling romance author of over 100 romance books. She writes emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire, princes, and the men and women who get mixed up in their lives. RJ is known for writing books that always end with a happy ever after. She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn’t with family either reading or writing.

The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.

mailto:rj@rjscott.co.uk
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A MelanieM Highly Recommended Story:  Kian’s Hunter by RJ Scott

A MelanieM Highly Recommended Story:  Darach’s Cariad by RJ Scott

A MelanieM Highly Recommend Story: Eoin’s Destiny by RJ Scott

An Alisa Review: Rogue Magic by Kit Brisby

Rating:  5 stars out of 5

 

roguemagic_500x600While trapped in a stalled subway train on his morning commute, PR rep Byron Cole flirts with Levi, a young waiter with adorable curls. But Byron’s hopes for romance crash and burn when Levi saves him from a brutal explosion—with outlawed magic.

 

When Levi is imprisoned, Byron begins to question everything he’s ever believed. How can magic be evil when Levi used it to save dozens of lives? So Byron hatches a plan to save Levi that will cost him his job and probably his life. If he doesn’t pull it off, Levi will be put to death.

 

Byron discovers that he isn’t the only one questioning America’s stance on magic. And he learns that Levi is stubborn, angry, and utterly enchanting. Time is running out, though. Byron must convince Levi to trust him, to trust his own magic, and to fight against the hatred that’s forced him to hide his true nature his entire life. The more Levi opens up, the harder Byron falls. And the more they have to lose.

 

This was my first book by Kit Brisby and I wasn’t disappointed.  This story takes place in a world where those who have the ability to do magic are oppressed or imprisoned because of it.  And due to Byron’s uncle’s company many are quite afraid of what those with magic could do even though they have never seen it at work.

 

Byron has pretty much kept himself closed off after his parents’ deaths having to live in boarding schools and having an unloving uncle as his guardian.  He feels an instant connection to Levi when they meet which scares him since he has kept everyone but his best friend at arm’s length for so long.  He can’t help but keep thinking about Levi after his arrest and he starts to doubt everything he has ever been told about magic.

 

We get to see this story from a few different characters’ points of view and that goes a long way towards understanding the characters and also the world they live in.  Byron really has to prove himself to Levi and his friends through his actions for them to trust him, which he does with flying colors because when he decides to do something he goes at him 110%, even when his life is being thrown in to turmoil right along with everything else.  I loved how this author got the story across and how engaging it was.  I look forward to reading more of her books.

 

Cover art by LC Chase is wonderful; I love the visual we get of Levi and his curly hair.

 

Sales Links: Riptide Publishing | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 328 pages

Published: January 30, 2017 by Riptide Publishing

ISBN: 9781626495272

Edition Language: English

An Alisa Review: American Telepath (Dragons Schooled #2) by Emily Carrington

Rating:  3 stars out of 5

 

american-telepathJames is a water dragon who fell in love with a human. Rather than expose that human to a dangerous magical world, James abandons Henry.

 

Five years later, they meet again—and it’s like they were never separated. Except Henry refuses—beyond the occasional bang—to have anything to do with James.

 

When Henry is punished for upsetting a powerful magical creature, James follows him into imprisonment. Together they struggle, with impromptu sex and in spite of discoveries, to overcome the past.

 

I am not quite sure how to describe this story.  James and Henry dated in high school and James deeply hurt Henry when he left without a word.  James is surprised when he meets Henry again at Searchlight Academy, but they don’t start out again on a good foot.

 

We get to see both characters’ points of view which helps understand both of their struggles and feelings.  This story mainly focuses on how dangerous dragons and other magical creatures are, which seemed a bit strange to me as I didn’t get that feeling about them in the first book in the series.  I had a hard time connecting with James and Henry as they both kept trying to keep secrets or wall themselves off from the other and acting totally opposite of their thoughts, it just didn’t jive for me.  Some of their problems stem from their earlier relationship, but also from how they have been hurt by others however little and unacknowledged it was.  I did like how James finally learns to stand up for himself in order to keep Henry safe.

 

Cover art by Fiona Jayde is nice and shows the safe house and a visual of James.

 

Sales Links: Loose Id | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 75 pages

Published: December 21, 2016 by Loose Id

ISBN: 9781682522332

Edition Language: English

Series: Dragons Schooled #2

An Ali Review: Soothsayer by Cari Z.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

soothsayer-by-cari-zCillian Kelly can look into people’s eyes and see their fates. He’s running from a past filled with mistakes, lying low and selling his services on the sly. When he learns that Sören Egilsson, a man who sacrificed himself so Cillian could escape imprisonment two years ago, is somehow still alive, Cillian has to find out how. What he gets is the body of the man he loves possessed by an ancient spirit who draws Cillian into a battle to the death for the right to control Sören’s fate, and the power that comes with it.

I’ve read most everything this author has written and I’m a big fan of hers.  That being said, I think this is my favorite book that she’s written.  I was immediately drawn into this story and once I started it, I could not put it down.  It’s a fairly short book but a lot happens.  The blurb perfectly explains the plot.  Cillian is living with his mother’s best friend and trying to keep a low profile.  He’s been kidnapped in the past by people who want him to do bad things for them with his power.  While he’s currently doing alright, Cillian lives with a horrible regret from his past that he can’t seem to let go.  When the chance to right the wrongs he’s done comes up, Cillian jumps at the chance to make amends despite the danger to himself.  This leads Cillian, Soren and an Icelandic land spirit that acts like a teenager, to head out across the United States on a crazy road trip.  A road trip that includes bar fights, mobsters, roller coasters, paint ball fights, hand held missiles, cowboys, more ancient spirits, waffles and blowing stuff up.  

The plot is fast paced and super entertaining.  This is the kind of story that would make a great movie.  In addition to the fun plot, there are also a lot of emotions.  The author was able to weave a complex emotional story between Cillian and Soren and it was a relationship I totally bought in to.  I was rooting for these two the entire way.  I loved Cillian as the main character but I think the author did a great job on all of the side characters too.  There a lot of them but they are all fleshed out well and they are all unique and add purpose to the overall plot.  The spirit was just as important as Soren and actually had more on page time.  He stole every scene he was in with his petulant demands.  He made me laugh out loud more than once.

 I think this book has something for everyone and will appeal to a lot of readers.  It’s unique, romantic, funny and filled with great characters.  This is one I would definitely recommend.

Cover by Natasha Snow:  I love the cover.  I think it’s eye catching and gorgeous and it fits the story perfectly.

Sale Links: NineStar | Amazon | Nook

ebook, 184 pages
Published: January 30, 2017, NineStar Press
ISBN: 9781945952524
Edition Language: English

A VVivacious Release Day Review: Making Love by Aidan Wayne

Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5
 
makinglove_500x750Carla is a cupid working in the Puppy Love division but what she wants more than anything is to shoot a True Love match but her understanding of the chemistry that goes into making a love match is poor to say the least.
 
Leeta Absinthe is a succubus who finds herself in an odd position, as a part of a largely aromantic species, Leeta is a succubus looking for a love match. But since succubi and incubi are such a notoriously infamous species, it’s unlikely that she will ever find a cupid to help make her match.
 
But Carla and Leeta are the perfect match, Carla wants to shoot a True Love match and that is exactly what Leeta wants, true love but as these two start to work together, they might just discover something they never unexpected.
 
I loved this story, it was very interesting. I read it in a single setting. I loved the premise of the story, it was intriguingly unique.
 
Carla is a bubbly cupid, who can’t help being optimistic and I loved how much she wanted to shoot a true love match. I adored her personality on the whole. She was the cutest.
 
Leeta is a succubus and I truly didn’t know much about succubi going into this book but I have now been thoroughly educated. What I loved Leeta was her straight-forwardness. She knew what she wanted and she made the right steps to getting it. It was refreshing to see a character who knew herself so well.
 
Carla and Leeta made an awesome match and I truly think that the author got the formula to making love exactly right with these two.
 
I loved the world this book is set up in. It was extremely interesting but I do feel that this book needed a little more world-building and I do have a lot of questions about this world. Also the specifics of love were very confusing but I loved how the author did his best to make us understand and at the same time appreciate the complexity of love.
 
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. I felt it was perfectly written, had amazing characters and a well-executed plot-line.
 
Cover Art by L. C. Chase. I loved the cover. The background has such a cupid-y feel and the stances on the cover for both Carla and Leeta, really gets their personalities across. This cover was such a great one.
Sales Links
65a2f-waxcreative-amazon-kindle
Book Details:
ebook, 92 pages
Expected publication: January 30th 2017 by Riptide Publishing
Original TitleMaking Love
ISBN 1626495351 (ISBN13: 9781626495357)
Edition LanguageEnglish