Category: M/M Paranormal Fiction

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

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

eXtasy-WebsiteLogo

7104e-waxcreative-amazon-kindle

Book Details

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

Series:  Demon Elite

A Paul B Review: Wolf (Demon Elite 2) by April Kelley

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Wolf Demon EliteLiam O’Reilly has not heard from his brother Finn for a week.  This is unusual because the brothers do not go more than two days without speaking.  Fearing something is wrong, he confronts his mother and step-father Richard.  Liam never liked his step-father and dislikes his mother for putting up with his abuse of the family.  While talking with his parents, Liam learns that Richard has sent Finn to a gay conversion camp.  After threatening to call the police, Liam receives a video saying to go to a meeting if he wants to see his brother again.  The crap hits the fan at this meeting and results with Liam being arrested with no hope of release from the crooked cops that took him in.

Spenser Ross, known to everyone as Wolf, is an elite assassin for the team.  He has developed a soft spot for Finn O’Reilly after his team rescued him from sex traffickers.  He assures Finn that they are doing what they can to find Liam, whom no one has heard from since his encounter with Crash a month ago.  Following up on a lead, he finds he is a moment too late to rescues Liam from jail, but follows those who have come to move him.  He arrives at a warehouse being used by the sex traffickers.  When he saves Liam from being turned over to the man who had originally paid for Finn, he finds that Liam is just as feisty as Finn had described him.  The Irish red headed firecracker (Liam insists it is strawberry blond) at first resists going with his would be rescuer.  After all, he’s been screwed over by authority figures for the past month.  Only after being convinced that he helped rescue Finn and that Finn is safe does Liam begin to trust his hero.  Now all they have to do is get back to company headquarters with a department full of crooked cops along with Wolf’s ex-boss on their tail.

I found this second book in the Demon Elite series enjoyable.  It starts during the events of the first book Crash and explains how Liam got tied up in all this mess in the first place.  As with the first book, the attraction between protector and protected is almost instant.  However, the most important thing I am finding in this series is the sense of family that the team has.   Having Liam and Wolf hook up reinforces this with their relationship to Finn.  Wolf also has a brotherly relationship with the team’s young tech geek Germ.  It is Clair, the fifteen year old girl rescued along with Finn that really brings this point home.  She becomes Wolf’s foster daughter and the team’s little sister/niece.  It will be interesting to see how much further this family grows. 

The cover art by Latrisha Waters depicts Wolf as I would figure him to be.  The cover shows a long haired Native American male in a white tee shirt with a leather jacket over it.  In the corner is the Demon Elite crest, which is tattooed on each member of the team.

Sales Links

eXtasy-WebsiteLogo

Book Details

ebook, 120 pages
Published March 1st 2016 by eXtasy Books
ISBN 1487406444 (ISBN13: 9781487406448)
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesDemon Elite #2

Series:  Demon Elite

  • Crash (Demon Elite #1)
  • Wolf (Demon Elite #2)
  • Cosmo (Demon Elite #3)
  • Tanner & Shade (Demon Elite #4)
  • Ashley (Demon Elite #5)

A Paul B Review: Crash (Demon Elite 1) by April Kelley

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

CrashElijah Spade’s life got complicated after his mother’s death.  Having had virtually no contact with his mother’s relatives due to their criminal activities, Elijah is now caught up unwillingly in their plans.  Forced to help kidnap another gay man at a club, Elijah decides that is one man is going to die do to his actions, it should be him for helping out his relatives.  However, the attempted escape fails and Elijah and the victim are both captured.  Not knowing what happened to the mark, Elijah is thrown into the family dungeon where he lingers for weeks on end.  Hope comes when a fellow prisoner escapes and sends in help to rescue Elijah.

Crash Morgan is an assassin for the Demon Elite team.  His job is to kill the worst of the worst in society.  Those who die by his hand need to die.  So when his boss tell him that his next assignment is to watch and question a young man who is in the hospital, Crash initially objects.  When goes to the hospital room to watch over Elijah, Crash feels instantly protective of him.  Crash realizes that the man in the hospital bed may have to go to jail so any feelings are inappropriate.  Besides, it is against company policy.  As Crash gets to hear Elijah’s story, he cannot help but feel sorry for the guy.  His feelings for him start to grow also.  So when a pair of dirty cops sent by Elijah’s family show up, Crash takes matters into his own hands and escapes the hospital with Elijah.  Now can he keep them both alive to see if what both men are beginning to feel will grow?

This is the first book in the Demon Elite series by April Kelley.  The story revolves around an elite squad of men who contract out their services to right injustices in the world.  I thought her portrayal of what would be symptoms of PTSD in Elijah was well written.  Elijah’s anxiety attacks and his fear of Crash leaving him were realistic given the circumstances of his imprisonment.  Crash’s mother, who seems to act as a mother to the team, immediately bonds with Elijah after she learns what has happened to him.  The author also sets up future books with a twist that puts the integrity of the Demon Elite team in question.   It will be interesting to see how Crash and company takes on “the big bad.”

Sales Links

eXtasy-WebsiteLogo

Book Details

EBook, 120 pages
Published:  January 1, 2016 by eXtasy Books
Edition Language:  English
ISBN:  978-1-4874-0587-8

Series:  Demon Elite

A Jeri Review: Fight the Tide (Kick at the Darkness #2) by Keira Andrews

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Fight the TideYou really, really must read Kick at the Darkness first as this is the follow up book. And I am guessing (hoping?) that there will be a book three.

Fight the Tide picks up right where Kick at the Darkness leaves off. Adam and Parker are aboard a sailboat trying to survive. They have no idea where they are really going or what to do. But they want to survive. One day while Adam is on shore getting supplies, Parker is victimized by modern day pirates. Feeling like less of a man, a broken person, he puts on a brave face for Adam. When they hear a distress call, Parker absolutely does not want to help, fearing the worst. But Adam can’t leave these people with 2 children when they are sinking. And so we meet Craig, his daughter Lilly, and Abby and her so Jacob.

This installment is no longer a romantic love story, but one of survival and making your way in an unknown world. In book 1 it was Adam who was untrusting of the world. In book 2, it is Parker. That flip kept this book very interesting. Adam has a whole new “coming out” when he admits to the others that he is a werewolf.

While I really enjoyed this book, it was a bit of a hybrid of The Walking Dead and Waterworld.  There were tears, gasps, sighs and oh my gods. At times I was a bit lost in the sailing jargon, but then on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. We still get moments of romance between Adam and Parker, but this is far from a love story.

I admit I like book 1 more, but book 2 was a necessary bridge to the story coming for us in book 3. A story I cannot wait for.

The cover is gorgeous and a perfect representation of Parker and Adam and their sailboat, seemingly alone on the open seas.

Sales Links

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Book Details:

ebook, 250 pages
Published July 26th 2016 by KA Books
ISBN139781988260068
Edition LanguageEnglish

Series: Kick at the Darkness – add it to your Goodreads here

A MelanieM Review: Seeing Red: Scorched by T.C. Orton

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Seeing Red- ScorchedDown the twists and turns of the London alleyways, where Chinatown meets the highstreets, lies a small venue where unknown rock bands often play to crowds of less than one-hundred.

Isaac is nineteen, living on the sofa of his best friend’s brother – Eric – after his bible-loving parents tossed him aside because of his sexuality. After two years of struggling to make sense of his life, Eric and Charlotte convince Isaac to attend Red’s gig; an up and coming rock band with a small cult following.

All hell breaks loose and Isaac is left injured, with the whereabouts of his friends unknown and his body crippled on the ground. It’s then that the four members – Troy, Nicolai, Kyle and Moss – aid Isaac by infecting him with a ‘magical’ virus that grants immortality in exchange for consuming blood.

The ‘Paranorm’ world is exposed to Isaac. Vampires, werewolves and warlocks lurk in the depths of the city he has lived in his entire life, but he won’t become one with the night until he completes his nine-month transition, leaving him in the hands of the band and at the mercy of vampire politics.

This story is part of the Omega Moon universe, but is a standalone tale.

Seeing Red: Scorched by T.C. Orton represents both a new author and a new universe for me.  I had not read any other books by this author so I was unfamiliar with the Omega Moon universe that this story is set in.  That said, its true you don’t have to have read the other novel to be able to understand or enjoy this vampire tale of romance as it has very little to do with the werewolves of the Omega Moon story except for one thin plot thread.

I think what I enjoyed best about this story was the format and interesting manner in which Isaac is turned into a vampire.  Its not an automatic process but one that takes nine months…sort of like birthing a baby. And it moves forward in increments of time just as you mark it off in a baby’s book.  I liked that sort of progress chart.  Funny, sort of ironic in comparison.  At least I hope that’s what the author was going for.  It marks the changes, inward and outward, that Isaac, really a 19 year old,  has to go through.  And that includes vampire royal politics, his old conservative family who kicked Isaac out, and so much more.  Like puppy love and maybe the real thing.

I very much liked the four members that made up the band Red –  Troy, Nicolai, Kyle and Moss.  Each individualistic enough that I wanted more of each and didn’t get enough  pages of this story to satisfy my need for that.  Kyle?  Adorable.  And Troy?  Yes, another favorite.  Moss…darkness you want to follow down every alley.  But Nicolai?  He is most likely the weakest link here yet that’s the one that Orton pairs Isaac up with.  I just couldn’t see it.

But I won’t spoil the story for so much happens that is coming as Isaac changes and matures.

But what did hold me back? Some of the more florid language.  The pulsating members…yes…the purple prose that turns a sexy scene into something that starts me giggling instead.  Luckily it wasn’t in every sex scene or I wouldn’t have made it through the book, but in enough that I snorted and snickered in certain places when I should have been fanning myself and that brought the rating down.

Still Seeing Red: Scorched by T.C. Orton had some very interesting elements as well as characters that I enjoyed.  Love a vampire romance, like a new twist or two on the vampire culture and romance?  Pick up Seeing Red: Scorched by T.C. Orton and see what you think about his  idea of vampire love and HFN relationships.  Then let me know…I’m curious as to what you think about it too.

Cover art represents Isaac well but this model is everywhere.  Cute but really overused these days.

Sales Links

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 337 pages
Published May 6th 2016 by T.C. Orton
ASINB01F9WHM5E
Edition LanguageEnglish

Its Volume 1 of the End Street Detectives by Amber Kell and RJ Scott (Recap Tour and Giveaway)

Series Recap Tour & Giveaway

Amber Kell & RJ Scott

 End Street Volume 1

Authors: Amber Kell & RJ Scott
 
Cover Design: Meredith Russell
 
Buy Links
 
Paperback Links
 
Blurb

The Case of the Cupid Curse


Sam Enderson is a human detective who inherits a building from where his Uncle used to run a detective agency. He finds himself working for paranormal creatures despite his resolve to stick with humans only. To supplement his income as a new PI Sam rents out rooms in the large house.

 

Bob is a vampire and turns up on Sam’s doorstep to rent a room. Sparks fly and Sam is attracted to the vampire despite himself.
Sam is cursed by a witch, and has two cases landing on his desk. Werewolves, annoying ghosts and a grumpy gargoyle are enough to drive Sam mad. But somehow in amongst all of this he has to find a missing fae and a missing shifter child.
The Case of the Wicked Wolf
Naiads, humans, sirens and a challenge for Alpha make up the intricate story in the race to rescue the missing children.
Sam and Bob have more than just the case of one lost child to handle. Not only is Shelby Hartman missing, but other paranormal children have disappeared. The race to rescue the children is hampered by naiads, humans, sirens and a challenge for Alpha.
Hartman Hunter is desperate to find his daughter. He turns to the demon Danjal Naamah for help. The problem is that Danjal is the only person Hartman has ever lovedóthe man he let go for the sake of the packÖ
“…With stories that are written by more than one author, there are sometimes gaps in the flow of the writing. There are none here. The writing flows smoothly and seamlessly I wouldn’t be able to tell you who wrote what. The world describe within the story was easily imagined as where the characters….”

 

Author Bios

 
Amber Kell has made a career out of daydreaming. It has been a lifelong habit she practices diligently as shown by her complete lack of focus on anything not related to her fantasy world building.
 
When she told her husband what she wanted to do with her life, he told her to go have fun.
During those seconds she isn’t writing, she remembers she has children who humor her with games of “what if” and let her drag them to foreign lands to gather inspiration. Her youngest confided in her that he wants to write because he longs for a website and an author nameótwo things apparently necessary to be a proper writer.
 
Despite her husband’s insistence she doesn’t drink enough to be a true literary genius, she continues to spin stories of people falling happily in love and staying that way.
 
She is thwarted during the day by a traffic jam of cats on the stairway and a puppy who insists on walks, but she bravely perseveres.
 
 
E-mail: amberkellwrites@gmail.com

 


RJ Scott is the bestselling gay romance author of over ninety MM romance books. She writes emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire, princes, and the men 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. 
 
RJ also writes MF romance under the name Rozenn Scott.
 
The last time she had a weekís break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldnít defeat.
 
mailto:rj@rjscott.co.uk
www.rjscott.co.uk/
www.facebook.com/author.rjscott?ref=ts&fref=ts
www.goodreads.com/author/show/3432558.R_J_Scott
twitter.com/Rjscott_author
www.librarything.com/author/scottrj

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A Paul B Review: The Werewolf Tutor (Shreds #1) by Jade Astor

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Werewolf TutorGarth Merrick and his two brothers are opening a new shifter friendly bar in Maine.  To say that Garth is not made to be a bartender is an understatement.  The number of broken glasses is a testament to that.  One day their family attorney shows up with a proposition.  One of his friends, a wolf shifter, has a son who is having a difficult time shifting.  Would one of the brothers be willing to tutor the young shifter the proper techniques to shifting?  Garth sees this as an opportunity to avoid broken glass and spend some time in rural Maine where his cougar can roam the country estate.

Braiden Hemmings is a young werewolf shifter who is used to getting his own way.  His father does not like the fact that he is hanging out with members of the other pack that lives in town, as the two packs have had bad blood for years.  Having to go away for business, Braiden’s father decides to hire someone to supposedly help him learn to shift.  Braiden knows the real reason is that his father just wants someone to keep an eye on him with he’s out of town.  Braiden decides to act like the brat that his father thinks he is and seduce the babysitter and run him out of town.  When he catches sight of the gorgeous man brought in, Braiden decides that maybe he shouldn’t run him off so fast.

While the attraction between the two is obvious, Garth resists temptation because he Is being paid to teach this young man.  However, the young men of the rival pack decide to make Braden do their bidding, ordering him to meet them.  Garth warns Braiden about possible trouble.  When Braiden does not show, the pack comes searching for them.  The tutor and student must defend themselves against the invaders if they want to continue their new romance.

This is the first book in the new Shreds series.  I wanted to like the book more but something seemed to fall short for me.  I am not sure if it is the fact that Garth up and leaves his brothers behind as they start a new business or the romance between the two main characters did not click as I thought it should have.  Despite this, I do look forward to the stories of Garth’s brothers.  The idea of a shifter bar provides a good setting for future stories.

The cover by E Connors has our two men in front of a forest setting.  One is shirtless while the other has a zipper cropped sweatshirt on.  It is a decent if generic cover for the book.

Sales Links

        

Book Details

EBook, 66 pages
Edition Language:  English
Published:  April 26, 2016 by Dark Hallows Press
ISBN:  978-1530302451

Series:  Shreds

The Werewolf Tutor (Shreds #1)