Category: M/M Paranormal Fiction

A MelanieM Review: NoX by Adrienne Wilder

Rating:: 4.5 stars out of 5

One is a dying man.
The other is a man who died to live.

A nude man invades Luca Suarez’s home and protects him from creatures who cannot exist.
Creatures hunting him.

The stranger can’t tell Luca why. He can’t even tell Luca his name.
He remembers nothing until the moment he sees Luca.

The only hint Luca has to the stranger’s identity is a tattoo on his wrist: N o X

Nox doesn’t know who he is, but he’s sure of three things, his memory loss is temporary, the monsters chasing Luca are called Anubis, and his Alpha, Koda, sent Nox to protect him.

There’s just one problem… Koda is Luca’s brother who was murdered five years ago.

With each passing hour, Nox fills in the pieces painting an impossible truth. And with each passing hour, both men find themselves unexplainably attracted to each other.

Something Luca is willing to embrace because he has nothing left to lose.
And one Nox can’t let happen because it could get Luca killed.

Nox is a HEA m/m paranormal, science-fiction romance.
But be warned, these are NOT the shifters you are used to reading about.

NoX by Adrienne Wilder is a HFN LGBT science fiction novel that ends with new elements added and the author opening up her universe and characters for a sequel that may never be written. Which given the snippets revealed in the author’s notes at the end would be a shame because NoX is a complex, twisty blend of Egyptian mythology, cosmology, shifters, genetics, mad scientists, action adventure, government conspiracy, and , oh yes, hot sex and romance.  Maybe a few more thrown in for good measure.

NoX is a totally engrossing tale from the moment you open the story and meet the ailing Luca, alone in his house on the stormy dark night.   A bang, a flahs, a barking dog, the reader’s pulse starts to race and you become totally involved in this fragile young man’s world and the terror that is about to overtake him.  The writing is terrific, the descriptions are vivid, and the characterization are layered and give these people depth and authenticity.  We believe in them, care for them, and often despair for them.

That is especially true for NoX, the person who begins the story without memory.  That slowly returns in bits and pieces, and as it  does so does his part of the story and back history.  About that I will say no more.

But NoX is told from multiple points of view and it absolutely works,  It flips effortlessly from one person to the next, moving the story and suspense/action forward, while creating angst and a great deal of knots in the reader’s stomach.  Trust me on that last one.

Wilder’s twist on shifter culture pulls from many different areas and genres.  The author brings in Egyptian mythology with Anubis, creationism and origin legends and science, plus sheer old science fiction beings/creature of unknown background now set loose.  There is also plenty of talk of genetics and molecular science.  Except…and here is where it get’s weak…and the author takes the easy way out of a complex explanation or creating one..

“There isn’t enough time for me to explain, and even if there was, you don’t have the education to understand it.”

I read that  to be the author saying that wrote themselves into a scientific corner and that was their solution.  That happens a couple of times here where the intricacies overwhelm the narrative.

There are several major twists to this story, all well woven and one a real stunner that stopped me reading in amazement.  The action is so swift, the information coming at you at such a fast clip that it takes time for the reader to take it all in.  It took me a while to realize that the relationship between NoX and Luca is actually very primal at first, anything resembling something romanic doesn’t appear until later in the story.  So in that respect, you might say this is actually a slow burn romance as well.

It is also violent, graphic, and very sexual which is how the Anubis bonds.  But again that is also such a complex matter, although it appears primal, that it is best left for the storyline.

However, while the blurb states this as a HEA that just isn’t the case.  It would indicate that if it weren’t for that epilogue and the author’s notes.  During the epilogue, more information and new elements are introduced which opens up an entirely new path, characters, and possibilities.  None of which is suggestive of HEA.  The author’s notes are further indication of a sequel in the works as snippets, which are given for the readers to look over.  With Wilder’s note saying it’s dependant on whether or not this does well.

Funny, I always thought you wrote a story because it wanted to be written or you had the passion or need to write it. Huh.

Anyway.  This story stands on it own merits.  It deserves this rating because it’s entertaining, well done, imaginative, and I loved reading it.  Aside from that author’s note of course. Which as you can tell struck me the wrong way.

If you love science fiction that combines a wonderful blend of elements, I think NoX by Adrienne Wilder might be just your thing!  I’m definitely recommending it.

Cover art Adrienne Wilder.  Great cover as it also contains several important elements from the story while being dramatic.

Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US    |  Amazon UK 

 

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 1st edition, 463 pages
Published April 2nd 2019
ASINB07QD2Q4VD
Edition Language English

Michael Gouda on Writing Emotions and his new release Pack with the Devil (author guest post)

 Pack with the Devil by Michael Gouda

MLR Press
Published May 30th 2019
Sales Links:  MLR Press| Smashwords

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Michael Gouda here today to talk about his new story,  Pack with the Devil. Welcome, Michael.

 

✒︎

Hi, I’m Michael Gouda and I was born in London, England at the start of WW2.

In my mid thirties after a disgracefully enjoyable time in the gay pubs and clubs of London I decided to take life more seriously, went to University, obtained a respectable degree and took up teaching in the Worcestershire town of Evesham.

I took early retirement to a limestone cottage in the Cotswold hills where I lived with a series of neurotic collie dogs, a domineering cat and a determination to write. Since then I have written over one hundred and fifty short stories and published longer works with Dreamspinner Press and M.L.R. Press.

I like to introduce incidents from my own deplorable past into my stories of crime and misadventure. Being a romantic at heart though I never allow a tragic ending, however downbeat may be the indications in between.

In ‘ Pack with The Devil’

I wanted to write a story about quite a few emotions, betrayal was actually the one that as it were rose to the surface, though of course it isn’t the real one.

I intended to write a mystery. Of course the narrator himself is a bit of a mystery for in fact we never know his real name. Not that that hasn’t been done before, notably in Daphne duMaurier’s, ‘Rebecca’. 

Having decided on that I wanted to spin a web of characters, any one of which could prove to be the ‘villain’, some more obvious than others. 

There was of course Lex Warrington, the handsome, super-attractive lover who himself is a mystery being forbidden by law (the Official Secrets Act 1989) to divulge his position/job whatever. It is interesting to know (to me at least) that the (mainly women) code breakers at Bletchley Park during WW2 were similarly bound, and some even went to their graves at advanced ages without telling anything. Others though did.

The second most important character was Jacob Levin, Johnny’s life-long friend with whom he shared so many ‘adventures’ in early life up to the time they were parted by the iniquitous 11+ exam which decided the fate and future of so many children, long before their potential could be realized.

Other suspects, in fact red herrings, were the terrorist whom Johnny photographs and could have identified him as his name was included in the byline of the newspapers and of course on the Internet.

I also hinted at the possibility that it might be Christian, Johnny’s sexual partner at University, aggravated by rejection, or even someone in the Police Force itself, though the motivation for this was unlikely.

What I had to do was to try to head the reader’s attention away from the real killer and I hoped that by maintaining contact and seeing the relationship purely from Johnny’s point of view, the actual denouement would be something of a surprise.

I admit that Johnny’s actual escape from death was a little fortuitous but I thought that, in describing Johnny’s final surroundings, I had made them sufficiently sordid for the accident to be believable, especially as the villain’s madness had resulted in such erratic movements.

Occasionally in my writing I include events that have actually happened to me, the incident that took place in the grounds of Alexandra Palace was real, though I’m not sure I behaved then with such presence of mind, but my friend of the time did escape any harm, and we never told our parents, knowing something was wrong but not sure exactly what.

My inspiration for writing can come from anywhere. I have actually written 186 short and novel length stories and obviously they must range over a wide area. I have written stories set in Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, Rome, (which obviously needed a considerable amount of research which I enjoyed.), occasional science fiction (though I’m not really a fan). There is one set in Shakespeare’s time where he ‘meets up’ with his fellow dramatist Christopher (Kit) Marlowe who was murdered in a bar room brawl, though there are conspiracy theories about that – and I give an entirely fictional account as to whom the mysterious ‘WH’ was, whom Shakespeare dedicated his sonnets to.

There is also a gay sendup of the legendary King Arthur – ‘Gay Knights and Horny Heroes.’.

Most of my stories, though, are contemporary and practically anything I hear on the news, see on the TV, remember from my past (for example the flood of  2007 inspired a longish novel about a writer and his friends and their adventures). I like reading thrillers or police procedurals and many of my stories are in similar vein (like ‘Crook’ and ‘Crimes of Passion).

I have also written a full length novel about WW2 based on what I have read and my father’s stories. He was an ARP warden during the war, not being called up as his work was a reserved occupation.

Sometimes I include my agnosticism in my characters, who can’t believe in a loving god when there’s so much hatred and evil in the world and the innocent suffer. Nor can I really understand how a so-called monotheistic deity has three gods and certainly cannot comprehend life after death. However my atheist characters are able to disregard all this and remain loving and human beings .(or the opposite – such is the power of the author)”

For the past three years I have been immobilized in a Home, unable to stand or, of course, walk and having to be moved via a hospital hoist. Luckily I have retained at least most of my marbles, so I can type away at my tablet whenever I get a reasonably inventive idea.

I think I write to entertain though occasionally I must admit secretly I think I also write some stories to inform, though hopefully not in a didactic, or worse in a patronizing way.

My next story is already on the stocks. It involves the complications of Mistaken Identities.

 

From my recliner, 🛌 Michael

Excerpt: 

Part 1 The Book

It was all his great aunt Marion’s fault…

If she hadn’t had a birthday and Adrian hadn’t felt pressured into buying her a present…

If she hadn’t made pointed remarks about liking old books and how the backstreets of the town were full of second-hand bookshops which were an excellent source…

If her birthday hadn’t fallen on the 25th of the month and his pay day wasn’t until the 28th so that he was really short…

If he could just have ignored that birthday without incurring her displeasure which might have meant being left out of her will–and she was after all pushing eighty…

And all those ‘ifs’ meant that Adrian was wandering down the High Street when it was at its hottest and grubbiest, the air feeling close and sticky and the sky a heavy uniform grey. He had just finished his part-time shift in the local BurgerBar and had hoped that the air outside would be less clogged than the greasy atmosphere of his work place. The hot spell it seemed was about to break and not before time. Stagecoach buses and cars made pedestrians’ lives hazardous while the vehicle exhausts pumped out choking pollution fumes to fill the air.

Sundry ‘homeless’ persons sat against the walls and spread their legs and feet out onto the pavements begging. Some had dogs and Adrian felt more sorry for them than he did for their human owners. Most of the dogs looked bored and would obviously have preferred to be running around a field chasing after rabbits than sitting looking forlorn in the High Street. He was pleased to see though that they looked well-fed–which was more than he could say for their owners.

Except one–who was young, dogless and quite attractive with curly dark hair and wide eyes which looked open and appealing. He was dressed in a pullover–must be hot, thought Adrian, and some tight jeans which, as the man–well he was scarcely older than a post adolescent boy really–sprawled his legs out onto the pavement, wrapped and emphasized the shape of his genitals in a very stimulating way–surely intentionally.

Adrian tried to catch his eye, but the young man seemed to be looking into the middle distance, his eyes glazed and unfocussed. Maybe he was on drugs, Adrian thought.

The Spa Town had once–perhaps some two hundred years earlier (Adrian was not all that good at history)–been the height of fashion when gentlemen in silk hose and ladies in crinolines came to take the waters at the Pump Room, but Time and the corrosive effects of sulphur dioxide had not dealt kindly with the elegant stonework which was now pitted and marked so that it looked as if it was being eaten away by a virulent disease. Nor had the economic recession helped for almost every other shop front was now boarded up, the graffiti and advertising posters making a patchwork of cluttered disorder.

But Aunt Marion had been right in one thing–there were second-hand bookshops in abundance especially in the little side streets which branched off the main thoroughfare every twenty yards or so. Adrian wondered how they could possibly make any sort of profit, there being so many of them and so few apparent customers. Some of them had tried to attract custom by putting a box of dog-eared paperbacks and old remaindered hardbacks in the front with a sign saying ‘Only 50p each’ but it was hardly an unrefusable inducement to buy.

Adrian, though, was out for a bargain so he stooped down and rummaged through the contents of one such box. Now would Aunt Marion appreciate a grubby, torn, ‘bodice-bursting’ Mills and Boon–he thought not. He might be a cheapskate, but he didn’t want to appear to be one too obviously. Right at the bottom of the box he found a yellowed book which, at first sight, appeared as unsuitable as the first. Its print was crabbed and blurred, and the paper was thick, the sides of the pages seemed almost torn rather than cut to size, their edges rough and uneven. It had no front cover and Adrian was about to toss it back in disgust when his eye caught a date in Roman numerals at the bottom of the title page–MDCLXXV.

It took him a little while to work out but eventually he deciphered it as 1675. The title seemed to be in Latin ‘Compendium Rerum Malorum’ and the author was someone called Thomas Weir of Edinburgh. None of this meant very much to Adrian, a Compendium, he thought, meant a collection–but certainly the book looked old and, if he had worked out the date correctly, nearly four hundred years, could be quite valuable. It would make an ideal present for Aunt Marion who loved Antiques. He wondered if perhaps the book had got into the box by mistake and the bookseller would make a fuss about selling it to him for 50p, so he picked out three other books from the box and took them into the shop.

“Four from your bargain box,” he called out cheerfully to the little man, crouched like a gnome behind the counter, and looking as dusty as most of the stock on his shelves. He waved them in front of the man’s face and then plonked down two-pound coins on the surface.

Blurb

When Adrian Foster finds an antique book containing what appears to be spells covering all kinds of attractive eventualities. He also meets Steven Miles and the two are attracted to each other. Adrian tries out a spell which is granted, as does Steven. However Adrian decides to go even further and makes a pact with the Devil which, although his wishes are granted, the cost to himself is disastrous. Steven attempts to rescue him from Lucifer’s clutches but Adrian rapidly goes downhill until he is a wreck of his former self. Can the two youths find a way out of the appalling situation which is killing the man Steven loves?

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review The Strength of His Heart (Enhanced #4) by Victoria Sue and narrated by Nick J. Russo

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Those who follow this unique series will be happy to know that big, strong, and sweet Vance Connelly finally got his story. I hope this isn’t the last in the series, but if it is, it’s a darn good one to end on. Vance grew up knowing he wanted to be a cop like his other family members, but when the scar appeared and they suddenly realized he was one of the “enhanced,” his hopes for a bright future took a downturn. That is, until the creation of the FBI Human Enhanced Rescue Organization in Tampa where Vance was hired immediately.

Sam “Angel” Piper joins the squad as Vance’s human partner and is immediately attracted to the powerful man. But Sam’s past as a troubled teen with a junkie mother is always there to hold him back. And when Sam’s past catches up to him just as the team is investigating the disappearance of enhanced children, he pulls further away from Vance. And that mistake nearly costs him his life, as he’s kidnapped and no one knows it. While in the meantime, Vance is arrested according to plan, since he’s gone undercover, but he’s then taken to an undisclosed location and that’s not according to plan. There he discovers why the teens have been taken and the plot loops back around to Sam’s past connections.

The story is intricately detailed, full of action, and full of missteps on Sam’s part and heartache for Vance. Nick J. Russo did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life. His narrations fit this type of story well, as he keeps the pace fast and interesting and the voices distinct. Since it’s an audiobook review, I must mention that the story is so fast-paced that if I allowed my mind to drift, I was lost, so I admit I had to do a bit of rewinding to keep up. Moral of the story is pay attention. LOL.

The good news is that at the end, Sam admits his true feelings, and Vance gets the man he cares for. As Sam tells him, it’s not his enhanced muscle strength that makes him so special, it’s the strength of his heart. I highly recommend this entire series—in audio for a real treat.

A good representation of the FBI’s Human Enhanced Rescue Organization, the cover by Jay Aheer features a man wearing a HERO uniform heading into a firefight.

Sales Links:Audible | Amazon

Audio Book Details:  

7 hours and 22 minutes

Audible Audio, Unabridged, 8 pages
Published April 8th 2019 by Dreamspinner Press (first published December 11th 2018)
ASINB07QGFTHYQ
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series Enhanced #4

An Alisa Review: Gorgon in 69 Seconds (College of United Monsters #3) by C.B. Archer

Rating:  3.5 stars out of 5

What happens when you enroll in a monster college and finally meet your bitter rival face to face? Riding stuff. Riding stuff happens.

 

The once elite College of United Monsters (C.U.M.) is still having financial troubles. In order to stay afloat, it has been forced to allow humans to register. Humans, in a monster school? Preposterous! Also, monsters are real and that was probably a bigger shock to the world than one school of them allowing humans to enroll.

Nape MacGuffin is a regular, ridiculous human. A student in the suddenly popular Historical Pottery Studies course, Nape finds himself facing off against his class’s biggest rivals: the students of Automobile Theory & Repair, who are convinced the pottery class is out to destroy them. Naturally, they have to get to the pottery students first. But, honestly—with a name like MacGuffin, you know the entire reason he’s in this story is to get kidnapped later on to serve as a plot device. You did know that…right?

It serves him right for having a punny name and attending monster college.

This series has continued to be an entertaining read, even if there are times I get confused about what is going on.  This one had more jumping around than the first two so I had a harder time keeping up.

Nape and Sthenny seem to be rivals but quickly band together when Nape discovers a negative plan for Automobile shop.  I didn’t really see these two as a couple though and felt they were just put together for the story.  I wasn’t able to get into their connection like I could with the first two books.

The cover art is great and I liked the visuals from the story.

Sales Links: Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 57 pages

Published: April 16, 2019 by Deep Desires Press

Edition Language: English

Series: College of United Monsters #3

Love Fantasy and Dragons? Check out the Tour for Eeli (Brotherhood of Ormarr #3) by Steph Marie and Bobbie Rayne (excerpt and giveaway)

COVER - Eeli

Bobbie Rayne & Steph Marie have a new MM paranormal dragon rider book out, book three of the four-part Brotherhood of Ormarr series: Eeli.

Eeli~

I’ve been training my entire life for this; I need to be the best, the best fighter, the best dragon rider in the entire brotherhood. This is what I was born for. The only problem is that my bonded dragon, Bodhi, and I can’t seem to get it together. One minute I think we’re connecting properly, and the next she’s taking off, leading me to the one guy I don’t want to know: Slash. He’s basically the opposite of me in every way, and I don’t get why he’s suddenly everywhere I turn, but I can’t deny how he makes me feel when he looks at me.

Slash~

Three years ago my sister and I had to come to a new town and started new schools without our parents’ unconditional love and support. My uncle’s an uncaring drunk, so I’m doing the best I can to keep us both clothed and fed with only an after school job. If I didn’t have her to live for, the loneliness would be excruciating. Now, with only a few months until graduation, I’ve suddenly made a friend because of my sister, and another guy keeps stumbling into me who I think needs help: Eeli. I don’t understand why no one else sees how oddly he’s behaving, but I can’t deny my attraction for him is growing with every mishap.

Eeli is the third book in The Brotherhood of Ormarr series. While each book focuses on a different couple, the overall story arc continues in the next installment. For maximum enjoyment, we suggest reading in order. Eeli is a m/m NA romance, and is recommended for adults 18 years and older.

Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CAN | Goodreads

About the Series:

SERIES Brotherhood of Ormarr

Being a dragon rider for the Brotherhood of Ormarr is filled with adventure, but danger can lurk behind every corner with the Order of Amsel set out to destroy the riders. Azaran, Zale, Eeli, and Malachite have spent their whole lives training, but will it be enough?

The brothers lost their parents years ago to assassins, but they’ve never been able to figure out who was behind the attack. Follow the journey of these dragon riders, along with their faithful dragons, as they find their mates and discover clues that will lead to the final epic showdown.

The Brotherhood of Ormarr series consists of four books, each with its own HEA. While each book focuses on a different couple, the overall story arc continues into the next installment. For maximum enjoyment, we suggest reading in order. This is a m/m romance series, and is recommended for adults 18 years and older.

Other Books in the Series:Azaran (book one) | Zale (book two) | Malachite (book four – releases June 10th)

Giveaway

Bobbie & Steph are giving away a $20 Amazon gift card with this tour. Enter via Rafflecopter:

a Rafflecopter giveawayhttps://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d4769/?

Excerpt

MEME1 - Eeli

Before I could say anything else, Bodhi released herself from my skin and scampered down my arm, then took off like a shot down the hallway. There was no way I could’ve caught her.

“Bo!” What the heck was she doing? We were in a public building for crying out loud! “Bodhi, stop!”

She ran around a corner, and I heard a scream. Crap. She wasn’t even hiding herself from humans. Now I was going to have to erase some poor human’s memory of her. Bodhi, stay where you are.

Mine.

I rolled my eyes. Did she seriously take off like that for a candy wrapper? It’s trash, Bo, why are you so obsessed with trash?

Not trash; pretties!

Turning the corner, I took in the scene before me. Bodhi was in front of me looking ready to pounce and doing that little butt wiggle thing she did every time she saw a candy wrapper. And a guy had his back against the lockers with his hands in the air like he was being arrested or something. My eyes widened when I realized who it was. Slash.Because of course it was. He was the only other person here as far as I knew. Fantastic.

“Of course, it’d be you,” I muttered with an eye roll.

“Wh-what is that thing?” he asked without taking his eyes off the small dragon.

“That’s Bodhi, she’s my—” I was cut off when Bo suddenly launched herself at him and he screamed and covered his face with his arms. Unfortunately for him, she grabbed onto his forearm with her clawed feet, then flipped herself upside down, hanging off his arm and hugging Slash’s waist with her wings. Her overly playful nature wasn’t coming in handy right now. “—she’s my dragon,” I finished with a sigh.

Slash was screaming and waving his arms, trying to push her off with no luck.

“Slash, just give her your candy.”

He paused his crazy flailing. “Wh-what?”

“Your candy. She wants it. If you hand it over, she’ll leave you alone and you can forget all about this.” When I erase your memory, I added to myself. Maybe I could erase his memory of every crap thing he’d seen me do the past few weeks, too.

Without looking at me, he was trying to peel her off his waist. “I don’t have any candy.”

“Do you have a wrapper?”

“What? No!”

“Are you sure?”

He yelled, “I don’t have any candy!”

“Okay, okay, sheesh.” My brow furrowed. “Bodhi?”

She twisted her neck to look at me, then flipped around to wrap her wings around Slash as she said, Mine.

What’s yours? He doesn’t have any candy.

She looked at me again, then nudged a terrified Slash’s cheek and said, Ours.

It took me a second, but my eyes widened as her meaning finally hit me, and I looked at Slash as he begged, “Please get it off me.”

“Slash?” I whispered to Bodhi. “No. Nope. No. No way. No.”

Ours.

“Eeli! Please help me! Call the police or animal control or something!”

I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out as Slash finally looked at me. As soon as our eyes connected, I felt it. That strange pull I’d felt every time I’d been around him lately and chalked it off as some kind of weird fascination with a mix of lust. But that wasn’t all it was. I should’ve known it was more than that, but… but it was Slash.

Swallowing thickly, I exchanged a look with Bo, then whispered to Slash, “She’s not going to hurt you.”

He looked like he was so terrified, he might cry. “How do you know that?”

“She’s my bonded dragon. She’s… just happy to see you.”

“Dr-dragon?” He glanced down at her as she snuggled into his neck, then he whispered, “Dragons aren’t real.”

“Clearly,” I said sarcastically as I finally peeled Bodhi off him.

Slash stayed against the lockers, but moved away a few steps without taking his eyes off her. It was a struggle to keep Bodhi from going after him again.

“Um… so… I’m going to need you to come with us.”

Slash finally looked at me again, and I instantly felt the pull even though he looked angry and ready to murder me with his eyes alone. “Are you kidding me? No way in hell am I going anywhere with you or thatthing in your arms.”

Bo sunk into me, and I knew he’d hurt her feelings, so I hugged her to my chest. “Don’t say stuff like that about her. Say whatever you want about me, Slash, but don’t you dare bully Bodhi.”

His eyebrows went up, but all he muttered was, “Whatever. I’m just going to go.” He went to scoop up his backpack from the ground where it’d fallen, but I quickly stepped on the strap so he couldn’t take it.

“I can’t let you do that.”

“Oh yeah, Eeli? What’re you gonna do about it?”

Bo jumped from my arms and began pecking at his feet, making him move closer to me as he jumped around and tried to get away. When she had him up against the lockers in front of me again, I pulled out my cell to call Zale.

“Hey.”

“Hey, uh… we have a problem.”

“What’s going on? Where are you?”

“I’m still at school, but uh… can you meet me here? I need your help.” Before he could reply I added, “And bring some rope.”

“Eeli, what’s going on? Are you hurt?” Zale asked at the same time that Slash’s eyes widened as he said, “Rope?”

I didn’t take my eyes off him as I asked my brother, “Is your mate with you?”

“Of course.”

“Bring him, too.”

“Why do you need Davis?”

My blue eyes connected with Slash’s hazel ones, and I said, “Because he has experience with kidnapping people.”

Author Bios

Bobbie Rayne grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and still lives there today. She’s married to her very patient husband, and they have two amazing sons together, as well as two crazy dogs. She spends her time writing, driving her kids all over town, and helping run the PTA.

Her children are one of the reasons she loves YA so much, and one reason why she thinks it’s important to bring LGBTQ+ main characters into fiction. Writing YA has always been a dream of hers, and she truly believes that writing it is good for her soul. Her family means the world to her, but coffee might be high up on that list, too, so if you bring her some, you just might end up with a new best friend.

Author Website: https://notarobooks.com/

Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/bobbie.rayne.9

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

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bobbierayne/

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18522828.Bobbie_Rayne

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/bobbierayne

Steph Marie is a proud mom of two teenage daughters and her pup. She’s always had a love for words and what they can do, their ability to create and transform life. She’s shared her words and stories with people in her immediate life, but never considered writing and publishing Young Adult until her oldest daughter said she wished all teens had the ability to sit around her kitchen table and talk. That night a series was born, and characters haven’t stopped popping up in her head wanting their story told yet. Her favorite things in life outside of her family are a huge cup of coffee, a blanket to snuggle under, and a delicious piece of cake–if you’re nice, she’ll even share.

Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/steph.marie.3760430

Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephmarieyaau6

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmarie.author/

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17730330.Steph_Marie

Author Amazon: https://amazon.com/author/stephmarie

LOGO - Other Worlds Ink

Check Out the New Release Tour for Give Up The Ghost (Not Dead Yet #2) by Jenn Burke (excerpt and giveaway)

 

 

Give Up the Ghost by Jenn Burke

Series: Not Dead Yet #2

Release Date: June 3, 2019

Subgenre: MM Paranormal Romance

Order here:

Harlequin: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781488036262_give-up-the-ghost.html

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07LGBFM99/

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Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/ca/book/give-up-the-ghost/id1449963995?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Jenn_Burke_Give_Up_the_Ghost?id=6BSADwAAQBAJ

 

 

Synopsis for Give Up the Ghost:

The bigger they are, the harder they maul.

Immortal not-ghost Wes Cooper and his vampire partner, Hudson Rojas, have it all—rewarding private investigation work, great friends and, most important, a love that’s endured. But ever since Wes sent a demon screaming back to the beyond, his abilities have grown overpowering and overwhelming. He’s hiding the fact that he’s losing control the best he can, but it’s hard to keep anything a secret for long when your partner’s a former cop…and especially when your partner’s a former cop who wants to move in together.

When all hell literally breaks loose in Toronto and super strength ghosts are unleashed on Wes and his friends, he and Hudson are thrown into a case unlike any they’ve seen before. To save the city, Wes needs to harness his new power…and find some answers. But when he gets them, the solution to fix it all could mean losing everything.

Release Blitz Teaser:

It was your typical surveillance tape—black-and-white, a little grainy. It flipped between two cameras: one at the front of the store, and one in the back room. The light was not good, but it was enough to make out the counter at the front of the store with some items on display and the register, and in the back office, the desk, with its computer monitor and chair set slightly askew, as though someone had gotten up and not set the chair neatly against the desk.

For a few rotations of the image, the shop was empty, motionless. And then—

“Is the chair moving?” Hudson asked.

It was. The chair, which had been completely still, was now sliding out of frame. Not quickly, but consistently. The seat rotated, though whether that was simply from the motion of the chair or from an unseen someone manipulating it, I couldn’t tell.

“Wait,” Kat said.

The image flipped back and forth a few more times, and then I saw movement behind the counter in the front of the store. A drawer near the bottom, to the right of the cash register, was opening. Centimeter by centimeter, it extended out from the counter, pulled by an invisible force. It moved as we watched it, so it wasn’t like someone was pulling at it only when the camera wasn’t on them.

“I see why you wanted us to see it.” I couldn’t help it—my voice was shaky. There were way too many fucking ghosts in my life at the moment.

“Wait,” Kat stressed.

Just as Kat said it, something rose from the drawer. Before I could identify what it was, it disappeared—and all movement in the shop stopped.

I cleared my throat. “That was…uh.”

“Weirder than normal?” Hudson suggested.

“Definitely weirder than normal,” Iskander said.

 

Release Blitz Excerpt

I lifted my head and he took the invitation for what it was. His lips brushed mine, his skin cooler than a regular human’s, but not cold, not deathly. Lexi had explained more than once that Hudson and Evan weren’t dead—in fact, they’d never died, unlike what traditional Hollywood vampire lore would have you believe. They simply traded their human life force for blood-driven magic at the moment before their death.

Hudson’s tongue slipped inside my mouth, dancing with mine, and I sighed into the kiss, feeling the tension I’d been carrying around—for forever, it seemed—melt away. This was what I’d craved, without even knowing it. Hudson’s warm but not too warm touch, his slightly elongated fangs as he fell into the sensations we brought out in each other, his smoky cedar scent that surrounded me, infused me.

We were suddenly moving—Hudson’s doing, not mine, because I couldn’t even remember I had legs—and in an instant, I was lying on my bed, looking up at him. His eyes were glowing a soft yellow, a sign he was aroused.

“Do you want to?” he asked.

God, if I didn’t already love him, I would have fallen right there.

I didn’t often feel sexual attraction. Objectively, I could evaluate a man’s appearance as handsome, rugged, beautiful—but it was an esthetic appreciation, not an “I want to jump his bones” kind of one. I rarely felt the need to be close to someone, to kiss someone, to make love to them. In fact, there had been only two men in my life I had felt that way about—Michael and Hudson. But even though I desired Hudson and most of the time, just looking at him was enough to get my engine revving, sometimes my body wasn’t on board with the sex stuff. Sometimes it wanted cuddles and closeness rather than passion and orgasms. And the best thing? The absolutely amazing best thing?

Hudson accepted that without question. He always had.

“Yeah,” I said with a grin.

He yanked off his shirt. Commence drooling. Hudson wasn’t model-chiseled—his chest was too broad, too hairy, too much of a barrel shape to fit into society’s image of a perfect body. But I loved it.

Hudson hooked his thumbs into his waistband, then paused. “Aren’t you going to join me?”

I folded my arms behind my head. “Too busy enjoying the show.”

He smiled, the full-wattage version that rarely made an appearance, the one that made the corner of his eyes crinkle. I loved that smile. He shucked off his pants and kicked them aside, then held out his arms so I could look to my heart’s content.

And look, I did.

Hudson’s body was all power. From his barrel chest to his plump biceps to his thick thighs, everything about him was solid. Unmovable. Just looking at him, a sense of safety and security flooded me. He would never let anything hurt me.

After eighty-some-odd years spent mostly alone, that was incredibly reassuring.

His cock twitched under my perusal—half-hard and standing up farther with every second that passed. It wasn’t obscenely huge, but thick enough and long enough to be in scale with the rest of him, and make my mouth water.

I licked my lips and scooted back so I was sitting against the headboard. “C’mere.”

Hudson didn’t have to be told twice. He knelt on the bed and crawled over me, straightening again when he was straddling my waist. His dick was pointing at me, daring me to lick it. He grabbed the base and waved it in front of me. “You want it?”

“God, yeah.” I opened my mouth wide and he leaned forward to place the tip against my tongue.

Author Bio:

Jenn Burke has loved out-of-this-world romance since she first read about heroes and heroines kicking butt and falling in love as a preteen. Now that she’s an author, she couldn’t be happier to bring adventure, romance, and sexy times to her readers.

Jenn is the author of a number of paranormal and science fiction romance titles, including the critically acclaimed Chaos Station science fiction romance series (authored with Kelly Jensen) from Carina Press.

She’s been called a pocket-sized and puntastic Canadian on social media, and she’ll happily own that label. Jenn lives just outside of Ottawa, Ontario, with her husband and two kids, plus two dogs named after video game characters…because her geekiness knows no bounds.

 

Author links:

Website: http://www.jennburke.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeralibu

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/jeralibu/

Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/295814398039168/ (Jenn Burke’s Epic Adventurers)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeralibu/

Newsletter sign-up: http://bit.ly/jennburkenewsletter

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9869819.Jenn_Burke

Giveaway:

Win a spooky ghost-themed prize pack, including paperback copies of Not Dead Yet and Give Up the Ghost (not available in stores!) and other goodies!

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/88d45f0396/?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Lila Review: Give Up the Ghost (Not Dead Yet #2) by Jenn Burke

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

The bigger they are, the harder they maul. 

Immortal not-ghost Wes Cooper and his vampire partner, Hudson Rojas, have it all—rewarding private investigation work, great friends and, most important, a love that’s endured. But ever since Wes sent a demon screaming back to the beyond, his abilities have grown overpowering and overwhelming. He’s hiding the fact that he’s losing control the best he can, but it’s hard to keep anything a secret for long when your partner’s a former cop…and especially when your partner’s a former cop who wants to move in together.

When all hell literally breaks loose in Toronto and superstrength ghosts are unleashed on Wes and his friends, he and Hudson are thrown into a case unlike any they’ve seen before. To save the city, Wes needs to harness his new power…and find some answers. But when he gets them, the solution to fix it all could mean losing everything.

Give Up the Ghost is a nice addition to this series. Like the previous book, it has a slow plot, filled with intrigue, mystery, and lot of sassy characters, The dry humor and sarcasm are strong is this story as well as all the characterizations. Every small detail is important for the final resolution.

It’s interesting to see what has happened since Wes and Hudson rekindled their relationship and how the previous events shaped the twists and turns this time around. There’s a lot of information to digest. From settings, foods, clothes, and everything that makes this book unique.

I enjoyed seeing Evan, Lexi, and Iskandar. again, and how they were part of this book too. Even Michael was a refreshing sight with an unexpected role. I wanted a little less reflection and a faster pace. Even when the story was entertaining and compelling.

The cover matches the previous book and it’s interesting enough to get the readers’ eye. Still, the characters seem pretty young.

Sale Links: Amazon | Nook | Carina

Book Details:
ebook, 280 pages
ISBN: 1488036268
Published: June 3, 2019, by Carina Press
Edition Language: English

Series: Not Dead Yet
Book #1: Not Dead Yet
Book #2: Give Up the Ghost

A Lila Review :Prophesy Book II: The Bringer of Wrath (The King & Alpha Series #2) by A.E. Via

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Shifter and Vampire True Mates story.

Alek’s older brother, Justice—the Alpha Zenith—was the first shifter to mate with a vampire in many generations, and it was believed the rare, fated pairing would stop at him. But, it hadn’t. Aleksei ‘Alek’ Volkov was second beta, next in succession to the most powerful shifter in the world. He was proud of his title and he took his duties seriously. It was all he had. Until his true mate literally showed up on his doorstep.

While his brother—the overachiever—excelled at having a vampire as a mate, Alek wasn’t that optimistic he would. He wasn’t averse to love, and he’d often thought of how different his life could’ve turned out if he’d ever experienced the emotion. His life was a mess and he’d worn a mask of stability for a majority of that time, only showing his siblings and pack what they needed to see—a strong Volkov alpha. Not the damaged man he was, with a tortured soul and a rogue wolf.

Alek dropped his heavy head in his hands. Now, for some reason, I’ve been granted a true vampire mate. And not just any vampire. The intimidating Belleron Liatos. Lord High to the King and the leader of his army.

Belleron ‘Bell’ Liatos had come to the states for one reason—his best friend and Vampire King, Chadwick Bentley. He certainly didn’t come to be pounced on by a wolf that could act independently of its master. Not only was his destined cherished a complicated and confused man; but he was also unaware of the powerful presence that lurked in the shadows of his soul. Bell didn’t know he’d be the key to unlocking an exceptional triad that would play a critical role in fulfilling the prophesy.

The Bringer of Wrath is a different type of shifter paranormal story. The intrinsic connection of Alek and Bell, and the other parts of their relationship push the reader to want more. The way the discoveries happened and how all it’s interrelated and separate at the same time shows the author’s ability to web not only the plot but the characters. Not much else I can say about this without spoiling how amazing Alek is 🙂 And Belleron is pretty feisty too.

The battles, the action, and the drama are well connected and have a reason to exists. The amount of detail can be overwhelming at times but reading the first book makes the most sense. The book can be slow at times but it’s easy to get lost in the Volkov’s legacy.

Preconceptions about shifters, vampires, and paranormal should be place aside. The prophesy is the base for these stories and provide all the information the reader needs to fall in love with the characters and the series.

I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of the books, and to know more about these characters. There’s a nice continuation from one to the other.

The cover by Jay Aheer is a perfect match for this series and the plot of this volume. Great way to catch the readers attention.

Sale Links:  Amazon | Via Star Wings

Book Details: 

ebook, 267 pages
Published: May 22, 2019, by Via Star Wings Publishing
ASIN: B07QQ2XH1Q
Edition Language: English

Series: The King and Alpha
Book #1: Prophesy
Book #2: The Bringer of Wrath